JP2002283566A - Ink jet printer head and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet printer head which can be improved in the discharge efficiency and can be made compact and low-cost. SOLUTION: A pressure chamber 2 penetrating in a thickness direction of piezoelectric members 8 and 9 is formed to a head substrate 1 of a flat thin plate having the piezoelectric members 8 and 9 and a non piezoelectric member 10 joined in a plane direction. Since a length of the pressure chamber 2 is made equivalent to the thickness of the head substrate 1 of the flat thin plate, there is no side wall of the pressure chamber 2 which does not relate to discharging. A capacitance is hence a minimum and a movement of a side wall related to discharging is prevented from being restricted, and accordingly the discharge efficiency can be improved and miniaturization and cost reduction are enabled. Moreover, since the pressure chamber 2 has the short length, machining grooves is facilitated and machining costs can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printer head used for printers, copiers, faxes, and the like, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet printer heads using a shear mode (shear mode) of a piezoelectric material have been proposed, for example, in JP-A-63-247051 and JP-A-2-150355. Is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-101056.
As pointed out in the publication, most of them form fine grooves serving as pressure chambers on a substrate formed of a piezoelectric material with a diamond blade, and the piezoelectric material represented by PZT is a ferroelectric substance. There is also a problem that energy efficiency is poor because a portion not involved in ink ejection also has a large capacitance.

In order to solve such a problem, the proposal described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-101056 discloses a method in which a piezoelectric member (piezoelectric ceramic substrate) and a low dielectric member (alumina substrate) are arranged on a base member. In addition, the capacitance that is low by making the portion that does not contribute to the ejection of ink a low dielectric member.

Further, a proposal described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-342615 discloses a method of connecting and fixing a substrate on which a piezoelectric member is laminated in the thickness direction and a substrate on which a low dielectric member is laminated in the thickness direction. A groove serving as a pressure chamber is formed in the substrate, and a portion not involved in the ejection of ink is made of a low dielectric member to reduce the capacitance.

[0005]

However, in the configurations proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 7-101056 and 11-342615, the capacitance can be reduced.
Since the length of the groove serving as the pressure chamber is very long, there is a limit in reducing the capacitance. In addition, since there is a long groove that does not participate in ejection, the size of the ink-jet printer head increases accordingly. Further, since a long groove not involved in the ejection of the ink is processed, the wear of the blade increases, and the frequency of blade replacement increases, leading to an increase in cost.
Generally, the length of the groove involved in ejection is 0.5 to 10 mm
On the other hand, when this groove is processed with a diamond cutter, its diameter is about 50 to 100 mm.
It is about 10 to 10 mm, and the cost increase due to the increase in material and processing for this part cannot be ignored.

[0006] In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
The proposal described in JP-A-11-342615 is
As compared with the ink jet printer head disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-247051 and the like, the groove in the portion not involved in the ejection does not operate, so that the operation of the side wall in the groove in the portion involved in the ejection is suppressed, and the capacitance is reduced. Although it is smaller than increasing efficiency, it is undeniable that there are factors that reduce efficiency.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printer head comprising a flat thin plate-shaped head substrate in which two pre-polarized piezoelectric members and at least one non-piezoelectric member are joined in a plane direction. A number of pressure chambers formed so as to straddle the joining surface of the two piezoelectric members and penetrating in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric members, and both sides of the inner surface of the pressure chamber straddling at least the two piezoelectric members. A plurality of internal electrodes formed on a wall, a wiring electrode formed on a surface of the head substrate and electrically connected to the internal electrodes, and a plurality of ink discharge ports opposed to one end of the pressure chamber. An orifice plate laminated and fixed to the flat surface of the head substrate; and a cover having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber and joined to the back surface of the head substrate.

Therefore, since the length of the pressure chamber is equal to the thickness of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, there is no side wall of the pressure chamber which is not involved in the ejection. For this reason, the capacitance is minimal, and the movement of the side wall involved in the ejection is not suppressed, so that the ejection efficiency is remarkably improved, and the size and cost can be reduced. Further, since the length of the pressure chamber is short, the processing of the groove is facilitated and the processing cost can be reduced.
Further, since both side walls of the pressure chamber are formed by two piezoelectric members, and the internal electrodes are formed on both side walls of the piezoelectric member, the side walls can be largely deformed by a small applied voltage.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head, wherein one side opening of a depth extending from one piezoelectric member to the other piezoelectric member is provided on two piezoelectric members which are prepolarized and have the same polarity joined. Forming an internal electrode on both side walls of at least two piezoelectric members on the inner surface of the groove, and closing an open side of the groove. A block laminate forming step of forming a block laminate by joining a non-piezoelectric block material to one of the two piezoelectric members so as to form a pressure chamber whose periphery is closed, By slicing the block laminate in a direction orthogonal to the bonding surface of the piezoelectric member, a flat thin plate head substrate having a pressure chamber in which one side of the groove formed in the piezoelectric member is closed is formed. A chair step, a wiring electrode forming means for forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the internal electrode on the surface of the head substrate, and an orifice plate for discharging ink from the pressure chamber on one surface of the head substrate. An orifice plate joining step of laminating and fixing, and a cover joining step of joining the cover to the other surface of the head substrate having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the head substrate.

Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an ink jet printer head having a small capacitance, a remarkably good ejection efficiency, and a reduction in size and cost. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Further, since the internal electrodes are formed at once after the groove is formed, the load is not so large.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head, wherein one side opening of a depth extending from one piezoelectric member to the other piezoelectric member is formed on two piezoelectric members which are prepolarized and are joined to each other. A non-piezoelectric block on one of the two piezoelectric members so as to form a pressure chamber whose periphery is closed by closing one open side of the groove. Forming a block laminate by joining materials to form a block laminate, and forming the block laminate on the piezoelectric member by slicing the block laminate in a direction orthogonal to a joining surface of the two piezoelectric members. A slicing step of forming a flat thin plate head substrate having a pressure chamber in which one side of the groove is closed, and forming the internal electrode on an inner surface of the groove on a side wall extending over at least the two piezoelectric members. An internal electrode wiring electrode forming step of forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the internal electrode on a surface of a plate; and an orifice for laminating and fixing an orifice plate for discharging ink from the pressure chamber to one surface of the head substrate. A plate joining step, and a cover joining step of joining the cover to the other surface of the head substrate having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the head substrate.

Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an ink jet printer head which has a small capacitance, a remarkably good ejection efficiency, and can be reduced in size and cost. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Furthermore, after slicing the block laminate, the internal electrodes and the wiring electrodes can be formed at the same time, and the number of steps can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the second or third aspect, after the orifice plate is joined to the head substrate, an ink discharge port is formed in the orifice plate. did.

Therefore, by forming the ink discharge ports after the orifice plate is joined, clogging of the ink discharge ports due to the adhesive can be prevented. Further, since both ends of the pressure chamber are opened on both sides of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, it is easy to recognize the ink ejection port from the side opposite to the orifice plate, and the positional accuracy of the ink ejection port is improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet printer head comprising: one pre-polarized piezoelectric member;
A flat thin plate-shaped head substrate in which two non-piezoelectric members are joined in a plane direction, and the piezoelectric member and the non-piezoelectric member formed so as to straddle a joining surface between the piezoelectric member and one of the two non-piezoelectric members. Many pressure chambers penetrating in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric member,
A large number of internal electrodes formed on at least both side walls of the piezoelectric member on the inner surface of the pressure chamber, wiring electrodes formed on the surface of the head substrate and electrically connected to the internal electrodes, and one end of the pressure chamber An orifice plate having a large number of ink ejection ports opposed to each other and laminated and fixed on the flat surface of the head substrate, and an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chambers, and joined to the back surface of the head substrate And a cover.

Accordingly, since the length of the pressure chamber is equal to the thickness of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, there is no side wall of the pressure chamber which is not involved in the ejection. For this reason, the capacitance is minimal, and the movement of the side wall involved in the ejection is not suppressed, so that the ejection efficiency is remarkably improved, and the size and cost can be reduced. Further, since the length of the pressure chamber is short, the processing of the groove is facilitated and the processing cost can be reduced.
Further, the number of relatively expensive piezoelectric members can be reduced, which can further contribute to cost reduction.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head, wherein one side of a pre-polarized piezoelectric member and a non-piezoelectric member bonded to the piezoelectric member have a one-sided opening having a depth extending over a bonding surface of the two members. A groove forming step of forming a large number of grooves, an internal electrode forming step of forming internal electrodes on at least both side walls of the piezoelectric member on the inner surface of the groove, and a periphery closed by closing one open side of the groove. Forming a block laminate by joining a non-piezoelectric block material to one of the piezoelectric member or the non-piezoelectric member so as to form a compressed pressure chamber; and forming the piezoelectric member and the non-piezoelectric member. By slicing the block laminated body in a direction orthogonal to a joining surface with a member, a flat thin plate head substrate having a pressure chamber in which one side of the groove formed in the piezoelectric member is closed is formed. A slicing step, a wiring electrode forming step of forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the internal electrode on the surface of the head substrate, and an orifice plate for discharging ink from the pressure chamber on one surface of the head substrate. Orifice plate joining process for laminating and fixing
A cover joining step of having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chambers of the head substrate and joining a cover to the other surface of the head substrate.

Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an ink jet printer head having a small capacitance, a remarkably excellent discharge efficiency, and a reduction in size and cost. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Further, since the internal electrodes are formed at once after the groove is formed, the load is not so large.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head, wherein one side of a piezoelectric member which is pre-polarized and a non-piezoelectric member which is bonded to the piezoelectric member have a one-sided opening having a depth across a bonding surface of the two members. A groove forming step of forming a large number of grooves, and a non-piezoelectric member formed on one of the piezoelectric member or the non-piezoelectric member so as to form a pressure chamber whose periphery is closed by closing an open side of the groove; A block laminate forming step of joining block materials to form a block laminate, and slicing the block laminate in a direction orthogonal to a joining surface between the piezoelectric member and the non-piezoelectric member, thereby forming the piezoelectric member. A slicing step of forming a flat thin plate head substrate having a pressure chamber in which one side of the groove is closed, and forming internal electrodes on at least both side walls of the piezoelectric member on the inner surface of the groove. An internal electrode wiring electrode forming step of forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the internal electrode on the surface of the head substrate, and laminating and fixing an orifice plate for discharging ink from the pressure chamber to one surface of the head substrate An orifice plate joining step, and a cover joining step having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the head substrate and joining a cover to the other surface of the head substrate.

Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an ink jet printer head having a small capacitance, a remarkably excellent discharge efficiency, and a reduction in size and cost. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Furthermore, after slicing the block laminate, the internal electrodes and the wiring electrodes can be formed at the same time, and the number of steps can be reduced.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the sixth or seventh aspect, after the orifice plate is joined to the head substrate, an ink discharge port is formed in the orifice plate. did.

Therefore, by forming the ink discharge ports after the orifice plate is joined, clogging of the ink discharge ports due to the adhesive can be prevented. Further, since both ends of the pressure chamber are opened on both sides of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, it is easy to recognize the ink ejection port from the side opposite to the orifice plate, and the positional accuracy of the ink ejection port is improved.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printer head, wherein at least one pre-polarized piezoelectric member is provided.
A flat thin plate-shaped head substrate in which two non-piezoelectric members are joined in a plane direction, a large number of pressure chambers penetrating the piezoelectric member in a thickness direction thereof, and a depth approximately half of both inner side walls of the pressure chambers A large number of internal electrodes formed in the region, a wiring electrode formed on the surface of the head substrate and electrically connected to the internal electrodes, and a large number of ink ejection ports facing one end of the pressure chamber. An orifice plate laminated and fixed to the flat surface of the head substrate, and a cover having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber and joined to the back surface of the head substrate.

Therefore, since the length of the pressure chamber is equal to the thickness of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, there is no side wall of the pressure chamber which is not involved in the ejection. For this reason, the capacitance is minimal, and the movement of the side wall involved in the ejection is not suppressed, so that the ejection efficiency is remarkably improved, and the size and cost can be reduced. Further, since the length of the pressure chamber is short, the processing of the groove is facilitated and the processing cost can be reduced.
Further, the number of components on the head substrate can be reduced. Further, the number of relatively expensive piezoelectric members can be reduced, which can further contribute to cost reduction.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head, wherein a plurality of grooves having one side opening are formed on the surface of one pre-polarized piezoelectric member, and substantially half of both side walls of the groove. An internal electrode forming step of forming an internal electrode in a region having a depth of, and a non-piezoelectric block in the piezoelectric member so as to form a pressure chamber whose periphery is closed by closing one open side of the groove. Forming a block laminate by joining materials to form a block laminate, and forming the block laminate on the piezoelectric member by slicing the block laminate in a direction orthogonal to a joining surface between the piezoelectric member and the block material. A slicing step of forming a flat thin plate head substrate having a pressure chamber in which one side of the groove is closed, and forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the internal electrode on the surface of the head substrate A wiring electrode forming step, an orifice plate joining step of laminating and fixing an orifice plate for discharging ink from the pressure chamber to one surface of the head substrate, and an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the head substrate. And a cover joining step of joining a cover to the other surface of the head substrate.

Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an ink jet printer head having a small capacitance, a remarkably good discharge efficiency, and a reduction in size and cost. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Further, since the internal electrodes are formed at once after the groove is formed, the load is not so large.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the tenth aspect,
After joining the orifice plate to the head substrate, an ink discharge port is formed in the orifice plate.

Therefore, by forming the ink discharge ports after the orifice plate is joined, clogging of the ink discharge ports due to the adhesive can be prevented. Further, since both ends of the pressure chamber are opened on both sides of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, it is easy to recognize the ink ejection port from the side opposite to the orifice plate, and the positional accuracy of the ink ejection port is improved.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the configuration of the inkjet printer head H will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of the inkjet printer head H, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inkjet printer head H.

The ink jet printer head H has a flat thin plate-shaped head substrate 1 and a large number of ink discharge ports 3 opposed to one end of a pressure chamber 2 formed in the head substrate 1. It has an orifice plate 4 laminated and fixed on the front surface, and a cover 6 having an ink supply unit 5 for supplying ink to the pressure chamber 2 and joined to the back surface of the head substrate 1. The cover 6 is formed in a flat container shape, and a common ink chamber 7 communicated with each pressure chamber 2 is formed therein. The head substrate 1 is formed by joining two pre-polarized piezoelectric members 8 and 9 and one non-piezoelectric member 10 in a plane direction. The pressure chamber 2 is formed so as to straddle the joining surface of the two piezoelectric members 8 and 9 and penetrates the piezoelectric members 8 and 9 in the thickness direction.

The piezoelectric members 8, 9 are formed using a piezoelectric material such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate). The non-piezoelectric member 10 is formed of a material that does not need piezoelectricity. The piezoelectric members 8 and 9 are joined so that the vertical polarization directions are opposite to each other. When a voltage is applied to an internal electrode, which will be described later, the side wall of the pressure chamber 2 is deformed into a V-shape. 3 ejects ink.

The detailed configuration of the ink jet printer head H will be described in the order of the manufacturing process with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the flat plate-like piezoelectric members 80 and 90 are joined so that the polarization directions are opposite (in other words, the same poles overlap). Joining is performed with an adhesive.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a large number of grooves 11 each having an opening on one side having a depth from the surface of one piezoelectric member 90 to the other piezoelectric member 80 are formed in parallel (groove forming step). These grooves 11 are ground in parallel by a diamond wheel or the like of a dicing saw used for cutting an IC wafer. Side walls 12 are formed on both sides of these grooves 11. The size of the groove 11 varies depending on the specifications of the inkjet printer head H and the like.
１1 mm and a width of about 20-200 μm. The thickness of the piezoelectric member 90 is approximately half the depth of the groove 11, but a thicker member may be used to determine the thickness by polishing or the like later. The thickness of the piezoelectric member 80 is designed in consideration of the joining of the cover 6 and the like.

Next, a metal film to be the internal electrode 13 is formed on the inner surface of the groove 11 (internal electrode forming step). In this example, a nickel film is formed by an electroless nickel plating method, and then a gold film is formed by an electrolytic gold plating method. Since the metal film on the side wall 12 is unnecessary, it may be masked and plated in advance, or may be cut off by polishing after plating. Also,
Instead of the plating method, the internal electrodes may be formed by a known technique such as a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method. However, in this case, the groove 1
Since it is necessary to form an electrode film near the bottom of
It is necessary to select an appropriate method in accordance with the depth and width of 1. In addition, since the piezoelectric materials 80 and 90 are degraded by heat, the temperature applied during film formation is limited according to the material used.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, a non-piezoelectric block material 100 is bonded to the groove 11 so as to cover the groove 11 to form a block laminate 14 (block laminate forming step). The material of the block material 100 may be selected in consideration of slicing described later and formation of wiring electrodes. Here, a free-cutting ceramic was used. When emphasis is placed on slicing, it is effective to use a piezoelectric member, but there is no need for polarization.

Next, the block laminate 14 is sliced along the dotted line shown in FIG. 6 (slicing step). This slicing is performed by a known technique such as a diamond cutter, a band saw, and a wire saw. By this slicing, a plurality of head substrates 1 are formed from the block laminate 14.

FIG. 7 shows one sliced head substrate 1.
It is shown. The piezoelectric members 8 and 9 of the head substrate 1
6 is a thin chip obtained by slicing the piezoelectric members 80 and 90 shown in FIG. 6, and the non-piezoelectric member 10 is a thin chip obtained by slicing the block material 100 shown in FIG. It is formed. In this state, the U-shaped groove 11 whose one side is open becomes the pressure chamber 2 whose periphery is closed. The pressure chamber 2 penetrates in the thickness direction of the head substrate 1. The thickness of the head substrate 1, that is, the length of the pressure chamber 2, is a thickness for slicing the block laminate 14, and in this example, 0.5 to
It is about 30 mm. On the inner surface of the pressure chamber 2, internal electrodes 13 are formed on both side walls 12 over which the two piezoelectric members 8, 9 straddle. In addition, since the orifice plate 4 and the cover 6 are adhered to the slice surface, the slice may be sliced to be thick, and the thickness may be obtained by polishing or lapping to serve as a surface finish.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, a large number of wiring electrodes 15 are formed on one surface of the head substrate 1 (wiring electrode forming step). Since the wiring electrode 15 needs to be electrically connected to the internal electrode 13 described above, a method of forming a metal film that goes around the pressure chamber 2 is preferable. Here, an aluminum film is formed by a sputtering method.
As in the case of the internal electrode 13, masking is performed in advance,
Patterning is performed by a well-known method such as masking a necessary portion after film formation and removing by etching.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the orifice plate 4 in which the ink discharge ports 3 are formed in advance is connected to the wiring electrode 1.
5 is bonded to the surface of the head substrate 1 where the head 5 is not formed (orifice bonding step). At this time, the ink ejection port 3 and the pressure chamber 2 are aligned and bonded so as to be aligned. The orifice plate 4 may be a well-known one. For example, a metal plate formed by an electroforming method, a metal plate having the ink discharge ports 3 formed by a pressing method, a resin plate having the ink discharge ports 3 formed by laser processing, or the like is used. it can.

Further, in order to prevent the ink discharge ports 3 from being blocked by the adhesive during bonding, the orifice plate 4 before forming the ink discharge ports 3 is bonded to the head substrate 1 and then subjected to laser processing. The ink ejection port 3 may be formed. In this case, since both ends of the pressure chamber 2 are opened on both sides of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate 1, the orifice plate 4
The ink ejection port 3 can be easily recognized from the opposite side,
The position accuracy of the ink ejection port 3 is improved.

The orifice plate 4 may be adhered to the surface on which the wiring electrodes 15 are formed, depending on the method of connecting the wiring electrodes 15 to external drive voltage generating means.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the cover 6 having the ink supply section 5 and the common ink chamber 7 is attached to the head substrate 1.
Is bonded to the surface opposite to the orifice plate 4 (cover bonding step). At this time, the common ink chamber 7 and the pressure chamber 2 are aligned and bonded so as to be aligned. Cover 6
May be formed by a well-known method such as resin molding, metal molding, metal cutting, or the like, but it is considered that the material is resistant to the ink used. When heat is required for bonding, the coefficient of thermal expansion may be considered in order to prevent warpage, depending on the dimensions and shape of the cover 6. Note that a connection pipe 16 (see FIG. 2) for receiving ink from an ink tank (not shown) may be connected to the ink supply unit 5 of the cover 6.

In this configuration, when a voltage is applied to the desired internal electrode 13 of the pressure chamber 2 through the wiring electrode 15, the ink in the pressure chamber 2 is discharged by the deformation operation of the side walls 12 of the pressure chamber 2. Discharge from outlet 3. At this time, since the length of the pressure chamber 2 is equal to the thickness of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate 1, the side wall 1 of the pressure chamber 2 which is not involved in the ejection is formed.
2 does not exist. For this reason, the capacitance is minimal,
Since the movement of the side wall 12 involved in the ejection is not suppressed,
Discharge efficiency is remarkably good, and downsizing and cost reduction are possible. Further, since the length of the pressure chamber 2 is short, machining of the groove 11 in the groove forming step shown in FIG. 4 is facilitated, and wear of a cutting tool for the groove 11 can be reduced, so that machining cost can be reduced. Can be.

In the above-described manufacturing method, the internal electrodes 13 were formed immediately after the groove forming step.
When the head substrate 1 is prepared by slicing the substrate 4, the internal electrodes 13 may be formed. This method is effective when the thickness of the head substrate 1 is small, that is, when the length of the pressure chamber 2 is short.

Next, although not shown, a modified example will be described. In the above embodiment, the two piezoelectric members 8 and 9 are joined, but this example is an example in which a non-piezoelectric member is used in place of one of the two piezoelectric members 8 and 9. In this case, the head substrate 1 and the inkjet printer head H
The overall configuration and manufacturing method are exactly the same as in the above embodiment. The difference is that half of the total height of the side wall 12 of the pressure chamber 2, that is, the side wall 12 of the region formed by the piezoelectric member is driven by applying a voltage, and the other half is deformed by being dragged by its movement, The operation is almost the same as that of the above-described embodiment. However, since the deformation is small, the applied voltage is higher than in the above-described embodiment. However, since only one relatively expensive piezoelectric material is used, cost reduction can be expected.

Next, another modified example will be described. This example corresponds to the two piezoelectric members 8 and 9 in the above embodiment.
The pressure chamber 2 is formed by using one of the
The internal electrode 1 is provided in a region having a height approximately half the total height of the side wall 12 of
3 is formed. In this case, as in the previous modification, half of the side wall 12 of the pressure chamber 2 is driven by voltage application, and the other half is deformed by being dragged by the movement, and performs almost the same movement as in the above-described embodiment. . Also, the applied voltage is similarly high. Since only one relatively expensive piezoelectric material is used and the number of components constituting the head substrate can be reduced, further cost reduction can be expected. In this case, after the groove processing step before the slicing step, a metal film may be formed by a vapor deposition method from a direction inclined with respect to a straight line orthogonal to the surface of the piezoelectric member (internal electrode wiring electrode forming step).

By changing the combination of the materials constituting the head substrate, including the above-described modifications, it is possible to cope with various forms of the conventionally known share mode head.

[0049]

According to the ink jet printer head of the first aspect, since the length of the pressure chamber is equal to the thickness of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, there is no side wall of the pressure chamber which is not involved in the ejection. For this reason, the capacitance is the minimum, and the movement of the side wall related to the ejection is not suppressed.
Discharge efficiency is remarkably good, and downsizing and cost reduction are possible. Further, since the length of the pressure chamber is short, the processing of the groove is facilitated and the processing cost can be reduced. Further, both side walls of the pressure chamber are formed by two piezoelectric members,
Since the internal electrodes are formed on both side walls of the piezoelectric member, the side walls can be largely deformed by a small applied voltage.

According to the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the second aspect of the present invention, the electrostatic capacity is small, the discharge efficiency is extremely good, and the size and cost can be reduced. can do. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Further, since the internal electrodes are formed at once after the groove is formed, the load is not so large.

According to the method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the third aspect, the ink jet printer head according to the first aspect has a small capacitance, a remarkably good ejection efficiency, and can be reduced in size and cost. can do. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Furthermore, after slicing the block laminate, the internal electrodes and the wiring electrodes can be formed at the same time, and the number of steps can be reduced.

According to the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the fourth aspect, when manufacturing the ink jet printer head according to the first aspect, the ink discharge port is formed after the orifice plate is joined, thereby discharging the ink by the adhesive. Clogging in the mouth can be prevented. Also,
Since both ends of the pressure chamber are opened on both sides of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, recognition of the ink discharge port from the side opposite to the orifice plate can be easily performed, and the positional accuracy of the ink discharge port is improved.

According to the ink jet printer head of the fifth aspect, since the length of the pressure chamber is equal to the thickness of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, there is no side wall of the pressure chamber which is not involved in the ejection. For this reason, the capacitance is minimal,
Since the movement of the side wall involved in the discharge is not suppressed, the discharge efficiency is remarkably improved, and the size and cost can be reduced. Further, since the length of the pressure chamber is short, the processing of the groove is facilitated and the processing cost can be reduced. Further, the number of relatively expensive piezoelectric members can be reduced, which can further contribute to cost reduction.

According to the method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the sixth aspect, the ink jet printer head according to the fifth aspect is manufactured, wherein the capacitance is small, the discharge efficiency is extremely good, and the size and cost can be reduced. can do. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stack manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Further, since the internal electrodes are formed at once after the groove is formed, the load is not so large.

According to the method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the seventh aspect, the ink jet printer head according to the fifth aspect is manufactured, which has a small capacitance, a remarkably good ejection efficiency, and can be reduced in size and cost. can do. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Furthermore, after slicing the block laminate, the internal electrodes and the wiring electrodes can be formed at the same time, and the number of steps can be reduced.

According to the method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the eighth aspect, when manufacturing the ink jet printer head according to the fifth aspect, the ink discharge port is formed after the orifice plate is joined, so that the ink discharge by the adhesive is performed. Clogging in the mouth can be prevented. Also,
Since both ends of the pressure chamber are opened on both sides of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, recognition of the ink discharge port from the side opposite to the orifice plate can be easily performed, and the positional accuracy of the ink discharge port is improved.

According to the ink jet printer head of the ninth aspect, since the length of the pressure chamber is equal to the thickness of the flat thin head substrate, there is no side wall of the pressure chamber which is not involved in the ejection. For this reason, the capacitance is minimal,
Since the movement of the side wall involved in the discharge is not suppressed, the discharge efficiency is remarkably improved, and the size and cost can be reduced. Further, since the length of the pressure chamber is short, the processing of the groove is facilitated and the processing cost can be reduced. Further, the number of components on the head substrate can be reduced. Further, the number of relatively expensive piezoelectric members can be reduced, which can further contribute to cost reduction.

According to the method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the tenth aspect, the capacitance is small, the ejection efficiency is remarkably good, and the size and cost can be reduced.
The described inkjet printer head can be manufactured. In addition, since a large number of head substrates can be manufactured at a time by slicing the block stacked body manufactured by bonding, excellent mass productivity is achieved. Further, since the internal electrodes are formed at once after the groove is formed, the load is not so large.

According to the method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the eleventh aspect, when manufacturing the ink jet printer head according to the ninth aspect, the ink discharge port is formed after the orifice plate is joined, whereby the ink is discharged by the adhesive. Clogging in the mouth can be prevented. Further, since both ends of the pressure chamber are opened on both sides of the flat thin plate-shaped head substrate, it is easy to recognize the ink ejection port from the side opposite to the orifice plate, and the positional accuracy of the ink ejection port is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of an ink jet printer head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer head.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a process of manufacturing the ink jet printer head and showing a state where piezoelectric members constituting a head substrate are joined.

4A and 4B show a manufacturing process of the ink jet printer head, wherein FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a state of a groove forming step and an inner surface electrode forming step, and FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged front view showing a state of the groove forming step. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of the ink jet printer head and showing a state of a block laminate forming step.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of the inkjet printer head and showing a state of a slicing step.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of the ink jet printer head and showing a state of a wiring electrode forming step.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a process of manufacturing the ink jet printer head and showing a state of an orifice plate joining step.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of the ink jet printer head and showing a state of a cover joining step.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head board 2 Pressure chamber 3 Ink ejection opening 4 Orifice plate 5 Ink supply part 6 Cover 8, 9 Piezoelectric member 10 Non-piezoelectric member 11 Groove 12 Side wall 13 Internal electrode 14 Block laminated body 15 Wiring electrode 80, 90 Piezoelectric member 100 Block material

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shun Sugiyama 6-78, Minamicho, Mishima-shi, Shizuoka Toshiba Tec Corporation Inside the Mishima Plant (72) Inventor Isao Suzuki 6-78, Minami-cho, Mishima-shi, Shizuoka Toshiba Tec F-term (reference) at Mishima Plant of Shikisha 2C057 AF54 AF93 AG12 AG32 AG39 AG45 AG93 AP22 AP23 AP25 AP38 AP52 AP55 AQ10 BA03 BA14

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A flat thin plate-shaped head substrate in which two pre-polarized piezoelectric members and at least one non-piezoelectric member are joined in a plane direction, and so as to straddle a joining surface of the two piezoelectric members. A large number of pressure chambers formed and penetrating in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric members; a large number of internal electrodes formed on both sides of at least the two piezoelectric members on the inner surface of the pressure chamber; A wiring electrode formed on the surface of the head substrate and electrically connected to the internal electrode; and an orifice plate laminated and fixed to the flat surface of the head substrate having a number of ink ejection ports facing one end of the pressure chamber. And a cover having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber and joined to a back surface of the head substrate. 2. A pre-polarized two-pole homojunction
A groove forming step of forming a large number of grooves each having an opening on one side having a depth reaching one piezoelectric member from the other piezoelectric member, and both side walls straddling at least the two piezoelectric members on the inner surface of the groove; An internal electrode forming step of forming an internal electrode in a non-piezoelectric block on one of the two piezoelectric members so as to form a pressure chamber whose periphery is closed by closing one open side of the groove. A step of forming a block laminate by joining materials, and forming the block laminate on the piezoelectric member by slicing the block laminate in a direction orthogonal to a joining surface of the two piezoelectric members. A slicing step of forming a flat thin plate head substrate having a pressure chamber in which one side of the groove is closed, and a wiring electrode forming means for forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the internal electrode on a surface of the head substrate An orifice plate joining step of laminating and fixing an orifice plate for discharging ink from the pressure chamber to one surface of the head substrate; and an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the head substrate. A cover joining step of joining a cover to the other surface of the substrate, and a method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head. 3. A pre-polarized two-pole homojunction
A groove forming step of forming a large number of grooves having one side opening with a depth reaching one piezoelectric member from the one piezoelectric member to the other piezoelectric member, and closing the open side of the groove to close the periphery. Forming a block laminate by joining a non-piezoelectric block material to one of the two piezoelectric members so as to form a pressure chamber, and forming a block laminate on the joining surface of the two piezoelectric members. A slicing step of slicing the block laminated body in a direction perpendicular to the slicing step to form a flat thin plate head substrate having a pressure chamber closing one side of the groove formed in the piezoelectric member; and at least an inner surface of the groove. Forming an internal electrode on a side wall extending over the two piezoelectric members, and forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the internal electrode on a surface of the head substrate; Orifice plate joining step of laminating and fixing an orifice plate for discharging ink from one surface of the head substrate, and an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the head substrate, and the other surface of the head substrate And a cover joining step of joining the cover to the ink jet printer head. 4. The method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 2, wherein after the orifice plate is bonded to the head substrate, an ink discharge port is formed in the orifice plate. 5. A flat thin plate-shaped head substrate in which one pre-polarized piezoelectric member and at least two non-piezoelectric members are joined in a plane direction, and one of the piezoelectric member and the two non-piezoelectric members A large number of pressure chambers formed so as to straddle the joining surface with the piezoelectric member and the non-piezoelectric member in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric member, and a plurality of pressure chambers formed on at least both side walls of the piezoelectric member on the inner surface of the pressure chamber. An internal electrode, a wiring electrode formed on the surface of the head substrate and electrically connected to the internal electrode, and a flat surface of the head substrate having a number of ink ejection ports facing one end of the pressure chamber. An ink jet printer head comprising: an orifice plate laminated and fixed on the front surface; and a cover having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber and joined to the back surface of the head substrate. 6. A groove forming step of forming a large number of grooves each having an opening on one side and having a depth extending over a joint surface between the piezoelectric member and a non-piezoelectric member bonded to the piezoelectric member. An internal electrode forming step of forming internal electrodes on at least both side walls of the piezoelectric member on the inner surface of the groove; and forming the pressure chamber having a closed periphery by closing an open side of the groove. A block laminate forming step of joining a non-piezoelectric block material to one of the member or the non-piezoelectric member to form a block laminate; and a direction orthogonal to a joining surface between the piezoelectric member and the non-piezoelectric member. Slicing the block laminate to form a flat thin plate head substrate having a pressure chamber in which one side of the groove formed in the piezoelectric member is closed; and slicing the internal electrode on the surface of the head substrate. A wiring electrode forming step of forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the orifice plate; an orifice plate joining step of laminating and fixing an orifice plate for discharging ink from the pressure chamber to one surface of the head substrate; A method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head, comprising: a cover joining step having an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber and joining a cover to the other surface of the head substrate. 7. A groove forming step of forming a large number of grooves each having an opening on one side and having a depth extending over a joint surface between the piezoelectric member and a non-piezoelectric member joined to the piezoelectric member. A block laminate is formed by joining a non-piezoelectric block material to one of the piezoelectric member or the non-piezoelectric member so as to form a pressure chamber whose periphery is closed by closing one open side of the groove. A block laminated body forming step, and a pressure at which one side of the groove formed in the piezoelectric member is closed by slicing the block laminated body in a direction orthogonal to a bonding surface between the piezoelectric member and the non-piezoelectric member. A slicing step of forming a flat thin plate head substrate having a chamber; and forming internal electrodes on at least both side walls of the piezoelectric member on the inner surface of the groove, and electrically connecting the internal electrodes to the surface of the head substrate. An internal electrode wiring electrode forming step of forming a wiring electrode; an orifice plate joining step of laminating and fixing an orifice plate for discharging ink from the pressure chamber to one surface of the head substrate; and an ink in the pressure chamber of the head substrate. And a cover joining step of joining the cover to the other surface of the head substrate having an ink supply unit for supplying ink. 8. The method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 6, wherein an ink discharge port is formed in the orifice plate after the orifice plate is bonded to the head substrate. 9. A flat thin plate-shaped head substrate in which one pre-polarized piezoelectric member and at least one non-piezoelectric member are joined in a plane direction, and a plurality of piezoelectric members penetrating through the piezoelectric member in the plate thickness direction. A pressure chamber, a number of internal electrodes formed in a region having a depth of about half of both side walls on the inner surface of the pressure chamber, and a wiring electrode formed on the surface of the head substrate and electrically connected to the internal electrode. An orifice plate having a large number of ink ejection ports facing one end of the pressure chamber and stacked and fixed on a flat surface of the head substrate; and an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber. An ink jet printer head comprising: a cover joined to a back surface of the substrate. 10. A groove forming step of forming a large number of grooves each having an opening on one side on a surface of one pre-polarized piezoelectric member, and forming an internal electrode in a region approximately half the depth of both side walls of the groove. Forming an internal electrode forming step, and joining a non-piezoelectric block material to the piezoelectric member so as to form a pressure chamber having a closed periphery by closing one open side of the groove. A block laminated body forming step, by slicing the block laminated body in a direction orthogonal to a bonding surface between the piezoelectric member and the block material, forming a pressure chamber in which one side of the groove formed in the piezoelectric member is closed. A slicing step of forming a flat thin-plate head substrate, a wiring electrode forming step of forming a wiring electrode electrically connected to the internal electrode on the surface of the head substrate, and discharging ink from the pressure chamber. An orifice plate joining step of laminating and fixing an orifice plate to one surface of the head substrate, and an ink supply unit for supplying ink to the pressure chamber of the head substrate, and joining a cover to the other surface of the head substrate. Cover joining step, and a method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head. 11. The method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 10, wherein after the orifice plate is joined to the head substrate, an ink discharge port is formed in the orifice plate.