A piezoelectric device includes a substrate, a diaphragm; and a piezoelectric actuator, in which the substrate, the diaphragm, and the piezoelectric actuator are laminated in this order in a first direction, the diaphragm includes a first layer containing silicon as a constituent element, a third layer disposed between the first layer and the piezoelectric actuator and containing zirconium as a constituent element, and a second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer and containing at least one impurity element selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metalloid, and a semiconductor other than silicon and zirconium, as a constituent element, and the impurity element diffuses into the third layer.

The diaphragm includes a first layer containing silicon as a constituent element, a third layer disposed between the first layer and the piezoelectric actuator and containing zirconium as a constituent element, and a second layer disposed between the first layer and the third layer and containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a metal other than iron, silicon, and zirconium, a metalloid, and a semiconductor, as a constituent element, in the second layer and the third layer, a position with a highest concentration of impurities other than the constituent elements of the second layer and the third layer is in the second layer, a position with a highest concentration of zirconium is in the third layer, and a position with a highest concentration of silicon is in the first layer.

A liquid ejection head has at least a structure including an ejection orifice forming member having an ejection orifice for ejecting a liquid and a flow path communicating with the ejection orifice and a flow path forming substrate having a liquid introduction flow path communicating with the flow path and supplying the liquid, and includes: a first titanium oxide film with a pure water contact angle of 40° or less; and a second titanium oxide film with a pure water contact angle of 70° or more, wherein the first titanium oxide film covers the structure including inner walls of the flow path and the liquid introduction flow path and is exposed in the flow path and the liquid introduction flow path, and the second titanium oxide film has a portion covering the first titanium oxide film in a vicinity of an opening end.

A fluid ejection apparatus includes a plurality of fluid ejectors. Each fluid ejector includes a pumping chamber, and an actuator configured to cause fluid to be ejected from the pumping chamber. The fluid ejection apparatus includes a feed channel fluidically connected to each pumping chamber; and at least one compliant structure formed in a surface of the feed channel. The at least one compliant structure has a lower compliance than the surface of the feed channel.

A method for manufacturing a device for ejecting a fluid, including the steps of: forming, in a first semiconductor wafer that houses a nozzle of the ejection device, a first structural layer; removing selective portions of the first structural layer to form a first portion of a chamber for containing the fluid; removing, in a second semiconductor wafer that houses an actuator of the ejection device, selective portions of a second structural layer to form a second portion of the chamber; and coupling together the first and second semiconductor wafers so that the first portion directly faces the second portion, thus forming the chamber. The first portion defines a part of volume of the chamber that is larger than a respective part of volume of the chamber defined by the second portion.

A method for producing a liquid transport apparatus is disclosed. The liquid transport apparatus includes a pressure chamber plate, a ceramics layer formed on a surface of the pressure chamber plate, a piezoelectric layer formed on the ceramics layer, and an electrode formed on the piezoelectric layer. The ceramics layer is formed by heating an insulating ceramic material at a temperature lower than an annealing temperature of the piezoelectric layer. Accordingly, the atoms of the pressure chamber plate are suppressed from being diffused into the piezoelectric layer.

Techniques are provided for making a funnel-shaped nozzle in a substrate. The process can include forming a first opening having a first width in a top layer of a substrate, forming a patterned layer of photoresist on the top surface of the substrate, the patterned layer of photoresist including a second opening, the second opening having a second width larger than the first width, reflowing the patterned layer of photoresist to form curved side surfaces terminating on the top surface of the substrate, etching a second layer of the substrate through the first opening in the top layer of the substrate to form a straight-walled recess, the straight-walled recess having the first width and a side surface substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the semiconductor substrate.

A liquid discharge head includes a substrate, a pressure chamber through which a first liquid and a second liquid flow while being in contact with each other, a pressure generating element configured to pressurize the first liquid, and a discharge port configured to discharge the second liquid. The substrate has a first channel and a second channel that each extend through the substrate. The first channel is used to supply the first liquid to the pressure chamber. The second channel is used to supply the second liquid to the pressure chamber. A viscosity of the second liquid is greater than a viscosity of the first liquid. An average cross-section area of the second channel is greater than an average cross-section area of the first channel.

A method of forming a print head, by forming a heater chip. Via zones having peripheries are defined on a substrate, with heaters formed along the entire peripheries of the via zones. Traces that electrically connect to each of the heaters are formed. In some embodiments, the heater chip is then stored for a period of time. After storing the heater chip, vias are formed in only a selected portion of the via zones, which is a subset of the via zones. A channel layer is formed on the heater chip by forming a first layer on the heater chip. Flow channels are formed in the first layer from the vias to only those heaters on the heater chip that are disposed along the selected portion of the via zones. Bubble chambers are formed in the first layer around only those heaters on the heater chip that are disposed along the selected portion of the via zones. A nozzle plate in formed on the channel layer by forming a second layer on the first layer, and forming nozzles in the second layer above only those heaters on the heater chip that are disposed along the selected portion of the via zones.

A method of making an ejector device. The method includes providing a substrate and forming one or more ejector conduits on the substrate. The one or more ejector conduits comprise: a first end configured to accept a print material; a second end comprising an ejector nozzle, the ejector nozzle comprising a first electrode pair that includes a first electrode and a second electrode, at least one surface of the first electrode being exposed in the ejector nozzle and at least one surface of the second electrode being exposed in the ejector nozzle; and at least one passageway for allowing the print material to flow from the first end to the second end. A method of printing a three-dimensional object and a method for jetting print material from a printer jetting mechanism are also disclosed.