447 results about "Electrostriction" patented technology

An electrostatic self-assembly method of fabricating electrostrictive and piezoelectric thin film assemblies not only provides a thinner film than is attainable by conventional methods, but provides excellent molecular-level uniformity and precise structural control, and thus large, effective piezoelectric coefficients. The method produces a thin film assembly including (a) a substrate, and (b) a film having one or a plurality of layers disposed upon the substrate, wherein at least one of the layers includes a dipolar material, and this layer of dipolar material has a uniform thickness of at most 500 nm.

An apparatus and method for interventional navigation within a subject's body is provided in which a medical device having at least one electrostrictive element is adapted to cause the distal end of the medical device to bend in a given direction for improving navigation. The medical device may further comprise at least one magnetically responsive element on the distal end, which may be oriented in the approximate direction of a magnetic field that is applied to the subjects body. At least one method for navigating a medical device though a subject's body is provided, by changing the direction of an applied magnetic field to align a magnetically responsive element on the distal end for orienting the distal end, and by applying a voltage to at least one electrostrictive element disposed in the distal portion of the device for causing the distal end to change orientation from that achieved by application of the magnetic field alone.

Provided is 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 based on a drive of the driving portion, and a fixing portion for holding the driving portion and the movable portion, the fixing portion and the movable portions being coupled via the driving portion, and a hole being formed by an inner wall of the driving portion, inner wall of the movable portion, and inner walls of the fixing portion.

An apparatus and method directed to a solid-state capacitance sensor for measuring a strain force on a dielectric including at least one pair of electrostriction sensors each sensor having at least two electrodes and each having a central axis. The central axes are disposed in a common plane and are oriented substantially mutually perpendicularly to one another. Preferably, at least two pairs of sensors, forming a rosette, are provided to facilitate multi-component analysis of a sample having dielectric properties under stress / strain.

A method for driving an actuator. The method includes applying an electrical potential across an electrostrictive material relative to a counterelectrode disposed within an electrolyte, thereby creating a double layer potential across a region of enhanced ionic concentration. A current flowing between the electorostrictive material and the counterelectrode is measured. A portion of the applied potential appearing across the electrolyte and counterelectrode is calculated and subtracted from the applied potential to obtain an estimated double layer potential. The applied electrical potential is adjusted to obtain a specified double layer potential.

Provided is 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 based on a drive of the driving portion, and a fixing portion for holding the driving portion and the movable portion, the fixing portion and the movable portions being coupled via the driving portion, and a hole being formed by an inner wall of the driving portion, inner wall of the movable portion, and inner walls of the fixing portion. The driving portion comprises a pair of mutually opposing thin plate portions and at least two piezoelectric / electrostrictive elements each comprising at least one or more pairs of electrodes and a piezoelectric / electrostrictive layer provided on the thin plate portions.

A laminated ceramic capacitor has a high breakdown voltage and excellent withstand-voltage performance, and prevents cracks generated during firing even when the number of lamination layers constituted by ceramic layers and inner electrode layers is increased. The laminated ceramic capacitor includes capacitance forming layers in which ceramic dielectric layers and capacitance-forming inner electrode layers are laminated, and a stress relieving layer. The stress relieving layer is disposed between the capacitance forming layers. In the stress relieving layer, ceramic dielectric layers, dummy inner electrode layers (split electrodes) that do not contribute to the formation of electrostatic capacitance, and capacitance-formation-preventing inner electrode layers that prevent capacitance from being formed between the capacitance-forming inner electrode layers and the dummy inner electrode layers are laminated. The thickness of the stress relieving layer is in the range of about 100 μm to about 300 μm inclusive. The plane area of the dummy inner electrode layers is about 60% or more of that of the capacitance-forming inner electrode layers. The dummy inner electrode layers are undivided or are divided into two or three parts in a single layer. With this structure, stress caused by electrostriction is relieved.

A piezoelectric / electrostrictive device includes a driving portion, a movable portion and a fixing portion. The driving portion includes a pair of mutually opposing thin plate portions and a piezoelectric / electrostrictive (P / E) element. A P / E operating portion of the P / E element is arranged on at least a part of an outer surface of at least one of the thin plate portions, such that one end thereof exists on the fixing portion or the movable portion and the other end thereof is arranged on the thin plate portion. At least one end of a P / E layer of the P / E element exists on the fixing portion or the movable portion, and the other end is arranged on the thin plate portion.

A piezoelectric / electrostrictive device (P / E) includes driving, movable and fixing portions. One end of a first P / E element and P / E operating portion on the end are positioned on the fixing portion and an opposite end of the P / E operating portion of the first P / E element is positioned on a first thin plate portion. One end of a second P / E element and P / E operating portion on the end are positioned on the movable portion and an opposite end of the P / E operating portion of the second P / E element is positioned on a second thin plate portion. A hole formed by inner walls of the driving, movable and fixing portions has a central axis that extends in an axial direction substantially parallel to the thin plate portions and substantially perpendicular to the length direction, and the device is free of any other holes extending in any direction other than the axial direction.

The invention discloses a method for manufacturing a flexible display device and the flexible display device obtained through the manufacturing method. The method comprises the steps that a conductive layer is formed on the surface of a hard substrate; an inverse electrostriction thin film layer is formed on the conductive layer; a flexible base material is attached to the surface of the inverse electrostriction thin film layer; a display element layer is manufactured on the flexible base material; after the display element layer is manufactured, alternating currents are applied to the conductive layer, and the hard substrate and the flexible base material are separated through the micromechanical vibration of an inverse electrostriction thin film. The inverse electrostriction thin film layer on the hard substrate is adopted as a release layer, after the alternating currents are applied, mechanical stress between the inverse electrostriction thin film and the flexible base material is far smaller than binding force between the inverse electrostriction thin film and the lower hard substrate, the flexible base material and the hard substrate can be separated, the hard substrate can be used repeatedly, manufacturing cost is greatly saved, production efficiency is improved, and the product yield is improved.

A microswitch is provided with a movable electrode contact component including a bending displacement component having a cantilever shape, a piezoelectric / electrostrictive element having a piezoelectric / electrostrictor and a voltage application electrode layers, and a substrate joined to a support portion of the movable electrode contact component and having a fixed electrode disposed on the surface thereof, wherein the piezoelectric / electrostrictive element 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. At least a thin plate of the bending displacement component is made of a ceramic material, and the thin plate, the piezoelectric / electrostrictor, and the voltage application electrode layers are integrated by firing. The microswitch can efficiently switch high-frequency signals at low power consumption and has excellent responsiveness, excellent durability, and high reliability of long term driving.

A piezoelectric / electrostrictive device is disclosed comprising a driving portion to be driven by a displacement of a piezoelectric / electrostrictive element, a movable portion to be operated by a drive of the driving portion, a fixing portion for holding the driving portion and the movable portion, the movable portion being coupled with the fixing portion via the driving portion, and a hole formed by inner walls of the driving portion, an inner wall of the movable portion, and an inner wall of the fixing portion. The driving portion comprises a pair of mutually opposing thin plate portions, and a piezoelectric / electrostrictive element including a piezoelectric / electrostrictive operating portion comprising at least a pair or more of electrodes and a piezoelectric / electrostrictive layer formed on at least a part of the outer surface of at least one thin plate portion out of the thin plate portions, one end of the piezoelectric / electrostrictive operating portion in a direction in which the fixing portion is connected with the movable portion exists on the fixing portion or the movable portion, and the other end of the piezoelectric / electrostrictive operating portion is arranged on the thin plate portion, and at least a piezoelectric / electrostrictive layer of the piezoelectric / electrostrictive element exists extending over the movable portion and the fixing portion. The device of the present invention, having high rigidity in the width direction of the thin plate portions, namely in the Y-axis direction, enables rigid joining when functional parts such as sensors, magnetic heads, or the like are fixed to the present device, and further when the present device per se is fixed to another structure.