A method of making an actuator for a resonant acoustic pump comprises: forming a through-hole in a ceramic material of a piezoelectric layer of the actuator, prior to assembly of the piezoelectric layer with other layers of the actuator; forming a through-hole in a flexible circuit layer of the actuator; forming a through-hole in an end plate layer of the actuator; and disposing each of the piezoelectric layer and the end plate layer on a respective one of opposite sides of the flexible circuit layer, so that the through-holes align to provide a passageway for a fluid to pass through the actuator.

Methods and systems are provided for a single element ultrasound transducer. In one embodiment, the ultrasound transducer comprises a front face, a back face parallel to the front face, a piezoelectric layer having a top surface electrically coupled to the signal pad and a bottom surface electrically coupled to the ground pad. In this way, the transducer can work robustly and may be automatically mounted to an imaging probe.

Methods and systems are provided for a single element ultrasound transducer. In one embodiment, the ultrasound transducer comprises a front face, a back face parallel to the front face, a piezoelectric layer having a top surface electrically coupled to the signal pad and a bottom surface electrically coupled to the ground pad. In this way, the transducer can work robustly and may be automatically mounted to an imaging probe.

A method for producing a piezoelectric transducer device is provided, including a membrane including at least one silicon and/or silicon nitride layer; a piezoelectric layer including at least one piezoelectric material with crystalline perovskite structure and arranged on the membrane; first and second electrodes electrically in contact with the piezoelectric layer; and in which the piezoelectric layer is in direct contact with the silicon and/or silicon nitride layer, or in which the piezoelectric layer is in contact with the silicon and/or silicon nitride layer solely through one or more metal layers.

A method for producing a piezoelectric transducer device is provided, including a membrane including at least one silicon and/or silicon nitride layer; a piezoelectric layer including at least one piezoelectric material with crystalline perovskite structure and arranged on the membrane; first and second electrodes electrically in contact with the piezoelectric layer; and in which the piezoelectric layer is in direct contact with the silicon and/or silicon nitride layer, or in which the piezoelectric layer is in contact with the silicon and/or silicon nitride layer solely through one or more metal layers.

A bonded body includes a supporting substrate, a piezoelectric material substrate of a material selected from the group consisting of lithium niobate, lithium tantalate and lithium niobate-lithium tantalate, and a bonding layer bonding the supporting substrate and piezoelectric material substrate. A material of the bonding layer is silicon oxide. Provided that the bonding layer is divided into a piezoelectric material substrate-side bonding part and a supporting substrate-side bonding part, the piezoelectric material substrate-side bonding part has a nitrogen concentration higher than a nitrogen concentration of the supporting substrate-side bonding part.

A sound producing device in which an adhesive layer between a piezoelectric element and a metal plate has sufficient electrical conductivity includes: a metal plate; a piezoelectric ceramic including a first adhesion surface, the first adhesion surface being a surface bonded to the metal plate; an alternating current power supply that applies an alternating voltage to the piezoelectric ceramic; and an adhesive layer formed from conductive adhesive and thermosetting adhesive which are spread over the first adhesion surface, the conductive adhesive being applied in a center portion of the first adhesion surface and the thermosetting adhesive being applied at three or more locations in a periphery of the first adhesion surface. An adhesion surface of the metal plate that is bonded to the piezoelectric ceramic is a second adhesion surface, and the first adhesion surface and the second adhesion surface are bonded together by the adhesive layer.

A sound producing device in which an adhesive layer between a piezoelectric element and a metal plate has sufficient electrical conductivity includes: a metal plate; a piezoelectric ceramic including a first adhesion surface, the first adhesion surface being a surface bonded to the metal plate; an alternating current power supply that applies an alternating voltage to the piezoelectric ceramic; and an adhesive layer formed from conductive adhesive and thermosetting adhesive which are spread over the first adhesion surface, the conductive adhesive being applied in a center portion of the first adhesion surface and the thermosetting adhesive being applied at three or more locations in a periphery of the first adhesion surface. An adhesion surface of the metal plate that is bonded to the piezoelectric ceramic is a second adhesion surface, and the first adhesion surface and the second adhesion surface are bonded together by the adhesive layer.

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.

A method for manufacturing a hybrid structure comprising an effective layer of piezoelectric material having an effective thickness and disposed on a supporting substrate having a substrate thickness and a thermal expansion coefficient lower than that of the effective layer includes: a) a step of providing a bonded structure comprising a piezoelectric material donor substrate and the supporting substrate, b) a first step of thinning the donor substrate to form a thinned layer having an intermediate thickness and disposed on the supporting substrate, the assembly forming a thinned structure; c) a step of heat treating the thinned structure at an annealing temperature; and d) a second step, after step c), of thinning the thinned layer to form the effective layer. The method also comprises, prior to step b), a step a′) of determining a range of intermediate thicknesses that prevent the thinned structure from being damaged during step c).