Switching apparatus and test apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9030077-B2
Application number	US-201113275342-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2011
Priority date	Dec 3, 2010
Publication date	May 12, 2015
Grant date	May 12, 2015

Abstract

A switching apparatus comprising a contact point section including a first contact point; an actuator including a first piezoelectric film that expands and contracts according to a first drive voltage and a second piezoelectric film provided in parallel with the first piezoelectric film and expands and contracts according to a second drive voltage, and a control section that controls the first drive voltage and the second drive voltage is provided. The actuator moves a second contact point to contact or move away from the first contact point according to the contraction and expansion of the first piezoelectric film and the second piezoelectric film. When switching from a contact state to a separated state, the control section stops supplying the first drive voltage and applies the second drive voltage causing the second piezoelectric film to contract to the second piezoelectric film, such that the actuator is biased to return.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A switching apparatus comprising:
a contact point section including a first contact point;
an actuator including a first piezoelectric film that expands and contract according to a first drive voltage and a second piezoelectric film that is provided in parallel with the first piezoelectric film and expands and contract according to a second drive voltage, the actuator moving a second contact point to contact or move away from the first contact point according to the contraction and expansion of the first piezoelectric film and the second piezoelectric film; and
a control section that controls the first drive voltage and the second drive voltage, wherein
when causing the first contact point and the second contact point to contact each other, the control section applies the first drive voltage causing the first piezoelectric film to contract to the first piezoelectric film, such that the actuator bends toward the first piezoelectric film, and
when switching the first contact point and the second contact point from a contact state to a separated state, the control section stops supplying the first drive voltage and applies the second drive voltage causing the second piezoelectric film to contract to the second piezoelectric film, such that the actuator is biased to return.

2. The switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control section switches whether the actuator is biased to return by the second piezoelectric film according to a state of the actuator.

3. The switching apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the control section switches whether the actuator is biased to return by the second piezoelectric film according to cumulative usage time of the actuator.

4. The switching apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the control section sets an initial position occurring when the first contact point and the second contact point are in the separated state as the state of the actuator.

5. The switching apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the control section switches whether the actuator is biased to return by the second piezoelectric film according to desired switching speed.

6. The switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when setting the first contact point and the second contact point to the separated state, the control section removes charge accumulated in the first piezoelectric film.

7. The switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when setting the first contact point and the second contact point to the separated state, the control section moves charge accumulated in the first piezoelectric film to the second piezoelectric film.

8. The switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when setting the first contact point and the second contact point to the contact state, the control section applies the first drive voltage causing the first piezoelectric film to contract, and applies a second drive voltage causing the second piezoelectric film to expand by providing an electric filed that is weaker than a coercive electric field of the second piezoelectric film.

9. The switching apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the control section supplies predetermined voltages as the first drive voltage and the second drive voltage to the corresponding first piezoelectric film and second piezoelectric film.

10. The switching apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the control section changes an offset voltage of each of the first drive voltage and the second drive voltage, according to usage time.

11. The switching apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the control section changes an offset voltage of each of the first drive voltage and the second drive voltage, according to ambient temperature of the actuator.

12. The switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first piezoelectric film and the second piezoelectric film are each a PZT film.

13. A test apparatus that tests a device under test, comprising:
a testing section that tests the device under test by exchanging electrical signals with the device under test; and
the switching apparatus according to claim 1 that is provided between the testing section and the device under test and provides an electrical connection or disconnection between the testing section and the device under test.

Assignees

• Hori Hisao
• Abe Yoshikazu
• Sato Yoshihiro
• Advantest Corp

Inventors

• Hori Hisao
• Abe Yoshikazu
• Sato Yoshihiro

Classifications

• H01L41/0913

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01R31/2889 Primary

  Interfaces, e.g. between probe and tester (G01R31/31905 and G01R1/07364 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01H2057/006

  Micromechanical piezoelectric relay · CPC title

• H01L41/042

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L41/094 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic