JP2008126420A - Inkjet recording head and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recording head which has a structure to suppress cross talk with no decrease in refilling speed of ink, and to provide its manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: The recording head has both a substrate 10 with at least a plurality of ejection pressure generating elements 12 arranged on a front face, and an orifice formation member 18 formed in a film on the front face of the substrate 10. A plurality of pressure chambers 22 and orifices (ejection openings) 21 corresponding to the respective ejection pressure generating elements 12 are formed in the orifice formation member 18. A recess is formed to a rear face (opposite side to the face where the orifice formation member 18 is film-formed) of the substrate 10, which serves as a common liquid chamber 11 to store a liquid such as ink supplied to each pressure chamber 22. A feeding passage 31 for supplying the ink from the common liquid chamber 11 separately communicates with each pressure chamber 22. A protecting layer 32 which protects the substrate 10 from the ink is formed on the internal face of the feeding passage 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink to form ink droplets and attaching them to a recording material such as paper.

  An ink jet recording head having a structure called a “side shooter type” or “roof shooter type” ink jet recording head in which ink droplets are ejected in a vertical direction with respect to a substrate on which an ejection pressure generating element is formed. ing.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional side shooter type ink jet recording head partially shown in cross section. 12A is a plan view of the ink jet recording head of FIG. 11, and FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 12A.

The side shooter type ink jet recording head shown in these drawings uses single crystal silicon as the substrate 10 in order to form an ejection pressure generating element and its drive circuit. An orifice forming member 18 for forming an orifice 21 (discharge port) for discharging liquid is provided on the surface of the base 10 on which the discharge pressure generating element 12 is formed. In addition, since the ink is supplied from the tank (not shown) side of the back surface of the substrate 10 to the surface of the substrate 10 provided with the orifice 21, a common liquid that normally penetrates the front and back of the substrate 10 is used. A chamber 11 is formed. The orifice forming member 18 includes a plurality of pressure chambers 22 arranged for each discharge pressure generating element 12, and one supply liquid chamber 16 that supplies the liquid in the common liquid chamber 11 to all the pressure chambers 22. have. Further, each orifice 21 is disposed on the orifice forming member 18 so as to face the discharge pressure generating element 12 of each pressure chamber 22 and is formed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate surface. (See Patent Document 1)
JP 2001-38890 A

  By the way, when the discharge pressure generating element is operated to discharge ink droplets from one orifice, the discharge pressure pushes back the ink in the direction opposite to the orifice. A phenomenon in which the back flow of ink affects adjacent orifices, particularly the meniscus, is called crosstalk. A specific example is that the meniscus vibrates. For this reason, currently, when discharging from one discharge port, it is necessary to take measures such as not discharging from the adjacent discharge port until this vibration is completely attenuated. It has become a challenge.

  As a technique for suppressing this crosstalk, it is conceivable that adjacent orifices and ejection pressure generating elements are separated from each other on the ink liquid path. In this case, in the conventional head structure, the pressure chamber is made longer and the orifice and the discharge pressure generating element are moved away from the common liquid chamber. As a result, the ink must pass longer through the pressure chamber where the normal height from the common liquid chamber to the orifice where a sufficient amount of ink is present with respect to the discharge amount is not so much. As a result, the ink filling speed (refill speed) into the orifice is lowered, and the throughput may be lowered. On the other hand, expanding the pressure chamber in the direction parallel to the substrate and perpendicular to the ink flow, in other words, in the width direction is limited because the pressure chambers interfere with each other. In addition, simply expanding the pressure chamber in the height direction perpendicular to the substrate will increase the distance between the discharge pressure generating element and the orifice facing it, which will affect the discharge performance. is there.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention, that is, the object of the present invention, is to provide an ink jet recording head having a structure that suppresses crosstalk without lowering the ink refill speed and a method for producing the same.

  The inkjet recording head of the present invention includes a plurality of orifices for ejecting ink droplets on a substrate on which at least a plurality of ejection pressure generating elements are disposed, and is included in each of the ejection pressure generating elements. A plurality of pressure chambers formed and communicating with the respective orifices. Furthermore, the head has a common liquid chamber for storing ink to be supplied to each pressure chamber on the base. In such a head, each of the pressure chambers has a supply path for individually supplying the ink from the common liquid chamber, and further includes a protective layer for protecting the substrate from the ink on the inner surface of the supply path. This solves the above problem.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording head having a structure that has excellent ink resistance and suppresses crosstalk without reducing the ink refill speed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. The same components as those in the conventional example will be described using the same reference numerals.

(Example 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a partial cross section of an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 2A is a plan view of the ink jet recording head of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2A. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, the recording head of this embodiment includes a base 10 having at least a plurality of discharge pressure generating elements 12 disposed on the surface, and an orifice formed on the surface of the base 10. And a member 18 (also referred to as a nozzle member). The plurality of discharge pressure generating elements 12 on the substrate 10 are arranged in a row. This example is arranged in two rows. The orifice forming member 18 is provided with a plurality of pressure chambers 22 and orifices 21 corresponding to the respective discharge pressure generating elements 12. Specifically, a plurality of pressure chambers 22 are formed so as to enclose each discharge pressure generating element 12, and a plurality of orifices 21 are substantially perpendicular to the base body 10 from each pressure chamber 22 to the front side of the orifice forming member 18. Is formed in the direction. The orifice 21 is at a position facing the discharge pressure generating element 12.

  Further, a concave portion is formed on the back surface of the substrate 10 (on the side opposite to the surface on which the orifice forming member 18 is formed) to form a common liquid chamber 11 that stores liquid such as ink supplied to each pressure chamber 22. Yes. A supply path 31 for supplying ink from the common liquid chamber 11 communicates with each pressure chamber 22 individually. Of course, each supply path 31 is connected to the side of each pressure chamber 22 opposite to the side where the orifice 21 is formed. A protective layer 32 is formed on the inner surface of each supply path 31 to protect the silicon substrate 10 from ink.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 2A, two discharge port arrays in which a plurality of orifices 21 (discharge ports) are arranged are provided, and the discharge ports of the other discharge port array are provided between the discharge ports of one of the discharge port arrays. Arranged to correspond. Thereby, double dot printing can be performed with two ejection port arrays having the same ejection port pitch, but the recording head of the present invention is not limited to such an arrangement.

  Further, as the discharge pressure generating element 12, an electrothermal conversion element such as a heating resistor (heater) or an electric vibration conversion element such as a piezo element can be used.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the recording head of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, a heating resistor and its drive circuit (not shown) which are discharge pressure generating elements 12 and electrode pads for exchanging signals with the recording apparatus main body on a single crystal silicon wafer serving as the substrate 10 by a general-purpose semiconductor process. (Not shown). Further, the SiN film 19 is formed on the back surface during the above-described process, and the surface layer on the front surface includes SiN that is the passivation layer 14. In particular, the Ta film that is a cavitation-resistant layer on the heating resistor. (Not shown) is patterned (FIG. 3A).

  After the resist is coated on the substrate 10, the resist is patterned by photolithography so that there is an opening in the vicinity of the heating resistor 12.

  Then, using a chemical dry etching apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as CDE), the passivation layer 14 in the resist opening is etched to expose the silicon surface.

  Further, etching is progressed from the silicon exposed portion by an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as ICP-RIE etcher) to form a trench 34 serving as a supply path 31 (FIG. 3B). .

  Thereafter, the resist on the substrate 10 is removed.

  Next, SiN, which is the same material as the already formed passivation layer 14, is formed on the surface of the substrate 10 and the inner surface of the trench 34 by plasma CVD. SiN on the inner surface of the trench 34 serves as a protective layer 32 on the inner surface of the supply path 31. Then, after applying a resist and patterning by photolithography technique, SiN on the anti-cavitation layer is removed by CDE.

  Next, the surface of the substrate 10 is solvent-coated with polymethylisopropenyl ketone, which is a deep-UV resist, using cyclohexanone as a solvent. At this time, the deep-UV resist is also filled in the trench 34 serving as the supply path 31.

  The Deep-UV resist coated on the entire surface of the substrate 10 is exposed to Deep-UV through a mask and developed to form a mold for the pressure chamber 22. On this, a cationic polymerization type epoxy resin is solvent-coated and exposed, post-baked, and developed, thereby forming the orifice forming member 18 (FIG. 3C). At this time, the resin portion corresponding to the orifice (discharge port) 21 and the electrode pad portion (not shown) is removed. If necessary, the surface layer of the orifice forming member 18 may be subjected to a water repellent treatment thereafter.

  Next, in order to protect the orifice forming member 18 formed on the surface of the substrate 10 from the etching described later, the cyclized rubber 23 is coated thereon (FIG. 3D).

  Then, a resist is coated on the back surface of the substrate 10 and patterned by a photolithography technique, and then the SiN film 19 is etched by CDE.

  Further, the substrate 10 is immersed in a TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) aqueous solution and crystal anisotropic etching is performed from the opening of the SiN film 19 to form the common liquid chamber 11 (FIG. 3D).

  Further, in this etching process, it is necessary to proceed the etching until the common liquid chamber 11 and the supply path 31 (trench 34) communicate with each other. However, the corner portion 33 that appears when the common liquid chamber 11 and the supply path 31 communicate with each other is easily etched, and the shape is lost. It will go. Therefore, it is necessary to finish the etching within a range in which the collapse of the corner 33 does not affect the ink refill, while all the supply paths 31 are sufficient to communicate with the common liquid chamber 11 (FIG. 3 ( d)).

  After sufficiently washing and drying the structure that has undergone the above steps, the portion of the SiN film 19 on the back surface of the substrate 10 that has been stripped is peeled off with an adhesive tape.

  Further, the protective layer 32 (SiN film) at the connection portion between the supply path 31 and the common liquid chamber 11 is removed by CDE. That is, the SiN film covering the surface of the Deep-UV resist that has come out of the supply path 31 into the common liquid chamber 11 is removed (FIG. 3D).

  Thereafter, SiO is preferably formed on the inner wall surface of the common liquid chamber 11 as an ink-resistant protective film.

  Further, the cyclized rubber 23 is removed with xylene. Thereafter, the entire surface of the substrate is irradiated with Deep-UV light, and the Deep-UV resist which is the mold material of the pressure chamber 22 is exposed through the cationic polymerization type epoxy resin (orifice forming member 18). At this time, irradiation may be performed from the back side.

  Then, by immersing this structure in methyl lactate and applying ultrasonic waves, the Deep-UV resist in the pressure chamber 22 and the supply path 31 is eluted and removed.

  Finally, the wafer is cut out by a dicer to obtain the ink jet recording head of the present invention (FIG. 3E).

(Example 2)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view partially showing a cross section of an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 5A is a plan view of the ink jet recording head of FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5A. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  The recording head of this example is almost the same as the head structure of Example 1 as shown in FIGS. 4, 5A and 5B. The difference is the shape of the common liquid chamber 11, which differs from the manufacturing method of the first embodiment.

  A method for manufacturing the recording head of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, a heating resistor and its driving circuit (not shown) as a discharge pressure generating element 12 and a recording device main body are formed on a single crystal silicon wafer having a pulling orientation <100> as a substrate 10 by a general-purpose semiconductor process. An electrode pad (not shown) for transmitting and receiving signals is formed. Further, during the process, an ICP-RIE etcher is used to form a trench 34 serving as a supply path 31 in the silicon substrate, and this inner surface is simultaneously covered with SiO, which is an insulating layer 17 of a drive circuit (not shown). (FIG. 6A). Further, the back surface of the substrate 10 also has the SiO film 13 formed during the above-described process, and SiN which is the passivation layer 14 is present on the surface layer. In particular, the cavitation-resistant layer is formed on the heating resistor. A certain Ta film (not shown) is patterned (FIG. 6B).

  Next, the surface of the substrate 10 is solvent-coated with polymethylisopropenyl ketone, which is a deep-UV resist, using cyclohexanone as a solvent. At this time, the deep-UV resist is also filled in the trench 34 serving as the supply path 31.

  The Deep-UV resist coated on the entire surface of the substrate 10 is exposed to Deep-UV through a mask and developed to form a mold for the pressure chamber 22. On this, a cationic polymerization type epoxy resin is solvent-coated and exposed, post-baked and developed, thereby forming the orifice forming member 18 (FIG. 6 (c)). At this time, the resin portion corresponding to the orifice (discharge port) 21 and the electrode pad portion (not shown) is removed. If necessary, the surface layer of the orifice forming member 18 may be subjected to a water repellent treatment thereafter.

  Next, in order to protect the orifice forming member 18 formed on the surface of the substrate 10 from the etching described later, the cyclized rubber 23 is coated thereon (FIG. 6D).

  Then, a resist is coated on the back surface of the substrate 10 and patterned by a photolithography technique, and then the SiO film 13 is etched by buffered hydrofluoric acid.

  Further, the substrate 10 is immersed in a TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) aqueous solution and crystal anisotropic etching is performed from the opening of the SiO film 13 to form the common liquid chamber 11 (FIG. 6D). At this time, the (111) surface having an extremely low etching rate with respect to the alkali is exposed on the wall surface of the common liquid chamber 11. Further, since the (111) plane appears with an inclination of about 54.7 degrees with respect to the surface of the substrate 10, the size of the opening of the SiO film 19 is adjusted before reaching the surface of the substrate 10. The (111) plane can appear on all the wall surfaces.

  In this crystal anisotropic etching, the (111) plane is etched until the common liquid chamber 11 and the supply path 31 (trench 34) communicate with each other even after the (111) plane appears. During this communication, SiO that is the protective layer 32 on the inner wall of the supply path 31 (trench 34) prevents the shape of the corner 33 between the connected supply path 31 and the common liquid chamber 11 from being broken.

  After sufficiently washing and drying the structure that has undergone the above steps, the SiO film 13 on the back surface of the substrate 10 is removed with buffered hydrofluoric acid. However, even when the manufactured recording head is combined with an ink supply member such as an ink tank, if there is a possibility that the ink touches the back surface of the substrate 10, the SiO film 13 is left as a protective layer without performing this removal. Also good.

  Further, the protective layer 32 (SiO film) at the connection portion between the supply path 31 and the common liquid chamber 11 is removed with buffered hydrofluoric acid. That is, the SiO film covering the surface of the Deep-UV resist that has come out of the supply path 31 into the common liquid chamber 11 is removed (FIG. 6D).

  Further, the cyclized rubber 23 is removed with xylene. Thereafter, the entire surface of the substrate is irradiated with Deep-UV light, and the Deep-UV resist which is the mold material of the pressure chamber 22 is exposed through the cationic polymerization type epoxy resin (orifice forming member 18). At this time, irradiation may be performed from the back side.

  Then, by immersing this structure in methyl lactate and applying ultrasonic waves, the Deep-UV resist in the pressure chamber 22 and the supply path 31 is eluted and removed.

  Finally, the wafer is cut out by a dicer to obtain the ink jet recording head of the present invention (FIG. 6E).

  In the present embodiment described above, the inner surface of the supply passage 31 is covered with the protective layer 32 among the surfaces of the substrate 10 that come into contact with the ink, and the inner surface of the common liquid chamber 11 is the (111) crystal plane with a slow etching rate due to alkali. It has become. Therefore, even if alkaline ink is used, it is possible to provide a recording head in which elution of silicon into the ink can be suppressed to a very small amount and no quality problem occurs.

(Example 3)
7A is a plan view of an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 7A. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as the said Example.

  The present embodiment is a modification of the second embodiment, and is formed on the insulating layer (SiO) 17 of a drive circuit (not shown) that exists on the surface of the substrate 10 and also functions as the protective layer 32 from the back surface of the substrate 10. A common liquid chamber 11 formed by isotropic etching is reached. By setting it as such a common liquid chamber 11, the supply path 31 can be shortened within the range which does not produce crosstalk, and the tact of the formation process of the trench used as the supply path 31 can be improved.

Example 4
8A is a plan view of an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 8A. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as the said Example.

  In the present embodiment, in the formation of the common liquid chamber 11 described in the second embodiment, the etching is not completed until the (111) plane appears on all of the wall surfaces, and the process is terminated halfway.

  By producing in this way, the common liquid chamber 11 can be widely formed in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 10. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a head having a configuration in which a large number of discharge port arrays and a wide range of discharge ports are scattered.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, the bottom surface of the concave portion serving as the common liquid chamber can be formed wide and flat in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate 10. Therefore, if three or more discharge port rows are arranged in the bottom surface area as shown in FIG. 8A, the length of the supply passage 31 (and thus refill) communicating from each pressure chamber 22 having each discharge port 21 to the common liquid chamber 11 is obtained. Speed) can all be the same.

(Example 5)
9A is a plan view of an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 9A. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as the said Example.

  In this embodiment, a plurality of supply paths 31 are communicated with one pressure chamber 22. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, an orifice 21 and a discharge pressure generating element 12 are arranged at the center of each pressure chamber 22, and a supply path 31 is formed from each end of each pressure chamber 22 to the common liquid chamber 11. Yes.

  By producing in this way, the flow resistance between each orifice 21 and the common liquid chamber 11 can be further reduced. In addition, the structure of the pressure chamber 22 can be made symmetrical with respect to the ejection pressure generating element 12 including the opening position of the supply path 31, and the pressure distribution at the time of ejection is also symmetric so that the ink travels straight in the ejection direction. Improves.

  9B shows the common liquid chamber 2 in the shape of the second embodiment, the shape of the common liquid chamber 2 is not limited to this.

(Example 6)
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a partial cross section of an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

  In this embodiment, each pressure chamber 22 of the conventional head shown in FIGS. 11, 12A and 12B is provided with a plurality of supply passages 31 for individually communicating each pressure chamber 22 to the common liquid chamber 11. It is. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, in addition to the supply liquid chamber 16 that causes the common liquid chamber 11 to communicate with one end side of each pressure chamber 22 in common, the other end side of each pressure chamber 22 is individually connected to the common liquid chamber 11. A plurality of supply paths 31 communicating with the chamber 11 are provided.

Even with such a configuration, the back flow of ink due to the pressure at the time of ejection (ink flow in the direction away from the orifice 21) is distributed in two ways, the opening of the common liquid chamber 11 to the supply liquid chamber 16 and the supply path 31. Therefore, there is an effect of reducing crosstalk. In addition, when refilling, ink is supplied from both, which is advantageous.

The ink jet recording head according to the manufacturing method of each embodiment described above is provided with a supply path 31 in the substrate 10 so as to supply ink individually from the common liquid chamber 11 to each pressure chamber 22. Therefore, it has a structure that can suppress crosstalk. Further, since the supply path 31 exists in the base 10, it is possible to secure a sufficient cross-sectional area that determines the flow resistance, and the refill speed does not decrease.

  Further, the inner surface of the supply path 31 of the surface of the substrate 10 that comes into contact with the ink is covered with the protective layer 32, and the inner surface of the common liquid chamber 11 is a crystal surface with a sufficiently slow etching rate with respect to alkali. Even so, quality problems are unlikely to occur. Further, since the shape of the connecting portion between the common liquid chamber 11 and the supply path 31 is controlled without variation, a high-quality recording head having no difference in ejection performance between the orifices was obtained.

  Further, at the time of producing the ink jet recording head, at least the following steps are taken. That is, first, a penetrating or non-penetrating trench 34 that becomes the supply path 31 is processed from the surface of the substrate 10 (first step). Next, the protective layer 32 is formed on the inner surface of the trench 34 (second step). Further, a member 18 having a pressure chamber 22 and an orifice 21 is formed on the surface of the substrate 10 on which the discharge pressure generating element 12 is disposed (third step). Further, the common liquid chamber 11 is processed from the surface of the substrate 10 opposite to the surface on which the discharge pressure generating element 12 is disposed, and is communicated with the supply path 31 (fourth step). And the protective layer 32 in the connection part of the common liquid chamber 11 and the supply path 31 is removed (5th process).

  The protective layer 32 on the inner wall of the trench 34 formed in the second step protects the cross section of the substrate and the semiconductor functional layer exposed on the inner surface of the supply path 31 from the corrosion caused by the ink in the manufactured head. Further, when the common liquid chamber 11 and the supply path 31 communicate with each other in the fourth step, the protective layer 32 is rapidly etched at its corners 33 so that the shape of the protective layer 32 collapses. To prevent the variation.

  That is, when the common liquid chamber 11 is communicated with the supply path 31, the corner portion 33 of the communicating portion is normally etched rapidly because it is exposed to the etchant in multiple directions. In this case, it is difficult to control the progress, and the shape of this portion varies. In particular, in the processing of the common liquid chamber 11 by crystal anisotropic etching of a silicon substrate, since the etching rate of the (111) plane appearing on the inner wall of the common liquid chamber 11 is extremely slow with respect to the other surface, Etching is relatively fast. The protective layer 32 on the inner wall surface of the supply path 31 serves to prevent the corner 33 from being exposed to the etchant in a plurality of directions.

  Further, by forming the common liquid chamber 11 by crystal anisotropic etching of the silicon substrate, the wall surface of the common liquid chamber 11 also becomes a (111) crystal plane with a slow etching rate with respect to alkali. Therefore, the silicon substrate 10 can be protected from corrosion by ink.

  The protective layer provided on the inner surface of the supply path of the recording head of the present invention is not limited to the film materials (SiN, SiO) shown in the above embodiments. For example, it may be an inorganic film such as SiN, SiO, or SiON, an organic film such as polyimide, polyamide, or polyetheramide, or a metal film such as Pt, Au, Cu, or another alloy.

  In the embodiment described above, the protective layer 32 is a layer common to the passivation layer 14 that protects the surface of the substrate 10 or an insulating layer that protects the drive circuit of the discharge pressure generating element 12. The layer is not limited to this, and may be a layer common to other functional layers. For this purpose, it is preferable that the formation of the discharge pressure generating element 12 on the surface of the substrate 10, the formation of a drive circuit for the element, the formation of other functional layers, and the like are performed in the next step. That is, the formation is performed before the trench 34, between the processing of the trench 34 and the formation process of the protection layer 32 on the inner surface of the trench, or between the formation of the protection layer 32 and the formation process of the orifice forming member 18. Or it is preferable to carry out over a plurality of them.

1 is a perspective view showing a partial cross section of an ink jet recording head that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the ink jet recording head of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing in the AA line of FIG. 2A. It is sectional drawing which shows the preparation methods of the inkjet recording head which is Example 1 of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the inkjet recording head which is Example 2 of this invention in a partial cross section. It is a top view of the inkjet recording head of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the AA of FIG. 5A. It is sectional drawing which shows the preparation methods of the inkjet recording head which is Example 2 of this invention. It is a top view of the inkjet recording head which is Example 3 of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the AA line of FIG. 7A. It is a top view of the inkjet recording head which is Example 4 of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the AA of FIG. 8A. It is a top view of the inkjet recording head which is Example 5 of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the AA of FIG. 9A. It is the perspective view which showed the inkjet recording head which is Example 6 of this invention in a partial cross section. It is the perspective view which showed the conventional inkjet recording head in the partial cross section. It is a top view of the inkjet recording head of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the AA of FIG. 12A.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Base body 11 Common liquid chamber 12 Discharge pressure generating element 18 Orifice formation member 21 Orifice (discharge port)
22 Pressure chamber 31 Supply path 32 Protective layer on the inner wall of the supply path 33 Corner of the joint between the common liquid chamber and the supply path

Claims (8)

A plurality of orifices for discharging ink droplets are formed on a substrate on which at least a plurality of discharge pressure generating elements are disposed, and are formed so as to be included in each of the discharge pressure generating elements. An ink jet recording head comprising a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the orifice, and having a common liquid chamber for storing the ink to be supplied to each of the pressure chambers in the substrate;
An ink jet comprising: a supply path for individually supplying the ink from the common liquid chamber to each of the pressure chambers; and a protective layer for protecting the substrate from the ink on an inner surface of the supply path. Recording head.   The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is an insulating layer that covers a circuit for driving the ejection pressure generating element, or a layer that is common to other functional layers.   The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is composed of an inorganic film, an organic film, a metal film, or an alloy film.   The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the common liquid chamber is a (111) crystal plane of silicon. A plurality of orifices for discharging ink droplets are formed on a substrate on which at least a plurality of discharge pressure generating elements are disposed, and are formed so as to be included in each of the discharge pressure generating elements. A plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the orifice, the substrate having a common liquid chamber for storing the ink to be supplied to each of the pressure chambers, and each of the pressure chambers individually having the common liquid chamber A method for producing an ink jet recording head having a supply path for supplying the ink from a chamber,
A first step of processing a through or non-through trench serving as the supply path from the surface of the substrate;
A second step of forming a protective layer on the inner surface of the trench;
A third step of forming a member having the pressure chamber and the orifice on the surface of the base on which the discharge pressure generating element is disposed;
A fourth step of processing the common liquid chamber from the surface of the base opposite to the surface on which the discharge pressure generating element is disposed, and communicating with the supply path;
A fifth step of removing the protective layer in the connection portion between the common liquid chamber and the supply path;
A method for producing an ink jet recording head having   Before the first step, between the first step and the second step, between the second step and the third step, or a plurality of them, the discharge pressure generating element 6. The method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 5, wherein any one of formation, formation of a drive circuit of the element, formation of other functional layers, or two or more of them is performed.   The method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 4, wherein the substrate is made of single crystal silicon, and the fourth step is crystal anisotropic etching.   The method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 4, further comprising a step of forming a protective layer on the wall surface of the common liquid chamber after the fourth step.

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