Patent · US Expired

Voltage variable capacitor array and method of manufacture thereof

US6088214A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
9References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 1, 1998
Grant dateJul 11, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 1, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01G5/16
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An array (100) of voltage variable capacitors (110) is provided in which voltage variable capacitors (110) are fabricated with piezoelectric displacement devices (150). Voltage variable capacitors (110) have first plates (120) which are coupled to displacement devices (150). First plates (120) are dielectrically coupled to second plates (130). Displacement device (150) has a stack of metallic layers (154), voltage variable material blocks (152), and voltage supply terminals (170) and (180). Voltage differences are established across voltage variable material blocks (152) using voltage supply terminals (170) and (180). A voltage difference causes a voltage variable material layer to change thickness, and this causes first plate (120) to move relative to second plate (130). Voltage variable material is selected from a group of piezoelectric ceramics, which can include lead-titanate (PbTiO.sub.3), lead-zirconate (PbZrO.sub.3), barium-titanate (BaTiO.sub.3), and lead-zirconate-titanate (PbZr.sub.x Ti.sub.1-x O.sub.3), where x varies from zero to one.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.