Disclosed is a flexible tactile actuator including a tactile transmitter configured to be flexible and including magnetic particles capable of being polarized in response to an external magnetic field and a matrix layer including the magnetic particles, a magnetic field generator disposed below the tactile transmitter and configured to generate a magnetic field in the tactile transmitter, and an elastic member provided in a shape of a film, having at least a portion in surface contact with the magnetic field generator, and attached to be in surface contact with one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the tactile transmitter.

Compact and power efficient acoustically actuated magnetoelectric antennas for transmitting and receiving very low frequency (VLF) electromagnetic waves utilize magnetoelectric coupling in a magnetic/piezoelectric heterostructure to provide voltage control of magnetization in transmission mode and magnetic control of electric polarization in receiving mode. The magnetoelectric antennas provide a power efficiency enhanced by orders of magnitude compared to magnetically or mechanically switching the magnetization. The antennas can be used in groups or arrays and can be combined to form VLF communication systems.

There is provided a magnetic deformable member that is deformable upon application of magnetism, and that has a front surface that projects toward the side opposite to a magnet when such a magnet is placed. The front surface provides variations in tactile feel or viewability for humans by providing a soft tactile feel. A magnetic deformable member 10 includes: a flexible sheet; a back plate made of a hard material and stacked on the flexible sheet; a gel charged inside a space between the flexible sheet and the back plate; and a magnetic member having an annular shape as viewed in plan in a direction that is perpendicular to a front surface of the flexible sheet and having a length in the perpendicular direction. The magnetic member is secured to the flexible sheet, and disposed in the gel.

A downhole acoustic emitter including a support housing with a cavity and ports, in which housing are disposed a rod-type magnetostrictive transducer with an electrical coil on the rods, and an acoustic waveguide in the form of a cylinder which transitions into a tapering cone. The cylindrical portion of the acoustic waveguide is disposed inside the support housing, and the conical portion is disposed outside the housing. The upper end surface of the acoustic waveguide is coaxially joined to the lower emitting surface of the magnetostrictive transducer by soldering, and the acoustic waveguide is joined at its middle portion, which coincides with the zero vibration point of the waveguide, to the support housing by a threaded joint. The downhole acoustic emitter is provided with an emitting element, the upper end of which is coaxially joined to the lower end of the acoustic waveguide by a threaded joint. The magnetostrictive transducer has a length of 200-280 mm and is made of Permendur, and the ports are arranged around the perimeter of the support housing in two rows, the first of which is level with the top turns of the electrical coil of the magnetostrictive transducer, and the second row is level with the bottom turns of the coil. The emitting element is in the form of a cylinder or a prism with a square cross-section.

A dual nitride landing pad for a high performance magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device is formed on a recessed surface of the least one electrically conductive structure in a MRAM device area. The dual nitride landing pad includes a bottom metal nitride landing pad and a TaN-containing landing pad.

Provided herein is an FeGa-base magnetostriction element that has specific characteristics with regards to magnetostriction along the longitudinal direction, and that shows a sufficiently high magnetostriction level along the longitudinal direction. The magnetostriction element is formed of a magnetostrictive material that is a monocrystalline alloy represented by Fe.sub.(100-)Ga.sub. ( represents the Ga content (at %), and satisfies 1419) or Fe.sub.(100--)Ga.sub.X.sub. ( and 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 1419, and 0.51). The magnetostriction element has a longitudinal direction with a first dimension, and a transverse direction with a second dimension smaller than the first dimension, the transverse direction being orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and the longitudinal direction being parallel to the <100> crystal orientation of the monocrystalline alloy. The magnetostriction element, under a magnetic field applied parallel to an x-y plane of an x-axis representing the transverse direction and a y-axis representing the longitudinal direction and within an angle of 090 with respect to the x-axis, has an Lmax and an Lmin that satisfy 0LminLmax/10, and 100 ppmLmax1,000 ppm along the y-axis direction.

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--)Ga.sub.X.sub.,Formula (1)

wherein and 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 540, and 01.

The present invention relates to an actuator based on a magnetic shape memory alloy (MSMA), a new family of crystalline materials which exhibit strain deformation >10% when subjected to a magnetic field. Electromagnetic fields can be applied with very short response times, making MSMA-based actuators kHz capable. These materials have the unique property of retaining their strained state when the driving field is removed, making them unique in the world of shape memory materials, and desirable as an actuator material as they will maintain position when powered off.

The invention relates generally to electroactive material actuators (and combined sensor-actuators) having embedded magnetic particles for facilitating enhanced actuation and/or sensing effects.

The invention relates generally to electroactive material actuators (and combined sensor-actuators) having embedded magnetic particles (42) for facilitating enhanced actuation and/or sensing effects.