A piezoelectric element and a method of manufacturing the piezoelectric element are provided. The piezoelectric element is provided with a substrate having an intermediate layer disposed between a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer, a first electrode layer of an electrically conductive non-ferroelectric material disposed on the second substrate layer, a ferroelectric, piezoelectric and/or flexoelectric layer disposed on the first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer of an electrically conductive non-ferroelectric material disposed on the ferroelectric, piezoelectric and/or flexoelectric layer. The intermediate layer and/or the first substrate layer is removed below a layer stack formed by the first electrode layer, the ferroelectric, piezoelectric and/or flexoelectric layer, and the second electrode layer so that the layer stack can be moved in a translatory manner along its normal directed along the layer sequence.

Technologies for a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) made up of composable piezoelectric actuators is disclosed. An elongated piezoelectric rod is disposed between a top and a bottom electrode. The top electrode runs along one edge of the top of the piezoelectric rod for a first segment, then runs along the other edge of the top of the piezoelectric rod for the a second segment. When a voltage is applied across the electrodes, the piezoelectric rod bends in a first direction for the first segment and in a second direction opposite the first for the second segment, displacing the tip of the rod. Several such rods can be joined in parallel and/or series, allowing for large-scale systems to be composed.

A transducer includes: a film support portion having a hollow portion; a vibration film displaceable in a film thickness direction; a piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element including a pair of electrodes and a piezoelectric film; and in regions overlapping the hollow portion, a plurality of first regions having a first total film thickness which is a sum of a film thickness of the vibration film and a film thickness of the piezoelectric element, and a plurality of second regions having a second total film thickness which is a sum of a film thickness of the vibration film and a film thickness of the piezoelectric element, the second total film thickness being different from the first total film thickness. The first regions and the second regions are alternately arranged, and one of the first regions is adjacent to a connection portion between the film support portion and the vibration film.

A piezoelectric device includes a connecting section connecting a pair of beam sections adjacent to each other. The connecting section is connected to one of the pair of beam sections at a first end portion. The connecting section is connected to another of the pair of beam sections at a second end portion. The second end portion faces the first end portion in a direction in which the pair of beam sections are aligned. A second coupling portion is located along a first coupling portion. The connecting section includes only one first end portion. The connecting section includes only one second end portion. Each of the first end portion and the second end portion is closer to a tip end portion than to a fixed end portion of each of the pair of beam sections.

A flexure guidance system may be provided for controlling movement of an optical subassembly and/or a connected combiner lens. For instance, the flexure guidance system may include a distal end piece, a proximal end piece, and multiple wire flexures that link the distal end piece to the proximal end piece. The linking wire flexures may be spaced to form an interior cavity between the distal end piece and the proximal end piece. This interior cavity may house various electronic components. One or more actuators in the system may move the electronic components according to input signals along different axes of movement provided by the wire flexures. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

A mechanical microsystem including a pair of elastically deformable elements, a mechanical hinge joining the deformable elements together, and at least two electroactive layers. The microsystem is configured such that, from a rest position wherein the deformable elements fall into a plane, a deformation of one of the deformable elements displacing it outside of the plane induces an electric current circulation in one of the two electroactive layers, and/or conversely. Each deformable element has a front face and a rear face opposite one another and substantially parallel to the plane. A first electroactive layer is arranged together with a first deformable element on its rear face, and a second electroactive layer, different from the first layer, is arranged with a second deformable element, different from the first element, on its front face.

A MEMS includes a diaphragm, a stroke structure coupled to the diaphragm, and at least two piezoelectric actuators coupled to a plurality of mutually spaced-apart contact points of the stroke structure via a plurality of mutually spaced-apart connecting elements, the at least two piezoelectric actuators being configured to cause a stroke movement of the stroke structure so as to deflect the diaphragm.

A flexure guidance system may be provided for controlling movement of an optical subassembly and/or a connected combiner lens. For instance, the flexure guidance system may include a distal end piece, a proximal end piece, and multiple wire flexures that link the distal end piece to the proximal end piece. The linking wire flexures may be spaced to form an interior cavity between the distal end piece and the proximal end piece. This interior cavity may house various electronic components. One or more actuators in the system may move the electronic components according to input signals along different axes of movement provided by the wire flexures. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

A MEMS device is formed in a die of semiconductor material having a cavity defined therein and having an anchorage portion. A tiltable structure is elastically suspended over the cavity and has a main extension in a horizontal plane. First and second supporting arms extend between the anchorage portion and opposite sides of the tiltable structure. First and second resonant piezoelectric actuation structures are intended to be biased to thereby cause rotation of the tiltable structure about a rotation axis. The first supporting arm is formed by first and second torsion springs, which are rigid to movements out of the horizontal plane and compliant to torsion about the rotation axis and are coupled together at a constraint region. The first and second resonant piezoelectric actuation structures extend between the anchorage portion and the constraint structure, on first and second sides of the first supporting arm.

An optical scanning device includes a mirror and a drive beam. The drive beam includes a piezoelectric portion. The piezoelectric portion is partitioned by a plurality of first grooves into a plurality of piezoelectric bodies. The piezoelectric bodies are reduced in length in an X-axis direction as the piezoelectric bodies approach one end side connected to an anchor. The piezoelectric bodies are reduced in length in the X-axis direction as the piezoelectric bodies approach the other end side connected to a link beam.