A diaphragm cup is described for an ultrasonic transducer, including a wall for carrying a diaphragm which is excitable to oscillations, the diaphragm cup being provided with only a single metallic coating at least in the area of the diaphragm on the outer side and the inner side.

An actuator includes a piezoelectric element, a vibration plate, and a holder. The vibration plate has the piezoelectric element joined thereto and vibrates an object of vibration in accordance with expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element. The holder is joined to the vibration plate and holds the object of vibration. The height of the holder is less than the maximum bending displacement at which the piezoelectric element is not damaged by an external force.

A vibration device includes a vibration plate, a piezoelectric element, and a wiring member. The vibration plate has conductivity. The piezoelectric element is disposed on the vibration plate. The wiring member is disposed to oppose the vibration plate via the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric element body, a first external electrode, and a second external electrode. The piezoelectric element body has a first main surface and a second main surface facing away from each other in an opposing direction of the vibration plate and the wiring member. The first external electrode is disposed on the first main surface and electrically connected to the vibration plate. The second external electrode is disposed on the second main surface and electrically connected to the wiring member. The vibration plate includes a first projection projecting toward the wiring member and electrically connected to the wiring member.

Micro-machined acoustic and ultrasonic transducer (MAUT), particularly piezoelectric MAUT (PMAUT), performance tradeoffs have meant reasonable pixel depth resolution necessitated low quality factor (Q) transducers with power distributed over a large bandwidth yielding modest imaging ranges whilst high-Q transducers providing higher acoustic power output for longer imaging ranges exhibit extended ringing limiting pixel depth information. Accordingly, the inventors have established MAUTs supporting high-Q transducers for long-range high-resolution imaging by integrating electromechanical actuators (dampers) which can be selectively engaged to mechanically damped the MAUT. In several applications PMAUT arrays are required where all transducer elements should have almost identical resonant frequencies. However, prior art fabrication processes have tended to produce PMAUTs with large inter-chip and inter-wafer variances. Prior art methodologies to reduce inter-wafer process variations do not address intra-wafer or inter-chip process variations and accordingly the inventors have established manufacturing methodologies and design solutions to address these for the PMAUT resonant frequency.

A device for generating a haptic signal. The device includes a haptic module for generating a vibration, a base plate and a cover plate arranged parallel to each other. The cover plate has an abutment surface facing towards the base plate and a top side facing away from the base plate. The haptic module is arranged between the base cover plates, a first partial area of the haptic module abuts the abutment surface of the cover plate and a second partial area of the haptic module abuts the base plate. A spring-loaded suspension mechanically connects the base plate and the cover plate. The spring-loaded suspension is designed so that the abutment surface of the cover plate is moved towards the base plate when the cover plate is in a neutral position and a force is exerted in the direction of the base plate on any point on the top side of the cover plate.

A piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) is disclosed. The device consists of a flexible membrane that is connected to a rigid substrate via flexures. The flexures are defined by slots etched through the perimeter of the membrane. These features release the stress present on the structural layers of the membrane, making it less sensitive to residual stress. The flexures are designed to act as torsion springs so that the membrane's vibration mode shape is highly curved in the piezoelectric actuation area, thereby increasing the electromechanical coupling.

The present disclosure provides an acoustic transduction unit, a manufacturing method thereof and an acoustic transducer. The acoustic transduction unit includes a substrate, and a first electrode, a vibrating film and a second electrode sequentially arranged on the substrate, a cavity is formed between the first electrode and the vibrating film, orthographic projections of the first electrode, the cavity, the vibrating film and the second electrode on the substrate are at least partially overlapped with each other at a first overlapping region, and a hollowed-out pattern is formed in the vibrating film, and the orthographic projection of the hollowed-out pattern on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the cavity on the substrate are overlapped with each other, and the orthographic projection of the hollowed-out pattern on the substrate is distributed in a discontinuous manner around the first overlapping region.

A micromechanical component for a sound transducer device. The component includes a diaphragm element which includes a first diaphragm surface and a second diaphragm surface which points away from the first diaphragm surface, and at least one piezoelectric element situated on and/or at the first diaphragm surface. The micromechanical component includes a substrate having at least one control and/or evaluation circuit developed thereon and/or therein, the first diaphragm surface pointing toward the substrate, and the substrate is attached to the diaphragm element at least via at least one an electrically conductive bond connection structure which is developed on and/or at the first diaphragm surface, from which the second diaphragm surface is pointing away, and the at least one piezoelectric element is electrically connected to the at least one control and/or evaluation circuit at least via the at least one electrically conductive bond connection structure.

An ultrasonic sensor includes: a first substrate including an ultrasonic element; a first electrode and a second electrode on the first substrate; a second substrate having a through-hole that penetrates from a first surface facing the first substrate to a second surface; and a gap material that separates the first substrate and the second substrate from each other, in which in a plan view from a +Z direction, the through-hole overlaps with the first electrode and the second electrode, and the gap material surrounds the through-hole, the through-hole has a narrow portion, and a width of the narrow portion is smaller than a width of the through-hole in the first surface, in a direction orthogonal to the +Z direction.

According to one embodiment, a drive circuit includes a first circuit part. The first circuit part includes a first detecting part, a second detecting part, a first circuit, and a second circuit. The first detecting part is configured to detect a first piezoelectric element current flowing in a first piezoelectric element, and output a first detection signal corresponding to the first piezoelectric element current. The second detecting part is configured to detect a first capacitance element current flowing in a first capacitance element, and output a second detection signal corresponding to the first capacitance element current. The first circuit includes a first input terminal and a second input terminal. The first circuit is configured to apply a first drive signal to the first piezoelectric element and the first capacitance element. The second circuit is configured to supply a first differential signal to the second input terminal.