There is provided a piezoelectric element including: a substrate; a first electrode formed at a first substrate surface of the substrate in a first direction; a first piezoelectric layer that is formed at the first electrode and that includes a flat surface portion along the first substrate surface and an inclined surface portion inclined with respect to the flat surface portion; a second piezoelectric layer that is formed at the inclined surface portion 170a and whose thickness is smaller than a thickness of the flat surface portion of the first piezoelectric layer; and a second electrode formed at at least the flat surface portion.

An inkjet head includes a channel unit and a piezoelectric actuator. The piezoelectric actuator includes a first piezoelectric plate, a first electrode, a second piezoelectric plate, a second electrode, and a conductive member. The first piezoelectric plate includes a first surface. The first electrode is disposed on the first surface, and includes a first extending portion. The second piezoelectric plate includes a second surface. The second electrode is disposed on the second surface, and includes a second extending portion. The conductive member includes a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion. The first conductive portion is disposed on the first surface. The second conductive portion is disposed on the second surface. The conductive portion covers, in a first direction, a spacing that is located between the first extending portion and the second extending portion in a second direction.

A piezoelectric actuator includes an electrode layer including a trunk portion and a plurality of branch portions branched from the trunk portion. The trunk portion includes a plurality of junction points from each of which a corresponding branch portion of the plurality of branch portions are branched, an end spaced from the plurality of junction points, and a second through hole positioned between the plurality of junction points and the end of the trunk portion. A plurality of first through holes are grouped into a first group and a second group. The first group overlaps, in a first direction, a particular area defined between the end of the trunk portion and the second through hole and the second group overlaps, in the first direction, another particular area defined between the second through hole and the plurality of junction points.

A piezoelectric actuator includes a first piezoelectric layer and a first electrode layer disposed on a surface of the first piezoelectric layer. The first electrode layer includes a trunk portion and a plurality of brunch portions branched from the trunk portion. The trunk portion includes a plurality of junction points from each of which a corresponding branch portion of the plurality of branch portions is branched, an end spaced from the plurality of junction points, and a first through hole positioned between the plurality of junction points and the end of the trunk portion. A first mark is positioned inside the first through hole.

A liquid discharge head includes: an actuator substrate; an electromechanical transducer held by the actuator substrate; a damper; and a damper holding substrate holding the damper, wherein the damper disposed between the actuator substrate and the damper holding substrate and joined to the actuator substrate and the damper holding substrate with an adhesive, the damper has a joint portion having a recess or a through hole.

An apparatus includes a reservoir and a printhead. The printhead includes a support structure including a deformable portion defining at least a top surface of a pumping chamber, a flow path extending from the reservoir to the pumping chamber to transfer fluid from the reservoir to the pumping chamber, and an actuator disposed on the deformable portion of the support structure. A trench is defined in a top surface of the actuator. Application of a voltage to the actuator causes the actuator to deform along the trench, thereby causing deformation of the deformable portion of the support structure to eject a drop of fluid from the pumping chamber.

A method of producing a film including repeating a cycle comprised of an application step, a coat removal step and a sintering step N times (N≥2), wherein relative to a liquid supply position in the (n)th (1≤n≤N−1) cycle coat removal step, a liquid supply position in the (n+1)th cycle coat removal step is the same or shifted in a direction approaching the center of a substrate for all n(s) and at the same time, shifted in a direction approaching the center of the substrate for at least one of the (n)s; or is the same or shifted in a direction away from the center of the substrate for all n(s) and at the same time, shifted in a direction away from the center of the substrate for at least one of the (n)s.

A piezoelectric element including a first electrode provided above a base body, a first piezoelectric layer provided so as to be in contact with the base body and cover the first electrode, a second piezoelectric layer provided above the first piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode provided above the second piezoelectric layer, wherein the first piezoelectric layer includes a composite oxide that contains potassium and niobium and that has a perovskite-type structure containing potassium as a main component at an A-site, the second piezoelectric layer includes a composite oxide that contains potassium, sodium, and niobium and that has a perovskite-type structure, and the first piezoelectric layer has a higher potassium atomic concentration (atm %) than the second piezoelectric layer.

A liquid ejecting head includes a diaphragm, a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode in this order in a first direction, and ejects liquid. The second electrode includes a first portion that is next to the piezoelectric layer in the first direction and is electrically conductive. A length in the first direction is defined as a thickness. One position in a second direction intersecting with the first direction is defined as a first position. Another one position is defined as a second position that is closer to an end of the second electrode in the second direction than the first position is. Given the definition, the thickness of the first portion at the second position is less than the thickness of the first portion at the first position.

A piezoelectric film includes a plurality of laminated main baking unit PZT layers. A first seed layer is present at a lower surface side of a lowermost main baking unit PZT layer. A second seed layer is interposed between two adjacent main baking unit PZT layers at an intermediate position between the lowermost main baking unit PZT layer and an uppermost main baking unit PZT layer.