Patent ID: 7861388

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a cell driving type piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator comprising: at least one cell defined by two side walls, a substrate and a ceiling wall; said two side walls being disposed on the substrate, and being covered by the ceiling wall, at least the two side walls being composed of piezoelectric/electrostrictive devices; said piezoelectric/electrostrictive devices being capable of changing a volume of said at least one cell with causing displacement in walls of the cell, wherein each of piezoelectric/electrostrictive devices comprises a plurality of layered piezoelectric/electrostrictive bodies and electrode layers which are alternately stacked, and end portions of the electrodes are embedded in the piezoelectric/electrostrictive bodies at an internal side of the cell, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a predetermined number of ceramic green sheets containing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive material as a major component and being used for constituting the piezoelectric/electrostrictive bodies later; forming, on one surface of each ceramic green sheet, a film to be used for constituting electrodes later and comprising a conductor material; disposing a plurality of slit-shaped through holes in predetermined positions of each ceramic green sheet in such manner that at least the slit-shaped through holes to be used for constituting the cell later do not contact the conductor material formed as the film; alternately stacking and compression-bonding said predetermined number of ceramic green sheets having the electrodes formed of the conductor material and the slit-shaped through holes to form a ceramic green laminated body having a plurality of slit-shaped through holes; and firing to integrate the ceramic green laminated body to obtain a fired integrated laminated body, wherein the method includes a step for forming the side walls which are constituted from wall portions between the plurality of slit-shaped through holes and each of said at least one cell is formed using every other slit-shaped through hole of the plurality of slit-shaped through holes.