Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film resonator includes a substrate, a lower electrode provided on the substrate, a piezoelectric film provided on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode provided on the piezoelectric film. At least a portion of the upper electrode and that of the lower electrode oppose each other through the piezoelectric film, and at least a portion of the periphery of the upper electrode is reversely tapered.

Abstract: A powder transport device includes a first transport tube through which powder falls under gravity; a second transport tube having a transport member that transports the powder in a substantially horizontal direction; and a joint section having a ceiling, opposed side walls, an upstream wall, and a downstream wall. The joint section defines a first drop region, defined by the downstream wall and the side walls, continuous with and positioned directly under the first transport tube, to drop the powder dropped from the first transport tube; and a second drop region, defined by the ceiling, the upstream wall, and the side walls, displaced relative to and continuous with the first drop region, positioned adjacent to the second transport tube, to drop the powder transported from the second transport tube upstream from the first drop region in the direction in which the powder is transported through the second transport tube.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a cleaning device, a waste toner bottle, a connecting unit, and a regulating unit. The cleaning device removes waste toner remaining on an intermediate transfer belt. The waste toner bottle has an intake opening for collecting the waste toner therein. The connecting unit conveys the waste toner from the cleaning device to the waste toner bottle, and has a discharge opening that is configured to engage the intake opening to discharge the waste toner into the waste toner bottle through the intake opening. The regulating unit regulates the position of the waste toner bottle in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the waste toner bottle before the discharge opening comes in contact with the intake opening.

Abstract: A method of producing a piezoelectric thin film resonator is provided. A sacrificial layer is formed on a part of the piezoelectric film. The sacrificial layer is patterned, and thereafter an upper electrode is formed on the piezoelectric layer. The method further includes removing the sacrificial layer formed on the piezoelectric layer; and patterning the piezoelectric film. In the step of removing the sacrificial layer, the sacrificial layer is removed such that at least a portion of the periphery of the upper electrode has a reversely tapered shape that reflects the tapered portion of the sacrificial layer, and in the step of patterning the piezoelectric film, the piezoelectric film is removed such that a lower end of the reversely tapered periphery of the upper electrode is placed so as to coincide with or to be in the vicinity of an end portion of the patterned piezoelectric film.

Abstract: An acoustic wave device including: a substrate; a piezoelectric film formed on the substrate; an lower electrode provided on a first surface of the piezoelectric film; an upper electrode provided on a second surface of the piezoelectric film opposite to the first surface; and a mass loading film having a first pattern and a second pattern in a resonance portion in which the lower electrode and the upper electrode face each other through the piezoelectric film, the first pattern having portions and the second pattern having portions interlinking the portions of the first pattern.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes a substrate, a lower electrode provided on the substrate, a piezoelectric film provided on the substrate and the lower electrode, an upper electrode provided on the piezoelectric film, and an additional pattern, a cavity being formed between the lower electrode and the substrate in a resonance portion in which the lower electrode and the upper electrode face each other through the piezoelectric film, the additional pattern being provided in a position that is on the lower electrode and includes an interface between the resonance portion and a non-resonance portion.

Abstract: A filter element includes a plurality of multilayer filters that are connected in cascade, each of the plurality of multilayer filters including a plurality of piezoelectric thin-film resonators stacked vertically, each of the piezoelectric thin-film resonators including a piezoelectric film and a pair of first electrodes between which the piezoelectric film is interposed, and a capacitor connected between an input terminal of one of the plurality of multilayer filters of a preceding stage and an input terminal of another one of the plurality of multilayer filters of a following stage, exciting directions of piezoelectric thin-film resonators to which the input terminals of the multilayer filters of the preceding and following stages are connected being opposite to each other.

Abstract: An acoustic wave device includes: a first piezoelectric thin film resonator including a first lower electrode, a first upper electrode and a first piezoelectric film sandwiched between the first lower and upper electrodes; a decoupler film provided on the first upper electrode; and a second piezoelectric thin film resonator provided on the decoupler film and including a second lower electrode, a second upper electrode and a second piezoelectric film sandwiched between the second lower and upper electrodes, wherein the first piezoelectric film and the second piezoelectric film comprise aluminum nitride and include an element increasing a piezoelectric constant of the aluminum nitride.

Abstract: A resonator includes a substrate, a lower electrode, a piezoelectric film provided on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode provided on the piezoelectric film. The lower electrode includes a first film provided on the substrate, and a second film that is provided on the first film and has a specific gravity greater than that of the first film. The piezoelectric film is provided on the second film. The upper electrode includes a third film provided on the piezoelectric film, and a fourth film provided on the third film, the third film having a specific gravity greater than that of the fourth film. The third film is thicker than the second film.

Abstract: Rollers including a tension roller are arranged in parallel. A pair of supporting members supports both ends of the rollers. A transfer belt is supported by the rollers. A biasing member applies a tension to the transfer belt by biasing the tension roller in a predetermined direction. The tension roller is movably supported in a straight-line direction. The biasing member is arranged in an area surrounded by the supporting members and the transfer belt in a direction of traversing from one supporting member to other supporting member.

Abstract: A filter includes: a first filter unit includes: a series resonators connected in series to each other between a first input terminal and a first output terminal; a parallel resonators each having one end connected to one terminal of each of the series resonators; and a common inductance having one end connected to the other ends of the parallel resonators and the other end connected to a ground terminal, and a second filter unit includes: a series resonators connected in series to each other between a second input terminal and a second output terminal; a parallel resonators each having one end connected to one terminal of each of the series resonators; and a common inductance having one end connected to the other ends of the parallel resonators and the other end connected to the ground terminal.

Abstract: An acoustic wave filter having excellent steepness is provided without adding any exterior components or any new manufacturing steps. A plurality of filters (10-1) each having a first resonator (2a-1) placed in a serial arm and having a resonance frequency frs and an anti-resonance frequency fas, and a second resonator (4a-1) placed in a parallel arm and having a resonance frequency frp and an anti-resonance frequency fap are provided on a same substrate, where the resonance frequency frs of the first resonator is higher than the resonance frequency frp of the second resonator; the anti-resonance frequency fas of the first resonator is higher than the anti-resonance frequency fap of the second resonator; and the filters (10-1) are connected in multiple stages. At least one of the filters (10-1) connected in multiple stages has a third resonator (6-1) having a resonance frequency frp and an anti-resonance frequency fap.

Abstract: At least one of a plurality of rollers supporting an endless belt includes a flange arranged on an end portion of the roller. The flange includes a cylindrical portion that is inserted into an opening portion of the roller at its end. Outer circumference of the cylindrical portion makes contact with inner circumference of the roller, and inner circumference of the flange makes contact with a rotation shaft of the roller. The inner edge of a surface where the flange is in contact with the rotation shaft is located on the inner side of the outer edge of a surface where the cylindrical portion is in contact with the roller in the longitudinal direction of the rotation shaft.

Abstract: A filter has a plurality of piezoelectric thin film resonators formed by sandwiching a piezoelectric film with a lower electrode disposed on a substrate and an upper electrode. Each of the piezoelectric thin film resonators has an electrode region formed with the upper electrode and the lower electrode overlapping each other, whose outline includes a curve. Among the plural piezoelectric thin film resonators, the piezoelectric thin film resonators in the opposing electrode regions of the adjacent piezoelectric thin film resonators are shaped to have outlines complementary to each other. With the filter, influences caused by transverse mode undesired wave of the piezoelectric thin film resonators can be suppressed. Therefore, miniaturization can be achieved without sacrificing the mechanical strength of electrodes having hollow structures.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film resonator includes a substrate, a lower electrode formed on the substrate, a piezoelectric film formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the piezoelectric film, the lower electrode and the upper electrode opposing each other through the piezoelectric film to form an opposing region, the opposing region including a space at a boundary of the opposing region. The space extends from an innerside to an outer side of the opposing region and is formed in or on the piezoelectric film.

Abstract: A filter element includes a plurality of multilayer filters that are connected in cascade, each of the plurality of multilayer filters including a plurality of piezoelectric thin-film resonators stacked vertically, each of the piezoelectric thin-film resonators including a piezoelectric film and a pair of first electrodes between which the piezoelectric film is interposed, and a capacitor connected between an input terminal of one of the plurality of multilayer filters of a preceding stage and an input terminal of another one of the plurality of multilayer filters of a following stage, exciting directions of piezoelectric thin-film resonators to which the input terminals of the multilayer filters of the preceding and following stages are connected being opposite to each other.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer unit includes a stand member that is integral with an intermediate-transfer-unit body of the intermediate transfer unit. The stand member stretches below the intermediate-transfer-unit body from a trailing edge to a leading edge of the intermediate-transfer-unit in an attachment direction of the intermediate transfer unit.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an elastic wave device is provided with a lamination step of forming, on a substrate (1), a plurality of elastic wave devices, each of which includes a lower electrode (2), a piezoelectric film (3), and an upper electrode (4); a measuring step for measuring the operation frequency distribution of the elastic wave devices on the substrate (1); and an adjusting step for forming an adjusting region, in which the thickness of the elastic wave device is different from the thicknesses of other portions in a resonance portion of each elastic wave device, corresponding with the distribution of the operation frequencies. The adjusting region is formed so that the size of the area of the adjusting region of the resonator portion of each elastic wave device is different in accordance with the operation frequency distribution that is measured. Thus, the frequency characteristics of the elastic wave devices are easily adjusted by a small number of steps.

Abstract: A neutralizing mechanism is provided on at least one conveying path proximal member installed on a conveying path of a sheet material in a vicinity of a transfer position, and is grounded by using a conducting material. The neutralizing mechanism includes a neutralizing circuit that includes a resistor and a ground switch electrically connected in parallel to each other. The ground switch is turned off at least at a time of applying the transfer bias to prevent a leakage of a transfer current, and turned on for a predetermined time at a time other than the time of applying the transfer bias to earth and remove a static electricity from the conveying path proximal member.

Abstract: A powder conveying unit conveys powder input from a powder inlet of a powder containing chamber into the powder containing chamber. A powder detecting unit detects a full state of the powder conveyed by the powder conveying unit in the powder containing chamber. A sensor chamber is provided outside the powder containing chamber connected with each other. The powder detecting unit is provided in the sensor chamber, a bottom surface of the sensor chamber is at higher level than a bottom surface of the powder containing chamber, and the bottom surface of the sensor chamber is inclined downward toward the powder containing chamber.