JP2005161679A - Method for manufacturing nozzle plate of inkjet head and nozzle plate of inkjet head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inhibit the dispersion of an ink discharge direction and prevent an image quality from being deteriorated. <P>SOLUTION: In the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate of an inkjet head, a nozzle 8 with a perpendicular center axis on an ink discharge surface 70a is formed in a metallic plate 151 and the nozzle 8 has a columnar hole 121 formed on the ink discharge surface 70a side and a conical trapezoidal hole 125 diametrally tapering toward the upper surface 141 of the metallic plate 151. Next, an insulating film 131 is formed on the ink discharge surface 70a, where the nozzle 8 is formed, of the metallic plate 151 and the inner peripheral surface and upper surface 141 of the nozzle 8. Then the metallic plate 151 is obliquely arranged, and a conductive film 133 is formed on the ink discharge surface 70a and the inner peripheral surface, on the ink discharge surface 70a side, of the hole 121 from the ink discharge surface 70a by ejecting conductive particles straight to the ink discharge surface 70a from a direction inclined to the center axis of the nozzle 8. Finally, a water-repellent film 135 is formed on the conductive film 133 by an electroylic plating process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate in which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed in an inkjet head that ejects ink onto a recording medium, and a nozzle plate for the inkjet head.

  Patent Document 1 describes a nozzle forming member of an ink jet head in which nozzle holes are formed in a nozzle forming member made of a silicon substrate, and a water repellent film is formed on the ink ejection surface of the nozzle forming member, and a method for manufacturing the same. Yes. In the method of manufacturing the nozzle forming member, after the nozzle forming member is tapered to form the tapered nozzle hole toward the ink ejection surface, the nozzle forming member is thermally oxidized to form a silicon oxide film on the entire nozzle forming member. Form. Then, a resist is formed in a pattern excluding a region where the water-repellent film is formed on the ink ejection surface of the nozzle forming member (a region near the nozzle holes on the ink ejection surface), and silicon on the ink ejection surface side is etched by etching using the resist as a mask. The oxide film is removed. A conductive layer is formed on the silicon substrate in the region where the silicon oxide film has been removed by ion implantation, and a water repellent film is formed on the conductive layer by electrolytic plating. Thus, a nozzle forming member having a water repellent film formed in the vicinity of the nozzle holes on the ink ejection surface is manufactured. According to this manufacturing method, the nozzle forming member is covered with a silicon oxide film (insulating film), and after removing the insulating film only in the region where the water repellent film is to be formed, a conductive layer can be formed in the removed portion. Therefore, it is possible to form a water repellent film only in a selectively necessary region. Further, it is described that the water-repellent film is formed in the vicinity of the nozzle hole on the ink discharge surface, so that ink does not adhere to that portion, and variations in the discharge direction and discharge speed of the ink droplets can be suppressed. .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-203033 (FIG. 7)

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a water-repellent film is formed by electrolytic plating on a conductive layer formed in a region near the nozzle hole on the ink ejection surface. A water repellent film grows in the radial direction of the nozzle hole also from the side surface. As a result, the water repellent film is formed in a so-called overhang shape so as to cover the nozzle hole in the vicinity of the ink discharge port near the ink discharge surface of the nozzle hole, thereby defining the shape of the ink discharge port of the nozzle. Since most of the overhang portion is formed by a portion grown from the side surface of the conductive layer, the overhang portion is thin and fragile, and is easily damaged by the discharge pressure of the ink. When a part of the overhang portion is broken, the shape of the ink discharge port of the nozzle is disturbed, the ink discharge direction and the discharge speed vary from nozzle to nozzle, and the image quality deteriorates.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate for an inkjet head and a nozzle plate for an inkjet head that suppress variations in ink ejection direction and ejection speed for each nozzle and prevent image quality deterioration.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  The method for producing a nozzle plate of an ink jet head of the present invention includes a step of forming a hole serving as a nozzle for ejecting ink in the metal substrate so as to have a central axis perpendicular to one surface of the metal substrate serving as an ink ejection surface; Forming an insulating film on the metal substrate so as to cover a region extending from the ink discharge surface to the inner peripheral surface of the hole, and the ink from a direction inclined with respect to a central axis of the hole. Depositing a conductive film in a region corresponding to at least part of the inner peripheral surface of the ink discharge surface and the hole on the insulating film by causing the conductive particles to fly straight toward the discharge surface; And a step of forming a water-repellent film on the conductive film by electrolytic plating.

  Accordingly, the water repellent film can be continuously formed from the ink discharge surface to a position at a desired depth on the inner peripheral surface of the hole. As a result, a thin overhang portion is not formed, and the water-repellent film is hardly damaged in the vicinity of the ink discharge port of the nozzle, so that deterioration of image quality can be prevented. In addition, since the water-repellent film can be continuously formed up to a desired depth position on the inner peripheral surface of the hole serving as the nozzle, the boundary line between the water-repellent film and the insulating film on which the meniscus is stably formed Can be formed at a position relatively distant from the ink ejection surface. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the meniscus from being destroyed by the ink adhering to the ink ejection surface, and the ink ejection performance can be stabilized.

  In the present invention, in the step of depositing the conductive film, the metal substrate with the axis extending parallel to the central axis as a rotation axis while maintaining the state where the central axis and the straight flight direction of the conductive particles are inclined. Is preferably rotated. As a result, even when the distribution of the number of conductive particles flying straight is uneven, a conductive film having a thickness suitable for forming a water-repellent film can be formed at a desired depth position of a hole serving as a nozzle. it can.

  Further, in the present invention, in the step of depositing the conductive film, the axis extending parallel to the central axis is used as the rotation axis while maintaining the state where the central axis and the straight flight direction of the conductive particles are inclined. It is preferable that the metal substrate is rotated and the metal substrate is revolved around an axis parallel to the straight flight direction. As a result, even when the distribution of the number of conductive particles flying straight is uneven, the conductive film deposited on the insulating film can have a more uniform thickness.

  In the present invention, in the step of forming the insulating film, the insulating film is formed in all regions of the ink discharge surface of the metal substrate, the inner peripheral surface of the hole, and the opposite surface of the ink discharge surface. It is preferable. As a result, an insulating film is also formed on the surface opposite to the ink ejection surface of the metal substrate, so that when the other plate is bonded to the opposite surface of the nozzle plate, the adhesion with the other plate is improved, and the nozzle plate And the adhesion between other plates is improved. Further, since an insulating film is also formed in the nozzle, a meniscus is easily formed at the boundary with the water repellent film.

  In the present invention, the hole has a cylindrical inner surface and one end connected to the ink ejection surface, and a frustoconical inner surface and a large diameter end of the ink ejection surface of the metal substrate. And a bending point that connects the other end of the straight hole portion and the small diameter end of the tapered hole portion. Then, in the step of depositing the conductive film, the conductive particles are deposited in the straight hole portion so that the direction in which the conductive particles fly straightly with respect to the central axis of the hole is deposited. It is preferable to set so as not to deposit in the tapered hole. This makes it possible to form a conductive film only in the straight hole. For this reason, in the manufactured nozzle plate, the water repellent film is continuously formed from the ink discharge surface to the straight hole portion, so that the ink meniscus is easily formed stably in the straight hole portion. Therefore, the meniscus is displaced in the straight hole during ink ejection, so that the diameter does not change greatly, and stable ink ejection characteristics can be realized.

  The nozzle plate of the inkjet head of the present invention is a hole formed in the metal substrate so that one surface is an ink discharge surface and a central axis perpendicular to the ink discharge surface, and has a cylindrical inner surface A straight hole portion having one end connected to the ink discharge surface, a tapered hole portion having a frustoconical inner surface and a large diameter end connected to the opposite surface of the metal discharge surface of the metal substrate, and the straight hole portion A hole serving as a nozzle for ejecting ink having a bending point connecting the other end of the tapered hole portion and the small diameter end of the tapered hole portion, and in a region from the ink ejection surface to the inner peripheral surface of the hole. An insulating film covering a metal substrate; a conductive film formed on the insulating film in a region corresponding to the ink discharge surface and at least a part of an inner peripheral surface of the straight hole; and Formed It was and a water-repellent film.

  According to this, since the water repellent film is formed only in the straight hole portion of the holes serving as nozzles, the ink meniscus is easily formed stably in the straight hole portion. Therefore, the meniscus is displaced in the straight hole during ink ejection, so that the diameter does not change greatly, and stable ink ejection characteristics can be realized.

  In the present invention, the water repellent film is preferably formed by an electrolytic plating method. According to this, since the water repellent film is formed corresponding to the conductive film formation region, the water repellent film can be formed in a desired region by controlling the conductive film formation region.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the insulating film is formed in all regions of the ink discharge surface of the metal substrate, the inner peripheral surface of the hole, and the opposite surface of the ink discharge surface. According to this, the insulating film formed on the surface opposite to the ink ejection surface of the metal substrate contributes to the improvement of the adhesion with other plates when bonding other plates to the opposite surface of the nozzle plate. The adhesion area between the nozzle plate and the other plate is increased and the adhesion is improved.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Overall head structure]
In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a nozzle plate of an ink jet head that discharges ink onto paper. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet head 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. The inkjet head 1 includes a head main body 70 having a rectangular planar shape extending in the main scanning direction for ejecting ink onto a sheet, and an ink which is disposed above the head main body 70 and supplied to the head main body 70. A base block 71 that is a reservoir unit in which two ink reservoirs 3 that are flow paths are formed, and a holder 72 that holds the head main body 70 and the base block 71 are configured.

  The head body 70 includes a flow path unit 4 in which an ink flow path is formed, and a plurality of actuator units 21 bonded to the upper surface of the flow path unit 4 with an epoxy-based thermosetting adhesive. The actuator unit 21 has a configuration in which a plurality of thin plates are stacked and bonded to each other. The bottom surface of the head main body 70 is an ink ejection surface 70a on which a large number of nozzles 8 (see FIG. 5) having a minute diameter are arranged. A flexible printed circuit (FPC) 50, which is a power supply member, is bonded to the upper surface of the actuator unit 21 with solder and pulled out to the left or right.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view of the head body 70 as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 3, the channel unit 4 has a rectangular planar shape extending in one direction (main scanning direction). In FIG. 3, a manifold channel 5 which is a common ink chamber provided in the channel unit 4 is drawn with a broken line. The ink stored in the ink reservoir 3 of the base block 71 is supplied to the manifold channel 5 through the plurality of openings 3a. The manifold channel 5 is branched into a plurality of sub-manifold channels 5 a extending in parallel with the longitudinal direction (main scanning direction) of the channel unit 4.

  On the upper surface of the flow path unit 4, four actuator units 21 having a trapezoidal planar shape are arranged in two rows in a staggered manner so as to avoid the opening 3 a, and are adhered to the upper surface of the flow path unit 4. Has been. Each actuator unit 21 is arranged such that its parallel opposing sides (upper side and lower side) are along the longitudinal direction of the flow path unit 4. The plurality of openings 3 a are arranged in two rows along the longitudinal direction of the flow path unit 4, and a total of ten openings 3 a in five rows are provided at positions that do not interfere with the actuator unit 21. The oblique sides of the adjacent actuator units 21 partially overlap in the width direction (sub-scanning direction) of the flow path unit 4.

  The area on the lower surface of the flow path unit 4 corresponding to the adhesion area of the actuator unit 21 is an ink ejection area in which a large number of nozzles 8 (see FIG. 5) are arranged in a matrix. A pressure chamber group 9 in which a large number of pressure chambers 10 (see FIG. 5) are arranged in a matrix is formed on the upper surface of the flow path unit 4 to which the actuator unit 21 is bonded. In other words, the actuator unit 21 has a dimension that spans a large number of pressure chambers 10 constituting the pressure chamber group 9.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the base block 71 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel. The ink reservoir 3 in the base block 71 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped hollow region extending along the longitudinal direction (main scanning direction) of the base block 71. The ink reservoir 3 is supplied with ink from an ink tank (not shown) installed outside through an opening (not shown) provided at one end thereof, and is always filled with ink. The ink reservoir 3 is provided with a total of ten openings 3b for discharging ink in two rows along the extending direction, and is staggered so as to be connected to the openings 3a of the flow path unit 4. Is provided. That is, the ten openings 3b of the ink reservoir 3 and the ten openings 3a of the flow path unit 4 are provided to have the same positional relationship.

  The lower surface 73 of the base block 71 protrudes downward from the surroundings in the vicinity 73a of the opening 3b. The base block 71 is in contact with the vicinity of the opening 3 a on the upper surface of the flow path unit 4 only at the vicinity 73 a of the opening 3 b on the lower surface 73. Therefore, a region other than the vicinity portion 73a of the opening 3b on the lower surface 73 of the base block 71 is separated from the flow path unit 4, and the actuator unit 21 is disposed in this separated portion.

  The holder 72 includes a gripping portion 72a that grips the base block 71 and a pair of projecting portions 72b that are provided at intervals in the sub-scanning direction and project upward from the upper surface of the gripping portion 72a. The base block 71 is bonded and fixed in a recess formed on the lower surface of the grip portion 72 a of the holder 72. The FPC 50 bonded to the actuator unit 21 is disposed along the surface of the protruding portion 72b of the holder 72 via an elastic member 83 such as a sponge. And driver IC80 is installed on FPC50 arrange | positioned on the protrusion part 72b surface of the holder 72. FIG. That is, the FPC 50 transmits a drive signal output from the driver IC 80 to the actuator unit 21 of the head body 70, and the actuator unit 21 and the driver IC 80 are electrically joined by soldering.

  Since the heat sink 82 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is closely disposed on the outer surface of the driver IC 80, the heat generated in the driver IC 80 can be efficiently dissipated. A substrate 81 connected to the outside of the FPC 50 is disposed above the driver IC 80 and the heat sink 82. The upper surface of the heat sink 82 and the substrate 81, and the lower surface of the heat sink 82 and the FPC 50 are bonded by seal members 84, respectively, to prevent dust and ink from entering the main body of the inkjet head 1. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a region surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line on the upper surface of the flow path unit 4 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, four sub-manifold channels 5 a extend in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the channel unit 4 in a region overlapping the actuator unit 21 in the channel unit 4. A large number of individual ink flow paths leading to each of the nozzles 8 are connected to each sub-manifold flow path 5a. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the individual ink flow paths. As can be seen from FIG. 5, each nozzle 8 communicates with the sub-manifold flow path 5 a via the pressure chamber 10 and the aperture or throttle 13. In this manner, the individual ink flow paths 7 extending from the outlets of the sub-manifold flow paths 5 a to the nozzles 8 through the apertures 13 and the pressure chambers 10 are formed in the head main body 70 for each pressure chamber 10.

[Head cross section]
As can be seen from FIG. 5, the head main body 70 includes, in order from the top, the actuator unit 21, the cavity plate 22, the base plate 23, the aperture plate 24, the supply plate 25, the manifold plates 26, 27, 28, the cover plate 29, and the nozzle plate. It has a laminated structure in which a total of 30 sheet materials of 30 are laminated. Among these, the flow path unit 4 is composed of nine plates excluding the actuator unit 21.

  As will be described in detail later, the actuator unit 21 is formed by stacking four piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 (see FIG. 8) and arranging electrodes, so that only the uppermost layer becomes an active portion when an electric field is applied. A layer having a portion (hereinafter simply referred to as a “layer having an active portion”), and the remaining three layers are non-active layers having no active portion. The cavity plate 22 is a metal plate in which a large number of substantially rhombic holes constituting the gap of the pressure chamber 10 are provided within the pasting range of the actuator unit 21. The base plate 23 is a metal plate in which a communication hole 23 a between the pressure chamber 10 and the aperture 13 and a communication hole 23 b from the pressure chamber 10 to the nozzle 8 are provided for one pressure chamber 10 of the cavity plate 22.

  The aperture plate 24 is a metal plate provided with a hole serving as the aperture 13 and a communication hole from the pressure chamber 10 to the nozzle 8 with respect to one pressure chamber 10 of the cavity plate 22. The supply plate 25 is a metal plate provided with a communication hole between the aperture 13 and the sub-manifold channel 5 a and a communication hole from the pressure chamber 10 to the nozzle 8 for one pressure chamber 10 of the cavity plate 22. The manifold plates 26, 27, and 28 are metal plates each provided with a hole constituting the sub-manifold channel 5 a and a communication hole from the pressure chamber 10 to the nozzle 8 for one pressure chamber 10 of the cavity plate 22. is there. The cover plate 29 is a metal plate provided with a communication hole from the pressure chamber 10 to the nozzle 8 for one pressure chamber 10 of the cavity plate 22. The nozzle plate 30 is a metal plate in which the nozzles 8 are provided for one pressure chamber 10 of the cavity plate 22.

  These ten sheets 21 to 30 are stacked in alignment with each other so that the individual ink flow paths 7 as shown in FIG. 5 are formed. The individual ink flow path 7 is first directed upward from the sub-manifold flow path 5a, extends horizontally at the aperture 13, then further upwards, extends horizontally again at the pressure chamber 10, and then from the aperture 13 for a while. It goes from the diagonally downward direction to the nozzle 8 to the vertically downward direction. In the present embodiment, the nine plates constituting the flow path unit 4 are made of the same metal material, and SUS430 is used. However, the metal plate such as SUS316 or 42 alloy is used. Also good. Moreover, each plate 22-30 may be comprised from a different metal material.

  As is clear from FIG. 5, the pressure chamber 10 and the aperture 13 are provided at different levels in the stacking direction of the plates. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, in the flow path unit 4 facing the actuator unit 21, the aperture 13 communicating with one pressure chamber 10 is seen in plan view with another pressure chamber 10 adjacent to the pressure chamber 10. It is possible to arrange them at overlapping positions. As a result, the pressure chambers 10 are in close contact with each other and are arranged at high density, so that high-resolution image printing is realized by the inkjet head 1 having a relatively small occupation area.

  On the upper and lower surfaces of the base plate 23 and the manifold plate 28, on the upper surfaces of the supply plate 25 and the manifold plates 26 and 27, and on the lower surface of the cover plate 29, there are escape grooves 14 for allowing excess adhesive to flow. Is provided so as to surround the opening formed. The presence of the escape groove 14 prevents the adhesive at the time of bonding the plates from protruding into the individual ink flow path, and the flow resistance is fluctuated.

[Details of nozzle plate]
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the nozzle plate shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle plate 30 is formed with a nozzle 8 having a nozzle outlet 8a having a diameter of 20 μm. The nozzle 8 has a hole (straight hole) 121 having a central axis D parallel to the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 30 and having a cylindrical inner surface, and a hole (tapered hole) 125 having a frustoconical inner surface. The upper end portion of the hole 121 and the lower end portion (small diameter side) end portion of the hole 125 are connected to communicate with each other. A bent point 138 where the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 8 is bent is formed at a portion where the hole 121 and the hole 125 are connected. The hole 125 functions as a diaphragm for increasing the ink discharge pressure, and thereby the ink discharge speed is increased. The holes 121 have a function of restricting the ink discharge direction to a direction along the central axis D, thereby suppressing variations in the ink discharge direction and discharging the ink in the direction along the central axis D. Therefore, compared with the case where the nozzle 8 is formed only with either the straight hole portion or the tapered hole portion, the nozzle plate is excellent in both high-speed ink ejection and stability in the ejection direction. The inner peripheral surface of the hole 121 is parallel to the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 30 (the direction of the central axis D of the hole 121), and the length along the central axis D of the nozzle 8 is 40 μm. The inner diameter of the hole 121 is 20 μm. The length of the hole 125 parallel to the central axis D is 40 μm, and the thickness of the nozzle plate 30 is 80 μm.

In addition, the nozzle plate 30 includes silicon as an insulating film 131 on the entire surface of the ink discharge surface 70a and the surface (upper surface 141) opposite to the cover plate 29, which is the opposite surface of the ink discharge surface 70a, and the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 8. An oxide film (SiO ₂ ) is formed. As described above, since the insulating film 131 is also formed on the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 8, minute unevenness on the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 8 generated when the holes 121 and 125 are formed is coated to improve the flatness. For this reason, the flow path resistance of the ink discharged from the nozzle 8 through the individual ink flow path 7 becomes small, and the ink discharged from the nozzle 8 is smoothly discharged.

  On the insulating film 131 of the nozzle plate 30, there is a chromium film on the ink discharge surface 70 a and the region from the ink discharge surface 70 a to the hole 121 of the nozzle 8 (the end region on the ink discharge surface 70 a side of the hole 121). A conductive film 133 formed by laminating a nickel film is continuously formed. A method for forming the conductive film 133 up to the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle hole 121 will be described later. A fluororesin-containing nickel water-repellent film 135 is formed on the conductive film 133 so as to have a uniform thickness. Since the conductive film 133 is formed over the entire ink discharge surface 70a and the region extending from the hole 121 of the nozzle 8, the water repellent film 135 is also formed in substantially the same region as the conductive film 133. For this reason, the ink ejected from the nozzle 8 is less likely to adhere to the ink ejection surface 70a.

[Details of channel unit]
Returning to FIG. 4, a pressure chamber group 9 composed of a large number of pressure chambers 10 is formed in the pasting range of the actuator unit 21. The pressure chamber group 9 has a trapezoidal shape substantially the same size as the pasting range of the actuator unit 21. One pressure chamber group 9 is formed for each actuator unit 21.

  As is apparent from FIG. 4, each pressure chamber 10 belonging to the pressure chamber group 9 communicates with the nozzle 8 at one end of the long diagonal, and the sub-manifold flow path via the aperture 13 at the other end of the long diagonal. 5a is communicated. As will be described later, on the actuator unit 21, individual electrodes 35 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) having a substantially rhombus shape and slightly smaller than the pressure chamber 10 are arranged in a matrix so as to face the pressure chamber 10. It is arranged. In FIG. 4, in order to make the drawing easy to understand, the nozzle 8, the pressure chamber 10, the aperture 13, and the like, which should be drawn with broken lines in the flow path unit 4, are drawn with solid lines.

  The pressure chambers 10 are adjacently arranged in a matrix in two directions of the arrangement direction A (first direction) and the arrangement direction B (second direction). The arrangement direction A is the longitudinal direction of the inkjet head 1, that is, the extending direction of the flow path unit 4, and is parallel to the shorter diagonal line of the pressure chamber 10. The arrangement direction B is an oblique side direction of the pressure chamber 10 that forms an obtuse angle θ with the arrangement direction A. Both acute angle portions of the pressure chamber 10 are located between two adjacent pressure chambers.

  The pressure chambers 10 adjacently arranged in a matrix in two directions of the arrangement direction A and the arrangement direction B are separated along the arrangement direction A by a distance corresponding to 37.5 dpi. Further, 16 pressure chambers 10 are arranged in the arrangement direction B in one actuator unit 21.

  A large number of pressure chambers 10 arranged in a matrix form a plurality of pressure chamber rows along the arrangement direction A shown in FIG. The pressure chamber rows are the first pressure chamber row 11a and the second pressure depending on the relative position with respect to the sub-manifold channel 5a when viewed from the direction (third direction) perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. It is divided into a chamber row 11b, a third pressure chamber row 11c, and a fourth pressure chamber row 11d. Each of the first to fourth pressure chamber rows 11a to 11d is periodically arranged in the order of 11c → 11d → 11a → 11b → 11c → 11d → ... → 11b from the upper side to the lower side of the actuator unit 21. Has been placed.

  In the pressure chambers 10a constituting the first pressure chamber row 11a and the pressure chambers 10b constituting the second pressure chamber row 11b, a direction (fourth direction) orthogonal to the arrangement direction A when viewed from the third direction. ), The nozzle 8 is unevenly distributed on the lower side of the sheet of FIG. The nozzles 8 face the lower end portions of the corresponding pressure chambers 10. On the other hand, in the pressure chambers 10c constituting the third pressure chamber row 11c and the pressure chambers 10d constituting the fourth pressure chamber row 11d, the nozzles 8 are unevenly distributed on the upper side in FIG. 4 in the fourth direction. Yes. The nozzles 8 are opposed to the vicinity of the upper end portions of the corresponding pressure chambers 10 respectively. In the first and fourth pressure chamber rows 11a and 11d, when viewed from the third direction, more than half of the pressure chambers 10a and 10d overlap the sub-manifold channel 5a. In the second and third pressure chamber rows 11b and 11c, almost the entire region of the pressure chambers 10b and 10c does not overlap with the sub manifold channel 5a when viewed from the third direction. Therefore, for the pressure chambers 10 belonging to any pressure chamber row, the width of the sub manifold channel 5a is made as wide as possible while preventing the nozzle 8 communicating therewith from overlapping with the sub manifold channel 5a. 10 can be supplied smoothly.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the head main body 70 includes a plurality of peripheral edges having the same shape and the same size as the pressure chambers 10 along the long side of the parallel sides forming a pair of trapezoidal pressure chamber groups 9. The gaps 15 are arranged in a straight line over the entire long side. The peripheral gap 15 is defined by a hole having the same shape and the same size as the pressure chamber 10 formed in the cavity plate 22 being closed by the actuator unit 21 and the base plate 23. That is, the ink flow path is not connected to the peripheral gap 15, and the opposing electrode 35 is not provided in the peripheral gap 15. That is, the peripheral gap 15 is not filled with ink.

  Further, in the head main body 70, a large number of peripheral gaps 16 are arranged in a straight line along the short sides of the parallel sides that form a pair of trapezoidal pressure chamber groups 9. . Further, in the head main body 70, a large number of peripheral gaps 17 are arranged in a straight line along the entire hypotenuses of the trapezoidal pressure chamber group 9. The peripheral gaps 16 and 17 both penetrate the cavity plate 22 in a region of a regular triangle in plan view. No ink flow path is connected to the peripheral gaps 16, 17, and no individual electrodes 35 are provided in the peripheral gaps 16, 17. That is, like the peripheral gap 15, the peripheral gaps 16 and 17 are not filled with ink.

[Details of actuator unit]
Next, the configuration of the actuator unit 21 will be described. A large number of individual electrodes 35 are arranged in a matrix on the actuator unit 21 in the same pattern as the pressure chamber 10. Each individual electrode 35 is disposed at a position facing the pressure chamber 10 in plan view.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view of the individual electrode 35. As shown in FIG. 7, the individual electrode 35 is arranged at a position facing the pressure chamber 10 and is accommodated in the pressure chamber 10 in a plan view, and is connected to the main electrode region 35 a and has a pressure. The auxiliary electrode region 35 b is disposed at a position facing the outside of the chamber 10.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the actuator unit 21 includes four piezoelectric sheets 41, 42, 43, and 44 formed to have the same thickness of about 15 μm. These piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 are continuous layered flat plates (continuous flat plate layers) so as to be disposed across a number of pressure chambers 10 formed in one ink discharge region in the head main body 70. . Since the piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 are arranged as a continuous flat plate layer across a large number of pressure chambers 10, the individual electrodes 35 can be arranged on the piezoelectric sheet 41 with high density by using, for example, a screen printing technique. It has become. For this reason, the pressure chambers 10 formed at positions corresponding to the individual electrodes 35 can be arranged with high density, and high-resolution images can be printed. The piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 are made of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic material having ferroelectricity.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the main electrode region 35 a of the individual electrode 35 formed on the uppermost piezoelectric sheet 41 has a substantially rhombic planar shape that is substantially similar to the pressure chamber 10. The lower acute angle portion of the substantially rhomboid main electrode region 35 a extends and is connected to the auxiliary electrode region 35 b facing the outside of the pressure chamber 10. A circular land portion 36 electrically connected to the individual electrode 35 is provided at the tip of the auxiliary electrode region 35b. As shown in FIG. 8, the land portion 36 faces a region where the pressure chamber 10 is not formed in the cavity plate 22. The land portion 36 is made of, for example, gold containing glass frit, and is bonded on the surface of the extending portion in the auxiliary electrode region 35b as shown in FIG. Although the illustration of the FPC 50 is omitted in FIG. 8, the land portion 36 is electrically joined to a contact provided on the FPC 50. When performing this joining, it is necessary to press the contact of the FPC 50 against the land portion 36. Since the pressure chamber 10 is not formed in the area of the cavity plate 22 facing the land portion 36, reliable bonding can be performed by sufficient pressing.

  A common electrode 34 having the same outer shape as the piezoelectric sheet 41 and a thickness of approximately 2 μm is interposed between the uppermost piezoelectric sheet 41 and the lower piezoelectric sheet 42. Both the individual electrode 35 and the common electrode 34 are made of, for example, a metal material such as an Ag—Pd system.

  The common electrode 34 is grounded in a region not shown. As a result, the common electrode 34 is kept at an equally constant potential in the region corresponding to all the pressure chambers 10, that is, the ground potential in the present embodiment. In addition, the individual electrode 35 is a driver via an FPC 50 and a land portion 36 including separate lead wires for each individual electrode 35 so that the potential of each individual electrode 35 corresponding to each pressure chamber 10 can be controlled. It is connected to IC80.

[Driving method of actuator unit]
Next, a method for driving the actuator unit 21 will be described. The polarization direction of the piezoelectric sheet 41 in the actuator unit 21 is the thickness direction. That is, the actuator unit 21 has one piezoelectric sheet 41 on the upper side (that is, separated from the pressure chamber 10) as a layer in which the active portion is present and three piezoelectric sheets on the lower side (that is, close to the pressure chamber 10). It has a so-called unimorph type structure in which 42 to 44 are inactive layers. Therefore, when the individual electrode 35 is set to a positive or negative predetermined potential, the electric field application portion sandwiched between the electrodes in the piezoelectric sheet 41 functions as an active portion (pressure generation portion). Shrink in the direction perpendicular to the polarization direction due to the piezoelectric transverse effect.

  In the present embodiment, a portion of the piezoelectric sheet 41 sandwiched between the main electrode region 35a and the common electrode 34 functions as an active portion that generates distortion due to the piezoelectric effect when an electric field is applied. On the other hand, the three piezoelectric sheets 42 to 44 below the piezoelectric sheet 41 are not applied with an electric field from the outside, and therefore hardly function as active parts. Accordingly, a portion of the piezoelectric sheet 41 sandwiched mainly between the main electrode region 35a and the common electrode 34 is contracted in a direction perpendicular to the polarization direction due to the piezoelectric lateral effect.

  On the other hand, the piezoelectric sheets 42 to 44 are not spontaneously displaced because they are not affected by the electric field, and therefore, the piezoelectric sheets 42 to 44 are not displaced in the direction perpendicular to the polarization direction between the upper piezoelectric sheet 41 and the lower piezoelectric sheets 42 to 44. A difference is caused in the distortion, and the entire piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 try to be deformed so as to protrude toward the non-active side (unimorph deformation). At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the lower surface of the actuator unit 21 composed of the piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 is fixed to the upper surface of the partition wall (cavity plate) 22 that divides the pressure chamber. The sheets 41 to 44 are deformed so as to protrude toward the pressure chamber. For this reason, the volume of the pressure chamber 10 is reduced, the pressure of the ink is increased, and the ink is ejected from the nozzle 8. Thereafter, when the individual electrode 35 is returned to the same potential as that of the common electrode 34, the piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 return to the original shape and the volume of the pressure chamber 10 returns to the original volume. Inhale.

  As another driving method, the individual electrode 35 is set to a potential different from that of the common electrode 34 in advance, and the individual electrode 35 is once set to the same potential as the common electrode 34 every time there is an ejection request, and then again individually at a predetermined timing. The electrode 35 can be at a different potential from the common electrode 34. In this case, when the individual electrodes 35 and the common electrode 34 are at the same potential, the piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 return to their original shapes, so that the volume of the pressure chamber 10 is in an initial state (the potentials of the two electrodes are different). ) And the ink is sucked into the pressure chamber 10 from the side of the sub manifold channel 5a. Thereafter, at the timing when the individual electrode 35 is set to a potential different from that of the common electrode 34 again, the piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44 are deformed so as to protrude toward the pressure chamber 10, and the pressure on the ink increases due to the volume reduction of the pressure chamber 10. Ink is ejected.

[Operation example when printing]
Returning to FIG. 4 again, a strip-like region R having a width (678.0 μm) corresponding to 37.5 dpi in the arrangement direction A and extending in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction A (fourth direction) will be considered. In the strip-shaped region R, there is only one nozzle 8 in any of the 16 pressure chamber rows 11a to 11d. That is, when such a belt-like region R is partitioned at an arbitrary position in the ink discharge region corresponding to one actuator unit 21, 16 nozzles 8 are always distributed in the belt-like region R. . The positions of the points where the 16 nozzles 8 are projected on a straight line extending in the arrangement direction A are separated by an interval corresponding to 600 dpi which is the resolution at the time of printing.

  The sixteen nozzles 8 belonging to one band-shaped region R are written as (1) to (16) in order from the left of the projected position of the sixteen nozzles 8 on the straight line extending in the arrangement direction A. These 16 nozzles 8 are (1), (9), (5), (13), (2), (10), (6), (14), (3) from the bottom. , (11), (7), (15), (4), (12), (8), (16). In the inkjet head 1 configured as described above, when the actuator unit 21 is appropriately driven in accordance with the conveyance of the printing medium, characters, figures, and the like having a resolution of 600 dpi can be drawn.

  For example, a case where a straight line extending in the arrangement direction A is printed with a resolution of 600 dpi will be described. First, the case of the reference example in which the nozzle 8 communicates with the acute angle portion on the same side of the pressure chamber 10 will be briefly described. In this case, in response to the printing butterfly being conveyed, ink discharge is started from the nozzle 8 in the pressure chamber row located at the bottom in FIG. The nozzle 8 to which it belongs is selected and ink is ejected. As a result, ink dots are formed while being adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction A at an interval of 600 dpi. Eventually, a straight line extending in the arrangement direction A is drawn with a resolution of 600 dpi as a whole.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, ink discharge starts from the nozzle 8 in the pressure chamber row 11b located at the bottom in FIG. 4, and the print medium is sequentially conveyed to the upper adjacent pressure chamber as the print medium is conveyed. The communicating nozzle 8 is selected and ink is ejected. At this time, since the displacement of the nozzle position in the arrangement direction A is not the same every time one pressure chamber line rises from the lower side to the upper side, the ink is sequentially formed along the arrangement direction A as the print medium is conveyed. The dots are not evenly spaced at 600 dpi.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in response to the printing medium being transported, first, ink is ejected from the nozzle (1) communicating with the lowermost pressure chamber row 11b in the figure, and onto the printing medium. Dot rows are formed at intervals corresponding to 37.5 dpi. Thereafter, when the straight line formation position reaches the position of the nozzle (9) communicating with the second pressure chamber row 11a from the bottom along with the conveyance of the printing medium, ink is ejected from the nozzle (9). As a result, a second ink dot is formed at a position displaced in the arrangement direction A by 8 times the interval corresponding to 600 dpi from the initially formed dot position.

  Next, when the straight line formation position reaches the position of the nozzle (5) communicating with the third pressure chamber row 11d from the bottom along with the conveyance of the printing medium, ink is ejected from the nozzle (5). As a result, a third ink dot is formed at a position displaced in the arrangement direction A by four times the interval corresponding to 600 dpi from the initially formed dot position. Further, when the printing medium is conveyed and the straight line formation position reaches the position of the nozzle (13) communicating with the fourth pressure chamber row 11c from the bottom, ink is ejected from the nozzle (13). As a result, a fourth ink dot is formed at a position displaced in the arrangement direction A by 12 times the interval corresponding to 600 dpi from the position of the dot formed first. Further, when the straight line formation position reaches the position of the nozzle (2) communicating with the fifth pressure chamber row 11b from the bottom along with the conveyance of the printing medium, ink is ejected from the nozzle (2). As a result, a fifth ink dot is formed at a position displaced in the arrangement direction A by an interval corresponding to 600 dpi from the initially formed dot position.

  In the same manner, ink dots are sequentially formed while selecting the nozzles 8 communicating with the pressure chambers 10 positioned from the lower side to the upper side in the drawing. At this time, if the number of the nozzle 8 shown in FIG. 4 is N, the arrangement direction from the dot position formed first is equivalent to (magnification n = N−1) × (interval corresponding to 600 dpi). Ink dots are formed at positions displaced to A. When 16 nozzles 8 have been finally selected, the distance between the ink dots formed by the nozzle (1) in the lowermost pressure chamber row 11b in the drawing at an interval corresponding to 37.5 dpi is 600 dpi. It is possible to draw a straight line extending in the arrangement direction A with a resolution of 600 dpi as a whole, which is connected by 15 dots formed at intervals corresponding to each other.

  Note that, in the vicinity of both end portions (the oblique sides of the actuator unit 21) in the arrangement direction A of each ink discharge region, the ink discharge region in the arrangement direction A corresponding to another actuator unit 21 facing the width direction of the head body 70. Printing at a resolution of 600 dpi is possible by having a complementary relationship with the vicinity of both ends.

[Inkjet head manufacturing method]
Next, a method for manufacturing the above-described inkjet head 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a manufacturing process diagram of the inkjet head 1.

  In order to manufacture the inkjet head 1, components such as the flow path unit 4 and the actuator unit 21 are separately manufactured, and then the components are assembled. First, in step 1 (S1), the flow path unit 4 is produced. In order to produce the flow path unit 4, the plates 22 to 29 except for the nozzle plate 30 among the plates 22 to 30 constituting the flow path unit 4 are etched using a patterned photoresist as a mask. Are formed in each of the plates 22-29. Then, as will be described later, a plurality of nozzles 8 are formed on the nozzle plate 30 with a punch 155, and after forming a water repellent film on the ink discharge surface 70a of the nozzle plate 30 and a part of the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 8, individual inks are formed. Nine plates 22 to 30 aligned so as to form the flow path 7 are superposed via an epoxy thermosetting adhesive. The nine plates 22 to 30 are heated while being pressurized to a temperature equal to or higher than the curing temperature of the thermosetting adhesive. Thereby, the thermosetting adhesive is cured and the nine plates 22 to 30 are fixed to each other, and the flow path unit 4 as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained. Since each plate 22-30 is formed with the same metal material at this time, since the linear expansion coefficient of each plate 22-30 becomes the same, the flow path unit 4 does not warp to one side.

  On the other hand, to produce the actuator unit 21, first, in Step 2 (S2), a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic green sheets are prepared. The green sheet is formed in advance by taking into account the amount of shrinkage caused by firing. A conductive paste is screen-printed on the pattern of the common electrode 34 on some of the green sheets. Then, while aligning the green sheets using a jig, the green sheet on which the conductive paste is printed with the pattern of the common electrode 34 is superimposed on the green sheet on which the conductive paste is not printed, Two green sheets on which no conductive paste is printed are overlapped thereunder.

  In step 3 (S3), the laminate obtained in step 2 is degreased in the same manner as known ceramics, and further fired at a predetermined temperature. Thereby, the four green sheets become the piezoelectric sheets 41 to 44, and the conductive paste becomes the common electrode 34. Thereafter, the conductive paste is screen-printed on the pattern of the individual electrodes 35 on the uppermost piezoelectric sheet 41. Then, the conductive paste is baked by heat-treating the laminate, and the individual electrode 35 is formed on the piezoelectric sheet 41. Thereafter, gold including glass frit is printed on the individual electrode 35 to form the land portion 36. In this way, the actuator unit 21 as depicted in FIG. 8 can be manufactured.

  As a modified example, the actuator unit after the heat bonding between the actuator unit in which the individual electrode 35 and the land portion 36 are not formed (this may be referred to as an actuator unit for convenience in this specification) and the flow path unit 4 is performed. A conductive paste may be screen-printed on the pattern of the individual electrode 35 and further heat-treated. In addition, a green sheet obtained by screen-printing the conductive paste on the pattern of the individual electrode 35 is prepared, and a green sheet printed with the conductive paste on the pattern of the common electrode 34 is overlaid thereon, and further below the conductive sheet A heat treatment may be applied to a laminate in which two green sheets on which no adhesive paste is printed are stacked.

  In addition, since the flow path unit preparation process of step 1 and the actuator unit preparation process of steps 2-3 are performed independently, any may be performed first and may be performed in parallel.

  Next, in step 4 (S4), an epoxy-based thermosetting property having a thermosetting temperature of about 80 ° C. on the surface where a large number of recesses corresponding to the pressure chambers of the flow path unit 4 obtained in step 1 are formed. Adhesive is applied using a bar coater. As the thermosetting adhesive, for example, a two-component mixed type is used.

  Subsequently, in step 5, the actuator unit 21 is placed on the thermosetting adhesive layer applied to the flow path unit 4. At this time, each actuator unit 21 is positioned with respect to the flow path unit 4 so that the active portion and the pressure chamber 10 face each other. This positioning is performed based on positioning marks (not shown) formed on the flow path unit 4 and the actuator unit 21 in advance in the manufacturing process (step 1 to step 3).

  Next, in step 6 (S6), a heating / pressurizing device (not shown) of the flow path unit 4, the laminate of the thermosetting adhesive between the flow path unit 4 and the actuator unit 21, and the actuator unit 21 is not shown. And pressurizing while heating above the curing temperature of the thermosetting adhesive. In step 7 (S7), the laminated body taken out from the heating / pressurizing device is naturally cooled. Thus, the head main body 70 constituted by the flow path unit 4 and the actuator unit 21 is manufactured.

  Thereafter, after the adhesion step of the FPC 50 is performed, the above-described inkjet head 1 is completed through the adhesion step of the base block 71 and the like.

  Then, the detail of the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate 30 which comprises some flow path units 4 mentioned above is demonstrated below. FIG. 10 shows a manufacturing process of the nozzle plate 30 of the ink jet head according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 (a) is a diagram showing a state before the nozzle is formed on the metal plate, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the condition in which the nozzle hole used as a nozzle was formed, (c) is a figure which shows the condition in which the nozzle was formed in the metal plate, (d) is the condition in which the insulating film was formed in the metal plate. FIG.

  First, in order to manufacture the nozzle plate 30, a punch 155 of a mold part shown in FIG. 10A is driven into a rectangular flat metal plate 151 made of SUS430. The punch 155 has a tapered truncated cone-shaped tapered portion 156 formed on the proximal end side, a cylindrical portion 157 on the distal end side, and a bent portion 158 that connects the tapered portion 156 and the cylindrical portion 157.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 10A, the punch 155 is driven from the upper surface 141 side of the metal plate 151 with a stroke not penetrating the metal plate 151, so that the nozzle hole is formed in the metal plate 151 as shown in FIG. 148 is formed. The nozzle hole 148 is a bent (straight hole) 121 and a hole (tapered hole) 125 corresponding to the tapered portion 156, the cylindrical portion 157, and the bent portion 158 of the punch 155, and the bent connecting the holes 121 and 125. Point 138.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, since the punch 155 is driven from the upper surface 141 side of the metal plate 151, a convex portion 151a is inevitably formed on the lower surface of the metal plate 151. As shown in the figure, the convex portion 151 a is removed by polishing with a grinding machine to flatten the lower surface of the metal plate, and the ink outlet 8 a is formed on the lower surface of the metal plate 151. At the same time, the lower portion 151b where the tip portion of the hole formed by the cylindrical portion 157 of the punch 155 of the metal plate 151 is present (the metal plate portion below the portion indicated by the broken line in FIG. 10B) is removed. Only the portion corresponding to the hole (straight hole) 121 is left on the metal plate 151. Thus, the nozzle 8 as shown in FIG. 10C is formed on the metal plate 151. Accordingly, since all the nozzles 8 are formed leaving the holes (straight hole portions) 121, the opening diameters of the ink outlets 8a are substantially uniform, and variations in ink discharge speed are reduced.

Next, the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 8 and the upper surface 141 and the lower surface (ink ejection surface 70a) of the metal plate 151 are cleaned and degreased by dry cleaning (other ultrasonic waves or the like). . Then, as shown in FIG. 10 (d), the film thickness is reduced to 0 by the dry film forming method of PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) method on the inner peripheral surface, the upper surface 141 and the ink ejection surface 70a of the nozzle 8 of the metal plate 151. A silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ ) to be an insulating film 131 having a thickness of 3 to 5 μm is formed. At this time, the similar insulating film 131 may be formed by a dry film-forming CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method or a wet film-forming sol-gel method.

  Next, the metal plate 151 on which the insulating film 131 is formed is set in the vapor deposition apparatus illustrated in FIG. 11, and the conductive film 133 is formed in a predetermined region. FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an apparatus for forming a conductive film 133 on the nozzle plate of the ink jet head according to the present embodiment. An ion plating method or a vapor deposition method can be used to form the conductive film 133. In this embodiment mode, a vapor deposition method having excellent straightness of evaporated particles is selected. As shown in FIG. 11, the vapor deposition device 171 rotates while tilting the support plate 176 that supports two crucibles 175 containing a metal material for film formation of chromium (Cr) or nickel (Ni) and the metal plate 151. An apparatus main body 172 provided with a rotating jig 178 that can be supported and a turntable 179 to which the rotating jig 178 is fixed, and a turntable 179 provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 172 is rotated via a shaft 173a. And a motor 173. A motor (not shown) is connected to the rotation jig 178, and is rotated by the motor.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the metal plate 151 on which the insulating film 131 is formed is attached to the rotating jig 178 of the vapor deposition apparatus 171 so as to be inclined, and a metal material for film formation of chromium (Cr) or nickel (Ni) is contained. Two crucibles 175 are placed on the support base 176. Then, while rotating the rotating jig 178 supporting the metal plate 151 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 11, the motor 173 is driven to rotate the turntable 179 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 11 through the shaft 173a. That is, the metal plate 151 revolves by the turntable 179 while rotating by the rotating jig 178. The rotation direction A is a direction that rotates about an axis parallel to the center axis D of the nozzle 8. Next, electrons emitted from an electron gun (not shown) are irradiated into a crucible 175 containing chromium metal to dissolve and evaporate the chromium metal and evaporate the chromium metal in the direction of arrow C in FIG. Make particles fly straight. The vaporized particles of chromium metal flying straight from the crucible 175 pass through the opening window 179a provided in the turntable 179, adhere to the metal plate 151, and deposit a thin film of chromium film on the metal plate 151. At this time, the thickness of the chromium film is adjusted to 0.05 to 0.1 μm and formed on the metal plate 151.

  Next, similarly, electrons are irradiated into the crucible 175 containing nickel metal to dissolve and evaporate the nickel metal, and fly straight toward the metal plate 151. The nickel metal evaporated particles flying straight from the crucible 175 pass through the opening window 179a provided on the turntable 179, adhere to the chromium film of the metal plate 151, and deposit the nickel film on the chromium film of the metal plate 151. Film. At this time, the nickel film is formed on the metal plate 151 by adjusting the thickness of the nickel film to 0.1 to 1 μm thicker than the chromium film. Thus, a conductive film 133 made of a chromium-nickel film is formed on the insulating film 131 of the metal plate 151. Chromium has a high electric resistance and is not suitable for electrolytic plating, but the deposited film has good adhesion. On the other hand, nickel has low electric resistance and is suitable for electrolytic plating. Therefore, in this embodiment, a chromium film having good adhesion is formed on the metal plate 151, and then a nickel film suitable for electrolytic plating is formed.

  Here, the formation position of the conductive film 133 formed on the insulating film 131 of the metal plate 151 will be described. FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the metal plate shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the metal plate 151 is in a state where the ink discharge surface 70a is inclined about 30 ° from the flying direction of the evaporated particles that fly straight (in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 12). D is fixed to the rotating jig 178 in a state where D is inclined with respect to the flying direction of the evaporated particles. By fixing the metal plate 151 by inclining in this way, the conductive film 133 is formed on a part of the inner peripheral surface of the ink discharge surface 70 a to which the evaporated particles that fly straight and the nozzle 121 have holes 121 attached thereto. In the conductive film 133 formed in the hole 121 of the nozzle 8, as shown in FIG. 12, the evaporated particles flying straight are blocked by one end portion in FIG. 12 of the nozzle outlet 8a, so that the evaporated particles fly from the ink discharge surface 70a. It forms over the position of the desired depth according to the inclination angle of the metal plate 151 with respect to the direction. That is, when the metal plate 151 is fixed to the rotating jig 178, if the inclination angle is changed as in the metal plate 151 ′ indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Thus, a conductive film having a longer depth from the ink discharge surface 70a than the conductive film 133 described above can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to form the conductive film 133 from the ink discharge surface 70 a to the position of the desired depth of the hole 121 of the nozzle 8 by the inclination angle for fixing the metal plate 151. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the metal plate 151 fixed to the rotating jig 178 is 30 ° to 60 ° as shown in FIG. 12 between the ink discharge surface 70a and the flying direction of the evaporated particles. Within the range of By setting the inclination angle in this manner, the conductive film 133 can be formed from the ink discharge surface 70 a to a desired depth position on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 121 except for the hole 125 of the nozzle 8.

  Further, by rotating the metal plate 151 with the rotation jig 178, the conductive film 133 can be formed with a uniform thickness on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical hole 121 of the nozzle 8. Further, by rotating the metal plate 151 with the turntable 179, even if the number of evaporated particles forming the conductive film 133 in the apparatus main body 172 is biased and fly straight toward the metal plate 151, the ink discharge surface 70a and the nozzle The conductive film 133 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the eight holes 121 can be formed more uniformly.

  Note that in this embodiment mode, the conductive film 133 is formed by forming a chromium film having excellent adhesion with the insulating film 131 and then forming a nickel film with low electrical resistance. A conductive film made of any metal material may be used as long as the adhesiveness is good. For example, a conductive film made of aluminum, copper, tantalum, titanium, or the like may be used. Further, only the nickel film may be stacked without stacking the chromium film.

  Next, a nickel water repellent film 135 containing a fluorine-based polymer material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is formed on the conductive film 133 on the metal plate 151 by a known electrolytic plating method. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, the water repellent film 135 is formed by isotropic growth only on the conductive film 133 by the electrolytic plating method. That is, the water repellent film 135 is formed in the region from the ink outlet 8a to a desired depth position on the entire ink discharge surface 70a on which the conductive film 133 is formed and the inner peripheral surface of the hole 121 of the nozzle 8. Thus, the nozzle plate 30 is completed. When the water repellent film 135 is formed by electrolytic plating, the water repellent film 135 isotropically grows only on the conductive film 133, so that the thickness becomes uniform.

  According to the method for manufacturing the nozzle plate 30 of the ink jet head 1 as described above, the conductive film 133 can be formed up to a desired depth position on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 121 of the nozzle 8. Even if the thickness is not excessive, the water repellent film 135 can be formed as a continuous smooth surface extending from the ink discharge surface 70 a to a position at a desired depth on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 121. As a result, the water repellent film 135 does not grow into an overhang shape that covers the nozzle hole in the vicinity of the ink outlet 8a of the hole 121 of the nozzle 8, unlike the conventional case, and the image quality due to the breakage of the conventional overhang portion is prevented. There is no problem of deterioration. That is, in the present embodiment, the water-repellent film 135 is formed by isotropically growing on the surface of the conductive film 133 formed up to a desired depth position on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 121. However, since this surface has a certain width equal to or larger than the thickness of the conductive film in the depth direction of the hole 121, it does not have an overhang shape that partially protrudes as in the prior art, and there is no undulation. Grows as a smooth surface. Therefore, there is no problem that the shape of the ink ejection port (ink outlet 8a) of the nozzle is disturbed due to breakage of the overhang portion, and there is no possibility of image quality deterioration.

  Further, since the water repellent film 135 can be formed up to a desired depth position on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 121, the ink meniscus is stably formed at a position relatively away from the ink discharge surface 70a. Can be made easier. That is, even if the ink meniscus is formed near the ink outlet 8 a of the nozzle 8, the water repellent film 135 that repels the ink is formed there, so the position of the meniscus is not stable, and the meniscus is in the hole 121. This is because it becomes stable only when it is displaced to a position where the water repellent film 135 is not formed. In this way, when the meniscus is separated from the ink discharge surface 70a, it is possible to prevent the meniscus from being destroyed by ink or the like attached to the ink discharge surface 70a. The ink discharge surface 70a is formed with the water repellent film 135, so that it is difficult for ink to adhere to it, but even if the water repellent film 135 on the ink discharge surface 70a is peeled off after a long period of use, the meniscus is destroyed. Is prevented. Therefore, the ink ejection direction is not disturbed, and the ink ejection performance can be stabilized.

  Further, since the insulating film 131 is also formed on the entire inner peripheral surface of the nozzle 8, a meniscus is particularly stably formed at the boundary between the water repellent film 135 formed in the hole 121 of the nozzle 8 and the insulating film 131. It becomes easy. That is, since the insulating film 131 has better wettability (hydrophilicity) than the metal surface, the boundary between the insulating film 131 and the water repellent film 135 is clear, and a meniscus is reliably formed at the boundary portion. Therefore, by forming the water repellent film 135 in the nozzle 8, it is possible to set a position where a meniscus is easily formed to a desired position.

  Further, since the water repellent film 135 is formed only on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 121 of the nozzle 8, the meniscus is formed in the hole (straight hole) 121 of the nozzle 8. , The meniscus is displaced in the hole 121 and the meniscus does not pass through the bending point 138. Therefore, when the ink is ejected, the meniscus diameter does not change greatly, so that the landing accuracy of the ink ejected from the nozzle does not decrease. In the present embodiment, the nozzle 8 includes a hole (straight hole) 121 having a cylindrical inner surface, a hole (tapered hole) 125 having a frustoconical inner surface, and a bending point 138 connecting them. As described above, both the increase in the ink discharge speed and the stability in the ink discharge direction are realized. However, when the ink meniscus passes, It has a bending point 138 that greatly changes its diameter, and includes a factor that makes the meniscus unstable. That is, when the meniscus passes the bending point 138 during ink ejection, the meniscus diameter fluctuates, and the meniscus objectivity is disturbed accordingly, which adversely affects the ejection characteristics. However, as described above, the meniscus is stably formed on the inner peripheral surface of the hole 121, and the meniscus is displaced within the range of the hole 121 when ink is ejected. The increase in the ink discharge speed and the stability in the ink discharge direction are realized.

  In addition, since the insulating film 131 is also formed on the upper surface 141 of the nozzle plate 30, adhesion with the cover plate 29 to be joined is improved when the flow path unit 4 is manufactured. Therefore, the adhesiveness when the adhesive between the nozzle plate 30 and the cover plate 29 is used is also improved.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made as long as they are described in the claims. For example, in the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate 30 in the above-described embodiment, the conductive film 133 may be formed without rotating and revolving the nozzle plate 30. Further, in the case where the conductive film 133 is formed on the nozzle 8, if the conductive film is deposited by conductive particles flying straight, the nozzle plate is inclined as described above by an appropriate deposition method. Alternatively, the conductive film may be formed in a state where the conductive fine particles fly straight from the direction inclined with respect to the central axis of the nozzle 8. Further, the insulating film 131 may be removed after the water repellent film 135 is formed on the nozzle plate 30.

1 is a perspective view of an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing along the II-II line of FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a head body included in the inkjet head shown in FIG. 1. It is an enlarged view of the area | region enclosed with the dashed-dotted line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view corresponding to a pressure chamber of the head body shown in FIG. 3. It is an expanded sectional view of the nozzle plate shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of individual electrodes formed on the actuator unit depicted in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the actuator unit depicted in FIG. 3. It is a manufacturing process figure of the ink jet head concerning the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4A and 4B show a manufacturing process of a nozzle plate of an ink jet head according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A shows a state before forming nozzles on a metal plate, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the condition where the nozzle hole was formed, (c) is a figure which shows the condition where the nozzle was formed in the metal plate, (d) is the figure which shows the condition where the insulating film was formed in the metal plate. is there. It is the schematic of the apparatus which forms a electrically conductive film in the nozzle plate of the inkjet head which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the metal plate shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet head 8 Nozzle 8a Nozzle exit 30 Nozzle plate 70 Head main body 70a Ink discharge surface 121 Hole (straight hole)
125 holes (taper hole)
131 Insulating film 133 Conductive film 135 Water repellent film 138 Bending point 141 Upper surface 151 Metal plate (metal substrate)

Claims (8)

Forming a hole to be a nozzle for discharging ink in the metal substrate so as to have a central axis perpendicular to one surface of the metal substrate to be an ink discharge surface;
Forming an insulating film on the metal substrate so as to cover a region extending from the ink discharge surface to the inner peripheral surface of the hole;
By causing conductive particles to fly straight from the direction inclined with respect to the central axis of the hole toward the ink discharge surface, the ink discharge surface on the insulating film and at least a part of the inner peripheral surface of the hole, Depositing a conductive film in a region corresponding to
And a step of forming a water-repellent film on the conductive film by an electrolytic plating method.   In the step of depositing the conductive film, the metal substrate is rotated with an axis extending parallel to the central axis as a rotation axis while maintaining a state in which the central axis and the straight flight direction of the conductive particles are inclined. The method of manufacturing a nozzle plate for an ink jet head according to claim 1.   In the step of depositing the conductive film, the metal substrate is rotated with an axis extending parallel to the central axis as a rotation axis while maintaining a state in which the central axis and the straight flight direction of the conductive particles are inclined. The method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to claim 1, wherein the metal substrate is revolved around an axis parallel to the straight flight direction.   The step of forming the insulating film includes forming the insulating film in all regions of the ink discharge surface of the metal substrate, an inner peripheral surface of the hole, and a surface opposite to the ink discharge surface. The manufacturing method of the nozzle plate of the inkjet head of any one of claim | item 1-3. The hole has a cylindrical inner surface and one end connected to the ink discharge surface, and a tapered hole having a truncated cone inner surface and a large diameter end connected to the opposite surface of the metal substrate to the ink discharge surface. A hole, and a bending point connecting the other end of the straight hole and the small diameter end of the tapered hole,
In the step of depositing the conductive film, the conductive particles are deposited in the straight hole portion so that the direction in which the conductive particles fly straightly with respect to the central axis of the hole is deposited in the straight hole portion. The method for manufacturing a nozzle plate of an ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle plate is set so as not to be deposited on the part. A metal substrate whose one surface is an ink ejection surface;
A hole formed in the metal substrate so as to have a central axis perpendicular to the ink ejection surface, a straight hole portion having a cylindrical inner surface and one end connected to the ink ejection surface, and a frustoconical inner surface A taper hole portion having a large diameter end connected to the opposite surface of the metal substrate to the ink ejection surface, and a bending point connecting the other end of the straight hole portion and the small diameter end of the taper hole portion. A hole serving as a nozzle for ejecting the configured ink;
An insulating film covering the metal substrate in a region from the ink discharge surface to the inner peripheral surface of the hole;
On the insulating film, a conductive film formed in a region corresponding to the ink discharge surface and at least a part of the inner peripheral surface of the straight hole portion, and a water repellent film formed on the conductive film. A nozzle plate for an ink jet head.   The nozzle plate of an ink jet head according to claim 6, wherein the water repellent film is formed by an electrolytic plating method. The said insulating film is formed in all the areas | regions of the said ink discharge surface of the said metal substrate, the internal peripheral surface of the said hole, and the surface opposite to the said ink discharge surface, The Claim 6 or 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Inkjet head nozzle plate.

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