JP2001287363A - Ink jet recording head and ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recorder in which nozzles can be arranged at a high density while reducing the manufacturing cost. SOLUTION: The ink jet recording head comprises a channel forming substrate 10 where pressure generating chambers 12 communicating with nozzle openings are defined by a plurality of barrier walls 11, and a piezoelectric element 300 provided in a region corresponding to the pressure generating chamber 12 through a diaphragm constituting a part thereof and causing a pressure variation in the pressure generating chamber 12 wherein a substrate 30 is bonded to the piezoelectric element 300 side of the channel forming substrate 10 and an integrated circuit is formed integrally in a region of the bonded substrate 30 facing the barrier wall 11 on the side being bonded to the channel forming substrate 10 in order to reduce the size of a head.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pressure generating chamber which communicates with a nozzle opening for discharging ink droplets, which is constituted by a vibrating plate. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus for ejecting ink droplets by means of a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A part of a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening for discharging ink droplets is constituted by a vibrating plate, and the vibrating plate is deformed by a piezoelectric element to pressurize the ink in the pressure generating chamber to pass the nozzle opening. Two types of ink jet recording heads that eject ink droplets have been commercialized, one using a longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric actuator that expands and contracts in the axial direction of the piezoelectric element, and the other using a flexural vibration mode piezoelectric actuator. ing.

In the former method, the volume of the pressure generating chamber can be changed by bringing the end face of the piezoelectric element into contact with the diaphragm, so that a head suitable for high-density printing can be manufactured. There is a problem in that a difficult process of cutting into a comb shape in accordance with the arrangement pitch of the openings and an operation of positioning and fixing the cut piezoelectric element in the pressure generating chamber are required, and the manufacturing process is complicated.

On the other hand, in the latter, a piezoelectric element can be formed on a diaphragm by a relatively simple process of sticking a green sheet of a piezoelectric material according to the shape of a pressure generating chamber and firing the green sheet. In addition, there is a problem that a certain area is required due to the use of flexural vibration, and that high-density arrangement is difficult.

On the other hand, in order to solve the latter disadvantage of the recording head, a uniform piezoelectric material layer is formed by a film forming technique over the entire surface of the diaphragm as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-286131. A proposal has been made in which the piezoelectric material layer is cut into a shape corresponding to the pressure generating chambers by a lithography method, and a piezoelectric element is formed so as to be independent for each pressure generating chamber.

This eliminates the need for attaching the piezoelectric element to the vibration plate, which not only allows the piezoelectric element to be manufactured by a precise and simple method such as lithography, but also reduces the thickness of the piezoelectric element. There is an advantage that it can be made thin and can be driven at high speed.

Further, in such an ink jet recording head, various integrated circuits, for example, a driving circuit for driving a piezoelectric element are mounted on a mounting substrate different from a flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber is formed. Provided and connected by wiring such as FPC.

[0008]

However, this F
In connection with a PC or the like, there is a problem that the head becomes large, the number of parts increases, and the manufacturing cost increases. Furthermore, since the number of wirings in the FPC is limited, there is a problem that there is a limit in increasing the number of nozzles.

In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus in which nozzles can be arranged at a high density and manufacturing cost is reduced.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening is defined by a plurality of partition walls; A piezoelectric element provided in a region corresponding to the pressure generating chamber via a vibration plate constituting a part of the piezoelectric generating member to generate a pressure change in the pressure generating chamber. Having a bonding substrate to be bonded to the piezoelectric element side, in a region facing the partition on the bonding surface side of the bonding substrate with the flow path forming substrate,
An ink jet recording head is characterized in that an integrated circuit is integrally formed.

In the first aspect, the integrated circuit can be formed integrally without increasing the size of the bonding substrate, the head can be reduced in size, the number of components can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the bonding substrate is provided in a region facing the piezoelectric element.
An ink jet recording head is a sealing plate having a piezoelectric element holding portion capable of sealing the space while securing a space that does not hinder the movement.

[0013] In the second aspect, the destruction of the piezoelectric element due to the external environment is prevented.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the piezoelectric element holding portion of the bonding substrate is partitioned by partition walls for each piezoelectric element, and the integrated circuit is integrated with the partition walls. The ink jet recording head is characterized in that the ink jet recording head is formed.

In the third aspect, the drive circuit and the piezoelectric element are electrically connected by bonding to the flow path forming substrate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, a reservoir for supplying ink to the pressure generating chamber is formed in the bonding substrate. In the recording head.

In the fourth aspect, since the bonding substrate also serves as the reservoir forming substrate, there is no need to provide a separate reservoir forming substrate, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording head according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the integrated circuit is a drive circuit for driving the piezoelectric element. is there.

In the fifth aspect, a drive circuit for driving the piezoelectric element can be formed relatively easily.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the integrated circuit is temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the head or a temperature control circuit for controlling the temperature. The feature is the ink jet recording head.

In the sixth aspect, the temperature detecting means or the temperature control circuit can be formed relatively easily.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the integrated circuit is a discharge count detecting means for detecting a discharge count of ink droplets discharged from the nozzle opening. An ink jet recording head is characterized in that:

In the seventh aspect, the number-of-discharges detecting means can be formed relatively easily.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is the humidity control circuit according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the integrated circuit controls humidity detecting means for detecting humidity of the piezoelectric element holding section. An ink jet recording head is characterized in that:

In the eighth aspect, the humidity control circuit can be formed relatively easily.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording head according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the integrated circuit comprises a MOS transistor.

In the ninth aspect, the integrated circuit is a MOS
It can be formed relatively easily by a type transistor.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the terminal for connecting the integrated circuit to an external wiring for sending a drive signal to the integrated circuit is provided with the pressure generating circuit. An ink jet recording head is provided on the bonding substrate in a region facing the outside of the row of chambers in the juxtaposition direction.

In the tenth aspect, it is easy to take out the wiring from the integrated circuit.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the piezoelectric element and the integrated circuit are electrically connected by flip-chip mounting. In the recording head.

In the eleventh aspect, the integrated circuit and the piezoelectric element can be easily connected by joining the flow path forming substrate and the joining substrate.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventh aspect, a drive wiring for connecting the integrated circuit and an external wiring is formed on the flow path forming substrate, and the integrated circuit and the drive wiring are connected to each other. Are electrically connected by flip-chip mounting.

In the twelfth aspect, the integrated circuit and the piezoelectric element can be easily connected by joining the flow path forming substrate and the joining substrate.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording head according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the bonding substrate is formed of a silicon single crystal substrate.

According to the thirteenth aspect, an integrated circuit can be formed relatively easily and integrally with high accuracy on the bonding substrate.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, the pressure generating chamber is formed by anisotropic etching, and each of the layers constituting the diaphragm and the piezoelectric element is formed as a film. And an ink jet recording head formed by a lithography method.

In the fourteenth aspect, an ink jet recording head having high-density nozzle openings can be formed in a large amount and relatively easily.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink jet recording head according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects.

In the fifteenth aspect, a downsized ink jet recording apparatus can be realized.

[0040]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail based on embodiments.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing an ink jet recording head according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view and a sectional view of FIG.

As shown in the drawing, the flow path forming substrate 10 is formed of a silicon single crystal substrate having a plane orientation (110) in this embodiment. As the flow path forming substrate 10, usually 150 to 3
A thickness of about 00 μm is used.
Those having a thickness of about 0 to 280 μm, more preferably about 220 μm are suitable. This is because the arrangement density can be increased while maintaining the rigidity of the partition wall between the adjacent pressure generating chambers.

One surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 is an opening surface, and the other surface is formed with a 1-2 μm-thick elastic film 50 made of silicon dioxide previously formed by thermal oxidation.

On the other hand, a silicon single crystal substrate is anisotropically etched on the opening surface of the flow path forming substrate
The pressure generating chambers 12 divided by the plurality of partition walls 11 are arranged in parallel in the width direction, and on the outer side in the longitudinal direction, communicate with a reservoir portion of a bonding substrate described later to be a common ink chamber of each pressure generating chamber 12. Communication part 1 forming a part of reservoir 100
3 are formed and communicate with the one end of each pressure generating chamber 12 in the longitudinal direction through the ink supply path 14.

Here, in the anisotropic etching, when a silicon single crystal substrate is immersed in an alkaline solution such as KOH, it is gradually eroded and the first (111) plane perpendicular to the (110) plane and the first (111) plane. A second (1) which forms an angle of about 70 degrees with the (111) plane and forms an angle of about 35 degrees with the (110) plane.
11) plane, and the etching rate of the (111) plane is about 1/1 compared to the etching rate of the (110) plane.
This is performed using the property of being 80.
By such anisotropic etching, two first (11
Precision processing can be performed based on depth processing of a parallelogram formed by the 1) plane and two oblique second (111) planes, and the pressure generating chambers 12 can be arranged at high density. it can.

In this embodiment, the long side of each pressure generating chamber 12 is formed by the first (111) plane, and the short side is formed by the second (111) plane. The pressure generating chamber 12 is provided on the flow path forming substrate 1.
It is formed by etching until it reaches the elastic film 50 almost through 0. Here, the elastic film 50 is
The amount attacked by the alkaline solution for etching the silicon single crystal substrate is extremely small. Each of the ink supply passages 14 communicating with one end of each of the pressure generating chambers 12 is formed shallower than the pressure generating chambers 12 and maintains a constant flow resistance of the ink flowing into the pressure generating chambers 12. That is, the ink supply path 14 is formed by partially etching (half-etching) the silicon single crystal substrate in the thickness direction. Note that the half etching is performed by adjusting the etching time.

Further, on the opening side of the flow path forming substrate 10,
A nozzle plate 20 provided with a nozzle opening 21 communicating with the pressure supply chamber 12 on the side opposite to the ink supply path 14 is fixed via an adhesive or a heat welding film. The nozzle plate 20 has a thickness of, for example, 0.1 to 1
mm, the coefficient of linear expansion is 300 ° C. or less, for example, 2.5 to
It is made of 4.5 [× 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C.] glass-ceramic or non-rusting steel. The nozzle plate 20 entirely covers one surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 on one surface, and also serves as a reinforcing plate for protecting the silicon single crystal substrate from impact and external force. Further, the nozzle plate 20 is connected to the flow path forming substrate 10.
May be formed of a material having substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient as that of the material. In this case, since the deformation of the flow path forming substrate 10 and the nozzle plate 20 due to heat become substantially the same, it is possible to easily join them using a thermosetting adhesive or the like.

Here, the size of the pressure generating chamber 12 for applying the ink droplet ejection pressure to the ink and the size of the nozzle opening 21 for ejecting the ink droplet depend on the amount of the ink droplet to be ejected, the ejection speed, and the ejection frequency. Optimized. For example,
When recording 360 ink droplets per inch, the nozzle openings 21 need to be formed with a diameter of several tens of μm with high accuracy.

On the other hand, the elastic film 50 on the opposite side of the opening surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 has a thickness of about 0.2 μm, for example.
A lower electrode film 60, a piezoelectric layer 70 having a thickness of, for example, about 1 μm, and an upper electrode film 80 having a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 μm are laminated and formed by a process described later, and the piezoelectric element 30 is formed.
0. Here, the piezoelectric element 300 refers to a portion including the lower electrode film 60, the piezoelectric layer 70, and the upper electrode film 80. In general, one of the electrodes of the piezoelectric element 300 is used as a common electrode, and the other electrode and the piezoelectric layer 70 are patterned for each of the pressure generating chambers 12. Here, a portion which is constituted by one of the patterned electrodes and the piezoelectric layer 70 and in which a piezoelectric strain is generated by applying a voltage to both electrodes is referred to as a piezoelectric active portion 320. In the present embodiment, the lower electrode film 60 is used as a common electrode of the piezoelectric element 300, and the upper electrode film 80 is used as an individual electrode of the piezoelectric element 300. However, there is no problem even if the upper electrode film 80 is reversed for convenience of a drive circuit and wiring. In any case, the piezoelectric active portion is formed for each pressure generating chamber. Also, here
The combination of the piezoelectric element 300 and the diaphragm whose displacement is generated by driving the piezoelectric element 300 is referred to as a piezoelectric actuator.

The piezoelectric element 300 of the flow path forming substrate 10
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a piezoelectric element holding portion capable of sealing this space on the elastic film 50 and the lower electrode film 60 in a state where a space that does not hinder the movement is secured in a region facing the piezoelectric element 300. A bonding substrate 30 having a bonding member 31 is bonded. In the present embodiment, the piezoelectric element holding section 31 is partitioned by partition walls 32 for each piezoelectric element 300, and each partition wall 32 is joined to the flow path forming substrate 10. Further, a predetermined integrated circuit, in this embodiment, a driving circuit for driving each piezoelectric element 300 is provided in a region of the bonding substrate 30 facing the partition 11, that is, a partition wall 32 that partitions the piezoelectric element holding portion 31. 33 are integrally formed. Further, on the bonding substrate 30 in a region facing the outside of the row of the pressure generating chambers 12 in the juxtaposition direction, a terminal portion 34 connected to an external wiring 110 such as an FPC for transmitting a driving signal to the driving circuit 33 is provided. The drive circuit 33 and the terminal 34 are electrically connected to each other via a drive wiring 35 extending on a peripheral wall of the pressure generating chamber 12 on the longitudinal end side.

The driving circuit 33 and the piezoelectric element 300
The upper electrode film 80 is connected via a lead electrode 90. For example, in the present embodiment, the lead electrode 90 is
It extends from above the upper electrode film 80 to above the elastic film 50,
The end and the drive wiring 35 are electrically connected via, for example, an anisotropic conductive material (ACF) or fine metal powder.

It is preferable that the bonding substrate 30 be made of a material such as glass or ceramic material having substantially the same thermal expansion coefficient as that of the flow path forming substrate 10. The drive circuit 33 is a semiconductor integrated circuit formed integrally with a bonding substrate 30 made of a silicon single crystal substrate by a semiconductor process using a silicon single crystal substrate made of the same material as that of the driving circuit 33.

In this embodiment, the bonding substrate 30 is a reservoir 100 for supplying ink to the pressure generating chamber 12.
Also serves as a reservoir forming substrate having a reservoir portion 36 constituting at least a part of the above. This reservoir section 36
In the present embodiment, the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed so as to extend through the bonding substrate 30 in the thickness direction and in the width direction of the pressure generating chamber 12. The reservoir 100 communicates with the communication portion 13 of the flow path forming substrate 10 through the through hole 51 and serves as a common ink chamber for the pressure generation chambers 12.

Further, a compliance substrate 40 including a sealing film 41 and a fixing plate 42 is bonded to the bonding substrate 30. Here, the sealing film 41 is made of a material having low rigidity and flexibility (for example, a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) film having a thickness of 6 μm), and the sealing film 41 seals one surface of the reservoir section 36. Has been stopped. The fixing plate 42 is formed of a hard material such as a metal (for example, stainless steel (SUS) having a thickness of 30 μm). Since a region of the fixing plate 42 facing the reservoir 100 is an opening 43 completely removed in the thickness direction, one surface of the reservoir 100 is sealed with only the sealing film 41 having flexibility. And can be deformed by changes in internal pressure.

Further, an ink inlet 37 for supplying ink to the reservoir 100 is formed on the compliance substrate 40 substantially outside the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the reservoir 100. Further, the joining substrate 30 is provided with an ink introduction path 38 that communicates the ink introduction port 37 with the side wall of the reservoir 100.

The ink jet recording head of this embodiment takes in ink from an ink inlet 38 connected to an external ink supply means (not shown), and fills the inside from the reservoir 100 to the nozzle opening 21 with ink. After that, a voltage is applied between the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode film 80 corresponding to the pressure generating chamber 12 in accordance with a recording signal from an external drive circuit (not shown), and the elastic film 5
0, the lower electrode film 60 and the piezoelectric layer 70 are flexibly deformed, whereby the pressure in each pressure generating chamber 12 is increased, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings 21.

The manufacturing process of the ink jet recording head of this embodiment, particularly, the flow path forming substrate 10
Forming pressure generating chamber 12 in pressure generating chamber 1
The step of forming the piezoelectric element 300 in the region corresponding to No. 2 will be described below. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of the pressure generating chamber 12 in the longitudinal direction. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure generating chambers 12 and the like are shown by dotted lines because they are not formed.

First, as shown in FIG. 3A, a silicon single crystal substrate wafer serving as the flow path forming
Thermal oxidation is performed in a diffusion furnace at 0 ° C. to form an elastic film 50 made of silicon dioxide.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, a lower electrode film 60 is formed over the entire surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 on the pressure generating chamber 12 side by sputtering, and is patterned into a predetermined shape. As a material of the lower electrode film 60, platinum,
Iridium and the like are preferred. This is because a piezoelectric layer 70 described later, which is formed by a sputtering method or a sol-gel method, has a thickness of 600 to 1000 in an air atmosphere or an oxygen atmosphere after the film formation.
This is because it is necessary to crystallize by firing at a temperature of about ° C. That is, the material of the lower electrode film 60 must be able to maintain conductivity under such high temperature and oxidizing atmosphere.
In particular, as the piezoelectric layer 70, lead zirconate titanate (PZ
When T) is used, it is desirable that the change in conductivity due to the diffusion of lead oxide is small, and for these reasons, platinum and iridium are preferred.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, a piezoelectric layer 70 is formed. For example, in the present embodiment, a so-called sol in which a metal organic material is dissolved and dispersed in a catalyst is applied and dried to form a gel, and then fired at a high temperature to obtain a piezoelectric layer 70 made of a metal oxide. Formed by using As a material for the piezoelectric layer 70, a PZT-based material is suitable when used in an ink jet recording head. The method for forming the piezoelectric layer 70 is not particularly limited. For example, the piezoelectric layer 70 may be formed by a spin coating method such as a sputtering method or a MOD method (organic metal thermal coating decomposition method).

Further, a method of forming a precursor film of lead zirconate titanate by a sol-gel method, a sputtering method, a MOD method, or the like and then growing the crystals at a low temperature by a high-pressure treatment method in an alkaline aqueous solution may be used. Good.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, an upper electrode film 80 is formed. The upper electrode film 80 only needs to be a material having high conductivity, and can use many metals such as aluminum, gold, nickel, and platinum, and a conductive oxide. In the present embodiment, platinum is formed by sputtering.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4A, the piezoelectric element 300 is patterned by etching only the piezoelectric layer 70 and the upper electrode film 80. In the present embodiment,
At the same time, the elastic film 50 and the lower electrode film 60 in the region facing the communicating portion 13 in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber 12 are patterned to form the through-hole 51.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a lead electrode 90 is formed over the entire surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 and is patterned for each piezoelectric element 300.

The above is the film forming process. After forming the film in this manner, the silicon single crystal substrate is subjected to anisotropic etching with the above-described alkali solution to form the pressure generating chamber 12, the communication section 13, the ink supply path 14, and the like.

Thereafter, the piezoelectric element 30 of the flow path forming substrate 10
0 side, in the present embodiment, the bonding substrate 30 is formed on the lower electrode film 60.
To join. At this time, at the same time, the end of the lead electrode 90 and the drive wiring 35 are connected, for example, with an anisotropic conductive material (AC
F) or via a fine metal powder or the like. That is, the piezoelectric element 300 and the drive circuit 33 are electrically connected.

The method for forming the bonding substrate 30 on which the drive circuit 33 is integrally formed is not particularly limited.
The drive circuit 33 is integrally formed in a semiconductor process, and a terminal portion 34 and a drive wiring are formed by forming and patterning a highly conductive material, for example, a metal such as aluminum or gold, or a conductive oxide. Then, the piezoelectric element holding portion 31 and the reservoir portion 36 may be formed by etching or the like.

In the ink jet recording head according to the present embodiment as described above, the driving circuit 33 for driving the piezoelectric element 300 is integrally formed in the region of the bonding substrate 30 facing the partition wall 11, that is, the partition wall 32. Since it is formed, the size of the head can be reduced. Also,
The number of parts can be reduced, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, as a terminal for connecting to an external wiring, only a signal line of an integrated circuit and a power supply line for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element may be provided, and a head having a high density of piezoelectric elements is provided. However, mounting is easy.

In this embodiment, the flow path forming substrate 10
Although the example in which the pressure generating chambers 12 are arranged in a single row has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of rows of the pressure generating chambers 12 may be provided as shown in FIG. As a result, the wiring from the drive circuit 33 for driving the piezoelectric elements 300 arranged at a higher density can be replaced with the external wiring 11 such as an FPC.
0 allows easy removal.

(Other Embodiments) The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the basic structure of the ink jet recording head is not limited to the above.

For example, in the above embodiment, the bonding substrate 3
The drive circuit 33 for driving the piezoelectric element 300 is integrally provided in a region opposed to the partition wall 11 of the “0”. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Means or a temperature control circuit or the like for controlling the temperature may be provided. Alternatively, it may be a number-of-ejections detecting means for detecting the number of ejections of the ink droplets ejected from the nozzle openings, a humidity control circuit for controlling humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity of the piezoelectric element holding portion, or the like. Is also good. In any case, by providing these integrally in the region facing the partition wall of the bonding substrate, the head can be reduced in size and the number of parts can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost, as in the above-described embodiment. it can.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the drive wiring for connecting the drive circuit and the terminal portion is provided on the joining substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be connected to a drive circuit when the flow path forming substrate and the bonding substrate are bonded.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, a silicon single crystal substrate having a plane orientation of (110) is used as the flow path forming substrate 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. May be used. Furthermore, bonding substrates, compliance substrates, etc.
There is no particular limitation as long as it has a similar function, and another structure may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, a thin-film type ink jet recording head manufactured by applying a film forming and lithography process is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a thick-film type ink jet recording head formed by a method such as sticking.

The ink jet recording head of each of these embodiments constitutes a part of a recording head unit having an ink flow path communicating with an ink cartridge or the like, and is mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the ink jet recording apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 6, the recording head units 1A and 1B having the ink jet recording heads are provided with detachable cartridges 2A and 2B constituting ink supply means.
The carriage 3 on which B is mounted is provided movably in the axial direction on a carriage shaft 5 attached to the apparatus main body 4. The recording head units 1A and 1B are, for example,
Each of them ejects a black ink composition and a color ink composition.

The driving force of the driving motor 6 is transmitted to the carriage 3 via a plurality of gears and a timing belt 7 (not shown), so that the carriage 3 on which the recording head units 1A and 1B are mounted moves along the carriage shaft 5. Moved. On the other hand, a platen 8 is provided on the apparatus main body 4 along the carriage shaft 5, and a recording sheet S, which is a recording medium such as paper fed by a paper feed roller (not shown), is wound around the platen 8. It is designed to be transported.

[0079]

As described above, according to the present invention, various integrated circuits such as a drive circuit for driving a piezoelectric element are integrated in a region facing a partition on a bonding surface side of a bonding substrate with a flow path forming substrate. The integrated circuit can be integrally provided without increasing the size of the flow path forming substrate and the joining substrate, and the head can be reduced in size. Further, the number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified, so that the cost can be reduced.

In particular, when the drive circuit is integrally provided, only the signal line of the integrated circuit and the power supply line for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element are provided as terminals for connection with external wiring. Also, there is an effect that mounting is easy even with a head in which piezoelectric elements are arranged at high density.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an ink jet recording head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the inkjet recording head according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a manufacturing process of the ink jet recording head according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a manufacturing process of the ink jet recording head according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another example of the ink jet recording head according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Flow path forming substrate 11 Partition wall 12 Pressure generating chamber 13 Communication part 14 Ink supply path 20 Nozzle plate 21 Nozzle opening 30 Joining substrate 31 Piezoelectric element holding part 32 Partition wall 33 Drive circuit 34 Terminal 35 Drive wiring 36 Reservoir 40 Compliance board Reference Signs List 50 elastic film 60 lower electrode film 70 piezoelectric layer 80 upper electrode film 300 piezoelectric element

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening corresponds to the pressure generating chamber via a flow path forming substrate defined by a plurality of partition walls and a diaphragm constituting a part of the pressure generating chamber. An ink jet recording head comprising: a piezoelectric element provided in a region to generate a pressure change in the pressure generating chamber; a bonding substrate bonded to the piezoelectric element side of the flow path forming substrate; An ink jet recording head, wherein an integrated circuit is integrally formed in a region facing the partition wall on the side of the joint surface with the flow path forming substrate. 2. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the bonding substrate has a piezoelectric element holding portion capable of sealing the space in a region facing the piezoelectric element in a state in which a space that does not hinder the movement is secured. An ink jet recording head, which is a stop plate. 3. The piezoelectric element holding portion according to claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric element holding portion of the bonding substrate is partitioned by a partition wall for each piezoelectric element, and the integrated circuit is integrally formed on the partition wall. Inkjet recording head. 4. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a reservoir for supplying ink to the pressure generating chamber is formed in the bonding substrate. 5. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is a driving circuit for driving the piezoelectric element. 6. An ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit is a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of the head or a temperature control circuit for controlling said temperature. 7. An ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit is ejection number detecting means for detecting the number of ejections of ink droplets ejected from said nozzle openings. . 8. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said integrated circuit is a humidity control circuit for controlling humidity detecting means for detecting humidity of said piezoelectric element holding section. head. 9. An ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit comprises a MOS transistor. 10. The pressure generating chamber according to claim 1, wherein a terminal for connecting the integrated circuit and an external wiring for sending a drive signal to the integrated circuit is arranged outside a row of the pressure generating chambers. An ink jet recording head provided on the bonding substrate in a region facing the ink jet recording head. 11. An ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein said piezoelectric element and said integrated circuit are electrically connected by flip-chip mounting. 12. The flow path forming substrate according to claim 11, wherein a drive wiring for connecting the integrated circuit and an external wiring is formed on the flow path forming substrate, and the integrated circuit and the drive wiring are electrically connected by flip-chip mounting. An ink jet recording head, which is connected. 13. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the bonding substrate is formed of a silicon single crystal substrate. 14. The pressure generating chamber according to claim 1, wherein the pressure generating chamber is formed by anisotropic etching, and the respective layers constituting the diaphragm and the piezoelectric element are formed by film formation and lithography. An ink jet recording head, characterized in that: 15. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink jet recording head according to claim 1.