Patents by Inventor Takashi Kawakubo

Takashi Kawakubo 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: 7619349
    Abstract: It is made possible to provide a piezoelectric driven MEMS device having the distance between the action end and the fixed electrode which is kept constant regardless of whether the residual strain is large or small and having a mechanism which is excellent in reproducibility and reliability. Two piezoelectric driven actuators each having a folded beam structure are disposed in parallel and in a line-symmetric manner, and connected to each other in the vicinity of an action end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Publication number: 20090206702
    Abstract: An actuator includes: a substrate; a fixed electrode provided on a major surface of the substrate; a first dielectric film provided on the fixed electrode, and made of crystalline material; a movable beam opposed to the major surface, and held above the substrate with a gap thereto; a movable electrode; and a second dielectric film. The movable electrode is provided on a surface of the movable beam facing the fixed electrode, and has an alternate voltage applied between the fixed electrode and the movable electrode. The second dielectric film is provided on a surface of the movable beam facing the fixed electrode, and is made of crystalline material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi KAWAKUBO, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Publication number: 20090200471
    Abstract: An infrared-detecting element includes: a substrate; a laminated body; an anchor coupling a part of the laminated body with the substrate and supporting the laminated body with a gap above the substrate; and an amplifier provided on the substrate and connected to at least one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode. The laminated body has a lower electrode, an upper electrode, and a piezoelectric film made of aluminum nitride which is provided between the lower electrode and the upper electrode and in which a c-axis is oriented almost perpendicularly to a film plane. The amplifier has a circuit performing conversion into voltage according to a charge generated in the laminated body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2008
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Michihiko Nishigaki, Toshihiko Nagano, Yoshinori Iida, Ikuo Fujiwara, Hiroto Honda
  • Publication number: 20090189487
    Abstract: An actuator includes a first beam, a first fixed part, a second beam, a first connective part, and a first fixed electrode. The first beam extends from a first fixed end to a first connective end, and the first fixed part connects the first fixed end and the substrate and supports the first beam above a main surface of the substrate with a gap. The second beam extends from a second connective end to a first action end and is provided in parallel to the first beam, and has a first division part divided by a first slit extending from the first action end toward the second connective end. The first connective part connects the first connective end and the second connective end and holds the second beam above the main surface of the substrate with a gap. The first fixed electrode is provided on the main surface of the substrate being configured to be opposed to a part of the first division part on a side of the first action end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Michihiko Nishigaki, Toshihiko Nagano, Kazuhiko Itaya, Takashi Kawakubo
  • Patent number: 7567018
    Abstract: A micro-mechanical device includes a first piezoelectric actuator including a piezoelectric film, and lower and upper electrodes interleaving the piezoelectric film, and extending from a first fixing part on a substrate to a first operating end, and a second piezoelectric actuator connected to the first piezoelectric actuator via a connecting part at the first operating end of the first piezoelectric actuator, and extending from the connecting part to a second operating end, the second piezoelectric actuator being shorter than the first piezoelectric actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Kazuhide Abe, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 7560853
    Abstract: A thin film piezoelectric resonator includes: a substrate having a cavity; a first dielectric layer provided on the substrate to cover the cavity; a second dielectric layer provided on the substrate and disposed in a peripheral region of the cavity, and having a thickness larger than the first dielectric layer; a first electrode provided on the first dielectric layer and above the cavity; a piezoelectric layer provided on the first electrode and disposed to extend to a region on the second dielectric layer; and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer and above the first electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kenya Sano, Kazuhiko Itaya, Ryoichi Ohara, Takashi Kawakubo
  • Patent number: 7550904
    Abstract: A thin-film piezoelectric resonator has a piezoelectric film which is formed via a space on a substrate and is supported on the substrate at least one location, an upper electrode which has a plurality of electrode layers and a connection part connecting the electrode layers to each other, each of the electrode layers being formed on the piezoelectric film, having the same width and being arranged at the same interval as the width, a lower electrode formed under the piezoelectric film, a first pad which is formed on the substrate and is electrically connected to the upper electrode, and a second pad which is formed on the substrate and is electrically connected to the lower electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Publication number: 20090135541
    Abstract: An actuator includes a substrate, a fixed electrode provided on a major surface of the substrate, a movable beam opposed to the major surface and held above the substrate with a gap thereto, and a dielectric film provided between the fixed electrode and the movable beam. The dielectric film is made of aluminum nitride oriented along c-axis with an orientation full width at half maximum of 4.6 degrees or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 7501739
    Abstract: A thin film piezoelectric resonator includes a substrate having a cavity, and a resonance portion located on the substrate and right above the cavity. The resonance portion includes a lower electrode layer located at a side of the cavity, an upper electrode layer opposite to the lower electrode layer, and a piezoelectric thin film located between the upper electrode layer and the lower electrode layer. A side of the piezoelectric thin film and a side of the lower electrode layer are located in a common plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Itaya, Takashi Kawakubo, Kenya Sano, Ryoichi Ohara
  • Patent number: 7498904
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film resonator includes a substrate in which a cavity is formed, a first electrode having a first electrode edge and partly spanning the cavity on the substrate; a piezoelectric layer placed on the first electrode, a second electrode having a second electrode edge and placed on the piezoelectric layer, a resonator unit constituted by an overlapping part of the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, the second electrode, and the cavity; and a second lead wiring which is integral with the second electrode, extends to the substrate where the cavity is not present, and has a width larger than a part of a peripheral length of the cavity to which the second electrode edge extends. In the piezoelectric thin film resonator, a first length defined by the periphery of the first electrode of the resonator unit is larger than a second length defined by the second electrode edge of the resonator unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Ryoichi Ohara, Naoko Yanase, Kenya Sano, Takaaki Yasumoto, Kazuhiko Itaya, Takashi Kawakubo
  • Publication number: 20090051251
    Abstract: A piezoelectric driven MEMS apparatus includes: a substrate; a support part provided on the substrate; a fixed electrode provided on the substrate; and an actuator having a first electrode film, a piezoelectric film formed on the first electrode film, and a second electrode film formed on the piezoelectric film, a first end of the actuator being supported by the support part, a second end of the actuator being disposed so as to be opposed to the fixed electrode. The second end of the actuator is divided into a plurality of electrode parts by a plurality of slits which pass through the first electrode film, the piezoelectric film and the second electrode film, at least a part of each electrode part is linked to parts of adjacent electrode parts, and each electrode part is capable of generating bending deformation individually.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 7490390
    Abstract: A manufacturing method is provided for a voltage controlled oscillator comprising an thin film BAW resonator and a variable capacitor element. The thin film BAW resonator includes an anchor section formed on a Si substrate, a lower electrode supported on the anchor section and positioned to face the Si substrate, a first piezoelectric film formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the first piezoelectric film. The variable capacitor element includes a stationary electrode formed on a Si substrate, an anchor section formed on the Si substrate, a first electrode supported on the anchor section and positioned to face the Si substrate, a second piezoelectric film formed on the first electrode, and a second electrode formed on the second piezoelectric film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Kazuhide Abe, Mayumi Morizuka
  • Patent number: 7471031
    Abstract: In a MEMS type variable capacity having a piezoelectric driving mechanism, a movable head having movable electrodes are arranged thereon, stationary electrodes is positioned to face the movable electrodes, and a piezoelectric driving beam structure is joined to the movable head and have one end fixed to the substrate. The movable electrode and the stationary electrode form a variable capacity. In the variable capacity, the distance and capacitance between the movable electrode and the stationary electrode of the variable capacity can be maintained constant so as to realize a reproducibility and a reliable controllability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Kazuhide Abe, Michihiko Nishigaki, Tomio Ono
  • Patent number: 7461577
    Abstract: There is provided a bar material supply device of a simple configuration suited to machining of a bar material without increasing machining cost even when a short bar material such as an end material is machined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takaichi Nakaya, Takashi Kawakubo, Tadahiro Iida, Youhei Nonaka
  • Patent number: 7463117
    Abstract: A film bulk acoustic-wave resonator encompasses a substrate having a cavity; a bottom electrode partially fixed to the substrate, part of the bottom electrode is mechanically suspended above the cavity; a piezoelectric layer provided on the bottom electrode; and a top electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer having crystal axes oriented along a thickness direction of the piezoelectric layer, a full width at half maximum of the distribution of the orientations of the crystal axes is smaller than or equal to about six degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Ryoichi Ohara, Naoko Yanase, Kazuhiko Itaya, Kenya Sano, Takaaki Yasumoto, Kazuhide Abe, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki, Takashi Kawakubo
  • Patent number: 7459833
    Abstract: A thin film piezoelectric actuator comprises a driving part at least one end of which is supported by an anchor portion. The driving part includes: a piezoelectric film, a first lower electrode provided under a first region of the piezoelectric film, a second lower electrode provided under a second region different from the first region of the piezoelectric film, a first upper electrode provided opposite to the first lower electrode on the piezoelectric film, a second upper electrode provided opposite to the second lower electrode on the piezoelectric film, a first connection part that electrically connects the first lower electrode and the second upper electrode via a first via hole formed in the piezoelectric film, and a second connection part that electrically connects the second lower electrode and the first upper electrode via a second via hole formed in the piezoelectric film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Ryoichi Ohara, Tomio Ono, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki, Takaaki Yasumoto, Kazuhide Abe, Kenya Sano
  • Patent number: 7459827
    Abstract: A piezoelectric-driven MEMS device can be fabricated reliably and consistently. The piezoelectric-driven MEMS device includes: a movable flat beam having a piezoelectric film disposed above a substrate with a recessed portion such that the piezoelectric film is bridged over the recessed portion, piezoelectric drive mechanisms disposed at both ends of the piezoelectric film and configured to drive the piezoelectric film, and a first electrode disposed at the center of the substrate-side of the piezoelectric film, and a second electrode disposed on a flat part of the recessed portion of the substrate and facing the first electrode of the movable flat beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Kazuhide Abe, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 7449945
    Abstract: A phase demodulator has a high frequency amplifier which amplifies a received signal modulated by phase, a voltage control oscillator which conducts oscillation operation in tune with the received signal amplified by the high frequency amplifier, a phase comparator which detects a phase difference between an output signal of the voltage control oscillator and a reference oscillation signal, and a demodulator which conducts demodulation process based on the phase difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Publication number: 20080254756
    Abstract: A receiver has a first voltage control oscillator configured to generate a first oscillation signal, a second voltage control oscillator configured to generate a second oscillation signal having a first phase, a first phase comparator configured to detect a phase difference between the first and second oscillation signals, a demodulator configured to perform demodulation processing of the received signal and to generate timing information of a second phase included in the first oscillation signal, a second phase comparator configured to detect the phase difference between the first and second oscillation signals, and a first control voltage generator configured to generate a first control voltage for controlling a phase and a frequency of the second voltage control oscillator based on the phase difference detected by the second phase comparator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2006
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Kazuhide Abe, Michihiko Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 7436103
    Abstract: A variable inductor element has a substrate, a first inductor element which is fixedly arranged on the substrate, a second inductor element which is supported by the substrate, is magnetically coupled with the first inductor element and variably control a mutual conductance with the first inductor element, and at least one piezoelectric actuator pair which torsionally drives the second inductor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Kawakubo, Toshihiko Nagano, Michihiko Nishigaki