A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric ceramic device having excellent piezoelectric characteristics and high reliability is described. The method includes the steps of coating conductive paste containing Ag as a main component on each of a plurality of ceramic green sheets each containing a piezoelectric ceramic material, laminating the plurality of ceramic green sheets to form a laminate, and burning the laminate under an atmospheric condition in which the oxygen concentrations in a heating process and a retention process are about 21% by volume or more, and the oxygen concentration in a cooling process is about 0.05% by volume to 3% by volume.

A monolithic piezoelectric transformer includes a drive portion and a power generation portion. The drive portion includes a plurality of polarized piezoelectric ceramic layers and a plurality of internal electrodes that are alternately layered on each other. The drive portion is provided with external input electrodes connected to the internal electrodes. The power generation portion includes a piezoelectric ceramic member and an output electrode. The internal electrodes are formed of a fired metal containing at least one of silver and palladium and at least one of rhodium and iridium.

A thin pressure sensor includes: a pair of external electrodes, which are respectively made of conductive thin films that are respectively provided with piezoelectric layers on inner sides; and a single internal electrode, made of a conductive thin film, which is sealed between the pair of external electrodes, one of the pair of external electrodes having a conducting window that conducts to said internal electrode. The thin pressure sensor has a simple and thin structure with sufficient durability and mechanical strength.

A piezoelectric porcelain composition containing a complex oxide having a perovskite structure mainly composed of Pb, Zr, and Ti; and the following component (a) and/or (b), or component (A) and/or (B): (a) Ag and/or an Ag compound, and Mo and/or an Mo compound (b) silver molybdate [Ag.sub.2MoO.sub.4] (A) Ag and/or an Ag compound, Mo and/or an Mo compound, and W and/or a W compound (B) silver molybdate-tungstate [Ag.sub.2Mo.sub.(1-X)W.sub.XO.sub.4](where X is a number from 0.3 to 0.7)

This invention is directed to a transducer comprising a lead-based single crystal wherein the crystal is diagonally oriented and has an effective coupling constant of at least 0.70. In one embodiment, the lead-based crystal has the formula Pb(B'B")O.sub.3 --PbTiO.sub.3 wherein B' is Mg.sup.2+, Zn.sup.2+, Ni.sup.2+ or Sc.sup.3+ and B" is Nb.sup.5+, Ta.sup.5+ or W.sup.6+. Preferably, the lead-based crystal has of the formula Pb(B'B")O.sub.3 --PbTiO.sub.3 where B' is Mg.sup.2+, Zn.sup.2+, Sc.sup.3+ and B" is Nb.sup.5+ or more specifically Pb(Mg.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3 --PbTiO.sub.3 ("PMN--PT"), Pb(Zn.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3 --PbTiO.sub.3 ("PZN--PT"), and Pb(Sc.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3 --PbTiO.sub.3 ("PSN--PT"). The invention also includes a transducer comprising a plurality of lead-based single crystal transducers. In one embodiment the ultrasonic probe comprising one or more piezoelectric components having surfaces that function as transmitting and/or receiving elements; and electrodes placed upon opposite surfaces of the elements, and wherein each lead based piezoelectric component as described above. In addition, the invention includes improved materials for reduced spurious modes. Furthermore, the invention includes diagonally oriented lead-based transducers.