A vibrator includes: a base portion; a vibrating arm including an arm portion which extends from the base portion, and a weight portion which is located on a tip end side of the arm portion and which has a first main surface and a second main surface that are in a front-back relationship; and a weight film disposed at the first main surface of the weight portion. The first main surface includes a first planar surface, a second planar surface which is located closer to the second main surface than is the first planar surface and which is parallel to the first planar surface, and an inclined surface which couples the first planar surface and the second planar surface and which forms an angle of 100? or less with the first planar surface. A method for manufacturing a vibrator includes: a preparation step of preparing the above-described vibrator; and a removing step of removing a part of the weight film by emitting an energy ray to the weight film from a normal direction of the first planar surface.

Micromachined ultrasonic transducers integrated with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) substrates are described, as well as methods of fabricating such devices. Fabrication may involve two separate wafer bonding steps. Wafer bonding may be used to fabricate sealed cavities in a substrate. Wafer bonding may also be used to bond the substrate to another substrate, such as a CMOS wafer. At least the second wafer bonding may be performed at a low temperature.

A data transmission module is provided as a battery-less accessory for attachment to portable metrology devices (e.g., handheld digital calipers, micrometers, indicators, etc.). Rather than utilizing battery resources from the metrology devices, the data transmission module utilizes energy harvested wirelessly from a remote data node (e.g., a computer system, display, etc.) to power transmission of measurement data signals to the remote data node. The data transmission module may receive sufficient power when relatively close to the remote data node, such as when a user is near the remote data node when operating the metrology device to obtain dimensional measurements of a workpiece. A wireless data generator of the data transmission module may be configured to wirelessly communicate measurement data signals using: the harvested energy; or a modulated reflection of, or coupling to, a received energy supply field from the remote data node; or a combination thereof.

A method of fabricating a microelectronic device comprising providing a substrate comprising a first bottom surface, providing a mold comprising a first top surface with first projections, and punching the first projections through the first bottom surface to define anchors, pre-cantilevers, and cavities in the substrate. A piezoelectric cantilever actuator system array prepared by a process comprising the steps of providing a substrate comprising a first bottom surface, providing a mold comprising a first top surface with first projections, and punching the first projections through the first bottom surface to define anchors, pre-cantilevers, and cavities in the substrate. A microelectronic device comprising a base, a first anchor coupled to the base, and a first cantilever coupled to the first anchor, wherein the base, the first anchor, and the first cantilever are an integral structure formed from the same substrate material.

A piezoelectric actuator has a ground substrate layer, an intermediate layer containing at least one of Ti and TiO.sub.2 on the ground substrate layer, an electrode layer containing Pt on the intermediate layer, and a piezoelectric layer containing lead zirconate titanate on the electrode layer, in which the lead zirconate titanate contained in the piezoelectric layer is preferentially oriented in the (100), (001), or (110) direction, the Pt contained in the electrode layer is preferentially oriented in the (111) direction, and the half width of the rocking curve in the (111) plane of the Pt contained in the electrode layer in X-ray diffraction is 1 or more.

An ultrasonic transducer element chip includes a substrate defining an opening, an ultrasonic transducer element disposed at a position corresponding to the opening in a thickness direction of the substrate, and a reinforcing member connected to the substrate to cover the opening. The reinforcing member defines a ventilation passage from the opening to an outside of the substrate.

A method of fabricating a pressure sensor is disclosed. Initially, a first metal is deposited on top of a substrate, and the first metal is patterned accordingly. A PVDF-TrFE nano fiber is then deposited on top of the first metal layer, and the PVDF-TrFE nano fiber is etched. A second metal layer is subsequently deposited on top of the PVDF-TrFE nano fiber, and the second metal layer is etched to form a pressure sensor.

There is presented a transparent optical device element (700) comprising an optical lens (744), comprising one or more piezoelectric actuators (206, 208, 210), wherein said optical lens (744) comprises an optical aperture (632), and wherein the optical device element furthermore comprises a passivation layer (312, 314, 742, 628) placed on said optical lens, said passivation layer comprising a barrier layer (312) forming a humidity barrier, and being located on at least a portion of said cover member, where said portion of said cover member is intersected by the optical axis, and on said piezoelectric actuators, and wherein the passivation layer furthermore comprises one or more further layers (628) located on at least said portion of said cover member being intersected by the optical axis, wherein said passivation layer forms an anti-reflection coating for said optical lens (744) at least along the optical axis (634).

A piezoelectric thin film-stacked body is provided. A piezoelectric thin film-stacked body has a first electrode layer, a first intermediate layer stacked on the first electrode layer, a second intermediate layer stacked on the first intermediate layer, and a piezoelectric thin film stacked on the second intermediate layer, the first intermediate layer includes K, Na, and Nb, the second intermediate layer is a layer causing stress in a compression direction in the piezoelectric thin film, and the piezoelectric thin film includes (K,Na)NbO.sub.3.

A method of producing a structure made of a piezoelectric material, including: a) production of a stack including at least one metal layer and at least one conductive layer on a substrate made of piezoelectric material, wherein at least one electrical contact is established between the conductive layer and a metal element outside the stack; b) an ionic and/or atomic implantation, through the conductive layer and the metal layer; c) transfer of the substrate onto a transfer substrate, followed by fracturing of the transferred piezoelectric substrate, in an embrittlement area.