Patent 7901729 was granted and assigned to NGK Insulators on March, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
There is disclosed a piezoelectric/electrostrictive porcelain composition capable of manufacturing, at a comparatively low sintering temperature, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive body which is dense and superior in crystallinity and which has satisfactory piezoelectric/electrostrictive characteristics so that deviation of the composition is not easily generated. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive porcelain composition contains as a major component a piezoelectric/electrostrictive porcelain composition component including a PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3—PbZrO3—PbTiO3 ternary solid solution system composition and NiO or including a Pb(Mg, Ni)1/3Nb2/3O3—PbZrO3—PbTiO3 ternary solid solution system composition, and further contains lead germanate.