Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Shozo Kobayashi

Hiroshi Takagi

Koichi Hayashi

Akira Shiratori

Yukio Sakabe

Shinji Omura

Harunobu Sano

Hiromitsu Hongo

Hiroyasu Konaka

In a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator, a ceramic sintered body is prepared and a size of the ceramic sintered body is adjusted in a thickness direction defined below by grinding piezoelectric ceramic layers, included in the ceramic sintered body, located outermost in the thickness direction. In the ceramic sintered body, internal electrodes are each disposed between piezoelectric ceramic layers. The thickness direction is defined as the direction along the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layer. Each of the inert sections are disposed on at least one side of the active section, for driving the piezoelectric actuator, in the thickness direction. Dummy internal electrodes are arranged in the inert sections such that each of the dummy internal electrodes are each located between ceramic layers. The thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layers disposed between the dummy internal electrodes increases with distance from the active section.

Piezoelectric actuator and method for manufacturing piezoelectric actuator

A monolithic piezoelectric element includes a stack, and the stack includes a crack-forming conductive layer arranged to intentionally form a small crack in the stack. The small crack alleviates stress, thereby preventing the occurrence of a large crack that may extend to the piezoelectrically active region.

Monolithic piezoelectric element

Method for manufacturing piezoelectric actuator

A dielectric ceramic includes a principal component which contains Ba, Ca and Ti and which has a perovskite structure represented by the general formula ABO ; additive components containing, for example, La and Mn; and a sintering aid, wherein crystal grains of the dielectric ceramic contain Ca, and the intergranular variation in the average Ca concentration within each grain is about 5% or more, in terms of CV value, or the ratio of the number of crystal grains in which the intragranular variation in the Ca concentration is about 5% or more, in terms of CV value, to the total number of crystal grains containing Ca is about 10% or more. A monolithic ceramic capacitor fabricated using the dielectric ceramic is also disclosed.

Dielectric ceramic and monolithic ceramic capacitor including same

A solid oxide fuel cell which has a solid electrolyte having an air electrode and a fuel electrode on its upper surface and its lower surface respectively, an air distributor and a fuel distributor provided on the air electrode and the fuel electrode respectively, spacers disposed at both sides of the air distributor and the fuel distributor, an interconnector, and barrier films disposed between the spacers and the interconnector.

Solid oxide fuel cell

A distributor which is a component of a solid oxide Fuel cell and works to distribute a fuel gas or air to a fuel gas side electrode or an air side electrode evenly. A base of the distributor is porous, and the porous base is coated with a reinforcing agent and a conductive agent.

Distributor for a solid oxide fuel cell and manufacturing process thereof

Disclosed is a solid oxide fuel cell of a laminate structure. A solid electrolyte having a fuel side electrode and an air side electrode on either side and conductive distributors are arranged one upon another so as to form a cell in the shape of a disk. Further, thus made cells are connected via interconnectors so as to form a solid oxide fuel cell of a laminate structure.

Growing community of inventors

Yasu, Japan

Shozo Kobayashi