| 主权项 |
1. A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric element that deforms so as to elongate and contract along a deformation direction according to a voltage applied thereto, the method comprising steps of:
cutting a plurality of piezoelectric elements out from a base piezoelectric material plate so that each one piezoelectric element of said plurality of piezoelectric elements has peripheral end faces that are formed to define a peripheral shape of said each one piezoelectric element and a gap is formed between facing end faces of the peripheral end faces of adjacent piezoelectric elements in said plurality of piezoelectric elements; and forming polymer coatings on at least opposite end faces in the peripheral end faces of the piezoelectric element in an orthogonal direction relative to the deformation direction by vapor deposition polymerization through which gasified monomer enters into the gap, respectively, wherein the method further comprises forming electrodes on opposite sides of the piezoelectric element, respectively, each said electrode to be connected to another member in order to apply a voltage to the piezoelectric element; and covering at least a middle portion of each said electrode in said orthogonal direction with a mask, to avoid the middle portion from the vapor deposition polymerization at a subsequent coating forming step, in which
the mask for one of the electrodes exposes side portions of said one of the electrodes in said orthogonal direction to cover the middle portion defined between the side portions, anda space is defined between adjacent masks for said one of the electrodes covering the respective middle portions of the adjacent piezoelectric elements to communicate with the corresponding gap when the covering step is carried out. |
