# US 12,771,320 B2 · Piezoelectric resonator

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- Number: US 12,771,320 B2
- Document ID: US12771320B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 19/010,385
- Filed: 2025-01-06
- Published: 2025-05-01
- Granted: 2026-10-20
- Earliest claimed: 2023-04-14
- Assignees: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Toshio Nishimura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12771320B2

## CPC

- H03H 9/19: consisting of quartz
- H03H 9/02086: {Means for compensation or elimination of undesirable effects}
- H03H 9/0542: {consisting of a lateral arrangement (H03H9/0566 takes precedence)}
- H03H 9/1021: {the BAW device being of the cantilever type}
- H03H 9/132: {characterized by a particular shape}
- H03H: IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESONATORS (waveguides, resonators, lines or other devices of the waveguide type H01P)

## Abstract

A piezoelectric resonator that includes: a piezoelectric member and an excitation electrode that overlap with each other in a thickness direction, the piezoelectric resonator has a high acoustic velocity region and a low acoustic velocity region, in a plan view in the thickness direction, the high acoustic velocity region overlaps a center portion of the excitation electrode, and the low acoustic velocity region overlaps an end portion of the excitation electrode, the high acoustic velocity region includes a plurality of holes, in a first direction intersecting the thickness direction, a dimension of a portion of the low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region in the first direction is smaller than a dimension of the high acoustic velocity region in the first direction, and in the plan view, an area of the low acoustic velocity region is smaller than an area of the high acoustic velocity region.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A piezoelectric resonator comprising:
a piezoelectric member and an excitation electrode that overlap with each other in a thickness direction,
wherein the piezoelectric member has a high acoustic velocity region and a low acoustic velocity region in which an acoustic velocity is lower than an acoustic velocity in the high acoustic velocity region,
in a plan view in the thickness direction, the high acoustic velocity region overlaps a center portion of the excitation electrode, and the low acoustic velocity region overlaps an end portion of the excitation electrode,
the excitation electrode includes a plurality of holes in the high acoustic velocity region such that a mass per unit area of the high acoustic velocity region is smaller than a mass per unit area of the low acoustic velocity region,
in a first direction intersecting the thickness direction, a dimension of a portion of the low acoustic velocity region that is adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region in the first direction is smaller than a dimension of the high acoustic velocity region in the first direction, and
in the plan view in the thickness direction, an area of the low acoustic velocity region is smaller than an area of the high acoustic velocity region.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric member is an AT-cut quartz crystal element, which has crystallographic axes including an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis, in which a Y′ axis direction obtained by rotating the Y axis around the X axis is set as the thickness direction, and which has a main surface defined by a Z′ axis direction obtained by rotating the Z axis around the X axis and an X axis direction parallel to the X axis.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 2,
wherein the low acoustic velocity region includes a first low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region in the X axis direction, a second low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region on a side opposite to the first low acoustic velocity region, a third low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region in the Z′ axis direction, and a fourth low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region on a side opposite to the third low acoustic velocity region, and
when a dimension of the excitation electrode in the X axis direction is defined as Ex, a dimension of the excitation electrode in the Z′ axis direction is defined as Ez, a dimension of the first low acoustic velocity region in the X axis direction is defined as Wx1, a dimension of the second low acoustic velocity region in the X axis direction is defined as Wx2, a dimension of the third low acoustic velocity region in the Z′ axis direction is defined as Wz1, and a dimension of the fourth low acoustic velocity region in the Z′ axis direction is defined as Wz2:
0<Wx1/Ex≤0.07,
0<Wx2/Ex≤0.07,
0<Wz1/Ez≤0.08, and
0<Wz2/Ez≤0.08.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 3, wherein
Wx1/Ex=0.062±0.006,
Wx2/Ex=0.062±0.006,
Wz1/Ez=0.070±0.006, and
Wz2/Ez=0.070±0.006.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 2,
wherein the low acoustic velocity region includes a first low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region in the X axis direction, and a second low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region on a side opposite to the first low acoustic velocity region,
the high acoustic velocity region, the first low acoustic velocity region, and the second low acoustic velocity region extend across an entire width of the excitation electrode from a first end portion to a second end portion of the excitation electrode in the Z′ axis direction, and
when a dimension of the excitation electrode in the X axis direction is defined as Ex, a dimension of the first low acoustic velocity region in the X axis direction is defined as Wx1, and a dimension of the second low acoustic velocity region in the X axis direction is defined as Wx2:
0<Wx1/Ex≤0.074, and
0<Wx2/Ex≤0.074.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 5, wherein
Wx1/Ex=0.066±0.006, and
Wx2/Ex=0.066±0.006.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 2,
wherein the low acoustic velocity region includes a third low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region in the Z′ axis direction, and a fourth low acoustic velocity region adjacent to the high acoustic velocity region on a side opposite to the third low acoustic velocity region,
the high acoustic velocity region, the third low acoustic velocity region, and the fourth low acoustic velocity region extend across an entire width of the excitation electrode from a first end portion to a second end portion of the excitation electrode in the Z′ axis direction, and
when a dimension of the excitation electrode in the Z′ axis direction is defined as Ez, a dimension of the third low acoustic velocity region in the Z′ axis direction is defined as Wz1, and a dimension of the fourth low acoustic velocity region in the Z′ axis direction is defined as Wz2:
0<Wz1/Ez≤0.082, and
0<Wz2/Ez≤0.082.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 7, wherein
Wz1/Ez=0.074±0.006, and
Wz2/Ez=0.074±0.006.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of holes are through holes that penetrate the excitation electrode in the thickness direction, and
when a thickness of the piezoelectric member is defined as Tp, and where a shape of each of the plurality of holes is a square shape in the plan view, a length of a first side of the square shape is defined as Hr, and where a shape of each of the plurality of holes is a shape other than the square shape in the plan view, a length of the first side of the shape obtained by converting the shape into the square shape while keeping an area of the shape constant is defined as Hr: 0<Hr/Tp≤2.0.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 9, wherein 0<Hr/Tp≤1.45.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 10, wherein Hr/Tp=1.3±0.1.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of holes are through holes that penetrate the excitation electrode in the thickness direction, and
when an opening ratio of the plurality of holes is defined as Har: 0<Har≤0.5.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 12, wherein Har=0.4±0.06.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes have a groove shape with a bottom.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes are through holes that penetrate the excitation electrode in the thickness direction.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the excitation electrode in the low acoustic velocity region is equal to a thickness of the excitation electrode in the high acoustic velocity region, excluding a thickness at the plurality of holes.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the excitation electrode in the low acoustic velocity region is thicker than a thickness of the excitation electrode in the high acoustic velocity region, excluding a thickness at the plurality of holes.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1,
wherein the low acoustic velocity region of the excitation electrode includes a plurality of sub holes,
an opening ratio of the plurality of sub holes is lower than an opening ratio of the plurality of holes, and
when a thickness of the piezoelectric member is defined as Tp, and where a shape of each of the plurality of sub holes is a square shape in the plan view, a length of a first side of the square shape is defined as hr, and where a shape of each of the plurality of sub holes is a shape other than the square shape in the plan view, a length of the first side of the shape obtained by converting the shape into the square shape while keeping an area of the shape constant is defined as hr: 0<hr/Tp≤2.0.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The piezoelectric resonator according to claim 1, wherein the low acoustic velocity region of the excitation electrode includes a plurality of sub holes, and an opening ratio of the plurality of sub holes is lower than an opening ratio of the plurality of holes.