JP2007168365A - Liquid discharge substrate, recording head and recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge substrate, a recording head and a recorder for protecting a penetration electrode provided with a liquid discharge substrate from outer environment and simultaneously eliminating a harmful effect associated with it. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid discharge substrate is provided comprising a substrate body 2, an energy generation means for generating energy for discharging a liquid, a nozzle structure 3 including a liquid discharge port 4 for discharging a liquid, a rear electrode 9, a penetration electrode 11 for penetrating the substrate body 2 and providing continuity between the rear electrode 9 and the energy generation means, wherein a portion of the penetration electrode 11 exposed on a surface side of the substrate body 2 is covered by an adhesive layer 7 that is a part of the nozzle structure 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging a liquid such as ink, a recording head applied to the recording apparatus, and a liquid discharge substrate applied to the recording head. The present invention can be applied not only to a general printing apparatus but also to a copying machine, a facsimile, an industrial recording apparatus combined with various processing apparatuses having a printing unit, and the like.

  Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose the connection between a liquid discharge substrate and an electric wiring substrate applied to an ink jet recording head. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the nozzle structure 101 and the electrode 102 are provided on the surface side of the substrate body 100. Furthermore, an electrode 104 of an electric wiring board 103 that supplies an electric control signal and driving power to the nozzle structure 101 is electrically connected to the electrode 102. For this electrical connection, inter-metal bonding by ILB (Inner Lead Bonding) or thermocompression bonding using anisotropic conductive bonding is used.

  Further, in a product typified by a printer or the like, in order to protect the connection portion between the electrode 102 and the electrode 103 from a wiping operation by a rubber blade that removes ink and dust such as ink droplets and paper dust, the connection portion Is covered with a sealing material 105.

  Further, the support member 107 that supplies the ink while supporting the substrate main body 100 via the adhesive 106 is equivalent to the substrate main body 100 such as alumina so that the ink ejection performance does not deteriorate due to the temperature rise of the substrate main body 100. It is made of a material having thermal conductivity.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 discloses a scalable wide array ink jet print head and a manufacturing method thereof. An outline of the ink jet print head disclosed in Patent Document 3 is shown in FIG. In the inkjet print head, the back surfaces of the plurality of print head dies 218 are mounted on the first surface of the support substrate 220, and the plurality of drive circuits 230 and the plurality of logic circuits are mounted on the second surface of the support substrate 220. Yes.

Electrical control signals are supplied to the drive circuit 230 and the logic circuit via the support substrate 220, and the through-opening 210 of the support substrate 220, the wet metal 276, the solder 278, the wet pad 268, the interconnect 280 of the printhead die 218, Communicated. Further, electrical energy is applied to the printing element 224 on the surface through the conductive pattern 207 on the surface, and ink is ejected from the nozzle openings 238 on the surface of the printhead die 218. Further, the ink is supplied from the ink replenishment slot 232 of the support substrate 220 that is opened avoiding the plurality of drive circuits 230 and the plurality of logic circuits, and the ink replenishment flow path 242, the supply flow path 244, the nozzle of the print head die 218. It is supplied to the chamber 236.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-25272 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-044418 JP-A-11-192705

  However, the ink jet recording head shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) has the following problems that deteriorate the print quality, reliability, and the like.

  A connecting portion between the electrode 102 and the electrode 104 sealed with the sealing material 105 protrudes from the surface of the nozzle structure 101. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a gap between the recording head and the recording medium by the amount of the protruding portion, and the landing accuracy of ink on the recording medium is lowered. Further, the protruding portion may interfere with the wiping operation (wiping) by a rubber blade for removing dust such as ink droplets or paper dust adhering to the surface of the nozzle structure 101, and this may adversely affect the print quality. Effect.

  On the other hand, in the scalable wide array ink jet print head shown in FIG. 7, the protection of the conductive pattern on the surface side of the print head die 218 is not considered. That is, in order to protect the conductive pattern on the surface side of the print head die 208 from the external environment, in particular, the liquid represented by ink and the abrasion of the wiping operation, it is easily necessary to seal the electrode surface. I can guess. Then, similarly to the ink jet recording head shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B described above, the portion sealed by the sealing material protrudes, and the recording head and the recording medium correspond to the protruding portion. It is necessary to take an interval. Therefore, the accuracy of ink landing on the recording medium is reduced. Furthermore, the protruding portion becomes an obstacle to the wiping operation, and thus adversely affects the print quality. In the head having a plurality of ink flow paths such as yellow, cyan, magenta, and black, the drive circuit and the logic circuit arranged on the second surface of the support substrate 220 arrange the ink flow paths at high density. This hinders the downsizing of the multicolor head.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and provide an inexpensive and compact liquid discharge substrate that does not deteriorate print quality and a recording head including the same. Furthermore, it is providing the recording apparatus using the recording head.

  The liquid discharge substrate of the present invention is a liquid discharge substrate that discharges liquid according to an electrical signal. Specifically, it includes a substrate body and energy generating means that is provided on the surface side of the substrate body and generates energy for discharging the liquid. Further, a nozzle structure provided on the front surface side of the substrate body and provided with a liquid discharge port for discharging liquid, an electrode provided on the back surface side of the substrate body, an electrode and energy generating means penetrating the substrate body And a through electrode for electrically connecting the two. And the part exposed to the surface side of a board | substrate body among penetration electrodes is covered with the nozzle structure.

  According to the present invention, the through electrode provided on the liquid discharge substrate is protected from the external environment, and the deterioration of the print quality is prevented. Further, since the through electrode does not protrude from the nozzle structure, it is possible to reduce the interval between the recording head and the recording medium and improve the landing accuracy of the droplets on the recording medium.

  In the liquid discharge substrate of the present invention, the surface of the substrate main body includes a drive circuit element, a logic circuit element, and a heating element, and energy generating means for generating energy for discharging the liquid, and a plurality of liquids from which the liquid is discharged And a nozzle structure having a discharge port. Further, a back electrode is provided on the back side of the substrate body, and a through electrode for transmitting an electric signal input to the back electrode to the energy generating means is provided inside the substrate body. And the part exposed to the surface side of a board | substrate body among penetration electrodes is covered with the nozzle structure.

In the liquid discharge substrate of the present invention having the above structure, the surface side of the through electrode is protected from the external environment, in particular, conductive ink and abrasion due to the wiping operation. Further, since the surface side of the protected through electrode does not protrude from the nozzle structure, it is possible to reduce the interval between the recording head and the recording medium and improve the landing accuracy of the ink on the recording medium. . Furthermore, the printing quality is improved without causing any trouble in the wiping operation. In addition, since energy generation means comprising a drive circuit element, a logic circuit element, and a heat generating element is provided, when realizing a multi-color head using a plurality of ink flow paths, the ink flow paths are arranged with high density to achieve a small size. Can be achieved. Hereinafter, embodiments of the liquid discharge substrate of the present invention will be described in detail.
(Embodiment 1)
FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively show a part of the upper surface of the liquid ejection substrate 1 according to the present embodiment and a cross section thereof. On the surface side of the substrate body 2, energy generation means (not shown) and the nozzle structure 3 are provided. The nozzle structure 3 is a nozzle member that forms a plurality of liquid discharge ports 4 through which ink is discharged and an ink flow path 5 that is formed below the liquid discharge ports 4 and supplies ink to the liquid discharge ports 4. 6 and an adhesive layer 7 for fixing the nozzle member 6 to the surface of the substrate body 2 are main components.

  Here, an example of the adhesive layer 14 includes a polyetheramide resin layer. The nozzle member 6 can be formed of a photosensitive epoxy resin.

  A part of the plurality of liquid discharge ports 4 provided in the nozzle member 6 is arranged on a straight line to form a first liquid discharge port array, and the other part is another straight line parallel to the straight line. A second liquid discharge port array is formed on the upper side. In short, the plurality of liquid discharge ports 4 are opened in a plurality of rows (in this example, two rows), and the liquid discharge port rows are arranged in parallel. Note that the heating elements (heaters in this example) constituting the energy generating means are disposed below the liquid discharge ports 4. When each heating element generates heat, thermal energy is given to the ink in the ink flow path, and the liquid discharge port 4 to which the ink corresponds is generated by the bubble pressure at the time of foaming (boiling) of the ink caused by the phase change at this time. It is discharged from.

  An ink supply port 8 for supplying ink to the ink flow path 5 is formed in the substrate body 2. The ink supply port 8 penetrates the front and back surfaces of the substrate body 2, and the nozzle member 6 is covered on the opening on the front surface side. In other words, the ink supply port 8 is provided below the two liquid discharge port arrays. The ink supply port 8 has a length substantially equal to the length of the liquid discharge port array, and the inner surface thereof is formed in a tapered shape that gradually widens from the front surface side to the back surface side of the substrate body 2. .

  On the other hand, a back electrode 9 is provided on the back surface of the substrate body 2. An electric signal or the like input to the back electrode 9 is transmitted to the front surface side of the substrate body 2 through the through electrode 11 insulated from the substrate body 2 by the insulating layer 10. Furthermore, an electrical signal transmitted to the front surface side of the substrate body 2 is supplied to a drive circuit element, a logic circuit element, or a heat conversion element directly or via a circuit pattern (not shown). Here, it is desirable to use a semiconductor substrate such as silicon for the substrate body 2.

  Further, a portion of the through electrode 11 exposed on the surface side of the substrate body 2 (hereinafter, “surface side 11a of the through electrode”) is covered with a part of the nozzle structure 3 (adhesive layer 7). .

  As described above, since the surface side 11 a of the through electrode 11 is covered with the adhesive layer 7, the external environment, in particular, conductive ink, dust such as ink droplets or paper dust adhering to the surface of the nozzle member 6. It is protected from the abrasion of the wiping operation by the rubber blade for removing the water.

The adhesive layer 7 is interposed between the surface and the nozzle member 6 in order to fix the nozzle structure 3 (nozzle member 6) to the surface of the substrate body 2. Therefore, the adhesive layer 7 and the surface side 11a of the through electrode 11 covered with the adhesive layer 7 do not protrude from the nozzle member 6 (nozzle structure 3). Therefore, in the recording head using the liquid discharge substrate 1, it is possible to reduce the interval between the head and the recording medium and improve the landing accuracy of the ink on the recording medium. Further, the printing quality is improved without causing any trouble in the wiping operation by the rubber blade.
(Embodiment 2)
In the case of the structure shown in FIG. 1, depending on the type of ink, ink attached to the step (corner portion 12) between the nozzle member 6 and the adhesive layer 7 protecting the surface side 11 a of the through electrode 11 may be present. There is a possibility of drying, deposition and sticking. Further, the fixed ink may protrude from the nozzle structure 3.

  Therefore, when using ink with the above possibility, it is desirable to eliminate the corner 12 shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle member 6 is enlarged or offset from the position shown in FIG. In other words, a region of the adhesive layer 7 that covers the surface side 11 a of the through electrode 11 is covered with the nozzle member 6. As a result, the corner 12 is eliminated as shown in FIG. In this case, the surface side 11 a of the through electrode 11 is covered with the adhesive layer 7 and the nozzle member 6.

The structure shown in FIG. 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment in that the surface side 11a of the through electrode 11 does not protrude from the nozzle structure 3, and the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.
(Embodiment 3)
As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle structure 3 can also be formed by a flat orifice member 20 and a partition member 21 that forms an ink flow path 5 between the orifice member 20 and the substrate body 2. In such a structure, it is desirable to cover the surface side 11 a of the through electrode 11 with the partition member 21.

  That is, by covering the surface side 11a of the through electrode 11 with the partition member 21, the surface side 11a of the through electrode 11 can be protected from the external environment. In particular, it is possible to protect the surface side 11a of the through electrode 11 from the abrasion of a wiping operation by a rubber blade for removing conductive ink and dust such as ink droplets and paper dust adhering to the surface of the orifice member 20. .

The partition member 21 is interposed between the orifice member 20 and the substrate body 2 in order to form the ink flow path 5 between the orifice member 20 and the surface of the substrate body 2. Therefore, the partition wall member 21 and the surface side 11a of the through electrode 11 covered with the partition member 21 do not protrude from the orifice member 20 (nozzle structure 3). Therefore, in the recording head using the liquid discharge substrate 1, it is possible to reduce the interval between the head and the recording medium and improve the landing accuracy of the ink on the recording medium. Further, the printing quality is improved without causing any trouble in the wiping operation by the rubber blade.
(Embodiment 4)
In the case of the structure shown in FIG. 3, depending on the type of ink, ink adhering to the step (corner portion 22) between the orifice member 20 and the partition member 21 protecting the surface side 11a of the through electrode 11 may be removed. There is a possibility of drying, deposition and sticking. Further, the fixed ink may protrude from the nozzle structure 3.

  Therefore, when using ink with the above possibility, it is desirable to eliminate the corner 22 by some method. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the orifice member 20 is enlarged or offset from the position shown in FIG. In other words, the region of the partition wall member 21 that covers the surface side 11 a of the through electrode 11 is covered with the orifice member 20. As a result, the corner 22 is eliminated as shown in FIG. In this case, the surface side 11 a of the through electrode 11 is covered with the partition member 21 and the orifice member 20.

The structure shown in FIG. 4 is the same as that of the third embodiment in that the surface side 11a of the through electrode 11 does not protrude from the nozzle structure 3, and the same effects as those of the third embodiment can be obtained.
(Embodiment 5)
Next, an example of an embodiment of the recording head of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The recording head 30 according to the present embodiment includes a liquid discharge substrate 1 according to the first embodiment, an electric wiring substrate 31 that supplies an electric control signal and driving power to the liquid discharge substrate 1, and a liquid that supports the liquid discharge substrate 1. And a support member 32 to be supplied.

  The support member 32 is provided with an ink supply port 33 for supplying ink to the ink supply port 8 opened in the liquid ejection substrate 1. The outer peripheral portion of the ink supply port 8 of the liquid discharge substrate 1 and the outer peripheral portion of the ink supply port 33 of the support member 32 are in close contact with each other by the sealing material 34, and the ink is supplied to one or more of the liquid discharge substrate 1. The liquid discharge port 4 (FIG. 1) can be supplied.

  The sealing material 34 can be provided on both or one of the outer peripheral portion of the ink supply port 8 of the liquid discharge substrate 1 and the outer peripheral portion of the ink supply port 9 of the support member 32.

  Further, for example, the back electrode 9 of the liquid discharge substrate 1 is subjected to gold plating treatment, and gold bumps 35a are formed on the terminals 35 of the electric wiring substrate 31 on the support member 32 by a stud bump method. It is preferable to connect.

  In the recording head 30 of the present embodiment, the surface 11a of the through electrode 11 is covered with the adhesive layer 7, thereby removing external environment, particularly dust such as conductive ink, ink droplets and paper dust. Therefore, the surface side 11a is protected from the wear of the wiping operation by the rubber blade.

  Further, since the adhesive layer 7 does not protrude from the nozzle structure 3, it is possible to reduce the interval between the recording head 30 and the recording medium and improve the ink landing accuracy on the recording medium. Further, the printing quality is improved without causing any trouble in the wiping operation by the rubber blade.

  Further, the liquid discharge substrate 1 mounted on the recording head 30 generates energy used to discharge liquid from the liquid discharge port 4 (FIG. 1) in accordance with an electrical signal on the surface side of the substrate body 2. It has energy generation means. The energy generating means includes a drive circuit element, a logic circuit element, and a heating element. Therefore, when a recording head having a plurality of ink channels such as yellow, cyan, magenta, and black is used, it is possible to reduce the size of the multicolor head in which the ink channels are arranged at high density.

  Furthermore, it can be easily understood that a recording apparatus having the effects described so far is realized by manufacturing a recording apparatus using the recording head 30 of the present embodiment.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the example using the liquid discharge substrate 1 of the first embodiment has been described. However, the liquid discharge substrates of other embodiments may have the same effects even if other liquid discharge substrates of the present invention are used. It can be easily understood that a recording head and a recording apparatus that can obtain the above can be realized.

2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an example of an embodiment of a liquid discharge substrate according to the present invention, in which FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of embodiment of the liquid discharge substrate of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of embodiment of the liquid discharge substrate of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of embodiment of the liquid discharge substrate of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an embodiment of a recording head of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid discharge board | substrate 2 Substrate body 3 Nozzle structure 4 Liquid discharge port 5 Ink flow path 6 Nozzle member 7 Adhesive layer 9 Back surface electrode 11 Through electrode 20 Orifice member 21 Bulkhead member 30 Recording head 31 Electric wiring board 32 Support member

Claims (6)

A liquid ejection substrate that ejects liquid in response to an electrical signal,
A substrate body;
Energy generating means provided on the surface side of the substrate body for generating energy for discharging liquid;
A nozzle structure provided on the surface side of the substrate body and provided with a liquid discharge port through which liquid is discharged;
An electrode provided on the back side of the substrate body;
A through electrode penetrating through the substrate body and electrically conducting between the electrode and the energy generating means,
Of the through electrode, a portion exposed to the surface side of the substrate body is covered with the nozzle structure.
Liquid discharge substrate. The liquid ejection substrate according to claim 1,
The nozzle structure includes a nozzle member in which the liquid discharge port is formed, and an adhesive layer for fixing the nozzle member to the substrate body,
Of the through electrode, a portion exposed to the surface side of the substrate body is covered with the adhesive layer or the adhesive layer and the nozzle member.
Liquid discharge substrate. The liquid ejection substrate according to claim 1,
The nozzle structure has an orifice member in which the liquid discharge port is formed, and a partition member that forms a flow path between the orifice member and the substrate body,
Of the through electrode, a portion exposed to the surface side of the substrate body is covered with the partition member,
Liquid discharge substrate. The liquid ejection substrate according to claim 4,
A portion of the through electrode exposed on the surface side of the substrate body is covered with the partition member or the partition member and the orifice member. A liquid discharge substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An electric wiring board for supplying an electric control signal and driving power to the liquid discharge board;
A support member that supports the liquid discharge substrate.
Recording head. A recording apparatus comprising the recording head according to claim 5.

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