A piezoelectric material contains a main component containing a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by general formula (1), a first sub-component containing Mn, and a second sub-component containing Bi or Bi and Li. A Mn content relative to 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide is 0.500 parts by weight or less (including 0 parts by weight) in terms of metal, a Bi content relative to 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide is 0.042 parts by weight or more and 0.850 parts by weight or less in terms of metal, and a Li content relative to 100 parts by weight of the metal oxide is 0.028 parts by weight or less (including 0 parts by weight) in terms of metal:
(Ba.sub.1−x−yCa.sub.xSn.sub.y).sub.α(Ti.sub.1−zZr.sub.z)O.sub.3 (where 0.020≦x≦0.200, 0.020≦y≦0.200, 0≦z≦0.085, 0.986≦α≦1.100)  General formula (1).

A mechanical structure comprising a stack including an active substrate and at least one actuator designed to generate vibrations at the active substrate, the stack comprises an elementary structure for amplifying the vibrations: positioned between the actuator and the active substrate, the structure designed to transmit and amplify the vibrations; and comprising at least one trench, located between the actuator and the active substrate. A method for manufacturing the structure comprising the use of a temporary substrate is provided.

A liquid-ejecting head includes a pressure-generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening, and a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric layer contains a perovskite complex oxide containing Bi, La, Fe, and Mn and is ferroelectric.

The acoustic wave device includes a crystal substrate cut from a quartz crystal boule cut by a rotational angle specified by a right-handed Euler angle (ϕ, θ, Ψ), and at least one comb-shape excitation electrode to excite the crystal substrate to make a plate waves. The rotational angle specified by the right-handed Euler angle (ϕ, θ, Ψ) is within ranges of ϕ=0±2°, θ=16.0° to 20.0°, and Ψ=0±2°. A plate wave, among the plate waves, having a phase velocity in a range of from 3500−4000 m/s, is selected as a vibration mode of the crystal substrate. When H represents a substrate-thickness of the crystal substrate and λ represents a wavelength of the plate wave, a normalized plate thickness H/λ is in a range of 1.5<H/λ<2.0.

A surface acoustic wave sensor in which instrument drift resulting from accumulated surface contamination is minimized. The sensor includes a piezeoelectric substrate defined by an outer surface and a plurality of interdigitated electrodes mounted thereon. The electrodes are defined by one or more exposed portions and an unexposed portion abutting the outer surface of the piezoelectric substrate. An inert coating layer on the outer surface of the piezoelectric substrate and the exposed portions of the electrodes is provided, and can be a perfluoro-silane type compound, a perfluoro-trichloro-silane type compound, a perfluoro-acrylate type compound, polytetrafluoroethylene, or heptadecafluorodecyltrimethoxysilane.

Provided is a polymeric piezoelectric film including a helical chiral polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from 50,000 to 1,000,000 and having optical activity, in which a crystallinity of the film measured by a DSC method is from 20% to 80%, a product of a standardized molecular orientation MORc measured by a microwave transmission-type molecular orientation meter based on a reference thickness of 50 μm and the crystallinity is from 40 to 700, and, when a refractive index in a slow axis direction in the film surface is n.sub.x, a refractive index in a fast axis direction in the film surface is n.sub.y, a refractive index in a thickness direction of the film is n.sub.z, and an Nz coefficient=(n.sub.x−n.sub.z)/(n.sub.x−n.sub.y), the Nz coefficient is from 1.108 to 1.140.

An electromechanical-transducing electronic component includes at least one element array of electromechanical transducer elements. A piezoelectric material of each transducer element is made of a composite oxide having a perovskite structure preferentially oriented to at least one of (100) and (001) planes and has a drop of diffraction intensity in a rocking curve corresponding to at least one of (200) and (002) planes measured at a position (2θ=θmax) of a diffraction peak intensity P where the diffraction intensity is largest in a diffraction intensity peak corresponding to the at least one of the (200) and (002) planes out of diffraction intensity peaks measured by an X-ray diffraction θ-2θ method. ΔP/P.sub.AVE is 20% or less where P.sub.AVE represents an average of the intensity P in the element array in the piezoelectric material of each transducer element and ΔP represents a maximum difference of the intensity P in the array.

A membrane switch in which a first conductive part is formed on a first substrate, a second conductive part is formed on a second substrate, and the substrates are layered via a spacer such that the conductive parts face each other with a space therebetween, and an organic material showing piezoelectricity is filled, or disposed in the space such that an air gap is present, are useful for obtaining an output signal corresponding to an applied pressure.

An energy generating device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The energy generating device includes a first electrode, a metal layer, including a regular arrangement of a plurality of patterns, disposed on the first electrode, an organic material layer positioned on the metal layer, and a piezoelectric layer interposed between the first electrode and the organic material layer.

A piezoelectric ceramic sputtering target containing a perovskite type oxide represented by chemical formula (I) of ABO.sub.3 as a main component, wherein the component A of the chemical formula (I) contains at least K (potassium) and/or Na (sodium), the component B of the chemical formula (I) contains at least Nb (niobium), the piezoelectric ceramic sputtering target is composed of a plurality of crystal grains; and the average particle diameter of the crystal grains is larger than 3 μm and not larger than 30 μm.