Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a carrier unit including an intermediate transfer member, a detachable waste toner container, and a recording-medium directing member provided to the carrier unit. The recording-medium directing member guides a recording medium, and also prevents the waste toner container from contacting the intermediate transfer member when the waste toner container is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A filter includes piezoelectric thin-film resonators having a substrate, a lower electrode supported by the substrate, a piezoelectric film provided on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode provided on the piezoelectric film. At least one of the piezoelectric thin-film resonators has a portion in which the upper electrode overlaps the lower electrode across the piezoelectric film. The above portion has a shape different from shapes of corresponding portions of other piezoelectric thin-film resonators, so that a spurious component in the above at least one of the piezoelectric thin-film resonators occur at a frequency different from frequencies of spurious components that occur in the other piezoelectric thin-film resonators.

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 so as to have a portion that overlaps the lower electrode across the piezoelectric film. At least a part of an outer end of the piezoelectric film is further in than an outer end of an opposing region in which the upper and lower electrodes overlap each other across the piezoelectric film.

Abstract: A filter element includes resonators that are arranged in series arms and parallel arms in a circuit. In this filter element, at least one of the series-arm resonators includes a plurality of single-terminal pair piezoelectric thin-film resonators connected in parallel.

Abstract: A transfer device including an intermediate transfer belt provided to extend in an arranged direction of a plurality of photosensitive drums, and primary transfer rollers each transferring a toner image formed on a corresponding one of the plurality of photosensitive drums to the intermediate transfer belt, each of the primary transfer rollers being moved between a position causing the intermediate transfer belt to be in contact with the photosensitive drums and a position causing the intermediate transfer belt to be separated from the photosensitive drums, each of the primary transfer rollers being rotatably supported by a movable member which includes an abutting portion which regulates a position of the primary transfer roller, the abutting portion abutting on an abutted member whose positional relationship with the photosensitive drum is defined such that the position of the abutted member causes the intermediate transfer belt to be in contact with the photosensitive drum.

Abstract: A dust container includes a container body, an inlet, a dust detector, and a dust-conveying unit. The dust-conveying unit conveys the dust from the inlet to the interior of the container body. The dust-conveying unit includes a plurality of conveying members that are arranged at different positions in the dust conveying unit. A direction in which the dust is conveyed and an amount of the dust conveyed by at least one of the conveying members is different from those of the other conveying members. As the dust accumulates in the container body, the dust detector detects whether the container body is substantially full with the dust.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes a lower electrode formed on a substrate to define a rounded dome-shaped cavity between the lower electrode and the substrate, a piezoelectric film provided on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode provided on the piezoelectric film. A membrane region is an overlapping region of the lower electrode and the upper electrode interposing the piezoelectric film and a projected area of the cavity onto the substrate includes the membrane region.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes a substrate, a lower electrode arranged on the substrate, a piezoelectric film arranged on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode arranged on the piezoelectric film. A region in which the upper electrode overlaps with the lower electrode through the piezoelectric film has an elliptical shape, and a condition such that 1<a/b<1.9 is satisfied where a is a main axis of the elliptical shape, and b is a sub axis thereof.

Abstract: A filter chip includes multiple series-arm resonators arranged in series arms of a ladder arrangement, and multiple parallel-arm resonators arranged in parallel arms of the ladder arrangement. A common line is connected to first electrodes of at least two parallel-arm resonators among the multiple parallel-arm resonators. Second electrodes of said at least two parallel-arm resonators are connected to associated series-arm resonators among the multiple series-arm resonators.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes: a lower electrode that is formed on a substrate; a piezoelectric film that is formed on the lower electrode; and an upper electrode that is formed on the piezoelectric film. In the piezoelectric thin-film resonator, the upper electrode has a greater film thickness than the lower electrode.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes a lower electrode provided on a substrate, a piezoelectric thin film provided on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode provided on the piezoelectric thin film. A membrane region is defined by a region where the upper electrode and the lower electrode overlap each other to sandwich the piezoelectric thin film therebetween and has an elliptical shape, and the lower electrode is also provided at an outer side of the membrane region in a region in which neither an extraction electrode of the upper electrode nor an extraction electrode of the lower electrode is provided.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes a film laminate formed on a device substrate, the film laminate including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric film provided on the device substrate and the lower electrode, and an upper electrode provided on the piezoelectric film. At least one of the upper and lower electrodes has an electrode leading portion that extends from an membrane in which the upper electrode overlaps with the lower electrode through the piezoelectric film and has a width narrower than that of the membrane.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes: a substrate; a lower electrode that is formed on the substrate; a piezoelectric film that is formed on the lower electrode and the substrate; and an upper electrode that is formed on the piezoelectric film, with the piezoelectric film being partially interposed between the lower electrode and the upper electrode facing each other. In this piezoelectric thin-film resonator, at least a part of the outer periphery of the piezoelectric film interposed between the lower electrode and the upper electrode overlaps the outer periphery of the region formed by the upper electrode and the lower electrode facing each other.

Abstract: A duplexer includes: first and second filters including film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) arranged in a ladder form; first and second integrated-passive devices (IPDs) provided between a common terminal and the first and second filters; and a substrate on which the first and second filters and the first and second IPDs are mounted. The substrate includes conductive patterns that realize inductances connected between the first and second filters and ground. The first and second IPDs includes inductors connected to the first and second filters.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes a device substrate and a laminated body provided on the device substrate and composed of a lower electrode, an upper electrode and a piezoelectric film sandwiched between the lower and upper electrodes. The laminated body has a membrane portion in which the upper and lower electrodes overlap with each other through the piezoelectric film, and a gap has a dome shape being formed between the device substrate and the lower electrode and located below the membrane portion.

Abstract: A resonator includes a piezoelectric thin-film provided on a main surface of a substrate, a first electrode film provided on a first surface of the piezoelectric thin-film, a second electrode film provided on a second surface of the piezoelectric thin-film, a frequency adjustment film provided on one of the first and second electrode films, the frequency adjustment film comprising a film laminate including a first adjustment film provided on said one of the first and second electrode films, and a second adjustment film provided on the first adjustment film. The first adjustment film is used for ?f adjustment, and the second adjustment film is used for correcting frequency deviations generated in the filter manufacturing process. Thus, it is possible to accurately control the center frequency of the filter in which the multiple resonators are connected.

Abstract: A filter device includes a filter element that has piezoelectric thin-film resonators arranged in series arms and parallel arms, and a package that houses the filter element in a face-down state. In this filter device, the filter element and the package are electrically connected to each other through bumps. The package includes first pad parts on which the bumps are placed, and transmission paths that electrically connect the first pad parts to the outside. The filter element includes second pad parts that are electrically connected to the first pad parts through the bumps, and wiring parts that electrically connect the second pads to the piezoelectric thin-film resonators and electrically connect the piezoelectric thin-film resonators to one another. In this structure, inductances formed with the transmission paths are connected in series to the piezoelectric thin-film resonators.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes a substrate, a lower electrode arranged on the substrate, a piezoelectric film arranged on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode arranged on the piezoelectric film. A region in which the upper electrode overlaps with the lower electrode through the piezoelectric film has an elliptical shape, and a condition such that 1<a/b<1.9 is satisfied where a is a main axis of the elliptical shape, and b is a sub axis thereof.

Abstract: A film bulk acoustic resonator includes: a piezoelectric thin film that is formed on a principal surface of a substrate; and a lower electrode and an upper electrode that are arranged to sandwich the piezoelectric thin film. In this film bulk acoustic resonator, the piezoelectric thin film is made of aluminum nitride, and at least one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode contains a ruthenium or ruthenium-alloy layer.

Abstract: A thin-film piezo-resonator includes a silicon substrate and a resonator assembly. The substrate is formed with a cavity or through-hole which is opened in the upper and the lower surfaces of the substrate. The resonator assembly, disposed at a location corresponding to the cavity, is composed of a first electrode contacting the upper surface of the substrate, a piezoelectric layer formed on the first electrode and a second electrode formed on the piezoelectric layer. The cavity has a side surface extending in a substantially perpendicular direction to the first surface.