Electrode Arrangement Patents (Class 310/365)
  • Patent number: 10944041
    Abstract: A hybrid ultrasonic transducer and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the forming of a first substrate and a second substrate. The forming of the first substrate includes: depositing a membrane stack over a first dielectric layer; forming a third electrode over the first dielectric layer; and depositing a second dielectric layer over the membrane stack and the third electrode. The forming of the second substrate includes: forming a redistribution layer (RDL) having a fourth electrode; and etching a first cavity on a surface of the RDL adjacent to the fourth electrode. The method further includes: forming a second cavity in one of the first substrate and the second substrate; and bonding the first substrate to the second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
    Inventors: Yi Heng Tsai, Fu-Chun Huang, Ching-Hui Lin, Chun-Ren Cheng
  • Patent number: 10881418
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to electrically controllable surgical tools. In general, surgical devices are provided having an electrically controllable, fingered operating end for use in angiography, endovascular and/or neurological surgery. The finger(s) at the operating end can be made from ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) material to facilitate control of the finger(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Maine Medical Center
    Inventors: Robert D. Ecker, Mohsen Shahinpoor
  • Patent number: 10866155
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a pressure-sensitive sensor includes providing an extruder that includes a cylindrical die, a mandrel arranged inside the die and having plural helical grooves on an outer circumferential surface, and an annular outlet sandwiched between the die and the mandrel, and by using the extruder, performing simultaneous extrusion-molding of an elastic insulating material and an elastic conductive material by supplying the elastic conductive material into not less than two of the grooves from the inside of the mandrel while extruding the elastic insulating material, so as to form a pressure-sensitive sensor. The sensor includes a tubular body including an elastic insulation and having a hollow portion along a longitudinal direction, and not less than two conductive ribs including an elastic conductor and helically provided along an inner circumferential surface of the hollow portion of the tubular body so as to protrude inward from the inner circumferential surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keisuke Sugita, Masahiro Abe
  • Patent number: 10862448
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film resonator includes: a substrate; a piezoelectric film located on the substrate; a lower electrode and an upper electrode facing each other across at least a part of the piezoelectric film; and a wiring layer located on the upper electrode, the wiring layer having a thickness equal to or greater than 0.8 ?m and equal to or less than 3.0 ?m, at least a part of the wiring layer overlapping in plan view with a resonance region in which the lower electrode and the upper electrode face each other across the piezoelectric film, a distance between an outline of the resonance region and an edge of a lower surface located within the resonance region and farthest from the outline being greater than 0 ?m and less than 2 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yagami, Ryuichi Okamura, Yoshiaki Takaoka
  • Patent number: 10814625
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber which communicates with a nozzle which ejects a liquid is formed by a partitioning wall, and a piezoelectric actuator in which a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode are laminated, in which the piezoelectric layer includes a region which is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode in a lamination direction, and in which when viewed in plan view from the lamination direction, the region overlaps at least a portion of the edges of each side of an opening of the pressure generating chamber on the piezoelectric actuator side and does not overlap one of the first electrode and the second electrode in at least a portion of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shiro Yazaki
  • Patent number: 10756700
    Abstract: A bulk acoustic wave resonator device includes: a substrate; a lower electrode disposed on the substrate; a piezoelectric layer disposed over a portion of the lower electrode; an upper electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer; and a shape control layer covering an edge of a cavity disposed between the substrate and the lower electrode, wherein tensile stress is applied to the shape control layer during formation of the shape control layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung Han, Jae Chang Lee, Won Han, Tae Yoon Kim, Jong Woon Kim, Tae Kyung Lee, Moon Chul Lee, Tae Hun Lee, Sung Min Cho, In Young Kang
  • Patent number: 10622148
    Abstract: A multi-layer ceramic capacitor includes: a multi-layer unit including a capacitance forming unit including internal electrodes laminated in a first direction, a drawn portion extending from the capacitance forming unit in a second direction, and a cover that covers the capacitance forming unit and the drawn portion in the first direction, the multi-layer unit having a main surface facing in the first direction, an end surface facing in the second direction, and a side surface facing in a third direction; and a side margin provided to the side surface, the side surface including a first straight portion including an outer edge of the main surface and extending in the second direction, a second straight portion including an outer edge of the end surface and extending in the first direction, and a corner portion that connects the first and second straight portions with each other, the corner portion being curved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Ono, Tetsuhiko Fukuoka, Shoji Kusumoto, Akihiko Kono
  • Patent number: 10608608
    Abstract: A method for fabricating bulk acoustic wave resonator with mass adjustment structure, comprising following steps of: forming a sacrificial structure mesa on a substrate; etching the sacrificial structure mesa such that any two adjacent parts have different heights, a top surface of a highest part of the sacrificial structure mesa is coincident with a mesa top extending plane; forming an insulating layer on the sacrificial structure mesa and the substrate; polishing the insulating layer to form a polished surface; forming a bulk acoustic wave resonance structure including a top electrode, a piezoelectric layer and a bottom electrode on the polished surface; etching the sacrificial structure mesa to form a cavity; the insulating layer between the polished surface and the mesa top extending plane forms a frequency tuning structure, the insulating layer between the mesa top extending plane and the cavity forms a mass adjustment structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: WIN SEMICONDUCTORS CORP.
    Inventors: Chia-Ta Chang, Chun-Ju Wei, Kuo-Lung Weng
  • Patent number: 10566914
    Abstract: A transducer that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, the transducer includes a dielectric layer; a first electrode that is provided on one surface of the dielectric layer; and a second electrode that is provided on another surface of the dielectric layer. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode becomes an insulator, before the dielectric layer suffers insulation breakdown by voltage that is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Fujita, Yukari Tsunoda, Satoshi Nakamaru
  • Patent number: 10498311
    Abstract: A crystal resonator includes a flat plate-shaped crystal element and excitation electrodes. The crystal element has principal surfaces parallel to an X?-axis and a Z?-axis. The X?-axis is an axis of rotating an X-axis in a range of 15 to 25 degrees around a Z-axis. The Z?-axis is an axis of rotating the Z-axis in a range of 33 to 35 degrees around the X?-axis. The excitation electrodes are formed on the respective principal. The excitation electrodes include a first region with a circular outer shape and a second region. The second region is formed at a peripheral area of the first region. The second region has a thickness thinner than the first region and has an elliptical outer shape. The elliptical shape has a long axis extending in a direction in a range of ?5 to +15 degrees with respect to a direction that the X?-axis extends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: NIHON DEMPA KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeru Obara, Tetsuya Sato, Masaaki Nakahara, Tomonori Shibazaki, Yuki Oi, Yuya Nishimura
  • Patent number: 10484793
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a pair of headphones may be provided with left and right speakers for playing audio to a user. Control circuitry in the electronic device may play audio through the speakers in an unreversed configuration in which left channel audio is played through a first of the speakers that is adjacent to a left ear of the user and right channel audio is played through a second of the speakers that is adjacent to a right ear of the user or a reversed configuration in which these channel assignments are reversed. The headphones may have ear cups that house the speakers. Capacitive touch sensors, force sensors, and other sensors on the ear cups may measure ear shapes and finger grip positions on the ear cups to determine whether to operate in the unreversed or reversed configuration. Sensors may gather gestures and other user touch input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan R. Peterson, Daniel D. Sunshine, Yohji Hamada, Daniel A. Podhajny, Kathryn P. Crews, Jahan C. Minoo
  • Patent number: 10469049
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film resonator includes: an acoustic reflection layer including an air gap or an acoustic mirror; lower and upper electrodes facing each other in a stacking direction, at least a part of each of the lower and upper electrodes being located on or above the acoustic reflection layer; a piezoelectric film sandwiched between the lower and upper electrodes and including lower and upper piezoelectric films, at least a part of an end face of the piezoelectric film in a film thickness direction being located between outer outlines of the resonance region and the acoustic reflection layer in at least a part of a region surrounding a resonance region; and an insertion film inserted between the lower and upper piezoelectric films, located in at least a part of an outer peripheral region within the resonance region, and not located in a center region of the resonance region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jiansong Liu, Tsuyoshi Yokoyama, Hiroomi Kaneko, Shinji Taniguchi, Tokihiro Nishihara
  • Patent number: 10432166
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film resonator includes: a substrate; a piezoelectric film located on the substrate; lower and upper electrodes facing each other across at least a part of the piezoelectric film; a first insertion layer located between the lower and upper electrodes and located in at least a part of an outer peripheral region within a resonance region in which the lower and upper electrodes face each other across the piezoelectric film, the first insertion layer being not located in a center region of the resonance region; and a second insertion layer located between the lower and upper electrodes and located in at least a part of the outer peripheral region, the second insertion layer being not located in the center region, a position of an edge of the second insertion layer being different from a position of an edge of the first insertion film in the resonance region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jiansong Liu, Tokihiro Nishihara, Shinji Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 10416768
    Abstract: A bi-functional apparatus for sensing touch and delivering a haptic signal. The bi-functional apparatus comprises first and second electrodes. The first electrode provides a haptic interface for delivering an electrostatic force and has a top surface and a bottom surface. A dielectric insulator covers the top surface of the first electrode. A sensor is positioned between the bottom surface of the first electrode and the second electrode. The sensor selectively provides electrical conductivity between the first and second electrodes in response to at least a threshold amount of pressure exerted against the dielectric insulator. A method of sensing touch and delivering a haptic signal with a single device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Immersion Corporation
    Inventors: Vahid Khoshkava, Abdelwahab Hamam, Juan Manuel Cruz Hernandez
  • Patent number: 10401139
    Abstract: A sensing device, a method for fabrication thereof, and a method for operating the same are disclosed. The sensing device includes an upper harvester having a piezoelectric (PE) thin film layer, a pressure sensor having a first metallization layer forming a source region and a drain region, a piezoresistive (PR) thin film layer that provides a channel region permitting passage of charge carriers between the source region and the drain region, a second metallization layer forming a gate electrode and regulating flow of the charge carriers through the piezoelectric thin film layer in response to a strain on the PE thin film layer, and an insulating layer disposed between the PR thin film layer and the second metallization layer. In other embodiments, the device includes a lower harvesting including a PE thin film layer for harvesting electrical energy from the stress of a mechanical load on the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: United Arab Emirates University
    Inventors: Mahmoud F. Y. Al Ahmad, Areen Abdellah Romi Allataifeh
  • Patent number: 10381546
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a bimorph piezoelectric film that enables the production of touch panels and the like that are less influenced by pyroelectric noise due to temperature change, and exhibit high transparency. The present invention provides a bimorph piezoelectric film comprising in sequence a first piezoelectric film, a tackifier layer or an adhesive agent layer, and a second piezoelectric film, the first piezoelectric film and the second piezoelectric film being disposed in such a manner that their surfaces on which electric charges of the same polarity are generated by a temperature increase are each outward-facing, the first piezoelectric film and the second piezoelectric film each having a total light transmittance of 90% or more, and a total haze value of 8.0% or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Meiten Kou, Tetsuhiro Kodani, Tomoyuki Gotou, Saori Inaba, Takashi Kanemura
  • Patent number: 10231708
    Abstract: An ultrasound transducer that achieves broadband characteristics without degrading the sensitivity of the ultrasound transducer. Piezoelectric element (202) includes piezoelectric thin film (203), first electrode (204) that is disposed on a first surface of piezoelectric thin film (203) in a thickness direction of piezoelectric thin film (203), and second electrode (205) that is disposed on a second surface of piezoelectric thin film (203) in the thickness direction of piezoelectric thin film (203), and at least two of parameters of a spring constant, a viscosity coefficient, and a mass in an equivalent single damped oscillation model representing a structure of a diaphragm composed of each piezoelectric cell (200) are each set to a value that is different among the piezoelectric cells (200) such that a relationship between a driving frequency ratio and a phase in the diaphragm is substantially identical among the piezoelectric cells (200).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Kenji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10177732
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film resonator includes: a substrate; a piezoelectric film located on the substrate and having a Poisson's ratio of 0.33 or less; a lower electrode and an upper electrode facing each other across the piezoelectric film; and an insertion film that is located in the piezoelectric film or on a lower surface or an upper surface of the piezoelectric film in an outer peripheral region within a resonance region, in which the lower electrode and the upper electrode face each other across the piezoelectric film, and is not located in a center region of the resonance region, wherein at least one of the lower electrode, the piezoelectric film, and the upper electrode in the outer peripheral region within the resonance region is thinner than the at least one of the lower electrode, the piezoelectric film, and the upper electrode in the center region of the resonance region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 10153749
    Abstract: A resonator element includes a substrate that vibrates in a thickness shear vibration, a first excitation electrode that is provided on one main surface of the substrate and has a shape in which at least three corners of a virtual quadrangle are cut out, and a second excitation electrode that is provided on the other main surface of the substrate, and a ratio (S2/S1) of an area S1 of the virtual quadrangle and an area S2 of the first excitation electrode satisfies a relationship of 69.2%?(S2/S1)?80.1%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yusuke Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10128431
    Abstract: A multi-level piezoelectric actuator is manufactured using wafer level processing. Two PZT wafers are formed and separately metallized for electrodes. The metallization on the second wafer is patterned, and holes that will become electrical vias are formed in the second wafer. The wafers are then stacked and sintered, then the devices are poled as a group and then singulated to form nearly complete individual PZT actuators. Conductive epoxy is added into the holes at the product placement step in order to both adhere the actuator within its environment and to complete the electrical via thus completing the device. Alternatively: the first wafer is metallized; then the second wafer having holes therethrough but no metallization is stacked and sintered to the first wafer; and patterned metallization is applied to the second wafer to both form electrodes and to complete the vias. The devices are then poled as a group, and singulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Magnecomp Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Dunn, Peter Hahn
  • Patent number: 10120485
    Abstract: An electronic device that provides a number of function modes and operates by selecting one of the function modes. The device includes an audio output unit and a wireless communication unit that execute functions for the function modes. Moreover, a deformation detecting unit that detects deformation of an exterior housing by an external force and a storage unit that stores a correspondence between a deformation pattern and a response operation registered per function mode. The device also includes an operation determining unit that detects the deformation pattern based on the deformation and a control executing unit that reads a response operation of a current function mode associated with the deformation pattern and controls operation states of the audio output unit and the wireless communication unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Kano, Hiroaki Kitada, Takafumi Inoue
  • Patent number: 10097156
    Abstract: A resonance structure of bulk acoustic wave resonator comprises a bottom electrode, a dielectric layer and a top electrode, wherein the dielectric layer is formed on the bottom electrode; the top electrode is formed on the dielectric layer. A resonance area is defined by the overlapping area of the projection of the bottom electrode, the dielectric layer and the top electrode. The resonance area has a contour. The contour includes at least three curved edges and is formed by connecting the at least three curved edges. Each curved edge is concave to a geometric center of the contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: WIN SEMICONDUCTORS CORP.
    Inventors: Chia-Ta Chang, Re Ching Lin, Yung-Chung Chin, Chih-Feng Chiang
  • Patent number: 10032977
    Abstract: An inkjet printing head 1 includes a piezoelectric element 6 having a lower electrode 7, a piezoelectric film 8 formed above the lower electrode 7, and an upper electrode 9 formed above the piezoelectric film 8, a hydrogen barrier film 13 covering an entirety of a side surface of the upper electrode 9 and the piezoelectric film 8, and an interlayer insulating film 14 that has an opening 17 at an upper surface center of the upper electrode 9, is laminated on the hydrogen barrier film 13, and faces the entirety of the side surface of the upper electrode 9 and the piezoelectric film 8 across the hydrogen barrier film 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Fujimori, Tomohiro Date
  • Patent number: 9905364
    Abstract: A multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a multilayer body including ceramic layers and inner electrode layers, the inner electrode layers being disposed on interfaces between the ceramic layers, and an outer electrode on an external surface of the multilayer body and electrically connected to first end portions of the inner electrode layers exposed to the external surface of the multilayer body. Each of the ceramic layers includes a thin portion with a continuously reducing thickness near the first end portion. Each inner electrode layer includes a thick portion near a connection with the outer electrode, the thick portion having a thickness continuously increasing toward the connection on a first side in accordance with a shape of the thin portion in the ceramic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takahiro Hirao
  • Patent number: 9886135
    Abstract: The invention provides a capacitive touch panel that hardly cause malfunction in a wide range of temperature environment from a low temperature to a high temperature. The capacitive touch panel according to the invention is a capacitive touch panel including a display device, a lower adhesive layer, a capacitive touch panel sensor, an upper adhesive layer, and a protective substrate in this order, in which a maximum value of tan ? of the upper adhesive layer and a maximum value of tan ? of the lower adhesive layer obtained from a temperature dependency evaluation test is 0.08 or less, and tan ? of the lower adhesive layer at each temperature of every 20° C. from ?40° C. to 80° C. is equal to or less than tan ? of the upper adhesive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Ogikubo, Michihiro Shibata, Yasuhiro Mitamura
  • Patent number: 9842959
    Abstract: A Method for producing a microsystem (1) with pixels includes: producing a thermal silicon oxide layer on the surface of a silicon wafer as a base layer (5) by oxidation of the silicon wafer; producing a silicon oxide thin layer on the base layer as a carrier layer (6)by thermal deposition; producing a platinum layer on the carrier layer by thermal deposition, whereby an intermediate product is produced; cooling the intermediate product to room temperature; pixel-like structuring of the platinum layer by removing surplus areas of the platinum layer, whereby bottom electrodes (8, 12) of the pixels (7, 8) are formed in pixel shape on the carrier layer in remaining areas; removing material on the side of the silicon wafer facing away from the base layer, so a frame (3) remains and a membrane (4) formed by the base layer and the carrier layer is spanned by the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Pyreos, Ltd.
    Inventors: Carsten Giebeler, Neil Conway
  • Patent number: 9752907
    Abstract: An ultrasonic flowmeter includes a conduit for receiving a flow of a fluid and a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) including: a pair of ultrasonic transducers, wherein each transducer comprises a piezoelectric element divided into a plurality of segment electrodes and the FPC is bonded around the conduit; and a control circuit configured to sequentially activate the segment electrodes using a pulse train to cause at least one of the piezoelectric elements to emit a sonic signal. A delay time between activation of each successive segment electrode controls a phase velocity and an angle of emission of the corresponding sonic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Inventor: Joseph Baumoel
  • Patent number: 9595660
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electromechanical transducer includes forming a first electrode on a substrate or a base film, forming a piezoelectric film made of lead zirconate titanate on the first electrode, forming a second electrode on the piezoelectric film, and polarizing the piezoelectric film. The polarizing includes applying to the second electrode a positive polarity voltage having a positive polarity relative to a potential of the first electrode, and satisfying a first expression of ?EcP?(?Ec)<0 and a second expression of |?EcP?(?Ec)|>0.15×EcPav, where ?Ec represents an initial coercive field of a negative polarity side of the electromechanical transducer, ?EcP represents a coercive field of the negative polarity side after the applying, EcP represents a coercive field of a positive polarity side after the applying, and EcPav represents an average of absolute values of the coercive field ?EcP and the coercive field EcP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Akiyama, Naoya Kondo, Satoshi Mizukami
  • Patent number: 9559285
    Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator includes an actuator base that supports a load beam and has an opening accommodating a piezoelectric element, a receiver member that is laid on and fixed to the actuator base and forms a receiver that faces the opening and receives the piezoelectric element, an adhesive part formed of a liquid adhesive that is filled in a space defined by the piezoelectric element, an inner circumference of the opening, and the receiver and adheres the piezoelectric element to the inner circumference of the opening and the receiver, and a suppressing zone that is formed along an overlapping area where the actuator base and receiver member overlap each other and suppresses penetration of the liquid adhesive due to a capillary phenomenon into the overlapping area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shogo Imuta
  • Patent number: 9505201
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a ceramic device is provided including fixing a ceramic substrate to a reinforcing plate via a sacrifice layer, forming a groove, which penetrates the ceramic substrate and the sacrifice layer and reaches the reinforcing plate, on an upper surface of the ceramic substrate to divide the ceramic substrate into plural ceramic substrates, and removing the sacrifice layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Uetani, Takao Ohnishi, Takeshi Kaku
  • Patent number: 9455087
    Abstract: A dielectric film contains as a main component a dielectric composition represented by the general formula (Ba1-xCax)z(Ti1-yZry)O3 wherein 0.001?x?0.400, 0.001?y?0.400, and 0.900?z<0.995. In an X-ray diffraction pattern of the dielectric composition, the dielectric composition has the relation 0.00°?2?c?2?t<0.20° between (001) plane diffraction peak position 2?t of a tetragonal structure represented by the general formula and (100) plane diffraction peak position 2?c of a cubic structure represented by the general formula.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Saori Takeda, Masahito Furukawa, Masanori Kosuda, Yuji Sezai
  • Patent number: 9419202
    Abstract: An ultrasound transducer includes an acoustic layer having a front side and an opposite back side. The acoustic layer is configured to convert electrical signals into ultrasound waves to be transmitted from the front side toward a target. The acoustic layer is configured to convert received ultrasound waves into electrical signals. A lens is connected to the front side of the acoustic layer. A heat sink is connected to the back side of the acoustic layer. A flex circuit is disposed between the acoustic layer and the heat sink. The flex circuit includes a backside matching layer incorporated into a body of the flex circuit. The backside matching layer is connected in thermal communication with the acoustic layer and the heat sink such that the backside matching layer is configured to conduct heat from the acoustic layer to the heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Alan Chi-Chung Tai
  • Patent number: 9233538
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device including: a first electrode layer provided so as to overlie a substrate; a second electrode layer disposed so as to face the first electrode layer; and a piezoelectric layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The first electrode layer has a conductive layer and a barrier layer. The barrier layer is provided between the conductive layer and the piezoelectric layer so as to prevent the conductive layer from contacting the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji Osawa, Koji Ohashi, Eiju Hirai
  • Patent number: 9207134
    Abstract: A quad-axial force and torque measurement sensor is disclosed in the invention. The quad-axial force and torque measurement sensor includes a sensor main body which includes a polyvinylidene layer, a first circuit layer, and a second circuit layer. The polyvinylidene layer is located between the first circuit layer and the second circuit layer. The polyvinylidene layer includes a first polyvinylidene layer surface, a second polyvinylidene layer surface, a plurality of first electrodes, a plurality of second electrodes and a plurality of third electrodes. The first electrodes are located on the first polyvinylidene layer surface. The second electrodes and third electrodes are located on the second polyvinylidene layer surface, and the third electrodes are located around each of the second electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: CHUNG-YUAN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Yung Ting, Sheuan-Perng Lin
  • Patent number: 9187375
    Abstract: A dielectric ceramic composition may include a base powder represented by (1?a)[(1?x)BaTiO3?xBi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3]+a[(1?y)BaTiO3?yBi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3](wherein x, y, and a satisfy 0?x?0.05, 0.05?y?0.5, a?0, and 0.01?x?a?1?y) and formed by mixing a first powder represented by [(1?x)BaTiO3?xBi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3] with a second powder represented by [(1?y)BaTiO3?yBi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3]. Each of the first powder and the second powder contains a first main component represented by BaTiO3 and a second main component represented by Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3, but at different ratios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seok Hyun Yoon, Jae Sung Park, Soo Kyong Jo, Doo Young Kim, Chang Hoon Kim
  • Patent number: 9184372
    Abstract: A piezoelectric polymer material comprising a helical chiral polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from 50,000 to 1,000,000 and optical activity, the piezoelectric polymer material having: crystallinity as obtained by a DSC method of from 40% to 80%; a transmission haze with respect to visible light of 50% or less; and a product of the crystallinity and a standardized molecular orientation MORc, which is measured with a microwave transmission-type molecular orientation meter at a reference thickness of 50 ?m, of from 40 to 700.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignees: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC., A SCHOOL CORPORATION KANSAI UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Mitsunobu Yoshida, Shunsuke Fujii, Hitoshi Onishi, Yoshiro Tajitsu, Taizo Nishimoto, Kazuhiro Tanimoto, Kenichi Goto
  • Patent number: 9178471
    Abstract: A resonating element has a quartz crystal substrate having a vibrating portion and a thin-walled portion that is thinner than the vibrating portion, and a pair of excitation electrodes respectively disposed on opposite surfaces of the vibrating portion. Moreover, in the excitation electrode, each of a pair of sides arranged in a Z?-axis direction is convexly curved toward the center so that the excitation electrode has a constricted portion in which a length in the Z?-axis direction increases gradually from a central portion toward both ends in an X-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Matsutaro Naito, Toshiaki Sato, Jun Nishide, Takumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9123880
    Abstract: A laminated piezoelectric device comprising a device body 10 on which a number of piezoelectric layers 2 and internal electrodes 3, 4 are laminated, external electrodes 5, 6 electrically connected to the internal electrodes 3, 4 and formed on the surface of the device body 10, an insulation layer 7 and a resistance layer 8. The insulation layer 7 covers at least a portion wherein internal electrodes 3, 4 are exposed on the surface of the device body 10, where mechanical displacement is generated by applying voltage. The resistance layer 8 is formed to connect between external electrodes 5, 6 and has a lower electric resistance value than the insulation layer 7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Ozawa, Syuuzi Itoh, Haruo Taguchi
  • Patent number: 9061319
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an ultrasound probe including a plurality of piezoelectric elements forming a laminate, a plurality of internal electrodes formed at the lamination interface, an external electrode formed on the front or the rear surface of the laminate. The ultrasound probe includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements forming a laminate, a plurality of internal electrodes interposed among the piezoelectric elements, and an external electrode formed on the front or rear surface of the laminate, wherein the external electrode includes a first external electrode and a second external electrode disposed to have a space therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyun Phill Ko
  • Publication number: 20150145378
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a quartz vibrator and a method for manufacturing the same. The quartz vibrator includes a quartz substrate vibrating depending on an electrical signal, first and second electrodes formed on both surfaces of the quartz substrate, and a first protective layer including an opening corresponding to a trimming region of the first electrode and formed on the first electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Je Hong KYOUNG
  • Publication number: 20150145381
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a quartz vibrator and a method for manufacturing the same. The quartz vibrator includes a quartz substrate including an exciting part having a rectangular plate and a peripheral part having a thickness smaller than that of the exciting part and formed around the exciting part, a first electrode formed on one surface of the quartz substrate and the whole surface of the exciting part, and a second electrode formed on the other surface of the quartz substrate and the whole surface of the exciting part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Je Hong KYOUNG
  • Publication number: 20150145380
    Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric actuator including: a piezoelectric member having a multilayer structure; an external electrode formed on an outer surface of the piezoelectric member; and an intermediate electrode formed between layers of the piezoelectric members and having an area smaller than that of the external electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tae Kyung LEE, Byung Hun Kim, Hwa Sun Lee, Jae Chang Lee, Seung Mo Lim
  • Publication number: 20150137668
    Abstract: In a piezoelectric ceramic base, a contact interface in contact with an electrode has recess portions surrounded by crystal particles. An average depth T of the recess portions is preferably 1 to 10 ?m, and an occupation rate of the recess portions at the contact interface is preferably 65% or more of an area ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: Hitomi Hoshino, Ryoko Katayama, Hiroshi Asano
  • Patent number: 9035536
    Abstract: A piezoelectric thin-film resonator includes: a lower electrode provided on a substrate; a piezoelectric film that is provided on the lower electrode and includes at least two layers; an upper electrode that is provided on the piezoelectric film and has a region sandwiching the piezoelectric film with the lower electrode and facing the lower electrode; and an insulating film that is provided in a region in which the lower electrode and the upper electrode face each other and between each of the at least two layers, wherein an upper face of the insulating film is flatter than a lower face of the insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Ueda, Shinji Taniguchi, Tokihiro Nishihara
  • Patent number: 9030081
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device capable of adjusting shape/position of connection electrodes is provided to accommodate a first or second oscillating plate (piezoelectric). The second oscillating plate is shorter than the first oscillating plate, each oscillating plate includes an excitation and an extraction electrodes. The extraction electrode is electrically connected with a connection electrode via conductive adhesive agent in a package. The package includes a carrier section, carrying the first or the second oscillating plate thereon. The connection electrode is disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the carrier section. When the extraction electrode of the first oscillating plate is electrically connected with the connection electrode, the excitation electrode on one side of the first oscillating plate is not electrically connected with the connection electrode on the other side. The extraction electrodes of the second oscillating plate can be electrically connected with the connection electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shariman Bin Abdul Rahman
  • Publication number: 20150123516
    Abstract: A method for producing a multilayer component (21) is specified, which involves providing a body having dielectric layers (3) arranged one above another and first and second electrically conductive layers (4, 84, 5, 85) arranged therebetween. The first conductive layers (4, 84) are connected to a first auxiliary electrode (6) and the second conductive layers (5, 85) are connected to a second auxiliary electrode (7). The body (1, 81) is introduced into a medium and a voltage is applied between the first and second auxiliary electrodes (6, 7) for producing a material removal. Furthermore, a multilayer component is specified, which has depressions (20) formed by an electrochemically controlled material removal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Franz Rinner, Dieter Somitsch, Christoph Auer, Gerhard Fuchs
  • Publication number: 20150123514
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a first conductive pattern and a second conductive pattern that are disposed on a main surface of an insulating substrate, a first electrode pattern that is electrically connected to the first conductive pattern, and a vibrator element that is disposed on the main surface, and the area of a first section in which the first conductive pattern overlaps the first electrode pattern is greater than the area in which the other conductive pattern overlaps the first electrode pattern in a plan view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Masayuki ISHIKAWA, Seiichi CHIBA
  • Publication number: 20150123744
    Abstract: An electronic device includes: a first substrate, a first function part in its first surface, an adhesive layer on the first surface so as to surround the first function part, a second substrate bonded to the first substrate by the adhesive layer to form a gap between the first and second substrates, a first via interconnection piercing the first substrate to connect the first surface and an opposite second surface, a second via interconnection piercing the second substrate to connect a third surface of the second substrate opposite to the first substrate and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface, a first terminal provided on the second surface and connected to the first via interconnection, a second terminal provided on the fourth surface and connected to the second via interconnection. The first function part is connected to at least one of the first and second via interconnections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Gohki NISHIMURA, Takuma KUROYANAGI, Naoyuki TASAKA, Sachiko TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20150122908
    Abstract: There are provided a multi-layer piezoelectric element capable of suppressing the development of a small crack occurring at an interface between a piezoelectric layer and an internal electrode layer or in the internal electrode layer, and a piezoelectric actuator, an injection device and a fuel injection system including the same. A multi-layer piezoelectric element includes a stacked body in which piezoelectric layers and internal electrode layers are laminated, and an external electrode disposed on a side surface of the stacked body and electrically connected to the internal electrode layers through a conductive bonding material, the external electrode including protrusions protruding toward the stacked body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2013
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Kawamura
  • Patent number: 9024513
    Abstract: A multi-layer piezoelectric element includes a stacked body including piezoelectric layers and internal electrode layers, which are alternately stacked; an external electrode layer attached to a side surface of the stacked body, the external electrode layer being elongated in a stacking direction of the stacked body and electrically connected with ends of the internal electrode layers which are exposed on the side surface; and an external electrode plate bonded to the external electrode layer therealong by an electrically conducting bonding material. The external electrode plate is provided with slits which extend from opposite long sides toward a center thereof in such a manner that tips of the respective slits overlap each other when viewed in the stacking direction of the stacked body, and a portion thereof where the tips of the respective slits overlap each other is provided with a hole extending along an extension direction of the slit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Shinsaku Satoi, Masahiro Inagaki, Katsuhiko Hanada