JP2003145767A - Liquid discharge head, its manufacturing method and liquid discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording head, its manufacturing method and a liquid discharge apparatus in which breakage by separation is prevented. SOLUTION: In the liquid discharge head provided with discharge energy generating elements and liquid discharge parts set at positions where the discharge energy generating elements are formed, the discharge energy generating elements are formed on a surface of a semiconductor base and the liquid discharge parts are formed in the semiconductor base.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a liquid discharge head and a device using a semiconductor substrate such as silicon (Si).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a liquid ejection head, a recording head such as an ink jet printer will be described as an example.

A substrate for a liquid ejection head will be described below by taking an ink jet recording head that ejects ink by thermal energy as an example.

In an ink jet recording head utilizing thermal energy, thermal energy generated by a heating resistor (heater) as an ejection energy generating element is applied to the liquid to selectively cause a bubbling phenomenon in the liquid. Ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port by the energy of the bubbling. In such an ink jet recording head, in order to improve the recording density (resolution), a large number of fine heating resistors are arranged on a silicon semiconductor substrate or the like, and each heating resistor faces the heating resistor. The discharge ports are arranged in this way, and a drive circuit and peripheral circuits for driving the heating resistor are also provided on the silicon semiconductor substrate.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the structure of such an ink jet recording head.

As shown in FIG. 10, the ink jet recording head has a field oxide film (LOCOS oxide film) 101 and atmospheric pressure CVD on one main surface of a silicon substrate 100.
A BPSG (borophosphosilicate glass) layer 102 formed by a (chemical vapor deposition) method and a silicon oxide film 103 formed by a plasma CVD method are laminated, a heating resistor (heater) 110 is formed on the silicon oxide film 103, and a heating resistance is further formed. Body 11
The discharge port 140 is provided so as to face 0. In FIG. 10, only one heating resistor 110 and one ejection port 140 are drawn, but in reality, one inkjet recording head is provided with several hundreds of heating resistors and ejection ports. These heating resistors are arranged on a single silicon substrate 100 at a predetermined interval (for example, 40 μm) in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

In order to protect the heating resistor 110 and the like,
Furthermore, the silicon substrate 10 including the heating resistor 110 is included.
A silicon nitride film 104 formed by plasma CVD is formed as a passivation layer on the entire main surface of No. 0. The heating resistor 1 on the surface of the silicon nitride film 104
In the portion corresponding to 10, the silicon nitride film 110 is formed due to the cavitation phenomenon due to the bubbles generated in the ink.
In order to prevent the deterioration of C, a tantalum (Ta) film 105 is formed as a cavitation-resistant protective layer. The surface of the main surface of the silicon substrate 100 on which the heating resistor 110 is not formed is covered with the thermal oxide film 106.

The discharge port 140 is formed in the coating resin layer 130 provided so as to cover the above-mentioned main surface of the silicon substrate 100. Coating resin layer 130 and silicon nitride film 10
4 and the tantalum film 105, a space is formed, and the space is filled with the liquid (ink) to be ejected from the ejection port 140. This space is called a liquid chamber 150.

In the ink jet recording head constructed as described above, when heat is generated by energizing the heating resistor 110, bubbles are generated in the discharge liquid in the liquid chamber 150 due to the heat, and the action of the bubbles thus generated. The droplets are ejected from the ejection port 140 by the force. In order to perform continuous recording, it is necessary to replenish the liquid chamber 150 with the discharge liquid (ink) for the amount of droplets discharged from the discharge port 140, but the discharge port 140 is close to the recording medium such as paper. And the discharge port 140 and the heating resistor 1
Since the distance from the silicon substrate 100 is also set to be minute, it is difficult to supply the discharge liquid into the liquid chamber 150 from the side of the silicon substrate 100 on which the heating resistor 110 is formed. Therefore, as shown in the figure, a supply port 120 penetrating the silicon substrate 100 is provided, and the supply port 1 is provided in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure.
The discharge liquid is caused to flow through 20 to supply the discharge liquid into the liquid chamber 150. The supply port 120 is formed by selectively etching the silicon substrate 100.

In the structure shown in FIG. 10, in the region where the supply port 120 is formed, the field oxide film 101,
Without providing the BPSG layer 102 and the silicon oxide film 103,
Instead, the silicon nitride film 107 formed by the low pressure CPD method is provided. This silicon nitride film 1
07 is patterned and provided so as to be arranged only in the formation region of the supply port 120 and its periphery, and the end portion thereof is provided with the field oxide film 101 and the silicon oxide film 1.
It is formed so as to be sandwiched between 02 and. Supply port 1
In the formation region of 20, the silicon nitride film 107 is directly deposited on the thin oxide film 108 on the surface of the silicon substrate 100. Silicon nitride film 1 by plasma CVD method
Reference numeral 04 is a silicon nitride film 107 formed by the low pressure CVD method.
Is also formed on.

As will be described later, at the end of etching,
The silicon nitride film 107 is formed on the bottom surface of the formed supply port 120.
Will be exposed. At this stage, the silicon nitride film 10
7 or the silicon nitride film 104 is cracked or the silicon substrate 10
When it is peeled off from 0, the etching solution is heated by the heating resistor 1.
It leaks out to the side of 10 and is not preferable. Therefore, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-181032, by forming the silicon nitride film 107 by low pressure CVD, the internal stress of the silicon nitride film 107 is used as tensile stress, which causes peeling or the like. Is trying not to happen.

Here, the structure of the heat generating resistor 110 as the ejection energy generating element will be described. Figure 11
11A is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of a heating resistor (heater), and FIG. 11B is a circuit diagram showing a portion including the heating resistor and a switch element that drives the heating resistor.

The heating resistor 110 is formed by patterning a resistance layer 111 made of an electrically resistive material such as tantalum silicon nitride (TaSiN) and an aluminum (Al) layer 112 serving as an electrode into the same shape, and forming an aluminum layer. 1
A part of 12 is removed so that only the resistance layer 111 exists in that part. The portion where only the resistance layer 111 exists serves as a portion (heat generating surface H) that generates heat when electricity is applied. In the illustrated example, the resistance layer 111 and the aluminum layer 112 are formed on the silicon oxide film 103.
After forming the film in this order, first, the unnecessary portions of both layers are removed by etching so as to form a U-shape, and further, only the aluminum layer 112 is removed in the portion that becomes the heat generating portion. 110 is completed. afterwards,
Silicon nitride film 104 which is entirely a passivation layer
Will be covered with.

As shown in FIG. 11B, one end of the heating resistor 110 is connected to a power source V _H of about +30 V, and the other end thereof is a drain of a MOS field effect transistor M1 which is a switching element for driving. Connected to D. The source S of the transistor M1 is grounded, and the gate G is driven by applying a drive pulse. Therefore, when a drive circuit including the transistor M1 and other peripheral circuits are formed on the silicon substrate 100, the BPSG layer 102 and the silicon oxide film 103 are used as an interlayer insulating film, and the silicon nitride film 104 is used as a passivation layer. Is formed.
The field oxide film 101 is used for element isolation in the drive circuit and peripheral circuit formation regions.

[0015]

In the conventional liquid discharge head, the drive circuit, the peripheral circuit, the heater, the supply port, etc. are formed on the silicon substrate by the Si process used for manufacturing the LSI or the like, and then the resin processing technique is used. Is used to form a coating resin layer and a discharge port. That is, the semiconductor active elements such as the ejection energy generating element, the transistor forming the drive circuit and the peripheral circuit are made of an inorganic material, while
The portion that becomes the discharge port and the liquid chamber is made of an organic material.

Therefore, the coating resin layer may be peeled off and the head may be damaged. Further, two processing processes having different properties are mixed, and from this point also the process is complicated and the manufacturing cost is high.

In particular, if the number of ejection ports becomes enormous and the substrate becomes long or has a large area, breakage due to peeling is more likely to occur. If you try to prevent this, the resin that can be used becomes rare and expensive,
There are many restrictions on manufacturing the liquid ejection head, such as limited manufacturing technology.

In addition to this, in the conventional head, since the heat generating surface which is the ejection energy generating surface is formed on the side of the metal conductive layer which becomes the pair of electrodes, a step is formed on the surface. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the protective insulating film covering it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a recording head, a method of manufacturing the same, and a liquid ejecting apparatus which are unlikely to be damaged by peeling.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording head which can be manufactured at low cost, a method of manufacturing the same, and a liquid ejecting apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording head capable of obtaining a flat ejection energy generating surface by a relatively simple process, a method of manufacturing the same, and a liquid ejecting apparatus.

[0022]

According to the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection head comprising an ejection energy generating element and a liquid ejecting portion provided at a position where the ejection energy generating element is formed, wherein the ejection energy generating element is It is characterized in that it is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and the liquid ejection portion is formed in the semiconductor substrate.

Here, the ejection energy generating element may be a thin film element.

Further, it is preferable that an ejection port communicating with the liquid ejection section is provided on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate.

A common liquid supply section that communicates with a plurality of the liquid ejection sections may be formed in the semiconductor substrate.

It is preferable that a protective layer made of a metal or a metal compound exposed at the liquid ejection portion is provided below the ejection energy generating element and between the semiconductor substrate and the insulating layer.

It is preferable that a main part of a semiconductor active element forming a drive circuit for driving the ejection energy generating element is formed on the semiconductor substrate.

It is preferable that the insulating layer below the heat generating resistance layer constituting the ejection energy generating element is silicon nitride.

An oxide film may be formed on the inner surface of the liquid supply passage.

The liquid supply path communicating with the liquid discharge section is
It is preferable to communicate with a supply port formed in an insulating film provided on the upper surface of the base.

The liquid ejection portion may be formed in a P-type semiconductor region of the base.

Further, the present invention comprises an ejection energy generating element and a liquid ejecting portion provided at a position where the ejection energy generating element is formed, the ejection energy generating element being formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, A method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head in which a liquid ejection portion is formed in the semiconductor substrate, wherein a groove is formed in a portion of the semiconductor substrate that will be the liquid ejection portion, and a different material different from that of the semiconductor substrate is formed. And a second step of forming the ejection energy generating element on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a third step of forming an opening reaching the groove from the back surface side of the semiconductor substrate. And a fourth step of etching away the dissimilar material.

Here, the semiconductor substrate is thinned by performing at least one of a grinding process and a polishing process on the back surface side of the semiconductor substrate, which is performed between the second step and the third step. It is preferable to include a step of

Then, a step of forming an oxide thin film by low temperature oxidation on the surface of the semiconductor removed by etching, which is performed after the third step, is preferable.

The present invention is also a liquid ejecting apparatus having the above-mentioned liquid ejecting head and a container for accommodating the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting section. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the resin processing process that has been conventionally performed, and so-called
The liquid discharge head can be manufactured only by the semiconductor process, and the liquid discharge head and device which are less likely to be damaged by peeling and inexpensive and the manufacturing method thereof can be provided.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a liquid discharge head comprising a discharge energy generating element and a liquid discharge section provided at a position where the discharge energy generating element is formed,
The discharge energy generating element includes a protective layer formed on the surface of the base body, and a heating resistance layer formed on the protective layer.
And a metal conductive layer serving as a pair of electrodes formed on the surface of the heat generating resistance layer, and the liquid discharge portion is provided on the back surface side of the heat generating resistance layer forming the discharge energy generating element. It is characterized by being formed.

According to the present invention, a flat heating surface can be obtained by a simple manufacturing method.

[0038]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows a liquid ejection head 1 according to the present invention.
2 is a plan view showing the structure of one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional structure taken along the line AA ′ of the discharge port 2 in FIG. 1, and FIG.
It is a BB 'sectional view taken on the line showing the structure of the inside ink supply port 3.

The liquid discharge head of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a liquid discharge head provided with a discharge energy generation element 110 and a liquid discharge section 12 provided at a position where the discharge energy generation element 110 is formed. The ejection energy generating element 110 is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 11, and the liquid ejection portion 12 is formed inside the semiconductor substrate 11.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of ejection openings 2 are arranged on the back surface of the head 1, and a supply opening 3 for a liquid such as ink is arranged at the left and right ends thereof. Supply port 3
Is connected to all discharge ports by a liquid supply path 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, heaters 110 for performing ejection operations are arranged on the opposite sides of the respective ejection openings 2 with respect to the respective ejection openings 2 in a one-to-one or one-to-many relationship.

The liquid is ejected from the ejection port 2 by applying ejection energy in the liquid ejection section 12. That is, the liquid ejection unit 12 is, in other words, a liquid chamber to which ejection energy is applied. Here, a heater 110, which is an ejection energy generation element, is provided corresponding to the liquid ejection unit 12, and the liquid to which thermal energy is applied by the heater 110 is, for example, the liquid ejection unit 1.
Bubbles are generated in the film 2 due to the film boiling phenomenon, and the bubbles are ejected from the discharge port 2 by the foaming energy.

The drive circuit 5 and the peripheral circuit 4 for supplying drive signals to these heaters 110 are formed on the semiconductor substrate 11 as an integrated circuit. The operation of the drive circuit 5 is controlled by the peripheral circuit 4. The peripheral circuit 4 is controlled by a print control signal supplied from the outside. A typical example of the drive circuit 5 is a switch element array including bipolar transistors and MOS transistors, and a typical example of the peripheral circuit 4 is a latch circuit, a shift register, a decoder, a multiplexer, a power supply circuit, and the like. The drive element such as the MOS transistor shown in FIG. 2 is an example of a semiconductor active element that constitutes the drive circuit 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid is supplied from the liquid supply port 3 opened on the front surface side of the substrate into the groove 12 serving as the supply path 6 common to the respective discharge ports.

2 and 3, the liquid ejection head of this example will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples.

Reference numeral 11 is a substrate, which is made of a semiconductor material such as single crystal silicon.

Reference numeral 12 is a groove, which serves as a liquid discharge portion and a liquid supply portion.

13 is a bipolar transistor, MOS
A semiconductor active element such as a transistor or a diode, and a main part (at least one of an emitter, a base, a collector, a source, a drain, an anode, a cathode, etc.) of the semiconductor active element is formed inside the surface side of the substrate 11. ing.

Reference numeral 14 is an insulating film which functions as an element isolation region, and is made of, for example, silicon oxide such as a field oxide film formed by a selective oxidation method.

Reference numeral 15 is a protective film for cavitation resistance, which is provided if necessary. Here, since it comes into contact with a liquid, an inorganic material having high resistance to liquid and excellent cavitation resistance is preferably used. For example, tantalum, platinum, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum,
It is a metal such as tungsten or an alloy containing at least one of these. Or silicides of these metals,
It may be nitride or silicified nitride.

Reference numeral 16 is an insulating film such as a silicon oxide film. Reference numeral 17 denotes an insulating film functioning as an interlayer insulating film and a protective film for the heater, and a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, or a laminated film thereof is preferably used.

Reference numeral 18 is a heat generating resistance layer, and a non-single crystal conductive material such as hafnium boride, tantalum nitride, tantalum aluminum, or tantalum silicon nitride is preferably used.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a metal conductive layer having a resistance lower than that of the heat generating resistance layer 18, and this serves as an electrode and wiring. Metal conductive layer 1
For 9, a metal such as aluminum, aluminum copper, or copper is preferably used.

Reference numeral 20 is a protective film called a passivation film, and a silicon nitride film or the like is preferably used.

A method of manufacturing the above-mentioned liquid ejection head will be described below with reference to FIGS.

A semiconductor substrate 11 such as a P-type single crystal silicon wafer is prepared as a substrate.

On the upper surface of the P-type silicon substrate 11, a groove 12 to be a liquid discharge part and a supply path is formed by etching.

The groove 12 is filled with a filler 12 such as silicon oxide.
Embed a. As the filler 12a, SOG (Spin O
An insulating coating material that can be formed by n glass) is preferably used. By applying the insulating coating material so as to fill the inside of the groove 12 and removing the insulating coating material outside the groove 12 by etching or polishing, the inside of the groove is filled. The agent 12a can be embedded. The portion filled with the filler 12a is later removed to become a liquid ejection portion or a supply portion.

Next, if necessary, a well of the opposite conductivity type to the silicon substrate 11 is formed. Then, LOCOS
A field oxide film 14 of SiO ₂ is formed by (Local Oxidation of Silicon).

Then, after forming a gate insulating film by thermal oxidation or the like, a gate electrode made of polycrystalline silicon or the like is formed thereon. The source / drain of the MOS transistor to be the semiconductor active element 13 is formed by impurity diffusion by self-alignment using the gate electrode as a mask.

Next, T is applied so as to cover the upper surface of the filler 12a.
It is deposited as a protection layer 15 for cavitation resistance such as a and patterned.

Next, an interlayer insulating film 16 such as a silicon oxide film is deposited, and the contact hole of the semiconductor active element 13 and the interlayer insulating film 16 on the protective layer 15 are removed. At this time, the interlayer insulating film 16 is removed so that the groove 12 is exposed at the portion to be the supply port 3.

Then, in order to form electrodes and wirings connected to the semiconductor active element 13, a metal material such as aluminum copper is deposited and patterned into a predetermined wiring shape.

Next, a silicon nitride film 17 is deposited so as to cover the metal material layer patterned into the wiring shape and to cover the exposed upper surface of the protective layer 15. Then, the portion of the silicon nitride film 17 that will be the through hole and the portion that will be the supply port 3 are removed. Silicon nitride film 17 is formed at the supply port.
The area of the opening is made smaller than the area of the opening of the interlayer insulating film 16 removed earlier so that the opening-side end of the interlayer insulating film 16 is covered.

Subsequently, in order to form a heater, a heating resistance layer 18 such as amorphous silicon tantalum nitride and a metal conductive layer 19 such as aluminum copper are deposited, and both are simultaneously patterned by dry etching. Subsequently, part of the metal conductive layer 19 is removed by etching to form the heat generating portion of the heater.

The passivation film 2 such as a silicon nitride film is formed so as to cover the heater and wiring on the silicon nitride film 17.
0 is deposited.

After this, as shown in FIG. 3, the silicon nitride film 20 in the portion to be the supply port 3 is removed by etching to form an opening. At this time, although not shown, at the same time, a part of the silicon nitride film 20 on the metal conductive layer 19 is selectively removed to open a window for contact with the outside.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the silicon substrate 1
1 is ground by back grinding to an appropriate thickness, and if necessary, polished to make the back surface smooth. Further, the discharge port 2 reaching the filler 12a is formed on the back surface of the silicon substrate at a high etching rate by reactive ion etching using high density plasma or the like.

Then, the filler 12a in the groove 12 is removed. As described above, it is preferable to use the insulating coating material of SOG as the filler 12a. Since this is like a low density sintered body containing silicon oxide as a main component, the filler 12a is selectively removed by etching using a dilute HF aqueous solution having a water to HF ratio of 100: 1. be able to.

After that, Si for improving the ink resistance is formed on the inner wall surface of the groove 12 and the inner wall surface of the ejection port 2 after the filler 12a is removed by etching, and further on the back surface of the silicon substrate.
An O ₂ thin film is formed by low temperature oxidation.

An example of the size of each part constituting the discharge port 2 will be described. The thickness t1 of the nozzle of the discharge port to be formed is 2
0 μm, the height t2 of the liquid chamber of the groove serving as the liquid discharge portion formed by removing the filler is 20 μm to 100 μm, the thickness of the field oxide film 14 is 700 nm, the thickness of the protective layer 15 is 230 nm, and the insulating film is The thickness of 16 is 600 nm to 14
00 nm, and the thickness of the silicon nitride film 17 is 300 nm to 8 nm.
00 nm, the resistance layer 18 has a thickness of 30 nm to 80 nm, the metal conductive layer 19 has a thickness of 600 nm to 1200 nm, and the silicon nitride film 20 has a thickness of 800 nm.

In each of the liquid ejection portion and the liquid supply passage, the liquid chamber formed after the filler is removed communicates with each other to form the liquid passage as shown in FIG. And
During operation, the liquid supplied from each supply port 3 is supplied to each discharge port 2
And is discharged as droplets.

In the recording head having the above-mentioned structure, the substrate for the recording head is formed only by the so-called silicon process, so that damage due to peeling is suppressed and the manufacturing process can be simplified. There is.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of a liquid discharge head according to the present invention. The plan view of this form is similar to that shown in FIG.

The liquid discharge head of this embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is a liquid discharge head provided with a discharge energy generating element 110 and a liquid discharge portion 22 provided at a position where the discharge energy generating element 110 is formed. The energy generating element 110 is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 21, and the liquid discharge part 22 is formed in the semiconductor substrate 21.

The difference from the first embodiment is the position where the heater 110 as the ejection energy generating element is formed, and the other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

Reference numeral 21 is a substrate, which is made of a semiconductor material such as single crystal silicon.

Reference numeral 22 is a groove, and reference numeral 23 is a semiconductor active element, and a MOS transistor is shown here as well. Reference numeral 24 is an element isolation region, and 25 is a cavitation-resistant protective film provided as necessary. Reference numeral 26 is an insulating film that functions as an insulating film and a protective film for the heater, and a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, a laminated film of a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film, or the like is preferably used. Reference numeral 27 denotes an interlayer insulating film, which is preferably a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, or a laminated film of a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film. Reference numeral 28 denotes a heating resistance layer, and a non-single crystal conductive material such as hafnium boride, tantalum nitride, tantalum aluminum, or tantalum silicon nitride is preferably used. Reference numerals 29 and 31 denote metal conductive layers which will be electrodes and wirings, and metals such as aluminum, aluminum copper and copper are preferably used. Reference numeral 30 is a protective film called a passivation film, and a silicon nitride film or the like is preferably used.

A method of manufacturing the above-mentioned liquid ejection head will be described below.

A semiconductor substrate 21 such as a single crystal silicon wafer is prepared as a substrate.

On the upper surface of this silicon substrate 21, a groove 22 to be a liquid discharge part and a supply path is formed by etching.

The groove 22 is filled with a filler such as silicon oxide. Next, a well of the opposite conductivity type to the silicon substrate 21 is formed, and a field oxide film 24 is formed.

Then, after forming a gate insulating film by thermal oxidation or the like, a gate electrode made of polycrystalline silicon or the like is formed thereon. The source / drain of the MOS transistor to be the semiconductor active element 23 is formed by impurity diffusion by self-alignment using the gate electrode as a mask.

Next, a cavitation-resistant protective layer 25 of platinum, cobalt, tantalum, or the like is deposited and patterned so as to cover the upper surface of the filler in the groove 22.

An inter-layer insulating film 26 such as a silicon nitride film is deposited, and the inter-layer insulating film 26 in the portions which will be the contact holes and the supply ports of the semiconductor active element 23 is removed.

Then, in order to form electrodes and wirings connected to the semiconductor active element 23, and the heater 110, a heating resistance layer 28 such as amorphous silicon tantalum nitride and a metal conductive layer 29 such as aluminum copper are deposited. Then, both are simultaneously patterned by dry etching. Then, a part of the metal conductive layer 29 is removed by etching to form a heat generating portion of the heater.

Next, a silicon oxide and / or silicon nitride film 27 is deposited so as to cover the metal material layer patterned into the wiring shape. Then, the film 27 in the portion to be the through hole and the portion to be the supply port 3 is removed.

A metal conductive layer 31 of aluminum copper or the like is deposited and patterned into a predetermined wiring shape, and a passivation film 30 such as a silicon nitride film is deposited so as to cover the wiring.

After that, the portion of the silicon nitride film 30 to be the supply port 3 is removed by etching to form an opening.
At the same time, the silicon nitride film 3 on the metal conductive layer 31 is simultaneously formed.
A part of 0 is selectively removed to open a window for external contact.

Next, similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the silicon substrate 11 is ground by back grinding to an appropriate thickness, and the back surface is smoothed by polishing if necessary. Further, the discharge port 2 reaching the filler is formed on the back surface of the silicon substrate at a high etching rate by reactive ion etching or the like using high density plasma.

Then, the filler in the groove 22 is removed. Then, a silicon oxide thin film for improving ink resistance is formed by low temperature oxidation on the inner wall surface of the groove 22 and the inner wall surface of the ejection port 2 after the filler is removed by etching, and further on the back surface of the silicon substrate.

In this embodiment, the heater 110 is arranged from the bottom one
Since it is formed by the metallization of the layer, the step difference at the connecting portion between the heater 110 and the semiconductor active element 23 is small. (Embodiment 3) FIGS. 7 and 8 show the structure of an embodiment of the liquid discharge head according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA 'in FIG.

The liquid discharge head of this embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is a liquid discharge head including a discharge energy generating element 110 and a liquid discharge section 12 provided at a position where the discharge energy generating element 110 is formed. The ejection energy generating element 110 is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 11, and the liquid ejection portion 12 is formed inside the semiconductor substrate 11.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of ejection openings 2 are arranged on the back surface of the head 1, each ejection opening communicates with the liquid ejection portion 12, and each liquid ejection portion is arranged in the arrangement direction. It communicates with a horizontally long common liquid supply path 6 provided along the line.

Here, the upper surface of the common liquid supply path 6 also serves as the liquid supply port.

The liquid supplied from the supply port provided on the upper surface of the common liquid supply passage 6 is supplied to each liquid ejecting section 12 through the supply passage 6. Here, discharge energy is applied by the heater.

Since the height t2 of the liquid ejection portion 12 is the same as the height of the supply passage 6, the liquid ejection portion and the supply passage can be formed in the same step.

It is also preferable that the heater 110 has a configuration similar to that of the above-described embodiment of FIG. 6 instead of that of FIG.

In each of the embodiments described above, the heating resistor (heater) is used as the discharge energy generating element, but the liquid discharge energy generating element is mechanically changed like a thin film piezo element. The element may be used, and the type thereof is not particularly limited. Moreover, the layer structure thereof is not particularly limited.

Further, the structure in which the ejection port 2 is formed on the back surface of the substrate has been described. However, when the substrate having the illustrated structure is diced from a silicon wafer to be made into chips, the substrate 1
A part of the groove may be exposed on the side surfaces of the first and the second holes to form a discharge port, and the liquid may be discharged substantially parallel to the lower surface of the discharge energy generating element. Also, the substrate is N
Although it is possible to use a type substrate, it is preferable to use a P type substrate, hold the substrate at the ground potential when using the head, and form the discharge port, the liquid discharge portion, and the like in the P type semiconductor region. .

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, in the liquid ejection head including the ejection energy generating element and the liquid ejecting portion provided at the position where the ejection energy generating element is formed, the ejection energy generating element is Using a protective layer formed on the surface of the substrate, a heat generating resistance layer formed on the protective layer, and a metal conductive layer serving as a pair of electrodes formed on the surface of the heat generating resistance layer. Has been made,
It is also characterized in that the liquid ejection portion is formed on the back surface side of the heating resistance layer that constitutes the ejection energy generating element, and in this case, a flat heating surface is obtained by a simple manufacturing method. be able to. (Liquid Ejecting Device) Next, a liquid ejecting device according to the present invention, that is, an inkjet recording device including an inkjet recording head including the recording head as described above will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of such an ink jet recording apparatus. Here, a head cartridge 51 having a structure in which an inkjet recording head 52 and an ink tank 53 as a container for containing ink are integrated is used.

The head cartridge 51 is the carriage 5
4 is replaceable (detachable). The carriage 54 is rotated by a carriage drive shaft (lead screw) 55 so that the carriage drive shaft 55 and the guide shaft 56 are rotated.
And reciprocates in the X and Y directions (main scanning direction). That is, a spiral groove 57 is formed on the carriage drive shaft 55, and a pin (not shown) that engages with the spiral groove 57 is provided on the carriage 54. As the carriage drive shaft 55 rotates, the spiral groove 57 is formed. The carriage 54 is configured to move in parallel along the groove 57. The head cartridge 51 is fixed to the carriage 54 at a predetermined position by a positioning means, and is electrically connected to a flexible cable connecting the carriage 54 and a control circuit on the recording apparatus main body side through a contact.

In FIG. 6, a conveyance roller 59 for holding the supplied recording material 58 and for feeding (conveying) the recording material 58 is provided in parallel with the carriage driving shaft 55 at a position facing each other within the movement range of the carriage 54. It is rotatably and rotatably supported. In the illustrated example, the transport roller 59 also serves as a platen (platen roller). The carry roller 59 is rotationally driven by a carry motor 60. In addition, the recording material 5
At the recording position, the paper pressing plate 61 presses the conveying roller (platen roller) 59 in the moving (main scanning) direction of the carriage 54.

A drive motor 62 is mounted on the recording apparatus main body side, and the carriage drive shaft (lead screw) 5
5 is rotationally driven via the driving force transmission gears 63 and 64. By rotating the carriage drive shaft 55 forward and backward by rotating the drive motor 62 forward and backward, the moving direction (arrows X and Y) of the carriage 54 is switched.

The home position of the carriage 54 is set at a predetermined position (position on the left side in the drawing) outside the recording area within the moving range of the carriage 54. A photo coupler 65 is arranged near the home position. The photocoupler 65 detects that the carriage 54 reaches the home position by detecting the intrusion of the lever 66 provided on the carriage 54 when the carriage 54 reaches the home position. That is, when the recording head 52 reaches the home position, the photo coupler 65 prevents the rotation direction of the drive motor 62 from being switched to reverse the carriage movement direction and the clogging of the ejection port of the recording head 52 to be removed. It is used as a detection means (sensor) for controlling various operations of the printing apparatus, such as starting a recovery operation for resetting.

At the home position, a cap 68 for covering (sealing) the ejection opening surface of the recording head 52 of the head cartridge 51 is provided. Cap 68
Are supported by the cap holder 69 so as to be movable in a direction in which they closely contact and separate from the ejection port surface. A blade (cleaning member) 70 for wiping and cleaning (cleaning) the ejection port surface is disposed between the cap 68 and the recording area. The blade 70 is supported by a blade holder 72 supported by a main body support plate 71.
It is movably held between a forward position where the ejection port surface can be wiped and a retracted position where it does not contact the ejection port surface.

As the means for cleaning the ejection port surface, in addition to the form of the blade 70, various forms can be used as long as it is a member capable of removing foreign matters. Further, when the carriage 54 comes to the area on the home position side, the spiral groove 5 of the carriage drive shaft 55 is used for operations such as capping of the discharge port surface and cleaning of the discharge port surface.
By the action of 7, the carriage 54 is executed while being stopped or moved to their corresponding positions at a predetermined timing.

Although the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the DN.
It can also be applied to an apparatus for producing a DNA chip by ejecting a liquid containing A, an apparatus for producing a transistor by ejecting a liquid containing an organic semiconductor material, and the like.

[0109]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, since the liquid discharge head can be manufactured only by the so-called semiconductor process, the manufacturing process can be simplified.
It is possible to provide an inexpensive liquid ejection head. Further, according to the second invention, it is possible to obtain a flat heating surface by a simple manufacturing method.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a liquid ejection head substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view near a discharge port of the liquid discharge head shown in FIG.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the supply port of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a manufacturing process of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a manufacturing process of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a discharge port of a liquid discharge head according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a liquid ejection head according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the ejection port of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of a liquid ejection apparatus having a liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional inkjet recording head.

FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing a heating resistor,
(B) is a heating resistor and a switching element (M
Is a circuit diagram including a circuit including an OS field effect transistor).

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Liquid ejection head 2 outlet 3 supply ports 4 peripheral circuits 5 drive circuit 6 supply paths 11, 21 substrate 12, 22 groove 12a filler 13, 23 Semiconductor active device 14, 24 Element isolation region film 15, 25 Protective layer 16, 26 Insulation film 17, 27 Interlayer insulation film 18, 28 Heating resistance layer 19, 29, 31 Metal conductive layer 20, 30 passivation film

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H01L 27/06 F term (reference) 2C057 AF65 AF93 AG12 AG46 AG83 AK07 AP14 AP32 AP56 AQ02 BA04 BA13 5F038 AR06 AR07 AV04 AV05 AV06 CD18 EZ15 EZ20 5F048 AB07 AB10 AC10 BA01 BE03 BF16

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A liquid ejection head comprising an ejection energy generation element and a liquid ejection section provided at a position where the ejection energy generation element is formed, wherein the ejection energy generation element is formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate. A liquid discharge head, wherein the liquid discharge section is formed in the semiconductor substrate. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the ejection energy generating element is a thin film element. 3. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein an ejection port communicating with the liquid ejection portion is provided on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate. 4. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein a common liquid supply portion communicating with the plurality of liquid ejection portions is formed in the semiconductor substrate. 5. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein a protective layer made of a metal or a metal compound exposed at the liquid ejection portion is provided below the ejection energy generating element, between the semiconductor substrate and the insulating layer. A liquid ejecting head, comprising: 6. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor substrate is provided with a main part of a semiconductor active element forming a drive circuit for driving the ejection energy generating element. And liquid ejection head. 7. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the insulating layer below the heating resistance layer forming the discharge energy generating element is silicon nitride. 8. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein an oxide film is formed on an inner surface of the liquid ejection portion. 9. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply passage communicating with the liquid ejection portion communicates with a supply port formed in an insulating film provided on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate. A liquid ejection head characterized by. 10. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejection portion is formed in a P-type semiconductor region of the semiconductor substrate. 11. An ejection energy generating element and a liquid ejecting portion provided at a position where the ejection energy generating element is formed, the ejection energy generating element being formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, and the liquid ejecting portion. Is a method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head formed in the semiconductor substrate, wherein a groove is formed in a portion of the semiconductor substrate that will be the liquid ejection portion, and is filled with a different material different from that of the semiconductor substrate. A first step; a second step of forming the ejection energy generating element on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate; a third step of forming an opening reaching the groove from the back surface side of the semiconductor substrate; A fourth step of removing the material by etching, and a method of manufacturing a recording head, comprising: 12. The method of manufacturing a recording head according to claim 11, wherein at least one of a grinding process and a polishing process performed on the back surface side of the semiconductor substrate is performed between the second step and the third step. A method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head, comprising the step of subjecting the semiconductor substrate to a thin treatment. 13. The method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein a step of forming an oxide thin film by low temperature oxidation on the surface of the semiconductor removed by etching after the third step. A method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head, comprising: 14. A liquid ejection head comprising an ejection energy generating element and a liquid ejecting portion provided at a position where the ejection energy generating element is formed, wherein the ejection energy generating element is formed on a surface of a substrate. A protective layer, and a heating resistance layer formed on the protective layer,
And a metal conductive layer serving as a pair of electrodes formed on the surface of the heat generation resistance layer, and the liquid discharge part is provided on the back surface side of the heat generation resistance layer forming the discharge energy generating element. A liquid ejection head characterized in that it is formed. 15. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: the liquid ejecting head according to claim 1; and a container that stores a liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting section.