A semiconductor device comprising a passive magnetoelectric transducer structure adapted for generating a charge via mechanical stress caused by a magnetic field. The first transducer structure has a first terminal electrically connectable to the control terminal of an electrical switch, and having a second terminal electrically connectable to the first terminal of the electrical switch for providing a control signal for opening/closing the switch. The switch may be a FET. A passive magnetic switch using a magnetoelectric transducer structure. Use of a passive magnetoelectric transducer structure for opening or closing a switch without the need for an external power supply.

A system may include a magnetic shape memory (MSM) element having a long axis that extends from a first end of the MSM element to a second end of the MSM element. The system may further include a first solenoid, where a longitudinal axis of the first solenoid is positioned at a first angle relative to the long axis of the MSM element. The system may also include a second solenoid, where a longitudinal axis of the second solenoid is positioned at a second angle relative to the long axis of the MSM element and at a third angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the first solenoid, where the longitudinal axis of the first solenoid and the longitudinal axis of the second solenoid are not parallel.

A flexible tactile actuator includes 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.

A magnetostrictive-type sensor temperature-detecting circuit configured to be used in a magnetostrictive-type sensor including an applied stress-detecting coil, and a driving section to output an alternating voltage, excite the coil with a resulting alternating electric current, and switch flow directions of the electric current flowing in the coil in response to switching voltage polarities of the output alternating voltage, to detect a temperature of the coil in the sensor. This temperature-detecting circuit includes an alternating electric current direction switching time-detecting section to detect an amount of time from when the voltage polarities of the output alternating voltage are switched until when the flow directions of the electric current flowing in the coil are switched, and a temperature-computing section to compute the temperature of the coil on the basis of the amount of time detected by the alternating electric current direction switching time-detecting section.

A sensor for sensing stress in a ferromagnetic material includes a non-magnetic substrate. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. A first coil is attached to or formed on the first surface of the substrate. The first coil is configured to induce a magnetic flux in the ferromagnetic material being driven by an alternating current (AC) signal. At least one second coil is attached to or formed on the first surface of the substrate. The at least one second coil is spaced from the first coil. In addition, the second coil is configured to detect changes in the magnetic flux induced in the ferromagnetic material.

A metal stack for templating the growth of AlN and ScAlN films is disclosed. The metal stack comprises one, two, or three layers of metal, each of which is compatible with CMOS post-processing. The metal stack provides a template that promotes the growth of highly textured c-axis {002} AlN and ScAlN films. The metal stacks include one or more metal layers with each metal layer having either a hexagonal {002} orientation or a cubic {111} orientation. If the metal stack includes two or more metal layers, the layers can alternate between hexagonal {002} and cubic {111} orientations. The use of ScAlN results in a higher piezoelectric constant compared to that of AlN for ScAlN alloys up to approximately 44% Sc. The disclosed metal stacks resulted in ScAlN films having XRD FWHM values of less than approximately 1.1° while significantly reducing the formation of secondary grains in the ScAlN films.

An actuator device for bidirectional adjustment of an adjusting body constructed for interaction with an adjustment partner and preferably realized as a tappet (14), having first adjustment means (10), which have expansion means having a magnetically effective shape-memory alloy material (12) and exerting an adjustment force, particularly a pushing force, on the adjusting body for moving the same along a first adjustment direction, which carry out an expansion generating the adjustment force as a reaction to a first energizing of first coil means (16), and second adjustment means (20; 20′, 34) assigned to the adjusting body and provided separately from the expansion means and the first coil unit, which are constructed for moving the adjusting body in a second adjustment direction opposite to the first adjustment direction, characterized in that the second adjustment means have an electromagnetically or electromotively driven actuator and therefore for moving the adjusting body in the second adjustment direction construct a drive, which can be activated as a reaction to signal loading, particularly a second electrical energizing.

A method of fabricating a shape-changeable magnetic member comprising a plurality of segments with each segment being able to be magnetized with a desired magnitude and orientation of magnetization, to a method of producing a shape changeable magnetic member composed of a plurality of segments and to a shape changeable magnetic member.

A stator or a rotor for use in an electrical machine comprises a composite element having a rigid mass suitable for including at least one magnetostrictive electrode bar, at least one magnetostrictive electrode bar, and a piezoelectric material in between the rigid mass material and the magnetostrictive electrode bars. The rigid mass, the magnetostrictive electrode bars and the piezoelectric material are arranged such that applying a voltage between the rigid mass and one or more magnetostrictive electrodes, causes piezoelectric effects in the piezoelectric material inducing stress in the bi-axial plane of the at least one magnetostrictive bar and an altered permeability of the at least one magnetostrictive bar in a direction perpendicular to the bi-axial stress plane.

The present invention provides a magnetostrictive member with high performance, high reliability and high versatility. The magnetostrictive member is used in the vibration power generation as a power source for extracting electric energy from various vibrations. The member made of the single crystal is manufactured cheaper than the conventional manufacturing method. The magnetostrictive member is formed by cutting a single crystal of Fe—Ga alloy by using electric discharge machining in a state that <100>orientation of the crystal of the Fe—Ga alloy is aligned in a direction in which magnetostriction of the magnetostrictive member is required.