JPH1110882A - Substrate for liquid ejection recording head, manufacture thereof and liquid ejection recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate for a liquid ejection recording head and a manufacturing method thereof capable of achieving high density of the liquid ejection recording head, power consumption, high durability and high responsiveness and of improving recording quality. SOLUTION: An electrode wiring layer 2 is formed on a substrate 1, a pattern of an intermediate insulation layer 3 is formed thereon, the intermediate insulation layer 3 is partially removed by patterning and a metallic material is buried therein to form a through-hole section 4. After the metallic film layer is provided to the recess section formed by partially removing the intermediate insulation layer 3 by the patterning, it is continuously heated without exposing to the air to precipitate a metallic monocrystal in the recess section to form an electrode wiring layer 5. After that, the intermediate insulation layer 3, through- hole section 4 and electrode wiring layer 5 are polished to be flattened by a CMP(chemical-mechanical polishing) method. A heating resister element layer 6 is formed on the flattened surface and protection layers 7, 8 are formed thereon, thereby forming the substrate for a liquid ejection recording head.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid jet recording head for recording by causing a state change including generation of bubbles in a liquid by thermal energy, and discharging the liquid from a discharge port in accordance with the state change. The present invention relates to a substrate, a method of manufacturing the same, and a liquid jet recording apparatus using the liquid jet recording head substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recording by a liquid jet recording method is so small that noise generation during recording is negligible, high-speed recording is possible, and recording on plain paper is not required without special treatment such as fixing. Has recently been of particular interest.

Among such liquid jet recording systems, the liquid jet recording system described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-51837 and German Patent Application No. Acting to obtain an action force for ejecting ink droplets,
The ink affected by the thermal energy is rapidly heated to generate bubbles, and the ink droplets are ejected from the ejection ports by the propagation of pressure waves in the ink accompanying the expansion and contraction of the bubbles to form flying droplets. In addition, the liquid jet recording method has a feature different from other liquid jet recording methods in that recording is performed. In particular, the liquid jet recording system described in German Patent Publication No. 2843064 is not only very effectively applied to a so-called drop-on-demand type recording system, but also has a full line type recording head. Since a recording head having a high-density multi-orifice can be easily realized, a high-resolution and high-quality image can be obtained at high speed.

A recording head of an apparatus to which the above-mentioned recording method is applied has a discharge port provided for discharging ink droplets, and a thermal energy for discharging ink in communication with the discharge port, which acts on the ink. It has a liquid ejection section having an ink flow path having a thermal action section as a part to be made a part, and an electrothermal converter as a means for generating thermal energy.

The electrothermal transducer comprises a pair of electrodes and a heating resistor layer which is connected to these electrodes and forms a region (heat generating portion) which generates heat between the electrodes. The body and the electrodes are generally formed in an upper layer of a substrate portion of the liquid jet recording head. FIGS. 5A to 5C show an example of a substrate configuration in which such an electrothermal converter is formed. Hereinafter, the prior art will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 5, (a) is a partial plan view in the vicinity of an electrothermal converter on a substrate constituting a liquid jet recording head, (b) is a partial sectional view taken along line XX, (C) is an enlarged sectional view of a part thereof.

[0007] The substrate 201 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, the lower layer 2 is sequentially formed on the substrate support 205.
06, the heating resistor layer 207, the electrodes 203 and 204, and the upper protective layer 208. The heating resistor layer 207, the common electrode 203, and the selection electrode 204 are patterned into a predetermined shape by etching, that is, the portions other than the portion constituting the electrothermal converter 202 are patterned into the same shape. Heat converter 2
In the portion constituting No. 02, the electrodes are not laminated on the heating resistor layer 207 and are constituted only by the heating resistor layer 207.

[0008] The material used for the upper layer of the substrate thus formed has properties such as heat resistance, liquid resistance, thermal conductivity, and insulation required by each part where the upper layer is provided. The main function of the upper protective layer 208 in the above-described conventional technique is to maintain insulation between the common electrode 203 and the selection electrode 204.

[0009]

The thermal energy generating means is composed of a heating resistor layer that generates heat when energized, and a pair of electrodes for supplying electricity to the heating resistor layer. If the heating resistor layer is in direct contact with the recording liquid, a current may flow through the recording liquid depending on the electric resistance value of the recording liquid, or the heating resistor may be energized when the heating resistor layer is energized. And the recording liquid react with each other to cause a change in resistance value due to corrosion of the heating resistor layer and damage or destruction of the heating resistor layer in some cases.

For this purpose, conventionally, the heat generating resistor layer is made of an inorganic material having relatively excellent properties as a heat generating resistor material such as an alloy such as NiCr or a metal boride such as ZrB ₂ and HfB _2. By providing a protective layer made of a material having excellent oxidation resistance such as SiO ₂ on the heating resistor layer made of the material, it is possible to prevent the heating resistor layer from directly contacting the recording liquid. Thus, it has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems and to improve reliability and durability in repeated use.

In forming the thermal energy generating means of such a liquid jet recording head, it is general that, after a heating resistor layer is formed on a desired substrate, an electrode and a protective layer are sequentially laminated. In order to sufficiently perform various functions as a protective layer, such as prevention of damage to the heat-generating resistor layer and prevention of short-circuit between the electrodes, the heat-generating resistance of the heat-energy generating means is determined as follows. It is required that a required portion of the body layer and the electrode be uniformly covered without having a defect such as a pinhole.

Further, such a liquid jet recording head has
As described above, since an electrode is generally formed on a heating resistor layer, a step (step) occurs between the electrode and the heating resistor layer. Uniformity and the like are likely to occur, so this step is sufficiently covered so as not to produce an exposed portion (step coverage)
Layer formation must be performed in such a way that That is, when the step coverage is insufficient, the exposed portion of the heating resistor layer comes into direct contact with the recording liquid, and the recording liquid is electrolyzed or the recording liquid reacts with the material of the heating resistor layer. In some cases, the heating resistor layer was destroyed. In addition, unevenness of the film quality and the like easily occur in such a step portion, and such unevenness of the film quality causes partial concentration of thermal stress generated in the protective layer due to repeated generation of heat, and cracks ( This may cause cracks, and the recording liquid may penetrate from the cracks, leading to the destruction of the heating resistor layer as described above. Further, the recording liquid may enter through the pinhole and break the heating resistor layer. Further, when the protective layer is formed after the electrode is formed, projections (hillocks) grow from the electrode material, which may cause cracks (cracks) in the protective layer. In the same manner as described above, the heating resistor layer may be broken.

Conventionally, in solving such a problem,
It is common practice to increase the thickness of the protective layer to improve step coverage and reduce pinholes.
However, although increasing the thickness of the protective layer contributes to the reduction of step coverage and pinholes, increasing the thickness of the protective layer hinders the supply of heat to the recording liquid and causes the following new problems. Become.

That is, since the heat generated in the heating resistor layer is transmitted through the protection layer, if the thickness of the protection layer is increased, the space between the protection layer surface and the heating resistor layer, which is the heat acting surface, is increased. Thermal resistance increases, which causes an unnecessary power load to be applied to the heat-generating resistor layer, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of power saving. In addition, there arises a problem that durability of the heating resistor layer is deteriorated due to excessive power.

[0015] Such a problem can be overcome by making the protective layer thinner. However, in the conventional method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head using only a film forming method such as sputtering or vapor deposition for forming the protective layer, there are steps. Due to poor coverage and the like, there are the above-mentioned drawbacks in durability, and it has been difficult to make the protective layer thin.

In a liquid jet recording head, it is known that the more rapidly the recording liquid is heated, the more the foaming stability of the recording liquid is improved. That is, the electric signal applied to the thermal energy generating means is generally an electric pulse,
The shorter the pulse width is, the better the foaming stability of the recording liquid is, which improves the ejection stability of flying droplets and the recording quality. However, in the conventional liquid jet recording head, as described above, the thickness of the protective layer must be increased, so that the thermal resistance of the protective layer increases, and excessive heat is generated by the thermal energy generating means. Since it must be generated, the durability and the thermal responsiveness are deteriorated, which makes it difficult to shorten the pulse width, and the improvement of the recording quality is naturally limited.

Further, in the conventional liquid jet recording head, as shown in FIG. 5C, at least a heating resistor layer 207 is laminated on the substrate 201 by a sputtering method and connected to the heating resistor layer 207. A pair of electrodes 203,
204 are provided. Reference numeral 210 denotes a heat acting surface that supplies power to the heat generating portion 202a of the heating resistor layer 207 formed between the electrodes 203 and 204 and transmits generated heat to the recording liquid, and 211 denotes a heating resistor layer 207. And electrode 2
03 is a step (step). In the substrate configured in this manner, a defect such as a pinhole is likely to occur in the protective layer 208, and an exposed portion is likely to occur particularly in step 211. Therefore, the layer thickness of the protective layer 208 is made thicker than necessary (for the electrode). (More than twice the thickness).

In view of the above problems, a method using an Al-CVD method for forming wiring and filling pinholes (JP-A-5-16369, JP-A-5-1369)
No. 77836), a method of using an Al reflow method for forming wiring and forming a folded wiring, and the like. However, even with such a configuration, it was impossible to eliminate the steps between the wiring portion and the heating element portion and other portions.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned unsolved problems of the prior art, and achieves power saving, high durability, and high-speed response. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate for a liquid jet recording head capable of increasing the recording density and improving the recording quality, a method of manufacturing the same, and a liquid jet recording apparatus using the substrate for a liquid jet recording head. It is assumed that.

[0020]

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention forms a liquid flow path communicating with a discharge port for jetting liquid to form flying droplets. A plurality of heating elements, a plurality of heating elements provided for each of the heating elements so as to effectively transfer heat to the liquid filled in each of the heating elements, and each of the heating elements A driving circuit composed of a plurality of functional elements provided to separate a signal for independently driving a plurality of functional elements and to drive a desired heating element. The electrode wiring electrically connected to the body,
It comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, and these electrodes are arranged below the layer of the heating element in the substrate, and are arranged as a three-dimensional folded structure.

Further, the substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention comprises a plurality of heat acting portions forming a liquid flow path communicating with a discharge port for ejecting a liquid to form flying droplets; A plurality of heating elements provided for each heat acting portion so as to effectively transfer heat to the liquid filled in each of the
A driving circuit including a plurality of functional elements provided to drive a desired heating element by separating a signal for independently driving each of the heating elements; and In a liquid jet recording head substrate in which a functional element and a functional element are structurally provided inside the surface of the same substrate, the electrode wiring electrically connected to the heating element is formed by a first electrode and a second electrode. These electrodes are arranged below the layer of the heating element in the substrate, and are arranged as a three-dimensional folded structure.

Further, in the substrate for a liquid jet recording head of the present invention, it is preferable that a protective layer is formed on the layer of the heating element, and the electric wiring is made of aluminum, tungsten, copper, silver, gold, platinum, Alternatively, it is preferable to form an alloy containing one or more of these metals.

In the method of manufacturing a substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, a step of forming a first metal film on the substrate by a CVD method, a step of forming a patterned interlayer insulating layer, The insulating layer is partially removed by patterning and a metal is buried to form a through-hole portion for electrically connecting the first metal film to a heating resistor layer to be formed later. After a second metal film is formed in a concave portion partially removed by patterning by an evaporation method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like, a metal single crystal is deposited in the concave portion by continuously heating without being exposed to the air. Forming a flat portion by polishing the interlayer insulating layer, the through-hole portion, and the second metal film by a CMP method to remove an excess metal film; and Thermal energy for discharging, characterized in that it comprises a step of forming a planarized surface heating resistor layer for supplying the recording liquid.

Further, the method of manufacturing a substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention desirably includes a step of forming a protective layer on the heating resistor layer.

The liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention further comprises a liquid jet recording head formed using the liquid jet recording head substrate or the recording head substrate manufactured by the method of manufacturing the liquid jet recording head substrate. And a carriage on which the liquid jet recording head is mounted, and a recording paper conveying device for conveying the recording paper so as to face the liquid jet recording head.

[0026]

According to the liquid jet recording head substrate of the present invention, a step of forming a first metal film on a substrate, a step of forming a patterned interlayer insulating layer, and partially patterning the interlayer insulating layer by patterning Remove and embed metal,
After forming a through-hole portion for electrically connecting the metal film and the heat-generating resistor layer to be formed later, and forming a second metal film in a concave portion where the interlayer insulating layer is partially removed by patterning, Depositing a metal single crystal in a concave portion by continuously heating without exposure to
A step of polishing the interlayer insulating layer, the through-hole portion, and the second metal film by a (chemical mechanical polishing) method to form a flat portion by removing an excess metal film; and supplying heat energy to the recording liquid. A first electrode which is manufactured by a manufacturing method including a step of forming a heating resistor layer on a flattened surface, and a step of forming a protective layer on the heating resistor layer, wherein the first electrode is connected to the heating element. The wiring layer (first metal film) and the second electrode wiring layer (second metal film) are vertically arranged via an interlayer insulating layer, and the heating resistor layer formed on the second electrode wiring layer is And is electrically connected to the first electrode wiring layer through a through-hole formed in the interlayer insulating layer. Thus,
The first electrode wiring layer and the second electrode wiring layer are disposed as a three-dimensionally folded structure vertically below the heat generating resistor pair layer in the substrate to reduce the interval of the arrangement pitch of the heating elements. And high density can be achieved. The heating resistor layer includes an interlayer insulating layer, a through hole, and a second
The electrode wiring layer is formed on the flattened surface by the CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) method, and the protective layer for protecting the heating resistor layer can also be formed on a surface having no steps or irregularities. It can be formed to be thin. Therefore, the electrode wiring, using the device that has been used conventionally,
Since it can be formed to a thickness similar to that of the protective layer without generating a step, unevenness, and the like unlike the conventional case, and the upper surfaces of the protective layer and the electrode wiring can be flattened, Layer defects such as non-uniformity of film quality, which cause generation of holes or cracks, can be eliminated, and good step coverage can be obtained even if the protective layer is made thin. Further, since the thickness of the protective layer can be reduced, it is possible to achieve power saving of the liquid jet recording head, high speed of thermal response, improvement of durability, improvement of ejection stability, improvement of recording quality, and the like.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a process diagram showing an example of a method for manufacturing a substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention. The heating resistor layer and the protective layer are made of a conventionally well-known material. For example, it can be formed using a sputtering method such as radio frequency (RF) sputtering, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, a vacuum evaporation method, or the like, and forming an electrode that is electrically connected to the heating resistor layer. The same method as that for forming the heating resistor layer can be used as the method. These methods are techniques that have been developed for forming wiring of a very integrated circuit (ULSI). In addition, “Toshiba Review (1993.
Vol. 48 No. 7) ”describes details of a method for forming a single-crystal Al wiring. This method can form a single-crystal Al wiring free of voids (cavities) and hillocks (projections), and is used as a means for forming the same. The present invention is effective in that it can be achieved by improving a conventionally used film forming apparatus so that it can be continuously heated to 500 ° C. after film formation without requiring a new film forming apparatus. It can be used for a manufacturing method.

Hereinafter, the substrate for a liquid jet recording head and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described along the steps. First, as shown in FIG. 1A, a desired material, for example,
A first electrode is formed on a substrate 1 made of silicon, glass, ceramic, aluminum, or plastic by CVD using aluminum, tungsten, copper, silver, gold, platinum, or an alloy containing at least one of these metals. The wiring layer 2 is formed. At this time, the formed electrode wiring film has a crystal structure of a metal or an alloy. The method for forming the electrode wiring film includes a patterning step using a known method such as photolithography, a metal reflow step, and a CM method.
It may be formed using a P process.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, on the patterned first electrode wiring layer 2, for example, SiO 2
_{2. An} interlayer insulating layer 3 made of Si ₃ N ₄ or the like is formed by using a sputtering method or a CVD method.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, only the portion where the through-hole portion 4 is to be formed is removed from the interlayer insulating layer 3 by a method such as photolithography and the like.
Aluminum, tungsten, copper,
The through hole portion 4 is formed of silver, gold, platinum, or an alloy containing one or more of these metals. The through-hole portion 4 functions to electrically connect the first electrode wiring layer 2 and a heating resistor layer 6 described later.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1D, only the portion where the second electrode wiring portion 5 is to be formed is removed from the interlayer insulating layer 3 by a method such as photolithography, and then a vacuum evaporation method or A metal film is formed on the entire surface by using a sputtering method or the like. Subsequently, the surface of the metal film is continuously heated to about 500 ° C. in a state where natural oxidation of the surface is suppressed (a state not exposed to the air). Then, as shown in FIG. 1D, the metal film is in a state similar to melting, and is buried in the groove. Thereafter, the interlayer insulating layer 3, the through-hole portion 4, and the second electrode wiring layer 5 are completely flattened by a CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) method.

The CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) method is described, for example, in "Nikkei Micro Devices (May 1995
Monthly) ”(pages 119 to 121) describes details of formation of a single crystal Cu wiring and planarization using CMP, and furthermore,“ SEMI Technology 94, Proceedings of Lectures ”(pages 179 to 185, 259). ~ 267 and 26
9 to 278) describes a planarization method using CMP, and such a CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) method can be employed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1E, an alloy such as NiCr or ZrB _{2 is} formed on the interlayer insulating layer 3, the through hole 4 and the second electrode wiring layer 5, for example. A heating resistor layer 6 made of a metal boride or a metal nitride such as TaN is formed to a thickness of 50 to 1000 angstroms by using a vacuum evaporation method or a sputtering method,
Further, patterning is performed by a known method such as photolithography.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1F, a protective layer 7 made of, for example, SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ or the like is formed by using a sputtering method or a CVD method. As a result, as described above, since the protective layer 7 has a nearly flat underlayer, defects are less likely to occur, and the protective layer 7 can be made sufficiently thin.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1 (g), T
An anti-cavitation layer 8 made of a metal film such as a, Au, Pt or an alloy film such as SUS is formed by using a sputtering method or a CVD method. The anti-cavitation layer 8 is provided to protect the heating resistor layer 6 from cavitation generated when bubbles generated by heating the liquid disappear.

Further, a specific example of the method of manufacturing a substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of each step in the method of manufacturing the liquid jet recording head substrate shown in FIG.

First, a substrate 1 made of Si having a thickness of 2000
Angstrom first electrode wiring layer 2 (Al) is CV
It was formed by Method D (see FIGS. 1A and 2A).
On the substrate 1, Si is deposited by an RF sputtering apparatus.
O ₂ was formed to a thickness of 10000 Å to form an interlayer insulating layer 3 (see FIGS. 1B and 2B). The SiO ₂ sputtering film in a portion to become the through hole 4 was removed by patterning in a photolithography process. Then, metal Al was buried in the through-hole portion 4 by the CVD method (FIG. 1C and FIG.
(C)).

Further, a portion of the Si to be the second electrode wiring layer 5 by patterning in the photolithography process is
The O ₂ sputtering film was removed to form a groove, and a Cu film was formed to a thickness of 2000 Å by sputtering, and the substrate was continuously heated (400 ° C., 45 seconds) without being exposed to the air. And the interlayer insulating layer 3
The second electrode wiring layer 5 was formed by filling the groove portion of FIG.
(D) and FIG. 2 (d)).

Subsequently, the interlayer insulating layer 3, the through-hole portion 4, and the second
The electrode wiring layer 5 was completely flattened, and an excess Cu film on the second electrode wiring layer 5 after the reflow was completely removed. CM
As a polishing liquid at the time of P (chemical mechanical polishing), CH ₂ NH
A mixture of ₂ COOH and H ₂ O ₂ to which fine particles for polishing were added was used. At this time, in order to suppress the occurrence of dishing, it is preferable to perform the CMP while changing the concentration of H ₂ O ₂ .

Next, the heating resistor layer 6 was formed to a thickness of 400 Å by sputtering. Then, the heating resistor layer 6 is patterned by a photolithography process, and the size of the heat generating portion is 23 μm in width × 120 μm in length, and the arrangement pitch is 42.5 μm (600 dpi).
(See FIGS. 1 (e) and 2 (e)).

Finally, the upper layer is made of SiO2 by PECVD.
₂ was formed to a thickness of 3000 angstroms to form a protective layer 7 (see FIG. 1F).

Further, in order to improve the cavitation resistance of the protective layer 7, the cavitation resistant layer 8 made of Ta is formed on the protective layer 7 by using a sputtering apparatus.
A liquid jet recording head substrate was formed to a thickness of 2,000 angstroms (see FIGS. 1 (g) and 2 (g)).

In the substrate for a liquid jet recording head manufactured as described above, the first electrode wiring layer 2 and the second electrode wiring layer 5 are vertically arranged with the interlayer insulating layer 3 interposed therebetween. The heating resistor layer 6 formed on 5 is electrically connected to the first electrode wiring layer 2 via a through hole 4 formed in the interlayer insulating layer 3. Thus, the first electrode wiring layer 2 and the second electrode wiring layer 5 are arranged as a three-dimensionally folded structure vertically below the heating resistor layer 6 in the substrate 1, and the arrangement pitch of the heating elements Can be reduced, and higher density can be achieved. The heating resistor layer 6 is formed on the surface of the interlayer insulating layer 3, the through-hole portion 4, and the second electrode wiring layer 5 which are flattened by a CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) method. Can also be formed on a surface without steps or irregularities, and can be formed sufficiently thin.

In the substrate 1, a driving element for selectively supplying a recording current to a plurality of heating resistors acting as electrothermal transducers so as to be driven independently of each other in accordance with image data is provided. A plurality of driving elements can be provided structurally inside the surface of the substrate on which the heating resistor is formed as an integrated circuit, or can be formed on an independent substrate separate from the substrate on which the heating resistor is formed to generate heat. It may be configured to be electrically connected to the substrate on which the resistor is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a liquid jet recording head is manufactured using the liquid jet recording head substrate thus manufactured. That is, the liquid ejection recording head 30 is configured by arranging the ejection port 37 for ejecting ink, the liquid channel 35, and the like on the liquid ejection recording head substrate 11.

The liquid flow path 35 of the liquid jet recording head 30 is
The liquid flow path wall member 31 communicates with the respective discharge ports 37, communicates with a common liquid chamber 34 that temporarily stores the supplied recording liquid, and has a liquid supply port 33 with the common liquid chamber 34. The recording liquid is supplied from outside the recording head through the recording head. Then, each of the substrate 11 and the grooved top plate 32 is connected to the liquid flow path 35 by the thermal energy generating means of the substrate 11.
And are sufficiently aligned so as to correspond to each of the above. Further, an electrode lead for applying a desired pulse signal from outside the recording head 30 is connected to the electrode wiring 14.

The liquid jet recording head thus manufactured has the following advantages. (1) The power consumption is reduced by about 30% as compared with the conventional one. (2) The thermal responsiveness is improved by about 30%. (3) Good durability in driving with a shorter pulse width than the conventional one. Improvement of performance was recognized. Further, based on the foaming stability by the driving of the short pulse, the ejection stability of the recording liquid was improved, and the recording quality was improved.

Although not particularly described in the above embodiment, the formation of the liquid discharge port or the liquid flow path is not shown in FIG.
It is not always necessary to use a top plate with a groove as shown in FIG. Further, the present invention is not limited to a multi-array type liquid ejecting recording head having a plurality of liquid ejecting ports as described above, and may be applied to a single array type liquid ejecting recording head having one liquid ejecting port. Of course, it can be applied.

Next, an example of a liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with the liquid jet recording head of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The liquid jet recording head 103 is driven by forward and reverse rotations of a drive motor 106, and gear trains 106a, 106b, 106
The ink container cassette 102 is mounted on the carriage 101 which engages with the spiral groove 105a of the lead screw 105 rotating via c and 106d, along with the carriage 101 along the guide shaft 104 by the power of the drive motor 106. It is reciprocated in the directions of the arrow and the counter-arrow. Switching between forward and reverse rotations of the drive motor 106 is performed by the photocoupler 116 disposed near one end of the lead screw 105 and the lever 1 provided on the carriage 101 when the carriage 101 is at the home position.
This is performed by detecting at step 15.

The recording paper 109 is pressed against the platen 107 by the pressing plate 108, and is conveyed to face the recording head by a paper feed roller (not shown) driven by a paper feed motor 110.

A recovery unit provided for removing foreign matter and ink having increased viscosity attached to the ejection openings of the recording head 103 and maintaining the ejection characteristics in a normal state is connected to suction means (not shown). By removing the cap member 113 and capping and sucking the ejection port of the recording head 103, the foreign matter attached to the ejection port and the ink having increased viscosity are removed. Recovery unit and platen 1
07, a cleaning blade 114 that is guided by the guide member 112 and that can move in the front-rear direction toward the traveling path of the ejection port surface of the recording head 103 is provided.
The cleaning blade 114 is configured to be able to clean foreign matters and ink droplets attached to the ejection port surface of the recording head 103 at its tip.

The liquid jet recording apparatus having the above configuration is
On the recording paper 109 conveyed on the platen 107, recording is performed while the recording head 103 reciprocates over the entire width of the recording paper 109.

It should be noted that the present invention includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter) for generating thermal energy as energy used for performing ink ejection among ink jet recording systems, and the state change of the ink by the thermal energy. An excellent effect is obtained in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a type that causes the above. According to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
No. 796, and the present invention is preferably performed using these basic principles. This recording method can be applied to both so-called on-demand type and continuous type.

The recording method will be briefly described. A recording liquid (ink) corresponding to recording information is applied to an electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to a sheet or a flow path holding the recording liquid (ink). ), Heat energy is generated by applying at least one drive signal for giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling phenomenon and causing a film boiling phenomenon, thereby causing the film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Cause. As described above, since bubbles corresponding to the drive signal applied to the electrothermal converter in the recording liquid (ink) can be formed one-to-one, it is particularly effective for an on-demand type recording method. The recording liquid (ink) is ejected through an ejection port by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are immediately and appropriately performed, and therefore, the ejection of the recording liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat.
Those described in JP-A Nos. 359 and 4345262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, a configuration combining a discharge port, a liquid flow path, and an electrothermal converter as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path)
In addition, the present invention is also effective in a device having a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bent region as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600. . In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge port of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an aperture for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The present invention is also effective in a device having a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit.

Further, as a recording head in which the present invention is effectively used, there is a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. The full line head may be a full line configuration by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification, or may be a single full line recording head formed integrally.

In addition, the print head is replaceable with a print head of a replaceable chip type, which can be electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus or supplied with ink from the main body of the apparatus, or is integrated with the print head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head provided in a fixed manner is used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head and preliminary auxiliary means to the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention since the recording apparatus can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, a capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressurizing or suction unit, a preheating unit using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, a recording head, It is also effective to add a preliminary ejection mode means for performing another ejection to perform stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the mode for recording only the mainstream color such as black, but may be either a mode in which the recording head is integrally formed or a mode in which a plurality of recording heads are combined. However, the present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of multiple colors of different colors or full colors of mixed colors.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, even if the ink solidifies at room temperature or lower, it is used as a liquid that softens or liquefies at room temperature or higher. Or, in the ink jet method, generally, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range.
A liquid in which the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied may be used. In addition, in order to positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to prevent evaporation of the ink, the ink is solidified in a standing state and heated. May be used. In any case, the application of thermal energy, such as the one in which the ink liquefies and the liquid ink is ejected by the application in accordance with the recording signal of thermal energy, and the one in which the ink starts to solidify when it reaches the recording medium, etc. The present invention can also be applied to a case where an ink that liquefies for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink is held in a state of being held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet as described in JP-A-54-56847 and JP-A-60-71260. Alternatively, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective ink for each of the above-mentioned inks is obtained by executing the above-described film boiling method.

In addition, the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is not only used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, but also a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and further, a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. May be adopted.

[0064]

As described above, the substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention is constructed as described above. Since the thickness of the protective layer and the upper surface of the electrode can be flattened without causing the formation of pinholes or cracks in the protective layer, the quality of the film can be reduced. Layer defects such as non-uniformity can be eliminated, and good step coverage can be obtained even if the protective layer is made thin.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate layer defects,
Since the problems associated with the thinning of the protective layer such as the improvement of the step coverage can be solved, not only the power saving of the liquid jet recording head but also the faster thermal response, the improved durability, It is possible to improve the ejection stability and the like, and it is possible to increase the recording density and achieve the improvement of the recording quality.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a process chart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a substrate for a liquid jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of each step in a method for manufacturing the liquid jet recording head substrate shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a liquid jet recording head formed using the substrate of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with a liquid jet recording head formed using the substrate of the present invention.

5A and 5B show a substrate constituting a conventional liquid jet recording head, FIG. 5A is a partial plan view showing the vicinity of an electrothermal converter in a substrate constituting a liquid jet recording head, and FIG.
It is a partial sectional view of an X-ray, and (c) is a sectional view showing a part enlarged.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 1st electrode wiring layer 3 Interlayer insulating layer 4 Through hole part 5 2nd electrode wiring layer 6 Heating resistor layer 7 Protective layer 8 Anti-cavitation layer 10 Heat generation part 11 Substrate 30 Liquid jet recording head 35 Liquid flow path 37 Discharge port

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshiyuki Imanaka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of heat acting portions forming a liquid flow path communicating with a discharge port for ejecting a liquid to form flying droplets, and applying heat to a liquid filled in each of the heat acting portions. A plurality of heating elements provided for each of the heat acting portions so as to be effectively transmitted, and a signal for independently driving each of the heating elements is provided so as to drive a desired heating element. A liquid ejection recording head substrate comprising a driving circuit composed of a plurality of functional elements, wherein the electrode wiring electrically connected to the heating element comprises a first electrode and a second electrode. Wherein the electrodes are arranged below the layer of the heating element in the substrate, and are arranged in a three-dimensional folded structure. 2. A plurality of heat acting portions forming a liquid flow path communicating with a discharge port for ejecting a liquid to form flying droplets, and applying heat to the liquid filled in each of the heat acting portions. A plurality of heating elements provided for each of the heat acting portions so as to be effectively transmitted, and a signal for independently driving each of the heating elements is provided so as to drive a desired heating element. A driving circuit comprising a plurality of functional elements, wherein the plurality of heating elements and the functional elements are structurally provided inside the surface of the same substrate. The electrode wiring electrically connected to the body includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and these electrodes are arranged below the layer of the heating element in the substrate to form a three-dimensional folded structure. Substrate for a liquid jet recording head, wherein the substrate is arranged as 3. The substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a protective layer is formed on the layer of the heating element. 4. The electrode wiring according to claim 1, wherein the electrode wiring is formed of aluminum, tungsten, copper, silver, gold, platinum, or an alloy containing at least one of these metals.
4. The substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to any one of items 3 to 3. 5. A step of forming a first metal film on a substrate by a CVD method, a step of forming a patterned interlayer insulating layer, and embedding a metal by partially removing the interlayer insulating layer by patterning. Forming a through-hole portion for electrically connecting the first metal film and a heat-generating resistor layer to be formed later, and forming a second metal film in a concave portion in which the interlayer insulating layer is partially removed by patterning. The evaporation method,
After forming by sputtering method or CVD method,
Continuously heating in a state of not being exposed to the air to deposit a metal single crystal in the concave portion, and polishing the interlayer insulating layer, the through-hole portion and the second metal film by a CMP method, Forming a flat portion by removing the metal film; and forming a heating resistor layer for supplying heat energy for discharging the recording liquid to the recording liquid on the flattened surface. Of manufacturing a substrate for a liquid jet recording head. 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of forming a protective layer on the heating resistor layer. 7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first and second metal films are made of aluminum, tungsten, copper, silver, gold, platinum, or an alloy containing one or more of these metals. Of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head substrate. 8. A liquid jet recording head formed using the substrate for a liquid jet recording head according to claim 1, a carriage mounting the liquid jet recording head, and the liquid jet recording head. A recording paper transport device for transporting the recording paper so as to face the liquid jet recording device. 9. A liquid jet recording head formed using the liquid jet recording head substrate manufactured by the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head substrate according to claim 5, and the liquid jet recording head. A liquid ejecting recording apparatus comprising: a carriage on which a recording head is mounted; and a recording sheet transport device that transports a recording sheet so as to face the liquid ejecting recording head.