Patent ID: 6925693

Claim:
A method of fabricating a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising a driving portion to be driven by a displacement of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, a movable portion to be operated by driving said driving portion, and a fixing portion for holding said driving portion and said movable portion, said piezoelectric/electrostrictive device being structured in that said driving portion comprises a pair of thin plate portions facing each other, and a film-like piezoelectric/electrostrictive element including at least a pair of electrode films and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film formed on at least a part of an outer surface of at least one of said thin plate portions, said fixing portion is coupled with said movable portion via said driving portion, and a hole is defined by an inner wall of said driving portion, an inner wall of said movable portion, and an inner wall of said fixing portion, and at least one side of a piezoelectric operating portion of said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element in a direction in which said thin plate portion connects said fixing portion with said movable portion is structured to exist on the fixing portion or the movable portion, said method of fabricating comprising the steps of: preparing a ceramic green laminate comprising at least one ceramic green sheet constituting a thin plate and at least one ceramic green sheet having at least one hole formed thereon; sintering said ceramic green laminate to produce a ceramic laminate; forming the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element by a film formation method on the outer surface of said thin plate portion of the ceramic laminate obtained; and cutting through the entire thickness of the ceramic laminate with said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed thereon.