Abstract: Provided are a piezoelectric film, a piezoelectric film element, a liquid discharge head using the piezoelectric film element, and a liquid discharge apparatus. A piezoelectric film element that can be suitably used for a discharge pressure-generating element of a liquid discharge head is obtained by using an epitaxial oxide film composed of a perovskite composite oxide constituted according to a general formula ABO3 as a piezoelectric film. The epitaxial oxide film has at least an A domain and a B domain having a crystal orientation deviation with respect to each other. The crystal orientation deviation between the A domain and the B domain is less than 2°.

Abstract: An optical element satisfactory in transparency and characteristics as an optical modulation element, and a piezoelectric substance element satisfactory in precision and reproducibility as a fine element such as MEMS can be provided. The piezoelectric substance element includes, on a substrate, at least a first electrode, a piezoelectric substance film and a second electrode. The piezoelectric substance film does not contain a layer-structured boundary plane; the crystal phase constituting the piezoelectric substance film comprises at least two of a tetragonal, a rhombohedral, a pseudocubic, an orthorhombic and a monoclinic; and the piezoelectric substance film includes, in a portion in which a change in the composition is within a range of ±2%, a portion where a proportion of the different crystal phases changes gradually in a thickness direction of the film.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric material in which the product of the piezoelectric constant and the Young's modulus is large to give excellent piezoelectricity without using lead. A piezoelectric material including a perovskite type crystal represented by a compositional formula of ABO2N wherein A represents a trivalent cation, and B represents a tetravalent cation provided that A and B are each other than lead, wherein when the number of nitrogen N atoms contained in the piezoelectric material is represented by Nxyz and the number of nitrogen atoms each disposed at a face-centered position in the crystal and in a long axis direction of the crystal, out of the nitrogen atoms the number of which is Nxyz, is represented by Nz, an expression of Nz/Nxyz>1/3 is satisfied. It is preferred that A and B are La and Ti, respectively.

Abstract: Provided are an oxynitride piezoelectric material which exhibits ferroelectricity and has good piezoelectric properties and a method of producing the oxynitride piezoelectric material. The oxynitride piezoelectric material includes a tetragonal perovskite-type oxynitride represented by the following general formula (1): A1-xBix+?1B1-yB?y+?2O3-zNz??(1) where A represents a divalent element, B and B? each represent a tetravalent element, x represents a numerical value of 0.35 or more to 0.6 or less, y represents a numerical value of 0.35 or more to 0.6 or less, z represents a numerical value of 0.35 or more to 0.6 or less, and ?1 and ?2 each represent a numerical value of ?0.2 or more to 0.2 or less, in which the A includes at least one kind selected from Ba, Sr, and Ca and the B and the B? each include at least one kind selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, Si, Ge, and Sn.

Abstract: There are disclosed an epitaxial film, comprising: heating an Si substrate provided with an SiO2 layer with a film thickness of 1.0 nm or more to 10 nm or less on a surface of the substrate; and forming on the SiO2 layer by use of a metal target represented by the following composition formula: yA(1?y)B??(1), in which A is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of rare earth elements including Y and Sc, B is Zr, and y is a numeric value of 0.03 or more to 0.20 or less, the epitaxial film represented by the following composition formula: xA2O3?(1?x)BO2??(2), in which A and B are respectively same elements as A and B of the composition formula (1), and x is a numeric value of 0.010 or more to 0.035 or less.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric material which includes a compound free of lead and alkali metal and has a good piezoelectric property. The piezoelectric material where tungsten bronze structure oxides being free of lead and alkali metal and represented by AxB10O30 and A?x?B?10O30 are combined to form a morphotropic phase boundary has good piezoelectric property. The AxB10O30 is b(Ba5?5?Bi10?/3Nb10O30)+(1?b)(Ba4Ag2Nb10O30) (0?b?1 and 0<??0.4), and the A?x?B?10O30 is c(Sr5Nb10O30)+d(Ca5Nb10O30)+e(Ba5Nb10O30) (0?c?0.8, 0?d?0.4, 0.1?e?0.9, and c+d+e=1).

Abstract: A piezoelectric substrate of a perovskite-type oxide is expressed by a general formula of ABO3 having a laminate structure of a single crystal structure or a uniaxial crystal structure expressed by (Pb1-xMx)xm(ZryTi1-y)O3 (where M represents an element selected from La, Ca, Ba, Sr, Bi, Sb and W) and the laminate structure has a layered first crystal phase having a crystal structure selected from the tetragonal structure, the rhombohedral structure, the pseudocubic structure and the monoclinic structure, a layered second crystal phase having a crystal structure different from the crystal structure of said first crystal phase and a boundary layer arranged between said first crystal phase and said second crystal phase with a crystal structure gradually changing in a width direction of layer.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element structure comprises a supporting substrate, and a piezoelectric film supported on the supporting substrate, in which the piezoelectric film contains a first layer, and a second layer having zirconium, each provided with perovskite structure, and formed to be in contact with each other or laminated through an intermediate layer, and the temperature is set at 500° C. or more at the time of thin film formation so as to provide the piezoelectric film, and a quick cooling is given from the thin film formation temperature at least to 450° C. with a cooling speed of 30° C./min or more for the formation thereof. The piezoelectric film thus formed is in a small thickness as compared with the conventional piezoelectric film, but presents a large piezoelectric constant, hence making it possible to perform efficient microprocessing thereof reliably.

Abstract: A piezoelectric member of single crystal or uniaxial crystal and the piezoelectric member has a perovskite type oxide of a general formula ABO3 with a main component of the A being Pb and a main component of the B containing at least three kinds of elements selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn, Sc, In, Yb, Ni, Nb, Ti, and Ta, and a film thickness of the piezoelectric member is not less than 1 ?m and not more than 10 ?m and the piezoelectric member fulfills a predetermined conditions on a relative dielectric constant or a Curie temperature.

Abstract: To provide a film forming method capable of obtaining a high-quality perovskite type oxide thin film, piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric substance constituted of the thin film formed by the film forming method, liquid discharge head having the piezoelectric element and liquid discharge apparatus having the liquid discharge head. A method for forming a perovskite type oxide thin film having a composition expressed by (A1x, A2y A3z) (B1j, B2k, B3l, B4m B5n)Op is included, which is a film forming method having a plurality of steps for supplying a material containing the elements onto the substrate, dividing the elements A1 to A3 and B1 to B5 into a plurality of groups and supplying each material containing the elements included in the groups onto the substrate in separate steps.

Abstract: A piezoelectric substance has a multi-layer structure consisting of single crystal layers or uniaxial crystal layers of a perovskite oxide expressed by the general formula of ABO3 in which a main component at the site (A) is Pb, and a main component at the site (B) includes at least three elements selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn, Sc, In, Yb, Ni, Nb, Ti and Ta. The multi-layer structure comprises a first crystal phase layer having any crystal structure selected from the group consisting of tetragonal, rhombohedral, pseudocubic, orthorhombic and monoclinic crystals; a second crystal phase layer having a different crystal structure from the crystal structure of the first crystal phase layer; and a boundary layer between the first crystal phase layer and the second crystal phase layer, and having a crystal structure gradually changing in a thickness direction of the layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric substance of single crystal or uniaxial crystal type in which three lattice lengths a, b and c of a unit lattice of the piezoelectric substance are smaller than lattice length a0, b0 and c0 of a unit lattice of a bulk state of single crystal having the same temperature and same composition, respectively, and a volume of the unit lattice of the piezoelectric substance is smaller than a volume of the unit lattice of the bulk state of single crystal having the same temperature and same composition.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material, characterized in that a main component of the piezoelectric substance is PZT, which has perovskite type structure expressed in Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 (x expresses an element ratio Zr/(Zr+Ti) of Zr and Ti in the formula), an element ratio Pb/(Zr+Ti) of Pb, Zr and Ti of the piezoelectric substance is 1.05 or more, and an element ratio Zr/(Zr+Ti) of Zr and Ti is 0.5 to 0.8 inclusive, and the piezoelectric substance has at least a perovskite type structure of monoclinic system.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element including an upper electrode, a piezoelectric and/or electrostrictive material and a lower electrode, characterized in that the piezoelectric and/or electrostrictive material is a composite oxide constituted by ABO3 as general formula and the piezoelectric and/or electrostrictive material has a twin crystal.

Abstract: The piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric film between two electrode layers and a diaphragm. Assuming that: each elastic coefficient of all materials is isotropic and a distortion amount of the piezoelectric film by an electric field is isotropic in all in-plane directions; a point located on a diaphragm surface and having a maximum displacement when a predetermined electric field is applied to distort the piezoelectric film, is expressed by P?MAX; and a point located on a circumference of a reference-circle having P?MAX as a center and having a minimum difference in displacement from P?MAX is expressed by P?A, the diaphragm has a shape capable of determining an axis A1 set in a straight-line joining P?MAX and P?A, the diaphragm comprises a single-crystalline-material in which a plane orthogonal to A1 and perpendicular to an axis A2 on the diaphragm surface, is a {110}-plane, and the piezoelectric film is a {100}-single-orientation film.

Abstract: A dielectric element includes a lower electrode layer provided on a substrate, a dielectric layer provided on the lower electrode layer and an upper electrode layer provided on the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer has a first dielectric layer provided on a side of the lower electrode layer, and a second dielectric layer provided on a side of the upper electrode layer. The second dielectric layer is a layer comprised mainly of an oxide including four or more kinds of metal element components, and the first dielectric layer does not substantially include at least one component selected from metal elements included in the oxide layer of the second dielectric layer and is comprised mainly of an oxide including at least three components selected from the remaining metal elements without substantially including Ti and Zr elements.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element comprises a piezoelectric body including a film made of an ABO3 perovskite oxide crystal epitaxially grown above a substrate, and a pair of electrode layers provided to the piezoelectric body, wherein the piezoelectric body has a porous region on a side opposite to a side of the substrate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric body, formed from a film made of an ABO3 perovskite oxide crystal epitaxially grown on a substrate, comprises forming a film containing an AOx crystal by using an oxide containing an A element and a B element by heating the substrate to a temperature which is equal to or higher than a temperature at which the AOx crystal is formed, and which is lower than a temperature at which the ABO3 perovskite oxide crystal is formed and changing the film containing the AOx crystal into a film made of the ABO3 perovskite oxide crystal by heating the substrate to a temperature which exceeds a temperature at which the AOx crystal can be present, and which is equal to or higher than a temperature at which the ABO3 perovskite oxide crystal is formed.

Abstract: Provided are a piezoelectric film, a piezoelectric film element, a liquid discharge head using the piezoelectric film element, and a liquid discharge apparatus. A piezoelectric film element that can be suitably used for a discharge pressure-generating element of a liquid discharge head is obtained by using an epitaxial oxide film composed of a perovskite composite oxide constituted according to a general formula ABO3 as a piezoelectric film. The epitaxial oxide film has at least an A domain and a B domain having a crystal orientation deviation with respect to each other. The crystal orientation deviation between the A domain and the B domain is less than 2°.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element comprises a piezoelectric film disposed on a substrate and a pair of electrodes disposed in contact with the piezoelectric film and utilizing a bending mode. The piezoelectric film includes domains constituted of a tetragonal crystal and including an a-domain which is formed by a crystal having a (100) plane parallel to the film surface of the piezoelectric film, the a-domains include an A-domain having a normal axis of (001) plane substantially parallel to a principal bending direction of the piezoelectric film and a B-domain having a normal axis of (001) plane substantially perpendicular to the principal bending direction of the piezoelectric film, and the A-domains have a volume proportion larger than 50 vol % with respect to the sum of the volume of the A-domains and the volume of the B-domains.