The invention relates to a ceramic material, comprising lead zirconate titanate, which additionally contains K and optionally Cu. The ceramic material can be used in an electroceramic component, for example a piezoelectric actuator. The invention also relates to methods for producing the ceramic material and the electronic component.

This invention is a method for manufacturing a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped single crystal containing sodium niobate of a perovskite structure as the main component, and the method includes a process of heating a mixture 1 of bismuth sodium niobate which is formed from particles containing a plurality of crystals represented by General Formula (1): Bi.sub.2.5Na.sub.m1.5NbmO.sub.3m+3 (m is an integer of 2 or more) and in which an average value m.sub.a of the m values is larger than 6 and sodium containing alkali metal halide at 1200 C. or more and 1250 C. or less to obtain a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped single crystal containing sodium niobate as the main component.

The invention relates to a lead-free piezoceramic material based on bismuth sodium titanate (BST) having the following parent composition: x(Bi.sub.0.5Na.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3-yBaTiO.sub.3-zSrTiO.sub.3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0z0.07 or x(Bi.sub.0.5Na.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3-yBaTiO.sub.3-zCaTiO.sub.3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z0.05 or x(Bi.sub.0.5Na.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3-y(Bi.sub.0.5K.sub.0.5)TiO.sub.3-zBaTiO.sub.3 where x+y+z=1 and 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0z<1, characterized by addition of a phosphorus-containing material in a quantity that gives a phosphorus concentration of from 100 to 2000 ppm in the piezoceramic material.

The present invention comprises: a step of applying a liquid composition for forming a PZT ferroelectric film; a step of drying the film applied with the liquid composition; a step of irradiating UV rays onto the dried film at a temperature of 150 to 200 C. in an oxygen-containing atmosphere; and after the application step, the drying step, and the UV irradiation step once, or more times, a step of firing for crystallizing a precursor film of the UV-irradiated ferroelectric film by raising a temperature with a rate of 0.5 C./second or higher in an oxygen-containing atmosphere or by raising a temperature with a rate of 0.2 C./second or higher in a non-oxygen containing atmosphere, followed by keeping the temperature at 400 to 500 C. An amount of liquid composition is set such that thickness of the ferroelectric film be 150 nm or more for each application and ozone is supplied during UV irradiation.

There is provided a piezoelectric laminate, including: a substrate; and a piezoelectric film formed on the substrate, wherein the piezoelectric film contains an alkali niobium oxide represented by a composition formula of (K.sub.1xNa.sub.x)NbO.sub.3 (0<x<1), having a perovskite structure, and contains a metallic element selected from a group consisting of Cu and Mn at a concentration of more than 0.6 at % and 2.0 at % or less.

A piezoelectric composition including copper, germanium and a complex oxide represented by a compositional formula K.sub.mNbO.sub.3 and having a perovskite structure, in which m in the compositional formula satisfies 0.970 m0.999, and with respect to 1 mol of the complex oxide, x mol % of copper in terms of a copper element and y mol % of germanium in terms of a germanium element are contained, wherein x satisfies 0.100 x1.000 and y satisfies 0.000<y1.500.

A piezoelectric ceramic speaker includes a piezoelectric element using a vibration sheet formed with piezoelectric ceramic having a primary phase constituted by ceramic grains of perovskite crystal structure containing Pb, Nb, Zn, Ti, and Zr, and a secondary phase constituted by ZnO grains, wherein the primary phase is constituted by ceramic grains expressed by a composition formula Pb {(Zr.sub.(1-a)Ti.sub.a).sub.x.Math.(Ni.sub.1/3Nb.sub.2/3).sub.y.Math.(Zn.sub.1/3Nb.sub.2/3).sub.z}O.sub.3 (where 0<x0.85, 0y<1, 0<z<1, x+y+z=1, and 0.45a0.60); and an enclosure which encloses the piezoelectric element.

A ceramic dielectric including: a bulk dielectric including barium (Ba) and titanium (Ti); a ceramic nanosheet; and a composite dielectric of the bulk dielectric and the ceramic nanosheet.

Provided is a piezoelectric ceramics having a gradual change in piezoelectric constant depending on an ambient temperature. Specifically, provided is a single-piece piezoelectric ceramics including as a main component a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by a compositional formula of ABO.sub.3, wherein an A site element in the compositional formula contains Ba and M.sub.1, the M.sub.1 being formed of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Ca and Bi, wherein a B site element in the compositional formula contains Ti and M.sub.2, the M.sub.2 being formed of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Zr, Sn, and Hf, wherein concentrations of the M.sub.1 and the M.sub.2 change in at least one direction of the piezoelectric ceramics, and wherein increase and decrease directions of concentration changes of the M.sub.1 and the M.sub.2 are directions opposite to each other.

Provided is a piezoelectric material filler including alkali niobate compound particles having a ratio (K/(Na+K)) of the number of moles of potassium to the total number of moles of sodium and potassium of 0.460 to 0.495 in terms of atoms and a ratio ((Li+Na+K)/Nb) of the total number of moles of alkali metal elements to the number of moles of niobium of 0.995 to 1.005 in terms of atoms. The present invention can provide a piezoelectric material filler having excellent piezoelectric properties, and a composite piezoelectric material including the piezoelectric material filler and a polymer matrix.