Mechanical resonator

• US 7,453,332 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2004
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kunihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Summons, Barbara
• Application Number:
  US10/538,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20060214746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 333/186
• US Class Current: 333/186
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/02496 Horizontal, i.e. parallel to the substrate plane
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/02511 Vertical, i.e. perpendicular to the substrate plane
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/2405 of microelectro-mechanical resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/2457 Clamped-free beam resonators

Abstract

A mechanical resonator is constructed such that it has a vibration body that performs a mechanical resonant vibration and also has an electrode located in the vicinity of the vibration body and such that it is shaped into the surface shape of the electrode when deformed during a resonance mode of the vibration body, whereby the electrostatic capacitance change per unit vibration displacement amount can be enlarged. In this way, a mechanical resonator can be realized which performs an effective electricity-to-machine or machine-to-electricity conversion. Moreover, this mechanical resonator can be used to realize a small-sized, high-performance filter circuit or switch circuit in a high-density integrated electrical circuit.

Claims

1. A mechanical resonator comprising:

a vibration body operable to perform mechanical resonant vibration;

first fixed ends provided to the vibration body at a constant pitch;

an electrode located in a vicinity of the vibration body and operable to vibrate in a resonance mode at a same resonant frequency as the vibration body; and

second fixed ends provided to the electrode at the constant pitch in the same direction with the first fixed ends,

wherein the second fixed ends of the electrode are arranged deviated relative to the first fixed ends of the vibration body by half of the constant pitch.

2. A mechanical resonator according to claim 1, wherein an insulation layer is provided between at least a portion of the electrode and the vibration body.

3. A mechanical resonator according to claim 1, further including a bias power source connected to the vibration body and the electrode and operable to generate an electrostatic field between the vibration body and the electrode;

the vibration body being operable to resonantly vibrate when a voltage change at resonant frequency is provided between the vibration body and the electrode.

4. A mechanical resonator according to claim 1, further including a detection section operable to detect a signal from a voltage change between the electrode and the vibration body;

wherein the detecting section is operable to detect a signal converted from a vibration body into an electric signal due to an electrostatic capacitance change between the vibration body and the electrode during vibration of the vibration body.

5. A mechanical resonator comprising:

a vibration body operable to perform mechanical resonant vibration;

an electrode located in a vicinity of the vibration body and operable to vibrate in a resonance mode at a same resonant frequency as the vibration body; and

a bias power source connected to the vibration body and the electrode and operable to generate an electrostatic field between the vibration body and the electrode;

the vibration body being operable to resonantly vibrate when a voltage change at resonant frequency is provided between the vibration body and the electrode.

6. A mechanical resonator comprising:

a vibration body operable to perform mechanical resonant vibration;

an electrode located in a vicinity of the vibration body and operable to vibrate in a resonance mode at a same resonant frequency as the vibration body; and

a detection section operable to detect a signal from a voltage change between the electrode and the vibration body;

wherein the detecting section is operable to detect a signal converted from a vibration body into an electric signal due to an electrostatic capacitance change between the vibration body and the electrode during vibration of the vibration body.