JP2008036877A - Liquid jetting head, and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting head including a capacitor structure section of which the deterioration is suppressed by being formed in a sealed cavity, and to provide its manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: This liquid jetting head includes a board 10, a pressure generating chamber 16 which is installed on the board 10, an elastic plate 20 which is installed above the board 10, the capacitor structure section 60, a porous layer 80, and a sealing layer 90 which is installed above the porous layer 80. In this case, the capacitor structure section 60 is installed above the elastic plate 20, and has a lower electrode layer 30, a piezoelectric element layer 40 and an upper electrode layer 50. The porous layer 80 is installed above the elastic plate 20 without coming into contact with the capacitor structure section 60. Then, a void section 72 is formed between the capacitor structure section 60 and the porous layer 80 for the liquid jetting head. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head and a manufacturing method thereof.

At present, the inkjet method is put into practical use as a high-definition and high-speed printing method. An element for ejecting ink droplets, called an ink jet head, is an important member of the ink jet method, and has been actively researched. The most useful method for ejecting ink droplets is to provide a piezoelectric body on an inkjet head. A typical piezoelectric material is perovskite-type oxide lead zirconate titanate (PZT) (Pb (Zr _1-x Ti _x ) O ₃ ). The piezoelectric body is generally used as a material suitable for a piezoelectric actuator that forms a capacitor structure by sandwiching both sides thereof with a metal electrode such as platinum and converts electric energy into mechanical energy.

The thickness of the piezoelectric body in the capacitor structure needs to be 500 nm to 1500 nm in order to maintain mechanical reliability. When an operating voltage is applied to both sides of such a piezoelectric layer, an electric field of 100 kV / cm or more is generated in the piezoelectric layer. Therefore, as the insulation resistance of the capacitor structure, it is desirable that the leakage current is suppressed to 10 ⁻⁶ to 10 ⁻⁸ A / cm ² when the operating voltage is applied.

  One of the main causes for increasing the leakage current is moisture in the atmosphere attached to the side surface of the capacitor structure. When moisture in the atmosphere adheres to the side surface of the capacitor structure, there is a problem that a leakage current is generated between the electrodes at both ends along the side surface of the capacitor and eventually develops to dielectric breakdown. In order to deal with such a problem, conventionally, a method of coating the side surface of the capacitor structure with an oxide film, a nitride film, or the like as a protective film has been attempted so that moisture does not adhere to the capacitor structure. A protective film that prevents moisture from adhering to the side surface of the capacitor structure is made of a material having high gas shielding performance. Therefore, in general, a material having a large elastic modulus is selected. Directly coating the side surface of the capacitor structure with such a protective film made of a material having a large elastic modulus hinders the operation performance of the capacitor and the deformation of the piezoelectric actuator using the capacitor. For this reason, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-138511, a lid-like cover is formed by a thin film that does not directly contact the capacitor structure, and a dry fluid or an inert gas is enclosed therein, and the atmosphere and the piezoelectric are sealed. An ink jet recording head has been proposed in which the body is not in contact.

The ink jet recording head described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-138511 has been studied with the above-mentioned problems, but there are still problems in its solution and manufacturing method. In the method of this publication, since the removal of the resist film is a wet process, it is difficult to avoid contact with the atmosphere. Further, the publication describes that a hole is formed in a lid-like cover covering the capacitor structure, etching is performed using the hole, and then the hole is filled with an adhesive. However, this process requires positional accuracy and is not always an easy manufacturing method.
JP 2001-138511 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting head including a capacitor structure portion in which deterioration is suppressed by being formed in a sealed cavity.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting head including a capacitor structure portion in which deterioration is suppressed by being formed in a sealed cavity.

A liquid ejecting head according to the present invention includes:
A substrate,
A pressure generating chamber provided in the substrate;
An elastic plate provided above the substrate;
A capacitor structure provided above the elastic plate, the capacitor structure having a lower electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode layer;
A porous layer provided above the elastic plate without being in contact with the capacitor structure;
A sealing layer provided on the porous layer;
Including
A cavity is formed between the capacitor structure and the porous layer.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide a liquid jet head including a capacitor structure portion in which deterioration is suppressed by being formed in a sealed cavity.

  In the present invention, when a specific B member (hereinafter referred to as “B member”) provided above a specific A member (hereinafter referred to as “A member”), the B member is directly on the A member. The meaning includes the case where it is provided and the case where the B member is provided on the A member via another member.

  In the present invention, the hollow portion may have a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

  In the present invention, the substrate may have an insulator layer on the top thereof.

  In the present invention, the porous layer may be a material selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, and organics.

  In the present invention, the oxide may be aluminum oxide.

  In the present invention, one of the capacitor structures may be provided in one of the cavities.

  In the present invention, a plurality of capacitor structures may be provided in one cavity.

A method of manufacturing a liquid jet head according to the present invention includes:
(A) a step of sequentially forming an elastic plate, a lower electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode layer above the substrate;
(B) forming a capacitor structure by patterning the lower electrode layer, the piezoelectric layer, and the upper electrode layer;
(C) forming a resist layer covering the capacitor structure;
(D) forming a porous layer covering the resist layer;
(E) introducing a gas through the pores of the porous layer and removing the resist layer by an ashing method;
(F) forming a sealing layer covering the porous layer;
(G) forming a pressure generating chamber on the substrate;
including.

  According to such a manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture a liquid ejecting head including a capacitor structure portion in which deterioration is suppressed by being formed in a sealed cavity.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1. 1. First embodiment 1.1. Liquid Ejecting Head FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an enlarged main part of the liquid jet head 1000.

  The liquid jet head 1000 according to this embodiment includes a substrate 10, a pressure generation chamber 16 provided in the substrate 10, an elastic plate 20 provided above the substrate 10, and a capacitor provided above the elastic plate 20. A structure part 60, a capacitor structure part 60 having a lower electrode layer 30, a piezoelectric layer 40, and an upper electrode layer 50, and a porous part provided above the elastic plate 20 without being in contact with the capacitor structure part 60. And a sealing layer 90 provided on the porous layer 80, and a cavity 72 is formed between the capacitor structure 60 and the porous layer 80. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11, the part which consists of the capacitor structure part 60 and the movable part under it is called the actuator part 100, and a code | symbol is attached | subjected.

  The substrate 10 has a function as a support for the liquid jet head 1000 according to the present embodiment. The substrate 10 is provided with a pressure generation chamber 16 in a part thereof. A nozzle plate 18 is provided below the substrate 10. As a material of the substrate 10, a conductor, a semiconductor, or an insulator can be used. Among these, the material of the substrate 10 is more preferably a material capable of anisotropic etching so as to be suitable for the process for forming the pressure generating chamber 16. Further, the substrate 10 can be oxidized to provide an oxide layer 14 thereon. Alternatively, the oxide layer 14 may be newly provided separately by a known method. When the oxide layer 14 is provided on the substrate 10, the oxide layer 14 can have a function as an etching stop layer from the lower side of the substrate 10 described later. The oxide layer 14 has a function of increasing the strength of the elastic plate 20. The substrate 10 preferably has the above-described function, and for example, a silicon substrate is preferably used. As the substrate 10, for example, a silicon substrate in which silicon oxide is formed with a thickness of 1000 nm as the oxide layer 14 can be used. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, the substrate 10 is given a reference numeral as a combination of the silicon layer 12 and the oxide layer 14.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the pressure generating chamber 16 is formed below the substrate 10 corresponding to the capacitor structure 60. The lower wall of the pressure generating chamber 16 is a nozzle plate 18 as shown in FIGS. The pressure generating chamber 16 is filled with liquid when the liquid jet head 1000 is driven. The liquid filled in the pressure generating chamber 16 is pressurized by the operation of the actuator unit 100. The pressure generating chamber 16 has a function of discharging the liquid through the opening 18a of the nozzle plate 18 by the pressure.

  The nozzle plate 18 is provided below the substrate 10. The nozzle plate 18 has a function as a lower wall of the pressure generation chamber 16. The nozzle plate 18 has an opening 18 a that discharges liquid corresponding to the pressure generation chamber 16. The material of the nozzle plate 18 is not limited, and stainless steel or the like can be suitably used.

  The elastic plate 20 is provided above the substrate 10. As described above, when the oxide layer 14 or the like is on the surface of the substrate 10, the elastic plate 20 is provided thereon. The elastic plate 20 is in contact with the capacitor structure 60 and constitutes the actuator unit 100 (see FIG. 11). The elastic plate 20 has a function of imparting elasticity to the actuator unit 100 for causing flexural vibration. Further, the elastic plate 20 has a function of changing the volume of the pressure generating chamber 16 by being deformed by the operation of the capacitor structure 60. That is, when the volume of the pressure generating chamber 16 filled with the liquid is reduced, the pressure inside the pressure generating chamber 16 is increased, and the liquid is ejected from the opening 18 a of the lower nozzle plate 18. The material of the elastic plate 20 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable to use a substance having high mechanical strength. The elastic plate 20 is formed by selecting an optimum thickness according to the elastic modulus of the material used and other factors (for example, the properties of the oxide layer 14). As the material of the elastic plate 20, for example, zirconium oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide or the like is suitable. When the oxide layer 14 is provided on the upper surface of the substrate 10, the material of the elastic plate 20 may be the same as or different from the material of the oxide layer 14. For example, the elastic plate 20 is made of zirconium oxide and can be formed to a thickness of 500 nm by sputtering.

  The capacitor structure 60 is configured by laminating a lower electrode layer 30, a piezoelectric layer 40, and an upper electrode layer 50 in this order.

  The lower electrode layer 30 is formed on and in contact with the elastic plate 20. The thickness of the lower electrode layer 30 is arbitrary as long as the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 40 can be transmitted to at least the elastic plate 20. The thickness of the lower electrode layer 30 can be set to 200 nm to 800 nm, for example. The lower electrode layer 30 is paired with the upper electrode layer 50 and functions as one electrode of the capacitor structure 60 with the piezoelectric layer 40 interposed therebetween. The material of the lower electrode layer 30 is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material that satisfies this function. As the material of the lower electrode layer 30, various metals such as nickel, iridium, and platinum, conductive oxides thereof (for example, iridium oxide, etc.), a composite oxide of strontium and ruthenium, and the like can be used. Further, the lower electrode layer 30 may be a single layer of the exemplified materials or a structure in which a plurality of materials are stacked. For example, the lower electrode layer 30 is made of platinum and can be formed to a thickness of 500 nm by sputtering.

  The piezoelectric layer 40 is formed on and in contact with the lower electrode layer 30. The thickness of the piezoelectric layer 40 needs to be 500 nm to 1500 nm in order to maintain mechanical reliability. The piezoelectric layer 40 has a function of expanding and contracting in the lateral direction when an electric field is applied by the lower electrode layer 30 and the upper electrode layer 50, thereby driving the actuator unit 100. For the piezoelectric layer 40, a piezoelectric material can be used. The material of the piezoelectric layer 40 can be preferably an oxide containing lead, zirconium, and titanium as constituent elements. That is, lead zirconate titanate (hereinafter referred to as PZT) is suitable as a material for the piezoelectric layer 40 because of its good piezoelectric performance. For example, the piezoelectric layer 40 can be formed to a thickness of 1000 nm using PZT.

  The upper electrode layer 50 is formed on and in contact with the piezoelectric layer 40. The thickness of the upper electrode layer 50 is not limited as long as it does not adversely affect the operation of the actuator unit 100. The thickness of the upper electrode layer 50 can be set to 200 nm to 800 nm, for example. The upper electrode layer 50 is paired with the lower electrode layer 30 and has a function as one electrode of the capacitor structure. The material of the upper electrode layer 50 is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material that satisfies the above functions. As the material of the upper electrode layer 50, various metals such as nickel, iridium, gold, and platinum, conductive oxides thereof (for example, iridium oxide, etc.), composite oxides of strontium and ruthenium, and the like can be used. Further, the upper electrode layer 50 may be a single layer of the exemplified material or may have a structure in which a plurality of materials are stacked. For example, the upper electrode layer 50 is made of platinum and can be formed to a thickness of 500 nm by sputtering.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, the porous layer 80 is provided above the elastic plate 20 without being in contact with the capacitor structure 60. In FIG. 1, the porous layer 80 and the sealing layer 90 are drawn together. The shape of the porous layer 80 is arbitrary, but the shape reflects the shape of the resist layer 70 described in the description of the manufacturing process later. A cavity 72 is formed inside the porous layer 80, and for convenience of description of the present embodiment, a new reference numeral is assigned as the cavity 72. The porous layer 80 has a cavity 72 inside thereof, and the capacitor structure 60 is provided inside thereof. The capacitor structure 60 included in the region including the porous layer 80 may be one or plural. 1 and 11 are cross-sectional views of the liquid ejecting head 1000 having one capacitor structure 60 in one region included in the porous layer 80. FIG. The porous layer 80 has fine through holes, and gas movement through the holes is possible. In addition, the porous layer 80 preferably has mechanical strength and can maintain its shape independently. Although the thickness of the porous layer 80 is not specifically limited, 0.2 micrometer-2 micrometers are suitable. The material of the porous layer 80 may be any of oxide, nitride and organic matter. Preferably, the material of the porous layer 80 is aluminum oxide, and other materials are not particularly limited as long as they become porous when deposited and have mechanical strength. For example, the porous layer 80 can be made of aluminum oxide and has a thickness of 1.2 μm.

  The sealing layer 90 is formed on the porous layer 80 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11. In FIG. 1, the porous layer 80 and the sealing layer 90 are drawn together. The sealing layer 90 has a function of sealing the through hole of the porous layer 80 to keep the cavity 72 inside hermetically sealed and a function of reinforcing the mechanical strength of the porous layer 80. In this embodiment, since the sealing layer is provided under a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, the cavity 72 is in a negative pressure state when the liquid ejecting head 1000 is placed in the atmosphere. Although the thickness of the sealing layer 90 will not be limited if it has this function, 0.1 micrometer-1.5 micrometers are suitable. The material of the sealing layer 90 may be a dense substance having airtightness. For example, silicon nitride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or the like is suitable. Regardless of which material is used, the film forming conditions are set so that the sealing layer 90 is dense enough to have airtightness as a result. For example, the sealing layer 90 can be made of silicon nitride and have a thickness of 1 μm.

1.2. Manufacturing Method of Liquid Ejecting Head FIGS. 2 to 11 are cross-sectional views schematically showing a manufacturing method of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated structure is drawn around a portion that is deformed by a piezoelectric operation, which is a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000, that is, the piezoelectric actuator unit 100 (see FIGS. 10 and 11). Here, for convenience of explanation, a simple example is shown, and the structure of the present embodiment is not limited to the structure shown here.

  (A) The process of sequentially forming the elastic plate 20, the lower electrode layer 30a, the piezoelectric layer 40a, and the upper electrode layer 50a above the substrate 10 will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 2, first, the substrate 10 is prepared, and the elastic plate 20 is formed. As the substrate 10, a silicon substrate can be used. The substrate 10 can be provided by thermal oxidation treatment or the like when the oxide layer 14 is provided on the silicon layer 12. Alternatively, when the oxide layer 14 is separately provided on the upper portion of the substrate 10, a known method such as vapor deposition or sputtering can be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an elastic plate 20 is formed. The elastic plate 20 can be formed by a known method such as a sputtering method, vacuum deposition, or a chemical vapor deposition method (hereinafter referred to as a CVD method).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower electrode layer 30a, the piezoelectric layer 40a, and the upper electrode layer 50a are sequentially formed in this order on the elastic plate 20 described above. Accordingly, since the piezoelectric layer 40a is formed between the lower electrode layer 30a and the upper electrode layer 50a, the structure is a capacitor type. The portion having such a structure is referred to as a capacitor structure portion 60a, and is newly assigned a reference numeral.

  The lower electrode layer 30a can be formed by a known method such as sputtering, vacuum deposition, or CVD.

  The piezoelectric layer 40a can be formed using a known method according to the material, such as a sol-gel method, a metal organic thermal coating decomposition method (MOD method), or a sputtering method. In this embodiment, the sol-gel method is used.

  The upper electrode layer 50a can be formed by a known method such as sputtering, vacuum deposition, or CVD.

  (B) The process of forming the capacitor structure 60 by patterning the lower electrode layer 30a, the piezoelectric layer 40a, and the upper electrode layer 50a will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the capacitor structure 60 a formed in the step (a) is patterned to form the capacitor structure 60. The patterning can be performed by a photolithography technique using a known resist and etching.

  (C) The process of forming the resist layer 70 that covers the capacitor structure 60 will be described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, a resist layer 70 a is provided so as to cover the capacitor structure 60. The resist layer 70a is provided to give the shape of the porous layer 80 described below. Therefore, in order to prevent the porous layer 80 from coming into contact with the capacitor structure 60, the resist layer 70a needs to be provided so that the capacitor structure 60 is entirely buried. As the material of the resist layer 70a, a general organic resist material can be used. Next, a resist layer 70 is formed by patterning as shown in FIG. 6 by a known photolithography technique. In FIG. 6, the patterned resist layer 70 is drawn so as to embed one capacitor structure 60. However, a plurality of capacitor structures 60 are buried in one of the patterned resist layers 70. It is also possible.

  (D) The process of forming the porous layer 80 that covers the resist layer 70 will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the porous layer 80 is formed along the resist layer 70. As a method of forming the porous layer 80, when aluminum oxide is selected as the material of the porous layer 80, a CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like can be used. In the case of the CVD method, trimethylaluminum is used as a raw material, and a suitable layer can be formed by repeating a series of operations of performing thermal oxidation at 400 ° C. or lower by spraying the raw material and introducing ozone. it can. The formation conditions of the porous layer 80 may be changed depending on the material selected. For example, aluminum oxide is selected as the material, and the thermal oxidation temperature is set to 200 ° C. by CVD.

  (E) A process of introducing a gas through the pores of the porous layer 70 and removing the resist layer 70 by an ashing method will be described below.

  Subsequent to the step (d), the resist layer 70 is removed. FIG. 8 shows the result of removing the resist layer 70. The removal of the resist layer 70 can be performed by, for example, ashing with oxygen, that is, combustion. The resist layer 70 can be removed by forming an porous layer 80 and then introducing oxygen gas into the chamber to generate oxygen plasma. At this time, the oxygen plasma passes through the through hole of the porous layer 80 and reacts with the material of the resist layer 70 inside. The resulting combustion gas passes through the through holes of the porous layer 80 and is removed to the outside. By such a mechanism, the internal resist layer 70 is removed while maintaining the shape of the porous layer 80. In addition to using oxygen, the ashing process can be performed using any gas that can ash the resist layer 70. Through this ashing step, a cavity 72 is formed inside the porous layer 80.

  (F) The process of forming the sealing layer 90 that covers the porous layer 80 will be described below.

Subsequent to the step (e), a sealing layer 90 is formed on the porous layer 80 as shown in FIG. As a method for forming the sealing layer 90, a known sputtering method, CVD method, or the like can be used.
(G) The process of forming the pressure generating chamber 16 on the substrate 10 will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the pressure generation chamber 16 is formed in the substrate 10. The pressure generating chamber 16 can be formed by forming a concave hole from the lower surface of the substrate 10 using a known anisotropic etching technique and then bonding a nozzle plate 18 thereunder. The nozzle plate 18 may be a stainless plate having an opening 18a.

1.3. Operational effect 1.3.1. Liquid Ejecting Head The liquid ejecting head 1000 of this embodiment can suppress deterioration of the piezoelectric layer 40 of the capacitor structure 60 that is a cause of deterioration of the liquid ejecting head 1000 by adopting the above configuration. That is, the entire capacitor structure 60 is provided in the cavity 72 sealed by the porous layer 80 and the sealing layer 90 and has no contact with the atmosphere, so that deterioration of the piezoelectric layer 40 is suppressed. . Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the cavity 72 is in a reduced pressure state, since there are few substances that affect the piezoelectric layer 40, the effect of suppressing the deterioration of the liquid jet head 1000 is high.

1.3.2. Manufacturing Method of Liquid Ejecting Head According to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, it is possible to avoid deterioration of the capacitor structure 60 that is a cause of deterioration of the liquid ejecting head 1000. That is, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the structure covering the capacitor structure 60 can be consistently formed in the vacuum apparatus, so that the atmosphere and the capacitor structure 60 do not come into contact even in that process. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the present embodiment has no influence of water molecules on the piezoelectric layer 40 of the capacitor structure 60, and can suppress the performance deterioration of the liquid jet head. Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, since the cavity 72 is formed in the vacuum apparatus, the cavity 72 can be in a reduced pressure state without passing through any other special process.

2. Second Embodiment A liquid jet head 2000 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example in which a plurality (five in the illustrated example) of capacitor structure units 100 are provided in one cavity 72.

2.1. Liquid jet head 2000
This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, except that a plurality of adjacent capacitor structure portions 60 are provided in one cavity 72, except for the first embodiment. Components substantially the same as those of the liquid jet head 1000 in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  Specifically, the liquid jet head 2000 according to this embodiment includes the substrate 10, the pressure generation chamber 16 provided in the substrate 10, the elastic plate 20 provided above the substrate 10, and the elastic plate 20. The capacitor structure 60 is provided, and includes the capacitor structure 60 having the lower electrode layer 30, the piezoelectric layer 40, and the upper electrode layer 50, and without contacting the capacitor structure 60 above the elastic plate 20. It has a porous layer 80 provided and a sealing layer 90 provided on the porous layer 80, and a cavity 72 is formed between the capacitor structure 60 and the porous layer 80. Is. A plurality of adjacent capacitor structures 60 of the liquid jet head 2000 are provided in one cavity 72.

2.2. Manufacturing Method of Liquid Ejecting Head A manufacturing method of the liquid ejecting head 2000 according to the second embodiment will be described. The manufacturing method of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, except that a plurality of adjacent capacitor structure portions 60 are provided in one cavity 72, except for the first embodiment.

  Specific differences are as described in 1.2. (C) The step of forming the resist layer 70 that covers the capacitor structure 60 described in the method of manufacturing the liquid jet head. In the present embodiment, a resist layer 70a is provided so as to cover a plurality of capacitor structure portions 60, and is patterned by a known photolithography technique to form the resist layer 70. At this time, a plurality of capacitor structure portions 60 are embedded in one of the patterned resist layers 70.

2.3. Effect 2.3.1. Liquid Ejecting Head The liquid ejecting head 2000 according to the present embodiment adopts the above-described configuration, and as in the first embodiment, the deterioration of the piezoelectric layer 40 of the capacitor structure 60 that is a cause of deterioration of the liquid ejecting head 2000. Can be suppressed. That is, since all of the plurality of capacitor structure portions 60 are provided in the cavity 72 sealed by the porous layer 80 and the sealing layer 90 and are not in contact with the atmosphere, the piezoelectric layer 40 is deteriorated. It is suppressed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the cavity 72 is in a reduced pressure state, since there are few substances that affect the piezoelectric layer 40, the effect of suppressing the deterioration of the liquid jet head 1000 is high.

2.3.2. Manufacturing Method of Liquid Ejecting Head According to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, it is possible to avoid deterioration of the capacitor structure 60 that is a cause of deterioration of the liquid ejecting head 2000, as in the first embodiment. That is, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, since the structure covering the plurality of capacitor structure portions 60 is consistently formed in the vacuum apparatus, the atmosphere does not contact the capacitor structure portion 60 even in the process. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the present embodiment has no influence of water molecules on the piezoelectric layer 40 of the capacitor structure 60, and can suppress the performance deterioration of the liquid jet head. Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, since the cavity 72 is formed in the vacuum apparatus, the cavity 72 can be in a reduced pressure state without passing through any other special process.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. For example, the present invention includes configurations that are substantially the same as the configurations described in the embodiments (for example, configurations that have the same functions, methods, and results, or configurations that have the same purposes and effects). In addition, the invention includes a configuration in which a non-essential part of the configuration described in the embodiment is replaced. In addition, the present invention includes a configuration that achieves the same effect as the configuration described in the embodiment or a configuration that can achieve the same object. In addition, the invention includes a configuration in which a known technique is added to the configuration described in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a liquid ejecting head 1000 according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the liquid ejecting head 1000 schematically showing a manufacturing process of the liquid ejecting head 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a main part of a liquid jet head 1000 according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a liquid ejecting head 2000 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Substrate, 12 Silicon layer, 14 Oxide layer, 16 Pressure generating chamber, 18 Nozzle plate, 18a Opening, 20 Elastic plate, 30a Lower electrode layer, 30 Lower electrode layer, 40a Piezoelectric layer, 40 Piezoelectric layer, 50a Upper electrode layer, 50 Upper electrode layer, 60a Capacitor structure part, 60 Capacitor structure part, 70a Resist layer, 70 Resist layer, 72 Cavity, 80 Porous layer, 90 Sealing layer, 100 Actuator part, 1000 Liquid jet head, 2000 Liquid jet head

Claims (8)

A substrate,
A pressure generating chamber provided in the substrate;
An elastic plate provided above the substrate;
A capacitor structure provided above the elastic plate, the capacitor structure having a lower electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode layer;
A porous layer provided above the elastic plate without being in contact with the capacitor structure;
A sealing layer provided on the porous layer;
Including
A liquid ejecting head, wherein a cavity is formed between the capacitor structure and the porous layer. In claim 1,
The cavity is a liquid jet head having a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. In claim 1 or claim 2,
The substrate is a liquid ejecting head having an insulator layer on the substrate. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The liquid ejecting head, wherein the porous layer is made of a material selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, and organics. In claim 4,
The liquid ejecting head, wherein the oxide is aluminum oxide. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5,
One said capacitor structure part is a liquid ejecting head provided in one said cavity. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5,
The liquid ejecting head, wherein the plurality of capacitor structures are provided in one of the cavities. (A) a step of sequentially forming an elastic plate, a lower electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode layer above the substrate;
(B) forming a capacitor structure by patterning the lower electrode layer, the piezoelectric layer, and the upper electrode layer;
(C) forming a resist layer covering the capacitor structure;
(D) forming a porous layer covering the resist layer;
(E) supplying a gas through the pores of the porous layer and removing the resist layer by an ashing method;
(F) forming a sealing layer covering the porous layer;
(G) forming a pressure generating chamber on the substrate;
including,
A method for manufacturing a liquid jet head according to claim 1.

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