JP2003094668A - Manufacturing method for inkjet head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for an inkjet head, which allows an edge shooter type inkjet head to be compactly formed in a highly dense state at a low cost, suppresses a chipping phenomenon in dicing, and enables the formation of a high-quality nozzle opening and the efficient dicing. SOLUTION: This inkjet head 1, which is composed of a material in which first, second and third substrates 2, 3 and 4 are stuck together for lamination, applies a pressing force to a liquid chamber for storing ink, so as to jet out the ink from the nozzle opening; and by virtue of working using a dicing blade 15, the nozzle opening undergoes highly efficient and high-quality polishing in a state in which chipping is suppressed. Additionally, the dicing blade 15 becomes positively charged; an abrasive is used as a cutting fluid, so that fine particles of the abrasive can adhere positively to the dicing blade 15; and the highly efficient dicing, in which the chipping phenomenon is suppressed, can be carried out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an edge shooter type ink jet head, and particularly, at low cost, the chipping phenomenon is suppressed during dicing,
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an inkjet head that can improve the life of a dicing blade.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet heads include a side shooter type and an edge shooter type, but the edge shooter type has a smaller size, higher density, and lower cost than the side shooter type. It has advantages and is widely adopted. Examples of this known technique include JP-A-60-196355, JP-A-7-68760, and JP-A-2-67140.

In the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 60-196355, an uneven groove is formed on a substrate having a heating element, and a top plate is bonded to the groove to divide the head into individual pieces. A nozzle opening (orifice) is formed by cutting the groove portion by dicing, and this cutting is performed in two steps. Also,
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-68760 discloses a "thermal ink jet head", a heating element substrate having a heat storage layer, a heating layer, electrodes for energizing the heating layer and a protective layer on a single crystal substrate, and the single crystal. And a flow path substrate forming a flow path groove by anisotropic etching on a single crystal substrate cut out in the same crystal orientation plane as the substrate, and aligning the crystal directions of the heating element substrate and the flow path substrate. The heat generation surface and the groove surface are laminated so as to face each other, and this laminate is cut (diced) in a direction substantially perpendicular to the flow channel groove to form an ink flow channel opening (nozzle port).

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention
The methods for manufacturing an inkjet head disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6355 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-68760 each have their own characteristics, and forming a nozzle opening by dicing has an advantage in cutting brittle materials at low cost. However, there is a problem that chipping occurs on the nozzle surface. If chipping is left on the nozzle surface, ink ejection properties, ink misfire, bending, particle size variation, etc. occur. Therefore, a countermeasure for handling chipping is required, which complicates the process and increases the cost. Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-68760, an orifice substrate is adhered to the tip of the nozzle to deal with the problem, but this method requires man-hours and material costs, and is not a good solution.

On the other hand, the "Liquid jet recording head" of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-67140 discloses a tool for forming an opening, which is a nozzle opening, such as cutting, lapping, polishing, etc. It is characterized in that it is carried out without relying on a mechanical removal means using, and by this, the chipping process is carried out, but this method requires a special manufacturing technique and is difficult and costly. There is.

The present invention has been invented in view of the above circumstances, and provides a method of manufacturing an ink jet head which is inexpensive, has a good working efficiency, can suppress the chipping phenomenon during dicing, and can extend the life of the dicing blade. The purpose is to

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 1, which is a method for manufacturing an edge shooter type ink jet head. The head includes a first substrate that is a nozzle substrate, a second substrate that forms a nozzle opening between the first substrate and a liquid chamber that communicates with the nozzle opening, and the second substrate. And a third substrate having an energy generator for applying energy to the ink are stuck and stacked. The nozzle port of the inkjet head is formed by dicing the head end with a dicing blade. However, it is characterized in that a liquid cutting agent is used during dicing. By using a special liquid cutting agent at the time of dicing, it is possible to provide an ink jet head in which the chipping phenomenon is suppressed at low cost.

Further, the method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the dicing blade is a diamond dicing blade. By adopting the dicing blade containing diamond as the dicing blade, the dicing efficiency is increased, the working efficiency is improved, and the occurrence of the chipping phenomenon is suppressed.

The method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the cutting agent is pure water or alkaline water mixed with an abrasive. By using pure water or alkaline water mixed with an abrasive as the cutting agent, the cutting surface (the surface of the nozzle opening) is polished at the same time during the dancing, and the chipping phenomenon seen in the brittle material is suppressed.

Further, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claims 4 to 8 of the present invention, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, chromium oxide and iron oxide are used as the polishing agent, respectively. And When these oxides are mixed in alkaline water for dicing, for example, oxide-based fine particles are bonded to hydroxyl groups and are negatively charged and adhere to the dicing blade side to accelerate dicing, resulting in chipping phenomenon. And the dicing efficiency can be improved.

The method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the dicing blade is used as an anode and the blade protection cover is used as a cathode, and dicing is performed while applying a voltage therebetween. .
By using the dicing blade as an anode, the negatively charged oxide-based fine particles of the abrasive adhere firmly to the blade side, and with a proper weight, they peel off from the blade and exert a damper effect, making the chipping phenomenon more efficient. It can be well suppressed. In addition, the blade life can be improved.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of an ink jet head manufacturing method of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the structure (configuration) of the inkjet head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the inkjet head 1 includes a first substrate 2 serving as a nozzle substrate disposed at the uppermost portion, a second substrate 3 disposed at an intermediate portion, and a third substrate disposed at the lowermost portion. The substrate 4 and the substrate 4 are stuck and stacked. These all consist of silicon substrates.

The first substrate 2 has a substantially flat shape. A groove 5 and liquid chambers 6 and 7 are provided in the second substrate 3. A vibrating plate 8 is formed on the bottoms of the liquid chambers 6 and 7. The liquid chambers 6 and 7 communicate with the groove 5 side. The third substrate 4 has an oxide film formed on the surface thereof and has a groove 9 having a concave shape, and an electrode material 10 is patterned on the bottom of the groove 9. The upper surface of the electrode material 10 is located slightly lower than the surface of the groove 9, and a gap 11 is formed between the diaphragm 8 of the second substrate 3 and the upper surface of the electrode material 10. After the above three first to third substrates 2, 3 and 4 are stuck and stacked, the end face is diced by a diamond dicing blade described later to form a nozzle port. Ink droplets 12 are ejected from this nozzle opening.

Next, the detailed structure of the ink jet head 1A of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The first substrate 2A is made of a substantially flat silicon substrate having a thickness of 200 μm as shown in the figure. Further, a gripping hole 13 is formed in a part thereof.

The second substrate 3A is a silicon substrate having a plane orientation (110), and is bonded to the third substrate 4A described later by direct bonding or the like. A groove 5A, an ink liquid chamber 6A, a liquid chamber 7A (common liquid chamber), a vibrating plate 8A, and the like are formed on the second substrate 3A. As this formation means, KOH
Etching with a strong alkaline solution such as is adopted, and the etching rate of the (111) plane of silicon is slower than other plane orientations, and the grooves 5A and liquid chambers 6A, 7A are formed in that direction by etching. Then, a fine pattern is formed. The diaphragm 8A is obtained by forming a layer in which impurities are diffused at a high concentration on the bottom surface side of the second substrate 3A and stopping the etching. Further, the groove 5A serves as a nozzle port and is formed by etching. The size of the groove 5A is 10 μm in width and 10 μm in depth.

The third substrate 4A is made of a silicon substrate,
A 2 μm oxide film 14 is formed on the surface. After that, a concave groove 9A is formed in the oxide film 14. The electrode material 10A is patterned on the bottom of the formed groove 9A. The upper surface of the electrode material 10A is formed at a position slightly lower than the surface of the groove 9A. Therefore, as described above, the second substrate 3A
When the third substrate 4A is attached, a cap is formed between the diaphragm 8A of the second substrate 3A and the upper surface of the electrode material 10A of the third substrate 4A.

The above three first to third substrates 2A, 3
The inkjet head 1A is formed by sticking and stacking A and 4A, and a nozzle port is formed at the position of the groove 5A between the first substrate 2A and the second substrate 3A.

As shown in FIG. 1, this nozzle port is formed by dicing with a dicing blade 15 in a state where a cutting agent is supplied. The dicing blade 1
When the silicon substrate to be used has a large diameter, the dicing by 5 is also used when the plurality of inkjet heads 1A are manufactured by dividing the silicon substrate into pieces. Thereby, a large number of inkjet heads 1A can be manufactured at the same time.

Next, the cutting agent used during dicing with the dicing blade 15 will be described.
In this embodiment, a cutting agent obtained by mixing an alkaline water with an abrasive is used. This cutting agent is supplied during dicing by the dicing blade 15. As a result, the chipping phenomenon is suppressed and a high quality nozzle opening can be formed.

Various abrasives are used in the present invention as the abrasive contained in the cutting agent. That is, the particle size is 100 nm
The following silicon oxides are used as well as aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide and the like. These can bring about the same effect.
By using this abrasive, the abrasive enters between the inkjet head, which is the workpiece, and the dicing blade 15 during dicing, and both cutting and polishing can be performed at the same time. Therefore, the chipping phenomenon found in brittle materials is suppressed.

Next, a brief description will be given of the ink ejecting action of the ink jet heads 1 and 1A having the above structure. When a potential difference (voltage) is generated between the vibrating plate 8 (8a) and the electrode plate 9 (9a) which are opposed to each other via the gap 11 by energization, an electrostatic force is generated between them. . As a result, the vibrating plate 8 is displaced toward the electrode plate 9 side, and the volumes of the liquid chambers 6 (6A) and 7 (7A) of the second substrate 3 (3A) are increased. Therefore, the increased volume of ink flows into the liquid chambers 6 and 7. Next, when the voltage between the vibrating plate 8 and the electrode plate 9 is cut off by blocking electricity, the electrostatic force is reduced and the vibrating plate 8 returns to its original position. As a result, pressure is applied to the ink, and the ink is ejected from the nozzle openings and supplied to the printed matter side.

As described above, the nozzle openings of the ink jet head are formed by dicing with the dicing blade 15. However, the chipping phenomenon is likely to occur in this state. Therefore, in the present invention, a voltage is applied between the dicing blade 15 and the blade protective cover while supplying a cutting agent during dicing. The applied voltage is 10V
Above 100V is effective, and in this embodiment, 6V
0V was used. Further, as the cutting agent, an alkaline liquid mixed with an oxide type abrasive, for example, silicon oxide was used. When the oxide-based fine particles enter the alkaline liquid, they bind to the hydroxyl group and are negatively charged. Therefore,
When the dicing blade 15 is positively charged, negative fine particles are attracted to the dicing blade 15 side and adhere to the surface of the dicing blade 15. When the inkjet head 1 of the silicon substrate is diced in this state, the cut surface is polished by the fine particles simultaneously with the cutting. Further, the fine particles attached to the dicing blade 15 fall off from the dicing blade 15 under an appropriate load. For this reason, a damper effect also occurs, and chipping-free cutting can be performed together with the polishing effect. As a result, the chipping phenomenon is suppressed, and a high quality cut end (nozzle opening) can be formed.

[0023]

1) According to the method of manufacturing an ink jet head of claim 1 of the present invention, the nozzle port can be formed at the same time when the dicing blade is used to separate the chips.
Moreover, it is performed at low cost, and dicing is performed smoothly and effectively. 2) According to the inkjet head manufacturing method of the second aspect of the present invention, since the diamond blade is used as the dicing blade, the dicing is effectively performed and the life thereof can be improved. 3) According to the method for manufacturing an inkjet head of claim 3 of the present invention, since a cutting agent in which an abrasive is mixed with pure water or alkaline water is used as the cutting agent, it is between the workpiece and the dicing blade during dicing. The cutting agent can be ground at the same time as the cutting agent is cut in, and the chipping phenomenon that occurs during dicing of the brittle material can be suppressed. As a result, a high quality nozzle opening is formed. 4) According to the method for manufacturing an inkjet head of claims 4 to 8 of the present invention, since an oxide is used as a polishing agent, the oxide-based fine particles are bonded to a hydroxyl group to be negatively charged and attracted to the dicing blade side. Is attached and adheres to the surface. Therefore, the polishing process can be surely performed during dicing. 5) According to the method for manufacturing an inkjet head of claim 9 of the present invention, since the dicing blade is positively charged,
The fine particles of the negative abrasive adhere more positively to the dicing blade side, which improves the efficiency of the polishing process. As a result, the chipping phenomenon can be reliably suppressed and the life of the dicing blade can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing method in which a plurality of inkjet heads having nozzle openings are simultaneously formed by a dicing blade.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an inkjet head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a detailed structure of first to third substrates which are constituent elements of the inkjet head of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 inkjet head 1A inkjet head 2 First substrate 3 Second substrate 4 Third substrate 4A Third substrate 5 grooves 5A groove 6 liquid chambers 6A liquid chamber 7 liquid chamber 7A liquid chamber 8 diaphragm 8A diaphragm 9 grooves 9A groove 10 electrode material 10A electrode material 11 gap 12 ink drops 13 holes for gripping 14 Oxide film 15 dicing blade

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing an edge shooter type ink jet head, wherein the ink jet head forms a nozzle opening between a first substrate, which is a nozzle substrate, and the nozzle. A second substrate forming a liquid chamber communicating with the mouth, and a third substrate having an energy generator for vibrating the second substrate to apply energy to the ink The nozzle opening of the inkjet head is formed by dicing the head end with a dicing blade, and a liquid cutting agent is used at the time of dicing. 2. The dicing blade is a diamond dicing blade.
The method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to 1. 3. The cutting agent according to claim 1, wherein the cutting agent is made by mixing an abrasive with alkaline water.
The method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to 1. 4. The method for manufacturing an inkjet head according to claim 3, wherein the polishing agent is silicon oxide. 5. The method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to claim 3, wherein the abrasive is aluminum oxide. 6. The method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to claim 3, wherein the abrasive is cerium oxide. 7. The method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to claim 3, wherein the abrasive is chromium oxide. 8. The method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to claim 3, wherein the abrasive is iron oxide. 9. The dicing is performed by using the dicing blade as an anode and the blade protection cover as a cathode while applying a voltage between them.
5. The method for manufacturing an inkjet head according to any one of 1.