# US 12,603,627 B2 · Method for manufacturing vibration element

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- Number: US 12,603,627 B2
- Document ID: US12603627B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/986,063
- Filed: 2022-11-14
- Published: 2023-05-18
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2021-11-15
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Takuro Kobayashi; Hiyori Sakata; Akinori Yamada
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12603627B2

## CPC

- H03H 3/02: for the manufacture of piezoelectric or electrostrictive resonators or networks (H03H3/08 takes precedence)
- H03H 9/02157: {Dimensional parameters, e.g. ratio between two dimension parameters, length, width or thickness}
- H03H 9/215: consisting of quartz
- H03H 2003/026: {the resonators or networks being of the tuning fork type}
- H03H: IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESONATORS (waveguides, resonators, lines or other devices of the waveguide type H01P)

## Abstract

A vibration element manufacturing method includes a first dry etching step of dry-etching a quartz crystal substrate from the first surface side to form first grooves and the outer shapes of first and second vibrating arms, a second dry etching step of dry-etching the quartz crystal substrate from the second surface side to form second grooves and the outer shapes, and a wet etching step of wet-etching the side surfaces of the first and second vibrating arms, the first grooves, and the second grooves to form inclining surfaces that couple bottom surfaces to in-groove side surfaces of the first and second grooves, and the first and second grooves satisfy the relationship of D1/D ≥0.80, where D represents the depth of each of the first and second grooves, and D1 represents the result of subtraction of the length of the inclining surfaces in a direction Z from the depth in each of the first and second grooves.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for manufacturing a vibration element, the method comprising steps of:
forming a first vibrating arm and a second vibrating arm extending along a first direction and arranged side by side along a second direction that intersects with the first direction,
wherein, the first and second vibrating arms each have a first surface and a second surface being front and rear sides with respect to each other and arranged side by side in a third direction that intersects with the first and second directions, a bottomed first groove that opens to the first surface, a bottomed second groove that opens to the second surface, and a side surface that couples the first surface and the second surface to each other,
preparing a quartz crystal substrate having the first surface and the second surface;
a first dry etching of the quartz crystal substrate from a first surface side to form the first groove and outer shapes of the first and second vibrating arms;
a second dry etching of the quartz crystal substrate from a second surface side to form the second groove and the outer shapes of the first and second vibrating arms; and
a subsequent wet etching of the side surfaces of the first and second vibrating arms, the first groove, and the second groove to form inclining surfaces that couple bottom surfaces to in-groove side surfaces of the first and second grooves,
wherein the first and second grooves satisfy a relationship ratio of D1/D greater or equal to 0.80 or 80%, where D represents a depth of each of the first and second grooves, and D1 represents a result of subtraction of a length of the inclining surfaces in the third direction from the depth in each of the first and second grooves.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for manufacturing the vibration element according to claim 1,
wherein the first and second grooves satisfy a relationship ratio of D1/D greater or equal to 0.85 or 85%.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method for manufacturing the vibration element according to claim 1,
wherein the subsequent wet etching further comprises etching the side surfaces by an amount that is greater than or equal to 0.01 μm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method for manufacturing the vibration element according to claim 1,
wherein the subsequent wet etching further comprises etching the side surfaces by an amount that is smaller than or equal to 1 μm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method for manufacturing the vibration element according to claim 1,
wherein the subsequent wet etching further comprises etching the side surfaces by an amount that is smaller than or equal to 0.5 μm.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method for manufacturing the vibration element according to claim 1,
wherein the subsequent wet etching further comprises masking the first and second surfaces.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method for manufacturing the vibration element according to claim 1,
wherein a relationship ratio of Wa/Aa greater than 1 is satisfied in at least one of the first and second dry etching steps,
where Wa represents a depth of the first groove formed in the first dry etching step or a depth of the second groove formed in the second dry etching step, and
Aa represents a depth of each of the outer shapes formed in the first dry etching step or a depth of each of the outer shapes formed in the second dry etching step.