A heterostructure includes a substrate exhibiting a piezoelectric effect, and a magnetostrictive film supported by the substrate. The magnetostrictive film includes an iron-gallium alloy. The iron-gallium alloy has a gallium composition greater than 20%.

An energy converter is formed by bonding a solid soft magnetic material and a solid magnetostrictive material. A vibration power generator is configured to generate power by means of the inverse magnetostriction effect of the magnetostrictive material produced by the vibration of a vibration unit configured using the energy converter. A force sensor device includes a force detection unit that detects magnetization change resulting from the inverse magnetostriction effect of the magnetostrictive material produced when a sensor unit configured using the energy converter deforms, and determines force acting on the sensor unit on the basis of the detected magnetization change. An actuator is configured to vibrate the vibration unit configured using the energy converter by means of the magnetostriction effect of the magnetostrictive material.

Systems and methods for actuation of downhole devices are disclosed. The system includes a first cylindrical pipe having one or more first materials attached to an outer surface of the first cylindrical pipe, a second cylindrical pipe co-axial with the first cylindrical pipe and having a diameter greater than the first cylindrical pipe, the second cylindrical pipe comprising one or more second materials disposed on an inner surface of the second cylindrical pipe, wherein the first materials generate one or more signals when the first materials come in contact with the second materials, and a digital logic circuit configured to receive the one or more signals as input, and generate an output based on the input, the output configured for actuation of the downhole devices.

Provided herein is a magnetostriction element having a large power output and a high power density. The magnetostriction element is comprised of a magnetostrictive material that is a monocrystalline alloy represented by the following formula (1),
Fe.sub.(100-α-β)Ga.sub.αX.sub.β,  Formula (1)
wherein α and β represent the Ga content (at %) and the X content (at %), respectively, X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Cu, and C, and the formula satisfies 5≤α≤40, and 0≤β≤1.

A method is proposed for the production of a deformation body (100) for measuring a force and/or a torque for a roll stabilization system of a vehicle. In one example, the method comprises a step of preparing a support material, a step of producing a central element (104) that can be connected to the support material and can be deformed by the force, and a step of connecting the support material to the central element (104) in order to produce the deformation body (100).

A method of manufacturing an ambient energy converter that includes a supporting substrate of a first conductor material as a first electrode, a layer of ferroelectric material, and a layer of a second conductor material as a second electrode. The two conductor materials have different concentrations of free electrons. The ferroelectric material includes one or more ferroelectric semiconductors. The method includes providing a plate of the conductor material for the first electrode as a supporting substrate, subjecting the carrier substrate to a surface treatment, depositing the layer of ferroelectric material (BTO layer) on a front side of the carrier substrate, masking the edges of the BTO layer on the front side of the carrier substrate while leaving at least one portion located within the edges of the BTO layer free, and applying the conductor material intended for the second electrode to the area kept free of masking.

A power generation element uses an inverse magnetostrictive effect and includes: a frame yoke made of a magnetic material and having a bent part for forming a closed magnetic circuit, a magnetic part formed in a part of the frame yoke, a magnetostrictive plate made of a magnetostrictive material, a coil, and magnets. The magnetic part has rigidity and geometry for applying a uniform compressive force or tensile force to the magnetostrictive plate and is magnetically saturated by magnetic biases of the magnets. The magnetostrictive plate is attached to the frame yoke so as to be parallel to the magnetic part. The coil is wound around a parallel beam part including the magnetostrictive plate and the magnetic part and/or around the frame yoke. An application of an external force causes the magnetostrictive plate to be extended and compressed and causes the generation of electricity.

Embodiments of the invention include a current sensing device for sensing current in an organic substrate. The current sensing device includes a released base structure that is positioned in proximity to a cavity of the organic substrate and a piezoelectric film stack that is positioned in proximity to the released base structure. The piezoelectric film stack includes a piezoelectric material in contact with first and second electrodes. A magnetic field is applied to the current sensing device and this causes movement of the released base structure and the piezoelectric stack which induces a voltage (potential difference) between the first and second electrodes.

A sub-micrometer pressure sensor including a multilayered magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) pillar containing a magnetostrictive material layer above or below a magnetic free layer of the multilayered MTJ pillar is provided. Advanced patterning allows for scaling of the multilayered MTJ pillar down to 25 nm or below which enables the formation of a large array of extremely high resolution pressure sensors. By varying the thickness of the magnetostrictive material layer, the sensitivity of the pressure sensor can be fine tuned. Unique magnetostrictive materials in the multilayered MTJ pillar will alter the device current with the input of external pressure. Furthermore, unique arrays with much smaller critical elements can be organized in differential sensing arrangements of the multilayered MTJ pillar with pressure sensing capability that can outperform current piezoelectric based pressure sensing arrays.

A magnetostrictive-type sensor temperature-detecting circuit configured to be used in a magnetostrictive-type sensor including an applied stress-detecting coil, and a driving section to output an alternating voltage, excite the coil with a resulting alternating electric current, and switch flow directions of the electric current flowing in the coil in response to switching voltage polarities of the output alternating voltage, to detect a temperature of the coil in the sensor. This temperature-detecting circuit includes an alternating electric current direction switching time-detecting section to detect an amount of time from when the voltage polarities of the output alternating voltage are switched until when the flow directions of the electric current flowing in the coil are switched, and a temperature-computing section to compute the temperature of the coil on the basis of the amount of time detected by the alternating electric current direction switching time-detecting section.