A multi-level piezoelectric actuator is manufactured using wafer level processing. Two PZT wafers are formed and separately metallized for electrodes. The metallization on the second wafer is patterned, and holes that will become electrical vias are formed in the second wafer. The wafers are then stacked and sintered, then the devices are poled as a group and then singulated to form nearly complete individual PZT actuators. Conductive epoxy is added into the holes at the product placement step in order to both adhere the actuator within its environment and to complete the electrical via thus completing the device. Alternatively: the first wafer is metallized; then the second wafer having holes therethrough but no metallization is stacked and sintered to the first wafer; and patterned metallization is applied to the second wafer to both form electrodes and to complete the vias. The devices are then poled as a group, and singulated.

A method of forming a piezoelectric thin film includes sputtering a first surface of a substrate to provide a piezoelectric thin film comprising AlN, AlScN, AlCrN, HfMgAlN, or ZrMgAlN thereon, processing a second surface of the substrate that is opposite the first surface of the substrate to provide an exposed surface of the piezoelectric thin film from beneath the second surface of the substrate, wherein the exposed surface of the piezoelectric thin film includes a first crystalline quality portion, removing a portion of the exposed surface of the piezoelectric thin film to access a second crystalline quality portion that is covered by the first crystalline quality portion, wherein the second crystalline quality portion has a higher quality than the first crystalline quality portion and processing the second crystalline quality portion to provide an acoustic resonator device on the second crystalline quality portion.

Provided is a lead-free piezoelectric material reduced in dielectric loss tangent, and achieving both a large piezoelectric constant and a large mechanical quality factor. A piezoelectric material according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a piezoelectric material including a main component formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the general formula (1): Na.sub.x+s(1−y)(Bi.sub.wBa.sub.1−s−w).sub.1−yNb.sub.yTi.sub.1−yO.sub.3 (where 0.84≤x≤0.92, 0.84≤y≤0.92, 0.002≤(w+s)(1−y)≤0.035, and 0.9≤w/s≤1.1), and a Mn component, wherein the content of the Mn is 0.01 mol % or more and 1.00 mol % or less with respect to the perovskite-type metal oxide.

A hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic has an ABO.sub.3 structure with A sites and B sites. The PZT ceramic is doped with Mn and with Nb on the B sites and the ratio Nb/Mn is <2. A piezoelectric multilayer component having such a PZT ceramic and also a method for producing a piezoelectric multilayer component are also disclosed.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a processing tool that includes a wafer chuck disposed within a hot plate chamber and having an upper surface configured to hold a semiconductor wafer. A heating element is disposed within the wafer chuck and configured to increase a temperature of the wafer chuck. A motor is coupled to the wafer chuck and configured to rotate the wafer chuck around an axis of rotation extending through the upper surface of the wafer chuck. The processing tool further includes control circuitry coupled to the motor and configured to operate the motor to rotate the wafer chuck while the temperature of the wafer chuck is increased to form a piezoelectric layer from a sol-gel solution layer on the semiconductor wafer.

A multilayer piezoelectric ceramic is constituted by: piezoelectric ceramic layers which do not contain lead as a constituent element, have a perovskite compound expressed by the composition formula Li.sub.xNa.sub.yK.sub.1−x−yNbO.sub.3 (where 0.02<x≤0.1, 0.02<x+y≤1) as the primary component, and contain 0.2 to 3.0 mol of Li relative to 100 mol of the primary component; and internal electrode layers which are constituted by a metal that contains silver by 80 percent by mass or more; wherein the multilayer piezoelectric ceramic is such that Li compounds other than the primary component are localized therein. The multilayer piezoelectric element can offer excellent insulating property.

A piezoelectric composition including manganese and a complex oxide having a perovskite structure represented by a general formula ABO.sub.3, wherein an A site element in the ABO.sub.3 is potassium or potassium and sodium, a B site element in the ABO.sub.3 is niobium, a concentration distribution of the manganese has a variation, and the variation shows a CV value of 35% or more and 440% or less.

A piezoelectric element includes a laminate including first and second piezoelectric layers with respective polarization directions in a thickness direction and an elastic layer provided between the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer, first and second terminal electrodes that are provided on an external surface of the laminate, a first detection electrode provided on a positive polar surface of the first piezoelectric layer, a second detection electrode provided on a negative polar surface of the first piezoelectric layer, a third detection electrode provided on a positive polar surface of the second piezoelectric layer, and a fourth detection electrode provided on a negative polar surface of the second piezoelectric layer. The first detection electrode and the fourth detection electrode are connected to the first terminal electrode. The second detection electrode and the third detection electrode are connected to the second terminal electrode.

A multilayer ceramic electronic component is provided in which wet spreading of a metal bump material can be suppressed and a position of the metal bump can be controlled with high accuracy. The multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body having first and second main surfaces and first to fourth lateral surfaces between the main surfaces. Moreover, first and second opposing internal electrodes are provided inside the ceramic body and led out to one or more of the second lateral surfaces. A first electrode is provided on the first main surface and contains a ceramic material and a first external electrode that is connected to the first internal electrode, extends on the first electrode. In addition, a second external electrode is connected to the second internal electrode and extends onto the first main surface.

A piezoelectric multilayer component having a stack of sintered piezoelectric layers and inner electrodes arranged between the piezoelectric layers. A region which has poling cracks is present on the surface of at least one electrode, and the poling cracks are separated from a surface of at least one of the inner electrodes by the region having the poling cracks.