Piezoelectric/electrostrictive device and method of manufacturing same

• US 20020109438A1
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: Nanataki, Tsutomu, Kimura, Koji, Takeuchi, Yukihisa
• Granted Patent: US 6,968,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/328
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/05 Manufacture of multilayered piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices, or parts thereof, e.g. by stacking piezoelectric bodies and electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/2043 connected at their free ends, e.g. parallelogram type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/42 Piezoelectric device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49789 Obtaining plural product pieces from unitary workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49798 Dividing sequentially from leading end, e.g., by cutting or breaking

Abstract

A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device includes a pair of mutually opposing thin plate sections, a movable section, and a fixing section for supporting the thin plate sections and the movable section. Piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements are arranged on at least one thin plate section of the pair of thin plate sections. A hole is formed by both inner walls of the pair of thin plate sections, an inner wall of the movable section, and an inner wall of the fixing section. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device further includes at least one beam section extending from the inner wall of the movable section to the inner wall of the fixing section.

Claims

1. A method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device having a pair of mutually opposing thin plate sections, a movable section, and a fixing section for supporting said thin plate sections and said movable section, said piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising:

one or more piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements arranged on at least one thin plate section of said pair of thin plate sections; and

a hole formed by both inner walls of said pair of thin plate sections, an inner wall of said movable section, and an inner wall of said fixing section, comprising the step of;

cutting off a predetermined portion, after forming said piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements on at least the thin plate sections, to produce said piezoelectric/electrostrictive device having at least one beam section from said inner wall of said movable section to said inner wall of said fixing section.

2. A method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device having a pair of mutually opposing thin plate sections, a movable section, and a fixing section for supporting said thin plate sections and said movable section, said piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising:

one or more piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements arranged on at least one thin plate section of said pair of thin plate sections; and

a hole formed by both inner walls of said pair of thin plate sections, an inner wall of said movable section, and an inner wall of said fixing section, comprising the steps of;

producing a ceramic laminate by firing a ceramic green laminate containing first ceramic green sheets and second ceramic green sheets for constituting said thin plate sections integrally, said first ceramic green sheets each having a window for forming at least said hole and one or more beam section,

forming said piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements on a part of an outer surface of said ceramic laminate for constituting said thin plate sections; and

producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device having at least one beam section from said inner wall of said movable section to said inner wall of said fixing section by cutting at least once said ceramic laminate having said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element.