Barium titanate-based actuator with ceramic internal electrodes

Abstract Electrostriction and mechanical properties of multilayer ceramic actuators with ceramic internal electrodes were investigated. Insulative BaTiO3 and La-doped semiconductive BaTiO3 were laminated by means of a conventional green sheet method and co-fired into the multilayer structure. The strain induced by an electric field in the multilayer was measured using a differential transformer method. The 4 × 10−4 magnitude of strain at 15 kV/cm is sufficiently applicable to fine movement control devices. Mechanical strength obtained was 50 MN/m2, about three times larger than that for a conventional multilayer ceramic actuator with Pd internal electrodes.