JP2010179587A - Method for manufacturing piezoelectric actuator device, and method for manufacturing liquid transferring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device in which a thin vibrating film is formed. <P>SOLUTION: First, a pressure chambers 14 passing through in a thickness direction is formed in a cavity plate 41, the inside of the pressure chambers 14 is filled with a resin 82, and the openings of the pressure chambers 14 are sealed. Then, the thin vibrating film 31 is formed so as to straddle the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83 and to cover the pressure chamber 14 filled with the resin 83. Next, a piezoelectric layer 32 is formed on the upper surface of the vibrating film 31 by depositing the particle of a piezoelectric material on the vibrating film 31 so as to cover the areas overlapping the respective pressure chambers 14 formed in the cavity plate 41 in a plan view. Next, the resin 83 with which the inside of the pressure chambers 14 are filled is removed by thermally decomposing the same by heating the cavity plate 41, the vibrating film 31 and the piezoelectric layer 32 to a predetermined temperature. Thereafter, seven plates 42-48 are laminated on the vibrating film 31 on which the piezoelectric layer 32 is formed and the cavity plate 41, and bonded with adhesive or others. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device and a method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a piezoelectric actuator that includes a diaphragm and a piezoelectric layer formed on the diaphragm, and drives an object using deformation (piezoelectric strain) of the piezoelectric layer when an electric field is applied. In the ink jet head described in Patent Document 1, a diaphragm made of a stainless material or the like is joined to a flow path unit having a pressure chamber to be driven, and the upper surface of the diaphragm is opposed to the pressure chamber of the flow path unit. A piezoelectric actuator is manufactured by forming a piezoelectric layer in the region. When the diaphragm is thick, it is difficult to deform, and in order to greatly deform the thick diaphragm, a high voltage must be applied to the piezoelectric actuator. Therefore, it is preferable that the diaphragm is as thin as possible from the viewpoint of low voltage driving.

JP 2006-054442 A (FIG. 1)

  However, in the method of manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator in an ink jet head described in Patent Document 1, a diaphragm alone is formed in advance by a press or the like, and the diaphragm is gripped and carried and joined to a flow path unit that is a drive target. Therefore, it is difficult to manufacture a piezoelectric actuator having a thin diaphragm for convenience of carrying.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device having a thin and easily deformable vibration film and a method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device.

  The method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device of the present invention includes a hole forming step of forming a hole in a base material, a sealing step of sealing the hole with a sealing material, and a vibration film formed on the surface of the sealing material A vibration film forming step, a piezoelectric layer forming step of forming a piezoelectric layer on the vibration film formed on the surface of the sealing material, and a removing step of removing the sealing material.

  According to the method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device of the present invention, a thin vibration film can be formed in a region overlapping the hole by sealing the hole of the base material and forming the film. In addition, the vibrating membrane can be easily carried along with the base material.

  Further, in the sealing step, the sealing material is arranged in the hole to seal the hole, and in the vibration film forming step, the opening sealed with the sealing material is covered. Preferably, the vibration film is formed across the surface of the base material and the surface of the sealing material. According to this, a thin vibration film can be formed at an arbitrary position in the thickness direction of the hole. Since this vibration film is formed inside the hole apart from the surface of the substrate, it is easy to protect.

  Furthermore, in the sealing step, it is preferable that the sealing material is disposed in the hole to seal at least one opening of the hole. According to this, by sealing the opening of the substrate with the sealing material, a thin vibration film can be formed on one surface of the substrate so as to cover the opening. In addition, the vibration film has a high strength because it is formed flat across the surface of the base material and the surface of the sealing material.

  Further, in the hole forming step, a through hole is formed in the base material, and in the sealing step, the sealing material is brought into contact with one surface of the base material, and one of the through holes is formed. The opening is sealed with the sealing material, and in the vibration film forming step, the vibration film may be formed across the inner wall of the through hole and the surface of the sealing material exposed from the through hole. Good. According to this, it is possible to easily form a thin vibration film straddling the inner wall of the through hole and the region overlapping with the through hole only by bringing the sealing material into contact with one surface of the base material and sealing the opening. Can do.

  In the removing step, it is preferable to remove the sealing material by heating the sealing material at a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature at which the sealing material is thermally decomposed or melted. According to this, the sealing material can be removed by thermal decomposition or melting.

  Further, in the piezoelectric layer forming step, a heating step of forming the piezoelectric layer by an aerosol deposition method or a sol-gel method, and heating the piezoelectric layer at a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature after the piezoelectric layer forming step. Furthermore, it is preferable that the heating step also serves as the removing step. According to this, since a heating process and a removal process are performed simultaneously, a manufacturing process can be simplified.

  The method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device of the present invention includes a flow path unit in which a liquid flow path including a pressure chamber is formed, a vibration film disposed on one surface of the flow path unit so as to cover at least the pressure chamber, A liquid transfer device manufacturing method comprising: a piezoelectric actuator including a piezoelectric layer disposed on the opposite side of the vibration membrane from the pressure chamber, wherein the first flow path forms at least a part of the flow path unit. A sealing step of sealing the opening by disposing a sealing material in the pressure chamber having an opening formed in the structure; and the first flow so as to cover the opening sealed by the sealing material. A vibration film forming step of forming the vibration film across the surface of the path structure and the surface of the sealing material; and a piezoelectric layer forming the piezoelectric layer on a surface of the vibration film opposite to the pressure chamber Forming step and removing the sealing material arranged in the pressure chamber It includes a removing step.

  According to the method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device of the present invention, the first pressure channel chamber is sealed by disposing a sealing material in the pressure chamber so as to cover the pressure chamber. A thin vibration film can be formed on one surface of the flow channel structure.

  On the other hand, in another aspect, according to the method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device of the present invention, a flow path unit in which a liquid flow path including a pressure chamber is formed, and at least one surface of the flow path unit covers the pressure chamber. And a piezoelectric actuator including a piezoelectric layer disposed on the opposite side of the vibration membrane from the pressure chamber. A through-hole forming step of forming a through-hole in the substrate, and a sealing step of sealing one opening of the through-hole with a sealing material by bringing a sealing material into contact with one surface of the through-hole A vibration film forming step of forming the vibration film across the surface of the sealing member exposed from the through hole and the inner wall of the through hole; and on the vibration film formed on the sealing member Forming the piezoelectric layer on the substrate and sealing the through hole. A removing step of removing the sealing member, and the vibrating membrane is disposed in the flow path by making the one surface of the flow path unit and the surface of the vibrating film opposite to the surface on which the piezoelectric layer is formed face each other. A first joining step for joining the substrate and the first flow path structure so as to cover the pressure chamber formed in the first flow path structure constituting at least a part of the unit.

  According to the method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device of the present invention, a thin vibration film can be formed. Further, since the vibration film is formed up to the inner wall of the through hole of the substrate and is held by the substrate, it can be easily carried with the substrate.

  In the removing step, it is preferable to remove the sealing material by heating the sealing material at a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature at which the sealing material is thermally decomposed or melted. According to this, the sealing material can be thermally decomposed or melted and removed from the pressure chamber.

  Further, in the piezoelectric layer forming step, a heating step of forming the piezoelectric layer by an aerosol deposition method or a sol-gel method, and heating the piezoelectric layer at a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature after the piezoelectric layer forming step. Furthermore, it is preferable that the heating step also serves as the removing step. According to this, since a heating process and a removal process are performed simultaneously, a manufacturing process can be simplified.

  The flow path unit includes a first flow path structure and a second flow path structure joined to the first flow path structure. In the piezoelectric layer forming step, aerosol deposition is performed. Forming a piezoelectric layer by a method, and after the piezoelectric layer forming step, further comprising a second bonding step of bonding the second flow channel structure to a surface of the first flow channel structure opposite to the vibration film. You may have. According to this, there is no possibility that particles of the piezoelectric material that were sprayed on the vibration film in the piezoelectric layer forming step but did not deposit on the vibration film enter the liquid flow path formed in the second flow path structure. However, a step of removing particles in the liquid flow path, such as a cleaning process that is performed when particles enter the liquid flow path, becomes unnecessary.

  By sealing the hole of the base material and forming the film, a thin vibration film can be formed in a region overlapping the hole of the base material. This vibrating membrane can be easily carried with the substrate.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment. It is a top view of an inkjet head. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing process of the inkjet head in 1st Embodiment. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing process of the inkjet head in 2nd Embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
Next, a preferred first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an inkjet head as a liquid transfer device that discharges ink from a nozzle while transferring ink to the nozzle in an ink flow path.

  First, an ink jet printer having this ink jet head will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an ink jet printer according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an inkjet printer 100 includes a carriage 2 that can reciprocate in the left-right direction (scanning direction) in FIG. 1, and a serial that is provided on the lower surface of the carriage 2 and that ejects ink onto recording paper P. The ink jet head 1 of a type | mold and the conveyance roller 3 etc. which convey the recording paper P to the front of FIG.

  The ink jet printer 100 ejects ink onto the recording paper P from the nozzles 20 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) of the ink jet head 1 while reciprocating the ink jet head 1 together with the carriage 2 in the scanning direction. The recording paper P on which the image and the like are recorded is discharged forward by the conveying roller 3.

  Next, the inkjet head 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inkjet head. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the inkjet head 1 is disposed on the upper surface of the flow path unit 4 in which an ink flow path including a number of nozzles 20 and pressure chambers 14 is formed, And a piezoelectric actuator 5 that applies pressure to the ink in the chamber 14.

  First, the flow path unit 4 will be described. The flow path unit 4 has the same outer shape in plan view of the cavity plate 41, the base plate 42, the aperture plate 43, the two manifold plates 44 and 45, the damper plate 46, the cover plate 47, and the nozzle plate 48 in order from the upper layer. A total of eight plates 41 to 48 are joined in a laminated state.

  Of the eight plates 41 to 48, the lowermost nozzle plate 48 is formed of a synthetic resin material such as polyimide, and the remaining seven plates 41 to 47 are each a metal plate such as a stainless steel plate. . The seven plates 41 to 47 are joined to each other by an adhesive or metal diffusion. Further, the plates 47 and 48 are joined to each other by an adhesive.

  Among the eight plates 41 to 48, a plurality of pressure chambers 14 are formed penetrating in the thickness direction in the cavity plate 41 located in the uppermost layer. Each pressure chamber 14 has a substantially elliptical planar shape with the scanning direction as a longitudinal direction, and the pressure chamber 14 is formed when a vibration film 31 (to be described later) and a base plate 42 are stacked on the upper side. Is done. The plurality of pressure chambers 14 are arranged in two rows in the paper feeding direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2).

  The base plate 42 is formed with through holes 15 and 16 communicating with both end portions of the pressure chamber 14 in the longitudinal direction. The aperture plate 43 communicates with the through hole 15 of the base plate 42 and extends along the longitudinal direction of the pressure chamber 14, and is a throttle channel 52 formed by half etching at a position overlapping a manifold channel 17 described later in plan view. And a through hole 58 communicating with the through hole 16 is formed.

  In the two manifold plates 44 and 45, manifold forming holes 17 a and 17 b that extend in the paper feeding direction and respectively form part of the manifold channel 17 are formed corresponding to the rows of the pressure chambers 14. . Then, in a state where these two manifold forming holes 17a and 17b are vertically overlapped, the manifold plate 17 is formed in two rows in the paper feed direction by being blocked from the upper and lower sides by the aperture plate 43 and the damper plate 46. Yes.

  These two rows of manifold channels 17 extend in the paper feed direction so as to overlap the manifold forming holes 17a, 17b side portions of the pressure chambers 14 arranged in two rows in plan view. These two rows of manifold channels 17 communicate with an ink supply port 18 formed in a vibration film 31 described later, and ink is supplied to the manifold channel 17 from an ink tank (not shown) via the ink supply port 18. The The ink supplied to the manifold channel 17 is supplied to the plurality of pressure chambers 14. That is, the manifold channel 17 is a common ink chamber that supplies ink to the plurality of pressure chambers 14 in common. Further, the two manifold plates 44 and 45 are formed with through holes 59 and 60 that are continuous with the through hole 58 of the aperture plate 43, respectively.

  A recess 61 is formed by half-etching at a position on the lower surface of the damper plate 46 that overlaps the manifold channel 17 in plan view. That is, the damper plate 46 is locally thin at the portion where the recess 61 is formed, and this thin portion functions as a damper portion that attenuates ink pressure fluctuations in the manifold channel 17. Further, the damper plate 46 is formed with a through hole 62 that is continuous with the through hole 60 of the manifold plate 45. The cover plate 47 is formed with a through hole 63 communicating with the through hole 62 of the damper plate 46.

  Of the eight plates 41 to 48, the nozzle 20 that communicates with the through hole 63 of the cover plate 47 is formed in the nozzle plate 48 that is positioned at the lowest layer. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of nozzles 20 are disposed so as to overlap with the ends of the plurality of pressure chambers 14 arranged in two rows in the paper feeding direction on the opposite side to the manifold channel 17, respectively. Two nozzle rows are configured.

  The eight plates 41 to 48 described above are joined in a stacked state, so that the flow path unit 4 branches from the manifold flow path 17 communicating with the ink supply port 18 formed in the vibration film 31 described later. Thus, an ink flow path reaching the nozzle 20 via the pressure chamber 14 is formed.

  Next, the piezoelectric actuator 5 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the piezoelectric actuator 5 includes a vibration film 31, a piezoelectric layer 32, and a plurality of individual electrodes 33.

  The vibration film 31 has the same outer shape as the eight plates 41 to 48 constituting the flow path unit 4 and is a thin metal film made of nickel. The vibration film 31 is disposed on the upper surface of the cavity plate 41, and is grounded at a position not shown and held at the ground potential. In addition, an ink supply port 18 that is supplied with ink from an ink tank (not shown) and communicates with the manifold channel 17 is formed at one end of the vibration film 31 in the paper feeding direction (lower side in FIG. 2).

  The piezoelectric layer 32 is a layer containing a piezoelectric material mainly composed of lead zirconate titanate, which is a mixed crystal of lead titanate and lead zirconate, and is formed on the upper surface (opposite to the pressure chamber 14) of the vibration film 31. , And are continuously arranged across the plurality of pressure chambers 14. The piezoelectric layer 32 is previously polarized in the thickness direction.

  The plurality of individual electrodes 33 have a substantially elliptical planar shape that is slightly smaller than the pressure chamber 14, and are arranged on the upper surface of the piezoelectric layer 32 so as to overlap with substantially central portions of the plurality of pressure chambers 14 in plan view. Has been. The individual electrode 33 is made of a conductive material such as platinum, palladium, gold, or silver. The end of the individual electrode 33 on the opposite side to the nozzle 20 in the longitudinal direction extends to a portion not facing the pressure chamber 14 in the scanning direction, and the tip thereof serves as a connection terminal connected to an FPC (not shown). . A driving potential is applied to the individual electrode 33 via an FPC by a driver IC (not shown).

  Here, the operation of the piezoelectric actuator 5 during ink ejection will be described. When ink is ejected from a certain nozzle 20, a driving potential is applied from the driver IC to the individual electrode 33 corresponding to the pressure chamber 14 communicating with the nozzle 20. Then, a potential difference is generated between the individual electrode 33 to which the driving potential is applied and the vibration film 31 held at the ground potential, and an electric field parallel to the thickness direction is generated in the piezoelectric layer 32 sandwiched between the two. Since the direction of the electric field coincides with the polarization direction of the piezoelectric layer 32, the piezoelectric layer 32 polarized in the thickness direction contracts in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction of the electric field (piezoelectric lateral effect). As a result, the portion of the vibrating membrane 31 facing the pressure chamber 14 is deformed so as to protrude toward the pressure chamber 14 (unimorph deformation). At this time, the volume of the pressure chamber 14 decreases, the pressure of the ink inside the pressure chamber 14 increases, and ink is ejected from the nozzle 20 communicating with the pressure chamber 14.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the inkjet head 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a process diagram showing the manufacturing process of the ink jet head in the first embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the pressure chamber 14 penetrating in the thickness direction is formed by etching in the cavity plate 41 (base material: first flow path structure) constituting a part of the flow path unit 4. (Hole forming step: pressure chamber forming step). Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the cavity plate 41 is temporarily fixed on the base 81 with an adhesive or the like, and the pressure chamber 14 is filled with a resin 82 (sealing material) such as an ABS resin. The opening of the chamber 14 is sealed (sealing step). Examples of the sealing method include insert molding, outsert molding, dipping molding, painting, and the like. After that, as shown in FIG. 5C, surplus resin protruding from the opening of the pressure chamber 14 and surplus resin adhering to the surface of the cavity plate 41 are removed by polishing, and the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surplus resin are removed. A flat surface is formed across the surface of the resin 83 from which the resin has been removed (polishing step).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), the cavity plate 41 is removed from the base 81, and straddles the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83 so as to cover the pressure chamber 14 filled with the resin 83. A thin vibration film 31 is formed (vibration film forming step). As a method of forming the vibration film 31, first, after removing oil and dirt adhering to a plane extending over the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83 (degreasing), the surface is chemically treated with chromic acid or the like. The surface is roughened and the remaining chromium compound is removed with hydrochloric acid or the like (etching).

  Then, a catalytic metal (for example, Pd—Sn complex) is adsorbed on the roughened plane (catalyst), a tin salt is dissolved, and metal palladium is generated by an oxidation-reduction reaction (accelerator), and a plating solution A vibrating membrane made of nickel plating on a plane straddling the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83 by reducing nickel ions by electrons emitted when the reducing agent in the catalyst is oxidized on the catalytically active palladium surface. 31 is formed. Since the material of the cavity plate 41 and the resin 83 are different, the film thickness of the vibration film 31 may be slightly different between the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83, but the deformation amount of each vibration film 31 is made uniform. For this, even the surface of the resin 83 covering the pressure chamber 14 may be a uniform film thickness.

  Thus, since the pressure chamber 14 is filled with the resin 83, a plane extending between the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83 is formed using the resin 83 as a base for forming the vibration film 31. The thin vibration film 31 can be formed so as to cover the pressure chamber 14. That is, the vibration film 31 can be directly formed in a region covering the pressure chamber 14 of the cavity plate 41 in this embodiment, that is, a desired region to be formed, and it is not necessary to handle the vibration film 31 alone. The desired thin vibration film 31 can be formed without considering the thickness. If the vibration film 31 is thin, it easily deforms and the deformation amount of the pressure chamber 14 increases, so that a high pressure can be applied to the ink in the pressure chamber 14 and the drive voltage applied from the driver IC is set to a low voltage. Can do. Further, since this thin vibration film 31 is held by the cavity plate 41, it can be easily carried along with the cavity plate 41.

  As another method for forming the vibration film 31, there is a vapor deposition method in which the evaporated film 31 is formed by depositing evaporated nickel across the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83.

  For example, as this vapor deposition method, chemical vapor deposition such as thermal CVD in which a chemical reaction is activated by heat to form the vibrating film 31 or plasma CVD in which a chemical reaction is activated by plasma to form the vibrating film 31 is used. Method (CVD).

  Further, a rare gas element or nitrogen ionized by applying a high voltage is collided with nickel as a target, and atoms on the target surface are repelled and vapor-deposited across the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83. In sputtering for forming the vibration film 31 or in a high vacuum, nickel as a raw material is evaporated and irradiated onto a plane straddling the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83 to deposit the evaporated nickel. The molecular beam epitaxy method (MBE) for forming the vibration film 31 or ionized nickel is accelerated by an electric field and collided on a plane straddling the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83 to cause the vibration film 31 to move. The physical vapor deposition method (PVD), such as ion plating to form, is mentioned.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (e), lead titanate and lead zirconate are formed on the upper surface of the vibration film 31 so as to cover regions overlapping with the pressure chambers 14 formed in the cavity plate 41 in plan view. The piezoelectric layer 32 is formed by depositing particles of the piezoelectric material on the vibration film 31 by an aerosol deposition method (AD method) using a piezoelectric material mainly composed of lead zirconate titanate which is a mixed crystal of (Piezoelectric layer forming step).

  In the AD method, the vibrating membrane 31 and the cavity plate 41 are held on a stage in a chamber (not shown) by fixing the four sides with a seal or the like so that the vibrating membrane 31 faces an injection nozzle communicating with the aerosol chamber. Then, the chamber is evacuated and communicated with the aerosol chamber by a pressure difference between an aerosol chamber (not shown) in which a mixture (aerosol) of particles (carrier gas) forming the chamber and the piezoelectric layer 32 is sealed. A film is formed by spraying aerosol onto the vibration film 31 from an injection nozzle that causes the particles to collide with the vibration film 31 at a high speed and depositing particles of piezoelectric material on the vibration film 31 by reciprocating the stage in the horizontal direction. Is the law. If the piezoelectric layer 32 is formed on the vibration film 31 by the AD method without the resin 83 in contact with the vibration film 31, the piezoelectric film particles collide with the vibration film 31 at a high speed. There is a risk of deformation or opening of holes. That is, the resin 83 also serves as a reinforcing member for reinforcing the vibration film 31 when the particles of the piezoelectric material are sprayed by the AD method.

  Next, when the piezoelectric layer 32 is formed by the AD method, the piezoelectric characteristics necessary for deforming the vibration film 31 cannot be obtained if particle miniaturization or lattice defects occur in the piezoelectric layer 32. . Therefore, in order to grow the particle crystal of the piezoelectric material and repair the lattice defects in the crystal to improve the piezoelectric characteristics, the cavity plate 41, the vibration film 31 and the piezoelectric layer 32 are accommodated in a furnace (not shown), Heating to a predetermined temperature (for example, 650 to 900 ° C.) to heat-treat the piezoelectric layer 32 (annealing process).

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 5 (f), since the thermal decomposition temperature of the resin 83 made of PPS is lower than the annealing temperature, the resin 83 filled in the pressure chamber 14 is thermally decomposed in the annealing process, It is removed from the pressure chamber 14. Thus, since the annealing process also serves as a removal process for removing the resin 83 filled in the pressure chamber 14, the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  Thereafter, the base plate 42, the aperture plate 43, the two manifold plates 44 and 45, the damper plate 46, and the cover plate 47, which are metal plates excluding the cavity plate 41 among the plates constituting the flow path unit 4, are connected to the manifold flow path. A hole penetrating in the thickness direction constituting the ink flow path such as 17 is formed by etching. In addition, a throttle channel 52 is formed in the aperture plate 43 and a recess 61 is formed in the damper plate 46 by half etching. A plurality of nozzles 20 are formed on a synthetic resin nozzle plate 48 by laser processing or the like.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5G, seven plates 42 to 48 (second flow path structure) are laminated on the vibration film 31 and the cavity plate 41 on which the piezoelectric layer 32 is formed, and an adhesive or the like is used. Joining (second joining step). It should be noted that the metal plates, that is, the base plate 42, the aperture plate 43, the two manifold plates 44 and 45, the damper plate 46, and the cover plate 47, are laminated in advance and joined by metal diffusion bonding. In this case, the seven plates 42 to 47 already bonded to the vibration film 31 and the cavity plate 41 on which the piezoelectric layer 32 is formed and the nozzle plate 48 may be laminated and bonded with an adhesive. Further, the nozzle plate 48 may be formed of a metal material such as stainless steel in the same manner as the other seven plates 41 to 47 constituting the flow path unit 4, and in that case, the nozzle plate 48 is also formed of seven pieces. These plates 41 to 47 may be laminated simultaneously and joined by metal diffusion bonding.

  Thereafter, a plurality of individual electrodes 33 are formed in regions facing the plurality of pressure chambers 14 on the piezoelectric layer 32. The plurality of individual electrodes 33 are formed at a time by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like, and the inkjet head 1 is completed. The piezoelectric actuator 5 and the cavity plate 41 in the present embodiment correspond to the piezoelectric actuator device in the present invention.

  As described above, according to the method of manufacturing the inkjet head 1 in the first embodiment described above, the pressure chamber 14 is covered by filling the resin 83 in the pressure chamber 14 of the cavity plate 41 and sealing the opening of the pressure chamber 14. Thus, the vibration film 31 that is thin and easily deformed can be formed on one surface of the cavity plate 41. Further, the vibration film 31 has a high strength because it is formed flat across the surface of the cavity plate 41 and the surface of the resin 83. Furthermore, since the vibration film 31 is supported by the resin 83, the piezoelectric layer 32 can be easily formed on the upper surface thereof.

  Further, in the piezoelectric layer forming process by the AD method, only the vibration film 31 and the cavity plate 41 are fixed to the stage of the film forming apparatus, and the remaining seven plates 42 to 48 constituting the flow path unit 4 are the piezoelectric layers. The seven plates 42 to 48 are not present in the chamber because they are joined in a joining process performed after the process. Therefore, there is a possibility that particles of the piezoelectric material that are sprayed on the vibration film 31 in the piezoelectric layer forming step but not deposited on the vibration film 31 may enter the ink flow paths formed on the seven plates 42 to 48. In other words, a step of removing particles in the ink flow path such as a cleaning process that is performed when the particles enter the ink flow path is not necessary.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a preferred second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the configuration of the piezoelectric actuator 5 in the first embodiment and a part of the method of manufacturing the inkjet head. Components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a process diagram showing the manufacturing process of the inkjet head in the second embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 6A, a through hole 92 penetrating in the thickness direction is formed by etching in a plate 91 (substrate) made of a metal material such as stainless steel (hole forming step). Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the plate 91 is placed on a base 93 (sealing material) so that one opening of the through hole 92 is sealed (sealing step), and the plate 91 is placed. A thin vibration film 131 is formed across the inner wall of the through hole 92 and a region of the base 93 exposed from the through hole 92 of the plate 91 (vibration film forming step). As a method for forming the vibration film 31, as in the first embodiment, a method of forming from electroless nickel plating or a method of vapor deposition such as CVD or PVD can be used.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 6C, on the upper surface of the vibration film 131 formed in the region exposed from the through hole 92 of the plate 91 mounted on the table 93, the AD method is used similarly to the first embodiment. The piezoelectric layer 132 is formed (piezoelectric layer forming step), the plate 91, the piezoelectric layer 132, and the vibration film 131 are accommodated in a furnace (not shown), and heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 650 to 900 ° C.) to be piezoelectric. Heat treatment is performed on the layer 132 (annealing process).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (d), the plate 93, along with the plate 91, straddles the inner wall of the through hole 92 of the plate 91 and a region of the table 93 exposed from the through hole 92 of the plate 91 of the plate 93. The vibration film 131 formed in this way and the piezoelectric layer 132 formed on the vibration film 131 are removed (removal step). At this time, when the base 93 is formed of ABS resin, the annealing process can also serve as the removal process, and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  Thereafter, the cavity plate 41, the base plate 42, the aperture plate 43, the two manifold plates 44 and 45, the damper plate 46, and the cover plate 47, which are metal plates among the plates constituting the flow path unit 4, are added to the pressure chamber 14 and A hole penetrating in the thickness direction constituting the ink flow path such as the manifold flow path 17 is formed by etching. In addition, a throttle channel 52 is formed in the aperture plate 43 and a recess 61 is formed in the damper plate 46 by half etching. A plurality of nozzles 20 are formed on a synthetic resin nozzle plate 48 by laser processing or the like.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (e), the eight plates 41 to 41 constituting the flow path unit 4 on the plate 91 so that the through hole 92 of the plate 91 and the pressure chamber 14 of the cavity plate 41 overlap in plan view. 48 are laminated and joined with an adhesive or the like (first and second joining steps).

  Thereafter, a plurality of individual electrodes are respectively formed in regions facing the plurality of pressure chambers 14 on the piezoelectric layer 132. The plurality of individual electrodes are formed at a time by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like to complete the ink jet head.

  As described above, according to the method of manufacturing the ink jet head in the second embodiment described above, the thin vibration film 131 is formed on one surface of the cavity plate 41 so as to cover the pressure chamber 14 only by joining the plate 91 on which the vibration film 131 is formed. Can be formed. Further, since the vibration film 131 is formed on the plate 91, it can be easily carried along with the plate 91. Further, since the piezoelectric layer 132 is formed in the through hole 92 of the plate 91 on the vibration film 131, the plate 91 and the cavity plate 41 can be joined without directly pressing the piezoelectric layer 132 in the first joining step. it can. That is, the plate 91 can protect the piezoelectric layer 132 in the bonding process.

  Next, modified examples in which various changes are made to the present embodiment will be described. However, components having the same configuration as in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  The sealing material that fills the pressure chamber 14 and seals the opening of the pressure chamber 14 is not limited to the ABS resin, and may be any material that is thermally decomposed at the annealing temperature. Further, the material is not limited to a material that thermally decomposes at an annealing temperature such as ABS resin, but may be a material that is vaporized in the annealing process.

  When the filler filled in the pressure chamber 14 is not a material that is thermally decomposed or vaporized in the annealing process, the filler removing process is performed separately from the annealing process after the piezoelectric layer forming process. Can be done. For example, the filler may be dissolved in a solvent after the piezoelectric layer forming step, or may be peeled off.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the pressure chamber 14 of the cavity plate 41 is filled with the resin 83 and the opening of the pressure chamber 14 is sealed. However, as long as the opening of the pressure chamber 14 is sealed. The pressure chamber 14 does not need to be filled with resin without a gap.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the vibration film 31 is formed in the single cavity plate 41 constituting a part of the flow path unit 4, but the seven plates 41 to 47, which are metal plates, are joined in advance. Alternatively, the vibration film may be formed so as to cover the pressure chamber 14 by filling the resin into the ink flow path including at least the pressure chamber 14 to seal the opening of the pressure chamber 14. That is, the hole in which the vibration film is formed is not limited to the through hole such as the pressure chamber 14 but may be a recess having an opening only on one surface such as an ink flow path.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the resin 83 is formed in the pressure chamber 14 and the cavity plate 41 by a method such as insert molding, outsert molding, dipping molding or painting, and the resin is only in the pressure chamber 14 in the polishing process. However, the resin 83 may be filled only in the pressure chamber 14 by using a mask in which an opening is formed in a region overlapping with the pressure chamber 14. In this case, it is not necessary to perform a polishing process.

  In the first embodiment, the piezoelectric layer 32 is formed by the AD method, but may be formed by a sol-gel method. At this time, in order to volatilize the solvent used in the sol-gel method, a step of heating at 600 to 700 ° C. is necessary, and this step corresponds to the heating step in the present invention. That is, in this heating step, the resin 83 filled in the pressure chamber 14 can be removed. Further, the piezoelectric layer 32 may be formed by other film forming methods such as sputtering methods other than AD method and sol-gel method, CVD, or hydrothermal synthesis method. The piezoelectric material 32 is not limited to being directly formed on the vibration film 31, and a green sheet of piezoelectric material may be laminated on the vibration film 31 and integrally fired, or the piezoelectric layer 32 formed alone may be formed on the vibration film 31. You may adhere to.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the thin vibration film 31 is formed of nickel, but the vibration film is not limited to nickel, and may be formed of any material such as a metal material or ceramics.

  In the first embodiment, the vibration film 31 is arranged on the upper surface of the cavity plate 41 with the same outer shape. However, the vibration film 31 covers at least the pressure chamber 14 and is held at the minimum by the cavity plate 41. The cavity plate 41 may be formed up to the periphery of the pressure chamber 14 so that it can be carried. In this case, a plurality of vibration films 31 and piezoelectric layers 32 are formed for each of the plurality of pressure chambers 14. For this reason, the deformation of the vibration film 31 due to the contraction of the piezoelectric layer 32 belonging to a certain pressure chamber 14 among the plurality of piezoelectric layers 32 affects the deformation of the vibration film 31 belonging to another pressure chamber 14. Crosstalk can be suppressed.

  In the second embodiment, the vibration film 131 is formed in the inner wall of the plate 91 and the through hole 92. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the vibration film 131 extends to the surface on the opposite side to the surface that contacts the base 93 of the plate 91. It may be formed. According to this, the vibration film 131 can be easily grounded.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator that applies pressure to a liquid in a pressure chamber, and the present invention can also be applied to a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator for driving a predetermined moving part. Further, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device that transfers liquid in a liquid transfer channel including a pressure chamber by applying pressure to the liquid in the pressure chamber, such as a liquid discharge head that discharges liquid other than ink from a nozzle. It is also possible to apply.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet head 4 Flow path unit 5 Piezoelectric actuator 14 Pressure chamber 31 Vibration film 32 Piezoelectric layer 41 Cavity plate 83 Resin 100 Inkjet printer

Claims (11)

A hole forming step of forming holes in the substrate;
A sealing step of sealing the hole with a sealing material;
A vibration film forming step of forming a vibration film on a surface of the sealing material;
A piezoelectric layer forming step of forming a piezoelectric layer on the vibration film formed on the surface of the sealing material;
And a removing step of removing the sealing material. A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device, comprising: In the sealing step, the sealing material is disposed in the hole to seal the hole,
In the vibration film forming step, the vibration film is formed across the surface of the base material and the surface of the sealing material so as to cover the opening sealed with the sealing material. A method of manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device according to claim 1.   3. The method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device according to claim 2, wherein in the sealing step, the sealing material is disposed in the hole to seal at least one opening of the hole. In the hole forming step, a through hole is formed in the base material,
In the sealing step, the sealing material is brought into contact with one surface of the base material, and one opening of the through hole is sealed with the sealing material,
2. The piezoelectric actuator according to claim 1, wherein in the vibration film forming step, the vibration film is formed across an inner wall of the through hole and a surface of the sealing material exposed from the through hole. Device manufacturing method.   The said removal process WHEREIN: The said sealing material is heated at the temperature higher than the predetermined temperature which the said sealing material thermally decomposes or melt | dissolves, and the said sealing material is removed. A method for manufacturing the piezoelectric actuator device according to any one of the preceding claims. In the piezoelectric layer forming step, the piezoelectric layer is formed by an aerosol deposition method or a sol-gel method,
A heating step of heating the piezoelectric layer at a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature after the piezoelectric layer forming step;
The method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator device according to claim 5, wherein the heating step also serves as the removing step. A flow path unit in which a liquid flow path including a pressure chamber is formed, a vibration film disposed on one surface of the flow path unit so as to cover at least the pressure chamber, and disposed on the opposite side of the vibration film to the pressure chamber A method of manufacturing a liquid transfer device comprising: a piezoelectric actuator including a piezoelectric layer formed;
A sealing step of sealing the opening by disposing a sealing material in the pressure chamber having an opening formed in a first flow path structure constituting at least a part of the flow path unit;
A vibration film forming step of forming the vibration film across the surface of the first flow path structure and the surface of the sealing material so as to cover the opening sealed with the sealing material;
A piezoelectric layer forming step of forming the piezoelectric layer on a surface of the vibrating membrane opposite to the pressure chamber;
And a removing step of removing the sealing material arranged in the pressure chamber. A flow path unit in which a liquid flow path including a pressure chamber is formed, a vibration film disposed on one surface of the flow path unit so as to cover at least the pressure chamber, a substrate holding the vibration film, and the vibration film A piezoelectric actuator including a piezoelectric layer disposed on the opposite side of the pressure chamber, and a manufacturing method of a liquid transfer device comprising:
A through hole forming step of forming a through hole in the substrate;
A sealing step of bringing a sealing material into contact with one surface of the through hole and sealing one opening of the through hole with a sealing material;
A vibration film forming step of forming the vibration film across the surface of the sealing member exposed from the through hole and the inner wall of the through hole;
A piezoelectric layer forming step of forming the piezoelectric layer on the vibration film formed on the sealing member;
A removing step of removing the sealing member that seals the through hole;
A first flow path in which the vibration film constitutes at least a part of the flow path unit, with the one surface of the flow path unit facing a surface of the vibration film opposite to the surface on which the piezoelectric layer is formed. A method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device, comprising: a first joining step for joining the substrate and the first flow path structure so as to cover the pressure chamber formed in the structure.   9. The removing step according to claim 7, wherein the sealing material is removed by heating the sealing material at a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature at which the sealing material is thermally decomposed or melted. The manufacturing method of the liquid transfer apparatus of description. In the piezoelectric layer forming step, the piezoelectric layer is formed by an aerosol deposition method or a sol-gel method,
A heating step of heating the piezoelectric layer at a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature after the piezoelectric layer forming step;
The method for manufacturing a liquid transfer device according to claim 9, wherein the heating step also serves as the removing step. The flow path unit includes a first flow path structure and a second flow path structure joined to the first flow path structure.
In the piezoelectric layer forming step, the piezoelectric layer is formed by an aerosol deposition method,
The method further comprises a second bonding step of bonding the second flow channel structure to a surface of the first flow channel structure opposite to the vibration film after the piezoelectric layer forming step. Item 9. A method for producing a liquid transfer device according to Item 7 or 8.

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