A piezoelectric driving element is a cantilever-type piezoelectric driving element in which one end which is a fixed end is fixed to a support base and another end which is a free end is driven. The piezoelectric driving element includes: a first piezoelectric body disposed on the fixed end side; and a second piezoelectric body disposed on the free end side with respect to the fixed end. Here, a thickness of the second piezoelectric body is set to be smaller than a thickness of the first piezoelectric body.

A rearview assembly is disclosed. The rearview assembly comprises a reflective element and/or a display element. Further, the rearview assembly comprises an array of piezo-electric sensors. The array of piezo-electric sensors may be operable to sense a first vibration. Further, based, at least in part, on sensing the first vibration, the array of piezo-electric sensors may be operable to output a second vibration. In some embodiments, the second vibration may be operable to substantially dampen the first vibration. In other embodiments, the second vibration may be operable to provide haptic feedback to a user interfacing with a touch screen surface of the rearview assembly.

A force-measuring and touch-sensing integrated circuit device includes a semiconductor substrate, a thin-film piezoelectric stack overlying the semiconductor substrate, piezoelectric micromechanical force-measuring elements (PMFEs), and piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs). The thin-film piezoelectric stack includes a piezoelectric layer. The PMFEs and PMUTs are located at respective lateral positions along the thin-film piezoelectric stack, such that each of the PMFEs and PMUTs includes a respective portion of the thin-film piezoelectric stack. Each PMUT has a cavity, the respective portion of the thin-film piezoelectric stack, and first and second PMUT electrodes. Each PMFE has the respective portion of the thin-film piezoelectric stack, and first and second PMFE electrodes. Each PMFE is configured to output voltage signals between the PMFE electrodes in accordance with a time-varying strain at the respective portion of the piezoelectric layer resulting from a low-frequency mechanical deformation.

A method includes receiving, by a piezoelectric stack of a transducer, a first piezoelectric voltage. The transducer has a base structure and a first layer, the base structure having a first displacement between a first portion of the base structure and the first layer. The method also includes transmitting, by the transducer, a first ultrasound frequency while receiving a first piezoelectric voltage, and receiving, by the transducer, a first bias voltage. The received first bias voltage alters the first displacement between the first portion of the base structure and the first layer, and the altered first displacement is smaller than the first displacement. The method further includes receiving, by the piezoelectric stack of the transducer, a second piezoelectric voltage to the transducer, and transmitting, by the transducer, a second ultrasound frequency while receiving the first bias voltage and the second piezoelectric voltage.

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for depositing uniform layers on a substrate (201) for piezoelectric applications. An ultra-thin seed layer (308) having a uniform thickness from center to edge thereof is deposited on a substrate (201). A template layer (310) closely matching the crystal structure of a subsequently formed piezoelectric material layer (312) is deposited on a substrate (201). The uniform thickness and orientation of the seed layer (308) and the template layer (310), in turn, facilitate the growth of piezoelectric materials with improved crystallinity and piezoelectric properties.

A piezoelectric film integrated device include a substrate; a first electrode provided on the substrate; a second electrode provided on the substrate; a first monocrystalline piezoelectric film provided on the first electrode; a second monocrystalline piezoelectric film provided on the second electrode and having a crystal structure different from a crystal structure of the first monocrystalline piezoelectric film; a third electrode provided on the first monocrystalline piezoelectric film; and a fourth electrode provided on the second monocrystalline piezoelectric film.

A piezoelectric-body film joint substrate includes a substrate, a substrate electrode provided on the substrate, a first piezoelectric-body film stuck on the substrate electrode and including a first piezoelectric film and a first upper electrode film formed on the first piezoelectric film, and a second piezoelectric-body film stuck on the first upper electrode film and including a second piezoelectric film different from the first piezoelectric film and a second upper electrode film formed on the second piezoelectric film.

A piezoelectric-body film joint substrate includes a substrate, a first electrode provided on the substrate, a first piezoelectric-body film stuck on the first electrode and including a first piezoelectric film and a first upper electrode film formed on the first piezoelectric film, a second electrode provided on the substrate, and a second piezoelectric-body film stuck on the second electrode and including a second piezoelectric film different from the first piezoelectric film and a second upper electrode film formed on the second piezoelectric film, wherein a height from an upper surface of the substrate, on which the first electrode and the second electrode are formed, to a top of the first upper electrode film and a height from the upper surface of the substrate to a top of the second upper electrode film differ from each other.

A piezoelectric element according to the present disclosure includes: a substrate containing silicon; a first electrode formed on the substrate; a piezoelectric layer formed on the first electrode and containing potassium, sodium, and niobium; and a second electrode formed on the piezoelectric layer, in which a first diffusion inhibition layer containing an insulating material is disposed between the substrate and the piezoelectric layer, the piezoelectric layer is continuously formed on a first region which is a surface of the first electrode, a second region which is a surface of the first diffusion inhibition layer, and a third region which is a surface of the substrate, and the third region is between the first region and the second region.

A piezoelectric film integrated device includes a substrate; an electrode provided on the substrate; a first piezoelectric element that is provided on the electrode and includes a first monocrystalline piezoelectric film and a first electrode film superimposed on the first monocrystalline piezoelectric film; and a second piezoelectric element that is provided on the first piezoelectric element and includes a second monocrystalline piezoelectric film and a second electrode film superimposed on the second monocrystalline piezoelectric film.