Rotation Of Crystal Axis (e.g., Cut Angle) Patents (Class 310/360)
  • Publication number: 20110215676
    Abstract: A process for the preparations of piezoelectric single crystal elements involving the steps of mechanically finishing a single crystal element with select cuttings, coating electrodes on a pair of Z surfaces, poling the single crystal along the 011/axis under a 500V/mm electric field and a product made by the process thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2011
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Inventor: PENGDI HAN
  • Publication number: 20110215679
    Abstract: A piezoelectric film is formed on a surface of a substrate by a vapor deposition process without generating grain boundaries which are substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate and are caused by lamination. A normal of a (100) plane of each of crystals constituting the piezoelectric film is inclined from a normal of the surface of the substrate by an angle of not smaller than 6° and not larger than 36°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Inventor: Takayuki NAONO
  • Patent number: 7973457
    Abstract: A double rotation Y-cut crystal unit includes a crystal element, which is respectively rotated by an angle ?° and an angle ?° in a counterclockwise direction centering on an X axis and a Z axis of crystal axes (X, Y, Z), which principal surface is perpendicular to a Y? axis of newly-generated rotated crystal axes (X?, Y?, Z?), and which is formed into a rectangular geometry longer in one direction, wherein when the X? axis is rotated by an angle ?° in the counterclockwise direction with the Y? axis serving as a central axis in a plane of X?-Z? of the rotated crystal axes serving as the principal surface, a direction of a long side of the crystal element corresponds to the rotated X? axis direction, and wherein the angle ?° is set to (30??)°±45°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshio Sugiyama
  • Publication number: 20110074890
    Abstract: A droplet-ejecting head including a substrate including a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle hole and also a piezoelectric element that includes a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer which is formed above the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed above the piezoelectric element and that causes a change in pressure in a liquid contained in the pressure chamber. The piezoelectric layer includes a first piezoelectric sub-layer located on the lower electrode and a second piezoelectric sub-layer located between the first piezoelectric sub-layer and the upper electrode. The first piezoelectric sub-layer has a polarization axis predominantly directed in an in-plane direction of the first piezoelectric sub-layer. The second piezoelectric sub-layer is predominantly (100)-oriented in the pseudocubic coordinate system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromu MIYAZAWA, Koichi MOROZUMI
  • Publication number: 20110074251
    Abstract: A sensor for detecting a physical quantity includes a piezoelectric thin film device having a lower electrode, a piezoelectric thin film and an upper electrode, and a voltage detecting device connected between the lower and upper electrodes of the piezoelectric thin film device. The piezoelectric thin film is formed of an alkali niobium oxide-based perovskite material expressed by (K1-xNax)NbO3 (0<x<1), and a (001)KNN plane diffraction peak of the piezoelectric thin film indicates an angle 2? from 22.1° to 22.5° in an X-ray diffraction 2?/? measurement to a surface of the piezoelectric thin film, and the (001)KNN plane diffraction peak occupies 80% or more of diffraction peaks of the piezoelectric thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Inventors: Kenji SHIBATA, Fumihito OKA
  • Patent number: 7908722
    Abstract: A process for the preparation of piezoelectric single crystal elements involving the steps of mechanically finishing of a single crystal element with cuttings such as zxt±45°, coating electrodes on a pair of Z surfaces, poling the single crystal in a direction along the <011> axis under a 500V/mm electric field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: H.C. Materials Corporation
    Inventor: Pengdi Han
  • Publication number: 20110050811
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a piezoelectric element including a first electrode, a seed layer provided on the first electrode and containing BiFeO3 with (001) plane preferential orientation, a piezoelectric layer provided on the seed layer and containing a perovskite-structure (Bi, Nd)(Fe, Mn, Al)O3 composition with (001) plane preferential orientation, and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Xiaoxing WANG
  • Patent number: 7863802
    Abstract: A crystal element has a crystal blank which is cut from a crystal of quartz and has a principal plane orthogonal to a Y?-axis, where the Y- and Z-axes are rotated by an angle of ? around the X-axis in the crystal to be designated as the Y?- and Z?-axes, and the X- and Y?-axes are rotated by an angle of ? around the Z?-axis to be designated as the X?- and Y?-axes. The crystal blank has mutually orthogonal two null stress-sensitivity axes. In the crystal blank, the thickness of the center part at which two null stress-sensitivity axes intersect is increased, and a ridge line portion defining a quadrangular pyramid like shape from the center part toward the outer peripheral part is formed. The sectional thickness of the crystal blank along the base thereof is larger in the central region and becomes gradually smaller toward both ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akio Chiba, Shigeru Obara
  • Patent number: 7861389
    Abstract: An AT cut quartz crystal resonator element includes a quartz crystal element piece having an exciting part formed from an AT cut quartz crystal plate in a rectangular shape having an X-axis direction of a quartz crystal set to a long side, and an exciting electrode formed on each of front and back main surfaces of the exciting part, in which each side surface in the longitudinal direction of the exciting part is composed of two faces, an m-face of a quartz crystal and a crystal face other than the m-face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Epson Toyocom Corporation
    Inventors: Matsutaro Naito, Yoshiyuki Aoshima, Kenji Komine
  • Publication number: 20100314972
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film element is provided, including on a substrate: a piezoelectric thin film expressed by a general formula (NaxKyLiz)NbO3 (0?x?1, 0?y?1, 0?z?0.2, x+y+z=1); and an upper electrode laminated thereon, wherein the piezoelectric thin film has a crystal structure of any one of a pseudo-cubic crystal, a tetragonal crystal, or an orthorhombic crystal, or has a crystal structure of coexistence of at least two of the pseudo-cubic crystal, the tetragonal crystal, or the orthorhombic crystal, and in such crystal structures, there is a coexistence of (001) oriented crystal grains oriented in (001) direction, and (111) oriented crystal grains oriented in (111) direction, with an angle formed by at least one of the crystal axes of the crystal grains and a normal line of the substrate surface set to be in a range of 0° to 10°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: HITACHI CABLE, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazufumi Suenaga, Kenji Shibata, Hideki Sato, Akira Nomoto
  • Publication number: 20100259131
    Abstract: A double rotation Y-cut crystal unit includes a crystal element, which is respectively rotated by an angle ?° and an angle ?° in a counterclockwise direction centering on an X axis and a Z axis of crystal axes (X, Y, Z), which principal surface is perpendicular to a Y? axis of newly-generated rotated crystal axes (X?, Y?, Z?), and which is formed into a rectangular geometry longer in one direction, wherein a direction of the long side of the crystal element corresponds to an axial direction when the crystal element is rotated by an angle ?° in the counterclockwise direction with the X? axis serving as a central axis in a plane of X?-Z? of the rotated crystal axes serving as the principal surface, and wherein the angle ?° is set to (30-?)°±45°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: NIHON DEMPA KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshio SUGIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20100244632
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element having a crystal structure that enables a piezoelectric film to be formed in an unstressed state is provided. The piezoelectric film contains an a-axis oriented crystal and a c-axis oriented crystal, where a difference in lattice constant between the a-axis oriented crystal and the c-axis oriented crystal is not more than 0.06 ?. The present inventors have newly found that a stress accumulated in the piezoelectric film can be reduced while maintaining favorable piezoelectric properties when a condition that the difference in lattice constant between the a-axis oriented crystal and the c-axis oriented crystal is not more than 0.06 ? is satisfied. When the condition is satisfied, the c-axis oriented crystal and the a-axis oriented crystal are properly balanced and as a result crystal particles of the piezoelectric film are closest-packed on its base in an ideal state, which contributes to a reduced stress.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuya Maekawa, Takao Noguchi, Kenichi Tochi, Ken Unno
  • Patent number: 7797823
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for providing high density component assemblies, such as electromechanical or electro-optical assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Fabien Létourneau, Stefano DeCecco, Peter Serjak
  • Publication number: 20090273257
    Abstract: A piezoelectric substance which is made of oxide with perovskite type structure which is made of ABO3, where a principal component of A is Pb, and principal components of B contain at least two kinds of elements among Nb, Mg, Zn, Sc, Cd, Ni, Mn, Co, Yb, In, and Fe, and Ti, characterized by being a uniaxial orientation crystal or a single crystal which has an a-domain and a c-domain of tetragonal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Applicants: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Toshihiro Ifuku, Kenichi Takeda, Tetsuro Fukui, Hiroshi Funakubo
  • Publication number: 20090273652
    Abstract: A liquid jet head includes a passage-forming substrate composed of a crystal substrate provided with pressure-generating chambers communicating with nozzle orifices and piezoelectric elements disposed on the passage-forming substrate and each composed of a lower electrode, a piezoelectric material layer, and an upper electrode to cause a change of pressure in the pressure-generating chamber. The piezoelectric material layer has a thickness of 5 ?m or less and is made of a perovskite-type crystal and is configured such that the distance between an X-ray diffraction peak position derived from the (220) plane of the passage-forming substrate and an X-ray diffraction peak position derived from the (110) plane of the piezoelectric material layer is within a range of 2?=16.262±0.1 degrees.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hironobu KAZAMA, Yuka YONEKURA, Koji SUMI
  • Publication number: 20090273651
    Abstract: A liquid jet head has a channel-forming substrate composed of a crystal substrate having a pressure-generating chamber linked to a nozzle opening as well as a piezoelectric element composed of a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode and formed on the channel-forming substrate so that the pressure in the pressure-generating chamber can be changed, with the piezoelectric layer having a thickness equal to or smaller than 5 ?m, made of a perovskite-type crystal, and formed so that the interval between the X-ray diffraction peak position derived from the (220) plane of the channel-forming substrate and the X-ray diffraction peak position derived from the (111) plane of the piezoelectric layer falls within the range 2?=9.059±0.1°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hironobu KAZAMA, Yuka YONEKURA, Koji SUMI
  • Patent number: 7608986
    Abstract: A quartz crystal resonator includes a quartz crystal resonator element having a main surface including an X axis (electrical axis) and a Z? axis of an inclination rotated at an angle (y) equal to or greater than 36.4 degrees and equal to or smaller than, 40.5 degrees from a Z axis (optical axis) around the X axis, a main vibrating portion vibrating at a predetermined resonance frequency (f) and a supporting portion integrally formed with the main vibrating portion in such a manner as to be formed peripherally to surround the main vibrating portion, and two covers having a thermal expansion coefficient equal to or greater than 6×10?6 per degrees centigrade and equal to or smaller than 10×10?6 per degrees centigrade and bonded to the supporting portion so as to sandwich the quartz crystal resonator element therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey
    Inventors: Yook-Kong Yong, Mihir S Patel, Masako Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20090236946
    Abstract: An actuator includes a first electrode disposed on the top surface of a ceramic substrate (for example, zirconium oxide), a piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance, wherein the input of an electric power alters the volume of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance contains a plurality of crystal grains that have a wavy structure composed of wavy grain boundaries including concave portions and convex portions. The crystal grains contain ABO3 as the main component. The A site is Pb, and the B site contains such an amount of M that M becomes excessive after the piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance is formed (wherein M is at least one element selected from Mg, Ni, and Zn). The crystal grains of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive substance are oriented in the electric field direction, independently of the orientation of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukinobu Yura, Nobuyuki Kobayashi, Tsutomu Nanataki
  • Publication number: 20090212667
    Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric single crystal device excellent in heat resistance and capable of stably maintaining the electromechanical coupling factor k31 in a lateral vibration mode at a high value of 50% or more without a decrease even in an operating environment in which the temperature changes from room temperature to a high temperature (specifically, 150° C.), and also provides a fabrication method thereof. Specifically, assuming that the [010] axis of a tetragonal system having the [001] axis as a C axis (with the largest lattice constant) is a polarization direction 3, a normal direction 1 to an edge face T of the piezoelectric device is within the solid-angle range of ±25° with respect to the [-101] axis substantially orthogonal to the polarization direction 3, the range including the [-101] axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2004
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: JFE MINERAL COMPANY, LTD
    Inventor: Mitsuyoshi Matsushita
  • Publication number: 20090189490
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film device according to the present invention comprises a lower electrode, a piezoelectric thin film and a upper electrode, in which the piezoelectric thin film is formed of an alkali niobium oxide-based perovskite material expressed by (K1-xNax)NbO3 (0 <x<1), and in which a (001)KNN plane diffraction peak of the piezoelectric thin film indicates an angle 2? from 22.1° to 22.5° in an X-ray diffraction 2?/? measurement to a surface of the piezoelectric thin film, and the (001)KNN plane diffraction peak occupies 80% or more of diffraction peaks of the piezoelectric thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Kenji SHIBATA, Fumihito Oka
  • Patent number: 7528532
    Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric substance of single crystal or uniaxial crystal type in which three lattice lengths a, b and c of a unit lattice of the piezoelectric substance are smaller than lattice length a0, b0 and c0 of a unit lattice of a bulk state of single crystal having the same temperature and same composition, respectively, and a volume of the unit lattice of the piezoelectric substance is smaller than a volume of the unit lattice of the bulk state of single crystal having the same temperature and same composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Ifuku, Katsumi Aoki, Takanori Matsuda, Hiroshi Funakubo, Shintaro Yokoyama, Satoshi Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7521134
    Abstract: A potassium niobate deposited body in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes an R-plane sapphire substrate, and a potassium niobate layer or a potassium niobate solid solution layer formed above the R-plane sapphire substrate, wherein the potassium niobate layer or the potassium niobate solid solution layer epitaxially grows in a (100) orientation in a pseudo cubic system expression, and the potassium niobate layer or the potassium niobate solid solution layer has a (100) plane that tilts with a [11-20] direction vector as a rotation axis with respect to an R-plane (1-102) of the R-plane sapphire substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Higuchi, Taku Aoyama
  • Patent number: 7456553
    Abstract: A piezoelectric film laminate includes a lithium tantalate substrate, and a lead zirconate titanate niobate layer formed above the lithium tantalate substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Higuchi, Takeshi Kijima, Mayumi Ueno
  • Publication number: 20080284543
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes: a lower electrode that is formed on a substrate; a piezoelectric film that is formed on the substrate and the lower electrode; an upper electrode that is formed on the piezoelectric film, with a portion of the piezoelectric film being interposed between the lower electrode and the upper electrode facing each other; and an additional film that is formed on the substrate on at least a part of the outer periphery of the lower electrode at the portion at which the lower electrode and the upper electrode face each other, with the additional film being laid along the lower electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicants: FUJITSU MEDIA DEVICES LIMITED, FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Shinji Taniguchi, Tokihiro Nishihara, Tsuyoshi Yokoyama, Masafumi Iwaki, Motoaki Hara, Go Endo, Yasuyuki Saitou, Masanori Ueda
  • Publication number: 20080278038
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric film, and electrodes through which an electric field can be applied to the piezoelectric film along the thickness direction of the piezoelectric film. The piezoelectric film contains a ferroelectric phase in which the thickness direction and a normal of a plane determined by the spontaneous-polarization axis and the [010] axis makes an angle ?m satisfying the condition that ?45 degrees<?m<+45 degrees and ?m?0 degrees. Further, the spontaneous-polarization axis or the [010] axis may be perpendicular to the thickness direction of the piezoelectric film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KOBAYASHI, Yukio SAKASHITA
  • Publication number: 20080265718
    Abstract: A piezoelectric body contains a ferroelectric substance phase having characteristics such that, in cases where an applied electric field is increased from the time free from electric field application, phase transition of the ferroelectric substance phase to a ferroelectric substance phase of a different crystal system occurs at least two times. The piezoelectric body should preferably be actuated under conditions such that a minimum applied electric field Emin and a maximum applied electric field Emax satisfy Formula (1): Emin<E1<Emax ??(1) wherein the electric field E1 represents the electric field at which the first phase transition of the ferroelectric substance phase begins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Inventors: Yukio Sakashita, Tsutomu Sasaki, Yuuichi Okamoto, Munenori Nakai
  • Patent number: 7423501
    Abstract: A film bulk acoustic resonator includes a substrate; a lower electrode formed on top of the substrate; a piezoelectric membrane formed on top of the lower electrode and having a crystallographic axis so inclined as to generate a total reflection when an acoustic wave advances toward the lower electrode; and an upper electrode formed on top of the piezoelectric membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Duck-hwan Kim, Chul-soo Kim, Yun-kwon Park, Sang-chul Sul, Byeoung-ju Ha, In-sang Song
  • Patent number: 7422807
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a potassium niobate deposited body includes: forming a buffer layer above a substrate composed of an R-plane sapphire substrate; forming above the buffer layer a potassium niobate layer or a potassium niobate solid solution layer that epitaxially grows in a (100) orientation in a pseudo cubic system expression; and forming an electrode layer above the potassium niobate layer or the potassium niobate solid solution layer, wherein a (100) plane of the potassium niobate layer or the potassium niobate solid solution layer is formed to tilt with a [11-20] direction vector as a rotation axis with respect to an R-plane (1-102) of the R-plane sapphire substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Higuchi, Taku Aoyama
  • Publication number: 20080203856
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a base substrate; a lower electrode formed above the base substrate; a piezoelectric layer that is formed above the lower electrode, and formed from a perovskite type oxide expressed by a general formula ABO3, where A includes lead (Pb), and B includes zirconium (Zr) and titanium (Ti); and an upper electrode formed above the piezoelectric layer, wherein the piezoelectric layer has at least two regions having different compositions of Zr with respect to Zr and Ti.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiromu MIYAZAWA
  • Publication number: 20080197755
    Abstract: A surface-mount type crystal unit includes a package body which is made of a laminated ceramic and has a bottom wall layer and a frame wall formed on the bottom wall layer, the frame wall layer having an opening. In the package body, a concavity is constructed of the opening. The crystal unit further includes a pair of crystal holding terminals formed on one end part of the inner bottom surface of a concavity which is a top face of the bottom wall layer; a crystal blank held in the concavity by fixing the both sides of the one end part of the crystal blank to the pair of crystal holding terminals; a thermistor; and a cover which closes the concavity. The thermistor is arranged in a hollow part arranged in the top face of the bottom wall layer in the concavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: NIHON DEMPA KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Itaru Miyahara, Katsunori Akane
  • Patent number: 7345408
    Abstract: A potassium niobate deposited body includes an R-plane sapphire substrate, a buffer layer composed of a metal oxide and formed above the R-plane sapphire substrate, a lead zirconate titanate niobate layer formed above the buffer layer, a potassium niobate layer or a potassium niobate solid solution layer formed above the lead zirconate titanate niobate layer, an electrode layer formed above the potassium niobate layer or the potassium niobate solid solution layer, and another substrate formed above the electrode layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Higuchi, Takeshi Kijima, Mayumi Ueno
  • Patent number: 7323805
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film device includes an amorphous metal film disposed on a substrate and a piezoelectric film disposed on the amorphous metal. One of crystal axis of the piezoelectric film is aligned in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the amorphous metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kenya Sano, Ryoichi Ohara, Naoko Yanase, Takaaki Yasumoto, Kazuhiko Itaya, Takashi Kawakubo, Hiroshi Toyoda, Masahiko Hasunuma, Toshihiko Nagano, Kazuhide Abe, Michihiko Nishigaki, Hironobu Shibata
  • Publication number: 20080012910
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element comprises a piezoelectric film disposed on a substrate and a pair of electrodes disposed in contact with the piezoelectric film and utilizing a bending mode. The piezoelectric film includes domains constituted of a tetragonal crystal and including an a-domain which is formed by a crystal having a (100) plane parallel to the film surface of the piezoelectric film, the a-domains include an A-domain having a normal axis of (001) plane substantially parallel to a principal bending direction of the piezoelectric film and a B-domain having a normal axis of (001) plane substantially perpendicular to the principal bending direction of the piezoelectric film, and the A-domains have a volume proportion larger than 50 vol % with respect to the sum of the volume of the A-domains and the volume of the B-domains.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takanori MATSUDA, Toshihiro Ifuku, Kenichi Takeda, Katsumi Aoki
  • Patent number: 7315107
    Abstract: A surface acoustic wave device includes a LiNbO3 substrate with a Euler angle in an area defined by a rectangle having four corners with coordinates (1) (0°, 7°, 101°), (2) (0°, 23°, 79°), (3) (0°, 23°, 79°), and (4) (0°, 7°, 79°), for example, and an electrode film made of Au, wherein surface acoustic waves including a longitudinal wave component as a main component are propagated thereon. The surface acoustic wave device uses longitudinal surface acoustic waves having a phase speed greater than with the “slow transverse wave”, and has a great electromechanical coupling coefficient and small propagation loss, and is suitable for handling high-frequency signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Kando, Daisuke Yamamoto, Michio Kadota
  • Patent number: 7265482
    Abstract: A potassium niobate deposited body includes an R-plane sapphire substrate, a buffer layer composed of a metal oxide and formed above the R-plane sapphire substrate, a lead zirconate titanate niobate layer formed above the buffer layer, and a potassium niobate layer or a potassium niobate solid solution layer formed above the lead zirconate titanate niobate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takamitsu Higuchi, Takeshi Kijima, Mayumi Ueno
  • Patent number: 7245060
    Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator suitable for use in a high frequency band is provided, in which variation in the piezoelectric material is reduced, variation in performance is reduced, and production can be performed without the need for a polarization treatment step. In the piezoelectric resonator, a piezoelectric material made of a wurtzite structure compound crystal is disposed, the crystal epitaxially grown in such a way that a (1,1,?2,0) crystal face becomes parallel to a surface of the R-plane sapphire substrate having a (0,1,?1,2) crystal face parallel to the substrate surface, and a pair of excitation electrodes are disposed on a pair of principal surfaces opposite to each other in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric material in such a way that the pair of excitation electrodes sandwich the C plane which is a (0,0,0,1) crystal face perpendicular to the (1,1,?2,0) crystal face of the tabular piezoelectric material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hajime Yamada
  • Patent number: 7242133
    Abstract: The invention relates to the production of a mechanical resonator with a planar monolithic vibrating structure machine in a crystalline material. Where the material is trigonal (1), trigonal (2) or hexagonal in structure, said material is cut in the [001] plane or, where said material is cubic in structure, said material is cut in the [111] plane and the vibration mode of order 2 is used. Where the material is tetragonal (1) or tetragonal (2) or hexagonal said material is cut in the [001] plane or where said material is cubic in structure said material is cut in the [001], [100], or [010] plane and the vibration mode of order 3 is used. The resonator thus has a natural material frequency isotropy (?fm=0).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Sagem SA
    Inventor: José Beitia
  • Patent number: 7215067
    Abstract: A ferroelectric thin film element comprises a substrate and an epitaxial ferroelectric thin film provided on the substrate. The thin film satisfies z/z0>1.003 and 0.997?x/x0?1.003, where a crystal face of said thin film parallel to a crystal face of a surface of the substrate is taken as a Z crystal face, a face spacing of the Z crystal face is taken as z, a face spacing of the Z crystal face of a material constituting the thin film in a bulk state is taken as z0, a crystal face of the thin film perpendicular to the Z crystal face is taken as an X crystal face, a face spacing of the X crystal face is taken as x and a face spacing of the X crystal face of the material constituting the thin film in a bulk state is taken as x0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Ifuku, Tetsuro Fukui, Takanori Matsuda
  • Patent number: 7185540
    Abstract: In a piezoelectric element 20, a first electrode layer 2 made of an alloy of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron, manganese and copper and a noble metal is formed on a silicon substrate 1, and a piezoelectric layer 3 made of a rhombohedral or tetragonal perovskite oxide (e.g., PZT) is formed on the first electrode layer 2 so that the piezoelectric layer 3 is preferentially oriented along the (001) plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Torii, Eiji Fujii, Atsushi Tomozawa, Akiko Murata, Ryoichi Takayama, Taku Hirasawa
  • Patent number: 7180222
    Abstract: A surface acoustic wave device includes a LiNbO3 substrate with a Euler angle in an area defined by a rectangle having four comers with coordinates (1) (0°, 7°, 101°), (2) (0°, 23°, 79°), (3) (0°, 23°, 79°), and (4) (0°, 7°, 79°), for example, and an electrode film made of Au, wherein surface acoustic waves including a longitudinal wave component as a main component are propagated thereon. The surface acoustic wave device uses longitudinal surface acoustic waves having a phase speed greater than with the “slow transverse wave”, and has a great electromechanical coupling coefficient and small propagation loss, and is suitable for handling high-frequency signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Kando, Daisuke Yamamoto, Michio Kadota
  • Patent number: 7066026
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an acoustic vector sensor, also called particle velocity sensor. <111> direction poled, shear mode, relaxor single crystals are used as the sensing elements. In addition, these crystal plates are cut at a special orientation such that they provide zero or minimum responses in the transverse directions, but have a maximum piezoelectric response in sensing direction. The piezoelectric sensor contains a proof mass, a base, and an aforementioned relaxor crystal. Three of the sensors are mounted orthogonally with a rigid case, and they are designated to sense the acoustic particle velocity in three designated directions, say X, Y, and Z. To solve the adverse lateral constraint problem (also known as clamping effect) associated with the relaxor crystal; reduced bonding area between the proof mass and the relaxor crystal are introduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Wilcoxon Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Ken Kan Deng
  • Patent number: 7051728
    Abstract: A piezoelectric quartz plate having reduced frequency deviation as a function of temperature, wherein the quartz plate is cut at an angle described by: T f = ? 3.9 + 6.5 ? ? cos 2 ? ? ? + ? 1 2 ? [ c 66 ? T c 66 ? sin 2 ? ? + c 44 ? T c 44 ? cos 2 ? ? + T c 14 ? c 14 ? sin ? ? 2 ? ? ? c 66 ? sin 2 ? ? + c 44 ? cos 2 ? ? + c 14 ? sin ? ? 2 ? ? ? ] + ? [ a ? · ( sin ? ( ? · ? + ? ? ) + sin ? ( ? · ? + ? ? ) 2 ) ] + ? where quartz plate thickness is chosen in accordance with a desired frequency. This useful behavior can be manipulated such that a quartz plate is designed to counteract frequency shifts over temperature excursion of other electrical components found in typical oscillator circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Inventor: Mark Branham
  • Patent number: 7042133
    Abstract: The invention miniaturizes a surface acoustic wave device on which a plurality of surface acoustic wave elements are disposed and connected together in parallel on a plate, and provides a good temperature characteristic in a wide temperature range. A surface acoustic wave device according to the invention includes a plurality of surface acoustic wave elements disposed on a main surface of a quartz plate cut out with a Euler angle at (0°, 113° to 135°, +/?(40 to 49)°). Surface acoustic waves have propagation directions “?” which are different each other. When the Euler angle is set at (0°, ?, ?), it is possible to reduce differences in each propagation direction by setting each propagation angle so as to satisfy a formula: ?=0.3295?+3.3318°+/?1.125°. This makes it possible to decrease the angle among the surface acoustic wave elements, and thereby miniaturizes the surface acoustic wave elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeo Kanna
  • Patent number: 7038359
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for making high-frequency piezoelectric resonators so that constants of the resonator can be measured precisely. A cavity is formed at a central section of an AT-cut crystal substrate. Two grooves are formed at predetermined distances from the left and right of the cavity, and two more grooves are formed at predetermined distances outward from these two grooves. Two more grooves perpendicular to the first set of grooves are formed. A pair of main electrodes and a pair of secondary electrodes shorted to ground and surrounding the main electrodes are disposed at roughly the center of the crystal substrate. One main electrode and one secondary electrode are used as inputs and the other main electrode and secondary electrode are used as outputs, with these two terminal pairs being used to measure and adjust a frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Toyo Communication Equipment Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirokazu Iwata
  • Patent number: 7019444
    Abstract: A method of adjusting the temperature properties of piezoelectric devices and oscillation circuits which have a third-order function temperature property and the point of inflection of the third-order function temperature property outside the normal usage temperature range. The local maximum point or local minimum point temperature located in the normal temperature range is regarded as the peak temperature of the apparent second-order function temperature property, and the peak temperature is adjusted to the optimum value in the normal temperature range by rotating the temperature property around the point of inflection located outside the normal temperature range by adjusting the first-order coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kobayashi, Nobuyuki Imai
  • Patent number: 7011887
    Abstract: An IT-cut quartz crystal unit has a discoidal or a rectangular quartz crystal blank which is cut from a crystal of quartz along a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis of the crystal of the quartz which is rotated over approximately 34° about the X-axis, and further rotated from this rotated position over approximately 19° about the Z-axis. Excitation electrodes are formed on both main surface of the crystal blank, respectively. The crystal blank is held at positions in at least one set of opposing peripheral regions selected from an angular range of 18°±18° from the Z?-axis on the surface of the crystal blank, viewed from the center on the surface of the crystal blank; an angular range of 198°±18° from the Z?-axis; an angular range of 108°±18° from the Z?-axis; and an angular range of 288°±18° from the Z?-axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Obara, Genwa Koki, Kouichi Hara
  • Patent number: 7012355
    Abstract: A crystal unit has a crystal blank having a hole defined in at least one principal surface thereof, the crystal blank having a region of a reduced thickness including the hole, the region serving as a vibrating region, excitation electrodes disposed respectively on opposite principal surfaces of the crystal blank in the vibrating region, extension electrodes extending respectively from the excitation electrodes to respective opposite ends of one side of the crystal blank, and a casing having a step formed therein. The opposite ends of the one side of the crystal blank are fixed to the step by a joining member. The crystal blank has a notched portion defined therein between the one side and the vibrating region, the notched portion extending from at least one transverse edge of the crystal blank in a transverse direction of the crystal blank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Oda, Mitoshi Umeki, Hiroshi Uehara, Keisuke Hirano
  • Patent number: 7009468
    Abstract: A small, high-performance SAW device has a large electromechanical coupling coefficient and a small number of fingers constituting reflectors, and is constructed such that losses due to electric resistance of the fingers. In the SAW device having pluralities of first fingers and second fingers, disposed on a quartz substrate, constituting an IDT for exciting SH waves and reflectors for reflecting the SH waves, respectively, the first and second fingers made mainly from Au are disposed on the ST-cut 90° X-propagation quartz substrate with the Euler angles (0°, ?, 90°±2°), wherein the angle ? is within the range of about 110° to about 150° and a normalized film thickness (H/?) of the fingers is within the range of about 0.003 to about 0.095.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Kadota, Koji Fujimoto, Takeshi Nakao
  • Patent number: 6999221
    Abstract: A bimorphic polymeric photomechanical actuator, in one embodiment using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a photosensitive body, transmitting light over fiber optic cables, and controlling the shape and pulse duration of the light pulse to control movement of the actuator. Multiple light beams are utilized to generate different ranges of motion for the actuator from a single photomechanical body and alternative designs use multiple light beams and multiple photomechanical bodies to provide controlled movement. Actuator movement using one or more ranges of motion is utilized to control motion to position an actuating element in three dimensional space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignees: Alabama A&M University, The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Sergey S. Sarkisov, Michael J. Curley, Grigory Adamovsky, Sergey S. Sarkisov, Jr., Aisha B. Fields
  • Patent number: 6992424
    Abstract: A piezoelectric vibrator which uses lithium tantalate as a piezoelectric material and of which main vibration is thickness shear vibration. The thickness direction of the vibrator forms angle of 0°±5° to the X-axis of a single crystal. The longitudinal direction of vibrator lies, with the X-axis used as a rotation axis, in direction n +57°±2° clockwise from the Y-axis of the single crystal. A ratio L/H of the length L of the vibrator to the thickness H is not less than 15. A ratio Le/H of the length Le of the exciting electrode to the thickness H of the vibrator element portion is 3–6. Accordingly, a vibrator having improved temperature characteristics and a large Q is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukinori Sasaki, Tetsuro Shimamura, Tetsuo Kawasaki, Kazunari Nishihara, Tetsuya Furihata, Kuniaki Matsushita, Katsunori Moritoki, Katsu Takeda