A multi-layered piezoelectric ceramic-containing structure There is provided a multi-layered piezoelectric ceramic-containing structure comprising: a metal substrate; a metallic adhesive layer on a surface of the metal substrate; a non-metallic thermal barrier layer on the metallic adhesive layer; and a piezoelectric ceramic layer sandwiched between a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer, wherein the first electrode layer is on the non-metallic thermal barrier layer. There is also provided a method of forming the structure.

A method of fabricating a piezoelectric layer includes depositing a piezoelectric material onto a substrate in a first crystallographic phase by physical vapor deposition while the substrate remains at a temperature below 400° C., and thermally annealing the substrate at a temperature above 500° C. to convert the piezoelectric material to a second crystallographic phase. The physical vapor deposition includes sputtering from a target in a plasma deposition chamber.

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an epitaxy oxide thin film of enhanced crystalline quality, and an epitaxy oxide thin film manufactured thereby according to the present invention. With respect to the manufacturing method of the epitaxy oxide thin film, which epitaxially grows an orientation film with an oxide capable of being oriented to (001), (110), and (111) on a single crystal Si substrate, because time required for raising a temperature of the orientation film up to an annealing temperature at room temperature is extremely minimized, thermal stress arising from the large difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the substrate and the orientation film is controlled, so crystalline quality of the epitaxy oxide thin film can be enhanced. Moreover, various epitaxial functional oxides are integrated into the thin film of enhanced crystalline quality so that a novel electronic device can be embodied.

A piezoelectric element includes, on a base, an underlying layer for controlling crystallinity of a piezoelectric layer, and the piezoelectric layer. The piezoelectric layer includes a crystal with an ABO.sub.3-type structure having at least Pb at A sites. In the underlying layer, an interface-with-the-base side is configured including at least Pb and another substance with a different composition rate from that of the piezoelectric layer at the A sites, and a substance with a different composition ratio from that of the piezoelectric layer at B sites. In a layer above the interface-with-the-base side in the underlying layer, the composition rate of the other substance included at the A sites of the underlying layer progressively changes and also the composition ratio of the substance included at the B sites progressively changes, from the interface-with-the-base side toward the interface-with-the-piezoelectric-layer side to approach the composition of the piezoelectric layer.

Provided is an ultrasonic sensor including a piezoelectric elements arranged along a first direction and a second direction on a vibration plate, an insulation layer, and conductive lines. Each piezoelectric element including a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode. The first electrode is partially removed in a regions between the piezoelectric elements. The second electrode is a separate electrode provided for each piezoelectric element. The insulation layer covers the second electrodes and has holes through which portions at opposite ends of the second electrodes along the first direction are partially exposed. Each conductive line is provided between adjacent ones of the second electrodes along the first direction and electrically connects, via the holes, the adjacent ones of the second electrodes.

A system is for detecting a location of a touch input on a surface of a propagating medium. The system includes a transmitter coupled to the propagating medium and configured to emit a signal. The signal has been allowed to propagate through the propagating medium and the location of the touch input on the surface of the propagating medium is detected at least in part by detecting an effect of the touch input on the signal that has been allowed to propagate through the propagating medium. The system includes a piezoresistive sensor coupled to the propagating medium. The piezoresistive sensor is configured to at least detect a force, pressure, or applied strain of the touch input on the propagating medium.

Provided is a dielectric thin film including a metal oxide. The metal oxide includes bismuth, sodium, barium, and titanium, at least a part of the metal oxide is a tetragonal crystal having a perovskite structure, and a (100) plane of at least a part of the tetragonal crystal is oriented in a normal direction do of a surface of the dielectric thin film 3.

A residual stress in a PZT type ferroelectric film 12 formed on a substrate body 11 by a sol-gel process is −14 MPa to −31 MPa, and the ferroelectric film 12 is crystal oriented in a (100) plane.

An array of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) includes a first piezoelectric layer and a second piezoelectric layer, a dielectric layer positioned between the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer, and a plurality of conductive layers positioned on opposing surfaces of the first piezoelectric layer and opposing surfaces of the second piezoelectric layer. A plurality of isolation trenches extend through the dielectric layer and at least a portion of conductive layers of the plurality of conductive layers, where the plurality of isolation trenches are positioned between neighboring PMUTs of the array of PMUTs such that the neighboring PMUTs are electrically isolated, and wherein the plurality of isolation trenches relieve stress in the dielectric layer.

For a piezoelectric device, an optical characteristic and/or a piezoelectric characteristic is improved. A piezoelectric device has a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a piezoelectric layer provided between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, wherein the piezoelectric layer is formed of a wurtzite crystal material as a main component, to which one or more elements is/are added, said one or more elements being transparent when turned into an oxide, and wherein a haze value is 3% or less, and transmittance with respect to light having a wavelength of 380 nm is 50% or more.