Abstract: Provided is a switching device with both high durability and high contact reliability. The switching device includes a movable contact and a fixed contact mutually slide to switch a switching mechanism. In the switching device, on a surface of the fixed contact, a contact portion to come into contact with the movable contact is coated with hard plating having a Martens hardness of 132 mgf/?m2 or more.

Abstract: The present invention has an objective to provide a high performance piezoelectric element in which is formed an aluminum nitride thin film free from hillocks, cracks, and peeling which exhibits superhigh c-axis orientation, by forming a bottom electrode from a W layer with no intervening adhesive layer on a glass or other cheap substrate. The piezoelectric element of the present invention is a piezoelectric element using a superhigh-oriented aluminum nitride thin film characterized in that the piezoelectric element is free from hillocks, cracks, and peeling and includes a stack structure in which a bottom electrode, a piezoelectric body thin film, and a top electrode are sequentially formed on a substrate; the bottom electrode is made of an oriented W layer of which a (111) plane of W is parallel to a surface of the substrate; and the piezoelectric body thin film is formed of a c-axis-oriented aluminum nitride thin film having a rocking curve full width half maximum (RCFWHM) not exceeding 2.5°.

Abstract: The present invention has an objective to provide a high performance piezoelectric element in which is formed an aluminum nitride thin film free from hillocks, cracks, and peeling which exhibits superhigh c-axis orientation, by forming a bottom electrode from a W layer with no intervening adhesive layer on a glass or other cheap substrate. The piezoelectric element of the present invention is a piezoelectric element using a superhigh-oriented aluminum nitride thin film characterized in that the piezoelectric element is free from hillocks, cracks, and peeling and includes a stack structure in which a bottom electrode, a piezoelectric body thin film, and a top electrode are sequentially formed on a substrate; the bottom electrode is made of an oriented W layer of which a (111) plane of W is parallel to a surface of the substrate; and the piezoelectric body thin film is formed of a c-axis-oriented aluminum nitride thin film having a rocking curve full width half maximum (RCFWHM) not exceeding 2.5°.

Abstract: A pressure sensor includes a detection unit 1 having capacities C1 and C2 varied by a predetermined external action, a reference detection 2 unvaried by the predetermined external action, a first oscillator 31 and 32 for generating a detection frequency signal according to the capacities C1 and C2 of the detection unit 1, a second oscillator 33 for producing a reference frequency signal according to the capacity of the reference unit 2, and measuring circuits 34, 35, 36 and 37 for measuring the number of the periods of the detection frequency signal within a predetermined period of the reference frequency signal to produce a measured signal. The sensor can minimize a detection error, and directly convert the change of capacity into a pulse signal (digital signal) without convertion into an analog, so that the circuit construction be simplified and realized at a reduced cost.