IP Library Granted Patent US 8,310,135
Granted Patent B2
US 8,310,135 · App. 12/797,340 · Granted Nov 13, 2012

Piezoelectric thin film element and piezoelectric thin film device including the same

Assignee: Hitachi Cable, Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,310,135
App. No.
12/797,340
Granted
Nov 13, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A piezoelectric thin film element is provided, including on a substrate: a piezoelectric thin film expressed by a general formula (Na x K y Li z )NbO 3 (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦z≦0.2, x+y+z=1); and an upper electrode laminated thereon, wherein the piezoelectric thin film has a crystal structure of any one of a pseudo-cubic crystal, a tetragonal crystal, or an orthorhombic crystal, or has a crystal structure of coexistence of at least two of the pseudo-cubic crystal, the tetragonal crystal, or the orthorhombic crystal, and in such crystal structures, there is a coexistence of (001) oriented crystal grains oriented in (001) direction, and (111) oriented crystal grains oriented in (111) direction, with an angle formed by at least one of the crystal axes of the crystal grains and a normal line of the substrate surface set to be in a range of 0° to 10°.

Claims (21)

1. A piezoelectric thin film element, comprising on a substrate:

a piezoelectric thin film expressed by a general formula (Na x K y Li z )NbO 3 wherein 0<x<1, 0<y<1, 0<z<0.2, and wherein x+y+z=1; and

an upper electrode laminated thereon, wherein the piezoelectric thin film has a crystal structure of any one of a pseudo-cubic crystal, a tetragonal crystal, or an orthorhombic crystal, or has a crystal structure of coexistence of at least two of the pseudo-cubic crystal, the tetragonal crystal, or the orthorhombic crystal, and in such crystal structures, there is a coexistence of (001) oriented crystal grains oriented in (001) direction, and (111) oriented crystal grains oriented in (111) direction , with an angle formed by at least one of the crystal axes of the crystal grains and a normal line of the substrate surface set to be in a range of 0° to 10°.

2. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric thin film has a crystal texture constituted of particles of a columnar structure.

3. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 2 , wherein the normal line of (001), being a specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in a vertical direction to the substrate surface, and the angle formed by the normal line of the crystal face and the normal line of the substrate surface is set to be 3° or more.

4. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 2 , wherein the normal line of (111), being the specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and the angle formed by the normal line of the crystal face and the normal line of the substrate surface is set to be 1° or less.

5. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 2 , wherein the normal line of (001), being the specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and a deviation of the angle from a central value of the angle formed by the normal line of the crystal face and the normal line of the substrate surface is 1.2° or more.

6. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 2 , wherein the normal line of (001), being the specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and a width of a Debye ring of (001) in a pole figure measurement of the piezoelectric thin film element is 2.4° or more.

7. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 2 , wherein the normal line of (111), being the crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and the deviation of the angle from the central value of the angle formed by the normal line of the crystal face and the normal line of the substrate surface is 1° or more.

8. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 2 , wherein the normal line of (111), being the specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and the width of the Debye ring of (111) in the pole figure measurement of the piezoelectric thin film element is 2° or more.

9. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 2 , wherein an underlayer is provided between the substrate and the piezoelectric thin film.

10. The piezoelectric thin film element accordingto claim 1 , wherein the normal line of (001), being a specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in a vertical direction to the substrate surface, and the angle formed by the normal line of the crystal face and the normal line of the substrate surface is set to be 3° or more.

11. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , wherein the normal line of (111), being the specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and the angle formed by the normal line of the crystal face and the normal line of the substrate surface is set to be 1° or less.

12. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , wherein the normal line of (001), being the specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and a deviation of the angle from a central value of the angle formed by the normal line of the crystal face and the normal line of the substrate surface is 1.2° or more.

13. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , wherein the normal line of (001), being the specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and a width of a Debye ring of (001) in a pole figure measurement of the piezoelectric thin film element is 2.4° or more.

14. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , wherein the normal line of (111), being the crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and the deviation of the angle from the central value of the angle formed by the normal line of the crystal face and the normal line of the substrate surface is 1° or more.

15. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , wherein the normal line of (111), being the specific crystal face, is oriented preferentially in the vertical direction to the substrate surface, and the width of the Debye ring of (111) in the pole figure measurement of the piezoelectric thin film element is 2° or more.

16. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , wherein an underlayer is provided between the substrate and the piezoelectric thin film.

17. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 16 , wherein the underlayer is an electrode layer including Pt or an alloy mainly composed of Pt, or including the electrode layer mainly composed of Pt.

18. The piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , wherein an upper electrode is formed on the piezoelectric thin film.

19. A piezoelectric thin film device, including the piezoelectric thin film element according to claim 1 , and a voltage application part, or a voltage detection part.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 19, 2016
From: SCIOCS COMPANY LIMITED
To: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
Reel/Frame 037524/0275 →
CORPORATE SPLIT AND CONFIRMATORY ASSIGNMENT EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2015 Recorded Jul 20, 2015
From: HITACHI METALS, LTD.
To: SCIOCS COMPANY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 036134/0081 →
MERGER Recorded Dec 22, 2014
From: HITACHI CABLE, LTD.
To: HITACHI METALS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 034565/0727 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 9, 2010
From: SUENAGA, KAZUFUMI; SHIBATA, KENJI; SATO, HIDEKI; NOMOTO, AKIRA
To: HITACHI CABLE, LTD.
Reel/Frame 024511/0370 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2009-139417 · Jun 10, 2009 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100314972A1 · Dec 16, 2010