EP0649748B1 - Tête thermique pour imprimantes - Google Patents

Tête thermique pour imprimantes Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0649748B1
EP0649748B1 EP19940116818 EP94116818A EP0649748B1 EP 0649748 B1 EP0649748 B1 EP 0649748B1 EP 19940116818 EP19940116818 EP 19940116818 EP 94116818 A EP94116818 A EP 94116818A EP 0649748 B1 EP0649748 B1 EP 0649748B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
thermal head
film
resistor film
resistor
heat generating
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19940116818
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German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0649748A3 (fr
EP0649748A2 (fr
Inventor
Takashi C/O Nec Corporation Ota
Koji C/O Nec Corporation Shigemura
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NEC Corp
Original Assignee
NEC Corp
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Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from JP5698494A external-priority patent/JP2738293B2/ja
Priority claimed from JP14500294A external-priority patent/JPH081979A/ja
Priority claimed from JP6145006A external-priority patent/JP2606139B2/ja
Priority claimed from JP14500794A external-priority patent/JPH081975A/ja
Application filed by NEC Corp filed Critical NEC Corp
Publication of EP0649748A2 publication Critical patent/EP0649748A2/fr
Publication of EP0649748A3 publication Critical patent/EP0649748A3/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0649748B1 publication Critical patent/EP0649748B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/315—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material
    • B41J2/32—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads
    • B41J2/335—Structure of thermal heads
    • B41J2/33505—Constructional details
    • B41J2/33515—Heater layers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/315—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material
    • B41J2/32—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads
    • B41J2/335—Structure of thermal heads
    • B41J2/33505—Constructional details
    • B41J2/3353—Protective layers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/315—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material
    • B41J2/32—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads
    • B41J2/335—Structure of thermal heads
    • B41J2/33545—Structure of thermal heads characterised by dimensions
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/315—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material
    • B41J2/32—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads
    • B41J2/335—Structure of thermal heads
    • B41J2/3355—Structure of thermal heads characterised by materials
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/315—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material
    • B41J2/32—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material using thermal heads
    • B41J2/335—Structure of thermal heads
    • B41J2/33555—Structure of thermal heads characterised by type
    • B41J2/3357—Surface type resistors

Definitions

  • Thermal printers and ink-jet printers are largely used as output devices for computers and wordprocessors.
  • the thermal head In ink-jet printers the thermal head is placed in the ink, and each heat generating zone of the thermal head heats a fraction of the ink to boil and produce a bubble which causes a droplet of the ink to spout from a nozzle or orifice above the heat generating zone.
  • JP 61-260604 A shows a thermal head for thermal printers.
  • the thermal head is produced by the steps of depositing a resistor film such as a tantalum film on an insulated substrate, depositing a conductor film such as an aluminum or copper film on the resistor film, patterning the conductor film so as to form two opposite electrodes for each heat generating zone and expose the resistor film in each heat generating zone, anodically oxidising the surface of the resistor film in each heat generating zone and finally forming a protective layer such as an oxide or nitride layer on both the electrodes and the anodically oxidized resistor surface.
  • the conductor film, resistor film and the protective layer are formed by sputtering methods. That is, the fabrication of the thermal head entails three different sputtering operations. Since sputtering operations are costly due to the expensiveness of sputtering apparatus and targets, the thermal head is relatively high in production cost.
  • the thermal head construction shown in JP 61-260604 A in ink-jet printers.
  • the protective layer formed by sputtering is microscopically porous, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the protective layer.
  • the thickened protective layer becomes large in heat capacity, and for this reason it is difficult to enhance the responsiveness and printing speed of the thermal head, and the power consumption of the thermal head increases.
  • JP 60-109850 A shows a thermal head for ink-jet printers.
  • the thermal head is produced by the steps of depositing a resistor film (tantalum film) on an insulated substrate by sputtering, depositing a conductor film (aluminum film) on the resistor film, patterning the conductor film so as to form two opposite electrodes for each heat generating zone and exposing the resistor film in the heat generating zones and anodically oxidizing the surfaces of the electrodes and the exposed resistor film to form a protective layer of aluminum oxide on the electrodes and a protective layer of tantalum pentoxide Ta 2 O 5 on the resistor surface.
  • this thermal head entails only two sputtering operations for forming the resistor and conductor films, respectively. This is favorable for a cost reduction.
  • problems about the anodically oxidized protective layers The aluminum oxide layer on the electrodes and the tantalum oxide layer on the resistor film are chemically dissimilar and hence do not chemically bond to each other. Therefore, microscopic slits are liable to appear at the borders between these two layers as a cause of intrusion of the ink.
  • durability of the thermal head may not be sufficient because during operation of the thermal head heat stresses will appear in the border regions of the two different protective layers. Another reason for the insufficient durability is the difficulty of employing optimal conditions for anodic oxidation of the electrodes and the resistor.
  • a thermal head comprises a substrate having an insulating surface on which a plurality of heat generating zones are located in a predetermined arrangement, a patterned conductor film which lies on the insulating surface of the substrate and, for each of the heat generating zones, forms two opposite electrodes one of which terminates at an edge of the heat generating zone and the other at the opposite edge, a patterned resistor film which is formed of an anodically oxidizable material and continuously covers the patterned conductor film and the insulating surface in the heat generating zones, and a protective layer which is formed by anodic oxidation of a surface layer of the patterned resistor film.
  • the principal feature of the invention is that the anodically oxidizable resistor film is deposited after the deposition and patterning of the conductor film. Since the patterned conductor film is entirely covered with the resistor film, the anodic oxidation of the surface of the resistor film can be performed under optimum conditions for the employed resistor material. Therefore, a protective layer of very good quality can be formed to thereby enhance durability of the thermal head. Furthermore, it is possible to greatly reduce the thicknesses of the protective layer and the resistor film to thereby reduce power consumption of the thermal head and enhance responsiveness.
  • a preferred example of anodically oxidizable resistor materials is tantalum.
  • a method of producing a thermal head comprises the steps of (a) depositing a conductur film on an insulating surface of a substrate, (b) patterning the conductor film by photolithography to define a plurality of heat generating zones where the conductor film is removed and, for each of the heat generating zones, form two opposite electrodes one of which terminates at an edge of the heat generating zone and the other at the opposite edge, (c) depositing an anodically oxidizable resistor film on the patterned conductor film and exposed areas of the insulating surface of the substrate by a bias sputtering operation using an inert gas as the sputtering gas to cause intrusion of the atoms of the inert gas into the deposited resistor film, (d) patterning the resistor film by photolithography so as to leave the resistor film over the patterned conductor film and on the insulating surface in the heat generating zones, and (e) anodically oxidizing a surface layer of the patterned resistor film.
  • Figs. 1 and 2 show an essential part of a thermal head embodying the invention.
  • a silicon substrate 10 is used as the body part of the thermal head.
  • a surface layer of the silicon substrate 10 is thermally oxidized to form a silicon oxide layer 10a which serves as an insulating layer.
  • the thermal head has an array of heating zones 20 on the insulated surface 10a of the substrate 10. The heating zones 20 are nearly square zones.
  • Each heating zone 20 is a gap between two opposite electrodes 12 and 12' which are formed by depositing a conductor film such as aluminum film on the insulating surface 10a of the substrate and removing unnecessary areas of the deposited film by a photolithography process.
  • the conductor film is patterned, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to form a common electrode 12 which has a rectangularly projecting shape in a region adjacent to each heating zone 20 and a set of selective electrodes 12' which are rectangularly elongate and each extend opposite to and in alignment with the rectangular projection of the common electrode 12 for each heating zone 20.
  • the selective electrodes 12' are individually addressable.
  • each of the electrodes 12 and 12' is tapered in an end region adjacent to the heating zone 20.
  • the tapering can be accomplished in the photolithography process for patterning the conductor film by controlling some factors such as etching time and the strength of adhesion of the photoresist layer to the conductor film.
  • a resistor film 14 lies on the electrodes 12, 12' and the insulating surface 10a of the substrate 10 in the heating zones 20. Tantalum is a preferred resistor material in view of adequateness of its volume resistivity and excellence in heat resistance.
  • the resistor film 14 is deposited after patterning the electrodes 12, 12' over substantially the entire surface area of the thermal head, and by a photolithography process the resistor film is selectively removed in areas widthways between the rectangularly elongate electrodes 12, 12'. As the result, the resistor film 14 continuously covers the electrodes 12, 12' and the insulating surface 10a in the heating zones 20.
  • the resistor film existing in each heating zone 20, indicated at 14a, serves as a heating resistor.
  • the effect of suppressing the diffusion of oxygen is appreciable when the biasing power is 10%, or above, of the sputtering power.
  • the biasing power exceeds 50% of the sputtering power an excessive increase in the amount of the inert gas atoms in the resistor film 14 augments strains in the resistor film and may cause peeling of the resistor film from the underlying electrodes or the substrate surface during continuous operation of the thermal head.
  • This example illustrates the fabrication of the thermal head shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
  • the deposited tantalum film was selectively removed by photolithography to form the resistor pattern 14 shown in Fig. 1.
  • a surface layer of the patterned resistor film 14 was anodically oxidized in 0.1% aqueous solution of phosphoric acid by application of a voltage of 147 V between the resistor film 14 which was made anode and a counter electrode.
  • the anodic oxidation was performed until the thickness of the resultant Ta 2 O 5 layer, viz. protective layer 16, reached 0.3 ⁇ m.
  • the thickness of the unoxidized tantalum film 14 was 0.1 ⁇ m.
  • the electrode material is not limited to aluminum. If desired it is possible to use a different material such as copper, aluminum-copper alloy or aluminum-silicon alloy. Tantalum is preferred as the resistor material, but if desired it is possible to take a selection from different materials such as tantalum-aluminum alloys, tantalum nitride, titanium and its alloys and compounds, and niobium and its alloys and compounds.
  • the cavitation-resistant layer 18 of Ta or Ti has a thickness from 0.2 to 0.8 ⁇ m.
  • the cavitation resistant layer (Ta) 18 of such thickness was added to the thermal head of Example 1, the durability improved more than 5 times. If the cavitation resistant layer 18 is made too thick, the strength of adhesion of this layer 18 to the underlying layer lowers because of augmented strains in the layer 18. Considering the durability and production cost of the thermal head, the optimum thickness of the cavitation resistant layer 18 is about 0.5 ⁇ m. When the thermal head of Example 1 was provided with the tantalum layer 18 of such a thickness the durability reached the order of 10 8 pulses.
  • the surface of the insulating oxide layer 10a of the silicon substrate 10 becomes a somewhat rough surface by the influence of the etching liquid used in the photolithographic process to form the electrodes 12, 12'.
  • the roughening of that surface might result in unevenness of the thickness of the resistor film 14a in each heating zone 20, and unevenness of the thickness will become a cause of failure of the heating zone 20 by concentration of current. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, it is also preferable to overlay the insulating oxide layer 10a on the surface of the silicon substrate 10 with another insulating layer 22 which is stable or resistant to the acidic etching liquid.
  • a preferred material of the insulating layer 22 is silicon nitride.
  • a silicon nitride layer can be deposited on the silicon oxide layer 10a by either a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process or sputtering.
  • the insulating layer 22 of silicon nitride has a thickness of about 1 ⁇ m. It is possible to use a different material such as tantalum pentoxide instead of silicon nitride.
  • each heating zone 20 of a thermal head according to the invention there is some distribution of heat generation (amounts of heat generated per unit area), and it has been found that the distribution of heat generation depends strongly on the shape of the resistor film 14 in and in the vicinity of the heating zone 20.
  • Fig. 5 shows a good example of the resistor film shape.
  • W 1 was 72 ⁇ m.
  • W 2 was 64 ⁇ m
  • W 3 was 66 ⁇ m
  • L was 60 ⁇ m
  • ⁇ L was 3 ⁇ m.
  • the ratio of P max to P o can be taken as an indication of the distribution of heat generation. If P max /P o is close to 1.0, it is presumable that the distribution of heat generation in the heating zone is close to uniformity. Testing of thermal head samples variously different in the resistor shape has proved that the durability of the thermal head is not significantly affected by uneven distributions of heat generation insofar as P max /P o is not greater than 2.0. Therefore, it is desirable that P max /P o is not greater than 2.0.
  • the resistor film 14 is patterned so as to meet at least the following conditions (1) and (2). W 1 ⁇ W 3 ⁇ W 2 W 1 /W 2 ⁇ 1.30
  • FIG. 5 is enlarged since the resistor shape in Fig. 5 has symmetry with respect to both a longitudinal center axis and a widthwise center axis.
  • the amounts of generated heat were 600-800 W/mm 2 in the region A, 400-600 W/mm 2 in the region B, 200-400 W/mm 2 in the region C and 0-200 W/mm 2 in the region D, and P max /P o was 1.19. That is, in this case heat generation does not peak in the region around the angled corner T. Therefore, this thermal head sample is fairly high in withstand voltage.
  • Fig. 10 shows another good example of the resistor shape in and in the vicinity of a heating zone 20.
  • W 1 was 72 ⁇ m
  • W 2 was 64 ⁇ m
  • W 3 was 72 ⁇ m
  • L was 60 ⁇ m. That is, W 1 /W 2 was 1.13
  • W 3 was equal to W 1
  • ⁇ L was 0.
  • This sample met the conditions (1) and (2) but did not meet the condition (3).
  • a simulation of the distribution of heat generation gave the result shown in Fig. 11 which is an enlargement of a lower-left quarter of the resistor shape of Fig. 10.
  • the simulation employed the same conditions as in the simulation of the sample of the resistor shape of Fig. 5.
  • the amounts of generated heat were 600-800 W/mm 2 in the region A, 200-600 W/mm 2 in the region E, 800-1400 W/mm 2 in the region F and 0-200 W/mm 2 in the region G, and P max /P o was 1.75.
  • the resistor film 14 had an entirely uniform width, and hence heat generation peaked in the region F near an edge corner of each electrode 12, 12', but P max /P o still remained below 2.0.
  • Fig. 12 shows an undesirable example of the resister shape.
  • W 1 was 96 ⁇ m
  • W 2 was 64 ⁇ m
  • W 3 was 64 ⁇ m
  • L was 60 ⁇ m
  • ⁇ L was 16 ⁇ m. That is, W 1 /W 2 was 1.50, which means that the condition (2) was not met.
  • the simulation employed the same conditions as in the simulation with respect to the resistor shape of Fig. 5.
  • the simulation gave the result shown in Fig. 13 which is an enlargement of a lower-left quarter of the resistor shape of Fig. 12.
  • the amounts of generated heat were 600-800 W/mm 2 in the region A, 800-1400 W/mm 2 in the regions H, above 1400 W/mm 2 in the region J, 200-600 W/mm 2 in the region K and 0-200 W/mm 2 in the region M, and P max /P o was 2.66.
  • heat generation strongly peaks in the region J around each of the angled corners T (indicated in Fig. 12) of the resistor film 14a in the heating zone. Therefore, the resistor film in the regions J experiences strong and repeated heat shocks during long operation of the thermal head, and consequently breaking of the resistor occurs in these regions J.
  • the samples Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 5 met not only the conditions (1) and (2) but also the conditions (3), (4) and (5). In these samples P max /P o was fairly close to 1.0, and these samples were relatively high in breaking voltage.
  • the samples Nos. 2 and 6 met the conditions (1) and (2) but did not meet one of the conditions (3), (4) and (5). In these samples P max /P o became relatively high but still remained below 2.0.
  • the samples Nos. 7, 8 and 9 did not meet the condition (2). In these samples P max /P o exceeded 2.00, and these samples were considerably low in breaking voltage.

Landscapes

  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
  • Non-Adjustable Resistors (AREA)

Claims (15)

  1. Tête thermique pour imprimante à jet d'encre, ou pour imprimante thermique, comprenant :
    un substrat (10) comportant une surface isolante (10a) sur laquelle se trouvent une pluralité de zones (20) de production de chaleur selon un agencement prédéterminé ;
    une couche mince conductrice (12, 12') formant un certain dessin qui repose sur ladite surface isolante du substrat et qui, pour chacune desdites zones de production de chaleur constitue deux électrodes disposées face à face dont l'une se termine sur un bord de la zone de production de chaleur et l'autre sur le bord opposé ;
    une couche mince résistante électriquement (14) formant un certain dessin qui est constituée d'un matériau susceptible d'être oxydé anodiquement et qui recouvre de façon continue ladite couche mince conductrice et ladite surface isolante dans lesdites zones de production de chaleur ;
    et une couche protectrice (16) qui est réalisée par oxydation anodique d'une sous-couche superficielle de ladite couche mince résistante électriquement.
  2. Tête thermique selon la revendication 1, dans laquelle ledit matériau susceptible d'être oxydé anodiquement constituant ladite couche mince résistante électriquement (14) est du tantale.
  3. Tête thermique selon la revendication 1 ou 2, dans laquelle ledit matériau susceptible d'être oxydé anodiquement constituant ladite couche mince résistante électriquement (14) est choisie dans le groupe constitué par des alliages de tantale, des matériaux composites comportant du tantale, le titane, des alliages de titane, des matériaux composites comportant du titane, le niobium, des alliages de niobium et des matériaux composites comportant du niobium.
  4. Tête thermique selon la revendication 1, 2 ou 3, comprenant, en outre, une couche (18) résistante à la cavitation, qui recouvre ladite couche protectrice (16).
  5. Tête thermique selon la revendication 4, dans laquelle le matériau de ladite couche (18) résistante à la cavitation est choisi dans le groupe constitué par le tantale et le titane.
  6. Tête thermique selon la revendication 5, dans laquelle ladite couche (18) résistante à la cavitation a une épaisseur de l'ordre de 0,2 à 0,8 micromètres.
  7. Tête thermique selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 6, dans laquelle ledit substrat (10) comprend une couche (22) isolante et résistante aux acides qui fournit ladite surface isolante.
  8. Tête thermique selon la revendication 7, dans laquelle ladite couche (22) isolante et résistante aux acides, est une couche de nitrure de silicium.
  9. Tête thermique selon la revendication 7 ou 8, dans laquelle ledit substrat (10) comporte un corps constitué de silicium et comprend, en outre, une couche (10a) d'oxyde de silicium qui est située sous ladite couche isolante et résistante aux acides.
  10. Tête thermique selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 9, dans laquelle ladite couche mince résistante électriquement (14) forme un dessin permettant de satisfaire aux conditions (1) et (2) suivantes dans chacune des zones de production de chaleur et à proximité de celles-ci : W1 ≥ W3 ≥ W2 W1/W2 ≤ 1,30 dans lesquelles W1 est la largeur de la couche mince résistante électriquement au-dessus de zones d'extrémité desdites deux électrodes disposées face à face, à proximité de la zone de production de chaleur, W2 est la largeur des zones d'extrémité des deux électrodes qui se font face, et W3 est la largeur de la couche mince résistante électriquement, dans la zone de production de chaleur.
  11. Tête thermique selon la revendication 10, dans laquelle ladite couche mince résistante électriquement (14) satisfait aux conditions (3), (4) et (5) suivantes: W3/W1 < 0,96 (3) W1/W2 ≤ 1,20 ΔL/L ≤ 0,30 dans lesquelles L est la longueur de la zone de production de chaleur, et ΔL est la longueur d'une zone marginale dans laquelle la largeur de la couche mince résistante électriquement passe de façon continue de W1 a W3.
  12. Procédé de fabrication d'une tête thermique pour imprimante à jet d'encre ou pour imprimante thermique, comprenant les opérations consistant à :
    effectuer le dépôt d'une couche mince conductrice sur une surface isolante d'un substrat ;
    donner la forme d'un certain dessin à la couche mince conductrice par photolithographie afin de définir une pluralité de zones de production de chaleur là où la couche mince conductrice est éliminée et de former, pour chacune desdites zones de production de chaleur, deux électrodes opposées, dont l'une se termine sur un bord de la zone de protection de chaleur et l'autre sur le bord opposé ;
    effectuer le dépôt d'une couche mince résistante électriquement susceptible d'être oxydée anodiquement sur la couche mince conductrice formant un certain dessin et sur les zones nues de ladite surface isolante grâce à une opération de pulvérisation cathodique avec polarisation faisant appel à un gaz inerte en tant que gaz de pulvérisation afin de provoquer l'intrusion des atomes du gaz inerte dans la couche mince résistante électriquement ayant fait l'objet du dépôt ;
    donner par photolithographie à la couche mince résistante électriquement la forme d'un certain dessin de manière à laisser subsister la couche mince résistante électriquement au-dessus de la couche mince conductrice formant un certain dessin et sur ladite surface isolante dans lesdites zones de production de chaleur ;
    et oxyder anodiquement une sous-couche superficielle de la couche mince résistante électriquement formant un certain dessin.
  13. Procédé selon la revendication 12, dans lequel dans ladite opération de pulvérisation cathodique avec polarisation, la puissance de polarisation est de l'ordre de 10 à 50 % de la puissance de pulvérisation.
  14. Procédé selon la revendication 12 ou 13, dans lequel le gaz inerte est de l'argon.
  15. Procédé selon la revendication 12, 13 ou 14, dans lequel la couche mince résistante électriquement est une couche mince de tantale.
EP19940116818 1993-10-26 1994-10-25 Tête thermique pour imprimantes Expired - Lifetime EP0649748B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (10)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP26681593 1993-10-26
JP266815/93 1993-10-26
JP56984/94 1994-03-28
JP5698494A JP2738293B2 (ja) 1993-10-26 1994-03-28 サーマルヘッド
JP145006/94 1994-06-27
JP14500294A JPH081979A (ja) 1994-06-27 1994-06-27 サーマルヘッド
JP145002/94 1994-06-27
JP6145006A JP2606139B2 (ja) 1994-06-27 1994-06-27 サーマルヘッドの製造方法
JP145007/94 1994-06-27
JP14500794A JPH081975A (ja) 1994-06-27 1994-06-27 サーマルヘッド

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0649748A2 EP0649748A2 (fr) 1995-04-26
EP0649748A3 EP0649748A3 (fr) 1997-01-22
EP0649748B1 true EP0649748B1 (fr) 1999-04-14

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EP19940116818 Expired - Lifetime EP0649748B1 (fr) 1993-10-26 1994-10-25 Tête thermique pour imprimantes

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DE (1) DE69417835T2 (fr)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA2249234A1 (fr) * 1997-10-02 1999-04-02 Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Tete d'impression thermique et imprimante a transfert d'encre utilisant celle-ci
US7559630B2 (en) 2006-03-22 2009-07-14 Lexmark International, Inc. Substantially planar fluid ejection actuators and methods related thereto
US7837886B2 (en) * 2007-07-26 2010-11-23 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Heating element

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4535343A (en) * 1983-10-31 1985-08-13 Hewlett-Packard Company Thermal ink jet printhead with self-passivating elements
JPS6154952A (ja) * 1984-08-25 1986-03-19 Fujitsu Ltd サ−マルヘツド
DE3769860D1 (de) * 1986-06-25 1991-06-13 Toshiba Kawasaki Kk Waermekopf.
US4956653A (en) * 1989-05-12 1990-09-11 Eastman Kodak Company Bubble jet print head having improved multi-layer protective structure for heater elements
JP3210454B2 (ja) * 1992-11-20 2001-09-17 旭テック株式会社 車両用ホイールの鋳造装置

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EP0649748A3 (fr) 1997-01-22
EP0649748A2 (fr) 1995-04-26
DE69417835D1 (de) 1999-05-20
DE69417835T2 (de) 1999-08-19

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