Patent ID: 7372191

Claim:
A microswitch comprising: a movable electrode contact component including a bending displacement component and a movable electrode, the bending displacement component having a thin plate and at least one support portion joined to a rear-end portion of the thin plate, wherein the thickness of the thin plate is 2 μm to 200 μm and the length of the thin plate from the rear-end portion thereof to a front-end portion thereof is 0.2 mm to 10 mm; a bending displacement mechanism disposed on at least one surface of the thin plate and having a film piezoelectric/electrostrictor and at least one pair of voltage application electrode layers, wherein the thickness of the film piezoelectric/electrostrictor is 2 μm to 200 μm; a substrate joined to the support portion of the movable electrode contact component and having a fixed electrode disposed on the surface thereof, the fixed electrode facing the movable electrode, wherein the bending displacement mechanism is driven to displace the movable electrode, so that the movable electrode and the fixed electrode can be brought into a state of being electrically connected to each other or disconnected from each other, wherein at least the thin plate of the bending displacement component is made of zirconium oxide, and the thin plate, the piezoelectric/electrostrictor, and the voltage application electrode layers are integrated by firing, and wherein the fixed electrode is constructed as a signal line conductor and the movable electrode is constructed as a grounding conductor, so that the function of the microswitch is performed by bringing the movable electrode and the fixed electrode into a state of being electrically connected to each other or disconnected from each other in order to cause a short circuit between the signal line and the grounding line or not to cause a short circuit.