JP2006116954A - Liquid ejecting apparatus, manufacturing method for liquid ejecting apparatus and inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid ejecting apparatus in which a region where nozzles can be arranged can be widely secured, and in which a plurality of nozzles can be arranged in a higher density. <P>SOLUTION: An inkjet head 1 is equipped with a manifold 17, a plurality of pressure chambers 16 arranged along a plane, a plurality of discrete ink passages 2 which lead to the nozzles 20 for ejecting ink from the manifold 17 through the pressure chambers 16, and a piezoelectric actuator 3 which is arranged opposite to the plurality of pressure chambers 16 and selectively changes volumes of the plurality of pressure chambers 16. The manifold 17 is set at the opposite side to the nozzles 20 in regard to the piezoelectric actuator 3. The piezoelectric actuator 3 has a through hole 3a to make the discrete ink passage 2 penetrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid, a method for manufacturing the liquid ejecting apparatus, and an ink jet printer that ejects ink.

  As a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is an inkjet head that ejects ink from a nozzle. One having an actuator for applying pressure to ink in a pressure chamber is known. In this ink jet head, the actuator is disposed so as to cover the pressure chamber, while the manifold and the nozzle are both formed on the opposite side of the actuator with respect to the pressure chamber. When a pressure is applied to the ink in the pressure chamber by the actuator, the ink is ejected from a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber.

JP 2004-136663 A (FIG. 6)

  In recent years, it has been required to arrange a plurality of nozzles with higher density for the purpose of improving the quality of a printed image and reducing the size of an inkjet head. In particular, since the inkjet head is moved by a carriage within the casing of the inkjet printer, the size of the head affects the design of the printer and the dimensions of the casing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus and an ink jet printer that can secure a wide area in which nozzles can be arranged and can arrange a plurality of nozzles at a higher density.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejecting apparatus is a common liquid chamber, a plurality of pressure chambers arranged along a plane, a nozzle for ejecting liquid, and the pressure from the common liquid chamber. A plurality of individual liquid flow paths that pass through the chamber to the nozzle, and an actuator that is disposed to face the plurality of pressure chambers and selectively change the volume of the plurality of pressure chambers, and the common liquid chamber includes: A liquid ejecting apparatus is provided that is disposed on the opposite side of the nozzle with respect to the actuator, and the actuator has a first through hole that forms a part of the individual liquid channel.

  This liquid ejecting apparatus applies pressure to the liquid in the pressure chamber by selectively changing the volumes of the plurality of pressure chambers by the actuator, and ejects the liquid from the nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber. Here, the common liquid chamber and the nozzle constituting the individual liquid channel are disposed on the opposite side with respect to the actuator, and the individual liquid channel passes through the actuator in the first through hole. In this way, when the common liquid chamber and the nozzle are arranged on the opposite side with respect to the actuator, compared to the case where the nozzle and the common liquid chamber are arranged on the same side as in a conventional inkjet head. Since it is possible to secure a wide area in which the nozzles can be arranged, it is possible to arrange the nozzles with higher density.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the actuator may extend along the plane. Therefore, the common liquid chamber and the nozzle are disposed on both sides of the actuator extending along the plane, and the individual liquid flow path penetrates the actuator in the first through hole.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the common liquid chamber may be disposed in a region overlapping the nozzle and the pressure chamber when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the plane. When pressure is applied to a liquid in a certain pressure chamber by an actuator, a phenomenon (so-called fluidic crosstalk) occurs in which a pressure wave is propagated to another pressure chamber via a common liquid chamber, and a plurality of nozzles In some cases, the injection characteristics of the air will vary. However, in the present invention, since the common liquid chamber is disposed in a region overlapping with the nozzle and the pressure chamber, the area of the common liquid chamber (projected area from the direction orthogonal to the plane on which the plurality of pressure chambers are disposed) is increased. can do. Therefore, the volume of the common liquid chamber can be increased, and the pressure wave propagating from the pressure chamber to the common liquid chamber can be effectively attenuated in the common liquid chamber, thereby suppressing crosstalk. Alternatively, when the area of the common liquid chamber is increased, the height of the common liquid chamber can be reduced while securing the same volume, so that the liquid ejecting apparatus can be reduced in size.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the actuator may include a vibration plate disposed across the plurality of pressure chambers, a piezoelectric layer disposed on the vibration plate opposite to the pressure chambers, and the vibration plate. A plurality of individual electrodes disposed respectively corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers on the opposite side of the pressure chamber, and the common liquid chamber is disposed on the opposite side of the pressure chamber with respect to the actuator, A protective plate that protects the actuator is disposed between the layer and the common liquid chamber, and the protective plate may have a second through hole that forms a part of the individual liquid flow path. Thus, since the actuator is protected by the protection plate, the actuator does not directly contact the liquid in the common liquid chamber. In particular, when the liquid has conductivity, it is possible to prevent the conductive liquid from penetrating into the actuator and causing a short circuit between the plurality of individual electrodes as much as possible. Furthermore, since the common liquid chamber is disposed on the opposite side of the pressure chamber with respect to the actuator, and the pressure chamber and the nozzle are disposed on the same side, the distance from the pressure chamber to the nozzle can be shortened. In this case, since the drive voltage applied to the individual electrode can be lowered when the volume of the pressure chamber is changed by deforming the piezoelectric layer and the diaphragm, the drive efficiency of the actuator is improved.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the protection plate includes a thick portion joined to the actuator and a thin portion separated from the actuator, and the thin portion is a portion facing the pressure chamber of the actuator. And a space between them. As described above, since the thin portion of the protective plate is disposed with a space between the individual electrodes, a drive voltage is applied to a certain individual electrode, and the portion of the piezoelectric layer corresponding to the individual electrode is deformed. In this case, the deformation of the piezoelectric layer is not hindered by the protective plate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drive efficiency of the actuator from being lowered while protecting the actuator by the protective plate.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the thin portion of the protection plate may function as a damper that absorbs pressure fluctuation in the common liquid chamber. Therefore, pressure fluctuations in the common liquid chamber (pressure waves propagating from the pressure chamber) can be absorbed by the thin portion of the protective plate, and fluid crosstalk can be reduced. Moreover, since the thin part which serves as a damper part is provided in the protective plate, the number of parts can be reduced.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the thin portion of the protection plate may constitute a part of the inner wall of the common liquid chamber. Therefore, the thin part of the protective plate can also function as a damper part that absorbs pressure fluctuations in the common liquid chamber.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the thin portion may be continuously formed across the plurality of pressure chambers. Since the thin portion as the damper portion is formed across the plurality of pressure chambers, the area of the thin portion is increased and the effect of absorbing pressure fluctuation is increased.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the actuator may include a common electrode that sandwiches the piezoelectric layer with the plurality of individual electrodes on a side opposite to the pressure chamber of the diaphragm. A first flow path forming hole that extends continuously across the individual electrodes and forms part of the first through hole may be formed in the common electrode. Thus, even when the common electrode extends continuously across the plurality of individual electrodes, the individual liquid flow path penetrates the common electrode in the first flow path forming hole, and the common liquid chamber and The nozzles can be arranged on opposite sides with respect to the actuator.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the piezoelectric layer may be provided across the plurality of pressure chambers, and the piezoelectric layer may include a second flow path forming hole that configures a part of the first through hole. A protective film that prevents liquid from penetrating into the piezoelectric layer may be formed on the inner surface of the second flow path forming hole. Therefore, this protective film can prevent liquid from penetrating the piezoelectric layer. In particular, when the liquid has conductivity, a short circuit between the individual electrodes due to the conductive liquid can be prevented.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the piezoelectric layer may be individually provided corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers, and the piezoelectric layer corresponding to each pressure chamber may include the vibration plate and the protection plate. And can be accommodated in a state isolated from the individual liquid channels. In this way, when the piezoelectric layer is individually provided corresponding to each of the plurality of pressure chambers, if the individual liquid flow path avoids the piezoelectric layer and penetrates the actuator, the piezoelectric layer penetrates the piezoelectric layer. Since the formation of the hole can be omitted, the degree of freedom in selecting the method for forming the piezoelectric layer is increased. In addition, since the piezoelectric layer is accommodated between the diaphragm and the protection plate in a state of being isolated from the individual liquid flow path, the liquid does not contact the piezoelectric layer and the liquid does not penetrate.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the nozzle may be directed downward, and the common liquid chamber may be disposed above the nozzle. In this case, it becomes easy to discharge the bubbles mixed in the liquid flow path to the common liquid chamber side.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid, a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the plurality of nozzles, and a common liquid chamber common to the plurality of pressure chambers. And a piezoelectric layer that selectively changes the volume of the plurality of pressure chambers, and a liquid ejecting apparatus is provided in which the common liquid chamber and the piezoelectric layer are provided on the opposite side of the nozzle with respect to the pressure chamber.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, since the common liquid chamber and the piezoelectric layer are provided on the opposite side of the nozzle with respect to the pressure chamber, the degree of freedom in nozzle arrangement design is increased, and the nozzles can be arranged at high density. . As a result, the liquid ejecting apparatus can be reduced in size. Moreover, since the pressure chamber and the common liquid chamber can be designed independently, their volumes can be increased as compared with the conventional case. For example, all of the plurality of pressure chambers may be present in a planar region where the common liquid chamber is formed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a common liquid chamber, a plurality of pressure chambers arranged along a plane, and a nozzle for ejecting liquid. A plurality of individual liquid flow paths from the common liquid chamber through the pressure chamber to the nozzle, a diaphragm disposed across the plurality of pressure chambers, and the diaphragm on the opposite side of the pressure chamber. A piezoelectric layer and an actuator for selectively changing the volume of the plurality of pressure chambers, and the method forms a part of the individual liquid channel on the diaphragm. A hole forming step for forming a forming hole, and particles of piezoelectric material are deposited on the surface of the diaphragm opposite to the pressure chamber, so that the piezoelectric film is formed only in a region where the channel forming hole of the diaphragm is not formed. A piezoelectric layer forming step for forming a layer, and a piezoelectric layer forming step. The individual liquid channels are provided methods for producing a liquid ejecting apparatus which is formed so as to penetrate the actuator is provided.

  In this method of manufacturing the liquid ejecting apparatus, the flow path forming hole is formed in the vibration plate, and then the piezoelectric layer is deposited only on the region where the flow path forming hole is not formed by depositing particles of the piezoelectric material on the vibration plate. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately perform a step of forming a hole through the individual liquid channel in the piezoelectric layer, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. Advantageously, the particles of piezoelectric material are deposited by an aerosol deposition method.

    According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inkjet printer that ejects and records ink on a recording medium, comprising an inkjet head that ejects ink onto the recording medium, the inkjet head comprising: a common ink chamber; A plurality of pressure chambers arranged along a plane, a nozzle for ejecting ink, a plurality of individual ink flow paths from the common ink chamber to the nozzle through the pressure chamber, and the plurality of pressure chambers. And the actuator that selectively changes the volume of the plurality of pressure chambers, and the common ink chamber is viewed from a direction opposite to the nozzle and perpendicular to the plane with respect to the actuator. It is arranged in a region overlapping with the pressure chamber, the individual ink flow path is formed so as to penetrate the actuator, and the nozzle faces downward. And, an ink jet printer in which the common ink chamber is arranged above said nozzle is provided.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The first embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an inkjet head that ejects ink from nozzles.
First, an ink jet printer 100 including the ink jet head 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, an inkjet printer 100 includes a carriage 101 that can move in the left-right direction in FIG. 1, a serial inkjet head 1 that is provided on the carriage 101 and that ejects ink onto a recording paper P, A conveyance roller 102 that conveys the recording paper P forward in FIG. 1 is provided. The ink-jet head 1 moves in the left-right direction (scanning direction) integrally with the carriage 101, and is directed to the recording paper P from the emission port of the nozzle (see FIGS. 2 to 6) formed on the lower surface of the ink ejection surface. Eject ink. Then, the recording paper P recorded by the inkjet head 1 is discharged forward (paper feeding direction) by the transport roller 102.

  Next, the inkjet head 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The inkjet head 1 is composed of a plurality of stacked plates. The inkjet head 1 includes a plurality of nozzles 20 that eject ink and a plurality of pressure chambers 16 that respectively communicate with the plurality of nozzles 20. A plurality of individual ink flow paths 2 including the piezoelectric actuators 3 that selectively change the volumes of the plurality of pressure chambers 16 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of individual ink flow paths 2 are formed by a plurality of plates including the vibration plate 30 and the piezoelectric layer 31 of the piezoelectric actuator 3. The plurality of plates are laminated in the order of the manifold plates 10 and 11, the protection plate 12, the piezoelectric actuator 3 (the vibration plate 30 and the piezoelectric layer 31), the pressure chamber plate 13, the descender plate 14, and the nozzle plate 15. Has been. Here, the manifold plates 10 and 11, the protection plate 12, the pressure chamber plate 13 and the descender plate 14 are plates made of a metal material such as stainless steel, and etch ink channels such as the manifold 17 and the pressure chamber 16 described later. Can be formed more easily. On the other hand, the nozzle plate 15 is formed of a synthetic resin material having flexibility, for example, a polymer synthetic resin material such as polyimide. Or this nozzle plate 15 may be formed with the metal material like other plates. When the nozzle plate 15 is made of a metal material, the nozzle plate 15 has a relatively high rigidity. Therefore, the nozzle plate 15 and the pressure chamber, which are provided mainly for securing the rigidity, are used. It is also possible to omit the descender plate 14 between the plates 13.

  Manifolds 17 (common liquid chambers and common ink chambers) connected to the plurality of pressure chambers 16 are formed on the two manifold plates 10 and 11. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the manifold 17 is formed in a region overlapping with all of the plurality of nozzles 20 and the plurality of pressure chambers 16 in a plan view. Ink is supplied through the ink supply hole 18. A filter 19 is provided between the two manifold plates 10 and 11 to remove dust mixed with ink in the manifold 17.

  The protective plate 12 is disposed so as to cover the piezoelectric actuator 3 and protects the piezoelectric actuator 3. The protective plate 12 has a through hole 21 (second through hole) communicating with the manifold 17. Is formed. Further, the protective plate 12 has a thick portion 41 joined to the piezoelectric actuator 3 and a thin portion 42 separated from the piezoelectric actuator 3. The thin portion 42 is disposed with a space 40 between the portion facing the pressure chamber 16 of the piezoelectric actuator 3 so that the protective plate 12 does not hinder the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 31 of the piezoelectric actuator 3 described later. Has been. On the other hand, since the thin portion 42 constitutes a part of the bottom wall portion of the manifold 17, the thin portion 42 also has a function as a damper portion that absorbs pressure fluctuation in the manifold 17. Furthermore, in order to increase the flat area of the thin portion 42 as much as possible and enhance the effect of absorbing pressure fluctuation as the damper portion of the thin portion 41, the thin portion 42 includes a plurality of pressure chambers 16 ( Formed continuously over five pressure chambers 16) arranged in a line in the vertical direction of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure chamber plate 13 is formed with a plurality of pressure chambers 16 arranged along a plane (on the same plane). Although only the upper surface of the manifold plate 10 can be seen in FIG. 2, the plurality of pressure chambers 16 are formed on the surface of the pressure chamber plate 13 parallel to the upper surface of the manifold plate 10. The plurality of pressure chambers 16 are arranged on the opposite side (lower side) of the upper manifold 17 with respect to the piezoelectric actuator 3. The plurality of pressure chambers 16 are arranged in two rows in the paper feed direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2). Each pressure chamber 16 is formed in a substantially elliptical shape in plan view, and is arranged such that the major axis direction thereof is the scanning direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 2). On the upper surface of the pressure chamber plate 13, the piezoelectric actuator 3 extending along the pressure chamber plate 13 is disposed so as to cover the plurality of pressure chambers 16. Each pressure chamber 16 is connected to the manifold 17 via a through hole 21 formed in the protective plate 12 and a through hole 3a (first through hole) formed in the piezoelectric actuator 3 at the right end in FIG. Communicating with

  A plurality of communication holes 22 are formed at positions where the descender plate 14 overlaps the left end portions of the plurality of pressure chambers 16 in FIG. Further, a plurality of nozzles 20 facing downward are formed at positions where the nozzle plate 15 overlaps the left end portions of the plurality of pressure chambers 16 in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of individual inks that pass through the piezoelectric actuator 3 from the manifold 17 through the through-hole 3 a into the inkjet head 1 and further through the pressure chamber 16 to the nozzle 20. A flow path 2 is formed. Thus, since the manifold 17 is arranged on the opposite side to the nozzle 20 with respect to the piezoelectric actuator 3, a region where the nozzle 20 can be arranged is widened, and the nozzle 20 can be arranged at a higher density. The manifold 17 is disposed in a region overlapping the plurality of nozzles 20 and the plurality of pressure chambers 16 in plan view (particularly, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Since all of the plurality of pressure chambers are present in the region where is formed, the area of the manifold 17 (projected area from above) can be secured widely, and the volume of the manifold 17 can be further increased. . Alternatively, since the height of the manifold 17 can be reduced while the same volume is secured, the inkjet head 1 can be downsized by reducing the thickness of the manifold plates 10 and 11. It becomes possible.

  Further, since the nozzle 20 is directed downward in the vertical direction and the manifold 17 is disposed above the nozzle 20 in the vertical direction, the air bubbles mixed in the individual ink flow path 2 are caused by the buoyancy of the manifold 17 due to its own buoyancy. It becomes easy to move to the manifold 17 side, and it becomes easy to discharge the bubbles to the manifold 17 side. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the inkjet head 1 may be arranged at an angle of less than 90 degrees in the direction of arrow a from the state of FIG. 3, and the nozzle 20 may be directed obliquely downward. In this case, as indicated by the broken arrow, the bubbles in the individual ink flow path 2 are further easily moved to the manifold 17. As described above, when the manifold 17 is arranged above the nozzle 20 in the vertical direction, bubbles mixed in the individual ink flow path 2 can be easily moved to the manifold 17 by the buoyancy. If the individual ink channel 2 is formed so as to extend upward in the vertical direction toward the upstream side of the ink flow, as shown in FIG. To the manifold 17.

Next, the piezoelectric actuator 3 will be described.
The piezoelectric actuator 3 includes a vibration plate 30 that covers the upper sides of the plurality of pressure chambers 16, an insulating layer 33 formed on the upper surface (surface opposite to the pressure chambers 16) of the vibration plate 30, and the insulating layer 33. A plurality of individual electrodes 32 formed corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers 16, a piezoelectric layer 31 formed on the upper surface of the insulating layer 33, and a plurality of individual electrodes 32 on the upper surface of the piezoelectric layer 31. And a common electrode 34 formed in common.

  The diaphragm 30 is a plate made of a substantially rectangular metal material in plan view, and is made of, for example, an iron-based alloy such as stainless steel, a copper-based alloy, a nickel-based alloy, or a titanium-based alloy. The diaphragm 30 is joined to the upper surface of the pressure chamber plate 13 so as to close the plurality of pressure chambers 16. An insulating layer 33 made of a ceramic material having a high elastic modulus such as alumina, zirconia, or silicon nitride is formed on the surface of the vibration plate 30. Thus, since the insulating layer 33 is formed of a ceramic material having a high elastic modulus, the rigidity of the piezoelectric actuator 3 is increased and the responsiveness thereof is increased. The vibration plate 30 (and the insulating layer 33) is formed with a through hole 30a that forms a part of the individual ink flow path 2.

  A plurality of individual electrodes 32 having an elliptical planar shape that is slightly smaller than the pressure chamber 16 are formed on the upper surface of the insulating layer 33. The individual electrode 32 is formed at a position overlapping the central portion of the corresponding pressure chamber 16 in plan view. The individual electrodes 32 are made of a conductive material such as gold, and the adjacent individual electrodes 32 are electrically insulated from each other by an insulating layer 33. Furthermore, on the upper surface of the insulating layer 33, a plurality of wiring portions 35 are parallel to the longitudinal direction (scanning direction) of the individual electrodes 32 from one longitudinal end portion (right end portion in FIG. 2) of the individual electrodes 32. The plurality of wiring portions 35 are connected to a driver IC (not shown) that selectively supplies a drive voltage to the plurality of individual electrodes 32.

  On the upper surface of the insulating layer 33, a piezoelectric layer 31 mainly composed of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which is a solid solution of lead titanate and lead zirconate, and straddles the plurality of individual electrodes 32. Are formed continuously. Further, a common electrode 34 common to the plurality of individual electrodes 32 is formed over the entire surface of the piezoelectric layer 31 on the upper surface of the piezoelectric layer 31. In the piezoelectric layer 31 and the common electrode 34, a through hole 31a (second flow path forming hole) and a through hole 34a (first flow path forming hole) that form a part of the individual ink flow path 2 are formed. Yes. A through hole 3 a (first through hole) that penetrates the piezoelectric actuator 3 is configured by the through hole 30 a of the diaphragm 30, the through hole 31 a of the piezoelectric layer 31, and the through hole 34 a of the common electrode 34. The through hole 3 a forms a part of the individual ink flow path 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a single wiring portion 36 connected to the driver IC extends from the common electrode 34, and the common electrode 34 is held at the ground potential via the wiring portion 36 and the driver IC. ing.

  If the piezoelectric layer 31 is exposed to the individual ink flow path 2 in the through hole 31a, the conductive ink penetrates into the piezoelectric layer 31, and the individual electrodes 32 are short-circuited by the ink. There is a fear. Therefore, in the ink jet head of this embodiment, a protective film 37 that prevents the ink flowing through the individual ink flow path 2 from penetrating into the piezoelectric layer 31 is formed on the inner surface of the through hole 3a. The protective film 37 is made of, for example, silicon oxide or silicon nitride.

Next, the operation of the piezoelectric actuator 3 during ink ejection will be described.
When a driving voltage is selectively supplied from the driver IC to the plurality of individual electrodes 32 via the wiring portion 34, the piezoelectric electrodes held at the ground potential and the individual electrodes 32 below the piezoelectric layer 31 to which the driving voltage is supplied. The common electrode 34 on the upper side of the layer 31 has a different potential, and an electric field in the vertical direction is generated in the piezoelectric layer 31 sandwiched between the electrodes 32 and 34. Then, a portion of the piezoelectric layer 31 sandwiched between the individual electrode 32 to which the drive voltage is applied and the common electrode 34 contracts in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction that is the polarization direction. Here, since the lower vibration plate 30 of the piezoelectric layer 31 is fixed to the pressure chamber plate 13, the portion of the piezoelectric layer 31 sandwiched between the electrodes 32 and 34 protrudes toward the pressure chamber 16. As the piezoelectric layer 31 is partially deformed, the portion of the diaphragm 30 that covers the pressure chamber 16 is also deformed so as to protrude toward the pressure chamber 16. Then, since the volume in the pressure chamber 16 is reduced and pressure is applied to the ink, the ink is ejected from the nozzle 20 communicating with the pressure chamber 16.

  By the way, when a pressure is applied to ink in a certain pressure chamber 16 by the piezoelectric actuator 3, the pressure wave is propagated to another pressure chamber 16 via the manifold 17 (so-called fluid crossing). Talk) may occur, and the ejection characteristics from the plurality of nozzles 20 may vary. However, in the first embodiment, as described above, since the manifold 17 is arranged in a region overlapping the plurality of nozzles 20 and the plurality of pressure chambers 16 (see FIGS. 2 to 5), the area of the manifold 17 is reduced. The volume can be increased to increase the volume, and the pressure fluctuation in the manifold 17 (including the pressure wave propagating from the pressure chamber 16 to the manifold 17) can be effectively attenuated to suppress crosstalk. .

  Further, since the piezoelectric actuator 3 is protected by the protective plate 12, the ink in the manifold 17 does not directly contact the piezoelectric actuator 3. Further, a protective film 37 is formed on the inner surface of the through hole 31 a formed in the piezoelectric layer 31 to prevent the ink flowing through the individual ink flow path 2 from penetrating into the piezoelectric layer 31. Therefore, the conductive ink does not penetrate into the piezoelectric layer 31 and a short circuit between the plurality of individual electrodes 32 can be prevented.

  Since the thin portion 42 of the protective plate 12 is disposed with a space 40 between the portion facing the pressure chamber 16 of the piezoelectric actuator 3, a drive voltage is applied to the individual electrode 32, and this individual electrode When the portion of the piezoelectric layer 31 corresponding to 32 is deformed, the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 31 is not hindered by the protective plate 12, and the drive efficiency of the piezoelectric actuator 3 can be prevented from being lowered. Further, the thin portion 42 constitutes a part of the bottom wall portion of the manifold 17, and also has a function of a damper portion that absorbs the pressure fluctuation of the ink in the manifold 17, and therefore, from the pressure chamber 16 to the manifold 17. It is possible to attenuate the pressure wave propagating to the surface more effectively, and to effectively suppress the crosstalk. In addition, since it is continuously formed over a plurality of pressure chambers arranged in the paper feeding direction (five pressure chambers arranged in a line in the vertical direction in FIG. 2), the area of the thin plate portion 42 is reduced. The pressure fluctuation absorbing effect as the damper portion is further enhanced.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the manifold 17 is disposed on the opposite side of the pressure chamber 16 with respect to the piezoelectric actuator 3, and the pressure chamber 16 and the nozzle 20 are disposed on the same side. The distance from the chamber 16 to the nozzle 20 can be shortened, and the drive voltage applied to the individual electrode 32 can be lowered in order to change the volume of the pressure chamber by deforming the piezoelectric layer 31 and the diaphragm 30. 3 is improved. Further, when the nozzle plate 15 is made of a metal material, the rigidity of the nozzle plate 15 is relatively high, and the descender plate 14 between the nozzle plate 15 and the pressure chamber plate 13 may be omitted. Therefore, the distance from the pressure chamber 16 to the nozzle 20 is further shortened, and the driving efficiency of the piezoelectric actuator 3 can be further increased.

Next, a method for manufacturing the inkjet head 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 7A, first, a through hole 30a that forms part of the individual ink flow path 2 is formed in the diaphragm 30 by etching or the like (hole forming step), and the pressure at which the pressure chamber 16 is formed The chamber plate 13 and the diaphragm 30 are joined by metal diffusion bonding or an adhesive material.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, ceramic material particles are deposited on the surface of the vibration plate 30 opposite to the pressure chamber 16 to form the insulating layer 33. Here, as a method of depositing the ceramic material on the diaphragm 30, for example, an aerosol deposition method (AD method) in which ultrafine particle material is deposited by colliding at high speed can be used. In addition, a sputtering method or a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method can also be used. Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, the individual electrodes 32 are formed in a region facing the pressure chamber 16 on the surface of the insulating layer 33 by screen printing, vapor deposition, or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7D, through-holes 30a of the diaphragm 30 are formed by depositing piezoelectric element particles on the surface of the insulating layer 33 opposite to the pressure chamber plate 13 and performing heat treatment. The piezoelectric layer 31 is formed only in a region that has not been formed (piezoelectric layer forming step). Here, as a method of depositing the piezoelectric element on the vibration plate 30, an AD method, a sputtering method, or a CVD method can also be used. When the piezoelectric layer 31 is formed by depositing the particles of the piezoelectric element on the vibration plate 30, the individual ink flow path 2 of the piezoelectric layer 31 is located at a position corresponding to the through hole 30 a of the vibration plate 30 in the same manner as the through hole 30 a. A part of the through hole 31a is formed at the same time, so that it is not necessary to separately perform the step of forming the through hole 31a in the piezoelectric layer 31, and the manufacturing process can be simplified.
Then, as shown in FIG. 7E, a common electrode 34 having a through hole 34a is continuously formed across the plurality of individual electrodes 32 on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 31 by screen printing, vapor deposition, or the like. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, the inner surface of the through hole 3a of the piezoelectric actuator 3 (the through hole 30a of the diaphragm 30, the through hole 31a of the piezoelectric layer 31, and the through hole 34a of the common electrode 34) A protective film 37 that prevents ink from penetrating into the piezoelectric layer 31 is formed using a method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the descender plate 14 and the nozzle plate 15 are joined to the lower surface of the pressure chamber plate 13 with an adhesive or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 8C, the protection plate 12 is piezoelectrically arranged so that a space 40 is interposed between the thin portion 42 of the protection plate 12 and the portion of the piezoelectric actuator 3 facing the pressure chamber 16. The surface of the common electrode 34 of the actuator 3 is joined with an adhesive or the like, and the manifold plates 10 and 11 are joined to the protective plate 12 to complete the manufacture of the inkjet head 1.

According to the inkjet head 1 and the manufacturing method thereof described above, the following effects can be obtained.
Since the individual ink flow path 2 penetrates the piezoelectric actuator 3 through the through hole 3a and the manifold 17 is disposed on the opposite side of the nozzle 20 with respect to the piezoelectric actuator 3, the nozzle 20 and the manifold 17 are disposed on the same side. Compared to the case, a wide area where the nozzles 20 can be arranged can be secured, and the nozzles 20 can be arranged with higher density. Further, since the manifold 17 is disposed in a region overlapping the plurality of nozzles 20 and the plurality of pressure chambers 16 in plan view, the area of the manifold 17 can be increased and the volume thereof can be increased. Accordingly, the crosstalk can be suppressed by effectively attenuating the pressure wave propagating from the pressure chamber 16 to the manifold 17. Alternatively, since the area of the manifold 17 is increased, the height of the manifold 17 can be reduced while the same volume is ensured, so that the thickness of the manifold plates 10 and 11 is reduced. As a result, the inkjet head 1 can be downsized.

  Since the piezoelectric actuator 3 is protected by the protective plate 12, the ink in the manifold 17 is not in direct contact with the piezoelectric actuator 3, and it is possible to prevent the short circuit between the plurality of individual electrodes 32 due to the conductive ink as much as possible. . Further, since the thin-walled portion 42 of the protective plate 12 is disposed with a space 40 between the portion facing the pressure chamber 16 of the piezoelectric actuator 3, a driving voltage is applied to the individual electrode 32 and the pressure is applied. When the portion of the piezoelectric layer 31 facing the chamber 16 is deformed, the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 31 is not hindered by the protective plate 12. Further, the thin portion 42 constitutes a part of the bottom wall portion of the manifold 17, and also has a function of a damper portion that absorbs pressure fluctuation of the ink in the manifold 17. The crosstalk can be suppressed by more effectively attenuating the pressure wave propagating to.

Next, modified embodiments in which various modifications are made to the first embodiment will be described. However, components having the same configuration as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.
First Modification As shown in FIG. 9, the protective plate 12 </ b> A has a thick part 41 </ b> A and a thin part 42 </ b> A, and the thin part 42 </ b> A (damper part) is individually formed for each of the plurality of pressure chambers 16. It may be.

Second Modification In the first embodiment, the thin portion 42 is formed on the protective plate 12 so that the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 31 is not hindered by the protective plate 12, but a concave portion is formed on the piezoelectric actuator 3B side. A gap may be formed between the protective plate 12B and the piezoelectric actuator 3B. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a recess 46 is formed in the diaphragm 30B (and the insulating layer 33B) of the piezoelectric actuator 3B, and a recess 47 corresponding to the recess 30a of the diaphragm 30B is formed in the piezoelectric layer 31B. Also good. In this case, the concave portion 47 of the piezoelectric layer 31B is also formed by forming the piezoelectric layer 31B with a uniform thickness on the surface of the vibration plate 30B (insulating layer 33B) where the concave portion 46 is formed by the AD method, the CVD method, or the like. They can be formed simultaneously.

Third Modification As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the piezoelectric layers 31 </ b> C are individually formed corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers 16, and the piezoelectric layers 31 </ b> C corresponding to the respective pressure chambers 16 30 and a space formed between the thick plate portion 41C and the protective plate 12C having the thin wall portion 42C may be accommodated in a state isolated from the individual ink flow path 2. In the third modification, the common electrode 34C is formed on the upper surfaces of the plurality of piezoelectric layers 31C corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers 16, respectively, and the common electrode 34C is connected via the wiring portion 36C formed on the upper surface of the insulating layer 33. Are held at the ground potential.

  As described above, when the piezoelectric layer 31C is individually provided corresponding to each of the plurality of pressure chambers 16, the individual ink flow path 2 is allowed to penetrate the piezoelectric actuator 3C while avoiding the piezoelectric layer 31C. For example, the formation of the through hole in the piezoelectric layer 31C can be omitted. Therefore, for example, another piezoelectric layer forming method is employed, such as forming a piezoelectric layer 31C by sticking a piezoelectric sheet formed by firing a PZT green sheet to the surface of the diaphragm 30 (insulating layer 33). This increases the degree of freedom in selecting the piezoelectric layer forming method. Further, since the piezoelectric layer 31C is accommodated between the vibration plate 30 and the protective plate 12C, the ink does not contact the piezoelectric layer 31C and the ink does not penetrate.

Fourth Modification The arrangement of the individual electrode and the common electrode is not limited to the arrangement of the first embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the metal diaphragm 30 also serves as a common electrode, and the piezoelectric layer 31 </ b> D formed on the upper surface of the diaphragm 30 in the space between the protective plate 12 </ b> D and the diaphragm 30. And an individual electrode 32D may be formed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric layer 31D. In this case, for example, a wiring member 45 such as a flexible printed wiring board (FPC) is used for electrical connection between the individual electrode 32D and a driver IC (not shown) that supplies a driving voltage to the individual electrode 32D. it can. In this modification, the actuator includes the piezoelectric layer 31 </ b> D and the diaphragm 30, but a through hole is formed only in the diaphragm 30. Thus, an actuator in which a through hole that forms an individual liquid channel is formed only in a part of the actuator (vibrating plate) also has “a first through hole that forms an individual liquid channel” in the present invention. Intended to be included in the actuator.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Compared with the inkjet head 1 of the first embodiment described above, the inkjet head 501 of the second embodiment has a pressure chamber disposed on the side opposite to the nozzle particularly with respect to the piezoelectric actuator (that is, the pressure chamber is a manifold). Are different on the same side. That is, in the inkjet head 1 of the first embodiment, the nozzle plate, the pressure chamber, the piezoelectric layer, and the common liquid chamber are arranged in this order in the polarization direction of the piezoelectric layer, but in the inkjet head 501 of the second embodiment, A nozzle plate, a piezoelectric layer, a pressure chamber, and a common liquid chamber are arranged in this order in the polarization direction of the piezoelectric layer.

  Next, the inkjet head 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The inkjet head 1 is composed of a plurality of stacked plates, and the inkjet head 501 includes a plurality of nozzles 520 that eject ink and a plurality of pressure chambers 516 that respectively communicate with the plurality of nozzles 520. A plurality of individual ink flow paths 502 including the piezoelectric actuators 503 that selectively change the volumes of the plurality of pressure chambers 516 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the plurality of individual ink flow paths 502 are formed by a plurality of plates including the vibration plate 530 and the piezoelectric layer 531 of the piezoelectric actuator 503. The plurality of plates are laminated in the order of manifold plates 510 and 511, a base plate 512, a pressure chamber plate 513, a vibration plate 530 and a piezoelectric layer 531 of the piezoelectric actuator 503, and a nozzle plate 514 from above. Here, the manifold plates 510 and 511, the base plate 512, and the pressure chamber plate 513 are metal plates such as stainless steel, and ink channels such as the manifold 517 and the pressure chamber 516 described later can be easily formed by etching. . On the other hand, the nozzle plate 514 is formed of a synthetic resin material having flexibility, for example, a polymer synthetic resin material such as polyimide.

  First, plates other than the piezoelectric actuator 503 will be described in order. Manifolds 517 connected to a plurality of pressure chambers 516 are formed on the two manifold plates 510 and 511. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the manifold 517 is formed so as to overlap all of the plurality of pressure chambers 516 in plan view, and the manifold 517 has ink supply holes 518 from an ink supply source (not shown). Ink is supplied through A filter 519 is provided between the two manifold plates 510 and 511 to remove dust and the like mixed with ink in the manifold 517. The base plate 512 is formed with a plurality of communication holes 521 that allow the manifold 517 and the plurality of pressure chambers 516 to communicate with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the pressure chamber plate 513 is formed with a plurality of pressure chambers 516 arranged along a plane. The plurality of pressure chambers 516 are arranged in two rows in the paper feeding direction (vertical direction in FIG. 14). Each pressure chamber 516 is formed in a substantially elliptical shape in plan view, and is arranged such that the major axis direction thereof is the left-right direction (scanning direction). Each pressure chamber 516 communicates with the manifold 517 through a communication hole 521 formed in the base plate 512 at the right end in FIG.

  A plurality of nozzles 520 directed downward in the vertical direction are formed at positions where the nozzle plate 514 overlaps the left end portions of the plurality of pressure chambers 516 in FIG. 14 in plan view. As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the nozzle plate 514 is formed on the surface opposite to the pressure chamber 516 of the piezoelectric actuator 503 by an adhesive 522 made of an anisotropic conductive material having conductivity in a compressed state. It is glued. The piezoelectric actuator 503 is disposed between the pressure chamber plate 513 and the nozzle plate 514, and the manifold 517, the pressure chamber 516, and the nozzle 520 are disposed on opposite sides of the piezoelectric actuator 503. As described above, since the manifold 517 is disposed on the opposite side of the piezoelectric actuator 503 from the nozzle 520, a region where the nozzle 520 can be disposed is widened and the degree of freedom of the placement is increased, and the nozzle 520 is disposed at a higher density. Is possible. Further, since the nozzle 520 is directed downward in the vertical direction and the manifold 517 is disposed above the nozzle 520 in the vertical direction, the air bubbles mixed in the individual ink flow path 502 are buoyancy of the manifold 517 due to its own buoyancy. It becomes easy to move to the manifold 517 side. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the inkjet head 501 is disposed slightly inclined in the direction of arrow a with respect to the surface (horizontal plane) on which the inkjet printer 100 is installed, and the nozzle 520 is directed obliquely downward. If there is, the bubbles in the individual ink flow path 502 are further easily moved to the manifold 517 as indicated by the dashed arrows.

  As described above, when the manifold 517 is arranged above the nozzle 520 in the vertical direction, the bubbles mixed in the individual ink flow path 502 can be easily moved to the manifold 517 by the buoyancy. If the individual ink flow path 502 is formed so as to extend upward in the vertical direction toward the upstream side of the ink flow, as shown in FIG. Can be moved to the manifold 517. In other words, if the inkjet head 1 is arranged to be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, bubbles mixed in the individual ink flow path 502 can be moved to the manifold 517 more reliably.

  The pressure chamber 516 formed in the pressure chamber plate 513 and the nozzle 520 formed in the nozzle plate 514 communicate with each other through the vibration plate 530 of the piezoelectric actuator 503 and the through holes 535 and 536 formed in the piezoelectric layer 531 respectively. is doing. In addition, a plurality of wiring portions 534 are formed on the surface of the nozzle plate 514 on the piezoelectric actuator 503 side, which are connected to the plurality of individual electrodes 532 and extend in one of the scanning directions (to the right in FIG. 14). A driver IC 538 connected to the plurality of wiring portions 534 is disposed on the surface of the plate 514 on which the plurality of wiring portions 534 are formed. The wiring unit 534 and the driver IC 538 will be described in detail later. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, an individual ink flow path 502 extending from the manifold 517 through the pressure chamber 516 to the nozzle 520 through the pressure actuator 503 is formed in the inkjet head 501.

  Next, the piezoelectric actuator 503 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 14 to 19, the piezoelectric actuator 503 includes a vibration plate 530 that covers the lower side of the plurality of pressure chambers 516, and a piezoelectric element provided on the surface of the vibration plate 530 opposite to the plurality of pressure chambers 516. A layer 531, and a plurality of individual electrodes 532 formed at positions opposed to the pressure chambers 516 on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 531 opposite to the diaphragm 530.

  The diaphragm 530 is a substantially rectangular metal plate in plan view, and is made of, for example, an iron-based alloy such as stainless steel, a copper-based alloy, a nickel-based alloy, or a titanium-based alloy. The diaphragm 530 is joined to the lower surface of the pressure chamber plate 513 so as to close the plurality of pressure chambers 516. The vibration plate 530 also serves as a common electrode that opposes the plurality of individual electrodes 532 and applies an electric field to the piezoelectric layer 531 between the individual electrodes 532 and the vibration plate 530, and the wiring portion 540 (see FIG. 14). ) Through the ground potential. A piezoelectric layer 531 mainly composed of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which is a solid solution and is a ferroelectric, is formed on the lower surface of the diaphragm 530. The piezoelectric layer 531 is continuously formed across the plurality of pressure chambers 516.

  Through holes 535 and 536 constituting a part of the individual ink flow path 502 are formed at positions where the vibration plate 530 and the piezoelectric layer 531 overlap the left end portion of the pressure chamber 516 in FIG. In these through holes 535 and 536, the individual ink flow path 502 penetrates the piezoelectric actuator 503, and the pressure chamber 516 and the nozzle 520 communicate with each other. Here, when the piezoelectric layer 531 is exposed to the individual ink flow path 502 in the through hole 536, the conductive ink penetrates into the piezoelectric layer 531, and the individual electrodes 532 are short-circuited by this ink. There is a risk of it. Therefore, in the ink jet head of this embodiment, the protective film 537 that prevents the ink flowing through the individual ink flow path 502 from penetrating the piezoelectric layer 531 is formed on the inner surfaces of the through holes 535 and 536. The protective film 537 is made of, for example, silicon oxide or silicon nitride.

  A plurality of individual electrodes 532 having an elliptical planar shape slightly smaller than the pressure chamber 516 are formed on the lower surface of the piezoelectric layer 531. Each of the plurality of individual electrodes 532 is formed at a position overlapping the central portion of the corresponding pressure chamber 516 in plan view. The individual electrode 532 is made of a conductive material such as gold. Further, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 17 and 19, the plurality of individual electrodes 532 are formed on the nozzle plate 514 from the longitudinal ends (the right ends of FIGS. 14 to 17 and 19), respectively. A plurality of contact portions 532a that are electrically connected to the driver IC 538 through the plurality of wiring portions 534 extend to a region that does not overlap the pressure chamber 516 in plan view. Then, a drive voltage is selectively applied to the plurality of individual electrodes 532 from the driver IC 538 through the plurality of wiring portions 534 and the contact portions 532a.

  Next, the operation of the piezoelectric actuator 503 will be described. When a driving voltage is selectively applied to the plurality of individual electrodes 532 from the driver IC 538, the individual electrodes 532 on the upper side of the piezoelectric layer 531 supplied with the driving voltage and the lower side of the piezoelectric layer 531 held at the ground potential. The potentials of the diaphragm 530 as the common electrode are in different states, and an electric field in the vertical direction is generated in the portion of the piezoelectric layer 531 sandwiched between the individual electrode 532 and the diaphragm 530. Then, the portion of the piezoelectric layer 531 directly below the individual electrode 532 to which the drive voltage is applied contracts in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction that is the polarization direction. At this time, as the piezoelectric layer 531 contracts, the diaphragm 530 is deformed so as to protrude toward the pressure chamber 516, so that the volume in the pressure chamber 516 decreases and pressure is applied to the ink in the pressure chamber 516. Then, ink is ejected from the nozzle 520 communicating with the pressure chamber 516.

  Incidentally, the nozzle plate 514 is formed of a flexible insulating material, and as shown in FIGS. 14 to 17 and 19, an end portion (left end of FIG. 14) is formed on the surface of the nozzle plate 514 on the piezoelectric actuator 503 side. A plurality of wiring portions 534 extending in one direction (right side in FIG. 14) in the scanning direction. The terminal portions 534a are respectively connected to the contact portions 532a of the plurality of individual electrodes 532. The ends of the plurality of wiring portions 534 opposite to the individual electrodes 532 are connected to the driver IC 538, and the driver IC 538 is disposed on the nozzle plate 514. As described above, since the plurality of individual electrodes 532 and the driver IC 538 are electrically connected via the plurality of wiring portions 534 formed on the nozzle plate 514, a wiring member such as an FPC that has conventionally been required. Can be eliminated, and the number of parts can be reduced to reduce the manufacturing cost of the inkjet head 501. Further, since the nozzle plate 514 is formed of a flexible insulating material, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, similarly to a flexible wiring member such as an FPC conventionally used. The nozzle plate 514 can be routed, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the driver IC 538 and the like is increased.

  As shown in FIG. 14, on the surface of the nozzle plate 514 where the plurality of wiring portions 534 are formed, a wiring portion for holding the diaphragm 530 as a common electrode at the ground potential via the driver IC 538 is further provided. 40 is formed. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the nozzle plate 514 is also formed with a plurality of wiring portions 541 that connect the control device (not shown) of the inkjet printer 100 and the driver IC 538.

  Here, the nozzle plate 514 is bonded by an adhesive 522 made of an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) or an anisotropic conductive paste (ACP). The anisotropic conductive material is, for example, a material in which conductive particles are dispersed in a thermosetting epoxy resin. The anisotropic conductive material has an insulating property when not compressed and has a conductive property when compressed. Have. The adhesive 522 is compressed and conductive in the connection area between the contact portion 532a of the individual electrode 532 and the terminal portion 534a of the wiring portion 534, and the contact portion 532a and the terminal portion 534a are connected by the adhesive 522. Are electrically connected. However, the adhesive 522 is not compressed in portions other than the electrical connection portion of the contact portion 532a and the terminal portion 534a and has an insulating property. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent unnecessary capacitance from being generated in the piezoelectric layer 531 sandwiched between the wiring portion 534 and the diaphragm 530 at portions other than the electrical connection portion between the contact portion 532a and the terminal portion 534a. As a result, the driving efficiency of the piezoelectric actuator 503 is improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the separation distance (D1 in FIG. 17) between the contact part 532a of the individual electrode 532 and the terminal part 534a of the wiring part 534 formed on the nozzle plate 514 is the other part. Is smaller than the separation distance (D2 in FIG. 17) between the nozzle plate 514 and the piezoelectric layer 531. Therefore, when the nozzle plate 514 is pressed against the piezoelectric layer 531, and the nozzle plate 514 and the piezoelectric layer 531 are bonded, only the adhesive 522 between the contact portion 532a of the individual electrode 532 and the terminal portion 534a of the wiring portion 534 is compressed. Thus, it becomes easy to electrically connect the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 17, a plurality of concave portions 514 a having a rectangular planar shape are formed in portions of the nozzle plate 514 facing the plurality of individual electrodes 532. Therefore, when the drive voltage is applied to the individual electrode 532 and the piezoelectric layer 531 is deformed, the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 531 is hindered by the nozzle plate 514 and the adhesive 522 that bonds the nozzle plate 514 and the piezoelectric layer 531. However, the driving efficiency of the piezoelectric actuator 503 is improved. Note that the recesses 514a are not formed in common over the plurality of individual electrodes 532, but a plurality of recesses 514a are individually formed for the plurality of individual electrodes 532 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the rigidity of the nozzle plate 514 is secured to some extent by the portion between the recesses 514a. Therefore, for example, when the ink ejection surface (the lower surface of the nozzle plate 514) is wiped with a wiper or the like after the purge operation (bubble discharging operation) from the nozzle 520, it is possible to prevent the nozzle plate 514 from being bent. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of wiring portions 534 are formed in a region between the plurality of recesses 514 a, that is, a region that does not face the plurality of nozzles 520 and the plurality of pressure chambers 516. Therefore, conductive ink does not adhere to the wiring portion 534, and a short circuit between the wiring portions 534 can be prevented. Further, when a driving voltage is applied to the individual electrode 532, the wiring portion 534 does not hinder the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 531.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the above-described inkjet head 501 will be described. First, a process of laminating a plurality of plates other than the nozzle plate 514 (including the diaphragm 530 of the piezoelectric actuator 503 and the piezoelectric layer 531) will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 20A, first, a through hole 535 constituting a part of the individual ink flow path 502 is formed in the vibration plate 530 by etching or the like (hole forming step), and the pressure at which the pressure chamber 516 is formed. The chamber plate 513 and the diaphragm 530 are bonded by metal diffusion bonding or an adhesive material.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 20B, the through holes 535 of the vibration plate 530 are formed by depositing piezoelectric element particles on the surface of the vibration plate 530 opposite to the pressure chamber plate 513 and performing heat treatment. The piezoelectric layer 531 is formed only in the region where it is not formed (piezoelectric layer forming step). Here, as a method of depositing the piezoelectric element on the vibration plate 530, for example, an aerosol deposition method (AD method) in which ultrafine particle materials are deposited by colliding at high speed can be used. In addition, a sputtering method or a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method can also be used. When the piezoelectric layer 531 is formed by depositing piezoelectric element particles on the vibration plate 530, the individual ink flow path 502 of the piezoelectric layer 531 is located at a position corresponding to the through hole 535 of the vibration plate 530 in the same manner as the through hole 535. A part of the through-hole 536 is formed at the same time.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20C, the individual electrode 532 is formed on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 531 opposite to the diaphragm 530 on the area facing the pressure chamber 516 using screen printing, vapor deposition, or the like. In addition, a contact portion 532a connected to the individual electrode 532 is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 20D, the ink is piezoelectrically applied to the inner surfaces of the through holes 535 and 536 formed in the vibration plate 530 and the piezoelectric layer 531 using an AD method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like. A protective film 537 that prevents penetration into the layer 531 is formed (protective film forming step). The base plate 512 and the two manifold plates 510 and 511 are joined to the surface of the pressure chamber plate 513 opposite to the piezoelectric actuator 503. The two metal plates 510, 511, the base plate 512, the pressure chamber plate 513, and the vibration plate 530 are first bonded together by diffusion bonding or the like before the vibration plate 530. A piezoelectric layer 531 may be formed on the surface opposite to the pressure chamber 516.

  Next, the process of forming the nozzle plate 514 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 21A, when the nozzle plate 514 is bonded to the piezoelectric layer 531, a plurality of recesses 514a are formed in regions that respectively face the plurality of individual electrodes 532, and excimer laser processing or the like is performed. Thus, a plurality of nozzles 520 are formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 21B, a wiring portion 534 (and a terminal portion 534a) extending rightward is formed in a portion on the right side of the recess 514a. Then, as shown in FIG. 21C, an adhesive 522 made of an anisotropic conductive material is attached to the upper surface of the nozzle plate 514 bonded to the piezoelectric layer 531 by screen printing or the like (attachment process). ). In this attaching step, the adhesive 522 may be patterned and attached only to the portion of the nozzle plate 514 that is adhered to the piezoelectric layer 531, but the adhesive 522 may be attached to the entire surface of the nozzle plate 514. . Even in this case, since the concave portion 514a is formed in the portion of the nozzle plate 514 facing the individual electrode 532, the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 531 when the drive voltage is applied to the individual electrode 532 causes the nozzle plate 514 or this nozzle to be deformed. It is not hindered by the adhesive 522 attached to the plate 514.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 22, the nozzle plate 514 is bonded to the piezoelectric layer 531 of the piezoelectric actuator 503 with an adhesive 522 (bonding process). At this time, the contact portion 532a of the individual electrode 532 is brought into contact with the adhesive material 522 attached to the surface of the terminal portion 534a of the wiring portion 534, and the adhesive material 522 of this portion is compressed to compress the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534. Are connected in a conductive state, and other portions of the wiring portion 534 are bonded to the piezoelectric layer 531 in an insulating state by an uncompressed adhesive 522. At the same time, the nozzle plate 514 and the piezoelectric layer 531 are bonded together by the adhesive 522 attached to the portion other than the wiring portion 534 of the nozzle plate 514. Since the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534 have a thickness of about 5 μm, the separation distance between the contact portion 532a of the individual electrode 532 and the terminal portion 534a of the wiring portion 534 formed on the nozzle plate 514 (FIG. 17). D1) is smaller than the separation distance (D2 in FIG. 17) between the nozzle plate 514 and the piezoelectric layer 531 at other portions. Therefore, when the nozzle plate 514 and the piezoelectric layer 531 of the piezoelectric actuator 503 are bonded, the contact portion 532a of the individual electrode 532 and the terminal portion of the wiring portion 534 are simply pressed against the piezoelectric layer 531. Only the adhesive 522 between 534a can be compressed, and it becomes easy to electrically connect the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534.

  Note that the thickness of the peripheral portion of the nozzle 520 (left end portion of the nozzle plate 514 in FIG. 21) is slightly thinner than the thickness of the portion where the wiring portion 534 is formed (right end portion of the nozzle plate 514 in FIG. 21). Accordingly, the separation distance (D1 in FIG. 17) between the contact portion 532a of the individual electrode 532 and the terminal portion 534a of the wiring portion 534 formed on the nozzle plate 514 is set to be different from that of the nozzle plate 514 and the piezoelectric portion in other portions. It may be smaller than the separation distance from the layer 531 (D2 in FIG. 17).

  According to the inkjet head 501 and the manufacturing method thereof described above, the following effects can be obtained. A plurality of wiring portions 534 for connecting a plurality of individual electrodes 532 of the piezoelectric actuator 503 and a driver IC 538 for supplying a driving voltage to the plurality of individual electrodes 532 are formed on a nozzle plate 514 made of an insulating material. Since the wiring member 514 can be omitted by providing the function of a wiring member such as an FPC, the number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the inkjet head 501 can be reduced. A driver IC 538 can be disposed on the nozzle plate 514. Furthermore, since the nozzle plate 514 has flexibility, it can be routed in the same manner as an FPC or the like, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the driver IC 538 is increased. Further, the nozzle plate 514 is bonded to the piezoelectric actuator 503, and at the same time, the plurality of individual electrodes 532 and the plurality of wiring portions 534 can be electrically connected, and the manufacturing process of the inkjet head 501 can be simplified.

  In addition, in the bonding process between the piezoelectric layer 531 and the nozzle plate 514 of the piezoelectric actuator 503, the piezoelectric layer 531 and the nozzle plate 514 are bonded by the adhesive 522 made of an anisotropic conductive material, so that the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534 Electrical connection can be made at one time by using one type of adhesive 522, and the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, although the adhesive 522 between the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534 is compressed and has conductivity, the other portion of the adhesive 522 is not compressed and has insulation, and thus the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534 are insulated. It is possible to prevent unnecessary capacitance from being generated in the piezoelectric layer 531 sandwiched between the wiring portion 534 and the vibration plate 530 at a portion other than the electrical connection portion to the piezoelectric actuator 503. Efficiency is improved.

  Next, modified embodiments in which various modifications are made to the second embodiment will be described. However, components having the same configuration as in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

[First modification]
In the second embodiment, the recess is formed in the portion of the nozzle plate facing the individual electrode 532, but the recess may be formed on the piezoelectric layer side. For example, as shown in FIG. 23, a plurality of recesses 530a are formed in portions facing the plurality of individual electrodes 532 of the diaphragm 530A, and a recess 531a corresponding to the recess 530a of the diaphragm 530A is formed in the piezoelectric layer 531A. May be. In this case, the concave portion 531a of the piezoelectric layer 531A can be simultaneously formed by forming the piezoelectric layer 531A with a uniform thickness on the surface of the diaphragm 530A in which the concave portion 530a is formed by an AD method, a CVD method, or the like. it can. In this case, after the adhesive 522 is attached to the piezoelectric layer 531A side, the nozzle plate 514A is bonded to the piezoelectric layer 531A.

[Second modification]
In the attaching step of attaching the adhesive 522 to the nozzle plate 514 (or the piezoelectric layer 531), when the adhesive 522 is patterned and attached, there is a gap between the nozzle plate 514 and the piezoelectric layer 531 due to the adhesive 522. Since the gap is formed and the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 531 is not easily inhibited by the nozzle plate 514 and the adhesive 522 attached to the nozzle plate 514, as shown in FIG. 24, the nozzle plate 514B (or the piezoelectric layer 531) The recess may be omitted. In order to deposit the adhesive 522 by patterning, in addition to the above-described screen printing, the adhesive 522 is attached to the entire surface of the nozzle plate 514 (514B), and then the adhesive that is not bonded to the piezoelectric layer 531 is used. It is also possible to partially remove 522 with a laser or the like.

[Third modification]
The electrical connection between the contact portion 532a of the individual electrode 532 formed on the piezoelectric layer 531 and the terminal portion 534a of the wiring portion 534 formed on the nozzle plate 514, and the piezoelectric layer 531 and the nozzle plate at portions other than the electrical connection portion The adhesion of 514 can also be performed by separate adhesive materials. For example, a conductive paste may be used for electrical connection between the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534, and a non-conductive adhesive may be used for bonding the piezoelectric layer 531 and the nozzle plate 514 in other portions. However, in this case, the conductive paste and the non-conductive adhesive are used so that the electrical connection between the individual electrode 532 and the wiring portion 534 and the adhesion between the piezoelectric layer 531 and the nozzle plate 514 can be performed simultaneously. Are preferably close to each other in curing temperature.

[Fourth modification]
The nozzle plate is formed of a metal material such as stainless steel, and this thin film is formed by forming a thin film of an insulating material such as alumina on one surface of this metal plate by the AD method, sputtering method, or CVD method. The nozzle plate may be insulated on the formed surface. In this case, the surface of the nozzle plate on which the thin film is formed may be a surface that faces the piezoelectric actuator 503 and on which the plurality of wiring portions 534 are formed.

[Fifth modification]
In the second embodiment, the manifold is formed on the upper side through the base plate and the pressure chamber is formed on the lower side. However, the position of the manifold is not limited to the upper side of the pressure chamber. A part of the manifold may be formed at the same height as the pressure chamber. For example, the lower surface of the pressure chamber and the lower surface of the manifold may be the same height. 25 includes a manifold plate 112 in which a manifold 117 is formed, a pressure chamber plate 113 in which a pressure chamber 116 is formed, a piezoelectric actuator 503 having a vibration plate 530 and a piezoelectric layer 531, and anisotropy. A conductive layer 22 and a nozzle plate 514 are provided. The manifold plate 112 is joined to the diaphragm 530 side of the piezoelectric actuator 503 via the pressure chamber plate 113, and the nozzle plate 514 is joined to the piezoelectric layer 531 side of the piezoelectric actuator 503 via the anisotropic conductive layer 22. . Here, the diaphragm 530 defines the lower surface of the pressure chamber 116 and also defines the lower surface of the manifold 117. That is, the lower surface of the pressure chamber 116 and the lower surface of the manifold 117 are formed at the same height. Thus, when a part of the manifold is formed at the same height as the pressure chamber, the thickness of the inkjet head can be reduced.

  The above embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet head that ejects ink. However, the present invention can also be applied to other liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquid other than ink. For example, a conductive paste is sprayed to form a wiring pattern on the substrate, an organic light emitter is sprayed to the substrate to form an organic electroluminescence display, and an optical resin is sprayed to the substrate. Thus, the present invention can also be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses used for forming optical devices such as optical waveguides.

  In the above embodiment, the actuators 3 and 503 have the diaphragms 30 and 530 and the piezoelectric layers 31 and 531. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the actuator is a type of actuator having a piezoelectric layer but no diaphragm. May be.

  The first embodiment described above and its modified embodiment, and the second embodiment and its modified embodiment are examples in which the present invention is applied to an inkjet head and an inkjet printer, but other liquids that eject liquids other than ink. The present invention can also be applied to an injection device. For example, a conductive paste is sprayed to form a wiring pattern on the substrate, an organic light emitter is sprayed to the substrate to form an organic electroluminescence display, and an optical resin is sprayed to the substrate. Thus, the present invention can also be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses used for forming optical devices such as optical waveguides.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an ink jet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of an inkjet head. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 of an inkjet head arranged at an angle. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. It is a figure which shows the process of forming a piezoelectric actuator in a pressure chamber plate among the manufacturing processes of an inkjet head, (a) is a bonding process of a pressure chamber plate and a diaphragm, (b) is an insulating layer formation process, (c). Is an individual electrode forming step, (d) is a piezoelectric layer forming step, and (e) is a common electrode forming step. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of the inkjet head after piezoelectric actuator formation, (a) is a protective film formation process, (b) is the joining process of a descender plate and a nozzle plate, (e) is the joining process of a protection plate and a manifold plate. Respectively. It is sectional drawing equivalent to FIG. 6 of the modification 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. It is sectional drawing equivalent to FIG. 5 of the modification 3. FIG. It is sectional drawing equivalent to FIG. It is sectional drawing equivalent to FIG. 5 of the modification 4. It is a top view of the inkjet head of a 2nd embodiment. It is the XV-XV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is sectional drawing equivalent to FIG. 14 of the inkjet head arrange | positioned in inclination. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. It is the XVIII-XVIII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is a figure which shows the process of laminating | stacking several plates other than a nozzle plate, (a) is a joining process of a pressure chamber plate and a diaphragm, (b) is a piezoelectric layer formation process, (c) is a formation process of an individual electrode, (D) shows a protective film forming process, and (e) shows a joining process with a manifold plate and a base plate. It is a figure which shows the formation process of a nozzle plate, (a) shows the process of forming a nozzle and a recessed part, (b) shows the process of forming a wiring part, (c) shows the adhesion process of an adhesive material, respectively. It is a figure which shows the state which adhered the nozzle plate to several laminated | stacked plates other than a nozzle plate. It is sectional drawing equivalent to FIG. 17 of the 1st modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing equivalent to FIG. 17 of the 2nd modification of 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 17 of an ink jet head in which a manifold is arranged next to a pressure chamber.

Explanation of symbols

1, 51, 200, 501 Inkjet head 2 Individual ink flow path 3, 3B, 3C Piezoelectric actuator 3a Through hole 12, 12A, 12C, 12D Protection plate 13 Pressure chamber plate 15 Nozzle plate 16 Pressure chamber 17 Manifold 20 Nozzle 21 Through hole 30, 30B Diaphragm 30a Through hole 31, 31B, 31C, 31D Piezoelectric layer 31a Through hole 32, 32D Individual electrode 33 Insulating layer 33, 33B Insulating layer 34, 34C Common electrode 34a Through hole 37 Protective film 40 Space 41, 41A, 41C Thick portion 42, 42A, 42C Thin portion 52 Individual ink flow path 53 Piezoelectric actuator 53a Through hole 63 Pressure chamber plate 64 Nozzle plate 66 Pressure chamber 67 Manifold 70 Nozzle 80 Diaphragm 81 Piezoelectric layer 82 Individual electrode 100 Inkjet printer 502 Separate ink flow path 503 Piezoelectric actuator 513 Pressure chamber plate 514B Nozzle plates 514, 514A, 514B Nozzle plate 514a Recess 516 Pressure chamber 517 Manifold 520 Nozzle 522 Adhesive 530, 531A Vibration plate 530a Recess 531, 531A Piezoelectric layer 532 Individual electrode 532a Contact Portion 534 Wiring Portion 534a Terminal Portion 535 Through Hole 536 Through Hole 537 Protective Film

Claims (24)

A liquid ejecting apparatus,
A common liquid chamber;
A plurality of pressure chambers arranged along a plane;
A plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid;
A plurality of individual liquid flow paths from the common liquid chamber to the nozzle through the pressure chamber;
An actuator that is disposed to face the plurality of pressure chambers and selectively changes a volume of the plurality of pressure chambers;
The common liquid chamber is disposed on the opposite side of the nozzle with respect to the actuator;
The actuator is a liquid ejecting apparatus having a first through hole that forms a part of the individual liquid channel.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator extends along the plane.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the common liquid chamber is disposed in a region overlapping with the nozzle and the pressure chamber when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the plane.   The actuator includes: a diaphragm disposed across the plurality of pressure chambers; a piezoelectric layer disposed on the opposite side of the diaphragm from the pressure chamber; and the plurality of the actuators on the diaphragm opposite to the pressure chamber. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of individual electrodes arranged corresponding to the pressure chambers.   The common liquid chamber is disposed on the opposite side of the pressure chamber with respect to the actuator, and a protective plate for protecting the actuator is disposed between the piezoelectric layer and the common liquid chamber. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a second through hole that forms a part of the individual liquid channel.   The protective plate has a thick part joined to the actuator and a thin part separated from the actuator, and the thin part has a space between a part facing the pressure chamber of the actuator. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the liquid ejecting apparatus is disposed.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the thin portion of the protection plate functions as a damper portion that absorbs pressure fluctuation in the common liquid chamber.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the thin portion of the protection plate forms a part of an inner wall of the common liquid chamber.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the thin portion is continuously formed across a plurality of the pressure chambers.   The actuator has a common electrode that sandwiches the piezoelectric layer between the plurality of individual electrodes on the side opposite to the pressure chamber of the diaphragm, and the common electrode is continuously extended over the plurality of individual electrodes. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first flow path forming hole that extends and forms a part of the first through hole is formed in the common electrode.   The piezoelectric layer is provided across the plurality of pressure chambers, and a second flow path forming hole that forms a part of the first through hole is formed in the piezoelectric layer, and the second flow path forming hole is formed. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a protective film that prevents liquid from penetrating into the piezoelectric layer.   The piezoelectric layers are individually provided corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers, and the piezoelectric layers corresponding to the pressure chambers are separated from the individual liquid flow paths between the vibration plate and the protection plate. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the liquid ejecting apparatus is accommodated in an isolated state.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle is directed downward, and the common liquid chamber is disposed above the nozzle. A liquid ejecting apparatus,
A plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid;
A plurality of pressure chambers communicating with a plurality of nozzles;
A common liquid chamber common to a plurality of pressure chambers;
A piezoelectric layer that selectively changes the volume of the plurality of pressure chambers,
A liquid ejecting apparatus in which a common liquid chamber and a piezoelectric layer are provided on a side opposite to a nozzle with respect to a pressure chamber.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a diaphragm that covers the plurality of pressure chambers, wherein the diaphragm is formed with a through hole that communicates the pressure chamber and the common liquid chamber.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a through-hole that communicates the pressure chamber and the common liquid chamber is formed in the piezoelectric layer.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein all of the plurality of pressure chambers are present in a region where the common liquid chamber is formed.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a nozzle plate in which nozzles are formed, wherein the nozzle plate, the pressure chamber, the piezoelectric layer, and the common liquid chamber are arranged in this order in the polarization direction of the piezoelectric layer.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: a diaphragm that covers the plurality of pressure chambers, wherein the diaphragm has a through hole that communicates the pressure chamber and the nozzle.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a through hole that communicates the pressure chamber and the nozzle is formed in the piezoelectric layer.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a nozzle plate in which nozzles are formed, wherein the nozzle plate, the piezoelectric layer, the pressure chamber, and the common liquid chamber are arranged in this order in the polarization direction of the piezoelectric layer. A method for manufacturing a liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising:
The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a common liquid chamber, a plurality of pressure chambers arranged along a plane, a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid, and a plurality of individual liquids that reach the nozzle from the common liquid chamber through the pressure chamber. A flow path, a diaphragm disposed across the plurality of pressure chambers, and a piezoelectric layer disposed on a side of the diaphragm opposite to the pressure chamber, and selectively selecting a volume of the plurality of pressure chambers With an actuator to change,
The above method is
A hole forming step for forming a flow path forming hole for forming a part of the individual liquid flow path in the diaphragm;
A piezoelectric layer forming step of depositing piezoelectric material particles on the surface of the diaphragm opposite to the pressure chamber, and forming the piezoelectric layer only in a region where the flow path forming hole of the diaphragm is not formed; Including
A method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein the individual liquid flow path is formed so as to penetrate the actuator by a piezoelectric layer forming step.   The method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the particles of the piezoelectric material are deposited by an aerosol deposition method. An ink jet printer for recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium,
An inkjet head for ejecting ink onto the recording medium;
The inkjet head includes a common ink chamber, a plurality of pressure chambers arranged along a plane, a nozzle for ejecting ink, and a plurality of individual ink flow paths from the common ink chamber to the nozzle through the pressure chamber. And an actuator that is arranged to face the plurality of pressure chambers and selectively changes the volume of the plurality of pressure chambers,
The common ink chamber is disposed on the opposite side of the nozzle with respect to the actuator and in a region overlapping the pressure chamber when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the plane, so that the individual ink flow path penetrates the actuator. Formed,
An ink jet printer in which the nozzle is directed downward and the common ink chamber is disposed above the nozzle.

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