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: This invention is a method for manufacturing a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped single crystal containing sodium niobate of a perovskite structure as the main component, and the method includes a process of heating a mixture 1 of bismuth sodium niobate which is formed from particles containing a plurality of crystals represented by General Formula (1): Bi2.5Nam?1.5NbmO3m+3 (m is an integer of 2 or more) and in which an average value ma of the m values is larger than 6 and sodium containing alkali metal halide at 1200° C. or more and 1250° C. or less to obtain a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped single crystal containing sodium niobate as the main component.

Abstract: A vibrator and an ultrasonic motor can exhibit a sufficient drive speed even when using lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. The ultrasonic motor includes an annular vibrator and an annular moving member arranged so as to be 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 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 piezoelectric ceramic piece contains lead in a content of less than 1,000 ppm. The plurality of electrodes include two drive phase electrodes, at least one non-drive phase electrode, and at least one detection phase electrode.

Abstract: Ceramic powder to be used for additive manufacturing of a ceramic object by irradiating the powder with laser light includes a first group of particles of a first inorganic compound showing an average particle diameter of not less than 10 ?m and not more than 100 ?m and a second group of particles of a second inorganic compound having an absorption band at the wavelength of the laser light and showing an average particle diameter smaller than the average particle diameter of the first group of particles. Particles belonging to the second group of particles are arranged on the surfaces of particles belonging to the first group of particles. A high-precision ceramic object can be obtained in a short time by using the ceramic powder.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric element containing no lead therein and having a satisfactory piezoelectric constant and a small dielectric loss tangent at room temperature (25° C.) In order to attain this, the piezoelectric element includes a substrate, a first electrode, a piezoelectric film, and a second electrode. The piezoelectric film contains barium zirconate titanate, manganese, and trivalent bismuth. The piezoelectric film satisfies 0.02?x?0.13, where x is a mole ratio of zirconium to the sum of zirconium and titanium. A manganese content is 0.002 moles or more and 0.015 moles or less for 1 mole of barium zirconate titanate, and a bismuth content is 0.00042 moles or more and 0.00850 moles or less for 1 mole of barium zirconate titanate.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric ceramics having a gradual change in piezoelectric constant depending on an ambient temperature. Specifically, provided is a single-piece piezoelectric ceramics including as a main component a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by a compositional formula of ABO3, wherein an A site element in the compositional formula contains Ba and M1, the M1 being formed of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Ca and Bi, wherein a B site element in the compositional formula contains Ti and M2, the M2 being formed of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Zr, Sn, and Hf, wherein concentrations of the M1 and the M2 change in at least one direction of the piezoelectric ceramics, and wherein increase and decrease directions of concentration changes of the M1 and the M2 are directions opposite to each other.

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: The present invention is to provide a light screening composition that allow forming of a light screening film having excellent adhesiveness to a substrate and excellent residue removability at the time of development. The light screening composition according to the invention contains (A) any one of light screening particles and a light screening dye; (B) a dispersing resin; (C) a binder polymer having an acid value of 50 mg KOH/g or less and a weight-average molecular weight of 8,000 to 50,000; and (D) a polymerizable compound.

Abstract: There is provided a dispersion composition capable of forming a film being excellent in surface conditions, the dispersion composition containing metal oxide particles (A) having a primary particle diameter of 1 nm to 100 nm, a polymer compound (B) having an acid value of less than 120 mgKOH/g, which is represented by the following Formula (1), and a solvent (C).

Abstract: A light-emitting device includes: a package body; a lid body connected to the package body, wherein the package body and the lid body together form a sealed space; and a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed in the sealed space. The lid body includes: a non-transmissive member including an outer frame, and one or more inner frames connected to the outer frame, wherein the outer frame and the one or more inner frames define a plurality of openings, a transmissive member integrally covering the plurality of openings and configured to allow light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements to be transmitted through the plurality of openings, and an adhesive member fixing the transmissive member to the non-transmissive member. The adhesive member is located on the outer frame and is not located on the one or more inner frames.

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 is a substrate cleaning method capable of maintaining a substrate and a cleaning tank in a clean condition after cleaning. In this method, a substrate holder holding the substrate is immersed in a rinsing liquid in the cleaning tank. While a flow of a cleaning liquid is formed on the substrate, the substrate holder and an inner surface of the cleaning tank, the rinsing liquid is discharged from the cleaning tank. While the flow of the cleaning liquid is formed on the substrate, the substrate holder and the inner surface of the cleaning tank, the rinsing liquid is supplied into the cleaning tank, and the substrate holder is immersed in the rinsing liquid. The substrate holder is pulled up from the rinsing liquid.

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: A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric material layer and an electrode layer, wherein the piezoelectric material layer and the electrode layer are stacked on top of each other, the piezoelectric material layer includes a barium titanate-based material, and two coercive fields Ec1 and Ec2 of the piezoelectric element have the same sign and satisfy (|Ec2|?|Ec1|)?8 kV/cm.

Abstract: A transfer path between a sensor and a data processing server is partitioned into at least a first transfer path between the sensor and a first relay device, a second transfer path from the first relay device to a second relay device that transfers the data transmitted from the first sensor, and a third transfer path between the second relay device and the data processing server. A data transfer between each of the sensors and the data processing server is implemented by respectively controlling a pair of the first transfer path and the second transfer path, and a pair of the second transfer path and the third transfer path.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element, in which a piezoelectric material layer has a plurality of crystal particles and a plurality of void portions and, in at least one of two or more of the piezoelectric material layers, when the average thickness in the lamination direction of the piezoelectric material layer is defined as TP, the average circle-equivalent diameter of the plurality of crystal particles is defined as DG, the maximum length in the lamination direction of the plurality of void portions not contacting the electrode layers is defined as LV, and the average thickness of the electrode layers contacting the at least one piezoelectric material layer is defined as TE, 0.07TP?DG?0.33TP and TE?LV?0.3TP are established and the lead content is less than 1000 ppm.

Abstract: A cover for a light emitter having one or more light emitting devices includes a glass plate, a frame made of metal having an opening smaller than the glass plate, and a low melting glass having a lower melting point than the glass plate, the glass plate being sealed to the frame with the low melting glass to close the opening, wherein the frame has an encircling step, and the encircling step includes a placement face situated at a recessed position relative to an upper surface of the frame and a wall face, wherein the wall face includes first wall faces situated at opposite ends of each inner side of the encircling step and a second wall face situated between the first wall faces, and the second wall face includes a face extending at a smaller inclination angle than the first wall faces with respect to the placement face.

Abstract: A cover for a light emitter having one or more light emitting devices includes a glass plate, a frame made of metal having an opening smaller than the glass plate, and a low melting glass having a lower melting point than the glass plate, the glass plate being sealed to the frame with the low melting glass to close the opening, wherein the frame has an encircling step, and the encircling step includes a placement face situated at a recessed position relative to an upper surface of the frame and a wall face, wherein the wall face includes first wall faces situated at opposite ends of each inner side of the encircling step and a second wall face situated between the first wall faces, and the second wall face includes a face extending at a smaller inclination angle than the first wall faces with respect to the placement face.

Abstract: Provided are a thermal expansion suppressing member having negative thermal expansion properties and a metal-based anti-thermally-expansive member having small thermal expansion. More specifically, provided are a thermal expansion suppressing member, including at least an oxide represented by the following general formula (1), and an anti-thermally-expansive member, including a metal having a positive linear expansion coefficient at 20° C., and a solid body including at least an oxide represented by the following general formula (1), the metal and solid being joined to each other: (Bi1-xMx)NiO3 (1) where M represents at least one metal selected from the group consisting of La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y, and In; and x represents a numerical value of 0.02?x?0.15.

Abstract: A vibrator which is constructed by bonding a piezoelectric element and an elastic body together via a bonding layer. The piezoelectric element has a piezoelectric ceramic and electrodes. The bonding layer has an unbonded region that is located close to a nodal line of a vibration in a primary out-of-plane vibration mode when the vibration is excited in the vibrator, and in the unbonded region, the piezoelectric element and the elastic body are not bonded together.