JP2002210961A - Fluid ejector and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To machine a shape stably when both sides of a silicon substrate is machined by etching. SOLUTION: Width of the ejection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 in a liquid ejector is set equal to the width of a pressure chamber 4 at their joints.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus, for example, used for a head of an ink jet printer.
The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a fluid, for example, ink, with good controllability and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in an ink-jet printer which is widely used, an on-demand type fluid ejecting apparatus which can arbitrarily eject ink used as a fluid at a high speed greatly affects the performance of equipment. . The structure of the fluid ejecting apparatus is roughly divided into a fluid supply chamber, a pressure chamber, and an ejection port which constitute a fluid flow path, and a pressurizing means for applying pressure to the fluid. To realize the on-demand system, a pressurizing means with good controllability is required. Conventionally, however, a thermal control system in which a fluid is pressurized and ejected by bubbles generated by heating the fluid or a machine such as a piezoelectric ceramic is used. There are many piezoelectric systems in which a fluid is directly pressurized and ejected by mechanical deformation.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional fluid ejecting apparatus.

[0004] As shown in the figure, a hole 19 serving as a fluid injection hole and a fluid supply hole is formed in a silicon substrate 18 by dry etching.
A pressure chamber 21 is formed by joining the glass substrate 20 in which a fluid supply chamber is formed by sandblasting or the like in advance, and penetrating the silicon substrate 18 by dry etching from the silicon substrate 18 side of the structure. I was going.

[0005]

However, according to the conventional technique, when the pressure chamber 4 is formed from the silicon substrate 18 side of the structure, the injection hole and the supply hole previously formed on the opposite surface are formed. Since the hole 19 penetrates ahead of the other portions, it is easy for the sand hole to enter the hole 19 serving as the injection hole and the supply hole, and the injection hole and the pressure chamber 21 and the supply hole and the pressure chamber 21 respectively. The connection part does not have the same surface, and as a fluid ejection device, there is a space where fluid stays at each connection part, the pressure change by the pressurizing body is not efficiently transmitted to the ejection operation, and the ejection performance is not stable. There were challenges.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is an object of the present invention to perform processing of a stable shape when processing both surfaces of a silicon substrate by dry etching.

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention comprises the following arrangement.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the width of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove and the width of the pressure chamber are the same at these connecting portions. By making the width of the groove for use the same as the width of the pressure chamber, it is possible to eliminate the space where the fluid stays at the connection part, the pressure change by the pressurized body is efficiently transmitted to the fluid, and the injection from the injection hole This has the effect that the operation can be performed smoothly.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the depths of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate are different, and the depth of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are the same. In this case, the pressure change due to the pressurized body is evenly transmitted to the injection hole side and the supply hole side, and as a result, the fluid is not efficiently injected, and the depths of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are changed to different depths. This has the effect of preventing such a problem from occurring.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the depth of the supply hole groove is smaller than the depth of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate. By making the depth shallower than the depth of the injection hole groove, if dry etching is stopped when the supply hole groove penetrates, the injection hole groove,
Since the pressure chamber and the supply hole groove are conducted, and no further etching is performed, an etching gas that flows when the supply hole groove penetrates and induces a side etch can be suppressed as much as possible. There is little side etching at the connection portion, and the width of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove can be easily made equal to the width of the pressure chamber.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the length of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate are different, and the length of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are the same. In this case, the problem that the pressure change by the pressurizing member is transmitted evenly to the injection hole side and the supply hole side occurs, whereas the different lengths can prevent such a problem from occurring. Has the effect of being able to.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the length of the supply hole groove is longer than the length of the supply hole groove in the length of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate. Is longer than the length of the injection hole groove, it becomes difficult for the etching gas that induces side etching to flow when the supply hole groove penetrates, so that the side etch is reduced, and the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are reduced. And the width of the pressure chamber can be easily made the same.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a film made of a material different from silicon is formed on inner walls of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate. By forming a film of a material other than silicon on the inner wall of the hole groove, when forming a pressure chamber by dry etching, the injection hole groove is formed from the etching gas flowing when the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove penetrate. And the groove for the supply hole can be protected, and the side etch that is likely to occur in that portion can be suppressed, that is, the width of the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole and the width of the pressure chamber can be formed to be the same, By making the film formed on the inner wall a material with a small coefficient of friction,
It can reduce the frictional resistance between the fluid and the inner wall, reduce the pressure loss in the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole, and more accurately transmit the pressure change by the pressurized body to the injection port. Has an action.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the material different from silicon is gold or a laminated film mainly composed of gold.
By forming a film on the inner wall of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove, in addition to being able to suppress side etching, by limiting the material of the film to gold or a laminated film mainly composed of gold, This has an effect that a glass substrate can be easily joined by a direct joining method.

According to the present invention, the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole are formed on one side of the silicon substrate by dry etching, and then the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole are sealed. In the state where the material is adhered, dry etching is further performed. After forming the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove on one side of the silicon substrate by dry etching, one of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove is formed. By further performing dry etching with the sealing material attached to one side, the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole can be easily formed at different depths, and the pressure change by the pressurizing body is evenly changed. This has the effect of improving the injection performance without causing the problem of transmission.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the dry etching is performed after the sealing material is attached to the supply hole groove, and the dry etching is performed after the sealing material is attached to the supply hole groove. By doing so, the depth of the groove for the supply hole can be easily made shallower than the groove for the injection hole, and in this case, if the dry etching is stopped when the groove for the supply hole is pierced, further etching can be performed. Since it is not performed, the etching gas that induces side etching can be suppressed as much as possible.As a result, the side etching is reduced, and the width of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove and the width of the pressure chamber can be formed to be the same. It has the effect of excellent injection performance.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the sealing material to be stuck to one of the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole, when the sealing material is removed, the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole adhere to each other. A masking material provided for performing dry etching of the spray hole and the supply hole groove in which the masking material provided for performing the dry etching is removed without disturbing the masking material provided for performing the dry etching. By using a sealing material that can be removed without disturbing the tape and a tape that loses its adhesive strength by irradiating ultraviolet rays, the tape can be easily peeled off by irradiating ultraviolet rays after dry etching. The first pattern state can be maintained without disturbing the masking material.

According to the present invention, dry etching is performed in a state where a sealing material is attached to one of the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole, and after removing the sealing material, the etching for the injection hole is performed. A film of a material different from silicon is formed on the surface on which the groove and the supply hole groove are formed, and a film of a material other than silicon is formed on the inner walls of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove. When the pressure chamber is formed by dry etching, the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole are protected from the etching gas flowing when the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole penetrate, and the side which is likely to be generated in the portion is protected. This has the effect of suppressing etching.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, gold or a laminated film mainly composed of gold is formed as a material different from silicon, and the glass substrate can be easily bonded by a direct bonding method. Has an action.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, a film made of a material different from silicon is formed by sputtering or vacuum deposition, and at the same time, the film can be formed uniformly with a wide work size. Having.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, after forming a film made of a material different from silicon on the surface on which the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are formed, the inner wall of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove is formed. By removing the film formed other than the portion by etching, the direct bonding can be more easily performed by removing the film formed other than the inner wall portion of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove. Having.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, after the grooves for the injection holes and the grooves for the supply holes are formed by dry etching, a film made of a material different from silicon is formed without removing the masking material. The masking material is removed, and at the same time as the masking material is removed, the film on the bonding surface with glass, which hinders direct bonding, is also removed, and a film can be formed only on the inner walls of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove. Can be extremely simplified.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, a masking material provided for performing dry etching of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove and the inner wall portion of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are formed. After the film is removed, the surface of the silicon substrate on which the grooves for the injection holes and the grooves for the supply holes are formed is directly bonded to the glass substrate. Since no adhesive material such as an adhesive is used, the silicon substrate and the glass substrate are not used. Has a function of improving the reliability of the fluid ejection device.

[0024]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a fluid ejecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a glass substrate on which a silicon substrate 2 is disposed.
A fluid supply path 3 is formed behind the glass substrate 1 by a method such as sandblasting. A pressure chamber 4 is formed in the silicon substrate 2 so as to penetrate from the upper surface side to the lower surface side so as to be connected to the supply path 3. Have been. A fluid injection hole groove 5 is connected to one side of the joint surface of the pressure chamber 4 with the glass substrate, and a supply hole groove 6 connected to the fluid supply passage 3 is connected to the other side.
Is provided. A plurality of such pressure chambers 4 are arranged in the vertical direction together with the connected injection hole groove 5 and supply hole groove 6.

On the pressure chamber 4 thus arranged,
A pressing body 7 is provided. The pressurizing member 7 includes a first electrode layer 8 made of chromium and a piezoelectric layer 9 provided on the first electrode layer 8.
And a laminate comprising a second electrode layer 10 provided thereon. The pressurizing body 7 thus configured is
When the fluid is filled in the pressure chamber 4, the injection hole groove 5, the supply hole groove 6, and the supply passage 3, the first electrode layer 8 is provided individually on the pressure chamber 4. When a voltage is applied between the first electrode layer 10 and the second electrode layer 10, the pressurizing member 7 is deformed, and the fluid in the pressure chamber, which has undergone a pressure change due to the deformation, ejects the fluid appropriately through the ejection port. It is something that can be done. At this time, in order to efficiently guide the pressure change of the pressurizing member 7 to the injection operation, the shapes of the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 are compared with the depth and the length of the injection hole groove 5 in the supply hole. The groove 6 is configured so that the depth is shallow and the length is long.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 1, in which the width of the supply hole groove 6 and the width of the pressure chamber 4 are equal. With such a shape, it is possible to eliminate a space in which the fluid stays at the connection between the supply hole groove 6 and the pressure chamber 4. The same applies to the connection between the injection hole groove 5 and the pressure chamber 4, so that the width of the injection hole groove 5 and the width of the pressure chamber 4 are also equal. As a result, the pressure change by the pressurizing body 7 is efficiently transmitted to the fluid,
The injection operation from the injection port can be performed smoothly.

Next, the manufacturing process will be described.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for explaining a manufacturing process of the fluid ejection device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, as shown in FIG. 3A, a masking material 11 is provided on the lower surface of the silicon substrate 2 in FIG. The masking material 11 has an opening 12 for an injection port and an opening 13 for a supply port.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, dry etching is performed to form the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6, and then supply with a sealing material 14 which can be easily removed. The hole groove 6 is shielded.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), after the depth of the injection hole groove 5 is formed to be deeper than the supply hole groove 6 by performing dry etching, the sealing material 14 is removed, and the masking material is further removed. Remove 11 At this time, the bonding surface is in a state where silicon is exposed, that is, a state where direct bonding can be performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, the surface on which the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 are formed and the glass substrate 1 are directly joined, and further, the surface on the opposite side of the silicon substrate 2. Is provided with a masking material 15. The masking material 15 has an opening 16 for a pressure chamber. When dry etching is performed in this state, the silicon substrate 2 penetrates to form the pressure chamber 4, and then the masking material 15 is removed to obtain the shape shown in FIG. By adopting such a manufacturing method, it is possible to easily realize a fluid ejecting apparatus in which the depths of the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 are different, and the depth of the supply hole groove 6 is reduced. By doing so, if the dry etching is stopped when the supply hole groove 6 penetrates, the injection hole groove 5, the pressure chamber 4, and the supply hole groove 6 are electrically connected, and there is no overetching. As a result, side etching is less likely to occur in the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6, and a fluid injection device in which the width of the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 is equal to the width of the pressure chamber 4 can be easily achieved. Can be provided. The same effect can be obtained by making the length of the supply hole groove 6 longer than the length of the injection hole groove 5. This is because by making the length of the supply hole groove 6 longer than the length of the injection hole groove 5, when the supply hole groove 6 penetrates, it becomes difficult for the etching gas that induces side etching to flow.

FIGS. 4A to 4F are cross-sectional views illustrating the steps of manufacturing a fluid ejecting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 (a) is the same as FIG.
As in (a), a masking material 11 is provided on the lower surface side of the silicon substrate 2 in FIG. 1, and the masking material 11 has an opening 12 for an injection port and an opening 13 for a supply port.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, after forming the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 by performing dry etching, the supply hole groove 6 can be easily removed. It is shielded by the sealing material 14.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, after the supply hole groove 6 is shielded by the sealing material 14, dry etching is performed, and the depth of the injection hole groove 5 is changed from the supply hole groove 6. After forming the sealing material 14 deeply and removing the sealing material 14, a film 17 made of a material different from silicon is further formed by sputtering or vacuum evaporation. After that, when the mask 11 is removed, a film made of a material different from silicon is formed only on the inner walls of the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6, as shown in FIG. Removed. At this time, the bonding surface is in a state where silicon is exposed, that is, a state where direct bonding can be performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4E, the surface on which the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 are formed is directly joined to the glass substrate 1, and further, the opposite side of the silicon substrate 2 is formed. A masking material 15 is provided on the surface. The masking material 15 has an opening 16 for a pressure chamber. When dry etching is performed in this state, the pressure chamber 4 is formed through the silicon substrate 2 and has a shape shown in FIG. With such a manufacturing method, in addition to the effect of making the depth of the supply hole groove 6 shallower and longer than the depth and length of the injection hole groove 5 described above, the injection hole When the pressure chamber 4 is formed by dry etching by forming a film on the inner wall of the groove 5 for supply and the groove 6 for supply hole with a material other than silicon, when the groove 5 for injection hole and the groove 6 for supply hole penetrate, The injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 can be protected from the flowing etching gas, and the side etch that is likely to occur at the portion can be suppressed, and the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 can be suppressed.
And the manufacturing method in which the width of the pressure chamber 4 can be made the same.

At this time, if the film formed on the inner wall is made of a material having a small friction coefficient, the friction coefficient between the fluid and the inner wall can be reduced, and the pressure loss of the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 can be reduced. The pressure change by the pressure body 7 can be transmitted to the injection port more accurately. Furthermore, when the material of the film formed on the inner wall is gold or a laminated film mainly composed of gold, for example, the glass substrate 1 can be easily bonded by direct bonding. This makes it possible to clean the silicon substrate 2 and the glass substrate 1 on which the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6 are formed with a cleaning solution of a strong acid, that is, a direct contact that requires super cleanliness of the surface. Even in a legal case, joining can be performed without any problem. In this way, a fluid ejection device having a stable shape can be easily realized.

In addition, the injection hole groove 5 and the supply hole groove 6
Before removing the masking material provided for performing the dry etching, a film made of a material different from silicon, for example, gold is formed, and thereafter, the masking material is removed, thereby forming the necessary injection hole groove 5. In addition, since a film can be formed only on the inner wall of the supply hole groove 6, and at the same time as the masking material is removed, the film on the bonding surface that hinders the direct bonding can be removed, thereby greatly simplifying the manufacturing process. be able to.

[0041]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the side etching which is likely to occur in the portion of the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole, and to achieve a stable shape, high density and high precision fluid injection. There is an effect that the device can be easily realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fluid ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the manufacturing method.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a fluid ejection device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional fluid ejection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Glass substrate 2 Silicon substrate 3 Fluid supply path 4 Pressure chamber 5 Injection hole groove 6 Supply hole groove 7 Pressurized body

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B05D 7/24 302 B41J 3/04 103H B41J 2/16 (72) Inventor Katsumasa Miki Okadoma, Kadoma, Osaka 1006 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2C057 AF21 AF93 AG12 AG31 AG44 AP02 AP26 AP32 AP52 AP54 BA03 BA14 4D075 BB66X BB85Z CA47 DA06 DA19 DA32 DB13 DB14 DC19 DC21 EC10 4F033 AA14 BA03 CA04 DA05 EA01 GA06 MA00

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A silicon substrate having an injection hole groove, a supply hole groove and a pressure chamber, and a substrate for sealing the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove from the outside on one side of the silicon substrate. A fluid ejecting apparatus in which a pressurizing member is in contact with a surface on the opposite side of the fluid ejecting device, wherein the width of the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole and the width of the pressure chamber at these connection portions. A fluid ejecting apparatus characterized by being the same. 2. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the ejection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate is different. 3. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a depth of the supply hole groove is smaller than a depth of the supply hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate. 4. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the length of the ejection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate are different. 5. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the supply hole groove is longer than the ejection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate. 6. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein a film made of a material different from silicon is formed on inner walls of the ejection hole groove and the supply hole groove formed in the silicon substrate. 7. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the material different from silicon is gold or a laminated film mainly composed of gold. 8. A groove for an injection hole and a groove for a supply hole are formed in a silicon substrate by dry etching, a glass substrate is brought into contact with a surface on which these are formed, and the surface on the opposite side is dry-etched. A method for manufacturing a fluid ejecting apparatus in which a pressure chamber is formed by penetrating a silicon substrate, wherein the ejection hole groove and the supply hole groove are formed on one surface of a silicon substrate by dry etching, and then the ejection hole groove is formed. And dry etching is further performed in a state where a sealant is attached to one of the supply hole grooves. 9. The dry etching is performed after the sealing material is attached to the supply hole groove side.
A manufacturing method of the fluid ejection device according to the above. 10. A sealant to be attached to one of a groove for an injection hole and a groove for a supply hole, wherein when the sealant is removed, dry etching of the groove for the injection hole and the groove for the supply hole is performed. 9. The method for manufacturing a fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a sealing material that can remove the masking material provided in the step (c) without disturbing the masking material is used. 11. A dry etching is performed with a sealing material attached to one of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove, and after removing the sealing material, the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are removed. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a film made of a material different from silicon is formed on the surface on which is formed. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein gold or a laminated film mainly composed of gold is formed as a material different from silicon. 13. The method according to claim 11, wherein a film made of a material different from silicon is formed by sputtering or vacuum evaporation. 14. After forming a film made of a material different from silicon on the surface side on which the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are formed,
The method of manufacturing a fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a film formed on portions other than the inner wall portions of the ejection hole groove and the supply hole groove is removed by etching. 15. After forming a groove for an injection hole and a groove for a supply hole by dry etching, a film made of a material different from silicon is formed without removing the masking material.
The method according to claim 11, wherein the masking material is removed thereafter. 16. After removing a masking material provided for performing dry etching of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove and a film formed other than the inner wall portions of the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove, 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the surface of the silicon substrate on which the injection hole groove and the supply hole groove are formed is directly bonded to a glass substrate.