A piezoelectric thin film element having a first electrode, a second electrode and a piezoelectric thin film between the electrodes, wherein the thin film comprises a laminate having two or more piezoelectric thin film layers and wherein a first thin film layer is doped by one or more dopants and a second film layer is doped by one or more dopants and wherein at least one dopant of the second thin film layer is different from the dopant or dopants of the first thin film layer.

Printheads and a method of operating a printhead. In one embodiment, a printhead comprises a plurality of jetting channels, a manifold internal to the printhead that is configured to convey a print fluid from an inlet of the printhead to the jetting channels, and an internal pump disposed at the manifold. The internal pump is configured to draw the print fluid into the manifold through the inlet, and to discharge the print fluid from the manifold to the jetting channels.

There is provided a method for producing a liquid transport apparatus includes: a pressure chamber plate partially defining a pressure chamber that communicates with a nozzle for ejecting liquid; an insulating ceramics layer located on a surface of the pressure chamber plate to cover the pressure chamber; a piezoelectric layer located on the insulating ceramics layer; and a first electrode located on the piezoelectric layer. The method includes: forming the insulating ceramics layer on the pressure chamber plate by heating an insulating ceramic material; forming the piezoelectric layer and the first electrode on the insulating ceramics layer; forming the piezoelectric layer including annealing the piezoelectric layer at the annealing temperature; and forming the pressure chamber by removing a part of the pressure chamber plate so that a part of the insulating ceramics layer is exposed on the pressure chamber.

A piezoelectric actuator is provided, including a vibration plate, a piezoelectric layer, a plurality of individual electrodes arranged in two arrays, first and second common electrodes which have first and second facing portions facing parts of the individual electrodes and first and second connecting portions connecting the first and second facing portions respectively, and first and second wiring portions which are arranged on the vibration plate and which are connected to the first and second common electrodes respectively via first and second connecting wirings, wherein one of the first connecting wirings connects the first connecting portion and one of the first wiring portion while striding over the second connecting portion.

There is provided a liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid from a plurality of nozzles, in which the planar shape of the ejecting face on which the nozzles are formed is a shape in which a first portion that passes through the center line parallel to the long side of the rectangle of the minimum area including the ejecting face and a second portion that does not pass through the center line are arranged in the direction of the long side.

An ink jet head includes an actuator and a structure body. The actuator includes a thin film portion, a pressure chamber layer, and a filter. The thin film portion is deformed by application of a voltage to apply a pressure to an ink. The pressure chamber layer is formed on a surface of the pressure chamber and has a recessed portion. The filter is integrally formed with the pressure chamber layer so as to be disposed in the recessed portion, the filter having an aperture smaller than a diameter of a nozzle. The actuator is stacked on an upper surface of the structure body and joined to the upper surface thereof. A pressure chamber is formed by the recessed portion and the upper surface of the structure body, and the filter is disposed in the pressure chamber.

The head has a passage member having a nozzle and a pressurizing chamber which is communicated with the nozzle and is positioned on the side opposite to the side where the nozzle is opened, a piezoelectric actuator substrate which is superimposed on the passage member so as to cover the pressurizing chamber, and a flexible printed circuit which faces the piezoelectric actuator substrate from the opposite side to the passage member. The piezoelectric actuator substrate has a piezoelectric body which is exposed on the flexible printed circuit side. The piezoelectric body has a via hole opened toward the flexible printed circuit and has a projection portion at the edge part of the via hole which projects to the flexible printed circuit side.

The present invention may provide an inkjet head including a pressure chamber in which an aspect ratio of a partition wall is higher, the inkjet head less likely to be broken at the time of fabrication. An inkjet head of the present invention may include a diaphragm that vibrates by actuation of a piezoelectric body, and a pressure chamber a volume of which fluctuates by vibration of the diaphragm. In the pressure chamber, a region in contact with the diaphragm is divided from an adjacent pressure chamber or flow path by a partition wall formed of metal, and the partition wall has an aspect ratio of 1.3 or higher.

The liquid ejecting head satisfies at least one of conditions that structures of the first nozzle and the second nozzle are different from each other, that structures of the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber are different from each other, that structures of the first driving element and the second driving element are different from each other, and that structures of the first individual flow channel and the second individual flow channel are different from each other.

An electromechanical transducer includes an electromechanical transducer film of laminated layers including a perovskite-type complex oxide represented by a general formula of ABO.sub.3; and a pair of electrodes opposed to each other with the electromechanical transducer film interposed between the pair of electrodes. In the general formula of ABO.sub.3, A includes Pb and B includes Zr and Ti. A variable ratio ΔPb of Pb, determined by Pb(max)−Pb(min), is 6% or less and a variable ratio ΔZr of Zr, determined by Zr(max)−Zr(min), is 9% or less, where an atomic weight ratio of Pb in the electromechanical transducer film is denoted by Pb/B, an atomic weight ratio of Zr in the electromechanical transducer film is denoted by Zr/B, a maximum value and a minimum value of the atomic weight ratio of Pb in a film thickness direction of the electromechanical transducer film are denoted by Pb(max) and Pb(min), respectively, and a maximum value and a minimum value of the atomic weight ratio of Zr in the film thickness direction of the electromechanical transducer film are denoted by Zr(max) and Zr(min), respectively.