Patents by Inventor Chikara Kojima

Chikara Kojima 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).

  • Patent number: 11179748
    Abstract: A mounting structure includes a first substrate that has a first surface on which a functional element is provided, a wiring that is provided at a position which is different from a position of the functional element on the first surface, and is connected to the functional element, a second substrate that has a second surface facing the first surface, and a conductor that is provided on the second surface, and is connected to the wiring and the functional element, in which the shortest distance between the functional element and the second substrate is longer than a distance between a position where the wiring is connected to the conductor, and the second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Inventors: Koji Ohashi, Chikara Kojima, Hiroshi Matsuda, Hironori Suzuki, Shuichi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11167314
    Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor includes a substrate in which an opening is formed; a vibration plate that is provided on the substrate so as to block the opening; and a piezoelectric element including a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode that are stacked on an opposite side of the opening of the vibration plate, in which when a direction in which the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the second electrode are stacked is a Z direction, and a portion that is completely overlapped by the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the second electrode in the Z direction is an active portion, a plurality of active portions are provided so as to face the each opening, and a columnar member is provided between the adjacent active portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Inventor: Chikara Kojima
  • Patent number: 11152559
    Abstract: A supporting film is provided on an opening and a wall of a substrate. A piezoelectric film is provided on a first region of the supporting film corresponding to the opening and a second region of the supporting film corresponding to the wall. The thickness of the piezoelectric film at the second region is smaller than that of the piezoelectric film provided at the first region. Therefore, vibration of the piezoelectric film in the first region is large, and vibration of the piezoelectric film in the second region is small. This alleviates disadvantages such as a loss of the vibration characteristics of a piezoelectric element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Koji Ohashi
  • Patent number: 11085816
    Abstract: An ultrasonic wave sensor includes an oscillating plate including a plurality of oscillators, a wall portion provided on the oscillating plate and surrounding the oscillator, and a piezoelectric element provided on each of the plurality of oscillators. In the oscillating plate, a plurality of piezoelectric elements are electrically connected in plan view as viewed from a thickness direction, and a first area where an input and an output of a drive signal to the piezoelectric element are possible and a second area which is provided on an outer side of the first area and where the piezoelectric element is electrically insulated from the piezoelectric element disposed in the first area are included. In the second area, a distance between the adjacent oscillators is reduced as separated from the first area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Inventors: Koji Ohashi, Chikara Kojima
  • Publication number: 20210231618
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device including: an element substrate including a diaphragm, a vibrator provided at the diaphragm, and a first electrode electrically coupled to the vibrator; a protective substrate that is provided at a position facing the element substrate and that includes a second electrode coupled to the first electrode at a position facing the first electrode; a through hole substrate that has a through hole and that faces the element substrate; and a container including a mounting surface on which the protective substrate is disposed, in which the vibrator is provided at a position overlapping the through hole when viewed from a facing direction in which the element substrate and the protective substrate face each other, and is surrounded by the element substrate, the protective substrate, and a jointing member, and the second electrode is provided at an opposite-side surface of the protective substrate from a jointing surface jointed with the mounting surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Kanechika KIYOSE
  • Publication number: 20210220874
    Abstract: Provided is an ultrasonic device including a substrate and a vibration plate provided on the substrate and having one or more vibrators configured to generate an ultrasonic wave by vibration. The vibration plate has a movable portion provided with the vibrator and configured to vibrate accompanying with the vibration of the vibrator, and a fixed portion fixed to the substrate. A vibration frequency of a reflected wave based on a wave transmitted from the movable portion and received by the movable portion is outside a vibration frequency band region of the vibrator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Koji OHASHI, Tomohiro SAYAMA, Seiji IZUO, Kanechika KIYOSE
  • Patent number: 11041832
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device has a substrate in which ultrasonic elements transmitting an ultrasonic wave in a first direction are arrayed. A reverberation reduction film which reduces reverberant vibration of the substrate is arranged on a side of the first direction in the ultrasonic element. In the reverberation reduction film, a groove is arranged between the ultrasonic elements next to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Inventors: Hironori Suzuki, Chikara Kojima
  • Publication number: 20210162463
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a substrate having a plurality of opening parts and a wall, a vibrating plate closing the opening parts, and vibrators provided to the vibrating plate, wherein the plurality of opening parts includes a first opening part, a second opening part adjacent to the first opening part via a first wall, and a third opening part adjacent to the first opening part via a second wall, a first vibrating section closing the first opening part and the vibrator constitute a first ultrasonic transmitter, a second vibrating section closing the second opening part and the vibrator constitute an ultrasonic receiver, a third vibrating section closing the third opening part and the vibrator constitute a second ultrasonic transmitter, and the wall width of the first wall is larger than the wall width of the second wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Inventor: Chikara KOJIMA
  • Patent number: 11018291
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a vibration portion, a first electrode, a piezoelectric body, and a second electrode which are laminated in this order in a laminate direction, in which an outer circumferential edge of the first electrode is larger than an outer circumferential edge of the piezoelectric body in a plan view across the laminate direction, in which the piezoelectric body includes an active portion that is provided in the vibration portion, and an extraction portion that is connected to the active portion and is provided over the inside and the outside of the vibration portion, in which a width dimension of the extraction portion is smaller than a width dimension of the active portion, and in which the second electrode is provided on the active portion and the extraction portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Koji Ohashi, Hikaru Iwai, Kanechika Kiyose
  • Patent number: 10991871
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric element main body as a laminated body of a first electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer disposed on the first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer disposed on the piezoelectric layer, and a metal layer disposed on the second electrode layer via an insulating layer, the piezoelectric layer extends from an inner side of at least a part of an overlapping part of an outer peripheral edge of the second electrode layer overlapping an outer peripheral edge of the piezoelectric element main body to an outer side, and the metal layer and the insulating layer extend from an inner side of at least a part of the overlapping part to an outer side to overlap the piezoelectric layer on an outer side of an outer peripheral edge of the second electrode layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Inventors: Koji Ohashi, Chikara Kojima
  • Patent number: 10971673
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element has a first electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer on the first electrode layer, a second electrode layer on the piezoelectric layer, a third electrode layer on part of the second electrode layer and including third metal, and an insulating layer covering at least a part of the piezoelectric layer not provided with the second electrode layer and having an aperture exposing a part of the second electrode layer. The second electrode layer has a first layer including first metal and a second layer including second metal on the first layer. The second layer is exposed in the aperture. A difference in standard redox potential between the second metal and the third metal is smaller than a difference in standard redox potential between the first metal and the third metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Ohashi, Takahiro Kamijo, Katsuhiro Imai, Takumi Yamaoka, Chikara Kojima
  • Patent number: 10916693
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element has a diaphragm, a first electrode on the diaphragm, a piezoelectric layer on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the piezoelectric layer. The piezoelectric layer is a stack of multiple piezoelectric films and is made of a perovskite composite oxide containing lead, zirconium, and titanium and represented by the general formula ABO3, with the molar ratio of the A-site to the B-site (A/B) in the perovskite composite oxide being 1.14 or more and 1.22 or less. In current-time curve measurement, the activation energy calculated from relaxation current using an Arrhenius plot is 0.6 [eV] or less. The relaxation current is the amount of current at the time at which a downward trend in current turns upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Inventors: Takayuki Yonemura, Chikara Kojima, Xiaoxing Wang, Tetsuya Isshiki, Yasuhiro Itayama
  • Patent number: 10910548
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes: an element substrate including an ultrasonic transducer and a first connection electrode connected to the ultrasonic transducer; a reinforcing plate that is bonded to the element substrate to reinforce the element substrate; and a second connection electrode provided on the reinforcing plate. The first and second connection electrodes are connected to each other in a bonding portion between the element substrate and the reinforcing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Inventor: Chikara Kojima
  • Patent number: 10833244
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element having a vibrating section including a vibrating plate, a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode, in which a crystal orientation of a piezoelectric material forming the piezoelectric layer is (100) and a crystal structure of the piezoelectric material is a tetragonal crystal, and a total thickness T1 of the vibrating plate and the first electrode and a total thickness T2 of the piezoelectric layer and the second electrode have a relationship of T1?T2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Yonemura, Yasuhiro Itayama, Chikara Kojima
  • Patent number: 10821475
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes: a substrate including a first groove portion and a second groove portion in a first surface; a vibration film provided on the first surface and closing the first groove portion and the second groove portion; a first piezoelectric element provided on the vibration film and overlapping the first groove portion in a plan view as viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate; and a second piezoelectric element provided on the vibration film and overlapping the second groove portion in the plan view. The substrate is provided with a third groove portion coupling the first groove portion to the second groove portion. The substrate is provided with a fourth groove portion extending in a direction away from the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element in the plan view and coupled to the third groove portion. A hole portion coupling a second surface of the substrate that is opposed to the first surface to the fourth groove portion is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Chikara Kojima
  • Publication number: 20200298276
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a base material that has an opening, a vibration plate that is provided on the base material and closes the opening, and a piezoelectric element that is provided on the vibration plate, in which the vibration plate has a first layer provided on the base material, and a second layer that is disposed between the first layer and the piezoelectric element and that suppresses diffusion of a component contained in the piezoelectric element, and a bending rigidity of the second layer is equal to or larger than a bending rigidity of the first layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Koji OHASHI, Eiji OSAWA
  • Publication number: 20200303618
    Abstract: An MEMS device includes: a first member; a second member forming a sealed space with the first member therebetween; and a third member disposed between the first member and the second member and joined to the first member and the second member, in which the third member has lower rigidity than rigidity of the first member and the second member, and the third member is provided with a communication portion that establishes communication between the sealed space and an external space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Eiji OSAWA, Koji OHASHI, Kanechika KIYOSE, Tomohiro SAYAMA, Hironori SUZUKI, Katsuhiro IMAI, Yasuyuki MATSUMOTO, Takahiro KAMIJO
  • Patent number: 10780458
    Abstract: An ultrasound sensor includes: a diaphragm; a plurality of first electrodes; a plurality of second electrodes; and a plurality of piezoelectric layers which is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, in which, in a Z-direction, a portion in which the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the second electrode are overlapped is referred to as an active portion, and a range to the extent that the diaphragm is oscillatable by driving the active portion is referred to as a movable portion, when a unit including one movable portion and the active portion which is provided within the one movable portion is referred to as one ultrasound element in plan view, two or more types of ultrasound elements in which a dimension of the active portion with respect to a dimension of the movable portion is different from each other in plan view are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Chikara Kojima
  • Publication number: 20200295251
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a base member including a first surface and a second surface different from the first surface, a vibration plate provided at the first surface of the base member, and a piezoelectric element provided at the vibration plate. The base member includes a hole formed from the first surface to the second surface, and a wall portion surrounding the hole. The vibration plate includes, when viewed in a direction from the first surface toward the second surface, a supporting portion overlapping the wall portion, and a blocking portion that overlaps the hole and blocks the hole. The piezoelectric element is laminated at the blocking portion. The supporting portion has a first Young's modulus. The blocking portion includes a first blocking portion having the first Young's modulus and a second blocking portion having a second Young's modulus smaller than the first Young's modulus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Koji OHASHI, Hironori SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 10722214
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a substrate that is provided with an opening and a partition wall surrounding the opening, a vibration portion that closes one end side of the opening, and a piezoelectric element that is provided in the vibration portion, in which, in a case where an opening width dimension of the opening is indicated by W, and a thickness dimension of the substrate is indicated by H, a ratio W/H is 0.66 to 0.92.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji Osawa, Chikara Kojima