Patent ID: 7509716
Filing Date: 2009-03-31
Classification: H01L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator including a ceramic sintered body formed by co-firing internal electrodes and a piezoelectric ceramic, the method comprising the steps of: preparing the ceramic sintered body including an active section and inert sections, the active section including piezoelectric ceramic layers and each of the internal electrodes disposed therebetween, the active section being arranged to enable the active section to be distorted during subsequent operation of the manufactured piezoelectric actuator, the direction along a thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layer being defined as a thickness direction, the inert sections being each disposed on at least one side of the active section in the thickness direction, the inert sections including piezoelectric ceramic layers and dummy internal electrodes arranged in the thickness direction, the inert sections being arranged to enable the inert sections to not be distorted during subsequent operation of the manufactured piezoelectric actuator, each of the dummy internal electrodes being disposed between the piezoelectric ceramic layers in the inert sections, the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layers disposed between the dummy internal electrodes increasing as a distance from the active section increases, the thickness of the outermost piezoelectric ceramic layers located outside the respective outermost dummy internal electrodes in the thickness direction being greater than that of the piezoelectric ceramic layers disposed between the dummy internal electrodes; and adjusting the size of the ceramic sintered body in the thickness direction by grinding the outermost piezoelectric ceramic layers located in the thickness direction.