Patents Examined by Derek J Rosenau
  • Patent number: 11849643
    Abstract: Circuitry for estimating a displacement of a piezoelectric transducer in response to a drive signal applied to the piezoelectric transducer, the circuitry comprising: monitoring circuitry configured to be coupled to the piezoelectric transducer and to output a sense signal indicative of an electrical signal associated with the piezoelectric transducer as a result of the drive signal; wherein the circuitry is configured to generate a difference signal based on the drive signal and the sense signal; and wherein the circuitry further comprises processing circuitry configured to apply at least one transfer function to the difference signal to generate a signal indicative of the displacement of the piezoelectric transducer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Lesso, Robert A. Steven
  • Patent number: 11844281
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a base portion and a membrane portion. The membrane portion is indirectly supported by the base portion, and is located on the upper side relative to the base portion. The membrane portion includes a plurality of layers. The membrane portion does not overlap with the base portion, and includes a single crystal piezoelectric layer, an upper electrode layer, and a lower electrode layer. The membrane portion is provided with a through-groove penetrating in the up-down direction. The through-groove includes a first step portion provided in the thickest layer among the plurality of layers defining the membrane portion. The width of the through-groove is narrower on a lower side than on an upper side with the first step portion as a boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Kishimoto, Shinsuke Ikeuchi
  • Patent number: 11838004
    Abstract: An assembly including an electrical connection substrate formed of material having a Young's modulus of less than about 10 MPa, an acoustic device die having opposite end portions mounted on and electrically connected to the electrical connection substrate and a mold compound layer encapsulating the acoustic device die and interfacing with the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Enis Tuncer, Abram Castro
  • Patent number: 11832532
    Abstract: A device includes a superconductor layer and a piezoelectric layer positioned adjacent to the superconductor layer. The piezoelectric layer is configured to apply a first strain to the superconductor layer in response to receiving a first voltage that is below a predefined voltage threshold and to apply a second strain to the superconductor layer in response to receiving a second voltage that is above the predefined voltage threshold. While the device is maintained below a superconducting threshold temperature for the superconductor layer and is supplied with current below a superconducting threshold current for the superconductor layer, the superconductor layer is configured to 1) operate in a superconducting state when the piezoelectric layer applies the first strain to the superconductor layer and 2) operate in an insulating state when the piezoelectric layer applies the second strain to the superconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: PSIQUANTUM CORP.
    Inventor: Faraz Najafi
  • Patent number: 11831295
    Abstract: Acoustic wave devices based on epitaxially grown heterostructures comprising appropriate combinations of epitaxially grown metallic transition metal nitride (TMN) layers, epitaxially grown Group III-nitride (III-N) piezoelectric semiconductor thin film layers, and epitaxially grown perovskite oxide (PO) layers. The devices can include bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices, surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, high overtone bulk acoustic resonator (HBAR) devices, and composite devices comprising HBAR devices integrated with high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: The Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Vikrant J. Gokhale, Brian P. Downey, Matthew T. Hardy, Eric N. Jin, Neeraj Nepal, D. Scott Katzer, David J. Meyer
  • Patent number: 11831470
    Abstract: A surface-launched acoustic wave sensor tag system for remotely sensing and/or providing identification information using sets of surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor tag devices is characterized by acoustic wave device embodiments that include coding and other diversity techniques to produce groups of sensors that interact minimally, reducing or alleviating code collision problems typical of prior art coded SAW sensors and tags, and specific device embodiments of said coded SAW sensor tags and systems. These sensor/tag devices operate in a system which consists of one or more uniquely identifiable sensor/tag devices and a wireless interrogator. The sensor device incorporates an antenna for receiving incident RF energy and re-radiating the tag identification information and the sensor measured parameter(s). Since there is no power source in or connected to the sensor, it is a passive sensor. The device is wirelessly interrogated by the interrogator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: SenSanna Incorporated
    Inventors: Jacqueline H. Hines, Leland P. Solie, Dana Y. G. Tucker, Andrew T. Hines
  • Patent number: 11824519
    Abstract: An acoustic wave device uses a longitudinal acoustic wave, and includes a piezoelectric layer including first and second principal surfaces opposite to each other, an IDT electrode directly or indirectly on the first principal surface, and a high acoustic velocity member directly or indirectly on the second principal surface and including a 4H-type or 6H-type crystal polytype silicon carbide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shou Nagatomo
  • Patent number: 11819880
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for a multi-frequency transducer array. In one example, the transducer array includes an element formed of one or more sub-elements, at least one sub-element having a different resonance frequency. A frequency range of the transducer array may thereby be broadened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: GE PRECISION HEALTHCARE LLC
    Inventors: Edouard Dacruz, Flavien Daloz, Jason Barrett
  • Patent number: 11813639
    Abstract: Provided in accordance with the herein described exemplary embodiments are piezo micro-machined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) each having a first electrode that includes a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion. The second electrode portion is separately operable from the first electrode portion. A second electrode is spaced apart from the first electrode and defines a space between the first electrode and the second electrode. A piezoelectric material is disposed in the space. Also provided are arrays of pMUTs wherein individual pMUTs have first electrode portions operably associated with array rows and second electrode portions operably associated with array columns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: VANGUARD INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR SINGAPORE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Aveek Nath Chatterjee, Rakesh Kumar, Jaime Viegas, Mateusz Tomasz Madzik
  • Patent number: 11813640
    Abstract: Planar phased ultrasound transducer including a first layer including a sheet of piezoelectric material, a piezo frame surrounding an outer perimeter of the sheet of piezoelectric material, and an epoxy material placed between the piezo frame and the sheet of piezoelectric material. The transducer includes a flex frame secured to a back side of the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Sonosite, Inc.
    Inventors: Guofeng Pang, Oleg Ivanytskyy, Robert Kolaja
  • Patent number: 11813641
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an acoustic transduction unit, a manufacturing method thereof and an acoustic transducer. The acoustic transduction unit includes a substrate, and a first electrode, a vibrating film and a second electrode sequentially arranged on the substrate, a cavity is formed between the first electrode and the vibrating film, orthographic projections of the first electrode, the cavity, the vibrating film and the second electrode on the substrate are at least partially overlapped with each other at a first overlapping region, and a hollowed-out pattern is formed in the vibrating film, and the orthographic projection of the hollowed-out pattern on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the cavity on the substrate are overlapped with each other, and the orthographic projection of the hollowed-out pattern on the substrate is distributed in a discontinuous manner around the first overlapping region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xiaotong Liu
  • Patent number: 11804821
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a high frequency surface acoustic wave resonator and a method for making the same. The high frequency surface acoustic wave resonator includes: a high wave velocity supporting substrate, a piezoelectric film disposed on a top surface of the high wave velocity supporting substrate, and a top electrode disposed on a top surface of the piezoelectric film; a velocity of a body wave propagating in the high wave velocity supporting substrate is greater than a velocity of a target elastic wave propagating in the piezoelectric film. The conductivity of the high wave velocity supporting substrate is greater than 1E3 ?·cm. The high frequency surface acoustic wave resonator and the method for making the same of the present disclosure solve the problem that the operating frequency of the traditional surface acoustic wave resonator is low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: SHANGHAI INSTITUTE OF MICROSYSTEM AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
    Inventors: Xin Ou, Shibin Zhang, Hongyan Zhou, Chengli Wang, Pengcheng Zheng, Kai Huang
  • Patent number: 11800805
    Abstract: There are provided a method for manufacturing a substrate excellent in heat dissipation with a small loss in radio frequencies with no need of a high temperature process in which a metal impurity is diffused, and a substrate of high thermal conductivity. A composite substrate according to the present invention is a composite substrate having a piezoelectric single crystal substrate, a support substrate, and an intermediate layer provided between the piezoelectric single crystal substrate and the support substrate. The intermediate layer is a film formed of an inorganic material, and at least a part of the film is thermally synthesized silica. The intermediate layer may be separated into at least two layers along the bonding surface of the composite substrate. The first intermediate layer in contact with the support substrate may be a layer including thermally synthesized silica.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shoji Akiyama, Masayuki Tanno
  • Patent number: 11800807
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a mechanical amplification mechanism in a compact power unit of an electricity generator containing at least one piezoelectric element. The power units can be used singly but are also designed to be stacked, serially and/or in parallel with each other, and to be mounted within or under a substrate (e.g., a roadway or aircraft runway) such that the system achieves ultra-high-density of electricity production per unit area. Embodiments of the disclosed subject matter are therefore directed to a mechanical-to-electrical power generator, an accompanying power electronic-circuit, and power transmission and/or power saving into an energy-storage device. Therefore, the generated electrical power can be conditioned for, for example, transmitting to an electrical grid or for charging batteries of electrical vehicles. Other methods of formation of the power units and related systems are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Jian-Qiao Sun, Cheng Chen, Amir Sharafi, Tian-Bing Xu, Atousa Yazdani
  • Patent number: 11791796
    Abstract: A bonded body includes a supporting substrate; a piezoelectric material substrate composed of a material selected from the group consisting of lithium niobate, lithium tantalate and lithium niobate-lithium tantalate; and a bonding layer bonding the supporting substrate and piezoelectric material substrate and contacting a main surface of the piezoelectric material substrate. At least one of a bonding surface of the supporting substrate and a bonding surface of the piezoelectric material substrate, as measured by spectral ellipsometry with ? being assigned to a difference of phases of p-polarized light and s-polarized light of a reflected light, has a difference of the maximum and minimum values of the difference ? of the phases in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 760 nm of 70° or lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Yamadera, Saki Nakayama, Yuji Hori
  • Patent number: 11791795
    Abstract: A bonded body includes a supporting substrate; a piezoelectric material substrate composed of a material selected from the group consisting of lithium niobate, lithium tantalate and lithium niobate-lithium tantalate; and a bonding layer bonding the supporting substrate and the piezoelectric material substrate and contacting a main surface of the piezoelectric material substrate. It is provided that at least one of a bonding surface of the supporting substrate and a bonding surface of the piezoelectric material substrate is measured by X-ray reflectivity method and that 1 is assigned to a signal intensity in the case of total reflection. A relative intensity I of a reflected light from the bonding surface is approximated by the following formula (1) in a range of 1.0×10?4 or larger and 1.0×10?1 or smaller. I=a(2?)?b??(1) (? represents an incident angle of an X-ray with respect to the bonding surface, a is 1.0×10?5 or larger and 2.0×10?3 or smaller, and b is 5.0 or larger and 9.0 or smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Hori, Takahiro Yamadera
  • Patent number: 11784626
    Abstract: An elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate mainly including lithium niobate, an interdigital transducer electrode provided on the piezoelectric substrate, and a dielectric film, provided on the piezoelectric substrate and covering the interdigital transducer electrode, and mainly including silicon oxide. The elastic wave device uses a Rayleigh wave. The interdigital transducer electrode includes main electrode layers that include one or more first main electrode layer made of a metal with a C112/C12 ratio greater than the C112/C12 ratio of the silicon oxide with regard to the elastic constants C11 and C12. The sum of the thicknesses of the one or more first main electrode layers is about 55% or more based on the thickness of the whole interdigital transducer electrode is about 100%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Mari Saji
  • Patent number: 11777472
    Abstract: A bulk acoustic wave resonator is provided. The bulk acoustic wave resonator incudes a carrier substrate, having a main surface extending along a first direction; a piezoelectric layer, located on a side of the carrier substrate in a second direction perpendicular to the main surface of the carrier substrate; a first electrode and a second electrode; a cavity boundary structure, having a body part extending along the first direction and a protruding part protruding from the body part toward the piezoelectric layer; a resonant cavity, defined by the cavity boundary structure and the piezoelectric layer; and a periphery dielectric layer, located on a side of the protruding part of the cavity boundary structure away from the resonant cavity, a material of the periphery dielectric layer is different from a material of at least a portion of the protruding part adjacent to the periphery dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Shenzhen Newsonic Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Guojun Weng, Jian Wang
  • Patent number: 11777469
    Abstract: A bonded substrate includes a quartz substrate and a piezoelectric substrate which is bonded on the quartz substrate and on which a surface acoustic wave propagates, wherein the quartz substrate and the piezoelectric substrate are bonded by covalently coupling at a bonding interface, and an orientation of the quartz substrate and an orientation of the piezoelectric substrate intersect with each other on an orthogonal direction side or in the range of 65 degrees to 115 degrees in a bonding surface direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: THE JAPAN STEEL WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kouhei Kurimoto, Kazuhito Kishida, Rinzo Kayano, Jun Mizuno, Shoji Kakio
  • Patent number: 11770111
    Abstract: An elastic wave device includes a supporting substrate, an acoustic multilayer film on the supporting substrate, a piezoelectric substrate on the acoustic multilayer film, and an IDT electrode on the piezoelectric substrate. An absolute value of a thermal expansion coefficient of the piezoelectric substrate is larger than an absolute value of a thermal expansion coefficient of the supporting substrate. The acoustic multilayer film includes at least four acoustic impedance layers. The elastic wave device further includes a bonding layer provided at any position in a range of from inside the first acoustic impedance layer from the piezoelectric substrate side towards the supporting substrate side, to an interface between the third acoustic impedance layer and the fourth acoustic impedance layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Kishimoto, Tetsuya Kimura, Masashi Omura