Patents by Inventor Akihiko Teshigahara

Akihiko Teshigahara 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).

  • Publication number: 20230413675
    Abstract: A piezoelectric film laminated body includes a base member and a scandium-containing aluminum nitride film. The base member has a base surface. The scandium-containing aluminum nitride film is disposed in contact with the base surface of the base member. A surface roughness of the base surface is 0.5 nm or less in arithmetic average roughness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventors: AKIHIKO TESHIGAHARA, HIDEO YAMADA, RYUICHIRO ABE, KENJI KIJIMA, TETSUYA ENOMOTO
  • Patent number: 11785857
    Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric film including an AlN crystal, and a first element and a second element doped to the AlN crystal. The first element is an element having an ionic radius larger than an ionic radius of Al. The second element is an element having an ionic radius smaller than the ionic radius of Al. Also provided are piezoelectric film laminated body including an underlayer and a piezoelectric film including ScAlN, and a method of manufacturing the same. The underlayer has a crystal lattice having six-fold symmetry or three-fold symmetry. Also provided are a piezoelectric film including ScAlN having a laminated structure of a hexagonal crystal and a cubic crystal, and a method of manufacturing the same. The cubic crystal is doped with an element other than trivalent element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiko Teshigahara, Kazuhiko Kano, Kenichi Sakai
  • Patent number: 11770657
    Abstract: A piezo-electric element includes a piezo-electric element part, a support part, and a stretchable film. The piezo-electric element part includes a piezo-electric film and electrodes between which the piezo-electric film is sandwiched in a thickness direction. The support part supports a peripheral portion of the piezo-electric element part. The stretchable film is provided in an oscillation region located inside of the peripheral portion of the piezo-electric element part. The stretchable film also has a higher elasticity than that of the piezo-electric element part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignees: NISSHINBO MICRO DEVICES INC., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kuchiji, Naoki Masumoto, Hideo Yamada, Akihiko Teshigahara, Atsushi Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20230210012
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a base member, a first conductive film arranged above the base member in contact with an upper surface of the base member, a piezoelectric film arranged above the first conductive film in contact with an upper surface of the first conductive film, a second conductive film arranged on the piezoelectric film, and an insulating portion provided inside a trench penetrating through the piezoelectric film and the first conductive film. The insulating portion has a higher electrical resistivity than the piezoelectric film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2022
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Inventors: YUYA SAKURAI, HIDEO YAMADA, MEGUMI SUZUKI, TETSUYA ENOMOTO, AKIHIKO TESHIGAHARA, TAKAHIDE USUI, NAOKATSU IKEGAMI, SHUJI KATAKAMI
  • Publication number: 20230201877
    Abstract: A micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensor includes a substrate, a diaphragm portion and a piezoelectric film. The diaphragm portion is located at the substrate. The piezoelectric film is located on the diaphragm portion. The piezoelectric film is made of scandium aluminum nitride. A carbon concentration of the piezoelectric film is 2.5 atomic percent or less while an oxygen concentration of the piezoelectric film is 0.35 atomic percent or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2023
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Inventors: Tetsuya ENOMOTO, Akihiko TESHIGAHARA, Hideo YAMADA, Yusuke KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20230083830
    Abstract: A piezoelectric film laminated body includes a metal film, an amorphous film, and a scandium aluminum nitride film. The amorphous film has an insulation property and is disposed on the metal film. The scandium aluminum nitride film is disposed on the amorphous film and is in contact with a surface of the amorphous film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: AKIHIKO TESHIGAHARA, TETSUYA ENOMOTO, HIDEO YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20220279285
    Abstract: A piezo-electric element includes a piezo-electric element part, a support part, and a stretchable film. The piezo-electric element part includes a piezo-electric film and electrodes between which the piezo-electric film is sandwiched in a thickness direction. The support part supports a peripheral portion of the piezo-electric element part. The stretchable film is provided in an oscillation region located inside of the peripheral portion of the piezo-electric element part. The stretchable film also has a higher elasticity than that of the piezo-electric element part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Applicants: Nisshinbo Micro Devices Inc., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KUCHIJI, Naoki MASUMOTO, Hideo YAMADA, Akihiko TESHIGAHARA, Atsushi MIZUTANI
  • Publication number: 20220254637
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an element forming wafer includes the steps of: forming a thin layer on a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of chip forming regions; and adjusting stress generated in an element forming portion of the thin layer to have a specified value. The thin layer constitutes an element in each of the plurality of chip forming regions. The step of adjusting the stress includes: arranging a resist on the thin layer; exposing the resist to light using a photomask having openings; forming openings in the resist by developing the resist; and performing ion-implantation using the resist as a mask. The photomask used during the step of exposing the resist to light has a ratio of the openings that is adjusted based on the stress generated in the element forming portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Akihiko TESHIGAHARA, Megumi SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20220246833
    Abstract: A piezoelectric film layered structure includes a base, and a ScAlN film formed on the base. The ScAlN film has an unpaired electron density within a range between 1.7×1018 electrons/cm3, inclusive, and 1.1×1019 electrons/cm3, inclusive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Inventors: Akihiko Teshigahara, Tetsuya Enomoto
  • Publication number: 20200357976
    Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric film including an AlN crystal, and a first element and a second element doped to the AlN crystal. The first element is an element having an ionic radius larger than an ionic radius of Al. The second element is an element having an ionic radius smaller than the ionic radius of Al. Also provided are piezoelectric film laminated body including an underlayer and a piezoelectric film including ScAlN, and a method of manufacturing the same. The underlayer has a crystal lattice having six-fold symmetry or three-fold symmetry. Also provided are a piezoelectric film including ScAlN having a laminated structure of a hexagonal crystal and a cubic crystal, and a method of manufacturing the same. The cubic crystal is doped with an element other than trivalent element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Akihiko TESHIGAHARA, Kazuhiko KANO, Kenichi SAKAI
  • Patent number: 9739675
    Abstract: A surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor includes a surface acoustic wave material and a comb-teeth electrode. The surface acoustic wave material is to be arranged at a place where the surface acoustic wave material is distorted by physical quantity such as stress. The comb-teeth electrode is arranged on the surface of the surface acoustic wave material to excite a surface acoustic wave to the surface acoustic wave material. The surface acoustic wave material has a sapphire board and a ScAlN film arranged on a surface of the sapphire board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY, National University Corporation Chiba University
    Inventors: Akihiko Teshigahara, Toshihiko Takahata, Takao Iwaki, Shuji Tanaka, Masayoshi Esashi, Kenya Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 9735342
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film is formed through sputtering and consists essentially of scandium aluminum nitride. The carbon atomic content is 2.5 at % or less. When producing the piezoelectric thin film, scandium and aluminum are sputtered simultaneously on a substrate from a scandium aluminum alloy target material having a carbon atomic content of 5 at % or less in an atmosphere where at least nitrogen gas exists. The sputtering may be conducted also by applying an ion beam on an opposing surface of the alloy target material at an oblique angle. Moreover, aluminum and scandium may be also sputtered simultaneously on the substrate from an Sc target material and an Al target material. As a result, a piezoelectric thin film which exhibits excellent piezoelectric properties and a method for the same can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Akihiko Teshigahara, Kazuhiko Kano, Morito Akiyama, Keiko Nishikubo
  • Publication number: 20160064645
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film is formed through sputtering and consists essentially of scandium aluminum nitride. The carbon atomic content is 2.5 at % or less. When producing the piezoelectric thin film, scandium and aluminum are sputtered simultaneously on a substrate from a scandium aluminum alloy target material having a carbon atomic content of 5 at % or less in an atmosphere where at least nitrogen gas exists. The sputtering may be conducted also by applying an ion beam on an opposing surface of the alloy target material at an oblique angle. Moreover, aluminum and scandium may be also sputtered simultaneously on the substrate from an Sc target material and an Al target material. As a result, a piezoelectric thin film which exhibits excellent piezoelectric properties and a method for the same can be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Akihiko TESHIGAHARA, Kazuhiko KANO, Morito AKIYAMA, Keiko NISHIKUBO
  • Publication number: 20160025580
    Abstract: An antenna unit having an antenna coil pattern is disposed in a casing. A sensor unit has a surface acoustic wave detecting element including a first sensing electrode that generates and receives a surface acoustic wave and a first reflector that reflects the surface acoustic wave, which are provided on a substrate configured of a piezoelectric material, and a sensor coil pattern electrically connected to the first sensing electrode and coupled to the antenna coil pattern. The sensor unit is disposed in a pressure receiving portion, and a signal is transmitted between the sensor unit and the antenna unit by wireless communication resulting from a coil coupling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Kouji OOYA, Kazuhiko KANO, Akihiko TESHIGAHARA, Shinji KASHIWADA, Takayuki SHIBATA, Inao TOYODA
  • Patent number: 9246461
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric thin film including an aluminum nitride thin film containing scandium on a substrate, the method includes: sputtering step for sputtering aluminum and scandium under an atmosphere containing at least a nitrogen gas. In the sputtering step in the method according to the present invention, a scandium content rate falls within the range from 0.5% by atom to 50% by atom when a temperature of the substrate falls within the range from 5° C. to 450° C. during the sputtering step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Morito Akiyama, Kazuhiko Kano, Akihiko Teshigahara
  • Publication number: 20150357551
    Abstract: A surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor includes a surface acoustic wave material and a comb-teeth electrode. The surface acoustic wave material is to be arranged at a place where the surface acoustic wave material is distorted by physical quantity such as stress. The comb-teeth electrode is arranged on the surface of the surface acoustic wave material to excite a surface acoustic wave to the surface acoustic wave material. The surface acoustic wave material has a sapphire board and a ScAlN film arranged on a surface of the sapphire board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Akihiko TESHIGAHARA, Toshihiko TAKAHATA, Takao IWAKI, Shuji TANAKA, Masayoshi ESASHI, Kenya HASHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 8256289
    Abstract: An angular rate sensor comprises a piezoelectric film having a first and a second surfaces forming an x-y plane and utilizes a perturbation mass coherently vibrating elastic acoustic waves on which a Coriolis force acts when the angular rate sensor undergoes a rotary motion about an x-direction. A first elastic acoustic wave is excited in the piezoelectric film by a driving transducer and a second elastic acoustic wave generated by the Coriolis force proportional to an angular rate of the rotary motion of the angular rate sensor itself is detected by the detecting transducer. The angular rate sensor further comprises at least a first electrode disposed on the first surface of the piezoelectric film for discharging a surface charge caused due to piezoelectric effect at the lower surface of the film in which the first elastic acoustic wave is excited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kano, Akihiko Teshigahara, Kazuki Arakawa, Kazushi Asami
  • Patent number: 8181521
    Abstract: A yaw rate sensor has two sets of exciting electrodes, perturbative weights and two sets of detecting electrodes on a surface of a piezoelectric substrate. The exciting electrodes excite first surface acoustic waves transmitted through the surface of the substrate in a propagation direction. The weights are oscillated by the waves and excite a second surface acoustic wave, transmitted through the surface of the substrate in a detection direction orthogonal to the propagation direction, in response to a yaw applied to the weights. The detecting electrodes measure an intensity of the second surface acoustic wave to detect the yaw rate. The sets of exciting electrodes are symmetrically placed with respect to a driving axis extending straight along the propagation direction. The group of weights is symmetric with respect to the driving axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuki Arakawa, Kazuhiko Kano, Akihiko Teshigahara
  • Publication number: 20120107557
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric thin film including an aluminum nitride thin film containing scandium on a substrate, the method includes: sputtering step for sputtering aluminum and scandium under an atmosphere containing at least a nitrogen gas. In the sputtering step in the method according to the present invention, a scandium content rate falls within the range from 0.5% by atom to 50% by atom when a temperature of the substrate falls within the range from 5° C. to 450° C. during the sputtering step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Morito Akiyama, Kazuhiko Kano, Akihiko Teshigahara
  • Publication number: 20120000766
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a scandium aluminum nitride film includes: sputtering a scandium aluminum alloy target under atmosphere including nitrogen gas so that a thin film is deposited on a substrate. Since the scandium aluminum nitride film is manufactured with using one alloy target, a composition of the film is maintained even when the sputtering time is long. Further, the above method is capable of being performed by a mass production sputtering apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiko Teshigahara, Kazuhiko Kano, Morito Akiyama, Tatsuo Tabaru, Keiko Nishikubo