Patent ID: 7348711

Claim:
A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising laminated piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements disposed on a ceramic substrate, said piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements having a structure in which a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and internal electrode layers are stacked in an interdigitating comb-shaped pattern, an uppermost, exposed surface of at least one of said piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements being defined at least in part by an outermost electrode layer, wherein said internal and outermost electrode layers have respective ends projecting outwardly from a side face of said piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer on a side surface at which the laminated state of said piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and said internal electrode layers is exposed, and wherein a distance by which said ends project outwardly from said side face is equal to or smaller than one half of the thickness of said piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer between said internal electrode layers.