JP2015135998A - Vibration piece, manufacturing method of the same, vibrator, oscillator, electronic apparatus and movable body - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a resonator element that is less susceptible to frequency fluctuations and can improve the vibration characteristics, a method for manufacturing the resonator element, a vibrator, an oscillator, an electronic device, and a moving body including the resonator element. A quartz crystal resonator element includes a first quartz crystal substrate having a first main surface on a first main surface or a second main surface having a front-back relationship with a first main surface. A thin portion 15 that is thinner than the periphery of the one end portion 12a is provided, and is located between the other end portion 12b of the quartz crystal substrate 10 that is located on the opposite side of the one end portion 12a in plan view. A step portion 15a connecting the thin portion 15 and the first main surface 11 or the second main surface 12 is provided along a direction intersecting the direction toward the end portion 12b, and includes the thin portion 15 and the step portion 15a. The region is a fixed portion 16. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a resonator element, a method for manufacturing the resonator element, a vibrator, an oscillator, an electronic device, and a moving body including the resonator element.

Conventionally, as a vibrator provided in an electronic device, a moving body, etc., a crystal piece in which an extraction electrode is extended from both sides of one end portion from an excitation electrode provided close to the outer peripheral edge of the other end portion, and a container body A surface mounting container having a pair of terminal electrodes on both sides of one end of the bottom surface and a pillow portion on the other end, and both ends of the crystal piece are electrically and mechanically connected to the terminal electrodes by a conductive adhesive. A crystal resonator having a configuration in which a pillow portion is connected and formed of an insulator is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the crystal resonator, the pillow portion that supports the crystal piece is formed of an insulator, so that the contact between the other end portion of the crystal piece and the pillow portion changes between the pillow portion and the excitation electrode. There is no movement of the electric charge and the capacitance between the electrodes does not change. Thereby, it is said that the crystal resonator can prevent a change in vibration frequency (hereinafter also simply referred to as frequency).

JP 2001-237665 A

However, the crystal resonator is easily affected by the shrinkage effect when the conductive adhesive is cured because both ends of the crystal piece are connected to the terminal electrode by the conductive adhesive.
Due to the shrinking action when the conductive adhesive is cured, the other end of the crystal piece is pressed against the pillow part of the container body, and the crystal piece is the bottom surface of the container body with the terminal electrode and the pillow part as fulcrums. There is a risk of bending to the side.
As a result, the crystal unit may be in a state where stress is generated over a wide range of the crystal piece.
As a result, in the crystal resonator, for example, this stress changes due to expansion and contraction of each component accompanying a change in ambient temperature, so that frequency fluctuations are likely to occur, and vibration characteristics may be deteriorated.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  [Application Example 1] The resonator element according to this application example has one end portion including one end on the first main surface side of the flat plate-shaped element plate or the second main surface side in a relation of front and back with the first main surface. A thin portion having a thickness thinner than the periphery of the one end portion is provided, and between the other end portion of the base plate located on the opposite side of the one end portion in plan view, from the one end portion to the other end A step portion connecting the thin portion and the first main surface or the second main surface is provided along a direction intersecting the direction to the portion, and a region including the thin portion and the step portion is fixed. It is a part.

According to this, the vibration piece is provided with a thin portion having a thickness thinner than the periphery of the one end portion at one end portion including one end on the first main surface side or the second main surface side of the base plate, A step portion for connecting the first main surface or the second main surface is provided, and a region including the thin portion and the step portion is a fixed portion.
For this reason, for example, when the fixing portion is fixed to an external member such as a container with an adhesive, there is a large difference in the thickness of the adhesive between the thin portion and the step portion and the periphery thereof. .
As a result, the vibration piece has one end (fixed) due to the shrinking action of the adhesive on the thin side where the adhesive is thin and fast, and the surrounding side where the shrinkage is small is a fulcrum, and thick and slow and the shrinkage is large. The other end (free end) opposite to the end) is lifted.
Thereby, since the vibration piece can avoid interference with an external member such as a container, it is difficult for frequency fluctuation to occur, and vibration characteristics can be improved.

  Application Example 2 In the resonator element according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the thickness of the thin portion is approximately half of the thickness around the one end portion.

According to this, since the thickness of the thin portion of the vibrating piece is substantially half of the thickness of the base plate, for example, the outer shape is formed and the thin portion is formed by wet etching from both main surface sides. And can be done at once.
As a result, the resonator element can improve productivity.

  Application Example 3 In the resonator element according to the application example described above, excitation electrodes are provided on the first main surface and the second main surface, and a mount electrode extracted from the excitation electrode is provided on the thin portion. It is preferable to be provided.

According to this, since the resonator element is provided with the excitation electrodes on the first main surface and the second main surface, and the mount electrode extracted from the excitation electrode is provided on the thin portion, for example, the fixed portion is electrically conductive. The mounting electrode can be mechanically and electrically connected to the external member by being fixed to the external member such as a container by the adhesive.
As a result, the resonator element can vibrate the region sandwiched between the excitation electrodes by applying a drive signal from an external member.

  Application Example 4 A method for manufacturing a resonator element according to this application example includes a step of preparing a flat plate and a step of forming a first mask for patterning an outer shape on the first main surface of the plate. And forming a second mask having a planar size different from that of the first mask on the second main surface of the base plate, the second main surface having a front-back relationship with the first main surface, and the base plate And wet etching from the first main surface side and the second main surface side to form an outer shape, and to the one end portion including one end of the first main surface side or the second main surface side, the one end portion Forming a thin portion thinner than the thickness of the surrounding area.

According to this, in the method for manufacturing the resonator element, the base plate is wet-etched from the first main surface side and the second main surface side to form the outer shape, and the first main surface side or the second main surface side is formed. The method includes a step of forming, at one end including one end, a thin portion having a thickness thinner than the periphery of the one end.
As a result, the manufacturing method of the resonator element can collectively perform the formation of the outer shape and the formation of the thin portion, and can improve the productivity of the resonator element that exhibits the effect described in the application example.

  Application Example 5 In the method for manufacturing a resonator element according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the thickness of the thin portion is approximately half of the thickness around the one end portion by the wet etching.

  According to this, since the thickness of the thin portion is reduced to approximately half of the thickness of the base plate by wet etching, the method for manufacturing the resonator element performs the outer shape formation and the thin portion formation once (1). Productivity), and the productivity can be further improved.

  Application Example 6 A vibrator according to this application example includes the resonator element according to any one of the application examples described above and a container in which the resonator element is accommodated, and the container includes a connection terminal inside. The fixing portion of the vibrating piece is fixed to the connection terminal with an adhesive.

According to this, since the fixed portion of the resonator element is fixed to the connection terminal with the adhesive, the vibrator has a large difference in the thickness of the adhesive between the thin portion and the stepped portion in the fixed portion and the periphery thereof. Will occur.
As a result, the vibration piece is opposite to one end due to the shrinking action of the adhesive on the thin side where the adhesive is thin and fast, and the shrinking amount is small, and the thick side is hard and the shrinking amount is large. The other end of the side will be lifted.
Thereby, since the vibrator can avoid the interference of the vibrating piece with the container, the frequency fluctuation or the like hardly occurs, and the vibration characteristics can be improved.

  Application Example 7 An oscillator according to this application example includes the resonator element according to any one of the application examples described above and a circuit that drives the resonator element.

  According to this, since the oscillator of this configuration includes the resonator element described in any one of the application examples described above and a circuit that drives the resonator element, the oscillator described in any one of the application examples described above. An oscillator having an effect can be provided.

  Application Example 8 An electronic apparatus according to this application example includes the resonator element according to any one of the application examples described above.

  According to this, since the electronic device of this configuration includes the resonator element according to any one of the application examples, the electronic device having the effects described in any one of the application examples is provided. Can do.

  Application Example 9 A moving object according to this application example includes the resonator element according to any one of the application examples described above.

  According to this, since the movable body of this structure is provided with the vibration piece as described in any one example of the said application example, providing the movable body which has an effect as described in any one example of the said application example is provided. Can do.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a crystal resonator element according to a first embodiment. 2A and 2B are schematic plan cross-sectional views of the quartz crystal resonator element of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view seen from the Y′-axis direction, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. The schematic cross section explaining the fixed state of the crystal vibrating piece. The flowchart which shows the main manufacturing processes of the manufacturing method of a crystal vibrating piece. (A)-(e) is a schematic cross section explaining the main manufacturing processes of the manufacturing method of a crystal vibrating piece. The model perspective view which shows schematic structure of the quartz crystal vibrating piece of the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the crystal oscillator of 2nd Embodiment, (a) is the top view seen from the lid (lid body) side, (b) is sectional drawing in the BB line of (a). . It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the crystal oscillator of 3rd Embodiment, (a) is the top view seen from the lid side, (b) is sectional drawing in CC line of (a). The model perspective view which shows the mobile telephone of 4th Embodiment. The model perspective view which shows the motor vehicle of 5th Embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
First, a quartz crystal resonator element as an example of a resonator element will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the quartz crystal resonator element according to the first embodiment. 2 is a schematic plan sectional view of the quartz crystal vibrating piece of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view seen from the Y′-axis direction, and FIG. 2 (b) is an A- It is sectional drawing in A line. In addition, in order to make it intelligible, the dimension ratio of each component differs from actual.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1 includes, for example, an X axis as an electric axis, a Y axis as a mechanical axis, and a Z axis as an optical axis, which are crystal axes of quartz. An axis obtained by rotating the + (plus) side of the Z axis in the − (minus) direction of the Y axis as the Z ′ axis and an axis obtained by rotating the + side of the Y axis in the + direction of the Z axis, with the axis as the rotation axis Is the Y ′ axis, planes parallel to the X axis and the Z ′ axis are the first main surface 11 and the second main surface 12, and the direction along the Y ′ axis (Y ′ axis direction) is the thickness direction. A quartz substrate 10 is provided as a base plate having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape cut out from a rough stone (Lambert).

The quartz crystal resonator element 1 includes a substantially rectangular excitation electrode 13 that excites thickness shear vibration on the first principal surface 11 of the quartz substrate 10 and the second principal surface 12 that is in a front-back relationship with the first principal surface 11. 14 is provided.
Thickness around one end portion 12a at one end portion including one end on the first main surface 11 side or second main surface 12 side of the quartz substrate 10 (here, the entire one end portion 12a on the second main surface 12 side). A thin portion 15 thinner than the thickness (thickness from the first main surface 11 to the second main surface 12 of the quartz substrate 10) is provided.
Here, the one end portion 12a is an end portion on the −X side among both end portions extending along the Z ′ axis of the second main surface 12, and the + X side is the other end portion 12b.

Further, the quartz crystal resonator element 1 is between the other end portion 12b of the quartz crystal substrate 10 located on the opposite side to the one end portion 12a in a plan view, and is a direction (X axis) from the one end portion 12a to the other end portion 12b. Step 15a that connects thin portion 15 and first main surface 11 or second main surface 12 (here, second main surface 12) is provided along a direction (Z′-axis direction) that intersects (direction). It has been.
In the crystal vibrating piece 1, a region including the thin portion 15 and the step portion 15 a and the periphery 19 thereof is a fixing portion 16 when being fixed to an external member such as a container.
Note that the thickness t1 of the thin portion 15 is preferably substantially half (t1≈t2 × 1/2) of the thickness t2 of the quartz substrate 10 (details will be described later).

The thin portion 15 is provided with mount electrodes 17 and 18 drawn from the excitation electrodes 13 and 14.
More specifically, the mount electrode 17 is drawn from the excitation electrode 13 provided on the first main surface 11 to the one end portion 12a on the −X side along the X-axis direction, and along the side surface (end surface) of the one end portion 12a. And wraps around the thin portion 15 on the second main surface 12 side.
The mount electrode 18 is drawn from the excitation electrode 14 provided on the second main surface 12 to the thin portion 15 of the one end portion 12a on the −X side along the X-axis direction, and the first along the side surface of the one end portion 12a. It wraps around the main surface 11.
The excitation electrodes 13 and 14 and the mount electrodes 17 and 18 are, for example, metal films having a structure in which Cr (chrome) is used as a base layer and Au (gold) is stacked thereon.

As described above, the quartz crystal resonator element 1 according to the first embodiment is provided with the thin portion 15 in which the quartz substrate 10 is thinned at the one end portion 12 a on the second main surface 12 side of the quartz substrate 10. A region including the portion 15 a is a fixed portion 16.
From this, for example, as shown in the schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the fixed state of the quartz crystal vibrating piece in FIG. 3, the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1 is fixed to the external member 120 such as a container by the adhesive 130. Thus, a large difference is generated in the thickness of the adhesive 130 between the thin portion 15 and the step portion 15a and the periphery 19 thereof.
As a result, the quartz crystal resonator element 1 has a shrinking action of the adhesive 130 on the thin portion 15 side that is thick and slowly cured and has a large shrinkage amount, with the periphery 19 side having a small shrinkage amount as a fulcrum, with the adhesive 130 being thin and fast. Thus, the other end 12b (free end) opposite to the one end 12a (fixed end) is lifted.
Thereby, since the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1 can avoid interference with the external member 120 such as a container, it is difficult for frequency fluctuation to occur, and vibration characteristics can be improved.

In addition, since the thickness t1 of the thin portion 15 is approximately half the thickness t2 of the quartz substrate 10 (t1≈t2 × 1/2), the crystal vibrating piece 1 has, for example, the first main surface 11 side and the first The outer shape and the thin portion 15 can be formed at a time by wet etching from the second principal surface 12 side.
As a result, the crystal vibrating piece 1 can improve productivity.
Note that the thickness t1 of the thin portion 15 may be thicker than substantially half of the thickness t2 of the quartz substrate 10 as long as interference with the external member 120 such as a container can be avoided and mechanical strength can be secured. It may be thin.

The quartz crystal resonator element 1 has excitation electrodes 13 and 14 provided on the first main surface 11 and the second main surface 12, and mount electrodes 17 and 18 drawn from the excitation electrodes 13 and 14 on the thin portion 15. Therefore, for example, by using a conductive adhesive for the adhesive 130 of FIG. 3, the fixing portion 16 is fixed to a connection terminal (not shown) of the external member 120 such as a container, so that the mount electrodes 17 and 18 are machined. It can be connected to the external member 120 manually and electrically.
As a result, the quartz crystal resonator element 1 can vibrate the region sandwiched between the excitation electrodes 13 and 14 through the application of a drive signal from the external member 120.
In the crystal vibrating piece 1, the thin portion 15 may be provided not on the second main surface 12 side but on the first main surface 11 side.

Here, a manufacturing method of the crystal vibrating piece 1 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing main manufacturing steps of the method for manufacturing the quartz crystal vibrating piece. FIG. 5A to FIG. 5E are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining main manufacturing steps of the method for manufacturing a quartz crystal vibrating piece.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the method for manufacturing the crystal vibrating piece 1 includes a crystal substrate preparation step, a first mask forming step, a second mask forming step, an etching step, and a peeling step.

[Quartz substrate preparation process]
First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the unprocessed quartz substrate 10 is prepared as the above-described flat plate. The quartz substrate 10 may be in the form of a wafer corresponding to a plurality of pieces, or may be in the form of individual pieces for individual formation.

[First mask forming step]
Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, a first mask 301 for patterning the outer shape is formed on the first main surface 11 of the quartz crystal substrate 10.
More specifically, for example, a first mask 301 using an Au (gold) / Cr (chromium) laminated film with Cr (chromium) as a base film is formed on the entire surface of the first main surface 11 by sputtering, vapor deposition, or the like. Then, a photosensitive resist is applied thereon by spin coating or the like, and is patterned into a predetermined outer shape on the first main surface 11 side of the quartz substrate 10 by using a photolithography technique, and unnecessary portions are removed.

[Second mask forming step]
Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the first mask 301 for patterning the outer shape on the second main surface 12 that is in front and back relation with the first main surface 11 of the quartz substrate 10 is different from the first mask 301 in plan size. Two masks 302 are formed (here, the second mask 302 is smaller than the first mask 301 by the thin portion 15).
More specifically, for example, like the first mask 301, the second mask 302 using an Au (gold) / Cr (chromium) laminated film with Cr (chromium) as a base film is formed by sputtering, vapor deposition, or the like. A film is formed on the entire surface of the main surface 12, a photosensitive resist is applied thereon by spin coating or the like, and is patterned into a predetermined outer shape on the second main surface 12 side of the quartz substrate 10 by using a photolithography technique. Remove the part.

[Etching process]
Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), the quartz substrate 10 is immersed in an etching solution (not shown) and wet-etched from the first main surface 11 side and the second main surface 12 side to form an outer shape, The one end portion 12a including one end on the first main surface 11 side or the second main surface 12 side (here, the second main surface 12 side) is thinner than the quartz substrate 10 (in other words, from the periphery of the one end portion 12a). The thin part 15 is formed.
At this time, when the thickness t1 of the thin portion 15 is set to substantially half of the thickness t2 of the quartz substrate 10 (t1≈t2 × 1/2), formation of the outer shape (on the first main surface 11 side and Etching from the second main surface 12 side to approximately half the thickness of the quartz substrate 10) and formation of the thin portion 15 (etching from the second main surface 12 side to approximately half the thickness of the quartz substrate 10). Since the process is completed at the same time, the etching process can be performed once (one time) by wet etching.
Note that a hydrofluoric acid-containing liquid such as a hydrofluoric acid liquid or a buffered hydrofluoric acid liquid that is a mixed liquid of ammonium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid is used as the etching liquid.
In addition, the inclination of the end surface (side surface) in each figure is due to the etching anisotropy of quartz. Although the end surface facing the Z′-axis direction is also inclined, it is omitted in this embodiment.

[Peeling process]
Next, as shown in FIG. 5E, the first mask 301 and the second mask 302 are peeled off with a release agent (not shown) to clean the quartz substrate 10.
In the subsequent step, the excitation electrodes 13 and 14 and the mount electrodes 17 and 18 are formed on the quartz substrate 10 to obtain the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1 as shown in FIGS.

As described above, the method of manufacturing the quartz crystal resonator element 1 uses the first mask 301 and the second mask 302 with the crystal substrate 10 having different plane sizes from the first main surface 11 side and the second main surface 12 side. The outer shape is formed by wet etching, and a thin portion 15 thinner than the thickness of the quartz substrate 10 (in other words, thinner than the periphery of the one end portion 12a) is formed on the entire one end portion 12a on the second main surface 12 side. The process of carrying out.
As a result, the method for manufacturing the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1 can collectively perform the formation of the outer shape of the quartz substrate 10 and the thin portion 15, and can improve the productivity of the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1.

  In the method of manufacturing the quartz crystal resonator element 1, the thickness t 1 of the thin portion 15 is made substantially half (t 1 ≈t 2 × 1/2) of the thickness t 2 of the quartz substrate 10 by wet etching. The formation and the thin portion 15 can be formed by one (one time) wet etching, and the productivity can be further improved.

  In the method of manufacturing the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1, the thin portion 15 may be formed at one end portion on the first main surface 11 side by making the first mask 301 smaller than the second mask 302.

(Modification)
Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a quartz crystal resonator element according to a modification of the first embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to a common part with 1st Embodiment, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted, and it demonstrates centering on a different part from 1st Embodiment. In FIG. 6, the quartz crystal vibrating piece is inverted with respect to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the quartz crystal resonator element 2 of the modified example is different in the formation range of the thin portion 15 as compared with the first embodiment.
In the quartz crystal resonator element 2, the thin portion 15 of the quartz substrate 10 is provided at both ends (the + Z ′ side end and the −Z ′ side end) of the one end portion 12 a on the second main surface 12 side.

According to this, in the crystal resonator element 2, since the thin portions 15 are provided at both ends of the one end portion 12 a on the second main surface 12 side, the region where the thickness is thinner than the periphery in the crystal substrate 10 is the first implementation. Less than form.
As a result, the crystal vibrating piece 2 can improve the mechanical strength as compared with the first embodiment.
Thereby, the crystal vibrating piece 2 can improve impact resistance.
In the crystal vibrating piece 2, the thin portion 15 may be provided not on the second main surface 12 side but on the first main surface 11 side.
Moreover, since the manufacturing method of the crystal vibrating piece 2 is based on the manufacturing method of 1st Embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a crystal resonator as an example of a resonator including the above-described resonator element and a container that stores the resonator element will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the crystal resonator according to the second embodiment. Fig.7 (a) is the top view seen from the lid (lid body) side, FIG.7 (b) is sectional drawing in the BB line of Fig.7 (a). In the plan view, the lid is omitted. Also, common parts with the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof will be omitted, and different parts from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 7, the crystal resonator 5 includes either the crystal vibrating piece 1 of the first embodiment or the crystal vibrating piece 2 of the modified example (here, the crystal vibrating piece 1), and the crystal vibrating piece. And a package 20 as a container in which 1 is accommodated.
The package 20 includes a package base 21 having a substantially rectangular planar shape and provided with a recess 22 and a flat lid 23 that covers the recess 22 of the package base 21 and is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The package base 21 includes an aluminum oxide sintered body, a mullite sintered body, an aluminum nitride sintered body, a silicon carbide sintered body, a glass ceramic sintered body, etc., which are formed by stacking and firing ceramic green sheets. Ceramic-based insulating materials such as quartz, glass, and silicon (high resistance silicon) are used.
The lid 23 is made of the same material as the package base 21 or a metal such as Kovar or 42 alloy.

On the inner bottom surface 22 a (inner bottom surface) of the recess 22 of the package base 21, internal terminals 24 a and 24 b as connection terminals are provided at positions facing the mount electrodes 17 and 18 of the crystal vibrating piece 1.
The quartz crystal resonator element 1 includes a fixed portion 16 (thin portions 15 (mount electrodes 17 and 18) and a step portion 15a and a surrounding portion 19) on the internal terminals 24a and 24b, for example, silver powder, gold powder, copper powder, aluminum powder. It is fixed with a conductive adhesive 30 as an adhesive such as epoxy, silicone or polyimide mixed with conductive filler such as carbon powder or graphite powder.

An appropriate amount of the conductive adhesive 30 is applied to the internal terminals 24a and 24b by a coating device such as a dispenser, and after the crystal vibrating piece 1 is placed at a predetermined position, the conductive adhesive 30 is heated and cured. At this time, the conductive adhesive 30 is cured in a state in which binder components such as epoxy, silicone, and polyimide are contracted by heating and the conductive fillers are in contact with each other.
As a result, the mount electrodes 17 and 18 of the crystal vibrating piece 1 and the internal terminals 24a and 24b are electrically connected.
Here, if the conductive adhesive 30 is thinly applied, since the binder component is small, the time required for curing is shortened (curing is accelerated) and the shrinkage amount is small. Since there are many binder components, the time required for curing becomes longer (the curing becomes slower) and the amount of shrinkage becomes larger.

Rectangular electrode terminals 26 a and 26 b are provided on the outer bottom surface 25 (outer bottom surface) of the package base 21 opposite to the recess 22.
The electrode terminals 26a and 26b are electrically connected to the internal terminals 24a and 24b by internal wiring (not shown). Specifically, the electrode terminal 26a is electrically connected to the internal terminal 24a, and the electrode terminal 26b is electrically connected to the internal terminal 24b.
The internal terminals 24a and 24b and the electrode terminals 26a and 26b are formed by, for example, laminating respective coatings such as Ni (nickel) and Au (gold) on a metallized layer such as W (tungsten) and Mo (molybdenum) by plating or the like. It consists of a metal coating.

In the crystal resonator 5, the recess 22 of the package base 21 is covered with the lid 23 in a state where the crystal resonator element 1 is fixed to the internal terminals 24 a and 24 b of the package base 21, and the package base 21 and the lid 23 are seamed. The recess 22 of the package base 21 is hermetically sealed by bonding with a bonding member 27 such as low melting glass or adhesive.
Note that the hermetically sealed recess 22 of the package base 21 is in a vacuum state (a high degree of vacuum) or a state filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen, helium, or argon.

  The package 20 may be composed of a flat package base 21 and a lid 23 having a recess. The package 20 may have a recess in both the package base 21 and the lid 23.

  In the crystal resonator 5, for example, the crystal resonator element 1 is excited by the thickness-shear vibration by a drive signal applied via an electrode terminal 26a, 26b from an oscillation circuit integrated in an IC chip of an electronic device. And resonate (oscillate) at a predetermined frequency, and output a resonance signal (oscillation signal) from the electrode terminals 26a and 26b.

As described above, in the crystal resonator 5 of the second embodiment, the fixed portion 16 (the thin portions 15 (mount electrodes 17 and 18) and the step portion 15a and the periphery 19 thereof) of the crystal resonator element 1 is the internal terminal 24a. , 24b is fixed with the conductive adhesive 30, so that there is a large difference in the thickness of the conductive adhesive 30 between the thin portion 15 and the stepped portion 15a in the fixing portion 16 and the periphery 19 thereof. .
As a result, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the quartz crystal resonator element 1 is thick and slowly cured with the conductive adhesive 30 being thin and quickly cured and having a small amount of shrinkage as a fulcrum. The other end portion 12b opposite to the one end portion 12a is lifted by the contracting action of the conductive adhesive 30 on the large thin portion 15 side.
As a result, the crystal resonator 5 can avoid interference with the package 20 of the crystal resonator element 1 (specifically, contact with the inner bottom surface 22a, etc.), so that frequency fluctuations are less likely to occur and vibration characteristics are improved. Can be made.

  In addition, even if the crystal resonator 5 is replaced with the crystal resonator element 1 and the crystal resonator element 2 of the modified example is used, the crystal having the same effect as described above and the effect peculiar to the crystal resonator element 2 of the modified example is achieved. A vibrator can be provided.

In the quartz resonator 5, one of the mount electrodes 17 and 18 is fixed to one of the internal terminals 24a and 24b with the conductive adhesive 30, and the other of the mount electrodes 17 and 18 is metal to the other of the internal terminals 24a and 24b. You may connect by wire bonding using a wire. (In this case, the positions of the mount electrodes 17 and 18 and the internal terminals 24a and 24b are appropriately changed.)
As a result, the quartz crystal resonator 5 has one place where the crystal vibrating piece 1 is fixed by the conductive adhesive 30, so that thermal stress can be mitigated as compared with the case where the two places are fixed. Can be further improved.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a crystal oscillator as an example of an oscillator including the above-described resonator element and a circuit that drives the resonator element will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the crystal oscillator of the third embodiment. FIG. 8A is a plan view seen from the lid side, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 8A. In the plan view, the lid is omitted. In addition, common portions with the first embodiment and the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof is omitted, and description will be made focusing on portions different from the first embodiment and the second embodiment. .

  As shown in FIG. 8, the crystal oscillator 6 includes either the crystal vibrating piece 1 of the first embodiment or the crystal vibrating piece 2 of the modified example (here, the crystal vibrating piece 1), and the crystal vibrating piece 1. IC chip 40 as a circuit that drives (oscillates) and a package 20 in which crystal resonator element 1 and IC chip 40 are accommodated.

The IC chip 40 incorporating the oscillation circuit is fixed to the bottom surface 22c of the housing recess 22b provided on the inner bottom surface 22a of the recess 22 of the package base 21 using an adhesive (not shown).
In the IC chip 40, a connection pad (not shown) is electrically connected to an internal connection terminal 22d provided on the bottom surface 22c of the housing recess 22b by a metal wire 41 such as Au (gold) or Al (aluminum). .

The internal connection terminal 22d is made of a metal film in which each film such as Ni (nickel) or Au (gold) is laminated on a metallized layer such as W (tungsten) or Mo (molybdenum) by plating or the like, via an internal wiring (not shown). The electrode terminals 26a, 26b, 26c, and 26d provided at the four corners of the outer bottom surface 25 of the package 20 and the internal terminals 24a and 24b are electrically connected.
For connecting the connection pads of the IC chip 40 and the internal connection terminals 22d, a connection method by flip chip mounting by inverting the IC chip 40 is used in addition to a connection method by wire bonding using the metal wire 41. May be.

The crystal oscillator 6 resonates at a predetermined frequency when the crystal resonator element 1 is excited by thickness shear vibration by a drive signal applied from the IC chip 40 via the internal connection terminal 22d, the internal terminals 24a, 24b, and the like. Oscillate).
Then, the crystal oscillator 6 outputs an oscillation signal generated along with this oscillation to the outside via the IC chip 40, the electrode terminals 26a and 26d (26c and 26b), and the like.

As described above, the crystal oscillator 6 according to the third embodiment includes the crystal resonator element 1, the IC chip 40 that drives the crystal oscillator piece 1, the package 20 in which the crystal oscillator piece 1 and the IC chip 40 are accommodated, Therefore, it is possible to provide a crystal oscillator having the effects described in the first embodiment. Specifically, the crystal oscillator 6 can provide a crystal oscillator with less frequency fluctuation and excellent vibration characteristics.
Note that the crystal oscillator 6 can achieve the same effects as described above and the effects specific to the crystal resonator element 2 of the modified example even when the crystal resonator element 2 of the modified example is used instead of the crystal resonator element 1. Can be provided.

  The crystal oscillator 6 has a module structure in which the IC chip 40 is not built in the package 20 but is externally attached (for example, a structure in which the crystal resonator 5 and the IC chip 40 are individually mounted on one substrate). It is good.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a mobile phone will be described as an example of an electronic device including the above-described resonator element.
FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the mobile phone according to the fourth embodiment.
A cellular phone 700 is a cellular phone provided with the quartz crystal vibrating piece 1 of the first embodiment or the quartz crystal vibrating piece 2 of a modification.
A cellular phone 700 shown in FIG. 9 uses the above-described crystal resonator element (1 or 2) as a timing device such as a reference clock oscillation source, and further includes a liquid crystal display device 701, a plurality of operation buttons 702, an earpiece 703, And a mouthpiece 704.
According to this, since the cellular phone 700 includes the quartz crystal vibrating piece (1 or 2), the effects described in the first embodiment and the modified example are exhibited, and excellent performance can be exhibited. .
Note that the form of the mobile phone 700 is not limited to the illustrated type, and may be a so-called smartphone type.

  The above-mentioned vibrating piece is not limited to the mobile phone such as the mobile phone 700, but is an electronic book, a personal computer, a television, a digital still camera, a video camera, a video recorder, a navigation device, a pager, an electronic notebook, a calculator, a word processor, a work It can be suitably used as a timing device such as a station, a videophone, a POS terminal, an electronic game device, a device equipped with a touch panel, etc., and in any case, the effects described in the first embodiment and the modified examples are achieved. An electronic device that exhibits excellent performance can be provided.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, an automobile will be described as an example of the moving body including the above-described vibrating piece.
FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the automobile of the fifth embodiment.
The automobile 800 is an automobile provided with the crystal vibrating piece 1 of the first embodiment or the crystal vibrating piece 2 of a modified example.
The automobile 800 includes, for example, various electronically controlled devices (for example, an electronically controlled fuel injection device, an electronically controlled ABS device, an electronically controlled constant speed traveling device) on which the above-described quartz crystal resonator element (1 or 2) is mounted. Etc.) as a timing device for generating a reference clock.
According to this, since the automobile 800 includes the crystal vibrating piece (1 or 2), the effects described in the first embodiment and the modified example are exhibited, and excellent performance can be exhibited.

  The above-described vibrating element can be suitably used as a timing device for a mobile body including not only the automobile 800 but also a self-propelled robot, a self-propelled transport device, a train, a ship, an airplane, an artificial satellite, etc. Even in this case, the effects described in the first embodiment and the modified example can be obtained, and a moving body that exhibits excellent performance can be provided.

Note that the material of the element plate of the resonator element is not limited to quartz, but LiTaO ₃ (lithium tantalate), Li ₂ B ₄ O ₇ (lithium tetraborate), LiNbO ₃ (lithium niobate), A piezoelectric body such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate), ZnO (zinc oxide), and AlN (aluminum nitride), or a semiconductor such as Si (silicon) may be used.
Further, the driving method of the thickness shear vibration may be electrostatic driving by Coulomb force in addition to the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric body.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 ... Crystal vibrating piece as a vibrating piece, 5 ... Crystal resonator as a vibrator, 6 ... Crystal oscillator as an oscillator, 10 ... Crystal substrate as a base plate, 11 ... 1st main surface, 12 ... 2nd Main surface, 12a ... one end part, 12b ... the other end part, 13, 14 ... excitation electrode, 15 ... thin part, 15a ... step part, 16 ... fixing part, 17,18 ... mount electrode, 19 ... around the step part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Package as a container, 21 ... Package base, 22 ... Recessed part, 22a ... Inner bottom face, 22b ... Housing recessed part, 22c ... Bottom face, 22d ... Internal connection terminal, 23 ... Lid (lid body), 24a, 24b ... Connection terminal Internal terminal as 25, outer bottom surface, 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d ... electrode terminal, 30 ... conductive adhesive as adhesive, 40 ... IC chip as circuit, 41 ... metal wire, 120 ... external member, 130 ... contact Agent: 301 ... first mask, 302 ... second mask, 700 ... mobile phone as an electronic device, 701 ... liquid crystal display device, 702 ... operation buttons, 703 ... earpiece, 704 ... mouthpiece, 800 ... as a moving body Car.

Claims (9)

A thin portion having a thickness thinner than the periphery of the one end portion is provided at one end portion including one end of the flat main plate on the first main surface side or the second main surface side that is in a front-back relationship with the first main surface. And
Between the other end portion of the base plate located on the opposite side to the one end portion in plan view, and along the direction intersecting the direction from the one end portion to the other end portion, A step portion connecting the first main surface or the second main surface is provided,
The resonator element, wherein the region including the thin portion and the step portion is a fixed portion. The resonator element according to claim 1,
The thickness of the thin portion is approximately half of the thickness around the one end portion. In the resonator element according to claim 1 or 2,
Excitation electrodes are provided on the first main surface and the second main surface,
The resonator element according to claim 1, wherein the thin portion is provided with a mount electrode drawn from the excitation electrode. A step of preparing a flat plate,
Forming a first mask for patterning an outer shape on the first main surface of the base plate;
Forming a second mask having a planar size different from that of the first mask, by patterning an outer shape on a second main surface having a front and back relationship with the first main surface of the base plate;
The base plate is wet-etched from the first main surface side and the second main surface side to form an outer shape, and at one end including one end of the first main surface side or the second main surface side, Forming a thin part thinner than the thickness around the one end part;
A method of manufacturing a resonator element comprising: In the manufacturing method of the resonator element according to claim 4,
A method of manufacturing a resonator element, wherein the thickness of the thin portion is made approximately half of the thickness around the one end by the wet etching. A vibrating piece according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A container in which the vibrating piece is accommodated,
The container has a connection terminal inside,
The vibrator, wherein the fixing portion of the vibrating piece is fixed to the connection terminal with an adhesive. A vibrating piece according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A circuit for driving the resonator element;
An oscillator comprising:   An electronic device comprising the resonator element according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   A moving body comprising the resonator element according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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