JPH0948115A - Ink jet recording head, production thereof, ink jet recording apparatus and data processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To always form a high grade stable image by integrally forming a vibration part for emitting ink droplets to an ink passage covering part. SOLUTION: A resist is applied to both surfaces of a silicon substrate 1 and patternwise exposed in matching relation to an ink flowing groove shape to remove the unnecessary resist. The anodical chemical forming processing of the substrate 1 is performed to make a region where ink passages 2 are formed porous. Next, an etching-resistant protective layer (also used as a heat- resistant protecting layer) is formed on the porous layer excepting ink injection orifices 5. A piezoelectric element layer, the electrode layer applying voltage thereto and an insulating layer are formed to form emitting elements, that is, vibration parts 4. By performing selective etching, the porous layer of the substrate 1 is removed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for recording information such as characters and images on a recording medium in an information processing system such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, a word processor, a personal computer and the like. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording head mounted in an apparatus and a method of manufacturing the recording head. Here, the term “recording” includes the application of ink (printing, image formation, printing, dyeing, etc.) to all ink supports to which ink is applied, such as cloth, thread, paper, and sheet material. Is applicable not only in the information processing field, but also in a wide range of industrial fields such as the apparel industry using an ink support to which ink is applied, such as cloth, thread, paper, and sheet material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, paper, cloth, plastic sheet, O
A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium such as a HP sheet (hereinafter also simply referred to as recording paper) can be equipped with recording heads of various recording methods, for example, a wire dot method, a thermal method, a thermal transfer method, and an inkjet method. It has been proposed as a form.

Among these methods, the ink-jet method is a method for recording characters and figures by ejecting ink as minute liquid droplets from a nozzle, and is excellent as a means for outputting high-definition images and high-speed recording. Have advantages. Also,
As an inkjet method, a method using bubble pressure generated by an electrothermal converter (hereinafter, heater) or the like,
So-called thermal inkjet recording method (Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-59)
911-4) and a piezo method that utilizes expansion and contraction when a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric element, and is characterized by easy downsizing of the device and high image density.

Generally, an ink jet recording apparatus comprises a recording means (recording head), a carriage on which an ink tank is mounted, a conveying means for conveying recording paper, and a control means for controlling these. Then, the recording head for ejecting ink droplets from the plurality of ejection ports is serially scanned in the direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction), while the recording paper is set to the recording width when not recording. The same amount is intermittently conveyed. The recording principle of the ink jet recording apparatus is described in, for example, "Imaging Part 2, pp114-148, Photographic Industry Supplement, edited by The Institute of Electrophotography".

By the way, in an ink jet recording head to which the above thermal ink jet recording method (hereinafter, also referred to as a thermal recording method) is applied, a flow path portion for ink flow and a vibrating portion for ejecting ink are separately prepared, and then these are formed. It is manufactured by joining members.

The following methods (1) and (2) are known as methods for producing an ink jet recording head.

(1) First Method (Reference: Journal of the Television Society, vol. 37, No. 2, 1983) A groove in which ink flows is formed in a resin by pressing using a die. On the other hand, an electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer or a piezoelectric layer, a protective layer, or the like is formed at a position corresponding to a resin groove on a silicon substrate, and the silicon substrate and the resin are bonded using an adhesive.

(2) Second method (Reference: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-16
No. 4549) Anisotropic etching is performed on the surface of the silicon substrate A with potassium hydroxide to form grooves in which ink flows. Next, an electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer or a piezoelectric layer, a protective layer, or the like is formed at a position of the silicon substrate B corresponding to the groove of the silicon substrate A to form a vibrating portion, and the silicon substrates A and B are anodically bonded. .

[0009]

However, the above-mentioned conventional methods have the following problems to be solved. That is, the above methods (1) and (2) require a high degree of alignment accuracy when joining two substrates. In the case of the above (1), since the resin and the silicon have different vibration characteristics when the ink is pressed, the head is easily deformed or receives internal stress when the ink is ejected. Further, in the case of the above (2), two silicon substrates are required, which increases the cost.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems,
Provided are an inkjet recording head that can be manufactured at low cost and can always form a stable and high-quality image, a manufacturing method thereof, a recording apparatus including the head, and an information processing system using the apparatus as an output unit. The purpose is to

[0011]

In order to solve the above problems, an ink jet recording head according to the present invention is mounted on a recording apparatus for recording input image information by ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium. In an ink jet recording head, an ink flow path having an ink discharge port for discharging an ink droplet on a recording medium at one end and an ink injection port for receiving ink supplied at the other end, and an ink flow channel covering the ink flow channel The covering portion is integrally formed on the semiconductor substrate, and the vibrating portion for ejecting ink is formed integrally with the ink flow passage covering portion.

[0012] Preferably, the vibrating section has a piezoelectric layer and an electrode layer.

Next, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises a carriage for mounting the ink jet recording head having the above structure as a recording means, a conveying means for conveying a recording medium, an ink jet recording head and a carriage. , And control means for controlling the drive of the transport means.

Further, the information processing system according to the present invention is characterized in that the ink jet recording apparatus having the above-mentioned constitution is used as an output means.

Furthermore, a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head mounted on a recording apparatus for recording input image information by ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium. , An ink flow path having an ink discharge port for discharging an ink drop on a recording medium as one end and an ink injection port for receiving ink as the other end, and an ink flow path covering portion for covering the ink flow path are formed on a semiconductor. A vibrating portion that is integrally formed on the substrate and that generates energy for ejecting ink is integrally formed on the ink flow path coating portion.

Preferably, the vibrating section has a piezoelectric layer and an electrode layer.

Preferably, the method further comprises the step of providing a porous layer on the semiconductor substrate by anodization and forming a flow path coating layer on the porous layer.

An ink jet recording head (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a head) according to the present invention has a flow path of ink on a semiconductor substrate and a vibrating section (electrode layer, piezoelectric layer, etc.) for ejecting ink, which are integrated. The structure is made in a special way. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform high-level alignment by bonding when manufacturing the head, and the head can be manufactured by a simple method. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the head can be reduced, and the head can be provided to the consumer at a lower price than the conventional one.

In the ink jet recording head according to the present invention, when the ink flow passage and the vibrating portion for ejecting the ink are integrally formed on the semiconductor substrate, the ink flow passage covering portion is formed. A side-shooter type head is obtained by forming the ink discharge port in the.

Further, by forming the ink vibrating portion on the head surface, the circuit structure can be easily assembled, and at the same time, the control circuit can be easily formed integrally.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An ink jet recording head and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention, an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with the head, and an information processing system using the apparatus as output means will be described below.

FIG. 1 is for explaining a schematic structure of an ink jet recording head according to the present invention.
(A) is a perspective view, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the I'-I 'line of (a). The ink jet recording head 100 is provided on the semiconductor substrate 1 so as to cover the ink flow passage 2, the ink discharge port 3, and the flow passage 2 which are formed in a groove shape on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1. 2 is integrally formed with a protective layer 8 having an ink inlet for supplying ink to 2 and a vibrating portion 4 for ejecting ink.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the method of manufacturing the ink jet recording head shown in FIG.
It corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line I ′, and (a) to (d)
[Fig. 3] is a sectional view corresponding to each step.

The manufacturing method of the ink jet recording head is as follows.
It has the following processes (1)-(5).

(1) A resist 6 is applied to both surfaces of the silicon substrate 1, and pattern exposure is performed in accordance with the shape of the groove through which the ink flows to remove unnecessary resist (FIG. 2A).

(2) The substrate 7 is anodized to make the portion 7 where the ink flow path is formed porous.

(3) Next, a protective layer 8 having etching resistance (which also serves as a heat-resistant protective layer) is formed on the porous layer 7 except for the ink inlet 5 (FIG. 2B).

(4) Piezoelectric layer 12 and piezoelectric layer 12
Electrode layers 10 and 11 for applying a voltage to the electrode, the insulating layer 9 and the like are formed into a discharge element (vibrating portion).

(5) Selective etching is performed to selectively remove the porous layer 7 of the substrate 1.

Here, anodization and etching will be described.

First, a method for making the silicon substrate 1 porous by anodizing will be described.

A silicon substrate coated with silicon nitride, a resist or the like and a platinum electrode are immersed in a container filled with hydrofluoric acid having a volume concentration of 5 to 50%, leaving necessary openings. When the platinum electrode is connected to the negative electrode and the silicon substrate is connected to the positive electrode and a current of 5 to several 100 mA / cm ² is applied, the silicon substrate is 0.5 to 10 μm / mi through the opening.
n. It becomes porous at the speed of. The inside of the container may be divided into two so as to isolate hydrofluoric acid that contacts both surfaces of the silicon substrate, and an electrode may be inserted into each of the divided containers to pass an electric current. In this case, it is not necessary to mask the back surface of the silicon substrate. Further, the selective porosification of the silicon surface may utilize the difference in the p-type and n-type porosification rates instead of masking.

When a silicon substrate partially having a porous layer is dipped in a sodium hydroxide solution or a hydrofluoric acid solution, only the porous layer is formed due to the difference in etching rate between the silicon porous layer and the non-porous layer. It is selectively etched.

In this way, a large number of heads having a plurality of ink nozzles can be manufactured on the silicon substrate.

It is also a good method to change the width of the groove near the nozzle discharge port to control the discharge amount of ink or change the discharge speed.

The present invention will be described below with reference to specific examples.

Example 1 An edge shooter type ink jet recording head is manufactured (see FIG. 2 for manufacturing process).

(1) A resist 6 is spin-coated on both sides of the silicon substrate 1 to form a groove shape (width 60 μm) in which ink flows.
The pattern exposure is performed according to the above step, and unnecessary resist corresponding to the groove is removed by washing.

(2) The substrate 1 is anodized (soaked in 30% by volume of hydrofluoric acid) to make the portion 7 for forming the ink flow path porous to a depth of 30 μm.

(3) Next, a protective layer (s-Si) 8 having a thickness of 1 μm is formed on the porous layer except the ink inlet 5. At this time, the silicon substrate 1 can be formed on the porous layer 7 while keeping the single crystal.

(4) SiO as the insulating layer 9 on the protective layer 8
₂ is deposited to a thickness of 0.5 μm.

(5) Pt of 0.3 μm is further formed as an electrode layer 10 on the insulating layer 9 laminated on the porous layer 7 to be the ink flow path.

(6) A piezoelectric thin plate (P
ZT) is anodically bonded to the insulating layer 9. At this time, the piezoelectric thin plate 12 is provided on the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the insulating layer 9 with the electrode (P
t) Layer 11 has been previously laminated.

(5) The substrate 1 is dipped in 40% by volume of hydrofluoric acid for etching, and the porous layer is selectively removed to form the ink flow path 2.

The selective etching in the above step (5) does not have to be the final step if the necessary layer exposed on the surface of the substrate is a film having good etching resistance. For example, selective etching may be performed after the step (3), and then the piezoelectric layer 12 may be bonded.
This makes it possible to form a film of a material that is easily corroded by hydrofluoric acid in a later step.

Example 2 A side shooter type ink jet recording head is manufactured. That is, in this embodiment, the ink ejection port 13 is formed on the surface of the substrate 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view for explaining the schematic structure of the ink jet recording head according to this embodiment. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line III'-III 'in FIG. In FIG. 3, the ink ejection ports 13 are formed on the surface of the disk-shaped substrate 1 in the vicinity of the center and at three equally divided portions on the circumference. Further, an ink flow path 15 is formed in a radial direction from each ink ejection port 13 toward a peripheral portion of the substrate 1, and a piezoelectric voltage applying section is arranged on each ink flow path 15.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ink flow path 15 opens on the peripheral surface of the substrate 1, and this opening forms the ink injection port 5. Further, the piezoelectric body voltage applying section 14 is one in which the electrodes 10 and 11 are laminated on both surfaces of the piezoelectric body layer 12. Also,
A protective layer 8 is laminated on the substrate 1 and is interposed between the piezoelectric body voltage applying section 14 and the substrate 1.

FIG. 5 shows a method of manufacturing the ink jet recording head of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned structure.
-(D) shows the following processes (1)-(5).

(1) Resist 6 on both sides of the silicon substrate 1
Is subjected to spin coating, pattern exposure is performed in accordance with the groove shape (FIG. 3, dotted line 15) 15 in which the ink flows, and unnecessary resist corresponding to the groove is removed by cleaning (FIG. 5).
(A)).

(2) The substrate 1 is anodized (soaked in 50% by volume of hydrofluoric acid) to make the portion 5 for forming the ink flow path porous (FIG. 5A).

(3) Next, the protective layer (s-Si) 8 and the insulating layer (S) are formed on the porous layer except for the ink injection port 5 and the ejection port 13.
A film of iO ₂ ) 9 is formed (FIG. 5B).

(4) The substrate 1 is dipped in hydrofluoric acid and etched to selectively remove the porous layer 5 (FIG. 5C).

(5) An electrode layer (Au) 10 having a thickness of 0.3 μm and a piezoelectric layer (ZuO) 12 are formed by a sputtering method so as to cover the entire flow path.
u is laminated in a pattern such that a voltage can be applied to each piezoelectric body corresponding to each flow path of 0.3 μm (FIG. 5D).

In the second embodiment, the ink discharge port is provided near the center of the surface of the disk-shaped substrate 1, and the piezoelectric body voltage applying section is arranged near the peripheral edge section. However, it is also possible to provide an opening at the center of the piezoelectric body and use it as an ejection port, which would improve the ejection efficiency of ink.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the example in which only the electrodes are patterned has been shown, but the invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to pattern the piezoelectric material to reduce the crosstalk between the flow paths.

When the porous layer is removed by etching, it is possible to leave a part of the porous layer behind the voltage applying portion of the piezoelectric body of the nozzle. In this case, when the ink is ejected, the ink moves at a high speed so that it hardly passes through the porous layer and has an effect of preventing ink backflow, and when it is non-colored, the ink slowly passes through the porous layer and is sent to the nozzle tip. Ink is supplied. In this case, the porous layer is heated to a high temperature (approximately 1000
It is effective to heat to (° C) to enlarge the size of the holes.

The piezoelectric material may be unimorph or bimorph, and may be laminated.

As a film having resistance to hydrofluoric acid, which depends on the reaction conditions, Mo, W, Pb, Al, Mg, Fe,
Ni, Ag, Cu, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Si
N, p-Si, Ta, monel metal, etc. can be used.

Further, as the piezoelectric material, for example, PZT formed by a sputtering method using a mixture of lead, zirconium, titanium, or a ternary target, a piezoelectric thin film by a material and a method other than those described in this embodiment, a green sheet method. Various methods such as coating by screen printing can be used.

Further, the piezoelectric body having electrodes formed on both sides may be anodically bonded to the coating layer, or may be bonded by an adhesive.
It is also possible to use a method in which an electrode (Pt) is formed on the porous layer of the flow channel, and a piezoelectric layer is formed thereon also as a coating layer.

Next, an example of an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with the ink jet recording head having the above structure will be described.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an example of an ink jet recording apparatus in which an ink jet cartridge IJC having an ink jet recording head having the above-described structure and an ink tank for supplying ink to the recording head is integrated. It is a perspective view which shows a structure. This ink jet recording apparatus IJRA has a lead screw 2040 that rotates via driving force transmission gears 2020 and 2030 in conjunction with forward and reverse rotation of a driving motor 2010. The carriage HC on which the inkjet cartridge IJC is mounted has a pin (not shown) that is supported by the carriage shaft 2050 and the lead screw 2040 and engages with the groove 2041 of the lead screw 2040. With the rotation of 2040, it is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b. Reference numeral 2060 denotes a paper pressing plate, which presses the paper P against the platen roller 2070 in the carriage movement direction. 2080 and 2090
Is a photocoupler, which operates as a home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the lever 2100 provided on the carriage HC in this area and switching the rotation direction of the motor 2010 and the like. 2110, a cap member for capping the front surface of the recording head;
Supported by 0. Reference numeral 2130 denotes suction means for sucking the inside of the cap, and performs suction recovery of the recording head through the opening in the cap. A cleaning blade 2140 for cleaning the end face of the recording head is provided on a member 2150 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and these are supported by a main body support plate 2160.

Reference numeral 2170 is a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which is moved along with the movement of the cam 2180 engaging with the carriage HC, whereby the driving force from the driving motor 2010 is set. Is controlled to move by transmission means such as clutch switching.

Since the ink jet recording apparatus having the above structure is capable of high density and high speed recording operation,
A printer as an output terminal of the information processing system, for example, an output terminal such as a copying machine, a facsimile, an electronic typewriter, a word processor, a workstation, or a handy or portable printer provided in a personal computer, a host computer, an optical disk device, a video device, or the like. Available as In this case, the inkjet recording apparatus has a configuration corresponding to the function, usage pattern, etc. peculiar to these apparatuses.

Further, in the case of a color-compatible ink jet recording apparatus, a color image is formed by superposing ink droplets ejected by recording heads of a plurality of colors or by arranging colors in a matrix (NXN). Generally, when performing color recording, four types of recording heads and ink cartridges corresponding to four primary colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M) and cyan (C) or four colors including black (B) in these three primary colors. Need.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus can be configured so that large-format recording such as A1 can be performed relatively easily. That is, it can be used as a plotter such as a printer for CAD output, which is a recording device compatible with A1 version color recording for connecting an image reading reader and copying an original. On the other hand, various uses are possible,
For example, it can be recorded on transparencies that can be projected for presentations at conferences, lectures, etc.

As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus equipped with the ink jet recording head of the present invention can be used as an excellent recording means in a wide range of industrial fields (for example, the apparel industry) and is much higher than the conventional one. It would be possible to provide quality images.

[0069]

As described above, the ink jet recording head according to the present invention and the manufacturing method of the head,
According to the recording device equipped with the head and the information processing system using the recording device as the output means, the ink jet recording head has a vibrating section (electrode layer, electrode layer, Since the piezoelectric layer and the like) are integrally formed, there is no need for high-level alignment due to bonding when the head is formed, and an inkjet recording head is provided by a simple method. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the inkjet recording head and the recording apparatus, and it is possible to always form a high-quality image.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording head according to the present invention, in which (a) is a perspective view,
(B) is a sectional view taken along the line I'-I 'of (a).

FIG. 2 corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line I′-I ′ of FIG. 1A for explaining the method of manufacturing the inkjet recording head shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. It is sectional drawing corresponding to a process.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view for explaining a schematic configuration of a side shooter type inkjet recording head according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III′-III ′ of FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a method of manufacturing a side shooter type ink jet recording head according to the present invention,
(A)-(d) is sectional drawing corresponding to each process.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an example of an inkjet recording apparatus in which an inkjet recording head according to the present invention and an inkjet cartridge in which an ink tank for supplying ink to the recording head is integrated are mounted. .

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Substrate (Silicon Substrate) 2 Ink Flow Path 3 Ink Ejection Port 4 Vibrating Section 5 Ink Injection Port 8 Protective Layer 9 Insulating Layer 10 Electrode 11 Electrode 12 Piezoelectric Layer 13 Ink Ejection Port 14 Piezoelectric Voltage Applying Section 15 Ink Flow Channel

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording head mounted in a recording device for recording input image information by ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium, the ink ejection port for ejecting ink droplets onto the recording medium. And an ink flow path covering the ink flow path, the ink flow path covering the ink flow path is integrally formed on the semiconductor substrate. An ink jet recording head, wherein a vibrating portion for ejecting is formed integrally with the ink flow path covering portion. 2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating section has a piezoelectric layer and an electrode layer. 3. A carriage for mounting the inkjet recording head according to claim 1 or 2 as recording means, a transportation means for transporting a recording medium, the inkjet recording head, the carriage, and the transportation. An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: a control unit for controlling driving of the unit. 4. An information processing system using the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3 as output means. 5. A method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head mounted on a recording device for recording input image information by ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium, the method comprising ejecting ink droplets onto the recording medium. An ink flow channel having an ink discharge port as one end and an ink injection port receiving the ink supply as the other end, and an ink flow channel covering portion that covers the ink flow channel are integrally formed on a semiconductor substrate. A method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head, wherein a vibrating portion for ejecting ink is integrally formed with the ink flow path coating portion. 6. The method of manufacturing an inkjet recording head according to claim 5, wherein the vibrating section has a piezoelectric layer and an electrode layer. 7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of forming a porous layer on the semiconductor substrate by anodization, and forming the flow path coating layer on the porous layer. Inkjet recording head manufacturing method.