Abstract: Disclosed are piezoelectric materials in which electrical properties are improved, and manufacturing methods of the same. In (Li, Na, K, Bi)(Nb, Ta)O3 based piezoelectric materials, the surface microstructures of sintered bodies are constituted of microscopic grains having grain diameters of less than 5 ?m, intermediate grains having grain diameters of 5 ?m or more and less than 15 ?m, and coarse grains having grain diameters of 15 ?m or more and 100 ?m or less.

Abstract: There is disclosed a piezoelectric/electrostrictive ceramics which is a sintered body having a structure where a matrix and a filler are brought into a composite, the matrix is made of an alkali niobate-based piezoelectric/electrostrictive material, which includes a large number of grains combined with one another, including a perovskite type oxide, which includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of Li, Na and K as an A site constituent element and Nb as a B site constituent element, as a main crystal phase, the filler is made of a material (with the proviso that an alkali niobate-based material is excluded) having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than that of the alkali niobate-based piezoelectric/electrostrictive material, and the volume fraction of the filler with respect to the total volume of the matrix and the filler is 0.5 vol % or more and below 10 vol %.

Abstract: An alkali niobate-based piezoelectric/electrostrictive ceramics sintered body including, as a main crystal phase, a perovskite type oxide containing at least one type of element selected from the group consisting of Li, Na and K as A site constituent elements and at least one type of element selected from the group consisting of Nb and Ta as B site constituent elements. The number of lattice-strained layers of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive ceramics sintered body is preferably small. A diffuse scattering intensity ratio, which is a ratio of an intensity of diffuse scattering by a lattice-strained layer present near a domain wall to a sum of an X-ray diffraction intensity of a first lattice plane and that of a second lattice plane different in interplanar spacing from the first lattice plane due to crystallographic symmetry reduction is preferably 0.5 or lower.

Abstract: A carbon film laminate 1 having a porous substrate 6 formed of a plurality of particles and a carbon film 2 provided on a surface of the porous substrate 6, wherein the porous substrate 6 includes a surface layer 3 which is in contact with the carbon film 2 and which is formed of particles 3a having a mean particle size of 0.01 to 0.11 ?m, and a porous body 5 formed of particles having a mean particle size differing from that of the particles 3a forming the surface layer 3. The invention provides a carbon film laminate which does not generate cracks and pinholes of the carbon film and which is suitable for producing thin film thereof.

Abstract: The present inventive (Li, Na, K) (Nb, Ta, Sb) O3 based piezoelectric material has a sintered body having a surface microstructure comprises microscopic grains having a grain diameter of less than 5 ?m, intermediate grains having a grain diameter of 5 ?m or more and less than 15 ?m, and coarse grains having a grain diameter of 15 ?m or more and 50 ?m or less, wherein the amount of coarse grains is 3% or more in a share of grains in terms of area. The present piezoelectric material can be manufactured by mixing metal-containing compounds so as to give the above-mentioned formulation, calcining the mixture and then crushing the resultant to obtain a calcined/crushed powder, then keeping temperature constantly at a temperature within a range from 800 to 950° C. for a predetermined period of time in a constant temperature keeping process, and raising temperature to firing temperature for sintering.

Abstract: Manufacturing sintered bodies having microstructures including microscopic grains having a grain diameter of less than 5 ?m, intermediate grains having a grain diameter of 5 ?m or more and less than 15 ?m, and coarse grains having a grain diameter of 15 ?m or more and 100 ?m or less enables to obtain high electric characteristics. Chemical compounds including metal elements are mixed so that the ratio of the elements is a composition expressed by (Li, Na, K)(Nb, Ta)O3, the mixture is calcined and crushed to obtain calcined/crushed powder. The powder is sintered in a constant temperature keeping process wherein temperature is kept constantly at a predetermined temperature within a range from 800 to 900° C. for a predetermined period of time in a heating process, and then the powder is further sintered by raising temperature to firing temperature, thereby the piezoelectric materials having superior electric characteristics are manufactured.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for manufacturing (Li, Na, K)(Nb, Ta)O3 type piezoelectric material in which a relative dielectric constant and an electric-field-induced strain can be improved. The method is a process in which a formed body of powder particles constituted of a composition of (Li, Na, K) (Nb, Ta)O3 is fired to produce the (Li, Na, K) (Nb, Ta)O3 type piezoelectric material, and a constant temperature is kept in a range of 850 to 1000° C. for a constant time in a heating process to a firing temperature.

Abstract: A carbon film laminate 1 having a porous substrate 6 formed of a plurality of particles and a carbon film 2 provided on a surface of the porous substrate 6, wherein the porous substrate 6 includes a surface layer 3 which is in contact with the carbon film 2 and which is formed of particles 3a having a mean particle size of 0.01 to 0.11 ?m, and a porous body 5 formed of particles having a mean particle size differing from that of the particles 3a forming the surface layer 3. The invention provides a carbon film laminate which does not generate cracks and pinholes of the carbon film and which is suitable for producing thin film thereof.

Abstract: A complex oxide and an oxide-ion conductor made of the complex oxide are provided. The complex oxide has a basic composition of (Sm1-xAx)(Al1-yBy)O3, wherein “A” represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of barium, strontium and calcium, “B” represents an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, iron and cobalt, x is a value in a range of 0.10 to 0.30, and y is a value in a range of 0 to 0.30.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a novel complex oxide applicable as an oxide-ion conductor. The complex oxide according to the present invention has a basic composition of (Sm1-xAX)(Al1-yBy)O3. In the formula, “A” represents one or more element selected from the group consisting of barium, strontium and calcium; “B” represents an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, iron and cobalt; x=0.10 to 0.30; and y=0 to 0.30.

Abstract: An optical single crystalline article comprising a substrate made of an optical single crystal and an epitaxial film formed on said substrate and made of an optical material, wherein a crystalline structure of said epitaxial film is a relaxed structure.