A wafer structure is disclosed and includes a chip substrate and a plurality of inkjet chips. The chip substrate is a silicon substrate which is fabricated by a semiconductor process on a wafer of at least 12 inches. The plurality of inkjet chips include at least one first inkjet chip and at least one second inkjet chip. The plurality of inkjet chips are directly formed on the chip substrate by the semiconductor process, respectively, and diced into the at least one first inkjet chip and the at least one second inkjet chip, to be implemented for inkjet printing. Each of the first inkjet chip and the second inkjet chip includes a plurality of ink-drop generators produced by the semiconductor process and formed on the chip substrate.

In one example, a liquid ejection device. The device includes a first metal layer over a substrate, a dielectric layer over the first metal layer, and an orifice through the dielectric layer to the first metal layer. The device also includes a second metal layer over the dielectric layer and partially filling the orifice to form a via to electrical connect the two metal layers. The via has a depth-to-width ratio of at least 0.4. The device further includes a passivation stack covering the second metal layer including all interior surfaces of the via. The stack includes an ALD-deposited layer formed by atomic layer deposition.

A piezoelectric element includes: a first electrode; an oxide layer formed on the first electrode; a piezoelectric layer formed on the oxide layer and containing potassium, sodium, and niobium; and a second electrode formed on the piezoelectric layer. When a potential difference of 10 V is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, a current density of a leak current differs by 10,000 times or more between a case in which the first electrode is set at a high potential and a case in which the second electrode is set at a high potential.

A piezoelectric substrate includes: a substrate; a first electrode formed on the substrate; and a piezoelectric layer formed on the first electrode and containing potassium, sodium, and niobium. A full width at half maximum of an X-ray intensity peak on a plane (100) of the piezoelectric layer in a Psi axis-direction scan result of an X-ray diffraction measurement in which a surface of the piezoelectric layer is irradiated with X-rays at an angle of 54.74° from a direction perpendicular to the surface is more than 0° and 1.2° or less.

A flow passage forming member includes flow passage forming member main bodies 140 and 146 that are formed of a resin material and define at least a part of a flow passage, a metal protective film 200 that is provided on a surface of the flow passage forming member main body 140 and a surface of the flow passage forming member main body 146 defining at least the flow passage and is formed of a metal material, and a protective film 210 that is laminated on the metal protective film 200 and contains an oxide or a nitride of at least on element selected from the group consisting of tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), niobium (bib), vanadium (V), hafnium (Hf), silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), tungsten (W), and yttrium (Y).

A crystal pattern forming method includes: an electromagnetic wave absorbing layer forming process for forming an electromagnetic wave absorbing layer on one of surfaces of a substrate; an amorphous film forming process for forming an amorphous film on the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer; a mask forming process for forming an electromagnetic wave blocking mask for blocking an electromagnetic wave on the other one of the surfaces of the substrate; and a crystallizing process for causing the substrate to be irradiated with the electromagnetic wave from the other one of the surfaces of the substrate through the electromagnetic wave blocking mask to crystallize a given region in the amorphous film. In the mask forming process, a recessed structure is formed on the other one of the surfaces of the substrate, by selectively removing the other one of the surfaces of the substrate to form a recessed portion.

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a piezoelectric substrate, the method including: forming an intermediate layer of Ti and a lower electrode of Pt oriented in a (111) axis direction on a substrate without heating the substrate; applying a coating liquid for forming an orientation control layer made of lead titanate onto the lower electrode; drying the coating liquid at a predetermined temperature to form an orientation control layer precursor made of lead titanate; applying a coating liquid for forming a piezoelectric thin film made of lead zirconate titanate; drying the coating liquid at a predetermined temperature to form a piezoelectric precursor made of a lead zirconate titanate precursor; and collectively firing the orientation control layer precursor and the piezoelectric precursor to crystallize both the precursors, to thereby form a piezoelectric thin film made of lead zirconate titanate preferentially oriented in a (110) plane.

Provided are a barium titanate-based piezoelectric ceramics having satisfactory piezoelectric performance and a satisfactory mechanical quality factor (Q.sub.m), and a piezoelectric element using the same. Specifically provided are a piezoelectric ceramics, including: crystal particles; and a grain boundary between the crystal particles, in which the crystal particles each include barium titanate having a perovskite-type structure and manganese at 0.04% by mass or more and 0.20% by mass or less in terms of a metal with respect to the barium titanate, and the grain boundary includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Ba.sub.4Ti.sub.12O.sub.27 and Ba.sub.6Ti.sub.17O.sub.40, and a piezoelectric element using the same.

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 droplet ejector assembly for a printhead comprises a substrate, the substrate comprising a CMOS control circuit, a plurality of layers on the first surface of the substrate, a fluid chamber having a droplet ejection outlet, and a piezoelectric actuator element formed by one or more said layers and comprising first and second electrodes in contact with a piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric actuator element defines part of the fluid chamber. At least one said electrode electrically is connected to the CMOS control circuit. The droplet ejector comprises a fluid chamber having a droplet ejection outlet. The piezoelectric actuator element is separate to the droplet ejection outlet and the piezoelectric body is formed of one or more piezoelectric materials processable at a temperature below 450° C. Thus, a CMOS control circuit is integrated with a droplet ejector assembly. The CMOS control circuit may receive both an analogue actuator ejection pulse and serial digital controls signals and use the serial digital control signals to determine which piezoelectric actuator elements are connected to and driven by individual actuator ejection pulses.