Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080274270 | MAGNETIC SENSOR USING GIANT MAGNETORESISTIVE ELEMENTS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A magnetic sensor includes a single substrate, a conventional GMR element formed of a spin-valve film including a single-layer-pinned fixed magnetization layer, and a SAF element formed of a synthetic spin-valve film including a plural-layer-pinned fixed magnetization layer. When the spin-valve film intended to act as the conventional GMR element and the synthetic spin-valve film intended to act as the SAF element are subjected to the application of a magnetic field oriented in a single direction at a high temperature, they become giant magnetoresistive elements whose magnetic-field-detecting directions are antiparallel to each other. Since films intended to act as the conventional GMR element and the SAF element can be disposed close to each other, the magnetic sensor which has giant magnetoresistive elements whose magnetic-field-detecting directions are antiparallel to each other can be small. | 11-06-2008 |
20090006020 | COMPASS SENSOR UNIT AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE - In a compass sensor unit, an azimuth data computing method is carried out by the steps of: inputting a signal from a geomagnetic sensor to measure magnetic field; determining whether to store measurement data of the magnetic field based on a distance from the last stored measurement data; calculating an offset value based on the stored data; making a comparison for each component of a plurality of measurement data used for calculating the offset value, and judging the offset value to be valid when a difference between the maximum and minimum values of each component is a given value or more; updating the already stored offset value to the offset value judged to be valid; and correcting newly provided measurement data by the updated offset value to compute azimuth data. | 01-01-2009 |
20090027048 | Three-Axis Magnetic Sensor and Method for Manufacturing the Same - In the three-axis magnetic sensor of the present invention, a plurality of magnetoresistive effect element bars are connected in series by means of bias magnets to constitute magnetoresistive effect elements, and magnetoresistive effect elements of the X-axis sensor and those of the Y-axis sensor are formed on a flat surface parallel to the flat surface of the substrate. The sensitivity direction of magnetization is a direction vertical to the longitudinal direction of each of the magnetoresistive effect element bars, and magnetoresistive effect elements of the X-axis sensor and those of the Y-axis sensor are formed in such a way that the magnetization directions are orthogonal to each other. Further, magnetoresistive effect elements of the Z-axis sensor are formed on a tilted surface of the projection projected from the flat surface of the substrate in such a way that the magnetization direction is inside the tilted surface. The Z-axis sensor is provided in such a way that the sensitivity direction is vertical to the longitudinal direction of the magnetoresistive effect element bar. | 01-29-2009 |
20090033912 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR READING IDENTIFICATION MARK ON SURFACE OF WAFER - An identification mark constituted of irregularities is formed on the surface of a wafer, which is sealed with a resin layer and a dicing tape may be adhered to the backside. Multiple infrared units irradiate infrared rays towards the surface of the wafer from the backside thereof, wherein they transmit through the wafer and are then reflected at the interface between the resin layer and the surface of the wafer, thus producing reflected rays. An image pickup device picks up an image of the interface including the identification mark based on reflected rays. Optical axes of the infrared units extend to cross the surface of the wafer in different directions; hence, the image pickup device receives only a part of reflected rays, which are reflected at the interface in a prescribed direction. A polarizer can be arranged in proximity to the infrared unit or the image pickup device. | 02-05-2009 |
20090060232 | Condenser microphone - A condenser microphone includes a substrate having an opening in a back cavity, a diaphragm including a center portion and a plurality of arms extended in the radial direction from the center portion, a plate positioned opposite the diaphragm, and a support structure for supporting the periphery of the diaphragm and the periphery of the plate above the substrate while insulating the diaphragm and the plate both having conductive properties from each other. The support structure forms gaps between the substrate, the diaphragm, and the plate. Projections having insulating properties are formed in the center portion and the arms of the diaphragm so as to project towards the substrate and are separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the diaphragm. This prevents the diaphragm from being unexpectedly adhered and fixed to the substrate, thus improving the sensitivity of the condenser microphone. | 03-05-2009 |
20090200620 | Mems transducer and manufacturing method therefor - An MEMS transducer is constituted of a diaphragm, a plate, a support structure for supporting the diaphragm and the plate with a gap layer surrounded by an interior wall, an electrode film (e.g. a pad conductive film) for covering a contact hole formed in the support structure, and a protective film (e.g. a pad protective film) which is formed on the support structure externally of the interior wall so as to cover the side surface of the electrode film having low chemical stability. The protective film is formed in the limited area including a part of the surface of the electrode film except for its center portion and the surrounding area of the electrode film. This allows the protective film to use materials having high membrane stress such as silicon nitride or silicon nitride oxide. | 08-13-2009 |
20090230487 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD AND LID FRAME - A semiconductor device includes: a substrate; a semiconductor chip that is fixed to a first surface of the substrate; a chip covering lid body that is provided on the first surface of the substrate so as to cover the semiconductor chip and that forms a hollow first space portion that surrounds the semiconductor chip, and in which there is provided a substantially cylindrical aperture portion that extends to the outer side of the first space portion and has an aperture end at a distal end thereof and that is connected to the first space portion; and a first resin mold portion that forms the first space portion via the chip covering lid body and covers the substrate such that the aperture end is exposed, and that fixes the substrate integrally with the chip covering lid body. | 09-17-2009 |
20100324862 | AZIMUTH PROCESSING DEVICE, AZIMUTH PROCESSING METHOD, AZIMUTH PROCESSING PROGRAM, DIRECTION FINDING DEVICE, TILT OFFSET CORRECTING METHOD, AZIMUTH MEASURING METHOD, COMPASS SENSOR UNIT, AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE - An azimuth processing device is designed for outputting azimuth data based on measurement data sequentially output from a compass sensor. In the device, an accumulation section selectively accumulates substantially new pieces of the measurement data. An offset data updating section updates offset data of the compass sensor based on plural pieces of the measurement data accumulated by said accumulation section. An azimuth data output section outputs the azimuth data based on substantially newest measurement data and the offset data. | 12-23-2010 |
20110062505 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE WITH CAPACITOR AND FUSE AND ITS MANUFACTURE - An upper electrode of a capacitor has a two-layer structure of first and second upper electrodes. A gate electrode of a MOS field effect transistor and a fuse are formed by patterning conductive layers used to form the lower electrode, first upper electrode and second upper electrode of the capacitor. In forming a capacitor and a fuse on a semiconductor substrate by a conventional method, at least three etching masks are selectively used to pattern respective layers to form the capacitor and fuse before wiring connection. The number of etching masks can be reduced in manufacturing a semiconductor device having capacitors, fuses and MOS field effect transistors so that the number of processes can be reduced and it becomes easy to improve the productivity and reduce the manufacture cost. | 03-17-2011 |
20120072114 | AZIMUTH PROCESSING DEVICE, AZIMUTH PROCESSING METHOD, AZIMUTH PROCESSING PROGRAM, DIRECTION FINDING DEVICE, TILT OFFSET CORRECTING METHOD, AZIMUTH MEASURING METHOD, COMPASS SENSOR UNIT, AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE - An azimuth processing device is designed for outputting azimuth data based on measurement data sequentially output from a compass sensor. In the device, an accumulation section selectively accumulates substantially new pieces of the measurement data. An offset data updating section updates offset data of the compass sensor based on plural pieces of the measurement data accumulated by said accumulation section. An azimuth data output section outputs the azimuth data based on substantially newest measurement data and the offset data. | 03-22-2012 |
20120268113 | THREE-AXIS MAGNETIC SENSOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - In a three-axis magnetic sensor, a plurality of magnetoresistive effect element bars are connected in series by means of bias magnets formed on a flat surface parallel to the flat surface of the substrate to constitute magnetoresistive effect elements. The sensitivity direction of magnetization is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the magnetoresistive effect element bars. Magnetoresistive effect elements forming X-axis and Y-axis sensors have magnetization directions that are orthogonal to each other. Magnetoresistive effect elements of the Z-axis sensor are formed on a tilted surface substrate in such a way that the magnetization direction is inside the tilted surface. The sensitivity direction of the Z-axis sensor is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the magnetoresistive effect element bar. | 10-25-2012 |