Vibrator Coupling Structure With Metal Film Stress Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vibrator elements are prone to damage from external impacts due to the thin coupling portion, which is easily deformed by stress, including thermal stress, affecting their vibration characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A vibrator element design with a coupling portion thinner than the support and vibrating portions, reinforced with metal films on the coupling electrodes, allowing for effective stress absorption and relaxation while enhancing mechanical strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the coupling portion is made thinner than the support portion and vibrating portion, then stress absorption and relaxation is improved, but mechanical strength and impact resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling portion is constructed as a composite structure combining a piezoelectric substrate layer with a lower Young's modulus and a semiconductor layer with a higher Young's modulus. This composite configuration allows the coupling portion to maintain thinner dimensions for stress absorption while the higher-stiffness semiconductor layer provides enhanced mechanical strength and impact resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different material properties to different regions of the coupling portion. The piezoelectric substrate provides piezoelectric functionality and baseline mechanical properties, while the semiconductor layer is strategically positioned to provide localized reinforcement in areas requiring higher strength, creating non-uniform local quality that addresses both stress absorption and impact resistance requirements.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the coupling portion is made thinner than the support portion and vibrating portion, then stress relaxation is improved, but reliability under external impact deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of the piezoelectric substrate and semiconductor layer enables the coupling portion to simultaneously achieve stress relaxation through its thin profile and improved impact durability through the reinforced semiconductor layer, resolving the contradiction between stress relaxation and reliability under external impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The semiconductor layer acts as a pre-reinforcement structure within the coupling portion, providing beforehand cushioning against potential impact damage. This embedded reinforcement layer is positioned in advance to absorb and distribute impact forces before they can cause damage to the thinner coupling structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively absorbs and relaxes stress, maintaining excellent vibration characteristics and improving impact resistance by distributing and reinforcing the stress across the coupling portion.
Implementation Method 1
The design effectively absorbs and relaxes stress, maintaining excellent vibration characteristics and improving impact resistance by distributing and reinforcing the stress across the coupling portion
Data Source
AI summary
A vibrator element includes: a plate-shaped vibrating substrate including a first surface and a second surface, which are in a front and back relationship, and including a vibrating portion, a support portion, and a coupling portion that couples the vibrating portion to the support portion and includes a portion having a thickness smaller than that of the support portion; an electrode layer including a first excitation electrode disposed at the first surface at the vibrating portion, a second excitation electrode disposed at the second surface at the vibrating portion, a first pad electrode disposed at the support portion, a second pad electrode disposed at the support portion, a first coupling electrode disposed at the coupling portion and coupling the first excitation electrode to the first pad electrode, and a second coupling electrode disposed at the coupling portion and coupling the second excitation electrode to the second pad electrode; a first metal film disposed at an upper layer on the first coupling electrode that is located on the coupling portion and having a thickness larger than that of the electrode layer; and a second metal film disposed at an upper layer on the second coupling electrode that is located on the coupling portion and having a thickness larger than that of the electrode layer.