US 6,988,301 B2Granted

Method for manufacturing a matrix type actuator

AssigneeNGK Insulators, Ltd.

InventorsYukihisa Takeuchi, Hiroyuki Tsuji, Kazumasa Kitamura, Nobuo Takahashi, Koji Kimura

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Abstract

A matrix type piezoelectric/electrostrictive (P/E) actuator includes a plurality of piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements, each including a piezoelectric/electrostrictive body and at least one pair of electrodes formed on a ceramic substrate. The matrix type P/E actuator is activated by the displacement of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive bodies. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements are joined to the ceramic substrate as respective unified bodies, and are two-dimensionally arranged independently from each other. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator provides a greater displacement with a lower voltage, a high responsive speed, and a greater generating force, as well as enhancing the mounting ability and the integration. A method for manufacturing such a matrix type P/E actuator is also disclosed.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A method for manufacturing a matrix type actuator, in which a plurality of piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements include at least a piezoelectric/electrostrictive body and at least one pair of electrodes are two-dimensionally arranged on a thick ceramic substrate;

characterized in that said method comprising:
a step A for obtaining ceramic green lamination structure having through apertures, wherein a plurality of ceramic green sheets including piezoelectric/electrostrictive material as a main component are prepared, said ceramic green sheets are machined with a punch and a die to form apertures at predetermined positions and laminated, and thus the through apertures are formed by connecting said apertures to each other;
a step B for preparing ceramic green substrates to be formed as the thick ceramic substrate;
a step C for obtaining a sintered lamination structure by laminating said ceramic green lamination structure and said ceramic green substrate and then by sintering and unifying them;
and
a step D for slicing said sintered lamination structure at the portion corresponding to at least the ceramic green lamination structure obtained in said step A;
said method further comprises a process for forming a plurality of independent piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements on the ceramic substrate.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/007,485Filed 8 Dec 2004 · division
Priority: JP 2000-39171522 Dec 2000
Published: US 2005/0102807 A119 May 2005
Granted: 24 Jan 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

H10N 39/00
Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one piezoelectric
B41J 2/14209
Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements: of finger type, chamber walls consisting integrally of piezoelectric material
H10N 30/088
By machining: by cutting or dicing
H10N 30/089
By machining: by punching

Family

Application09/900,742Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 6 Jul 2001
Application09/952,483Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 12 Sep 2001
Application10/011,259Parent of this division · filed 5 Dec 2001
US 2005/0102807 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 May 2005
US 6,864,620 B2Parent of this division
US 6,699,018 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application10/011,259Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2002/0140318 A1Published application
US 2002/0146329 A1Published application
US 2003/0001454 A1Published application
US 6,988,301 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.