Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention includes: a piezoelectric body 4 to set up ultrasonic vibrations; an acoustic matching layer 3 made of a material with a density of 50 kg/m3 to 1,000 kg/m3 and an acoustic impedance of 2.5×103 kg/m2/s to 1.0×106 kg/m2/s; a lower acoustic matching layer 9 provided between the piezoelectric body 4 and the acoustic matching layer 3; and a structure supporting member 6 that supports the lower acoustic matching layer 9 and the piezoelectric body 4 thereon and shields the piezoelectric body 4 from a fluid that propagates the ultrasonic vibrations. The ultrasonic transducer includes a protective portion, which contacts with at least a portion of a side surface of the acoustic matching layer 4. This protective portion is defined by a portion of the lower acoustic matching layer 9 and forms an integral part of the lower acoustic matching layer 9.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrolytic capacitor having a large capacitance sufficiently close to its design capacitance, and a method of easily producing such an electrolytic capacitor wherein a cathode-side conductive polymer layer of an electrolyzing electrode is formed on at least one side surface of an anode valve metal foil having through holes 20 and a coarsened surface, electrolysis is carried out in a conductive monomer solution, with the polymer layer used as the anode, and an electrolytically-formed conductive polymer layer is formed on the surface of the dielectric oxide film of the valve metal foil, thereby obtaining an electrolytic capacitor, whereby it is possible to easily obtain an electrolytic capacitor having a large capacitance sufficiently close to its design capacitance.

Abstract: An acoustic matching layer 1 according to the present invention includes a first acoustic matching layer 2, which has a low density and a low sonic velocity, and a second acoustic matching layer 3, which has a higher density and a higher sonic velocity. The first acoustic matching layer 2, of which the acoustic impedance is matched to that of a medium into an ultrasonic wave is radiated, is provided closer to the medium, while the second acoustic matching layer 3 is provided closer to a piezoelectric layer, thereby increasing the sensitivity of an ultrasonic transducer.

Abstract: A phosphor of the present invention is characterized by: having a phosphor main portion containing zinc silicate as a base material and manganese as an activator; and having at least one element from among titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), and hafnium (Hf), or having at least one element from among molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W), added to the phosphor main portion. The phosphor with such a composition is capable of precisely controlling the composition of a surface region (i.e. the surface including the vicinity) of each phosphor particle and improving the crystallinity, which leads to a high luminous efficiency and a reduction in time-lapse degradation.

Abstract: A manganese-activated zinc silicate phosphor according to the present invention satisfies 0<?-??0.5 and 1.7??, where a value ? is a ratio of a number of zinc atoms to a number of silicon atoms in a surface region of a phosphor particle, including a surface of the phosphor particle and a vicinity thereof, and a value ? is a ratio of a number of zinc atoms to a number of silicon atoms in a whole of the phosphor particle.

Abstract: An acoustic matching layer according to the present invention includes a powder of a dry gel. The dry gel preferably has a density of 500 kg/m3 or less and an average pore diameter of 100 nm or less. By using the dry gel powder, a variation in the property of the acoustic matching layer can be reduced.

Abstract: A composite sheet unit in which a plurality of sintered piezoelectric thin wires are arranged in a uniform direction on a surface of a resin layer is prepared, and a plurality of the same are laminated and integrated so that the sintered piezoelectric thin wires are positioned between the resin layers. Here, a curing resin may be impregnated therein so as to form resin-impregnated-cured portions. Then, the lamination is cut in a direction crossing a lengthwise direction of the sintered piezoelectric thin wires, so that a piezocomposite is obtained. Cut surfaces may be ground. By so doing, it is possible to provide a highly reliable piezocomposite having a fine structure at low cost, and to provide an ultrasonic probe for ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, as well as ultrasonic diagnostic equipment using the same.

Abstract: A composite piezoelectric element has a layered configuration of a plurality of unit composite sheets. Each of the unit composite sheets includes a resin layer and a plurality of columnar piezoelectric elements arranged on the resin layer.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a Eu-activated phosphor that maintains high wavelength conversion efficiency and suppresses deterioration with time due to vacuum ultraviolet irradiation, as well as a plasma display panel having superior display performance by suppressing sticking image caused by deterioration of the phosphor with time. To this end, the present invention provides a europium-activated phosphor where a divalent europium ratio of each phosphor particle constituting the phosphor is lower at and in a vicinity of a particle surface than for the particle as a whole. With such phosphor particles, it is possible to obtain the Eu-activated phosphor that has high maintaining ratio of emission intensity and high performance in suppressing deterioration with time in comparison with a conventional phosphor.

Abstract: A composite sheet unit in which a plurality of sintered piezoelectric thin wires are arranged in a uniform direction on a surface of a resin layer is prepared, and a plurality of the same are laminated and integrated so that the sintered piezoelectric thin wires are positioned between the resin layers. Here, a curing resin may be impregnated therein so as to form resin-impregnated-cured portions. Then, the lamination is cut in a direction crossing a lengthwise direction of the sintered piezoelectric thin wires, so that a piezocomposite is obtained. Cut surfaces may be ground. By so doing, it is possible to provide a highly reliable piezocomposite having a fine structure at low cost, and to provide an ultrasonic probe for ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, as well as ultrasonic diagnostic equipment using the same.

Abstract: Phosphor and a plasma display device are provided whose deterioration in brightness of phosphors and a degree of change in chromaticity are alleviated and whose discharge characteristics are improved and that has excellent initial characteristics. Phosphor of the present invention is an alkaline-earth metal aluminate phosphor containing an element M (where M denotes at least one type of element selected from the group consisting of Nb, Ta, W and B). In this phosphor, a concentration of M in the vicinity of a surface of the phosphor particles is higher than the average concentration of M in the phosphor particles as a whole. A plasma display device according to the present invention includes a plasma display panel in which a plurality of discharge cells in one color or in a plurality of colors are arranged and phosphor layers are arranged so as to correspond to the discharge cells in colors and in which light is emitted by exciting the phosphor layers with ultraviolet rays.

Abstract: A plasma display device is provided in which deterioration in brightness of phosphor layers can be avoided. The plasma display device includes a plasma display panel in which a plurality of discharge cells in one color or in a plurality of colors are arranged and phosphor layers are arranged so as to correspond to the discharge cells in colors and in which light is emitted by exciting the phosphor layers with ultraviolet rays. The phosphor layers include blue phosphor, the blue phosphor being composed of an alkaline-earth metal aluminate phosphor containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mo and W. The addition of hexavalent ions (Mo, W) in the blue phosphor allows the elimination of oxygen defects in the vicinity of a layer containing Ba atoms (Ba—O layer), the suppression of adsorption of water to the surface of the blue phosphor and the improvement of deterioration in brightness and a change in chromaticity for the respective phosphors and discharge characteristics.

Abstract: In the present invention, a capacitor element including a valve action metal an oxide film layer formed on the surface of the valve action metal, and a solid electrolytic layer formed on the oxide film layer is provided with an organic compound having a boiling point of not lower than 150° C. and a melting point of not higher than 150° C., and the capacitor element including the organic compound is arranged inside a package. The oxide film is repaired with the organic compound as a solvent by an application of a dc voltage.

Abstract: In the present invention, a capacitor element including a valve action metal, an oxide film layer formed on the surface of the valve action metal, and a solid electrolytic layer formed on the oxide film layer is provided with an organic compound having a boiling point of not lower than 150° C. and a melting point of not higher than 150° C., and the capacitor element including the organic compound is arranged inside a package. The oxide film is repaired with the organic compound as a solvent by an application of a dc voltage.

Abstract: An acoustic matching member that is incorporated into an ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, includes: at least two layers including a first layer and a second layer that have different acoustic impedance values from each other. The first layer is made of a composite material of a porous member and a filing material supported by void portions of the porous member, the second layer is made of the filling material or the porous member, and the first layer and the second layer are present in this stated order. A piezoelectric member is disposed on a side of the first layer of the acoustic matching member to form an ultrasonic transducer or an ultrasonic flowmeter. The acoustic matching member does not have independent intermediate layers between the layers, so that delamination hardly occurs and the difficulty in the designing associated with the presence of intermediate layers can be avoided.

Abstract: An acoustic matching member that is incorporated into an ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, includes: at least two layers including a first layer and a second layer that have different acoustic impedance values from each other. The first layer is made of a composite material of a porous member and a filling material supported by void portions of the porous member, the second layer is made of the filling material or the porous member, and the first layer and the second layer are present in this stated order. A piezoelectric member is disposed on a side of the first layer of the acoustic matching member to form an ultrasonic transducer or an ultrasonic flowmeter. The acoustic matching member does not have independent intermediate layers between the layers, so that delamination hardly occurs and the difficulty in the designing associated with the presence of intermediate layers can be avoided.

Abstract: An acoustic matching layer 1 according to the present invention includes a first acoustic matching layer 2, which has a low density and a low sonic velocity, and a second acoustic matching layer 3, which has a higher density and a higher sonic velocity. The first acoustic matching layer 2, of which the acoustic impedance is matched to that of a medium into an ultrasonic wave is radiated, is provided closer to the medium, while the second acoustic matching layer 3 is provided closer to a piezoelectric layer, thereby increasing the sensitivity of an ultrasonic transducer.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer according to the present invention includes: a piezoelectric body 4 to set up ultrasonic vibrations; an acoustic matching layer 3 made of a material with a density of 50 kg/m3 to 1,000 kg/m3 and an acoustic impedance of 2.5×103 kg/m2/s to 1.0×106 kg/m2/s; a lower acoustic matching layer 9 provided between the piezoelectric body 4 and the acoustic matching layer 3; and a structure supporting member 6 that supports the lower acoustic matching layer 9 and the piezoelectric body 4 thereon and shields the piezoelectric body 4 from a fluid that propagates the ultrasonic vibrations. The ultrasonic transducer includes a protective portion, which contacts with at least a portion of a side surface of the acoustic matching layer 4. This protective portion is defined by a portion of the lower acoustic matching layer 9 and forms an integral part of the lower acoustic matching layer 9.

Abstract: An acoustic matching layer according to the present invention includes a powder of a dry gel. The dry gel preferably has a density of 500 kg/m3 or less and an average pore diameter of 100 nm or less. By using the dry gel powder, a variation in the property of the acoustic matching layer can be reduced.

Abstract: There is provided a solid electrolytic capacitor including an anode body formed of a valve-action metal with a dielectric oxide coating layer formed on its surface, a cathode body, and an electroconductive polymer layer disposed between the anode body and the cathode body. The electroconductive polymer layer contains a softener for softening the electroconductive polymer layer, so that a solid electrolytic capacitor is provided that has small variations in characteristics, a lower equivalent series resistance (ESR), and an excellent high frequency property. In addition, when the anode and cathode of a solid electrolytic capacitor including an electroconductive polymer as a solid electrolyte are joined to each other, a lower ESR can be obtained under a lower pressure, and the electroconductive polymer layer can be prevented from being peeled off.