Abstract: A vibrator equipped with a piezoelectric element comprises: a case of which an upper or lower surface is coupled to an object to be vibrated; a vibrating part which is disposed in the case; a piezoelectric element which is coupled to the vibrating part so as to be deformed, thereby vibrating the vibrating part up and down; and a power supply part which supplies power to the piezoelectric element. The vibrating part is formed with a hooking protrusion which is protruded laterally, and the case is formed with a hooking groove which restricts an up/down and lateral moving distance of the hooking protrusion.

Abstract: Provided is a vibration wave motor including a holding structure that does not inhibit vibration of the entire vibrator. The vibration wave motor includes: a vibrator that generates an elliptic motion; a holding means that holds the vibrator; and a driven body driven by the vibrator, wherein the holding means includes a first abutting portion and a second abutting portion abutting the vibrator, the vibrator includes a first displacement portion at a part abutting the first abutting portion and includes a second displacement portion at a part abutting the second abutting portion, a displacement of the first displacement portion is smaller than a displacement of the second displacement portion, and an area of the first abutting portion of the holding means is greater than an area of the second abutting portion.

Abstract: Disclosed is a stage system comprising at least one flexure frame having a fixed center and movable distal ends configured to displace a tabletop operatively connected thereto along at least one axis of movement and at least two actuators comprising a first actuator and a second actuator positioned within the at least one flexure frame. The first actuator is positioned within the at least one flexure frame at a first angle of deflection from at least one beam of the at least one flexure frame and the second actuator is positioned within the at least one flexure frame at a second angle of deflection from the at least one beam. The at least two actuators are configured to produce a compensating displacement to offset yaw error as the at least two actuators expand from a contracted first position to an expanded second position.

Abstract: A stick-slip stage device includes a carriage assembly configured to support a payload, the carriage assembly comprising at least three piezoelectric stick-slip actuators each having one or more contact points. At least two rails are positioned on opposing sides of the carriage assembly and configured to interact with one or more of the contact points to form a guideway for movement of the carriage assembly. A fixed structure connects the at least two rails and is configured to generate a friction force between the at least two rails and one or more of the contact points of the at least three piezoelectric stick-slip actuators. A method of making a stick-slip stage device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A piezoelectric/electrostrictive material is composed of Mn and a compound of Pb(Zn, Nb)O3—Pb(Ni, Nb)O3—Pb(Zr, Ti)O3. A ratio of a molar amount of Mn relative to a sum of respective molar amounts of Ni, Zn, Ti, Zr, Nb and Mn is at least 0.001 to no more than 0.015. A ratio of a molar amount of Nb relative to a sum of respective molar amounts of Ni and Zn is at least 2.007 to no more than 2.125.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of an epitaxial thin film piezoelectric element includes: providing a substrate; forming a bottom electrode layer on the substrate by epitaxial growth process; forming a first piezoelectric layer that has c-axis orientation on the bottom electrode layer by epitaxial growth process; forming a second piezoelectric layer that has c-axis orientation and different phase structure from the first piezoelectric layer on the first piezoelectric layer by epitaxial growth process; and forming a top electrode layer on the second piezoelectric layer. The thin film piezoelectric element has good thermal stability, low temperature coefficient and high piezoelectric constant.

Abstract: In a bulk acoustic resonator device, at least one additional metal feature is formed on a top surface of the bottom electrode at a location at which the bottom electrode electrical contact will subsequently be formed, thereby thickening the metal at the location below where the piezoelectric material layer will be etched to form the opening for the bottom electrode electrical contact. Consequently, even though some of the metal of the additional metal feature and/or of the bottom electrode will be removed during the process of etching the opening in the piezoelectric material layer, the bottom electrode will always retain sufficient thickness after the piezoelectric material layer is etched.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element drive circuit includes a piezoelectric element array in which the N number (N is an integer of two or more) of piezoelectric elements respectively having a piezoelectric substance whose thickness is 0.05 ?m to 20 ?m and two electrodes interposing the piezoelectric substance therebetween are connected in series, a first generation circuit that supplies a voltage including an AC component and a DC component to the piezoelectric element array, and a second generation circuit that supplies a voltage including the DC component to the M number (M is an integer of one or more) of connection points within the (N?1) number of connection points between two adjacent piezoelectric elements in the piezoelectric element array.

Abstract: An oscillatory wave motor includes a piezoelectric element, an elastic member that includes a projecting portion, a friction member that moves relative to the elastic member and includes a contact surface in contact with the projecting portion, and pressing unit that brings the projecting portion into contact under pressure with the contact surface in a pressing direction that is a direction of a perpendicular line of the contact surface. The projecting portion includes a spherical portion formed in a center of the projecting portion, a contact portion formed on or near a center of the spherical portion, a flat portion formed around the spherical portion, and a corner portion formed around the flat portion. The spherical portion, the flat portion and the corner portion are configured to have a uniform thickness and to have flexibility in the pressing direction with the contact portion as a center.

Abstract: A device and a method for moving an object in a vertical direction are disclosed. The device includes a plurality of piezo-actuators expanding in directions upon activation and in doing so generating pressure forces on an active side, and a hydraulic transmission device that converts the pressure forces of the piezo-actuators into a vertical pressure force for moving the object opposite the direction of gravity and transmits the pressure force with a transmission ratio. The object is lifted after the vertical pressure force has exceeded an oppositely acting spring force of a spring system.

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes a vibrating plate having a rectangular surface; a piezoelectric device bonded to the vibrating plate, and configured to vibrate at high frequency; and a projection provided on the vibrating plate or the piezoelectric device. In the vibration wave motor, a natural vibration mode, which has a resonant frequency equal to or adjacent to a resonant frequency of torsional vibration in a natural vibration mode under a state in which the vibrating plate, the piezoelectric device, and the projection are integrated, is a natural vibration mode of bending vibration in a direction parallel to or orthogonal to a torsion center axis of the torsional vibration in the natural vibration mode. The projection is provided at a position closer to an antinode than to a node, which are in the direction orthogonal to the torsion center axis of the torsional vibration in the natural vibration mode.

Abstract: A disclosed power generating device includes: a first magnetostrictive bar; a second magnetostrictive bar extending alongside the first magnetostrictive bar; a joint member coupling the first magnetostrictive bar and the second magnetostrictive bars; and a coil group including a first coil wound around the first magnetostrictive bar and a second coil wound around the second magnetostrictive bar, wherein the first coil and the second coil are connected in series.

Abstract: A method for producing an electric component (19) is specified, wherein in a step A) a body (1) having at least one cavity (7, 8) is provided. In a step B), the cavity (7, 8) is at least partly filled with a liquid insulation material (13) by means of capillary forces. Furthermore, an electric component (19) is specified wherein a cavity (7, 8) is at least partly filled with an insulation material (13). The insulation material (13) is introduced into the cavity (7, 8) by means of capillary forces. Furthermore, an electric component (19) is specified wherein a cavity (7, 8) is at least partly filled with an organic insulation material (13) and wherein the cavity is at least partly covered by a fired external contacting (17, 18).

Abstract: An adjustable compact mount that may include an integrated configuration that is suitable for use in confined spaces. Some adjustable compact mount embodiments may include a threaded drive screw that is completely disposed within an outer perimeter of the base during use. End caps of high density material may be used to facilitate the compactness of certain embodiments while enabling efficient use of piezoelectric type drive motors for the adjustable compact mounts. Certain coatings may be used on components of some embodiments in order to increase durability.

Abstract: A bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator includes a substrate defining a cavity, a bottom electrode disposed over the substrate and the cavity, a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode, and a top electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer. The piezoelectric layer includes polycrystalline lithium niobate (LN) material or polycrystalline lithium tantalite (LT) material. The BAW resonator may further include an encapsulant layer formed on side and top surfaces of the piezoelectric layer. The encapsulant layer is configured to protect the LN material or the LT material of the piezoelectric layer from a release solvent previously applied to sacrificial material within the cavity in the substrate.

Abstract: A temperature-compensated BAW resonator is disclosed. In an embodiment, the BAW includes a substrate and a layer stack disposed thereon, the layer stack including a bottom electrode layer, a top electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer arranged between the bottom and top electrode layers and an acoustic mirror arranged between the bottom electrode layer and the substrate, wherein the acoustic mirror comprises at least two mirror layers, wherein the acoustic mirror comprises high impedance and low impedance layers arranged in an alternating sequence. The layer stack further includes a compensation layer including a material having a positive temperature coefficient of viscoelastic properties, wherein the compensation layer is arranged between the acoustic mirror and the bottom electrode layer, wherein the mirror layers together form a Bragg mirror.

Abstract: A monolithic, bulk piezoelectric actuator includes a bulk piezoelectric substrate having a starting top surface and an opposing starting bottom surface and a at least two electrodes operatively disposed on the bulk piezoelectric substrate consisting of at least two discrete electrodes disposed on either/both of the starting top surface and the starting bottom surface and at least one electrode disposed on the respective other starting bottom surface or starting top surface. A stage includes a base, at least two of the monolithic, bulk piezoelectric actuators disposed on the base, a movable platform disposed on the base, and a respective number of deformable connectors each having a first connection to a respective one of the piezoelectric actuators and a second connection to a respective portion of the movable platform. A method for monolithically making a monolithic, bulk piezoelectric actuator involves a direct write micropatterning technique.

Abstract: A piezo component with a contacting component for electrically contacting a piezo stack. The contacting component has an electrically conductive meandering structure for bringing the contacting component into electric contact with inner electrodes of the piezo stack and an electrically conductive contacting device for electrically contacting the contacting component from outside the piezo stack. The meandering structure and the contacting device are arranged at a distance from each other, and a connection element is provided in order to connect the contacting device and the meandering structure in an electrically conductive manner and simultaneously decouple forces between the contacting device and the meandering structure.

Abstract: To address limitations of conventional transducers, a phased array transducer is provided with a form factor suitable o for packaging into, e.g., an endoscope. A method of manufacture of small packaging transducers is also provided, whereby the overall package size is reduced by electrically connecting signal wires to array electrodes at an angle approximately normal to the array surface, thus largely eliminating the bend radius requirements of conventional printed circuit boards or flex circuits.

Abstract: An elastic wave device includes a support substrate and a laminated film disposed on the support substrate. A portion of the laminated film is removed in a region outside a region in which an interdigital transducer electrode is disposed and below a region to which an external connection terminal is joined. An insulating layer is disposed in at least a portion of the region in which the portion of the laminated film is removed. A support layer is disposed on the insulating layer so as to surround the region in which the interdigital transducer electrode is disposed. A main component of a material of which the support layer is made is about 50% or more identical to a main component of a material of which the insulating layer is made. A cover is secured to the support layer to seal a cavity defined by the support layer.