Patent ID: 8097177

Claim:
A method of forming a plurality of piezoelectric vibrating reeds collectively from a piezoelectric wafer, comprising: etching the wafer to form the plurality of vibrating elements each having a base and a vibrating section extensive in a longitudinal direction and connected to the base at its proximal end, using a protection film printed with masks each patterned after a shape of the vibrating element, wherein each mask comprises a base section defining a shape of the base, and the base section comprises at least a first section and a second section defined from a side of a proximal end of the base section along the longitudinal direction, the first section being wider in a transverse direction than the second section, and wherein the base section further comprises oblique sided connecting the first section and the second section on both sides of the base section; patterning electrodes on at least part of the plurality of piezoelectric elements; and cutting at least part of the plurality of piezoelectric elements formed with the electrodes out of the wafer.