Liquid transporting apparatus and method of producing liquid transporting apparatus

A liquid transporting apparatus comprising:

• a channel unit in which a liquid channel including a pressure chamber which is long in one direction is formed;
• and
• a piezoelectric actuator which applies pressure to a liquid in the pressure chamber by changing a volume of the pressure chamber, wherein:
• the channel unit includes a vibration plate which covers the pressure chamber;
• and
• the piezoelectric actuator includes:
• a drive plate which has a base portion which is arranged, on a side of the vibration plate opposite to the pressure chamber, outside of an end portion in a longitudinal direction of the pressure chamber;
• and a drive portion which extends from the base portion along the longitudinal direction at least up to an area facing a substantially central portion of the pressure chamber, the drive plate being fixed to the vibration plate at the base portion and at a portion of the drive portion facing the substantially central portion of the pressure chamber;
• a piezoelectric layer arranged along a plane direction of the drive plate;
• a first electrode which is arranged at an area on one surface side of the piezoelectric layer, the area facing the pressure chamber;
• and
• a second electrode which is arranged on the other surface side of the piezoelectric layer, wherein:
• openings are formed in the drive plate, on both sides respectively of the drive portion, the both sides being in a short direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the drive portion, each of the openings extending from the base portion along the longitudinal direction at least up to the area facing the substantially central portion of the pressure chamber, and the both sides of the drive portion in the short direction are defined by the openings;
• and
• the drive portion of the drive plate is separated from the vibration plate at a portion of the vibration plate overlapping in a plan view with the pressure chamber.