Abstract: Disclosed is a piezoelectric oxide single crystal substrate used in a surface acoustic wave device and the like which undergoes scarce warpage and is not easy to break or get scratched and has good a temperature characteristic. A piezoelectric oxide single crystal substrate has a concentration profile such that the Li concentration differs between the substrate surface and a middle part of the substrate; in particular, the concentration profile is such that, in the direction of the thickness of the substrate, the closer the measuring point is to the substrate surface, the higher becomes the Li concentration, and the closer the measuring point is to the thickness-wisely middle part of the substrate, the lower becomes the Li concentration.

Abstract: A piezoelectronic switch device for radio frequency (RF) applications includes a piezoelectric (PE) material layer and a piezoresistive (PR) material layer separated from one another by at least one electrode, wherein an electrical resistance of the PR material layer is dependent upon an applied voltage across the PE material layer by way of an applied pressure to the PR material layer by the PE material layer; and a conductive, high yield material (C-HYM) comprising a housing that surrounds the PE material layer, the PR material layer and the at least one electrode, the C-HYM configured to mechanically transmit a displacement of the PE material layer to the PR material layer such that applied voltage across the PE material layer causes an expansion thereof and an increase the applied pressure to the PR material layer, thereby causing a decrease in the electrical resistance of the PR material layer.

Abstract: An electronic component housing package includes a base having a first principal face provided with a mounting section for mounting an electronic component; a frame having a second principal face, the frame being disposed on the base so as to surround the mounting section; a frame-shaped metallized layer disposed on the second principal face of the frame; and a side-surface conductor disposed on an inner side surface of the frame, the side-surface conductor connecting the frame-shaped metallized layer and a relay conductor formed on the first principal face, the side-surface conductor being covered with an insulating film from one end to the other end in a width direction of the side-surface conductor.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric element including a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a driving system that drives the piezoelectric element by applying voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode, in which the driving system drives the piezoelectric element at a maximum voltage that is lower than a voltage at which a tunnel current or a Poole-Frenkel current starts to be generated in the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: A lead-free piezoelectric ceramic composition including an alkali niobate/tantalate perovskite oxide main phase having piezoelectric properties and a different metal oxide. The mole ratio (Na/K) between Na (sodium) and K (potassium) in the main phase is 0.40<(Na/K)<3.0. The main phase has a crystal structure in which (i) first spots corresponding to a primitive lattice period and (ii) second spots corresponding to the lattice period two times the primitive lattice period and being weaker than the first spots appear in an electron beam diffraction image entering from the <100> direction with the main phase represented as a pseudo-cubic crystal system. Also, the area ratio of a crystal phase reflecting the second spots in the main phase is 33% or less, and the maximum grain size of crystals reflecting the second spots in the main phase is 25 nm or less.

Abstract: A micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) guided wave device includes a piezoelectric layer including multiple thinned regions of different thicknesses each bounding in part a different recess, different groups of electrodes on or adjacent to different thinned regions and arranged for transduction of lateral acoustic waves of different wavelengths in the different thinned regions, and at least one bonded interface between the piezoelectric layer and a substrate. Optionally, a buffer layer may be intermediately bonded between the piezoelectric layer and the substrate. Methods of producing such devices include locally thinning a piezoelectric layer to define multiple recesses, bonding the piezoelectric layer on or over a substrate layer to cause the recesses to be bounded in part by either the substrate or an optional buffer layer, and defining multiple groups of electrodes on or over the different thinned regions.

Abstract: There is provided a bonded substrate including: 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 at a bonding interface through covalent bonding, and a surface acoustic wave element having a higher phase velocity and a higher electromechanical coupling factor than conventional one is obtained by disposing an interdigital electrode on a principal surface of the piezoelectric substrate.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic probe includes piezoelectric elements, a flexible printed circuit, and one of an air gap layer and a resin layer. The piezoelectric elements transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. The flexible printed circuit located on a rear surface side of the piezoelectric elements and electrically connected to the piezoelectric elements. The air gap layer locates on a rear surface side of the flexible printed circuit and has air gaps. The resin layer is obtained by filling the air gap layer with a resin and locates on the rear surface side of the flexible printed circuit.

Abstract: Various embodiments are directed to a method of driving an end effector coupled to an ultrasonic drive system of a surgical instrument. The method comprises generating at least one electrical signal. The at least one electrical signal is monitored against a first set of logic conditions. A first response is triggered when the first set of logic conditions is met. A parameter is determined from the at least one electrical signal.

Abstract: A lead-free piezoelectric ceramic composition including an alkali niobate/tantalate perovskite oxide main phase having piezoelectric properties and a different metal oxide subphase. The mole ratio (Na/K) between Na (sodium) and K (potassium) in the main phase assumes a value in a range represented by 0.40<(Na/K)<3.0. The main phase has a crystal structure in which (i) first spots corresponding to a primitive lattice period and (ii) second spots corresponding to the lattice period two times the primitive lattice period and being weaker than the first spots appear in an electron beam diffraction image entering from the <100> direction with the main phase represented as a pseudo-cubic crystal system.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a base material, a first metal film disposed on the base material and containing nitrogen and chromium, and a second metal film disposed on the first metal film and containing gold. In the first metal film, the number of nitrogen atoms may be between 20% to 100% of the number of chromium atoms. Further, the distribution of nitrogen atoms in the first metal film is larger in a third region sandwiched between a first region on the base material side of the first metal film and a second region on the second metal film side than in the first region and in the second region.

Abstract: An electroacoustic component is disclosed. In an embodiment, the electroacoustic component includes a piezoelectric substrate comprising a rare earth metal and calcium oxoborates (RE-COB) and component structures arranged on the substrate, the component structures being suitable for converting between RF signals and acoustic waves, wherein the waves are capable of propagation in a direction x??, and wherein the direction x?? is determined by Euler angles (?, ?, ?), the Euler angles being selected from angle ranges (20-90, 95-160, 15-55), (20-85, 95-160, 95-125) and (15-25, 85-100, 0-175).

Abstract: The present invention provides a graphene enhanced piezoelectric article of manufacture, system and method of energy generation electrical energy and an electrical charge obtained from environmental motion forces present in the environment that may be collected and stored. The graphene enhanced piezoelectric generator device is configured to utilize a supersatuatrated liquid solution enhanced with graphene to interact with piezoelectric material to generate the electrical charge to provide a self-powered system. The combination of solid graphene in a liquid suspension with piezoelectric materials, an enclosure forming a biodegradable housing, an agitator disposed in the enclosure for interacting with the liquid solution to create mechanical stress, and an electrical circuit using a capacitor has been designed with application in generation of renewable energy for use using mechanical motion from sources in nature available to such person.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer array for coupling sonic energy into a liquid includes a plurality of transducer pairs, where each transducer pair includes an inverted ultrasound transducer and a non-inverted ultrasound transducer electrically coupled in series. A method for coupling sonic energy into a liquid includes (a) driving a first transducer pair with a first electrical signal, where the first transducer pair includes a first inverted ultrasound transducer and a first non-inverted ultrasound transducer electrically coupled in series and (b) driving a second transducer pair with the first electrical signal, where the second transducer pair is electrically coupled in parallel with the first transducer pair, and where the second transducer pair includes a second inverted ultrasound transducer and a second non-inverted ultrasound transducer electrically coupled in series.

Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for suppressing reverberations within an ultrasound transducer with a backing whereby the backing may not sufficiently attenuate the acoustic energy by means of acoustic absorption and scattering alone. At least a portion of a surface of the backing is segmented into a plurality of levels defined by surface segments. The levels may be are spatially offset so that acoustic reflections from the segmented surface are spread out in time, thereby decreasing the net amplitude of the internally reflected waves as they interact with the piezoelectric layer. Adjacent (neighboring) levels may be spatially offset by a longitudinal distance equaling approximately an odd number multiple of a quarter of an operational wavelength of the transducer, so that destructive interference occurs from acoustic waves reflected from adjacent levels. Various example configurations of segmented surfaces are described, and methods for selecting a profile of a segmented surface are provided.

Abstract: We describe a nanopositioning device comprising: a mount and a moving stage held within said mount, preferably by sets of flexures on opposite sides of the stage such that the stage is displaceable in a longitudinal direction within said mount. A piezoelectric actuator is mechanically coupled to said stage to controllably displace the stage in a longitudinal direction. In embodiments the flexures comprise metal leaves having a plane extending between the stage and the mount perpendicular to said longitudinal direction. The device includes various additional features to improve resolution, frequency response and the like.

Abstract: A crystal unit includes an AT-cut crystal element and a container. The AT-cut crystal element has an approximately rectangular planar shape. The AT-cut crystal element includes a first inclined portion, second inclined portions, and a first secured portion. The first inclined portion is inclined such that the crystal element decreases in thickness from a proximity of the first side to the first side. The second inclined portions are disposed on respective both ends of the first side, the second inclined portions being formed integrally with the first inclined portion. The second inclined portions are inclined gentler than the first inclined portion. The first secured portion and a second secured portion are formed integrally with the second inclined portion. The first secured portion and the second secured portion each project out from the first side to outside the crystal element to be used for securing with the securing members.

Abstract: A nanogenerator with at least one nanostructure and method of manufacturing the same are provided. The method of manufacturing the nanogenerator includes forming at least one nanostructure including an organic piezoelectric material on a substrate.

Abstract: A micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) guided wave device includes a plurality of electrodes arranged below a piezoelectric layer (e.g., either embedded in a slow wave propagation layer or supported by a suspended portion of the piezoelectric layer) and configured for transduction of a lateral acoustic wave in the piezoelectric layer. The piezoelectric layer permits one or more additions or modifications to be made thereto, such as trimming (thinning) of selective areas, addition of loading materials, sandwiching of piezoelectric layer regions between electrodes to yield capacitive elements or non-linear elastic convolvers, addition of sensing materials, and addition of functional layers providing mixed domain signal processing utility.

Abstract: A stacked ultrasound vibration device is provided with a plurality of piezoelectric bodies between two mass materials, in which brazing materials with an elastic constant smaller than elastic constants of the two mass materials and the plurality of piezoelectric bodies are used to bond the plurality of piezoelectric bodies as similar material bonding portions by a first metal bonding layer with a first thickness and to bond the plurality of piezoelectric bodies and the mass materials as dissimilar material bonding portions by a second metal bonding layer with a second thickness thicker than the first thickness.