Method for manufacturing a thin layer of textured AlN comprising the following successive steps: a) providing a substrate having an amorphous surface, b) forming a polycrystalline nucleation layer of MS.sub.2 with M=Mo, W or one of the alloys thereof, on the amorphous surface of the substrate, the polycrystalline nucleation layer consisting of crystalline domains the base planes of which are parallel to the amorphous surface of the substrate, the crystalline domains being oriented randomly in an (a, b) plane formed by the amorphous surface of the substrate, c) depositing aluminum nitride on the nucleation layer, leading to the formation of a thin layer of textured AlN.

Provided is a piezoelectric device including: a substrate (10) on which a plurality of recesses (12) are provided; a vibrating plate (50) which is provided on one surface side of the substrate; and a piezoelectric element (300) which is provided over the vibrating plate (50) and on which a first electrode (60), a piezoelectric layer (70), and a second electrode (80) are laminated from the substrate (10) side, in which the first electrode (60) is formed to have a first width which is smaller than a dimension of the recess in a parallel arrangement direction in the parallel arrangement direction of at least one recess (12), and the piezoelectric layer (70) is extended to the outer side of the first electrode (60) in the parallel arrangement direction and has a second width which is greater than the first width and smaller than a width of the recess (12) in the parallel arrangement direction, the vibrating plate (50) contains a zirconium oxide layer (52), and when an area of the zirconium oxide layer (52) corresponding to the first electrode having the first width is set as a first area (p), areas of the zirconium oxide layer (52) corresponding to areas where the piezoelectric layer (70) is provided on the outer side of the first area (p) in the parallel arrangement direction are set as second areas (q), and areas of the zirconium oxide layer (52) corresponding to the recess (12) on the outer side of the second areas (q) in the parallel arrangement direction are set as third areas (r), the zirconium oxide layer (52) contains particulate crystal in the first area (p) at least on the first electrode (60) side in the thickness direction and contains columnar crystal in the third areas (r).

A physical disturbance sensor includes a plurality of piezoresistive elements configured in a resistive bridge configuration. A signal transmitter is electrically connected to the physical disturbance sensor and configured to send an encoded signal to the piezoresistive elements of the resistive bridge configuration. A signal receiver is electrically connected to the piezoresistive elements and configured to receive a signal from the physical disturbance sensor. The received signal from the physical disturbance sensor is correlated with the sent encoded signal in determining a measure of physical disturbance.

A method of fabricating a piezoelectric layer includes depositing a piezoelectric material onto a substrate in a first crystallographic phase by physical vapor deposition while the substrate remains at a temperature below 400 C., and thermally annealing the substrate at a temperature above 500 C. to convert the piezoelectric material to a second crystallographic phase. The physical vapor deposition includes sputtering from a target in a plasma deposition chamber.

A piezoelectric device includes a substrate, a thermal oxide layer on the substrate, a metal or metal oxide adhesion layer on the thermal oxide layer, a lower electrode on the metal oxide adhesion layer, a seed layer on the lower electrode, a lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMNPT) piezoelectric layer on the seed layer, and an upper electrode on the PMNPT piezoelectric layer.

A process for producing a crystalline layer of PZT material, comprising the transfer of a monocrystalline seed layer of SrTiO.sub.3 material to a carrier substrate of silicon material, followed by epitaxial growth of the crystalline layer of PZT material.

A hybrid structure for a surface acoustic wave device comprises a working layer of piezoelectric material assembled with a support substrate having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than that of the working layer, and an intermediate layer located between the working layer and the support substrate. The intermediate layer is a sintered composite layer formed from powders of at least a first material and a second material different from the first.

In a non-limiting embodiment, a device may include a substrate, and a hybrid active structure disposed over the substrate. The hybrid active structure may include an anchor region and a free region. The hybrid active structure may be connected to the substrate at least at the anchor region. The anchor region may include at least a segment of a piezoelectric stack portion. The piezoelectric stack portion may include a first electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer over the first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer over the piezoelectric layer. The free region may include at least a segment of a mechanical portion. The piezoelectric stack portion may overlap the mechanical portion at edges of the piezoelectric stack portion.

A method for fabricating an array of front ends for an array of packaged electronic components that each comprise:

an electrical element packaged within a package comprising
a front part of a package comprising an inner section with a cavity therein opposite the resonator defined by the raised frame and an outer section sealing said cavity; and
a back part of the package comprising a back cavity in an inner back section, and an outer back section sealing the cavity, said back package further comprising a first and a second via through the back end around said at least one back cavity for coupling to front and back electrodes of the electronic component; the vias terminating in external contact pads that are coupleable in a flip chip configuration to a circuit board; the method comprising the stages of: i. Obtaining a carrier substrate having an active membrane layer attached thereto by its rear surface, with a front electrode on the front surface of the active membrane layer; ii. Obtaining an inner front end section; iii. Attaching the inner front end section to the exposed front surface of the front electrode; iv. Detaching the carrier substrate from the rear surface of the active membrane layer; v. Optionally thinning the inner front section; vi. Processing the rear surface by removing material to create an array of at least one island of active membrane on at least one island of front electrode; vii. Creating an array of at least one front cavity by selectively removing at least outer layer of the inner front end section, such that there is one cavity opposite each island of membrane on the front side of the front electrode on the opposite side to the island of active membrane; viii. Applying an outer front end section to the inner front end section and bonding the outer front end section to an outer surface of the inner front end section such that the outer front end section spans across and seals the at least one cavity of the array of front cavities.

A layer system especially for forming SAW devices thereon is proposed comprising a monocrystalline sapphire substrate having a first surface and a crystalline piezoelectric layer comprising MN, deposited onto the first surface, and having a second surface. As a first surface a crystallographic R-plane of sapphire is used enabling an orientation of c-axis of the piezoelectric layer parallel to the first and second surfaces.