Abstract: A flexible tube having a construction in which a coil of metal is coated with a film of resin. The flexible tube is manufactured by that resin is vapor-deposited on a peripheral face of a thermocontraction tube. a metal wire is wound on the tube as to be coiled, resin is vapor-deposited on the coil, and the thermocontraction tube is contracted by heating and drawn out.

Abstract: In a microactuator, a fixed substrate and a movable substrate are placed to be spaced opposed to each other. Between these substrates, a plurality of actuators are arranged to provide different moving distances. The actuators include comb-like movable electrodes formed on the movable substrate, and fixed electrodes formed on the fixed substrate, and having a plurality of teeth that extend outside the leading ends of the teeth of the movable electrodes in an undriven state. The movable substrate is allowed to move so that the leading ends of the teeth of the movable electrodes reach the outer ends of the teeth of the fixed electrodes. The portions of the fixed electrode teeth, which extend outside the movable electrode teeth, are different in length among the actuators.

Abstract: A pressure transducer designed to transform static pressure or dynamic pressure applied to a diaphragm into a corresponding electrical signal and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The transducer includes a fixed electrode formed in an upper surface of a substrate and a moving electrode provided in the diaphragm disposed above the fixed electrode through a cavity. The substrate has formed in the bottom thereof at least one hole which is used in a manufacturing process for removing a sacrificial layer formed between the diaphragm and the upper surface of the substrate in dry etching to form the cavity.

Abstract: An inclinometer comprising a spherical mass, a spherical shell having a reference axis and surrounding said spherical mass and a plurality of electrodes mounted on the spherical inner surface of said spherical shell, said inclinometer applied to detect the inclination angle of said reference axis by the output signal of said electrodes.

Abstract: There is disclosed a contactor which is used for testing electric characteristics of an object to be tested, the contactor comprising a contactor board, a plurality of conductive members formed through the contactor board, a plurality of beam members, and a contact terminal provided at the tip of each beam member. In this contactor, each beam member has a tip and a base end at its both ends, and has a step shape or an arch shape between the tip and the base end. The base end of each beam member is connected to each conductive member. The contact terminal member can be formed integrally with a conductive layer of the beam member.

Abstract: The present invention concerns the capacitive vacuum sensor that includes an elastic diaphragm electrode and rigid fixed electrodes disposed to face opposite the elastic diaphragm electrode, with an internal space being delimited between the elastic diaphragm electrode and rigid fixed electrodes, wherein the elastic diaphragm electrode deflects elastically in response to any change in the pressure of a gas applied on the said elastic diaphragm electrode, and wherein the capacitive vacuum sensor is responsive to any change in the capacitance between the elastic diaphragm electrode and rigid fixed electrodes that may occur in accordance with the deflection of the elastic diaphragm electrode so that it can measure the pressure of the gas.

Abstract: A capacitive vacuum sensor includes a single vacuum sensor device that is capable of measuring a wide range of pressures. The vacuum sensor can measure the pressures with a high reliability by providing an efficient means for compensating any error in measuring the pressure that may occur if the components of the vacuum sensor device are subject to the thermal expansion or contraction that may occur in response to any change in the surrounding temperature.

Abstract: An ink jet head and a method of producing the same are disclosed. Use is made of a sufficiently thick single crystal at the time of anodic bonding, so that a vibration plate is free from deformation without resorting to any special short-circuit electrode.

Abstract: A gyroscope includes a tuning fork, which includes a plurality of tines formed of a conductive material and a supporting portion; an upper glass substrate and a lower glass substrate which sandwich the tuning fork; drive electrodes which are provided on each of the upper and the lower glass substrates in such a manner that parts of the drive electrodes oppose the tines and the remaining parts protrude from the tines, the drive electrodes being capacitively coupled to the tines and driving the tines in a direction parallel to the substrates; and detection electrodes which are capacitively coupled to the tines, and which detect displacements of the tines in a direction perpendicular to the vibrating direction of the tines.

Abstract: A method of working a piezoelectric substance, which comprises the steps of, forming, on one surface of a piezoelectric block, an etching mask having an aperture which defines a boundary region between a first piezoelectric segment to be removed, and a second piezoelectric segment to be left remained, forming, on the opposite surface of the piezoelectric block, a sacrificial layer which corresponds to the first piezoelectric segment to be removed and the boundary region, etching the piezoelectric block in the boundary region to reach the sacrificial layer, and eliminating the sacrificial layer to remove the first piezoelectric segment.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer comprising, a piezoelectric block which is formed into a plurality of piezoelectric segments by way of one or more slots, spaced apart, on one main surface of the block, the segments being connected with each other at one and the other of the opposed main surfaces of the block, an organic filler filled at least partially in the slots, a first and a second electrodes formed respectively on the one and the other of the continuous main surfaces of the segments, an acoustic matching layer formed on the one main surface of the piezoelectric block, and a backing material formed on the other main surface of the piezoelectric block.

Abstract: The invention provides a capacitive micro sensor that suppresses electric noises generated around the electrodes and enhances the S/N ratio to thereby enhance the detection sensitivity. The gyroscope of the invention includes a tuning fork having three legs, driving electrodes and detecting electrodes provided on two glass substrates, driving fields-through that supply the driving electrodes with a drive signal, and detecting fields-through that extract a detecting signal from the detecting electrodes. And, a shield member between the detecting and the driving, shield members between the detecting and the detecting, and shield members between the driving and the driving are provided, which makes electrostatic shielding between the adjacent fields-through of the areas where the driving fields-through and the detecting fields-through are arrayed.

Abstract: The invention provides a semiconductor acceleration sensor which is small in size, light in weight, simple in manufacture, low in manufacturing cost, and high in accuracy, and which, with a switch-on time set to a predetermined value, is stable in operation. In a semiconductor acceleration sensor in which a central board 1 having a central contact section 11, and outside boards 2 at least one of which has an outside contact section 21 are stacked; the central board 1 has a weight 12 near the central contact section 11, and the outside board 2 having the outside contact section 21 has a weight confronting section 11 which confronts with the weight 12, for squeezed damping effect.

Abstract: A semiconductor acceleration sensor including a central board having a movable electrode section, an outside board having a stationary electrode section, and a sealing insulating section for joining the central board and the outside board which are laminated on each other, wherein the sealing insulating section has a conductive layer, and the conductive layer is a sealing member or an anodic bonding electrode.

Abstract: A guard electrode is formed on a frontside surface of a semiconductor substrate and a fixed electrode is formed on the guard electrode via an insulating layer. A cavity is formed on the fixed electrode by a diaphragm and a moving electrode is formed between the layers of the diaphragm. A substrate through hole directing from a backside surface of the substrate and reaching the cavity is formed. An operational amplifier which drives the guard electrode so as to equalize an electric potential of the guard electrode with that of the fixed electrode is provided. A change in the capacitance between the fixed electrode and a moving electrode is converted into a voltage directly concerned with a displacement of the diaphragm.

Abstract: The sensor is a small-sized vibratory angular velocity sensor, and making use of anisotropic etching characteristics of single crystal silicon substrate, as shown in FIG. 1, four cantilever beams 103 of leading end load (masses 102) type are disposed in a cross form, and the center of gravity (coupling portion 104) thereof is supported by a bridge 105 to form a vibrator, which is excited by electrostatic force by utilizing electrodes 110, 115 formed above and below the end portion of the masses 102, and the angular rate is detected from the capacitance change.

Abstract: A slim-type small size electromagnetic relay is made using semiconductor manufacturing techniques to form a silicon substrate 2 having a planar movable plate 5 and a torsion bar 6 for axially supporting the movable plate 5 formed integrally therewith, with a planar coil 7 provided on an upper face of the movable plate 5 and a movable contact 9 provided on a lower face. Glass substrates 3, 4 are provided on upper and lower faces of the silicon substrate 2, with fixed contact 11 contactable with the movable contact 9 provided on the lower glass substrate 4. Permanent magnets 13A, 13B and 14A, 14B for producing a magnetic field at the planar coil 7 are fixed to the glass substrates 3, 4. Rotation of the movable plate 5 against the torsion force of the torsion bar 6 is controlled by passing a current through the planar coil 7 to produce a magnetic force, thereby causing contact or separation of the movable contact 9 and the fixed contact 11.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a slim-type small size mirror galvanometer wherein the mirror displacement angle can be detected, made using semiconductor manufacturing techniques. Using semiconductor manufacturing techniques, a movable plate 5 and a torsion bar 6 for axially supporting the movable plate 5 are formed integrally on a silicon substrate 2, with a planar coil 7 and a total reflecting mirror 8 formed on an upper face of the movable plate 5, and permanent magnets 10A, 10B and 11A, 11B fixedly located so as to produce a magnetic field at the planar coil 7. The direction and quantity of current flowing in the planar coil 7 is controlled to variably control the swing angle of the movable plate 5 depending on the balance between the generated magnetic force and the torsion force in the torsion bar 6. Moreover, detection coils 12A, 12B are provided beneath the movable plate 5, and a detection current is superimposed on the drive current in the planar coil 7.

Abstract: A slim-type small size mirror galvanometer is made using semiconductor manufacturing techniques to form a silicon substrate 2 having a planar movable plate 5 and a torsion bar 6 for axially supporting the movable plate 5 formed integrally therewith, with a planar coil 7 and a total reflecting mirror 8 provided on an upper face of the movable plate 5. Upper and lower glass substrates 3, 4 are provided on upper and lower faces of the silicon substrate 2, and permanent magnets 10A, 10B and 11A, 11B are fixed to the upper and lower substrates 3, 4 at predetermined locations so as to produce a magnetic field at the planar coil 7. The direction and quantity of current flowing in the planar coil 7 is controlled to variably control the displacement angle of the movable plate 5 depending on the balance between the generated magnetic force and the torsion force of the torsion bar 6.

Abstract: A fail-safe logic circuit employs a transformer (T) and a level tester (1). The transformer receives input signals each representing a binary logic variable and provides the sum of magnetic flux based on the input signals. The level tester tests the level of the sum of the magnetic flux and provides a binary output (y) representing a logic value of 1 or 0. This circuit is simple and capable of lowering an output level.