Abstract: An inorganic film formed of an inorganic material on a metal film having a surface including surface-oxidized areas. The surface-oxidized areas are surface oxidized to different degrees. For example, the surface-oxidized areas are one or more lowly-surface-oxidized areas and one or more highly-surface-oxidized areas. The inorganic film includes regions which are respectively formed on the surface-oxidized areas, and the regions have different crystal structures according to the different degrees of surface oxidation. For example, a patterned inorganic film constituted by one or more protruding portions arranged on one or more lowly-surface-oxidized areas of the surface of the metal film can be produced by removing the portions of the inorganic film formed on highly-surface-oxidized areas.

Abstract: An actuator includes: a diaphragm having a thickness equal to or greater than 0.5 ?m and equal to or less than 20 ?m; a piezoelectric body layer which is provided on a first surface side of the diaphragm, and receives stress from the diaphragm; a pair of electrodes which is provided on the first surface side of the diaphragm together with the piezoelectric body layer, and is mutually opposing via the piezoelectric body layer; and a stress adjusting layer which is provided on a second surface side of the diaphragm on an opposite side to the first surface of the diaphragm, and receives stress from the diaphragm in a same direction as the stress that the piezoelectric body layer receives from the diaphragm.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device having a piezoelectric film formed over a substrate through an electrode by vapor phase deposition using plasma, and constituted by columnar crystals of one or more perovskite oxides Pb(Tix, Zry, Mz)O3 (0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0?z<1, x+y+z=1) which extend nonparallel to the substrate. M represents one or more of Sn, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Ir, Os, Pd, Pt, Re, Mn, Co, Ni, V, and Fe. The maximum diameters of the end faces of the columnar crystals are distributed from a value not exceeding 100 nm to a value of 500 nm or greater. The arithmetic average surface roughness of the columnar film is 10 nm or smaller, 20% or more of the columnar crystals have the maximum diameters not exceeding 100 nm, and 5% or more of the columnar crystals have the maximum diameters of 500 nm or greater.

Abstract: When a film containing constituent elements of a target is formed on a substrate through a vapor deposition technique using plasma with placing the substrate and the target to face each other, film formation is carried out with controlling variation of plasma potential Vs (V) in a plasma space in an in-plane direction of the substrate to be within ±10V at a distance of 2-3 cm from a surface of the target toward the substrate.

Abstract: An actuator element includes: a piezoelectric body; a pair of electrodes mutually opposing to each other via the piezoelectric body; a diaphragm to which the piezoelectric body sandwiched between the pair of electrodes is bonded; and a base substrate arranged to oppose a movable part including the piezoelectric body and the diaphragm, the movable part being displaced in a direction toward the base substrate by application of a drive voltage to the pair of electrodes, wherein polarization (Pr)-electric field (E) hysteresis characteristics of the piezoelectric body are biased with respect to an electric field, and by application of a voltage in an opposite direction to the drive voltage, to the pair of electrodes, the movable part is displaced in a direction away from the base substrate.

Abstract: A liquid ejection device includes a liquid ejection member including a pressurized liquid chamber and a liquid ejection orifice which is in fluid communication with the pressurized liquid chamber to eject a liquid in the pressurized liquid chamber to the outside. A piezoelectric device is formed on the pressurized liquid chamber via a vibrating diaphragm. The piezoelectric device includes a lower electrode, a piezoelectric film and an upper electrode, which are disposed sequentially. The piezoelectric film is a thin-film piezoelectric material having a Curie point of 200° C. or more. The liquid ejection device further includes a heating element for heating a material, which has a melting point of not less than 150° C. and lower than the Curie point of the piezoelectric film, charged in the pressurized liquid chamber to a temperature not less than the melting point of the material.

Abstract: The piezoelectric device includes a substrate, a first electrode formed on the substrate, a piezoelectric film formed on the first electrode and a second electrode formed on a second side of the piezoelectric film which is away from a first side where the first electrode is formed. The first electrode is composed of a first layer in contact with the substrate and a second layer in contact with the piezoelectric film. The first layer is formed of a material that is wet etched at a different rate than the substrate. The ink-jet head includes the piezoelectric device, a liquid droplet storing/ejecting member for ejecting ink droplets through a ink spout and provided on the piezoelectric device and a diaphragm for vibrating in response to expansion or contraction of the piezoelectric device and provided between the piezoelectric device and the liquid droplet storing/ejecting member.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device, including the following on a substrate in the order listed below: a lower electrode, a piezoelectric film which contains a Pb containing perovskite oxide represented by a general expression (P) below, and an upper electrode, in which the piezoelectric film has a layer of pyrochlore oxide on the surface facing the lower electrode, and the average layer thickness of the pyrochlore oxide layer is not greater than 20 nm. AaBbO3??(P) where, A: at least one type of A-site element containing Pb as a major component, B: at least one type of B-site element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Sc, Co, Cu, In, Sn, Ga, Zn, Cd, Fe, and Ni, and O: an oxygen element.

Abstract: A phase difference plate which comprises one sheet of polymer film containing a compound having a rod-shaped molecular structure and exhibiting a maximum absorption wavelength (?max) of less than 250 nm in an ultraviolet spectrum of its solution and which exhibits a retardation value as measured at a wavelength of 450 nm (Re450) of 60 to 135 nm and a retardation value as measured at a wavelength of 590 nm (Re590) of 100 to 170 nm, where the relationship: Re590?Re450?2 nm is satisfied. The phase difference plate functions as a ?/4 plate.

Abstract: A ferroelectric film containing a perovskite type oxide represented by Formula (P) is formed on a substrate, which stands facing a target, by a sputtering technique under conditions of a height of a shield, which surrounds an outer periphery of the target on the substrate side in a non-contact state and comprises shielding layers superposed one upon another at intervals, such that a difference between a plasma potential and a floating potential is at most 35V, and under conditions such that a temperature of the substrate is at least 400° C.: (Pb1?x+?Mx) (ZryTi1?y)O—??(P) wherein M represents at least one kind of element selected from Bi and lanthanide elements, 0.05?x?0.4, and 0<y?0.7, the standard composition being such that ?=0, and z=3.

Abstract: An inorganic film base plate is produced with a process comprising the steps of: preparing a surface recess-protrusion base plate, which is provided with a recess-protrusion pattern on a surface, and forming an inorganic film along a surface shape of the surface recess-protrusion base plate, the inorganic film containing a plurality of pillar-shaped structure bodies, each of which extends in a direction nonparallel with the base plate surface of the surface recess-protrusion base plate. Force of physical action may then be exerted upon the thus formed inorganic film in order to separate an on-protrusion film region of the inorganic film and an adjacent on-recess film region of the inorganic film from each other.

Abstract: A method of driving a piezoelectric actuator including: a piezoelectric element containing a piezoelectric body having coercive field points on a negative field side and a positive field side respectively and having asymmetrical bipolar polarization—electric field hysteresis characteristics in which an absolute value of a coercive electric field on the negative field side and a coercive electric field value on the positive field side are mutually different, and a pair of electrodes for applying voltage to the piezoelectric body; and a diaphragm which externally transmits, as displacement, distortion produced in the piezoelectric body when the voltage is applied to the piezoelectric body, includes the step of driving the piezoelectric actuator between a positive drive voltage and a negative drive voltage in a range not exceeding the coercive electric field, from among the positive and negative coercive electric fields, which has the larger absolute value.

Abstract: The piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric film that expands or contracts according to variations in voltage applied, a first electrode provided on a first side of the film, and a second electrode provided on a second side of the film. The film is formed on the second electrode by a vapor phase deposition and mainly composed of PbxByOz. An element at site B is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Sc, Co, Cu, In, Sn, Ga, Zn, Cd, Fe, and Ni, and 0<x?1, 0<y?1, and 2.5<z?3. A first value of x/y in a first area of the film 100 nm apart from a surface of contact with the second electrode toward the first electrode ranges from 0.8 to 1.6 or is 0.7 times or more but not greater than 1.5 times a second value of x/y in a center area of the film, or the first area has a ratio of perovskite peaks to pyrochlore peaks as measured by XRD of 0.2 or more.

Abstract: The columnar structure film is formed on a surface of a substrate by vapor phase epitaxy, and is constituted of a plurality of columnar bodies extending in directions non-parallel to the surface of the substrate. In the columnar structure film, a relationship GSmax>2.0 GSmin is satisfied, where GSmax and GSmin are respectively a maximum value and a minimum value of average diameters of the columnar bodies taken in planes perpendicular to a thickness direction of the columnar structure film.

Abstract: A film depositing apparatus comprises: a vacuum vessel; an evacuating unit for evacuating the interior of the vacuum vessel; a gas supply source for supplying the vacuum vessel with gases necessary for film deposition; a backing plate that is placed within the vacuum vessel for holding a target formed by sintering; a substrate holder for holding a deposition substrate within the vacuum vessel in a face-to-face relation with the backing plate; and a power supply unit for supplying electric power between the backing plate and the substrate holder to generate a plasma within the vacuum vessel, wherein the backing plate has a smaller thermal expansion coefficient than that of the target which has a sinter density of at least 95%, the sinter density representing the ratio of the actual weight of a sintered form of the target to its theoretical weight.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device comprises a piezoelectric body and electrodes for applying an electric field in a predetermined direction across the piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric body contains an inorganic compound polycrystal, which contains first ferroelectric substance crystals having orientational characteristics at the time free from electric field application and has characteristics such that, with application of at least a predetermined electric field E1, at least part of the first crystals undergoes phase transition to second ferroelectric substance crystals of a crystal system different from the crystal system of the first crystals. The piezoelectric device is actuated under conditions such that a minimum applied electric field Emin and a maximum applied electric field Emax satisfy Emin<E1<Emax.

Abstract: A perovskite oxide is represented by a general formula ABO3 A represents at least one kind of metal element forming an A site, B represents at least one kind of metal element forming a B site. The B site includes at least one kind of metal element B1 selected from an element group consisting of the IV group elements and at least one kind of metal element B2 selected from an element group consisting of the V and VI group elements, and at least a part of the metal element B2 is of the 0 to +4 valence.

Abstract: An inorganic film formed of an inorganic material on a metal film having a surface including surface-oxidized areas. The surface-oxidized areas are surface oxidized to different degrees. For example, the surface-oxidized areas are one or more lowly-surface-oxidized areas and one or more highly-surface-oxidized areas. The inorganic film includes regions which are respectively formed on the surface-oxidized areas, and the regions have different crystal structures according to the different degrees of surface oxidation. For example, a patterned inorganic film constituted by one or more protruding portions arranged on one or more lowly-surface-oxidized areas of the surface of the metal film can be produced by removing the portions of the inorganic film formed on highly-surface-oxidized areas.

Abstract: A droplet jetting device that includes a recording head section, a pressure sensor and a regulation pump is provided. The recording head section includes a recording head that jets droplets from nozzles and records an image at a recording medium. The pressure sensor is provided at the recording head section and senses a pressure of liquid supplied to the recording head by a main pump from a main tank. The main tank is disposed at a position away from the recording head section. The regulation pump is provided at the recording head section that is smaller in scale than the main pump and regulates pressure of the liquid such that the pressure of the liquid sensed by the pressure sensor is constant.

Abstract: A piezoelectric film of the present invention has a surface roughness value P-V of not more than 170.0 nm, which is defined by a difference between a maximum height (peak value P) and a minimum height (valley value V) on a film surface, a piezoelectric constant d31 greater than 150 pC/N and a breakdown voltage of 80 V or more, which is defined by an applied voltage that results in a current value of 1 ?A or more.