To provide a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device which can effectively suppress moisture from depositing on a side end surface of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element.
The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprises a fixing member 11, a thin plate 12 supported in the fixing member, and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 14 made of a plurality of electrodes, and a plurality of alternately stacked piezoelectric/electrostrictive layers. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device is manufactured by cutting a thin plate material (to be later formed into the thin plate 12) and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive laminate, and then by subjecting the cut surfaces (side end faces) of the plate material and the laminate to predetermined specific processing (e.g., heat treatment). Consequently, a ratio of the actual surface area of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 14 to the surface area of orthogonal projection of the side end face of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 14 is 4 or smaller, so that the moisture deposition on the side end face can be suppressed to such an extent as to substantially prevent electric leakage or ion migration. As a result, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device having a high durability can be provided.
TSUNEOKA KATSUYUKI
NOGUCHI SHINAI
HATTA TETSUYA
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