JP2006281616A - Manufacturing method for structure, liquid discharging device, and electronic instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for a structure which can perform the forming of a hole or a protuberance of a high accuracy even when a film material which thermally stretches/contracts is used. <P>SOLUTION: This manufacturing method is used for the structure which forms island-like protuberances or holes being independent from each other on the film material which thermally stretches/contracts. In the manufacturing method, the forming positions of the protuberances or the holes are determined based on the stretching/contracting amount by which the film material thermally stretches/contracts, being measured in advance, while taking the stretch/contraction of the film material by the thermal stretch/contraction under consideration. By performing a specified process to the determined forming positions, the island-like protuberances or the holes in the film material after the thermal stretch/contraction can be formed at the desired positions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement in a processing method in the case of using a film material that thermally expands and contracts.

  The ink jet recording head has a complicated structure including a plurality of structures by combining an organic material film and a metal plate. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-52715 (Patent Document 1) discloses an ink jet recording head in which an actuator unit and a flow path unit are combined. Each unit is configured by further stacking several structures, and holes and protrusions are formed in each structure as necessary.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 of the publication, an ink supply port 51 formed in the supply port plate 36 includes a reservoir 44 formed in the reservoir plate 37 and a pressure chamber formed in the pressure chamber plate 33. The pressure chamber substrate 34 communicates with the supply side communication port 56. Further, from the other end of the pressure chamber of the pressure chamber plate 33, a third nozzle communication port 55 formed in the pressure chamber substrate 34, a second nozzle communication port 52 formed in the supply port plate 36, and a reservoir plate 37 are formed. The first nozzle communication port 50 communicates with the nozzle opening 20 provided in the nozzle plate 15.

  Here, due to the demand for high resolution, a large number of nozzle openings in the ink jet recording head are provided in a line. For this reason, it is necessary to provide the communication ports in the structures communicating with the nozzle openings in a row. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 of the publication, the supply port plate 36 that is an intermediate structure is provided with second communication ports 52 arranged in a straight line.

  Further, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-203060 (Patent Document 2), an island portion 24 made of metal, in which a piezoelectric vibrator 20 is bonded to an upper portion and a resin film 35 serving as a vibration plate is bonded to a lower portion. However, it is disclosed that they are formed in a line corresponding to the nozzle positions.

Conventionally, such nozzle openings and island portions have been formed by positioning holes and forming masks in correspondence with the nozzle openings and island portions required after manufacturing.
JP 2002-52715 A (FIGS. 5 and 6) JP 2004-203060 A (FIGS. 5 and 6)

  However, film materials for forming a complicated structure such as an ink jet recording head include those that expand and contract greatly by heat. Since such a film material undergoes thermal expansion and contraction due to heat applied during the manufacturing process, the position of the island portion and the position of the communication port determined before heating cause a positional shift due to heating. For this reason, the island part and communication port which are formed in the film | membrane material after manufacture were not necessarily located in a straight line, but were displaced according to thermal expansion and contraction.

  If projections such as islands are not aligned, correct piezoelectric element bonding cannot be performed. Also, if the communication port formation position is shifted, ink supply cannot be sufficiently performed when a plurality of communication ports are continuously formed to form an ink supply communication path. For this reason, as long as the conventional positioning and mask are used, depending on the degree of thermal expansion and contraction of the film material, the shape of the holes and protrusions after manufacture may deviate greatly from the desired position.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a structure that can form holes and protrusions with high accuracy even when a film material that thermally expands and contracts is used.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a structure in which island-shaped protrusions or holes that are independent of each other are formed on a thermally stretchable film material, and the film material is measured in advance. Based on the amount of expansion / contraction caused by expansion / contraction, the formation position of the protrusion or hole is determined in consideration of expansion / contraction of the film material due to thermal expansion / contraction, and predetermined processing is performed on the determined formation position, The present invention provides a method for producing a structure, characterized in that the islands or holes in the stretched membrane material are formed at desired positions.

  With such a configuration, even when using a film material that expands and contracts due to heat applied during processing, the processed region can be formed at a desired position, so the structure is manufactured as designed. can do.

  The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a structure in which island-shaped protrusions that are independent from each other are formed in a row on a thermally stretchable film material, the distance from a reference line when the film material is heated in advance And measuring the amount of expansion / contraction according to the amount of expansion and contraction in the film material before heating so that the film material is expanded and contracted based on the amount of expansion / contraction from the reference line so that the distance from the reference line is constant. Forming the island-shaped protrusions in a line at a fixed distance from the reference line. The process includes: determining a formation position of the protrusion; and processing using a mask corresponding to the formation position of the protrusion. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a structure.

  With such a configuration, even when a film material that expands and contracts by heat applied during processing is used, island-shaped protrusions can be formed with high accuracy without deviating from the reference line.

  The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a structure in which island-shaped protrusions that are independent from each other are formed in a row on a thermally expandable film material, and the film material is heated when the film material is heated in advance. A step of measuring the amount of expansion / contraction according to the distance from the reference point in the raw material to be cut out, and based on the amount of expansion / contraction from the reference point, before the heating, so that the protrusions are arranged in a line after the film material is expanded / contracted Forming the island-shaped protrusions in a row by providing a step of determining the formation position of the protrusions in the film material and a step of processing using a mask corresponding to the formation position of the protrusions The manufacturing method of the structure characterized by these is provided.

  With such a configuration, even when a film material that expands and contracts due to heat applied during processing is used, island-shaped protrusions can be formed with high accuracy without being displaced.

  Preferred embodiments of the invention are as follows. It is preferable that the formation position of the protrusion is determined for each block including a predetermined number of the protrusions. Thereby, even when the number of protrusions is large, it is possible to cope with it, and it is possible to reduce the burden of correction.

  The step of processing using the mask includes a step of forming a protrusion material film including the protrusion formation material on the film material, a step of forming a photosensitive material film on the protrusion material film, A step of exposing the photosensitive material film by positioning the mask on the photosensitive material film; and developing the exposed photosensitive material film to leave a photosensitive material film at a position corresponding to the protrusion. Preferably, the method includes a step of etching from the remaining photosensitive material film to remove the protrusion forming material film at a portion other than the position corresponding to the protrusion. Thereby, a correction pattern can be formed with high accuracy for the film material.

  The present invention also provides a processing mask, which is used in the structure manufacturing method described above, and is patterned in accordance with the position where the protrusion is formed. Accordingly, a correction mask can be easily formed by selecting a processing mask as appropriate in accordance with the position of the protrusion or hole formed on the film material.

  The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a structure in which a plurality of holes are formed in a row in a thermally expandable film material, and the amount of expansion / contraction caused by heating according to the shape formed in the film material And a step of determining the formation position of the hole in the film material before heating so that the holes are arranged in a line after the film material is expanded and contracted based on the amount of expansion and contraction for each region. And a step of forming holes corresponding to the positions where the holes are formed, thereby providing a method of manufacturing a structure, wherein the holes are formed in a row.

  With such a configuration, a plurality of holes can be formed with high precision even when a predetermined shape is formed in the film material and the amount of displacement that causes thermal contraction is different from that of other regions.

  Preferred embodiments of the invention are as follows. It is preferable that the formation position of the hole is determined for each block constituted by a predetermined number of the holes. As a result, even when the number of holes is large, it is possible to cope with it, and the burden of position correction can be reduced.

  The present invention also provides a liquid ejecting apparatus including a structure manufactured by the structure manufacturing method described above. Since the structure manufactured by the above-described structure manufacturing method has projections and holes formed at correct positions as shown in the design drawing, the desired function can be sufficiently exhibited.

  Moreover, this invention provides an electronic device provided with the said liquid discharge apparatus.

  The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a structure in which island-shaped protrusions that are independent from each other are formed in a row on a thermally stretchable film material, the distance from a reference line when the film material is heated in advance A step of measuring the amount of expansion / contraction according to the distance from the reference point in the raw material from which the film material is cut out, and the expansion / contraction from the reference line Based on the amount, the film material becomes a certain distance from the reference line after expanding and contracting, and based on the expansion and contraction amount from the reference point, the protrusions are arranged in a line after the film material expands and contracts. A step of determining a formation position of the protrusion in the film material before heating, and a step of processing using a mask corresponding to the formation position of the protrusion. It is formed in a line at a certain distance from the line. There is provided a method for producing that structure. With such a configuration, even when a film material that expands and contracts due to heat applied during processing is used, island-shaped protrusions can be formed with high accuracy without being displaced from the reference line and without being displaced from the line.

  The following embodiments are examples in which the structure manufacturing method according to the present invention is applied to the manufacture of the internal structure of an ink jet recording head. Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(First embodiment)
In the first embodiment of the present invention, the structure manufacturing method according to the present invention is applied to a connection structure of an elastic film of an ink jet recording head and a piezoelectric vibrator. Specifically, the present invention relates to a structure in which island portions (referred to as protrusions independently left on the film) formed on an organic film that is an elastic film are bonded to a piezoelectric element.

  FIG. 1A is a partially enlarged perspective view of a state in which a free end 22 of a piezoelectric element 20 is joined to an island 24 which is a protrusion formed on an organic film 35 which is a film material of the present invention. It is. FIG.1 (b) is 1b-1b sectional drawing of Fig.1 (a).

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the distal end of the free end portion 22 of each piezoelectric vibrator 20 is joined to the island portion 24. The island portion 24 is formed by removing the periphery of the support plate 34 corresponding to the pressure chamber 33 while leaving the annular shape by etching. Similar to the planar shape of the pressure chamber 33, the island portion 24 has a block shape that is elongated in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzle openings 28 are formed in the nozzle plate 25. The organic film 35 functions as an elastic film.

  Next, based on FIGS. 2A to 2D and FIG. 3, the manufacturing method of the ink jet recording head will be described with emphasis on the formation of the island portion 24 according to the structure of the present invention. These drawings are diagrams for explaining a process until the island portion 24 shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured and the piezoelectric vibrator 20 is joined to the island portion 24. These drawings exemplify how only three island portions 24 are formed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view including the structure around the ink jet recording head not shown in FIG. Since the scale of FIG. 3 is large, the island portion 24 is merely shown as a formation position.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a metal film 34 as a projection forming material is formed on an organic film 35 such as a resin as a film material of the present invention that functions as an elastic film. This may be a bonding of the metal film 34 or a thin film formed by sputtering or vapor deposition. Further, although not shown, a resist film is applied to the metal film 34.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the correction mask 1 is set at a position corresponding to the position where the island portion 24 is formed, and a resist film (not shown) on the metal film 34 is exposed with predetermined exposure light. Here, as a feature of the present invention, the mask 1 has a pattern in which the amount of displacement by which the organic film 35 is deformed by heat is measured in advance, and the position correction is performed so that the islands 24 are arranged in a line after deformation. Is formed. This pattern position correction will be described later. After the resist film is exposed, the resist film is developed to leave a resist film at a position corresponding to the island portion 24.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the resist film is etched from above the resist film to remove the resist film in a portion other than the position corresponding to the island portion 24. By this etching, the metal film 34 around the island portion 24 is selectively removed, and the island portions 24 are formed on the organic film 35 at predetermined intervals.

  Finally, as shown in FIG. 2D, the piezoelectric vibrator 20 is joined at a position corresponding to the island portion 24. The piezoelectric vibrator 20 has a fixed plate 13 fixed in advance, and a vibrator unit 15 is formed. As shown in FIG. 3, when bonding the piezoelectric element 20 to the island portion 24, first, a thin adhesive is applied to the distal end surface of the free end portion 22 of the piezoelectric vibrator 20. If the adhesive is applied, the fixing plate 13 is held by the jig, and the vibrator unit 15 is inserted from the base end side opening 23 </ b> A of the accommodation empty portion 23 with the free end portion 22 as the head. Then, the free end 22 is positioned in a state in which the free end 22 is brought into contact with the front end opening 23 </ b> B of the accommodation hollow 23 and is in contact with the surface of the corresponding island 24. In this state, the adhesive region between the fixing plate 13 and the case inner wall is filled with an adhesive. When each adhesive region is filled with the adhesive, the adhesive at the tip of the free end 22 and the adhesive in the adhesive region are cured. For example, it is allowed to stand for an appropriate time while being heated to a predetermined temperature. As a result, the fixing plate 13 and the case inner wall (fixing plate joining wall portion 46) are bonded, and the tip of the free end portion 22 is bonded to the island portion 24.

  A cross-sectional view of the recording head 11 including the island portion 24 formed in the above manufacturing process is shown based on FIG. The recording head 11 includes a vibrator unit 15 in which the above-described piezoelectric vibrator 20, fixing plate 13, flexible cable and the like are unitized, a case 16 that can store the vibrator unit 15, and a tip of the case 16. And a flow path unit 17 joined to the surface.

  For example, the recording head 11 of the present embodiment has two nozzle rows (not shown), and one vibrator unit 15 is provided for each nozzle row. Two 15 are provided side by side. In other words, the accommodation cavities 23 are formed one by one at symmetrical positions across the center line in the short side direction of the case body 40.

  The accommodation cavity 23 is inserted into the first accommodation cavity 42 into which the piezoelectric vibrator group 12 is inserted, the second accommodation cavity 43 into which the fixing plate 13 is inserted, and the second accommodation cavity 43. It is a series of empty portions including escape recesses 44 for forming a non-adhesion region on the back surface portion of the fixing plate 13.

  The first accommodating space 42 has a flat rectangular opening that is long in the long side direction of the mounting surface in the case 16 and short in the short side direction, and the height of the case 16 extends from the front end surface of the case 16 to the mounting surface. It is formed in series along the direction. The opening length (length in the long side direction) of the first accommodating cavity 42 is set slightly longer than the length in the vibrator arrangement direction in the piezoelectric vibrator group 12, and the opening width (short side direction). Is set to about twice the thickness of the piezoelectric vibrator 20.

  The second accommodating hollow portion 43 has a rectangular opening shape that is long in the long side direction of the mounting surface and short in the short side direction, and is located slightly behind (the mounting surface side) from the tip surface of the case 16. It is formed in series up to the mounting surface. In other words, the bottom surface 43 a of the second accommodation cavity 43 is provided at a position on the mounting surface side that is slightly shorter than the free length of the piezoelectric vibrator 20 (the length of the free end 22) from the tip surface of the case 16. It has been. The opening length of the second accommodation cavity 43 is set to be approximately the same as the width of the fixed plate 13 and is slightly longer than the opening length of the first accommodation cavity 42. Further, the opening width of the second accommodating hollow portion 43 is set to be substantially equal to the thickness of the fixed plate 13, specifically, slightly narrower than the thickness of the fixed plate 13.

  Since the island portion 24 manufactured by the structure manufacturing method described above is formed at an accurate position according to the design drawing after the etching process, it is bonded to the free end portion 22 of the piezoelectric vibrator 20 with high accuracy. ing. Therefore, unlike the islands manufactured by the conventional manufacturing method, the liquid discharge amount and discharge speed non-uniformity due to the misalignment between the islands and the free end does not occur. The desired function that is sometimes assumed can be sufficiently exhibited.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the principle of position correction using the mask according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A shows a conventional example of a structure in which island-like protrusions that are independent from each other are formed in a row on a thermally expandable film material. In this example, although the blocks 24A and 24B constituted by a predetermined number of island portions 24 are patterned on the organic film 35 as a film material so as to be arranged in a line as shown in FIG. 4C. In this example, the organic film 35 is thermally contracted in the direction of the center line CL during the formation of the island portion 24. This is because, for example, when forming a film material, a portion of the film material formed by stretching from a mass of the film material is cut out as an organic film 35 in which the central portion of the row position serving as the island portion is strongly stretched. This is the case.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the island portions (for example, 24a and 24b) formed at the upper end portion (upper drawing) and the lower end portion (lower drawing) of the organic film 35 are hardly affected by heat shrinkage and are almost designed. It is formed at the position shown in the figure. However, the amount of displacement due to thermal contraction is larger at the center of the organic film 35 in the width direction (for example, 24c). Therefore, the island groups 24A and 24B are formed in an inverted “<” shape as a whole.

  Further, the amount of displacement due to thermal contraction of the central portion in the width direction of the organic film 35 varies depending on the distance from the center line CL of the organic film 35, and is an island formed at a distance L2 farther from the distance L1 closer to the center line CL. The part has a larger displacement due to thermal contraction. In this example, the displacement amount of the island group 24B formed in the region separated by the distance L2 from the center line is larger than the displacement amount of the island group 24A formed in the region separated by the distance L1 from the center line CL. Is bigger.

  In the case of the organic film 35 having such a thermal contraction pattern, a correction in which the mask pattern shown in FIG. 4B is formed in order to form the island group 24A and 24B of the island shown in FIG. Mask 1 is used. A method of forming the correction mask 1 is performed as follows.

  First, the amount of expansion / contraction according to the distance from the reference line when the film material is heated is measured. In FIG. 4A, since the amount of displacement differs according to the distance (L1 and L2) from the center line CL, the center line CL becomes the reference line. And the distance from centerline CL is measured about each island part 24 among the island part groups 24A formed in the distance of L1 from centerline CL.

  Next, the distance (+ n) between the island portion (for example, 24a or 24b) having the smallest amount of displacement and the other island portion (for example, 24c) is measured. Similarly, the distance (+ m) between the island part (for example, 24d) and the other island part (for example, 24e) having the smallest displacement in the island part group 24B formed at the distance of L2 from the center line CL is measured. . Do this for all islands.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the correction mask 1 in which the formation position of each island portion 24 is corrected is created based on the above measurement result. That is, the formation positions of the island portions before heating are determined so that the island portion groups 24A and 24B are formed in a straight line at a certain distance from the center line CL after the organic film 35 is thermally contracted. For example, in the example of FIG. 4B, the formation position of the island part 24c 'with respect to the island part 24b' is set to a distance of -n from the island part 24b '. Further, the formation position of the island part 24e 'with respect to the island part 24d' is set to a distance of -m from the island part 24d '. Do this for all islands.

  The island portion 24 is formed by exposing the organic film 35 using the correction mask 1 formed in this way, etching, and the like. While the island portion 24 is formed, the organic film 35 is thermally contracted by heating during processing. However, since the correction mask 1 is formed in consideration of the amount of contraction caused by the thermal contraction, the organic film 35 is finally formed as shown in FIG. As shown in c), the island groups 24A and 24B can be formed in a row at a constant distance from the center line CL.

  In this embodiment, the distance from the reference line is measured for each island portion and the formation position is corrected. However, the formation position is corrected for each block in units of a plurality of island portions in the allowable range. Also good. For example, position correction may be performed in units of several or more blocks as long as there is no significant displacement due to expansion and contraction between adjacent islands. When island portions are formed at a small pitch as in the nozzles of an ink jet recording head, position correction may be performed with 10 or more island portions as a block of blocks. In this embodiment, the formation position of the island portion is corrected for each island portion group. However, the position may be corrected as a group of a plurality of island portion groups within an allowable range.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing a structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Since the details of the manufacturing method are the same as those of the first embodiment, only the principle of position correction will be described. In the example of this embodiment, for example, when a film material is formed by stretching a lump of film material biaxially, a portion where the stress applied to the film material changes in order from one end to the other end is organic film. This is the case where it is cut out as 35.

  FIG. 5A shows a conventional example of a structure in which island-like protrusions that are independent from each other are formed in a row on a thermally stretchable film material. In this example, island groups 24C and 24D composed of a predetermined number of island portions 24 are patterned on an organic film 35 as a film material so as to be arranged in a line as shown in FIG. 5C. Nevertheless, an example is shown in which the organic film 35 is thermally contracted in the direction of the center line CL during the formation of the island portion 24.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the island portion (for example, 24f) formed at the upper end portion (upper part of the drawing) of the organic film 35 is hardly affected by heat shrinkage, and is formed at a position almost according to the design drawing. . However, in the organic film 35, the lower end of the organic film 35 (downward in the drawing) has a larger displacement due to thermal contraction (for example, 24 g). For this reason, the island groups 24C and 24D are formed obliquely as a whole.

  Note that the displacement shown in FIG. 5A is largely caused by the cut-out position of the original film of the organic film 35. That is, the organic film 35 is formed into a film by stretching the raw material to be a film original fabric, but the orientation of the crystals when stretched is different between the central portion and the outer edge portion of the film raw fabric, There is also a difference in the shrinkage rate when heated depending on the cutting position of the original film. Therefore, in this embodiment, the point which determines the formation position of an island part according to the cutout position of a film original fabric differs from 1st Embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, the amount of displacement differs depending on the cut-out position of the original film, so the amount of displacement after heat shrinkage is not proportional to the distance from the center line of the organic film 35.

  In the case of the organic film 35 having such a thermal contraction pattern, a correction in which the mask pattern shown in FIG. 5B is formed in order to form the island portions 24C and 24D of the island portion shown in FIG. Mask 2 is used. A method of forming the correction mask 2 is performed as follows.

  First, using the organic film 35 cut out from a specific cutting position of the raw film, the amount of expansion and contraction when the organic film 35 is heated is measured. In FIG. 5A, since the displacement amount differs for each of the island portion groups 24C and 24D, the displacement amount of the island portion is measured for each of the island portion groups 24C and 24D.

That is, in this embodiment, the distance between the other islands is measured using the end of the island with the smallest amount of displacement as a reference point. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, a distance (+ n) from another island (for example, 24g) is measured using the end of the island 24f in the island group C as a reference point. Similarly, the distance (+ m) of another island part (for example, 24i) is measured using the end part of the island part 24h in the island part group 24D as a reference point. Do this for all islands. In addition, although said reference | standard point was made into the edge part of the island part with the least displacement amount, it is not limited to this, A reference | standard point can be defined arbitrarily.
Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, a correction mask 2 in which the formation position of each island portion 24 is corrected is created based on the measurement result. That is, the formation position of each island before heating is determined so that the island groups 24C and 24D are arranged in a line after the organic film 35 is thermally contracted. For example, in the example of FIG. 5B, the formation position of the island part 24g ′ relative to the island part 24f ′ in the island part group C is set to a distance of −n from the island part 24f ′. In addition, the formation position of the island part 24i ′ with respect to the island part 24h ′ in the island part group D is set to a distance of −m from the island part 24h ′. Do this for all islands.

  In addition, since the displacement amount of an island part changes with the cutout positions of the original film of the organic film 35, the correction mask corresponding to the cutout position of an original film is each produced.

  The island portion 24 is formed by exposing the organic film 35 using the correction mask 2 formed in this way, etching, and the like. While the island portion 24 is formed, the organic film 35 is thermally contracted by heating during processing, but since the correction mask 2 is formed in consideration of the amount of contraction caused by the thermal contraction in advance, finally, FIG. As shown in c), the island groups 24C and 24D can be formed in rows.

  In this embodiment, the distance from the reference line is measured for each island portion and the formation position is corrected. However, the formation position is corrected for each block in units of a plurality of island portions in the allowable range. Also good. For example, position correction may be performed in units of several or more blocks as long as there is no significant displacement due to expansion and contraction between adjacent islands. When island portions are formed at a small pitch as in the nozzles of an ink jet recording head, position correction may be performed with 10 or more island portions as a block of blocks. In this embodiment, the formation position of the island portion is corrected for each island portion group. However, the position may be corrected as a group of a plurality of island portion groups within an allowable range.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment of the present invention relates to an example in which the present invention is applied to an ink supply port, which is a hole, as the structure of the present invention.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a recording head of an ink jet printer to which the supply port plate 36 manufactured by the structure manufacturing method according to the third embodiment is applied. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the supply port plate used in FIG.

  The recording head 60 includes an actuator unit 31 and a flow path unit 32, and the actuator unit 31 and the flow path unit 32 are integrated in an overlapped state. The actuator unit 31 is configured by stacking a pressure chamber plate 63, a pressure chamber substrate 64, and a diaphragm 65 and integrating them by firing or the like. On the other hand, the flow path unit 32 includes a supply port plate 36, a reservoir plate 37, and a nozzle plate 61, and is integrally joined by an adhesive film 38 interposed between the plates. Further, the actuator unit 31 and the flow path unit 32 are integrally joined by an adhesive film 39 interposed between the actuator unit 31 and the flow path unit 32.

  The supply port plate 36 manufactured by the structure manufacturing method according to the present embodiment includes a flexible resin film material (for example, an organic film) 67 and a metal material (for example, a metal) 68 such as a stainless material. A plurality of ink supply ports 51 communicating with the reservoir formed in the reservoir plate 37 at the same pitch as the nozzle openings 69, and the second nozzle communication port 52 penetrating in the plate thickness direction. Are formed corresponding to the first nozzle communication port 50.

  The ink supply port 51 is a portion that provides flow path resistance (flow resistance) to the ink in the individual ink flow path. An ink introduction port 47 (47a, 47b, 47c, 47d) is provided at one end of the supply port plate 36 in the communication port array direction. The ink introduction port 47 is a portion that communicates with the outlet of the ink supply path, and functions as an ink inlet in the recording head 60. Four ink inlets 47 are provided according to the type of ink that can be ejected. That is, in order from the left side of FIG. 7, an ink introduction port 47a for black ink, an ink introduction port 47b for cyan ink, an ink introduction port 47c for magenta ink, and an ink introduction port 47d for yellow ink are opened.

  The supply port plate 36 has a compliance portion 49 formed on a part of the upper wall surface that defines the reservoir 66, that is, a part that overlaps the reservoir opening of the reservoir plate 37. In the compliance portion 49, a part of the metal material is removed by etching or the like, and a part of the upper wall surface that partitions the reservoir 66 is sealed only by the lower resin film material. And the deformation | transformation of this part changes the volume of the reservoir 66, and a pressure fluctuation is relieved.

  FIG. 8 is a principle diagram for explaining a method of forming a hole which is the structure of the present embodiment. In order to clarify the gist of the present invention, the supply plate 70 shown in FIG. FIG. 8A shows an example in which a plurality of ink supply ports 73 are formed in two rows on a metal plate 71, and FIG. 8B shows a case where the metal plate 71 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which was etched and the flexible resin films 72a-72d exposed from the lower layer.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, a block 73A in which ink supply ports 73 are formed in a row and a part (73a and 73b) of the ink supply ports are formed on the metal plate 71 at positions shifted downward in the drawing. There is a block 73B. The positions where these ink supply ports 73a and 73b are formed are measured after the amount of displacement when the region is thermally contracted by heating of the metal plate 71, and after the metal plate 71 contracts based on the amount of displacement. The ink supply port 73 is determined so as to be aligned in a horizontal row.

  In the present embodiment, a flexible resin film (not shown) exists below the metal plate 71 shown in FIG. The formation positions of the ink supply ports 73a and 73b formed in the block B of the metal plate 71 are determined in consideration of the displacement amount of the metal plate 71 due to the shape of the portion where the metal plate 71 is selectively etched. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, when the metal plate 71 shown in FIG. 8A is selectively etched, flexible resin films 72a to 72d are exposed from the lower layer. The resin films 72a to 72d function as the compliance section 49 when the recording head 60 shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the compliance portion 49a is formed over the entire block 73A of the ink supply port 73, the amount of displacement due to thermal contraction between the ink supply ports 73 is constant. is there. On the other hand, in the block 73B, a region between the compliance portion 49b formed on the left side of the drawing and the compliance portion 49c formed on the center of the drawing, a compliance portion 49c formed on the center of the drawing, and a right side of the drawing are formed. In the region between the compliance portion 49d, the displacement amount of the metal plate 71 changes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8A, the formation positions of the ink supply ports (73a and 73b) are determined based on the shapes of the compliance portions 49b, 49c and 49d. Thereby, after the compliance portion is formed, the ink supply ports 73 can be formed in a row as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the blocks 73A and 73B are configured for each of the plurality of ink supply ports 73 formed in the metal plate 71. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for each number of arbitrary ink supply ports 73. A block may be configured, and the formation position of the ink supply port 73 may be determined for each block.

  The supply plate 36 shown in FIG. 6 is formed by correcting the hole formation position based on the principle as described above. Of course, this manufacturing method may be applied to the formation of other supply ports.

  As described above, according to the method for manufacturing a structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to form holes and protrusions with high accuracy even when a heat-expandable film material is used.

  Note that it is also possible to perform position correction with higher accuracy by combining the principles of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above. That is, as described in the first embodiment, the distance of the island portion from the center line CL of the organic film 35 is measured, and as described in the second embodiment, the reference island portion and other island portions are measured. Measure distance. And based on these two measurement results, the formation position of the island portion in the film material before heating is corrected so that the island portions are arranged in a line after the organic film 35 expands and contracts. Then, a correction mask is formed based on the determined formation position. By processing the organic film 35 using the correction mask formed in this manner, the island group has a certain distance from the reference line CL, and the island group column itself is formed straight. A film 35 can be formed.

  The structures manufactured according to the first to third embodiments described above can be applied to the head shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, and an electronic apparatus (for example, printing) including the head. Device).

It is a figure which shows the state which joined the island part manufactured by the manufacturing method of the structure which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention to the piezoelectric element. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the island part shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example in which the island portion manufactured in FIG. 2 is applied to a recording head. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the structure which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the recording head of the inkjet printer to which the supply port plate manufactured by the manufacturing method of the structure which concerns on 3rd Embodiment was applied. It is a top view of the supply port plate used for FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of a supply port plate.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 and 2 ... Correction mask, 11 ... Recording head, 12 ... Piezoelectric vibrator group, 13 ... Fixed plate, 15 ... Vibrator unit, 16 ... Case, 17 ... Flow path unit, 20 ... Piezoelectric vibrator, 22 ... Free end , 23 ... accommodating empty part, 24 ... island part, 28 ... nozzle opening, 31 ... actuator unit, 32 ... flow path unit, 33 ... pressure chamber, 34 ... metal film, 35 ... organic film, 36 ... supply port plate, 37 ... Reservoir plate, 40 ... Case body, 42 ... Accommodating space, 43 ... Accommodating space, 44 ... Recess, 46 ... Fixing plate joint wall, 47 ... Ink introduction port, 49 ... Compliance unit, 50 ... Nozzle communication port , 51 ... Ink supply port, 52 ... Nozzle communication port, 55 ... Nozzle communication port, 56 ... Supply side communication port, 60 ... Recording head, 63 ... Pressure chamber plate, 64 ... Pressure chamber substrate, 65 ... Vibration plate, 66 ... Reservoir , 69 ... nozzle plate, 70 ... supply port plate, 71 ... metal plate, 72a to 72d ... resin film, 73 ... ink supply port

Claims (11)

A method of manufacturing a structure in which island-shaped protrusions or holes independent of each other are formed in a thermally stretchable film material,
Based on the amount of expansion / contraction of the membrane material measured by thermal expansion / contraction measured in advance, the formation position of the protrusion or the hole is determined in consideration of expansion / contraction of the membrane material by thermal expansion / contraction,
By performing predetermined processing on the determined formation position,
A method of manufacturing a structure, wherein the island shape or the hole in the film material after thermal expansion and contraction is formed at a desired position. A method of manufacturing a structure in which island-like protrusions independent of each other are formed in a row on a thermally stretchable film material,
Measuring the amount of expansion and contraction according to the distance from the reference line when the film material is heated in advance;
Determining the formation position of the protrusions in the film material before heating so that the film material is stretched and contracted based on the amount of expansion and contraction from the reference line so that the distance from the reference line is a constant distance;
And a step of processing using a mask corresponding to the formation position of the protrusion,
A method of manufacturing a structure, wherein the island-shaped protrusions are formed in a row at a constant distance from the reference line. A method of manufacturing a structure in which island-like protrusions independent of each other are formed in a row on a thermally stretchable film material,
Measuring the amount of expansion and contraction according to the distance from the reference point in the raw material from which the film material is cut out when the film material is heated in advance;
Determining the formation positions of the protrusions in the film material before heating so that the protrusions are arranged in a line after the film material expands and contracts based on the amount of expansion and contraction from the reference point;
And a step of processing using a mask corresponding to the formation position of the protrusion,
A method of manufacturing a structure, wherein the island-shaped protrusions are formed in a row.   The manufacturing method of the structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the formation position of the protrusion is determined for each block constituted by a predetermined number of the protrusions. The step of processing using the mask includes
Forming a projection material film including the projection forming material on the film material;
Forming a photosensitive material film on the projection material film;
Exposing the photosensitive material film by positioning the mask on the photosensitive material film;
Developing the exposed photosensitive material film to leave a photosensitive material film at a position corresponding to the protrusion; and
The method of manufacturing a structure according to claim 2, further comprising: etching the remaining photosensitive material film from the remaining photosensitive material film to remove the protrusion forming material film at a portion other than the position corresponding to the protrusion. .   A processing mask used in the structure manufacturing method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the pattern is formed so as to correspond to a position where the protrusion is formed. A method of manufacturing a structure in which a plurality of holes are formed in a row on a thermally expandable film material,
According to the shape formed in the film material, measuring the amount of expansion and contraction for each region that occurs during heating;
Determining the formation positions of the holes in the film material before heating so that the holes are arranged in a line after the film material is expanded and contracted based on the amount of expansion and contraction for each region;
Forming a hole corresponding to the formation position of the hole,
A method of manufacturing a structure, wherein the holes are formed in a row.   The manufacturing method of the structure according to claim 7, wherein the formation position of the hole is determined for each block configured by a predetermined number of the holes.   A liquid ejection apparatus comprising the structure manufactured by the structure manufacturing method according to claim 1.   An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid ejection device according to claim 9. A method of manufacturing a structure in which island-like protrusions independent of each other are formed in a row on a thermally stretchable film material,
Measures the amount of expansion / contraction according to the distance from the reference line when the film material is heated in advance, and according to the distance from the reference point in the raw material from which the film material is cut out when the film material is heated in advance Measuring the amount of expansion and contraction,
Based on the amount of expansion / contraction from the reference line, the film material becomes a certain distance from the reference line after expansion / contraction, and based on the amount of expansion / contraction from the reference point, the protrusions after the film material expands / contracts Determining the formation positions of the protrusions in the film material before heating so as to be arranged in a line;
And a step of processing using a mask corresponding to the formation position of the protrusion,
A method of manufacturing a structure, wherein the island-shaped protrusions are formed in a row at a constant distance from the reference line.

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