A microelectromechanical resonator includes a support structure, a resonator element suspended to the support structure, and an actuator for exciting the resonator element to a resonance mode. The resonator element includes a plurality of adjacent sub-elements each having a length and a width and a length-to-width aspect ratio of higher than 1 and being adapted to a resonate in a length-extensional, torsional or flexural resonance mode. Further, each of the sub-elements is coupled to at least one other sub-element by one or more connection elements coupled to non-nodal points of the of said resonance modes of the sub-elements for exciting the resonator element into a collective resonance mode.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is proposed a capacitive radiofrequency MicroElectroMechanical System or capacitive RF MEMS comprising a metallic membrane suspended above an RF transmission line and resting on ground planes, and exhibiting a lower face, an upper face opposite to the lower face and a first layer comprising a refractory metallic material at least partially covering the upper face of the membrane so as to prevent the heating of the membrane.

A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body, a first electrode, a second electrode, a third electrode, and a first through hole conductor. The piezoelectric body includes first and second main surfaces opposing each other, and first and second end surfaces opposing each other. The first electrode is disposed on the first main surface. The second electrode is disposed apart from the first electrode on the first main surface. The third electrode is disposed in the piezoelectric body to oppose the first electrode. The first through hole conductor is connected to the second and third electrodes. The piezoelectric body includes an active region and an inactive region. The active region includes a region from the first electrode to the third electrode. The inactive region includes a region from the third electrode to the second main surface.

A multi-layer microactuator for a hard disk drive suspension includes a piezoelectric (PZT) layer, a constraining layer, a lower electrode layer, a middle electrode layer, and an upper electrode layer. The lower electrode layer is on a bottom surface of the PZT layer and includes a first lower electrode island, a second lower electrode island, and a third lower electrode island. The second lower electrode island includes a finger extending from a main body portion towards a first end of the PZT layer. The middle electrode layer is disposed between a top surface of the PZT layer and a bottom surface of the constraining layer. The middle electrode layer including a first middle electrode island and a second middle electrode island, the second middle electrode island including a finger extending from a main body portion towards the first end of the PZT layer.

A transducer (140) having a mechanical impedance over an operative frequency range and having a desired power coupling (145) to a load over the operative frequency range comprises a piezoelectric device (141) having a frequency distribution of modes in the operative frequency range; and an overmould (143). The overmould (143) is arranged to surround at least part of the piezoelectric device (141); and the parameters of the overmould (143) are selected to provide a required impedance matching between the mechanical impedance of the transducer (140) and the mechanical impedance of the load. An alternative transducer comprises a mounting means for holding a discrete portion of at least a part of the periphery of the piezoelectric device wherein the parameters of the mounting means are selected to provide a required boundary condition for the periphery of the piezoelectric device whereby the desired power coupling between the transducer and the load is provided.

Examples of portable electronic devices including a piezo actuated vibrator for providing tactile feedback to the user are described. Portable electronic devices according to the present disclosure may include tactile feedback devices, which may be driven by a piezoelectric actuator/vibrator that is operatively coupled to or embedded into the housing of a portable electronic device. In some examples, the housing of the electronic device itself can be made of piezoelectric ceramic material. The piezoelectric element may be coupled to the housing of the product to cause the housing to deflect and/or vibrate. In some examples, the housing of the portable electronic device, which may be a portable media player device, may be configured for placement directly or indirectly in contact with the user's skin such that vibrations of the housing may be felt directly (without audible feedback) by the user.

In an angular velocity sensor, a pair of support parts are separated from each other in an x-axis direction in an orthogonal coordinate system xyz. A main part extends along the x-axis. A pair of extension parts connect two ends of the main part and inner sides of the support parts. The driving arms extend from the main part alongside each other in a y-axis direction separated from each other in the x-axis direction. The detecting arm extends from the main part in the y-axis direction at a position which is between the pair of driving arms. The driving circuit supplies voltages so that the pair of driving arms vibrate so as to bend to inverse sides from each other in the x-axis direction. The detecting circuit detects the signal generated due to bending deformation of the detecting arm in the z-axis direction.

A light scanning apparatus includes a mirror supporting portion having a mirror on a front surface, an actuator configured to driving the mirror supporting portion, a fixed frame disposed around the mirror supporting portion and the actuator, and at least one rib disposed on a back surface side of the mirror supporting portion or the actuator, wherein the rib includes a straight portion and a contact portion having a width wider than a width of the straight portion.

A MicroElectroMechanical System is provided, with an active element configured to carry out an electromechanical function, the active element including, from an upper face to a lower face substantially parallel to the upper face, an active layer, a core layer, and a retention layer, the active layer being configured to, under the effect of a first electric signal, go into a mechanically stressed state, configured to generate a bending of the active element in a direction perpendicular to a front face thereof, and vice versa, the active layer, the core layer, and the retention layer being arranged so that a neutral axis, associated with an elongation of zero in a case of bending of the active element, is located in a volume of one or the other of the core layer and of the retention layer, and the core layer further includes at least 20% recesses in its volume.

Disclosed herein are structures, devices, methods and systems for providing haptic output on an electronic device. In some embodiments, the electronic device includes an actuator configured to move in a first direction. The electronic device also includes a substrate coupled to the actuator. When the actuator moves in the first direction, the substrate or a portion of the substrate, by virtue of being coupled to the actuator, moves in a second direction. In some implementations, the movement of the substrate is perpendicular to the movement of the actuator.