Abstract: An elastic body and a piezoelectric material are bonded to each other by a conductive bonding portion in which conductive particles are dispersed.

Abstract: A vibration actuator according to the present invention includes: a vibrator including a piezoelectric material, an electrode disposed on a first surface of the piezoelectric material, and an elastic body disposed on a side of a second surface, opposite to the first surface, of the piezoelectric material; and a contact body that is in contact with the elastic body and is movable relative to the vibrator. The vibrator vibrates when a voltage is applied between the contact body and the electrode with the contact body at a ground potential.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vibrator made of a non-lead-based piezoelectric material and capable of being driven at a sufficient speed with low power consumption, and provides a vibration wave drive device and an electronical device each using the vibrator. To that end, the vibrator according to the present invention includes a piezoelectric element including a piezoelectric material and electrodes, and an elastic body, wherein a Pb component contained in the piezoelectric material is less than 1000 ppm, and a resonance frequency fA in a vibration mode A and a resonance frequency fB in a vibration mode B satisfy a relation of an absolute value of (fB?fA)>2 (kHz), the vibration mode A and the vibration mode B generating vibration waves in the elastic body with wave fronts of the vibration waves intersecting each other.

Abstract: A vibration-type actuator includes a vibration body including an electric-mechanical energy conversion element with a lead content of 1000 ppm or less, and an elastic body having a plate portion and protrusions protruding in a direction intersecting with a main surface of the plate portion, and a contact body in contact with the protrusions. The vibration body and the contact body are relatively moved by vibration of the vibration body. The vibration-type actuator further comprises a pressure member pressing the vibration body against the contact body and a foamed member arranged between the pressure member and the vibration body. The foamed member contains, as a main skeleton, a siloxane bond including silicon and oxygen, and an average equivalent circle diameter of bubbles contained in the foamed member is greater than 120 ?m.

Abstract: Provided are a powder for laser manufacturing which can be stably manufactured and from which a three-dimensional manufactured object ensuring a manufacturing accuracy can be obtained and a using method thereof. A powder for ceramic manufacturing for obtaining a manufactured object by repeatedly sintering or fusing and solidifying in sequence a powder in an irradiation portion with laser light, in which the powder includes a plurality of compositions, at least one composition of the compositions is an absorber that relatively strongly absorbs the laser light compared to other compositions, and at least a part of the absorber changes to a different composition that relatively weakly absorbs the laser light by irradiation with the laser light and a using method of a powder in which the powder is used.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric ceramics including crystal grains each including: a first region that is formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide having a crystal structure in which a central element of a unit cell is located at an asymmetrical position; and a second region that is formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide having a crystal structure in which a central element of a unit cell is located at a symmetrical position, and that is present inside the first region, wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the second region to a cross-sectional area of the piezoelectric ceramics is 0.1% or less.

Abstract: Provided are a powder for laser manufacturing which can be stably manufactured and from which a three-dimensional manufactured object ensuring a manufacturing accuracy can be obtained and a using method thereof. A powder for ceramic manufacturing for obtaining a manufactured object by repeatedly sintering or fusing and solidifying in sequence a powder in an irradiation portion with laser light, in which the powder includes a plurality of compositions, at least one composition of the compositions is an absorber that relatively strongly absorbs the laser light compared to other compositions, and at least a part of the absorber changes to a different composition that relatively weakly absorbs the laser light by irradiation with the laser light and a using method of a powder in which the powder is used.

Abstract: A piezoelectric transformer comprises at least a laminate of a first member, a first piezoelectric element, a second piezoelectric element and a second member sequentially stacked one on the other in the above-listed order and a pressurizing mechanism for squeezing the first member and the second member together in the stacking direction. The ratio of the electromechanical coupling coefficient k33 relative to the electromechanical coupling coefficient k31 (k33/k31) of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element is not less than 2.0.

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes an annular oscillator, and an annular moving member provided so as to be in press contact with the oscillator. The oscillator includes an annular vibrating plate, and an annular piezoelectric element provided on a first surface of the vibrating plate. The vibrating plate is in contact with the moving member via a second surface of the vibrating plate, which is opposite the first surface. The piezoelectric element has a plurality of drive phase electrodes. When a driving region represents a region of the oscillator in which the drive phase electrodes are provided, and a non-driving region represents a remaining region of the oscillator, a contact area ratio S1 between the vibrating plate and the moving member in the non-driving region is less than a contact area ratio S2 between the vibrating plate and the moving member in the driving region.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing a piezoelectric element in which, at a time when the piezoelectric element is manufactured, a piezoelectric material is prevented from being exposed to a temperature higher than a Curie temperature thereof to be depolarized, to thereby significantly decrease piezoelectric properties. The method of manufacturing a piezoelectric element includes a first step of arranging a plurality of electrodes on a piezoelectric material, electrically short-circuiting two or more electrodes of the plurality of electrodes, and subjecting the piezoelectric material to heat treatment, and a second step of, after the first step, electrically opening the short circuit of the two or more electrodes at a time when a temperature of the piezoelectric material decreases to less than a temperature of the piezoelectric material at a time of the heat treatment.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric material which is free of lead, has small temperature dependence of a piezoelectric constant and has a satisfactory piezoelectric constant. The piezoelectric material includes: an oxide having a perovskite-type structure containing Ba, Ca, Ti, and Zr; Mn; Bi; and W, wherein a ratio of the sum of the Ba and the Ca with respect to the sum of the Ti and the Zr is 0.986 or more and 1.02 or less, and wherein, with respect to 100 parts by mass of the oxide, a content of the Mn is 0.040 part by mass or more and 0.360 part by mass or less, a content of the Bi is 0.050 part by mass or more and 0.240 part by mass or less, and a content of the W is 0.100 part by mass or more and 0.380 part by mass or less.

Abstract: A vibration device comprises a vibrating member having at least n (n?2) piezoelectric elements arranged on a vibrating plate, each of the piezoelectric elements being formed by using a lead-free piezoelectric material and electrodes, wherein if the temperature that maximizes the piezoelectric constant of the piezoelectric material of each of the n piezoelectric elements is expressed as Tm (m being a natural number between 1 and n), at least two of T1 through Tn differ from each other.

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes a driven body, a vibrator including an annular vibration plate and an annular piezoelectric element, and a vibration damping member, which are arranged in sequence, wherein the vibration plate has, on a side facing the driven body, radially extending groove portions at X places, and, when center depths of the groove portions at X places are sequentially denoted by D1 to DX in a circumferential direction, D1 to DX vary along a curve obtained by superposing one or more sine waves, and wherein the vibration plate is locally supported by the vibration damping member in some or all antinode portions of a standing wave occurring when the vibration wave motor is driven.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material which is low in load on the environment, and also satisfies both the requirements of a high piezoelectric constant and a high mechanical quality factor. The piezoelectric material comprises a plurality of crystal grains containing Ba, Ca, Ti, Zr, Mn, and O. An average equivalent circle diameter of the crystal grains is not smaller than 1.0 ?m and not larger than 10 ?m. The crystal grains include crystal grains A each having a first domain with a width of not smaller than 300 nm and not larger than 800 nm, and crystal grains B each having a second domain with a width of not smaller than 20 nm and not larger than 50 nm.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing an oscillator, including: arranging an electrode on a piezoelectric ceramics free from being subjected to polarization treatment, to thereby provide a piezoelectric element; bonding the piezoelectric element and a diaphragm to each other at a temperature T1; bonding the piezoelectric element and a power supply member to each other at a temperature T2; and subjecting the piezoelectric ceramics to polarization treatment at a temperature T3, in which the temperature T1, the temperature T2, and the temperature T3 satisfy a relationship T1>T3 and a relationship T2>T3.

Abstract: Provided are a piezoelectric ceramics which does not contain lead, has small temperature dependence of a piezoelectric constant within an operating temperature range, and has high density, a high mechanical quality factor, a satisfactory piezoelectric constant, and a small surface roughness, and a method of manufacturing the piezoelectric ceramics. The method of manufacturing a piezoelectric ceramics is characterized by including: sintering a compact containing a raw material at 1,000° C. or more to obtain a sintered compact; abrading the sintered compact; and annealing the abraded sintered compact at a temperature of 800° C. or more and less than 1,000° C.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material having a large electromechanical coupling coefficient is provided. The material is manufactured by a method including the steps of: heating a piezoelectric material having a low-temperature side ferroelectric phase A and a high-temperature side ferroelectric phase B between which the phase of the piezoelectric material transitions according to a temperature change, from room temperature to a temperature range higher than T(B?A) at which temperature a change from the ferroelectric phase B to the ferroelectric phase A occurs in a temperature lowering process and lower than T(A?B) at which temperature a change from the ferroelectric phase A to the ferroelectric phase B occurs in a temperature rising process; starting application of an electric field to the piezoelectric material in a state where it is held within this temperature range; and continuing and finishing the electric field application at a temperature lower than T(A?B).

Abstract: A piezoelectric material includes a metal oxide containing at least Ba, Ca, Ti, Zr, and Mn, in which the piezoelectric material has a perovskite structure, in which: x, which represents a ratio of a content (mol) of Ca to A (mol) representing a total content of Ba and Ca, falls within a range of 0.10?x?0.18; y, which represents a ratio of a content (mol) of Zr to B (mol) representing a total content of Ti, Zr, and Mn, falls within a range of 0.055?y?0.085; and z, which represents a ratio of a content (mol) of Mn to the B (mol), falls within a range of 0.003?z?0.012, and in which the piezoelectric material satisfies a relationship of 0?(|d31(?20u)?d31(?20d)|)/|d31(?20u)|?0.08, and has a value of 130 pm/V or more for each of |d31(?20u)| and |d31(?20d)|.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrasonic motor including an annular vibrator and an annular moving member that is brought into pressure-contact with the vibrator. The vibrator includes an annular vibrating plate and an annular piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element includes an annular lead-free piezoelectric ceramic piece, a common electrode arranged on one surface of the piezoelectric ceramic piece, and a plurality of electrodes arranged on the other surface of the piezoelectric ceramic piece. The plurality of electrodes include two drive phase electrodes, one or more non-drive phase electrodes, and one or more detection phase electrodes. A second surface of the vibrating plate includes a plurality of groove regions extending radially, and the depths of the groove regions change in a circumferential direction along a curve obtained by superimposing one or more sine waves on one another. The ultrasonic motor exhibits a sufficient drive speed while suppressing generation of an unnecessary vibration wave.

Abstract: Provided are a powder for laser manufacturing which can be stably manufactured and from which a three-dimensional manufactured object ensuring a manufacturing accuracy can be obtained and a using method thereof. A powder for ceramic manufacturing for obtaining a manufactured object by repeatedly sintering or fusing and solidifying in sequence a powder in an irradiation portion with laser light, in which the powder includes a plurality of constituent materials, at least one constituent material of the constituent materials is an absorber that relatively strongly absorbs the laser light compared to other constituent materials, and at least a part of the absorber changes to a different constituent material that relatively weakly absorbs the laser light by irradiation with the laser light and a using method of a powder in which the powder is used.