Patents by Inventor Yoshikazu Akiyama

Yoshikazu Akiyama has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8646180
    Abstract: A method of producing an electromechanical transducer includes a first step of partially modifying a surface of a first electrode; a second step of applying a sol-gel liquid including a metal composite oxide to a predetermined area of the partially-modified surface of the first electrode; a third step of performing drying, thermal decomposition, and crystallization on the applied sol-gel liquid to form an electromechanical transduction film, wherein the drying includes a heat-treatment at 120° C., the decomposition includes thermal decomposition performed at 500° C., and the crystallization includes heat treatment for crystallization at 700° C.; a fourth step of repeating the first, second, and third steps to obtain the electromechanical transduction film with a desired thickness; and a fifth step of forming a second electrode on the electromechanical transduction film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Akiyama, Takakazu Kihira, Keiji Ueda, Akira Shimofuku, Osamu Machida
  • Patent number: 8602530
    Abstract: An ink-jet head includes a nozzle plate having nozzles, a vibrating plate on the nozzle plate, liquid chambers formed of spaces partitioned by division walls, a piezoelectric element having a common electrode, a piezoelectric body and an individual electrode layered in this order on a surface of the vibrating plate, a first insulator film having a first opening and a second insulator film having a second opening layered in this order on the first surface, a first wire drawn from the individual electrode via the first opening and the second opening, a third insulator film having a third opening on the first wire; and a second wire drawn via the third opening, where the third insulator film is formed in a first region of the second insulator film and is not formed in a second region excluding a region including the first wire formed above the liquid chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizukami, Masaki Kato, Takahiko Kuroda, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Kanshi Abe
  • Publication number: 20130176364
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electromechanical transducer element including a first electrode disposed on a substrate; an electromechanical transducer film disposed on a first portion of the first electrode; and a second electrode disposed on a second portion of the electromechanical transducer film, wherein an actuator portion formed by laminating the substrate, the first electrode, the electromechanical transducer film, and the second electrode has a stiffness such that, in a cross section of the actuator portion, the stiffness gradually increases from an end portion of the actuator portion to a center portion of the actuator portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2013
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Machida, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Ryo Tashiro, Akira Shimofuku, Eiichi Ohta, Kenichi Ogata
  • Publication number: 20130162726
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of an electromechanical transducing device includes forming a vibration plate on a substrate; forming a first electrode made of a metal on the vibration plate; forming a second electrode made of an electrically conductive oxide on the first electrode; coating a surface modification material and carrying out surface modification of only the first electrode; forming an electromechanical transducing film on the second electrode; and forming a third electrode made of an electrically conductive oxide on the electromechanical transducing film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizukami, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Masaru Shinkai, Osamu Machida
  • Patent number: 8454133
    Abstract: An inkjet head is disclosed. In the inkjet head a vibrating plate is formed on a liquid chamber substrate on which multiple dedicated liquid chambers are aligned; a first insulating film and a second insulating film are formed between a dedicated electrode wiring and a lower electrode in an area in which the dedicated electrode wiring and the lower electrode overlap; a third insulating film and a fourth insulating film are stacked in an area which includes a forming area of the dedicated electrode wiring; in at least a portion of a forming area of the dedicated liquid chamber, there is provided a non-film forming area; and, in an area including a piezoelectric element forming section, either the first insulating film and the fourth insulating film are formed in the non-film forming area, or the fourth insulating film is formed in the non-film forming area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizukami, Masaki Kato, Takahiko Kuroda, Kanshi Abe, Yoshikazu Akiyama
  • Patent number: 8425026
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electromechanical transducer film including a lower electrode and plural layers of a sol-gel solution film formed on the lower electrode by an inkjet method, the method including the steps of a) modifying a surface of the lower electrode, b) forming a first sol-gel solution film on the surface of the lower electrode by ejecting droplets of a sol-gel solution to the surface of the lower electrode, and c) forming a second sol-gel solution film on the first sol-gel solution film by ejecting droplets of the sol-gel solution to a surface of the first sol-gel solution film. Adjacent dots formed on the surface of the lower electrode by the droplets ejected in step b) overlap each other. Adjacent dots formed on the surface of the first sol-gel solution film by the droplets ejected in step c) do not overlap each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Machida, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Keiji Ueda, Akira Shimofuku
  • Publication number: 20130070029
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electromechanical conversion element, including an electromechanical conversion film including a PIT, an upper electrode formed on a top of the electromechanical conversion film and including a first strontium ruthenium oxide, and a lower electrode formed on a bottom of the electromechanical conversion film and including a second strontium ruthenium oxide, wherein Sr-pzt/Sr-sr?0.01, wherein Sr-pzt is a SIMS intensity for a secondary ion of strontium of the PZT at a position of ½ of a thickness of the electromechanical conversion film and Sr-sr is a SIMS intensity for a secondary ion of strontium of the second strontium ruthenium oxide at a position of ½ of a thickness of the lower electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Mizukami, Masaru Shinkai, Masahiro Ishimori, Yoshikazu Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20130002767
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electromechanical transducer element that includes an electromechanical transducer film formed of a complex oxide (PZT) including lead (Pb), zirconium (Zr), and titanium (Ti). The electromechanical transducer film is formed by laminating plural PZT thin films until a thickness of the formed electromechanical transducer film becomes a predetermined thickness. When an atomic weight ratio (Pb/(Zr+Ti)) of average Pb included in the formed electromechanical transducer film is denoted by Pb(avg) and an atomic weight ratio (Pb/(Zr+Ti)) of Pb in any one of laminate interfaces of the plural PZT thin films is denoted by Pb(interface), the Pb(avg) is greater than or equal to 100 atomic percentage (at %) and less than or equal to 110 atomic percentage (at %), and a fluctuation ratio ?Pb=Pb(avg)?Pb(interface) of Pb in the laminate interface is less than or equal to 20 percent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.,
    Inventors: Satoshi MIZUKAMI, Yoshikazu AKIYAMA, Masaru SHINKAI, Keiji UEDA, Kanshi ABE, Takakazu KIHIRA, Naoya KONDO
  • Publication number: 20120236083
    Abstract: An inkjet head is disclosed. In the inkjet head a vibrating plate is formed on a liquid chamber substrate on which multiple dedicated liquid chambers are aligned; a first insulating film and a second insulating film are formed between a dedicated electrode wiring and a lower electrode in an area in which the dedicated electrode wiring and the lower electrode overlap; a third insulating film and a fourth insulating film are stacked in an area which includes a forming area of the dedicated electrode wiring; in at least a portion of a forming area of the dedicated liquid chamber, there is provided a non-film forming area; and, in an area including a piezoelectric element forming section, either the first insulating film and the fourth insulating film are formed in the non-film forming area, or the fourth insulating film is formed in the non-film forming area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi MIZUKAMI, Masaki Kato, Takahiko Kuroda, Kanshi Abe, Yoshikazu Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20120229573
    Abstract: A disclosed inkjet head includes a liquid chamber formed by a space between a vibrating plate and a nozzle substrate and separated by partitions; a piezoelectric element formed by sequentially laminating a common electrode, a piezoelectric substance and an individual electrode over the space; first to fourth insulating films respectively having first to fourth openings; and a first wiring connected to the individual electrode and pulled through the first and second openings over the common electrode, wherein the first wiring passes through the third opening over the third insulating film, the first wiring is exposed from the fourth opening so as to be externally connected, and the third insulating film and the fourth insulating film are not partly formed above the liquid chamber and formed above the first wiring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi MIZUKAMI, Masaki Kato, Takahiko Kuroda, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Kanshi Abe
  • Publication number: 20120212545
    Abstract: An ink-jet head includes a nozzle plate having nozzles, a vibrating plate on the nozzle plate, liquid chambers formed of spaces partitioned by division walls, a piezoelectric element having a common electrode, a piezoelectric body and an individual electrode layered in this order on a surface of the vibrating plate, a first insulator film having a first opening and a second insulator film having a second opening layered in this order on the first surface, a first wire drawn from the individual electrode via the first opening and the second opening, a third insulator film having a third opening on the first wire; and a second wire drawn via the third opening, where the third insulator film is formed in a first region of the second insulator film and is not formed in a second region excluding a region including the first wire formed above the liquid chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi MIZUKAMI, Masaki Kato, Takahiko Kuroda, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Kanshi Abe
  • Publication number: 20120038712
    Abstract: A method of producing an electromechanical transducer includes a first step of partially modifying a surface of a first electrode; a second step of applying a sol-gel liquid including a metal composite oxide to a predetermined area of the partially-modified surface of the first electrode; a third step of performing drying, thermal decomposition, and crystallization on the applied sol-gel liquid to form an electromechanical transduction film; a fourth step of repeating the first, second, and third steps to obtain the electromechanical transduction film with a desired thickness; and a fifth step of forming a second electrode on the electromechanical transduction film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Akiyama, Takakazu Kihira, Keiji Ueda, Akira Shimofuku, Osamu Machida
  • Publication number: 20120026249
    Abstract: A thin-film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate by using an ink-jet method includes an ink applying unit that applies an ink drop for thin-film formation to a predetermined area on a surface of the substrate; at least one laser light source for heating the ink drop thereby forming a thin film; and a laser-light irradiating unit that irradiates, with a laser light from the laser light source, a first spot positioned on a back side of the predetermined area of the substrate to which the ink drop has been applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Inventors: Takakazu KIHIRA, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Osamu Machida, Masahiro Yagi, Ryoh Tashiro
  • Publication number: 20120028075
    Abstract: A thin film manufacturing method includes placing a substrate in a raw material solution with which a thin film is formed on a first principal plane of the substrate; forming the thin film on the first principal plane of the substrate by applying light to a first principal plane side from a light source; measuring a distance from the first principal plane of the substrate to a liquid surface of the raw material solution by applying light from the light source; and adjusting a position of the substrate in a height direction on the basis of a measurement result obtained at the measuring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Inventors: Masahiro YAGI, Eiichi Ohta, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Ryoh Tashiro, Osamu Machida
  • Patent number: 8071432
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an organic transistor active substrate is disclosed. The organic transistor active substrate includes an organic transistor in which a first electrode is formed on a substrate, a first insulating film is formed on the first electrode, a pair of second electrodes is formed on the first insulating film, and an active layer made of an organic semiconductor material is formed on the pair of second electrodes. The organic transistor is laminated with a second insulating film, and the second insulating film is laminated with a third electrode which is electrically coupled to one of the second electrodes via a through-hole provided through the second insulating film. The first electrode is formed by inkjet ejection; the first insulating film is formed by coating; the pair of second electrodes is formed by inkjet ejection; the active layer is formed by inkjet ejection; the second insulating film is formed by screen printing; and the third electrode is formed by screen printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Akiyama, Takumi Yamaga, Takanori Tano, Hidenori Tomono, Akishige Murakami, Hitoshi Arita, Mayuka Araumi
  • Publication number: 20110205307
    Abstract: A sol-gel liquid for use in forming an individualized electromechanical conversion film of an electromechanical conversion element by inkjet methods, including a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) or the PZT and other metal complex oxides; and an organic solvent having properties surrounded by A, B, C, D, E and F in triangular composition diagram of FIG. 3, and having a viscosity of from 3 to 13 mPa·s, a surface tension of 30±5 mN/m and a dehydration rate of from 70 to 80% relative to pure water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Inventors: Keiji UEDA, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Osamu Machida, Akira Shimofuku, Takakazu Kihira
  • Patent number: 7999253
    Abstract: An organic transistor is disclosed that has an organic semiconductor layer patterned with high resolution. The organic transistor includes a gate electrode, a gate insulting film, a source electrode, a drain electrode, and an organic semiconductor layer formed of an organic semiconductor material. The gate electrode, the gate insulting film, the source electrode, the drain electrode, and the organic semiconductor layer are formed on a substrate. At least one of the source electrode and the drain electrode has an opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takumi Yamaga, Ikue Kawashima, Yoshikazu Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20110175967
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electromechanical transducer film including a lower electrode and plural layers of a sol-gel solution film formed on the lower electrode by an inkjet method, the method including the steps of a) modifying a surface of the lower electrode, b) forming a first sol-gel solution film on the surface of the lower electrode by ejecting droplets of a sol-gel solution to the surface of the lower electrode, and c) forming a second sol-gel solution film on the first sol-gel solution film by ejecting droplets of the sol-gel solution to a surface of the first sol-gel solution film. Adjacent dots formed on the surface of the lower electrode by the droplets ejected in step b) overlap each other. Adjacent dots formed on the surface of the first sol-gel solution film by the droplets ejected in step c) do not overlap each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu MACHIDA, Yoshikazu AKIYAMA, Keiji UEDA, Akira SHIMOFUKU
  • Publication number: 20100302323
    Abstract: A fluid discharge head includes a fluid chamber filled with ink; a discharge opening configured to discharge a droplet of ink from the fluid chamber; a plurality of piezoelectric elements configured as displacement generating units to provide kinetic energy to the ink for the discharge of the ink droplet; and a vibrating plate forming a part of the fluid chamber and connected to the piezoelectric elements, the vibrating plate being configured to transmit a displacement generated by the piezoelectric elements to the ink in the fluid chamber. The vibrating plate includes vibrating portions for the respective the piezoelectric elements. The vibrating portions are configured to be independently displaced for the corresponding piezoelectric elements, and at least one of the piezoelectric elements is configured as a pressure detecting unit to detect an ink pressure in the fluid chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Inventors: Masahiro YAGI, Kenji Asuwa, Dongsik Jang, Yoshikazu Akiyama, Eiichi Ohta, Yukitoshi Tajima, Takeshi Takemoto
  • Patent number: 7816672
    Abstract: A wiring pattern is disclosed including: a variable wettability layer including a material whose critical surface tension changes in response to energy provided thereto, the wettability changing layer including a high surface energy part exhibiting a high critical surface tension and a low surface energy part exhibiting low critical surface tension; and a conductive pattern layer formed on the variable wettability layer at the high surface energy part. The conductive pattern layer has an elongated shape with a chamfered corner part in a plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenori Tomono, Ikue Kawashima, Koei Suzuki, Yoshikazu Akiyama