JP2018083365A - Liquid discharge head and manufacturing method of liquid discharge head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inhibit corrosion of a reinforcement part provided in a supply port of a recording element substrate which is caused by an ink.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge head has a recording element substrate including: an energy generating element which generates energy used for discharging a liquid; and a supply port for supplying the liquid to the energy generating element. A reinforcement part made of silicon is provided in the supply port. At least a part of the reinforcement part is covered by a resin member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head that discharges ink and a manufacturing method thereof.

  In a liquid discharge head typified by an ink jet recording head, image recording is performed by discharging fine droplets of ink from a plurality of ink discharge ports. In general, an inkjet head includes a recording element substrate made of silicon having an energy generating element and a supply port, and a discharge port forming member having a discharge port, and the supply port is formed by anisotropic etching with an alkaline liquid. In this etching, the (111) plane which is a fine silicon surface is exposed as an etching plane. The (111) plane of silicon forms an angle of 54.7 ° with respect to the plane of the silicon substrate, and the progress of dissolution by ink is extremely slow.

  In recent years, it has been desired to provide a liquid discharge head capable of high-definition and high-speed printing. As a means for performing high-speed printing, there is a means for increasing the number of ejection ports and increasing the printing area in one head scan. As a result, the discharge port array becomes longer, and the supply port for supplying the liquid becomes longer. As a result, there is an increased possibility that the recording element substrate is damaged or the recording element substrate is warped due to the influence of the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the recording element substrate and the support member that supports the recording element substrate.

  As a countermeasure, there is a method of increasing the rigidity of the recording element substrate by providing a beam as a reinforcing portion in the supply port (Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-55184 A JP 2009-202401 A

  However, there is a problem that the beam itself in the supply port is dissolved by the ink. As a countermeasure against the dissolution of silicon, a configuration in which a protective film is provided is known (Patent Document 2), but there is an influence of an increase in the process for providing the protective film and an increase in cost.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting head and a method of manufacturing the same, which can provide a high-quality printing with a simple structure and a high-speed printing over a long period of time even with an elongated recording element substrate.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejection having a recording element substrate comprising: an energy generation element that generates energy used to eject a liquid; and a supply port for supplying the energy to the energy generation element. In the head, a reinforcing portion made of silicon is provided in the supply port, and at least a part of the reinforcing portion is covered with a resin member.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid discharge head that can increase rigidity with a simple configuration even in an elongated recording element substrate, has good print quality, and can obtain high-speed printing over a long period of time, and a method for manufacturing the same. Is possible.

1 is a schematic diagram of a cross section of a recording element unit showing a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the liquid ejection head of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a recording element unit according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the recording element substrate of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a bottom view and a cross-sectional view of a recording element substrate. The top view and sectional drawing of a supporting member. The schematic diagram which shows the process of providing an adhesive agent to a supporting member. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bonding process between a recording element substrate and a support member. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bonding process between a recording element substrate and a support member.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a liquid discharge head and a manufacturing method thereof according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The liquid discharge head and the liquid discharge apparatus equipped with the liquid discharge head according to the present invention include a printer, a copier, a facsimile having a communication system, a word processor having a printer unit, and a combination of various processing apparatuses. It can be applied to a recording apparatus. For example, it can be used for applications such as biochip fabrication, electronic circuit printing, and semiconductor substrate fabrication.

  Each embodiment described below is an appropriate specific example of the present invention, and thus has various technically preferable limitations. However, the present embodiment is not limited to the embodiments of the present specification and other specific methods as long as the concept of the present invention is met.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the liquid discharge head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The recording element unit 7 includes a recording element substrate 1 having an ejection energy generating element that generates energy used to eject a liquid, and a support member 2 that supports the recording element substrate 1. The recording element unit 7 further includes a plate 3 for relaxing a step between the supporting member 2 and the recording element substrate 1 joined to the supporting member 2, and an electric wiring tape 4 for sending an electrical signal to the recording element substrate 1. And an electrical connection board 5. The liquid discharge head 8 includes a recording element unit 7 and a tank holder 6 that holds a tank (not shown) that is a liquid container that holds a recording liquid.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the recording element unit 7. For ease of explanation, the components of the plate 3, the electric wiring tape 4, and the electric connection board 5 are not shown, and some of the components are partially transmitted. This is illustrated in the state. In FIG. 3, the recording element substrate 1 has a discharge port 9 formed corresponding to the energy generating element and a supply port 10 for supplying ink discharged from the discharge port 9. More specifically, the recording element substrate 1 is configured by laminating a substrate including an energy generating element and a supply port 10 and a discharge port forming member including a discharge port. In the present embodiment, the substrate is made of silicon, and the discharge port forming member is made of resin. A reinforcing portion 11 as a beam structure is formed inside the supply port 10. The support member 2 that supports the recording element substrate 1 is provided with a liquid chamber 12 that holds ink to be supplied to the recording element substrate 1. In addition, although the reinforcement part 11 in this embodiment is a structure coat | covered with an adhesive agent so that it may mention later, in order to demonstrate the structure of the reinforcement part 11, illustration of an adhesive agent is abbreviate | omitted here.

  4A is a perspective view showing the lower surface side of the recording element substrate 1, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the reinforcing portion 11 and its peripheral portion. The reinforcing portion 11 has both side surfaces including a B surface 13 and a B ′ surface 23, and an F surface 14 that is a bottom surface. The inner surface of the supply port 10 has a C surface 15 that is an inner surface along the longitudinal direction, and the reinforcing portion 11 is provided so as to connect between the C surfaces 15. The bottom surface of the recording element substrate 1 is an E surface 16, which is flush with the F surface 14 that is the bottom surface of the reinforcing portion 11.

  In the present embodiment, the recording element substrate 1 is made of silicon, and the E surface 16 and the F surface 14 which are the bottom surfaces thereof are (100) surfaces. The supply port 10 is formed by anisotropic etching, and the C surface 15 which is an inner surface is a (111) surface. The reinforcing portion 11 in the present embodiment is formed by controlling the rate of anisotropic etching when the supply port 10 is formed. Therefore, the B surface 13 becomes the (311) surface, and the B ′ surface 23 formed when the anisotropic etching time becomes long is the (111) surface. Since this B 'surface 23 is a (111) surface, it is a surface that is strong in ink solubility, but the size of the reinforcing portion 11 must be reduced in order to form this surface. In order to secure the size of the reinforcing portion, a B surface 13 (311 surface) is provided. In FIG. 4, the B ′ surface 23 is shown in order to accurately describe the shape of the reinforcing portion. However, in the present invention, the B ′ surface 23 is not essential, and the ratio at the time of formation may be set as appropriate.

  5A is a view of the recording element substrate 1 as viewed from the bottom side, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is a view in FIG. , DD cross section. 6A is a view of the support member 2 as seen from the surface to be bonded to the recording element substrate 1. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 6A, and FIG. It is a FF cross section in 5 (a). The E ′ surface 17 of the support member 2 is a surface to which the recording element substrate 1 is bonded. In the present embodiment, a beam 18 as a reinforcing portion is formed in the liquid chamber 12 of the support member 2, and the beam 18 is provided opposite to each other at a position corresponding to the reinforcing portion 11 of the recording element substrate 1. ing. The beam 18 is provided over the entire depth method in the liquid chamber. The F ′ surface 19 that is the upper surface of the beam 18 is at a position corresponding to the F surface 14 that is the bottom surface of the reinforcing portion 11.

  FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the recording element unit 7 showing the first embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG.1 (b) is GG section sectional drawing in Fig.1 (a). The recording element substrate 1 and the support member 2 are bonded via an adhesive 21. The reinforcing portion 11 is provided at the end of the supply port on the side where the support member 2 is joined, and the reinforcing portion 11 and the beam 18 of the support member 2 are joined by an adhesive 20. In the present embodiment, the adhesive 20 and the adhesive 21 are the same, but the present invention is not limited to this, and different types of adhesives may be used, and a sealing material is applied instead of the adhesive 20. May be. That is, it is sufficient that the reinforcing portion 11 is configured to be able to suppress contact with ink. Therefore, it is preferable to cover the reinforcing portion 11 with a resin member or the like. When the adhesives 20 and 21 are provided on the joint surface between the recording element substrate 1 and the support member 2 and joined together in this way, the adhesive 20 is guided by the capillary force so as to cover the reinforcing portion 11.

  In particular, since the B surface 13 which is the side surface of the reinforcing portion 11 is the (311) surface, the B surface 13 can be covered with the adhesive 20 although the resistance to ink corrosion is weak. In this way, by covering the B surface 13 of the reinforcing portion 11 with the adhesive 20 and curing the adhesive 20, the B surface 13 does not directly contact the ink, and corrosion can be suppressed. Accordingly, the F surface 14 which is more resistant to ink corrosion than the B surface 13 can be covered with the adhesive 20, which is preferable. In the present invention, it is not necessary to cover the entire surface of the reinforcing portion 11 with the adhesive 20, and it is sufficient to cover at least the B surface 13 constituted by the (311) surface with relatively low resistance to ink corrosion.

  In the first embodiment, the substrate portion of the recording element substrate 1 is made of silicon and the support member 2 is made of alumina. An epoxy adhesive was used as the adhesive 20 and the adhesive 21. As a bonding method, the adhesive 20 and the adhesive 21 were transferred to the support member 2, and the recording element substrate 1 was bonded thereon to produce the liquid discharge head 8.

  Ink was injected into the liquid discharge head 8 made in this way and a durability test was performed. However, the influence of the reinforcement portion 11 due to corrosion by the ink could be suppressed, and good printing could be obtained over a long period of time. .

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, all the reinforcing portions are covered with the adhesive by joining the reinforcing portion 11 and the beam 18 respectively. However, in the present invention, it is not always necessary to cover all the reinforcing portions 11 with the adhesive. For example, in the case of a liquid ejection head that ejects a plurality of types of ink, at least the adhesive is coated on the reinforcing portion 11 formed in the supply port 10 corresponding to the ink that has a particularly large influence on the dissolution of silicon. Just do it. The reinforcing portion 11 corresponding to the ink having little influence on the dissolution of silicon does not necessarily need to be covered with an adhesive.

  In addition, since the dissolution rate varies depending on the ink, if there is little influence in actual use, only the specific reinforcing portion 11 may be covered. For example, when there are two or more reinforcing portions 11 in the same supply port 10, at least one of them may be covered with an adhesive.

  In any case, since the F surface 14 that is the bottom surface of the reinforcing portion 11 and the E surface 16 that is the bottom surface of the recording element substrate 1 are the same surface, a specific reinforcement can be achieved by changing the pattern of transfer of the adhesive. The part 11 can be covered. Covering the specific reinforcing portion 11 also reduces the amount of adhesive used, and has the advantage of cost reduction.

(Third embodiment)
In each embodiment mentioned above, joining was performed after transferring adhesive 20 and adhesive 21 to support member 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the reinforcing portion may be covered by applying to the recording element substrate 1 with a dispenser or the like and bonding to the support member 2.

The application with the dispenser is easy to partially adjust the application amount. Therefore, in order to ensure the covering of the reinforcing portion 11 with the adhesive, means such as increasing the coating amount per unit area of the adhesive on the F surface 14 compared to the E surface 16 becomes possible. And in order to improve the coverage of the reinforcing portion 11, it is possible to take measures such as changing the type of the adhesive 20 and the adhesive 21.
(Fourth embodiment)
Even in the transfer system, it is possible to change the transfer amount of the partial adhesive. For example, the adhesive is applied to the support member while partially changing the surface roughness of the transfer plate. Specifically, by making the surface roughness of the transfer plate corresponding to the reinforcing portion 11 (F surface 14) rougher than others, the transfer amount of the adhesive at that portion can be increased.

  FIG. 7 shows a process of applying an adhesive to the support member 2, and FIG. 8 shows a process of joining the support member to which the adhesive has been applied and the recording element substrate 1. FIG. 7A shows a plan view of the transfer plate 22 and a GG cross section thereof. The transfer plate 22 includes a transfer portion 25 with relatively small surface irregularities (fine texture) and a transfer portion 24 with relatively large surface irregularities (rough texture). The transfer unit 24 is disposed on the transfer plate 22 so as to transfer the adhesive to the beam 18 of the support member 2 (a position corresponding to the reinforcing unit 11). The transfer unit 25 is disposed on the transfer plate 22 so as to transfer the adhesive to the position of the support member corresponding to the other joint portion of the beam 18.

  FIG. 7B shows the transfer plate 26 on the transfer device. By rotating the adhesive placed on the transfer plate, a uniform adhesive film 27 is formed on the transfer plate 26, and the transfer portion 24 and the transfer portion 25 of the transfer plate 22 are formed on the adhesive film 27. Contact. Accordingly, the transfer portion 24 that is a rough uneven portion holds more adhesive per unit area than the transfer portion 25.

  As shown in FIG. 7C, when the transfer plate 22 in this state is transferred to the surface of the prepared support member 2 to which the recording element substrate 1 is joined, the transfer member 22 is applied to the reinforcing portion 11 as shown in FIG. The corresponding portion of the adhesive 20 is relatively thick, and the other portions of the adhesive 21 are relatively thin. When the recording element substrate 1 is joined to the support member 2 to which the adhesive has been transferred as shown in FIG. 8A, as shown in FIG. 8B, the thickly applied adhesive 20 becomes the reinforcing portion. The F surface 14 is crushed. The adhesive protruding by being crushed rises upward and covers the B surface 13 by the capillary force caused by the gap between the B surface 13 and the C surface 15 of the reinforcing portion 11.

  In this embodiment, the surface roughness of the transfer portion 24 is Ra20, and the surface roughness of the transfer portion 25 is Ra1. Then, an epoxy adhesive was used as an adhesive for forming the adhesive film 27, and a head was produced in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

(Fifth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the coverage of the reinforcing portion 11 is improved by using a slow-hardening ultraviolet curable adhesive as the adhesive. The slow-curing UV curable adhesive is activated by irradiating with UV rays, whereby the curing reaction agent of the adhesive is activated and curing begins. The degree of activity depends on the amount of light (illuminance of ultraviolet rays × time). As the reaction progresses, the adhesive cures and the viscosity increases and the flowability decreases. If the viscosity is low, it is easy to be filled with the capillary force in the gap formed by the B surface 13 and the C surface 15, and thereafter it is easy to cover the B surface 13. In this way, by using the slow-curing ultraviolet curable adhesive, the viscosity (fluidity) of the adhesive can be adjusted, and the coverage of the reinforcing portion 11 can be improved.

  The manufacturing method of this embodiment is demonstrated to FIG. In FIG. 9, the ultraviolet curable adhesive is selectively irradiated with ultraviolet rays using a glass mask 28 as a dimming mask provided with a dimming portion 29. Specifically, the glass mask 28 is used to reduce the amount of ultraviolet light that strikes the adhesive 20 on the beam 18 (the position corresponding to the reinforcing portion 11) of the support member 2 relative to the amount of ultraviolet light with respect to the adhesive 21. Selectively irradiate with ultraviolet rays.

  In this embodiment, silicon is used as the recording element substrate 1 and alumina is used as the support member 2. And the adhesive 20 and the adhesive 21 used the same slow-hardening ultraviolet curing adhesive. The illuminance of the UV lamp was adjusted using a glass mask 28 in which the ultraviolet transmittance of the light reducing portion 29 was set to 50%. The head was fabricated so that the amount of light to the adhesive 20 was 1000 mJ / cm 2 and the amount of light to the adhesive 21 was 2000 mJ / cm 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording element board | substrate 2 Support member 3 Plate 5 Electric connection board | substrate 6 Tank holder 7 Recording element unit 8 Recording head 9 Discharge port 10 Supply port 11 Reinforcement part 12 Liquid chamber 18 Beam 20 Adhesive 21 Adhesive

Claims (16)

A liquid discharge head having a recording element substrate comprising: an energy generating element that generates energy used to discharge liquid; and a supply port for supplying liquid to the energy generating element,
A liquid discharge head, wherein a reinforcing portion made of silicon is provided in the supply port, and at least a part of the reinforcing portion is covered with a resin member.   2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the reinforcing portion includes a (311) plane, and the (311) plane is covered with the resin member.   2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the reinforcing portion includes a (111) plane and a (311) plane, and at least the (311) plane is covered with the resin member.   4. The recording element substrate according to claim 1, wherein the recording element substrate includes a discharge port forming member that includes a discharge port that discharges a liquid, and a substrate that includes the energy generation element and the supply port. Liquid discharge head. A support member for supporting the recording element substrate;
5. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the recording element substrate and the support member are bonded together by an adhesive.   The liquid discharge head according to claim 5, wherein the resin member is the adhesive.   The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the resin member is an ultraviolet curable adhesive.   The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing portion is provided at an end portion of the supply port on the side where the support member is joined. A liquid chamber for holding a liquid to be supplied to the recording element substrate, and a support member for supporting the recording element substrate,
The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein a beam is provided in the liquid chamber.   The liquid ejection head according to claim 9, wherein the beam and the reinforcing portion are provided to face each other.   The liquid ejection head according to claim 10, wherein the resin member is provided between the beam and the reinforcing portion. A recording element substrate comprising: an energy generating element that generates energy used to eject liquid; a supply port for supplying liquid to the energy generating element; and a reinforcing portion made of silicon provided in the supply port; Preparing a support member for supporting the recording element substrate;
A bonding step of bonding the recording element substrate and the support member with an adhesive;
A method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head comprising:
In the bonding step, the adhesive covers at least a part of the reinforcing portion.   13. The liquid discharge head according to claim 12, wherein a surface of the reinforcing portion includes a (111) plane and a (311) plane, and at least the (311) plane is covered with the adhesive in the bonding step. Production method.   The bonding step includes an application step of applying an adhesive to a bonding surface to which the recording element substrate of the support member is bonded, and in the application step, a unit area of the adhesive applied to a position corresponding to the reinforcing portion The manufacturing method of the liquid discharge head according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the per-applied amount is larger than the applied amount per unit area of the adhesive applied to other portions.   In the application step, the application of the adhesive to the joint surface is performed by transferring the adhesive by a transfer plate, and the surface roughness of the transfer plate that transfers the adhesive to a position corresponding to the reinforcing portion is The method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to claim 14, wherein the surface is rougher than the surface roughness of the transfer plate to be transferred to other portions.   The method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to claim 12, wherein the adhesive is an ultraviolet curable adhesive.

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