Abstract: A piezoelectric vibrating reed includes a piezoelectric plate made of a piezoelectric material, a pair of exciter electrodes formed on outer surfaces of the piezoelectric plate and configured to vibrate the piezoelectric plate when a predetermined voltage is applied thereon, and a pair of mount electrodes electrically connected to the pair of exciter electrodes, respectively. One mount electrode in the pair of mount electrodes is formed on one surface (under surface) of the piezoelectric plate and the other mount electrode is formed on the other surface (top surface) of the piezoelectric plate in a state not to oppose the one mount electrode with the piezoelectric plate in between. Accordingly, not only can power be saved, but also higher performance can be achieved by lowering the R1 characteristic and thereby enhancing the vibration characteristic.

Abstract: A lamination-type resistance element includes a laminated sinter having internal electrodes of a first group and internal electrodes of a second group, the first internal electrode group including a plurality of internal electrodes facing each other through a ceramic resistance layer and defining a resistance unit at the portion where the plurality of internal electrodes face each other. A first end of the resistance unit is connected to a first external electrode and the second end is connected to a second external electrode. The second internal electrode group includes a plurality of pairs of internal electrodes in which the inner ends face each other through a gap on the same plane inside the laminated sinter, and a plurality of pairs of gaps in the plurality of internal electrodes are arranged at the same location when seen from one end of the lamination direction of the laminated sinter. Thereby, fine adjustment of a resistance value can be performed.

Abstract: A broad band energy harvesting system to harvest energy from a structure and associated methods are provided. The system includes a structure carrying a plurality of environmentally produced vibration frequencies extending over a frequency range and an energy harvesting apparatus positioned in vibration receiving communication with the structure to harvest energy from the structure. Each energy harvesting apparatus includes broadly tuned energy harvesting generators having relatively low quality factor and corresponding relatively wide bandwidth. The energy harvesting generators collectively provide energy harvesting over multiple modes to thereby provide energy harvesting over a substantial portion of the frequency range. Each energy harvesting generator can include a cantilevered beam connected to a common backbone comprised of a resilient material configured to transfer energy between adjacent generators to further enhance energy harvesting.

Abstract: An acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate, a first dielectric film formed on the piezoelectric substrate, and electrodes that are provided on the first dielectric film and excite an acoustic wave, the electrodes including electrode fingers. At least a part of the first dielectric film is cut out between adjacent electrode fingers among the electrode fingers.

Abstract: A surface acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate, a surface acoustic wave element composed of electrodes provided on the piezoelectric substrate and the piezoelectric substrate, a first seal resin portion provided on the piezoelectric substrate and having a cavity on the surface acoustic wave element, and an inorganic insulation film provided in contact with a surface of the piezoelectric substrate to surround the surface acoustic wave element.

Abstract: A surface acoustic wave device includes a LiNbO3 substrate having a plurality of grooves formed in the upper surface thereof, an IDT electrode formed by filling the grooves with a metal, and a SiO2 layer arranged to cover an upper surface of the LiNbO3 substrate and the IDT electrode and having a substantially flat surface. The surface acoustic wave device uses a response of a Rayleigh wave. The LiNbO3 substrate has Euler angles in the range of (0°±5°, 180° to 247°, 0°±5°).

Abstract: An actuator has: a piezoelectric body formed in a shape of a tube and having an inner side wall, which faces a hollow portion of the tube, and an outer side wall, which is structured at an outer side of the tube; a first electrode formed at the inner side wall of the piezoelectric body; and a second electrode formed at the outer side wall of the piezoelectric body. The actuator displaces the piezoelectric body by a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator include a multi-layer top electrode. The multi-layer top electrode includes at least a top metal layer and a bottom metal layer. A top metal layer edge is recessed compared to a bottom metal layer edge allowing conformal deposition of a passivation layer. The passivation layer covers and protects the underlying layers from subsequent etching, thereby preventing etch undercut of the top electrode. In some embodiments, the multi-layer top electrode is configured as a bi-layer. In other embodiments, an extra layer is configured between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer, for example a shunt load layer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a piezoelectric thin film vibrator having a piezoelectric device formed by using thin film formation technology, a fabrication method thereof, a driving apparatus and a piezoelectric motor using the same, and an object is to provide a piezoelectric thin film vibrator which can provide an excellent piezoelectric characteristic at low cost, a fabrication method thereof, a driving apparatus and a piezoelectric motor using the same. A piezoelectric thin film vibrator is configured to have a resonator which generates a flexure traveling wave, a lower electrode which is formed on the resonator, a piezoelectric thin film which is formed by epitaxial growth on the lower electrode, and a plurality of upper electrode parts which is formed on the piezoelectric thin film.

Abstract: A piezoelectric unit includes a first piezoelectric member having a tubular shape, a second piezoelectric member inserted into a first opening of the first piezoelectric member, and a voltage applying member applying a driving voltage to the first and second piezoelectric members. An orifice plate includes a body through which first nozzle openings corresponding to the first piezoelectric member and second nozzle openings corresponding to the second piezoelectric member are formed. An elastic member is disposed between the first and second nozzle openings and the piezoelectric unit. A shape of the elastic member is changed in accordance with a changed shape of the piezoelectric unit for jetting ink through the first and second nozzle openings. Thus, a nozzle pitch of a printer head may be reduced.

Abstract: A surface-mount SAW device configured to prevent sealing resin layer coated all over the top surface of a piezoelectric substrate from becoming charged even if the piezoelectric substrate forming the SAW device is made of a pyroelectric material. The SAW device is composed of a mounting substrate; a SAW chip provided with a piezoelectric substrate, an IDT electrode formed on one surface of said piezoelectric substrate, and connection pads connected via conductor bumps to conductor traces; a flip chip mounted to the mounting substrate; and a sealing resin layer coated all over the outer surface of the SAW chip flip-chip mounted on the mounting substrate and extended down to the top surface of the mounting substrate to define an airtight space between the IDT electrode and the mounting substrate; and wherein the electrical conductivity of the piezoelectric substrate is increased to suppress charging of the sealing resin layer.

Abstract: A sensing system includes an acoustic wave device comprising a body of piezoelectric material, and a first electrode assembly mounted on the piezoelectric body whereby an appropriate input applied to the electrode assembly produces an acoustic wave in the piezoelectric body and a first frequency response. The acoustic wave device also has a second electrode assembly to produce a second frequency response, the second electrode assembly being in contact with an area sensitive to a supplied stimulus to cause a characteristic of the sensitive area to change when a supplied stimulus is sensed to thereby change the second frequency response. The acoustic wave device has an output connected to the input of an amplifier, the amplifier having an output connected to the input of a coupling device. The coupling device is connected to the input of the acoustic wave device and has an output connected to a detector.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes piezoelectric elements each including grooves parallel to each other and arrayed in a direction substantially parallel to the grooves, and a mixed member which is to fill the grooves and obtained by mixing in a nonconductive resin member a nonconductive granular substance with a coefficient of thermal expansion of not more than substantially 10?5 K?1.

Abstract: A megasonic processing apparatus and method has one or more piezoelectric transducers operating in thickness mode at fundamental resonant frequencies of at least 300 KHz. A generator powers the transducers with a variable-frequency driving signal that varies or sweeps throughout a predetermined sweep frequency range. The generator repeatedly varies or sweeps the frequency of the driving signal through a sweep frequency range that includes the resonant frequencies of all the transducers.

Abstract: A piezoelectric transformer driving apparatus and a piezoelectric transformer driving method, wherein even if there exists a variation between piezoelectric transformers, no unnecessary resonant points occur in the vicinity of a frequency used, that is, the output is stable for the frequency. For this purpose, the primary electrodes (1b, 2a) of a pair of piezoelectric transformers (1, 2) that exhibit potentials of mutually different signs on their respective secondary sides are connected to each other, while the piezoelectric transformers (1, 2) are connected in series with an AC power supply. An input voltage is applied between the primary electrodes (1a, 2b), and the outputs are supplied to a load, whereby even if there exists a variation between the vibrations of the piezoelectric transformers, it results in only a single resonant point existing.

Abstract: A suspended film bulk acoustic micro-resonator that includes a beam made of a piezoelectric material fixed to a support and sandwiched between excitation electrodes. The resonator also includes a mechanism modifying limiting conditions of the resonator composed of the excited beam to modify the micro-resonator resonant frequency.

Abstract: A driving apparatus comprises: an electro-mechanical conversion element; a driving member that drives backwards and forwards in a straight line in response to extension and contraction of the electro-mechanical conversion element which are brought about by a drive signal being supplied thereto; a driven member, frictionally engaged with the driving member, that moves backwards and forwards in a straight line along the driving member by driving the driving member; and a drive control unit that divides a whole traveling area of one or both of an outgoing traveling path and an incoming traveling path of the driven member into a plurality of divided areas and supplies different drive signals to the divided areas so as to implement a drive control.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a SAW device where a device size is made smaller than that of a conventional structure, has a high Q value, and is excellent in a frequency temperature characteristic in a SAW device using a quartz substrate. Therefore, IDTs 2 including pluralities of electrode fingers mutually inserted and grating reflectors 3a and 3b positioned on both sides of the IDTs 2 are disposed on a piezoelectric substrate 1. The piezoelectric substrate 1 is a quartz flat plate where a cut angle ? of a rotation Y cut quartz substrate is set to satisfy a range of ?64.0°<?<?49.3° in a counterclockwise direction from a crystal Z-axis and a propagation direction of a surface acoustic wave is set to 90°±5° to a crystal X-axis, and a surface acoustic wave to be excited is an SH wave.

Abstract: An energy-trapping strip piezoelectric vibrator utilizing a third harmonic overtone of a thickness shear mode is provided. A piezoelectric vibrator 1 has a strip piezoelectric ceramic substrate 2 polarized in a longitudinal direction, and first and second excitation electrodes 3 and 4 provided on first and second principal surfaces 2a and 2b of the piezoelectric ceramic substrate 2. An excitation region 5 including a piezoelectric vibration portion that includes a portion where the first and second excitation electrodes 3 and 4 overlap and that utilizes harmonics of the thickness shear mode is formed. A region around the piezoelectric vibration portion is set as a non-excitation region. At least a region of the non-excitation region neighboring the piezoelectric vibration portion is a region having the same polarization axis direction as the excitation region 5 and a relatively small polarization degree or is an unpolarized region.

Abstract: An actuator is provided. The actuator includes a pair of electrode layers, and an ionically conductive polymer layer arranged between the pair of electrode layers. The ionically conductive polymer layer is configured to bend or deform as a result of the application of a voltage between the pair of electrode layers. The electrode layers each include carbon particles and an ionically conductive resin, and the ionically conductive resin binds the carbon particles with each other.