EP1005987A2 - Tintenstrahldruckkopf und Verfahren zur Herstellung - Google Patents

Tintenstrahldruckkopf und Verfahren zur Herstellung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1005987A2
EP1005987A2 EP99123858A EP99123858A EP1005987A2 EP 1005987 A2 EP1005987 A2 EP 1005987A2 EP 99123858 A EP99123858 A EP 99123858A EP 99123858 A EP99123858 A EP 99123858A EP 1005987 A2 EP1005987 A2 EP 1005987A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
piezoelectric base
ink
piezoelectric
base plates
ink jet
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.)
Granted
Application number
EP99123858A
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English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1005987B1 (de
EP1005987A3 (de
Inventor
Shinichi C/O Konica Corporation Nishi
Katsuaki C/O Konica Corporation Komatsu
Takao c/o Konica Corporation Yamaguchi
Kunihiro c/o Konica Corporation Yamauchi
Yoshio c/o Konica Corporation Takeuchi
Kunio c/o Konica Corporation Ito
Hiroyuki C/O Konica Corporation Nomori
Takemasa c/o Konica Corporation Namiki
Shozo Kikugawa
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Konica Minolta Inc
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Konica Minolta Inc
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Publication of EP1005987A2 publication Critical patent/EP1005987A2/de
Publication of EP1005987A3 publication Critical patent/EP1005987A3/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1005987B1 publication Critical patent/EP1005987B1/de
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
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B41J2/1623—Manufacturing processes bonding and adhesion
    • 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
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/14201—Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements
    • B41J2/14209—Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements of finger type, chamber walls consisting integrally of piezoelectric material
    • 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
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1607—Production of print heads with piezoelectric elements
    • B41J2/1609—Production of print heads with piezoelectric elements of finger type, chamber walls consisting integrally of piezoelectric material
    • 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
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B41J2/1632—Manufacturing processes machining
    • 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
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B41J2/1632—Manufacturing processes machining
    • B41J2/1634—Manufacturing processes machining laser machining
    • 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
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B41J2/164—Manufacturing processes thin film formation
    • B41J2/1642—Manufacturing processes thin film formation thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
    • 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
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B41J2/164—Manufacturing processes thin film formation
    • B41J2/1643—Manufacturing processes thin film formation thin film formation by plating
    • 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
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B41J2/164—Manufacturing processes thin film formation
    • B41J2/1646—Manufacturing processes thin film formation thin film formation by sputtering

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an ink jet head which jets ink from a nozzle hole by applying an electric voltage to an electrode to deform the shape of the space making up an ink chamber, to a method of manufacturing the ink jet head, to an ink jet printer and to a method of manufacturing the ink jet printer.
  • an ink jet head having a large number of nozzle holes arrayed in a line is required.
  • an ink jet head having a large number of nozzles arrayed in a line from the view point of practical use, it is desired one that has a high driving efficiency, a light weight, a low price, a good workability, and a high strength.
  • a polarized piezoelectric ceramic plate has a limit in length for reasons of manufacturing, it has been practiced that a plurality of ink chambers are formed by partition walls in a polarized piezoelectric ceramic plate, and a plurality of such polarized piezoelectric ceramic plates having a plurality of ink chambers are put side by side and bonded by an adhesive; however, in connecting a plurality of polarized piezoelectric plates, it is difficult to adjust the positions of them to keep the intervals between adjacent ink chambers at the connecting portions equal to one another, which makes it difficult to obtain a high-precision ink jet head.
  • This invention has been done in view of the above-described points, and it is an object of it to provide an ink jet head and an ink jet printer which is capable of carrying out a high-speed and high-quality image recording and is of low cost and of high precision and a method of manufacturing them.
  • Fig. 1 to Fig. 11 show an ink jet head;
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective view,
  • Fig. 2 is the front view, and
  • Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view.
  • An ink jet head 101 of this embodiment jets ink from nozzle hole 108 by applying an electric voltage to the electrode to deform the shape of the space making up the ink chamber 102.
  • the ink chamber 102 is formed by being surrounded by the two piezoelectric base plates 103 which have been given polarization and face each other and the two non-piezoelectric base plates 104 facing each other otherwise.
  • each of these piezoelectric base plates 103 On both inner and outer surfaces of each of these piezoelectric base plates 103, electrodes 105 and 106 are provided respectively; these piezoelectric base plates 103 have a structure such that each of them is composed of two layers of piezoelectric material 103a and 103b, the border surface between the layers is approximately parallel to the non-piezoelectric base plates 104, and the directions of polarization of these layers made of a piezoelectric material 103a and 103b are opposite to each other.
  • the direction of polarization is, generally speaking, the direction in which a material polarizes when an electric field is applied to it, and the direction of polarization of a piezoelectric material is determined when it has been polarized by applying to it polarization processing beforehand.
  • the piezoelectric base plates 103, 103 are formed by pasting two layers 103a, 103b.
  • gluing thermally hardening, thermoplastic, thermally U.V. hardening
  • melting layer forming
  • Electrodes 105, 106 are provided on both obverse and reverse surfaces of the piezoelectric base plates 103, 103.
  • electrode 105 is provided on an inner surface of a non-piezoelectric base plate.
  • the electrodes 105 and 106 are provided on the piezoelectric base plates 103 by vacuum deposition, sputtering, plating, or others. By vacuum deposition and sputtering, they can be formed in high purity and to a high-function film; by plating, they can be formed at a low cost and on detailed minute portions.
  • the electrodes gold, silver, aluminum, palladium, nickel, tantalum, and titanium can be used, and in particular, from the view points of electrical property and workability, gold and aluminum is desirable; the electrodes are formed by plating, vapor deposition, or sputtering.
  • an electrode can be provided also on one of the non-piezoelectric base plates 104; owing to this, the electrical connection to the electrodes 105 and 106 on the piezoelectric base plates 103 can be made through the electrode(s) on the plate(s) of non-piezoelectric material, which makes the electrical connection to the external power source easy, and improves the efficiency of operation.
  • an electrode may be provided on another non-piezoelectric base plate 104 opposite to the one of the non-piezoelectric base plates 104.
  • ink is supplied to the ink chamber 102 through the ink supply opening 107, which is formed at the position opposite to the nozzle hole 108.
  • the piezoelectric base plates 103, 103 have a structure such that each of them is made up of at least two lamination layers 103a, 103b of a piezoelectric material and the lamination layer surface is approximately parallel to the non-piezoelectric base plates 104, 104 and the polarizing directions of these two lamination layers 103a, 103b of the piezoelectric material are opposite to each other, and an electrode 105 is provided on the surface of each of the piezoelectric base plates 103, 103 and the one of the non-piezoelectric base plates 104 facing the ink chamber 102; in comparison with the case that an electrode is provided only to the piezoelectric base plates 103, 103 without being provided to the non-piezoelectric base plates 104, the work to provide the
  • this ink chamber 102 is formed by sticking the plate 103 having at least two layers of piezoelectric material 103a and 103b on the non-piezoelectric base plate 104 (Fig. 4(a)), working the piezoelectric base plate 103 which has been stuck to provide a groove (Fig. 4(b)), and sticking the upper non-piezoelectric base plate 104 onto this piezoelectric base plate which has been worked to provide a groove (Fig. 4c).
  • an electrode 105 On each surface of the piezoelectric base plate 103 and the non-piezoelectric base plate 104 which faces the ink chamber 120, there is provided an electrode 105 before another non-piezoelectric base plate 104 is pasted.
  • the ink chamber 102 can be formed at a low cost and with a high precision owing to the ease of positional adjustment of the ink chamber.
  • the ink chamber 102 is formed by providing a groove in the piezoelectric base plate 103 after it is put superposed on the non-piezoelectric base plate 104; however, in providing this groove, it is appropriate to make the groove in a manner such that the non-piezoelectric base plate 104 is exposed, or it is also appropriate to form the groove in a manner such that a part of the piezoelectric base plate 103 is left on the non-piezoelectric base plate 104.
  • the ink chamber 102 can be formed by sticking the piezoelectric base plate 103 having at least two layers of piezoelectric material 103a and 103b and the slit 103c on the non-piezoelectric base plate 104 (Fig. 5(a)), and sticking another non-piezoelectric base plate 104 after sticking the plate 103 (Fig. 5(b)).
  • the ink chamber can be formed at a low cost and the efficiency of assembling is high.
  • an electrode 105 on each surface of the piezoelectric base plate 103 and the non-piezoelectric base plate 104 which faces the ink chamber 120, there is provided an electrode 105 before another non-piezoelectric base plate 104 is pasted.
  • the ink jet head 101 can have the ink chamber 102 formed in multiple stages, by which it is made to have multiple nozzles, and it can carry out a high-speed and high-quality image recording and improve the resolution of the image.
  • the ink chambers 102 in the first stage, are formed at the both sides of the air chamber 120; in the second stage too, the ink chambers 102 are formed at the both sides of the air chamber 120 in the same way, that is, the ink chambers are formed at the corresponding positions.
  • the ink chamber 102 in the first stage, is formed between the air chambers 120; in the second stage, the ink chambers are formed at the both sides of the air chamber 120, that is, the ink chambers are formed at the positions corresponding to those of the air chambers 120 in the first stage, which improves the resolution of image higher.
  • the air chamber 120 is a chamber which is separated from the ink chamber and no ink enters in; in the case where the ink chambers are provided at the both sides of it, the partition walls of the both sides can be driven independently to make it possible for the ink chambers at the both sides to jet ink, which makes it possible to cope with high-speed driving.
  • the ink jet head 101 has the piezoelectric base plates 103 formed in the shape of a plane; however, the plates 103 can also be formed in the shape of a curved surface as shown in Fig. 7.
  • the piezoelectric base plates 103 are plane-shaped as shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 6, the head can be made at a low cost.
  • the plates are curved-surface-shaped as shown in Fig. 7, they are deformed from the state shown in Fig. 7(a) to the state shown in Fig. 7(b), which means that the amount of deformation of the shape of the space making up the ink chamber 102 is made larger; thus, the ink jet head can carry out a high-speed and high-quality image recording.
  • the ink jet head 101 has the piezoelectric base plates 103 formed in a manner such that the two layers 103a and 103b have different lengths L1 and L2 (layer thickness or height of wall) in the direction of layer stacking respectively. Owing to the different lengths L1 and L2 in the layer stacking direction of the two layers 103a and 103b, the shape of the space making up the ink chamber 102 can be deformed in accordance with the position of the nozzle hole 108, and it can jet ink more efficiently from the nozzle hole 108.
  • L1 and L2 layer thickness or height of wall
  • each of the two piezoelectric base plates 103 has three layers 103e, 103f, and 103g, among which the layers 103e and 103g are made of a nonmetallic inorganic piezoelectric material and the layer 103f is made of a nonmetallic inorganic non-piezoelectric material, and as shown in Fig. 9(a), the layers 103e and 103g have the directions of polarization which are opposite to each other as shown by the arrow marks and the two plates are deformed in such a manner as shown in Fig. 9(b).
  • the material of the layer 103f is not limited to a nonmetallic inorganic non-piezoelectric material, but a nonmetallic inorganic piezoelectric material or an organic material may be used.
  • each of the two piezoelectric base plates 103 has four layers 103h, 103i, 103j, and 103k, each of which is made of a nonmetallic inorganic piezoelectric material and has the direction of polarization which is alternately opposite to its neighbors as shown by the arrow marks in Fig. 10(a), and the two plates are deformed in such a manner as shown in Fig. 10(b).
  • the material of the layers 103i and 103j is not limited to a nonmetallic inorganic piezoelectric material, but a nonmetallic inorganic non-piezoelectric material or an organic material may be used.
  • each of the two piezoelectric base plates 103 has four layers 103l, 103m, 103n, and 103o, each of which is made of a nonmetallic inorganic piezoelectric material and has the direction of polarization which is opposite to or the same as the others in such a manner as shown by the arrow marks in Fig. 11(a), and the two plates are deformed in such a manner as shown in Fig. 11(b).
  • the material of the layers 103m and 103n is not limited to a nonmetallic inorganic piezoelectric material, but a nonmetallic inorganic non-piezoelectric material or an organic material may be used.
  • the two piezoelectric base plates 103 have three or more layers, and among these three or more layers, the inner layers are made of any one of a nonmetallic inorganic piezoelectric material, a nonmetallic inorganic non-piezoelectric material, and an organic material, and by deforming the shape of the space making up the ink chamber 102 variously, ink can be jetted from the nozzle hole.
  • Fig. 12 is a drawing showing an ink jet head of the chevron type; Fig. 12(a) shows the state in which a piezoelectric base plate is bonded to a non-piezoelectric base plate, Fig. 12(b) shows the state in which a piezoelectric base plate is worked to provide grooves, and Fig. 12(c) shows the state in which ink chambers and air chambers are formed.
  • the ink jet head 1 of this embodiment has two piezoelectric base plates 3 which have the directions of polarization opposite to each other in a layered structure bonded to one another on the long-sized substrate of non-piezoelectric material (Fig. 12(a)), and after the bonding, a plurality of grooves 3a are formed through at least two layers with a predetermined interval to provide a plurality of ink chambers 4 and air chambers 5 which are partitioned by partition walls 3b made up of two layers and positioned alternately (Fig. 12(b)).
  • the grooves 3a are formed at the connecting portions 20 at which each edge of these piezoelectric base plates 3 comes to face other edge, in other words, a connecting portion 20 is a joint section between two piezoelectric base plates 3 placed side by side.
  • the non-piezoelectric base plates 2, 8 show a single sheet, but a plurality of sheets may be used.
  • the electrodes 6, and 7 are provided on the whole surface over upper and lower portions of both sides of each of the partition wall 3b.
  • the non-piezoelectric base plate 8 is bonded to the upper surfaces of the partition walls 3b to cover the ink chambers 4 and the air chambers 5; then, on one side of the ink chambers 4, a nozzle plate in which nozzle holes are formed is stuck, and on the other side of the ink chambers 4, the ink supply openings 10 are formed (Fig. 12(c)).
  • Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an ink jet head of the chevron type, and Fig. 14 shows an ink jet head of the chevron type in the driven state; Fig. 14(a) shows the state before being deformed, and Fig. 14(b) shows the ink chamber in the deformed state, and Fig. 12(c) shows the state after being released from deformation.
  • ink is supplied from the ink supply openings 10 into the ink chambers 4, and the ink supply openings 10 are formed at the opposite positions of the nozzle holes 9.
  • the partition walls 3b which partition the ink chambers 4 are deformed to jet ink in the ink chambers 4 out of the nozzle holes 9.
  • the ink jet head 1 has two layers of piezoelectric material 3 which are formed of a plurality of block shaped pieces connected with one another and have the directions of polarization opposite to each other in a stacked layer structure bonded to one another on the long-sized substrate of non-piezoelectric material, and is provided with the plural ink chambers 4 which are partitioned by the partition walls 3b which are made of two stacked layers and formed by forming the plural grooves 3a with a predetermined interval; hence, even though the length of one piece of the piezoelectric base plate has a limit for reasons of manufacturing, the ink chambers can be formed without lowering positional precision at the connecting portions 20 of the plural polarized piezoelectric base plate 3, because the plural pieces of the polarized block-shaped piezoelectric base plates 3 are worked to provide the grooves after they are put side by side on the long-sized substrate of non-piezoelectric material 2 to be bonded; thus, it is possible to obtain a high-precision long-sized line head
  • the plural piezoelectric base plates 3 having two block-shaped polarized layers is put side by side on the long-sized substrate of non-piezoelectric material 2 shown in Fig. 15(a), and even if a minute clearance 21 is present at any one of the connecting portions of these block shaped polarized piezoelectric base plates 3 as shown in the enlarged drawing of the connecting portion in Fig. 15(b), the ink chambers can be formed without lowering positional precision by forming the grooves 3a at these connecting portions 20 (Fig. 15(c)).
  • Fig. 16 and Fig. 17 are drawings showing the modes in which the directions of polarization of the two layers made of a piezoelectric material of an ink jet head of the chevron type are opposite to each other.
  • the polarization in the layers 203a and 203b are formed in the directions which are perpendicular to both of the non-piezoelectric base plate 8 and the substrate of non-piezoelectric material 2 and facing each other, and in the other mode shown in Fig. 16(b), the polarization in the layers 203a and 203b are formed in the directions which are perpendicular to both of the non-piezoelectric base plate 8 and the substrate of non-piezoelectric material 2 and going away from each other.
  • the ink chanter 4 is formed being surrounded by the piezoelectric base plates 203 having two layers which are given polarization and facing each other and the two non-piezoelectric base plates 2 and 8 facing each other in another way, and the two electrodes 6 and 7 are provided on the both inner and outer sides of the piezoelectric base plate 203 respectively.
  • the polarization in the layers 203a and 203b are formed in the directions which are parallel to both of the non-piezoelectric base plate 8 and the substrate of non-piezoelectric material 2 and opposite to each other, and in the other made shown in Fig. 17(b), the polarization in the layers 203a and 203b are formed in the directions which are parallel to both of the non-piezoelectric base plate 8 and the substrate of non-piezoelectric material 2 and reverse to the directions in Fig. 17(a).
  • the electrode 7 is provided between the layers 203a and 203b; further, the electrode 6 is provided between the layer 203a and the substrate of non-piezoelectric material 2, and the electrode 6 is also provided between the layer 203b and the non-piezoelectric base plate 8.
  • the material of the base plate is not limited, a base plate made of organic material may be used, however, a base plate made of a nonmetallic piezoelectric material is desirable; as for this plate made of a nonmetallic piezoelectric material, for example, a ceramic plate formed through the processes such as forming and burning, or a plate formed without the necessity of forming and burning may be cited.
  • a base plate made of organic material for example, a ceramic plate formed through the processes such as forming and burning, or a plate formed without the necessity of forming and burning may be cited.
  • organic material organic polymer or a hybrid material of organic polymer and inorganic material may be used.
  • the ceramic material PZT (PbZrO 3 -PbTiO 3 ) and PZT with a third additive can be cited, and as for the third additive, Pb(Mg 1/2 Nb 2/3 )O 3 , Pb(Mn 1/2 Sb 2/3 )O 3 , and Pb(Co 1/2 Nb 2/3 )O 3 can be cited.
  • the ceramic plate can also be formed using BaTiO 3 , ZnO, LiNbO 3 , LiTaO 3 , and so forth.
  • the plate formed without the necessity of forming and burning for example, a plate formed by such as a sol-gel method, or a method of coating a substrate by layer stacking can be cited.
  • the sol-gel method the sol is prepared by adding water, an acid, or an alkali into a uniform solution having a predetermined chemical composition to induce a chemical reaction such as a hydrolysis. Further, by applying the process such as vaporization of the solvent and cooling, it is prepared the sol which has micro-particles of the objective composition or the precursors of the non-metallic inorganic micro-particles dispersed in it, and the plate can be made.
  • a compound having a uniform chemical composition can be obtained by this method; for the starting material, a water-soluble metallic salt such as a sodium silicate or a metallic alkoxide is used.
  • a metallic alkoxide is a compound which is expressed by a general formula M(OR) n , is easily hydrolyzed because the OR radical has a strong basic property, and is varied into a metallic oxide or a hydrate of it through a condensation process as an organic high molecular compound.
  • the methods preparing a ceramic plate from the vapor phase are classified into two kinds of methods which are vapor deposition methods by physical means and methods by a chemical reaction in the vapor phase or on the surface of the plate. Further, the physical vapor deposition methods are further classified into the vacuum deposition method, the sputter method, the ion plating method, etc., and as for the chemical methods, the chemical vapor deposition method (CVD), the plasma CVD method, etc. can be cited.
  • CVD chemical vapor deposition method
  • the vacuum deposition method as a physical deposition method is a method wherein the objective material is heated in vacuum to evaporate and the vapor is solidified to deposit on the surface of a substrate
  • the sputtering method is a method utilizing the sputtering phenomenon in which high-energy particles are let to collide with the objective material (target) and the atoms or molecules on the target surface exchange momentum with the collided molecules to be sprung out from the surface.
  • ion plating method is a method in which the vapor deposition is carried out in an ionized gas environment.
  • the compound which includes the atoms, molecules, or ions to make up the objective film is vaporized and introduced into the reaction region by a suitable carrier gas, where they are made to react with or to deposit by reaction on a heated substrate to form a film; in the plasma CVD method, the vapor phase state is generated by the energy of a plasma, and a film is deposited by a vapor phase chemical reaction in a comparatively low temperature range of 400 to 500 °C.
  • the material of the base plate is not limited, a base plate made of organic material may be used, however, a base plate made of a nonmetallic non-piezoelectric material is desirable; as for this plate made of a nonmetallic non-piezoelectric material, for example, a material selected from alumina, aluminum nitride, zirconia, silicon, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, and quartz may used.
  • this non-piezoelectric base plate there are a ceramic plate which is formed through the processes such as forming and burning, a plate which is formed without the necessity of forming and burning, and so forth.
  • a ceramic plate formed through the processes such as burning for example, Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , mixture of these, and fused mixture of them, and further, ZrO 2 , BeO, AlN, SiC, etc. can be used.
  • organic material organic polymer or a hybrid material of organic polymer and inorganic material may be used.
  • the density [g/cm 2 ] of the piezoelectric base plate should desirably be 3 to 10, and the density [g/cm 2 ] of the non-piezoelectric base plate should be 0.8 to 10.
  • the Young's modulus or the coefficient of elasticity [GPa] of the piezoelectric base plate should be 50 to 200, and the Young's modulus [GPa] of the non-piezoelectric base plate should be 100 to 400.
  • the thermal expansion coefficient [ppm/deg] of the piezoelectric base plate should be 7 to 8, and the thermal expansion coefficient [ppm/deg] of the non-piezoelectric base plate should be 0.6 to 7.
  • the thermal conductivity [W/cm ⁇ deg] of the piezoelectric base plate should be 0.005 to 0.1, and the thermal conductivity [W/cm ⁇ deg] of the non-piezoelectric base plate should be 0.03 to 0.3.
  • the dielectric constant of the piezoelectric base plate should be 1000 to 4000, and the dielectric constant of the non-piezoelectric base plate should be 4 to 100.
  • the hardness [Hv1.0/GPa] of the piezoelectric base plate should be 2 to 10
  • the hardness (Hv1.0/GPa] of the non-piezoelectric base plate should be 2 to 20.
  • the strength [Kgf/cm 2 ] against bending of the piezoelectric base plate should be 5000 to 2000, and the strength [Kgf/cm 2 ] against bending of the non-piezoelectric base plate [Kgf/cm 2 ] should be 3000 to 9000.
  • the volume resistivity of the piezoelectric base plate [ ⁇ cm] should be 0.5 to 10, and the volume resistivity of the non-piezoelectric base plate should be 7 to 10.
  • the surface roughness Ra of the surfaces to be bonded at the portion between the non-piezoelectric base plate and the piezoelectric base plate should desirably be not larger than 1.0 ⁇ m, more desirably be not larger than 0.3 ⁇ m, still more desirably be not larger than 0.1 ⁇ m.
  • the surface roughness Ra is obtained in such a manner that the non-piezoelectric base plate and the piezoelectric base plate are peeled off, a surface roughness is measured for each peeled surface of the non-piezoelectric base plate and the piezoelectric base plate and the surface roughness Ra is obtained as an average value of the measured values.
  • the soft high molecular adhesive for example, an epoxy resin
  • the soft high molecular adhesive enters between the surfaces to be bonded, which makes the driving force of the plate of nonmetallic inorganic piezoelectric material decrease, and brings about the lowering of sensitivity and the rise in electric voltage; this is not desirable.
  • AA indicates the case where no soft high molecular adhesive (for example, an epoxy resin) enters into the concave portions on the bonded surfaces, the driving voltage is low, and electric power saving is accomplished
  • A indicates the case where a small amount of the adhesive enters
  • C indicates where a large amount of the adhesive enters.
  • the surfaces to be bonded of the non-piezoelectric base plate and the piezoelectric base plate are subjected to plasma processing or UV processing.
  • the plasma processing is a processing in which a non-piezoelectric base plate or a piezoelectric base plate is placed in a vacuum chamber, and any one or a mixed gas of the two or more of Ar, N 2 , and O 2 is introduced, and brought into the state of plasma by an electromagnetic field applied by an outside power source, and a fluorinated hydrocarbon gas such as a CF 4 gas may be suitably used in order to enhance the etching performance of the surface.
  • UV processing is doing a process in which the ultraviolet ray from a UV emitting lamp is applied directly onto the non-piezoelectric base plate or the piezoelectric base plate, and it may suitably be done in the atmosphere of O 2 in order to produce the cleaning effect by ozone.
  • an ink chamber and an air chamber are formed alternatively on a polarized piezoelectric element by forming grooves, and electrodes are provided on the sides of both walls on each of the ink chamber and the air chamber, the electrode surface is insulated, and voltage is impressed on each electrode so that walls of the ink chamber are subjected to shear deformation to jet ink from an orifice.
  • this pressurizing chamber and ink chamber are made solidly by piezoelectric ceramics, the structure of the head is extremely simple.
  • the ink chamber is made of ceramics, it is not damaged by ink, the strength of the ink chamber is high, and the structure is simple and strong, resulting in an ink jet head suitable for high density.
  • the shearing mode ink jet head to jet ink by shear-deforming walls in the ink chamber formed by a piezoelectric element is of the structure wherein ink groove 401 is provided directly on thin plate 400 of the polarized piezoelectric element as shown in Fig. 27, but the structure of the ink groove 401 is not simple, and there are formed plural ink grooves 401 each being of a rear end shallow groove type wherein a depth of the groove is gradually reduced to be zero at the rear end.
  • electrodes 402 are provided on both left and right walls of each of these ink grooves 401, then, after insulating each electrode 402, top plate 403 is attached to cover the top of the groove, and nozzle plate 404 having orifice 410 on the tip of the groove is attached to form the ink jet head.
  • ink jet heads disclosed in, for example, TOKKOHEI Nos. 6-6375 and 6-61936, and in each of these ink jet heads, electrodes are provided on walls and insulated, and voltage is impressed on the electrode of the ink chamber, while, the electrode of the air chamber is grounded.
  • an ink jet head wherein plural ink chambers and air chambers are formed alternately on polarized piezoelectric elements by dividing with walls, there is given a shearing mode ink jet head disclosed in TOKKAIHEI No. 7-132589, and in some of the shearing mode ink jet heads, the electrode of the ink chamber is grounded, and voltage is impressed on the electrode of the air chamber to drive.
  • This ink jet head has a merit that the electrode of the ink chamber does not need to be insulated.
  • the following structures are preferable to provide a simply-structured ink jet head which is free from a lump of air bubbles and is capable of jetting ink stably at high speed and a manufacturing method of the ink jet head, and to provide an ink jet head wherein formation of electrodes and connection of signals are simple, and high density is favorably attained, and a manufacturing method of the ink jet head.
  • Embodiments of an ink jet head and a manufacturing method of the ink jet head of the invention will be explained as follows, to which the embodiment of the invention is not limited.
  • Fig. 18 is a perspective view of an ink jet head
  • Fig. 19 is a lateral sectional view of an ink head
  • Fig. 20 is a longitudinal sectional view of an ink jet head.
  • plural grooves 302a are formed on head base board 302 representing a polarized piezoelectric element
  • electrodes 303 are provided on the inner sides of both walls 302b of the groove 302a
  • cover base board 304 is attached on the head base board 302 to close the top of the groove 302a after the electrode 303 is insulated
  • the outlet side of the groove 302a is covered by nozzle plate 305 and the inlet side is covered by supply plate 306, thus, plural ink chambers A and air chambers B are formed alternately
  • ink supply section 307 is connected to the supply plate 306.
  • orifice 305a At the portion corresponding to ink chamber A on the nozzle plate 305, there is formed orifice 305a. Since the orifice 305a is formed so that it may be reduced gradually in terms of diameter toward the jetting direction, flowing resistance of ink is lowered, and even when air bubbles enter from the outside, the bubbles move to the portion where a hole diameter is smaller under the Laplace's Law, and are ejected automatically.
  • the size of the ink guiding inlet 306a is made to be the same as that of a section of the ink chamber as shown in Fig. 19 (a), it is preferable because no air bubbles stay there.
  • the ink guiding inlet 306a is not tapered down, pressure applied on ink escapes from the ink guiding inlet 306a, and an amount of jetted ink and the jetting speed are lowered. Therefore, it is preferable to taper down slightly as shown in Fig. 19 (b). Or, it is also possible to make the ink exclusion volume to be greater to compensate by lengthening ink chamber A and a driving portion, without tapering down the ink guiding inlet 306a.
  • head main body 310 is composed of polarized head base board 302, cover base board 304, nozzle plate 305 and supply plate 306, and plural ink chambers A and air chambers B are formed with walls alternatively on the head main body 310.
  • the head main body 310 has orifice 305a on the outlet side of ink chamber A, and has ink guiding inlet 306a at the position opposing the orifice 305a on the inlet side of ink chamber A, and there is formed a straight ink flow path through which ink is supplied from the ink guiding inlet 306a to the orifice 305a.
  • Voltage is impressed on electrode 303 on head main body 310 representing a polarized piezoelectric element to jet ink from orifice 305a by making wall 302b forming ink chamber A to be subjected to shear deformation, as stated above, and there is formed, on ink chamber A, a straight ink flow path through which ink is supplied from the ink guiding inlet 306a to the orifice 305a, thus, air bubbles do not stay in the simple structure, and stable and high speed jetting of ink is possible.
  • Ink chamber A on ink jet head 301 can be structured as shown in Fig. 21, and Fig. 21 (a) shows an embodiment of the invention, while, Fig. 21 (b) shows a conventional example.
  • Fig. 21 (a) of the present embodiment a straight ink flow path is made to be shallower at the position on the orifice side, and thereby the step on the cementing portion between the end portion of the ink flow path and nozzle plate 305 is made to be smaller, and the depth of the groove can be controlled by changing the position of a dicing saw.
  • step on the cementing portion between the end portion of the ink flow path and nozzle plate 305 is made to be smaller by making the groove to be shallower on the orifice side, no air bubbles stay on the orifice side, and stable and high speed jetting of ink is possible.
  • grooves 302a on head base board 302 are made through grinding by a diamond grinder to be in the same shape and to be in parallel with each other.
  • the groove 302a which forms ink chamber A has a portion having a fixed depth and a portion where the depth is gradually reduced at least towards the orifice side, and thus, no air bubbles stay at the orifice side or the ink guiding inlet side, and stable and high speed jetting of ink is possible.
  • an excimer laser beam is irradiated through ink chamber A to make orifice 305a with a laser beam.
  • an excimer laser beam is irradiated through ink chamber A to make orifice 305a with a laser beam.
  • Resin nozzle plate 305 is made of resin such as polyimide, polyetherimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyethylene terephthalate, or polycarbonate, which can be subjected to hole making by an excimer laser beam, and orifice 305a can be made at the precise position by the excimer laser beam.
  • resin such as polyimide, polyetherimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyethylene terephthalate, or polycarbonate
  • 5189437 discloses a method wherein a resin plate is cemented on the end portion of an ink flow path, and then, an excimer laser beam is irradiated from the outside (opposite side of an ink chamber) while a head is being vibrated, to make an orifice on which a nozzle diameter on the jetting side is smaller. In this method, operation is difficult and energy efficiency is poor.
  • the embodiment of the invention is a head capable of conducting high frequency jetting wherein ink chamber A which jets ink and air chamber B which jets no ink and contains air are provided alternately so that propagation of pressure may be prevented between ink chambers A.
  • a shearing mode ink jet head is of the structure wherein there is provided, at the rear end portion of ink chamber A, shallow groove 420 where a residual acoustic wave caused by jetting is reflected and is interfered with an incidence wave to be attenuated so that pressure may not be propagated to adjoining ink chamber A, as shown in Fig. 21 (b).
  • ink has to be supplied through opening section 421 provided on top plate 304 because a rear end of an ink flow path is closed as shown in Fig. 21 (b), but air bubbles stay at that portion and hardly escape because the ink path is crooked at that portion, which is a drawback.
  • air bubbles easily escape from the ink flow path, and there is no fear that air bubbles stay in the ink flow path. Namely, if air bubbles enter the ink flow path, pressure applied on ink is absorbed by air bubbles because of jetting, which makes jetting impossible.
  • Fig. 22 is a sectional view of an ink jet head.
  • Fig. 22 (a) shows ink jet head 301 of the present embodiment, wherein electrodes 303a provided on both walls 302b which form ink chamber A are connected each other by signal lines 320, and electrodes 303b provided on both walls 302b which form air chamber B are connected to ground 321.
  • electrode formation and signal connection are simple, which is advantageous to attain high density, compared with a technology disclosed in TOKKAIHEI No. 7-132589 shown in Fig. 22 (b) wherein electrodes are made separately between ink chamber A1 and air chamber B1, and a communicating line connecting between air chamber B1 and next air chamber B1 is provided in a way that the communicating line bypasses ink chamber A1.
  • Fig. 23 is a diagram showing a method of forming an electrode for an ink jet head.
  • Protection film 330 is provided on the top portion of each groove 302a on the head base board 302 as shown in Fig. 23 (a), then, metal which forms an electrode is evaporated from evaporation source 331 located on a plane which forms a fixed angle ⁇ 1 with an extended plane of the groove wall so that the metal 332 may be deposited up to the fixed depth of the groove wall as shown in Fig. 23 (b), and then, the protection film 330 is removed after the deposition of the metal to form electrodes 303a and 303b as shown in Fig. 23 (c).
  • Electrodes 303a and 303b simply on the groove wall, by evaporating metal which forms an electrode from evaporation source 331 located on a plane which forms a fixed angle ⁇ 1 with an extended plane of the groove wall to deposit the metal up to the fixed depth of the groove wall, and by removing the protection film after the deposition of the metal.
  • Metal for an electrode to be used includes gold, silver, aluminum, palladium, nickel, tantalum and titanium, and among them, gold and aluminum is especially preferable from the viewpoint of electric characteristics, corrosion resistance and easy processing.
  • Fig. 24 is a diagram showing formation of a connection electrode which connects electrodes formed separately on a left wall and a right wall of an ink chamber and an air chamber, each other.
  • Ink supply side end portion 302d of head main body 310 where cover base board 304 is cemented with head base board 302 and cover base board top surface 304a are masked by photosensitive resin layers, and metal which forms an electrode is evaporated from an evaporation source 340 located on a plane which forms an acute angle with an extended plane of the groove bottom wall toward the cover base board so that connection electrode 303c which communicates with the electrode provided on each of both walls inside each groove may be formed, and it is possible to form simply connection electrode 303c which communicates with electrodes 303a and 303b provided on both walls inside each groove.
  • a poly-p-xylylene (pariren) film is coated on the plane including the electrodes 303a and 303b provided on both walls inside each groove and connection electrode 303c so that the electrodes 303a and 303b and the connection electrode 303c may be insulated. Due to the coating of pariren, the electrodes 303a and 303b and the connection electrode 303c can be insulated firmly.
  • head structure is simple because head base board 302 representing a piezoelectric element is a piezoelectric ceramic, and a vibration body and ink chamber A are formed solidly.
  • ink chamber A is not damaged by ink and strength of the ink chamber A is high, compared with a thermal head wherein ink chamber A is formed by photosensitive resin or the like, because the ink chamber A is formed by piezoelectric ceramic.
  • Ink jet head 301 employing a piezoelectric element is usually composed of a piezoelectric element, a vibration plate and an ink chamber, and each ink chamber has an independent piezoelectric element and vibration plate, and vibration of the piezoelectric element is propagated to the ink chamber through a thin vibration plate to jet ink. Therefore, head structure is complicated, and it is difficult to manufacture, which is not suitable for high density. In addition, since the vibration plate and ink chamber are weak, they are corroded and dissolved by ink, and are destroyed easily by external force.
  • ink chamber A is formed by ceramic piezoelectric element, and walls of the ink chamber A are subjected to shear deformation to jet ink. Therefore, a vibration section and ink chamber A can be formed solidly, thus, the structure is extremely simple, strength is high, and manufacturing is easy, which is suitable for high density.
  • walls forming ink chamber A are deformed, if ink chambers are provided to adjoin each other, when ink is jetted from a certain ink chamber, pressure is applied also on ink chambers on both sides of the ink chamber, and ink in each of them vibrates, thus, it is not possible for the adjoining ink chambers to jet ink simultaneously.
  • ink drops can be jetted from these ink chambers until the variation of pressure on ink is eliminated.
  • ink drops are jetted before the variation of pressure on ink in the ink chamber is attenuated sufficiently, sizes of ink drops vary, and air is inhaled through an orifice, resulting in improper jetting and sharp reduction of image quality of prints.
  • a cross talk means that an influence of jetting ink is given from one ink chamber to other ink chambers, and ink jet head 301 employing a piezoelectric element is simple in structure, strong in strength, easy to be manufactured, and is suitable for high density, but it has a great cross talk, and high frequency driving is impossible, which is a drawback.
  • every other ink chamber is divided into two groups of A and B to jet alternately, as in TOKKOHYO 6-6375, for example, or every third ink chamber is divided into three groups of A, B and C to jet on a time-sharing basis, to prevent the cross talk.
  • this has a drawback that a cross talk is great and driving frequency is low, compared with a head wherein each ink chamber has an independent piezoelectric element and a vibration plate, because walls forming an ink chamber are subjected to shear deformation.
  • plural ink chambers A and air chambers B are formed alternatively on head main body 310 by partitioning with walls, and thereby, an influence of deformation of wall 302a is blocked by air chamber B, and is not given to other ink chambers A, thus, all ink chambers A can jet simultaneously, and can be driven at high frequency.
  • air chamber B can block efficiently the vibration of wall 302a caused by jetting, and further, a straight ink flow path for supplying ink from ink guiding inlet 306a to orifice 305a is formed on ink chamber A, and air bubbles do not stay in the ink flow path because no crooked portion exists in the ink flow path. In this simple structure, air bubbles do not stay and stable and high speed jetting of ink is possible.
  • an orifice is made by an excimer laser beam on a resin plate such as, for example, polyimide resin plate, then, adhesive agents are coated on a wall on the end portion of an ink flow path, and then, a nozzle plate (polyimide resin) is cemented through cementing, heating and hardening, and a minute orifice (entrance diameter is about 100 ⁇ and exit diameter is 40 - 50 ⁇ ) needs to be positioned accurately at the center of the ink chamber (order of ⁇ several microns) . Further, since the number of orifices ranges from the minimum of 30 to the maximum of 300, it is difficult to position all holes accurately.
  • lead titanate and zirconate (trade name is PZT) is preferable because its filling density is high, piezoelectric constant is great, and it can be processed easily.
  • PZT lead titanate and zirconate
  • the temperature of PZT is lowered after the PZT is formed through baking, its crystalline structure is changed suddenly, an atom is shifted, and the PZT becomes a lump of small crystals in a shape of a dipole wherein one side is positive and the opposite side is negative, spontaneous polarization of this kind is random in terms of direction, and polarity is offset each other. Therefore, further polarization processing is necessary.
  • a thin plate of PZT is sandwiched by electrodes and is dipped in a silicone oil, and high electric field of about 10 - 35 kv/cm is applied thereon for polarization.
  • voltage is impressed on the polarized PZT in the direction perpendicular to the polarization direction as shown in Fig. 8
  • walls are subjected to shear deformation in a doglegged shape in the oblique direction under the piezoelectric sliding effect, and a volume of the ink chamber is expanded, thus, ink is supplied to ink chamber A from ink supply section 307 as shown in Fig. 18 - Fig. 20.
  • negative pressure wave is caused in the ink chamber to be propagated through ink, and after the lapse of time L/v (L: length of an ink chamber, v: the speed of sound), the pressure wave arrives at the end portion of the ink chamber to be reflected thereon, and then, it is reversed in terms of phase to become a positive pressure wave.
  • L/v length of an ink chamber
  • v the speed of sound
  • a width of a groove of air chamber B is narrower than that of a groove of ink chamber A, because it is possible to raise nozzle density. However, it is possible to change a width of the groove of the air chamber, when it is necessary. It is preferable that the groove of ink chanter A is made to be shallower toward the orifice side. This is because of that the diameter of the orifice at the inlet side is about 100 ⁇ , and when this portion has a step, air bubbles stay there and they hardly escape. A depth of the groove on the orifice side is preferably a half of that on the ink guiding hole side.
  • a method to make an electrode in the case where the wall is formed by one PZT is different from that to make an electrode in the case where the wall is formed by cementing two PZTs polarized to be opposite in direction. Further, a method to make an electrode in the case where voltage is applied on an electrode in the ink chamber is different from that in the case where an electrode in the ink chamber is grounded.
  • the wall is formed by one PZT and voltage is impressed on an electrode in the ink chamber. Since the upper portion and the lower portion of the wall are fixed, an electrode is formed on a half of the wall, preferably, on the upper half of the wall, and the upper half of the wall is subjected to shear deformation.
  • metal is usually deposited in the oblique direction.
  • an electrode is formed only on the upper half of the groove.
  • an electrode is formed also on the upper half on the opposite side of the wall.
  • the electrode on the groove is accidentally connected with an electrode on an adjoining groove, because depositing is also conducted on a bank portion between both grooves. It is therefore necessary to mask the bank portion with a dry film in advance, and to remove the mask after depositing.
  • gold, aluminum, tantalum, and titanium are preferable from the viewpoint of electric characteristics, corrosion resistance and easy processing.
  • connection electrodes are formed on both walls and a bottom at inlet section of the groove by depositing obliquely in the two directions by making the inlet surface of the groove to face the evaporation source.
  • wiring connected with PPC is formed on the reverse side of the groove through depositing.
  • a portion where an electrode must not be formed needs to be covered by a dry film in advance to be exposed, developed and masked.
  • An electrode in the ink chamber is connected to the signal wire, and an electrode in the air chamber is grounded.
  • plating in particular, electroless plating, for example, Ni-P plating is more preferable than depositing. Even in this case, a portion which does not need an electrode is masked by a dry film.
  • a film made of polyparaxylylic resin (hereinafter referred to as a pariren film) is preferable as an insulation film.
  • This pariren film is formed through a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method wherein solid diparaxylylic dimer is a deposition source. Namely, stable diradicalparaxylylic dimer generated by vaporization and thermal decomposition of diparaxylylic dimer is deposited on a head base body to be subjected to polymerization reaction to form a film.
  • CVD chemical vapor deposition
  • a chemical deposition apparatus for forming a pariren film is composed of a sublimation furnace, a thermal decomposition furnace and a casting base furnace. These furnaces are connected by piping forming a path for gas.
  • a degree of vacuum of the deposition apparatus is kept at 10 -3 - 1 torr.
  • the inside of the sublimation furnace is kept at 100 - 200 °C
  • the inside of the thermal decomposition furnace is kept at 450 - 700 °C
  • the inside of a casting base tank is kept at room temperature.
  • pariren film is 1 - 10 ⁇ , in particular, 3 - 5 ⁇ .
  • Diparaxylylene representing a raw material is made to evaporate in the sublimation furnace at 190 °C, then evaporated diparaxylylene is subjected to thermal decomposition in the thermal decomposition furnace at 680 °C to generate diparaxylylene radical which is subjected to base-casting in the base casting tank decompressed to 1 torr for four hours to be formed to 3 ⁇ -thick pariren film.
  • Pariren film can be formed uniformly even on the head base board in a complicated shape.
  • the pariren film is extremely hydrophobic, and when pariren film is provided in the ink flow path in the narrow ink chamber, it expels water type ink, and water type ink can not enter the flow path.
  • air bubbles When air bubbles are mixed in the ink flow path, the air bubbles stick to the hydrophobic surface because they are hydrophobic, and they stick and hardly escape. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the surface of pariren film with oxygen plasma to make it to be hydrophilic.
  • An example of the plasma apparatus is a reaction apparatus of a parallel plate type wherein raw material gas is oxygen, gas flow rate is 50 SCCM, pressure is 10 Pa, discharge method is 13.56 Mhz and output 200 W, and processing time is 2 minutes. Due to processing by this apparatus, the pariren film is etched by about 0.5 ⁇ , and the surface is activated. As a result, a contact angle of water is reduced from 85° to 10°, and wettability is sharply improved.
  • hydrophilic thin plate such as SiO 2 or Si 3 N 4 may be formed on the plasma processing surface, or water-soluble high polymer, polyethyleneimine or polyacrylic acid may be graft-polymerized on the pariren surface.
  • ink jet head 301 may be structured by connecting plural head units 3-1A as shown in Fig. 26, and this head unit 3-1A is constituted in a way that plural ink chambers and air chambers are formed alternatively on a head main body representing a polarized piezoelectric element by partitioning them with walls, and voltage is impressed on an electrode on the head main body to make walls partitioning ink chambers to be subjected to shear deformation so that ink may be jetted from an orifice. Due to this structure wherein plural head units 301A are connected, a highly accurate line head of a long type which is low in cost can be obtained, and thereby, it is possible to record images with high image quality at high speed.
  • An ink jet head usually has 64 - 300 ink chambers, and it prints while moving a head having a lateral width of 2 - 3 cm in the lateral direction of a recording medium. Therefore, its printing speed is slower than that of a laser printer, and it is desired to be higher in speed.
  • a head having a length which is the same as that of a recording medium, for example, a recording medium in A3 size is desired.
  • the head of the invention it is possible to make a short head having a lateral width of about 2 cm and having 4 ink chambers, for example, and thereby to make a line head by connecting the plural short heads, for example, 10 short heads in the lateral direction.
  • TOKKAIHEI No. 5-64893 discloses a shear mode line head wherein walls are formed by PZT and resins. Short PZT plates are arranged in order and are cemented on the long resin plate, and a large number of grooves are formed, thus, a line head is made.

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CN112123938A (zh) * 2019-06-24 2020-12-25 东芝泰格有限公司 喷墨头和喷墨打印机
CN115066334A (zh) * 2020-02-17 2022-09-16 三星显示有限公司 喷墨印刷设备和用于使用喷墨印刷设备检查喷墨头的方法

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EP1453680A1 (de) * 2001-12-11 2004-09-08 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Tropfenabgabekopf und herstellungsverfahren dafür
US7232202B2 (en) 2001-12-11 2007-06-19 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Drop discharge head and method of producing the same
EP1453680A4 (de) * 2001-12-11 2007-10-24 Ricoh Kk Tropfenabgabekopf und herstellungsverfahren dafür
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CN112123938A (zh) * 2019-06-24 2020-12-25 东芝泰格有限公司 喷墨头和喷墨打印机
CN112123938B (zh) * 2019-06-24 2022-06-17 东芝泰格有限公司 喷墨头和喷墨打印机
CN115066334A (zh) * 2020-02-17 2022-09-16 三星显示有限公司 喷墨印刷设备和用于使用喷墨印刷设备检查喷墨头的方法

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