JP2011178010A - Method of manufacturing nozzle plate, and method of manufacturing liquid droplet ejection head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a nozzle plate, where the nozzle hole has a tapered surface more suitable for discharge, more easily by using glass, and to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid droplet injection head including the method of manufacturing a nozzle plate. <P>SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing a nozzle plate includes an irradiation step for irradiating a glass substrate with a laser beam and forming a reformed part of the glass substrate in the focal region thereof where the laser beam is condensed, a scanning step for scanning the glass substrate relatively with the laser beam so that the region of the glass substrate where a nozzle hole is formed becomes the reformed part, an etching step for removing the reformed part by performing wet etching on the glass substrate, and a grinding step for forming a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole by grinding the glass substrate to a desired thickness. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate and a method for manufacturing a droplet jet head.

  For example, a droplet ejecting head (also referred to as “inkjet recording head” or “recording head”) of a droplet ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer that can be used in an image recording apparatus, a display manufacturing apparatus, etc. It is known to include a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole which is a discharge port for flying.

  As the material of the nozzle plate, for example, polymer materials such as single crystal silicon and polyimide, and SUS such as stainless steel are used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a nozzle plate manufacturing method in which a nozzle plate made of polyimide is formed using a maxima laser.

  However, in recent years, it is expected that the nozzle plate is made of glass from the viewpoint of reducing the material cost and simplifying the inspection process. As a conventional method of forming a nozzle hole in a glass member, a method of forming an etching mask and performing dry etching or wet etching is known. However, when dry etching is performed, a process for forming a mask and a processing apparatus for the dry etching process are required, and thus the manufacturing cost cannot be suppressed. Further, even when wet etching is performed, a mask process is necessary. Furthermore, it is preferable that the inner surface of the nozzle hole has a tapered surface for discharging droplets. However, when the nozzle hole is formed by wet etching in the conventional manufacturing method, the tapered surface which is the inner surface of the nozzle hole is used. The surface is formed in a round shape.

  Accordingly, a nozzle plate manufacturing method that can more easily manufacture a nozzle plate using a low-cost material glass and having a tapered surface in which nozzle holes are more suitable for ejection is expected.

JP-A-7-117230

  One of the aspects of the present invention is to provide a nozzle plate manufacturing method that can more easily manufacture a nozzle plate that uses glass and has a tapered surface in which nozzle holes are more suitable for ejection.

  One aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a droplet ejecting head including the method for manufacturing the nozzle plate.

(1) A method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present invention includes:
An irradiation step of irradiating a glass substrate with a laser beam and forming a modified portion of the glass substrate in a focal region where the laser beam of the glass substrate is condensed,
A scanning step of scanning the laser beam relative to the glass substrate so that a region where the nozzle hole of the glass substrate is formed is the modified portion;
Etching process to wet-etch the glass substrate and remove the modified portion;
Grinding the glass substrate to a desired thickness and forming a nozzle plate having nozzle holes;
including.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to more easily manufacture a nozzle plate that uses glass, does not require a mask process or a dry etching process, and has a tapered surface in which nozzle holes are more suitable for ejection.

(2) In the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present invention,
The irradiation condition of the laser beam in the irradiation step may be that the wavelength is 400 nm or more and 10,000 nm or less, and the pulse width is 10 femtosecond or more and 1000 fetomsecond or less.

(3) In the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present invention,
The inner surface of the nozzle hole may have a tapered surface.

(4) In the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present invention,
The etchant in the etching step may include hydrofluoric acid, and the concentration of the hydrofluoric acid may be 20% or more and 35% or less.

(5) In the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present invention,
The scanning step may include a step of changing the position of the focal region in the thickness direction of the glass substrate and a step of changing the position of the focal region in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction.

(6) In the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present invention,
The scanning step may include a step of changing a position of the focal region in a thickness direction of the glass substrate while changing a spot diameter of the focal region.

(7) In the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present invention,
In the scanning step, the spot diameter of the focal region may vary within a range of Φ1 μm to Φ10 μm.

(8) A method of manufacturing a liquid droplet ejecting head according to the present invention includes:
The manufacturing method of the nozzle plate in any one of the above is included.

Sectional drawing which shows typically the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate which concerns on this embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows typically the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate which concerns on this embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows typically the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a droplet ejecting head. Sectional drawing which shows typically the manufacturing method of the droplet ejecting head which concerns on this embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows typically the manufacturing method of the droplet ejecting head which concerns on this embodiment. The perspective view which shows a droplet ejecting apparatus typically.

  An example of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited only to the following embodiments. The present invention includes any combination of the following embodiments and modifications thereof.

1. Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1A to FIG. 2C are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A to 2C, the nozzle plate manufacturing method according to the present embodiment includes an irradiation step of irradiating a glass substrate with a laser beam, and applying the laser beam to the glass substrate. A scanning process of relatively scanning, an etching process of wet-etching the glass substrate and removing the modified portion, and a grinding process of grinding the glass substrate to a desired thickness and forming a nozzle plate having nozzle holes And including.

  FIG. 1A is a view for explaining an irradiation process according to the present embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1A, a glass substrate 10 is prepared. As the glass substrate 10, a substrate in which various types of glass mainly composed of silicon oxide are processed into a plate shape can be used. The glass substrate 10 is preferably made of a material that hardly reflects or scatters light having a wavelength of the laser beam 30 used in a later step. Specific examples of the glass substrate 10 include silicate glass, soda lime glass, borosilicate glass, crystallized glass, quartz glass (including crystal), lead glass, and fluoride glass. .

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the glass substrate 10 may have an etching barrier layer 1. As shown in FIG. 1A, the etching barrier layer 1 may be provided on the surface of the glass substrate 10 opposite to the surface irradiated with the laser beam. The etching barrier layer 1 should just be comprised from the member which is harder to etch than the glass substrate 10 in the etching process mentioned later. For example, as a specific material of the etching barrier layer 1, a photoresist, a metal film, etc. can be illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the glass substrate 10 has a region 11 in which a nozzle hole 13 described later is formed. Hereinafter, the region 11 in which the nozzle hole 13 is formed is also referred to as a “first region 11”. The shape of the 1st area | region 11 should just be the shape of the nozzle hole 13, and is not specifically limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the boundary surface of the first region 11 may be a region that becomes a tapered surface. Although not shown, the shape of the boundary surface of the first region 11 viewed from the thickness direction of the glass substrate 10 may be circular or elliptical, and the width of the shape on one surface is the other It may be formed to be smaller than the width of the shape on the surface.

  In FIG. 1A, the first region 11 is provided so as to penetrate the glass substrate 10. However, the glass substrate 10 is ground to a desired thickness in a later step. Therefore, the nozzle hole 13 which penetrates the glass substrate 10 in the ground thickness may be formed. Therefore, the first region 11 may not penetrate the glass substrate 10 (not shown). In addition, the single 1st area | region 11 may be formed in the single glass substrate 10, and multiple may be formed.

  Next, a laser irradiation process is performed as shown in FIG. In this step, as shown in FIG. 1A, the modified portion 16 of the glass substrate 10 is formed in the focal region 36 where the laser beam 30 of the glass substrate 10 is condensed. As shown in FIG. 1A, in this step, the glass substrate 10 is irradiated with a laser beam 30. A so-called ultrashort pulse laser beam is used as the laser beam 30. When such a laser beam 30 with a short pulse width is irradiated onto the glass, it acts on atoms constituting the glass at the irradiated site, and may cause a chemical or physical change to the glass. it can. Therefore, in this step, the laser beam 30 is a modified portion 16 in which the structure of the glass of the glass substrate 10 (silicon oxide is a main component) is chemically or physically changed to change the properties of the portion. Can be formed. Thereby, for example, the chemical stability (such as the etching rate) of the modified portion 16 can be changed.

  As described above, the modified portion 16 is formed in the focal region 36 where the laser beam 30 is condensed in this step. The focal region 36 is a region where the energy density of the laser beam is high. The energy density of light in the focal region 36 can be increased as the pulse width of the laser beam 30 is reduced. Such a focal region 36 has a certain volume with a certain spot diameter, and by adjusting the intensity, pulse width, condensing property, etc. of the laser beam 30, the size of the focal region 36 ( Volume) can be adjusted. At this time, the focal region 36 may be set to have light energy that causes structural changes in the glass. The focal region 36 can be formed in the vicinity of the focal region 36 with a finite size in the direction of travel of the laser beam 30 and the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the laser beam 30 (these are the focal points, respectively). Corresponds to depth and spot diameter.) Therefore, by adjusting the position of the focal region 36 of the laser beam 30, the modified portion 16 can be formed at an arbitrary position in the plane of the glass substrate 10 and at an arbitrary depth in the cross section.

  Here, the method of condensing the laser beam 30 and forming the focal region 36 is not particularly limited, and a known optical method can be used. For example, the focal region 36 may be formed through an optical element 20 that can collect light between a light source of a laser beam (not shown) and an optical path to the glass substrate 10. The optical element 20 according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it can collect light and form the focal region 36. For example, any one of a convex lens, a prism concentrator, a diffractive lens, and a diffraction grating can be used. One can be used.

  The irradiation condition of the laser beam 30 for forming the modified portion 16 on the glass substrate 10 depends on the shape of the optical focal region 36 and the material of the glass substrate 10, for example, the wavelength is 400 nm or more and 10,000 nm. Hereinafter, the frequency may be 1 kHz or more and 100 kHz or less, and the pulse width may be 10 femtoseconds or more and 1000 fetomseconds or less. More preferable irradiation conditions include a wavelength of 600 nm or more and 1000 nm or less, a frequency of 5 kHz, and a pulse width of 100 femtoseconds or more and 300 fetomseconds or less. By using the above conditions, reforming can be performed efficiently.

  The light source of the laser beam 30 that can be used in the present embodiment is not particularly limited. For example, IMRA AMERICA, INC. Using a titanium sapphire laser. The model number FX-10 manufactured by the company can be mentioned.

  For example, when a borosilicate glass substrate having a thickness of 0.7 mm is selected as the glass substrate 10, the wavelength of the laser beam 30 can be set to 800 nm, the pulse width can be set to 200 femtoseconds, and the pulse energy can be set to 100 μJ. In this way, the modified portion 16 can be formed on the glass substrate 10.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, a scanning process is performed. In this step, as shown in FIG. 1A, the laser beam 30 is applied to the glass substrate 10 so that the region (first region 11) where the nozzle hole 13 of the glass substrate 10 is formed becomes the modified portion 16. Scan relative to. Therefore, this process includes a method of scanning the laser beam 30 with the glass substrate 10 fixed, a method of scanning the glass substrate 10 with the laser beam 30 fixed, a method of scanning the laser beam 30 and the glass substrate 10, and a focal point. Any of a method of changing the shape of the region 36 can be included. Therefore, as an embodiment of the present embodiment, a method of fixing the glass substrate 10 and scanning with the laser beam 30 is illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1B, when the thickness direction of the glass substrate 10 is the first direction 110 and the direction perpendicular to the first direction 110 is the second direction 120, as shown in FIG. In addition, the optical element 20 can be appropriately scanned in the first direction 110 and the second direction 120 so that the entire region of the first region 11 becomes the modified portion 16 by the focal region 36. For example, when a borosilicate glass substrate having a thickness of 0.7 mm is selected as the glass substrate 10 and the laser beam irradiation condition is selected as the scanning condition, the predetermined focal region 36 is used as the modified portion 16. In addition, the laser beam 30 can be scanned at a scanning speed of 5 mm / second and a scanning frequency of 5 kHz. Further, it is possible to scan a plurality of times as required. The number of scans is arbitrary.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2A, an etching process is performed. In this step, the glass substrate 10 is wet etched to remove the modified portion 16. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2B, the second region 12 in which the modified portion 16 is removed is formed in the glass substrate 10. The second region 12 has the same outer shape as the first region 11. The second region 12 may be a through hole or a recess that does not penetrate.

  As described above, since the glass of the modified portion 16 has a changed structure, the etching rate is much higher than that of the glass in other regions. The etching rate of the modified portion 16 can be increased by about 10 to 1000 times, for example, compared to the etching rate in other regions.

  The time for the wet etching process in this step is arbitrary, but can be, for example, about 10 minutes to 2 hours. Although the glass in the region other than the modified portion 16 may be etched at the same time, there is practically no problem because the difference in the etching rate between the two regions is sufficiently large as described above. When it is desired to prevent the etching of the glass in the region other than the modified portion 16, this step can be performed appropriately using a resist mask or a metal mask.

  In this step, as shown in FIG. 2A, etching is performed so that an etchant (developer) is brought into contact with only the surface of the glass substrate 10 opposite to the surface on which the etching barrier layer 1 is formed. You can go. According to this, as shown in FIG. 2B, a tapered surface can be easily formed on the inner surface of the second region 12 formed after the modified portion 16 is removed.

  The etchant used in the process of removing the modified portion 16 includes hydrofluoric acid. The concentration of hydrofluoric acid in the etchant is 20% or more and 35% or less. For example, when a borosilicate glass substrate having a thickness of 0.7 mm is selected as the glass substrate 10, a 25% aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid can be used.

  Through the above steps, the second region 12 can be formed on the glass substrate 10. After forming the second region 12, the etching barrier layer 1 may be removed as appropriate.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, a grinding process is performed. In this step, the glass substrate 10 is ground to a desired thickness, and the nozzle plate 50 having the nozzle holes 13 is formed. Note that this step also includes a polishing step. As a method for grinding the glass substrate 10, known glass material grinding and polishing methods can be used. For example, it can be performed by a method in which a rotatable grinding pad is disposed on the surface to be ground of the glass substrate 10 and the abrasive is supplied at the same time as the pad is rotated while contacting. Further, the polishing may be performed by dividing into a plurality of processes such as a rough polishing process and a precision polishing process by changing the particle size of the abrasive and the kind of the pad. Examples of the abrasive include cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, manganese oxide, colloidal silica, and diamond. The pad is divided into a hard pad and a soft pad, but can be appropriately selected and used as necessary. Examples of the hard pad include pads made of hard velor, urethane foam, pitch-containing suede, etc., and examples of the soft pad include pads made of suede, velor, etc.

The nozzle plate 50 can be formed by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment described above. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the nozzle plate 50 has the nozzle holes 13. The nozzle hole 13 extends in the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 50, penetrates the nozzle plate 50, and has openings 13a and 13b. The nozzle hole 13 has an inner surface 13c that connects the openings 13a and 13b. The shape of the openings 13a and 13b viewed from the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 50 is not particularly limited as long as the liquid can be discharged from the nozzle holes, but may have a substantially circular shape (including an ellipse). As shown in FIG. 2 (C), while the opening width _{W 1} of the opening 13a of the nozzle hole 13 may be larger than the opening width _{W 2} of the other opening 13b. In other words, the opening area of one opening 13a of the nozzle hole 13 may be larger than the opening area of the other opening 13b. The inner surface 13c of the nozzle hole 13 is formed from a tapered surface. The cross-sectional shape of the inner surface 13c in the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 50 may be a trapezoid. That is, as shown in FIG. 2C, the inner surface 13c can connect the opening 13a and the opening 13b with a straight line in a cross-sectional view.

  The nozzle plate manufacturing method according to the present embodiment has, for example, the following characteristics.

  According to the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present embodiment, the step of forming the etching mask is not required in the step of forming the nozzle holes in the glass substrate. In addition, a dry etching process having a high apparatus cost and running cost as compared with wet etching is not required. Therefore, the nozzle plate can be manufactured more easily.

  In addition, according to the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present embodiment, the nozzle hole 13 of the nozzle plate 50 can have a tapered surface that is more suitable for discharging droplets. According to the conventional manufacturing method in which the glass substrate is masked and formed so that the inner surface of the nozzle hole has a tapered surface by isotropic etching, the tapered surface becomes a rounded surface. In addition, when anisotropic etching is performed, a tapered surface cannot be formed in the nozzle hole. On the other hand, according to the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate according to the present embodiment, only the modified portion that has been modified can be selectively removed by etching in the laser beam irradiation step. Therefore, it is possible to easily form the nozzle hole 13 having a tapered surface in which the inner surface 13c is not rounded.

  As described above, according to the method of manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the present embodiment, a nozzle plate that uses glass, does not require a mask process or a dry etching process, and has a tapered surface where the nozzle holes are more suitable for ejection can be more easily performed. Can be manufactured.

(Modification)
The manufacturing method of the nozzle plate according to the present embodiment can be modified as follows. Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a modified example of the method for manufacturing the nozzle plate according to the present embodiment. In addition, the structure similar to the structure demonstrated in the manufacturing method mentioned above, its manufacturing method, etc. attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits detailed description.

  In this modification, the scanning step can include a step of changing the position of the focal region 136 in the thickness direction of the glass substrate 10 while changing the spot diameter of the focal region 136.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the laser beam 30 applied to the glass substrate 10 is applied to the glass substrate 10 through the optical element 120. Here, the optical element 120 according to the present modification can be an optical element that can change the spot diameter of the focal region 136. The optical element 120 according to the present modification is not particularly limited as long as the spot diameter of the focal region 136 can be changed and adjusted. For example, the optical element 120 may be a lens unit having a plurality of lenses. The spot diameter to be changed is adjusted according to the design shape of the nozzle hole 13 and is not particularly limited. For example, the spot diameter may be changed in a range of Φ1 μm to Φ10 μm.

As shown in FIG. 3A, in the irradiation step, the initial spot diameter (S ₁ ) can be the width of the surface of the first region 11 that is irradiated with the laser beam 30. In the scanning process according to this modification, when the laser beam 30 is scanned relative to the glass substrate 10, the scanning is performed only in the first direction 110. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the focal region 136 is scanned in the first direction 110, the spot diameter of the focal region 136 may be changed stepwise according to the depth. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the focal depth of the laser beam 30 is deep, the spot diameter (S2) of the focal region 136 is adjusted to be smaller than the initial spot diameter (S ₁ ). It may be. Further, although not shown, the reverse may be possible.

  In the present modification, the modified portion 16 can be formed in the first region 11 by the above scanning method.

  In addition to the features of the nozzle plate manufacturing method described above, the nozzle plate manufacturing method according to this modification has, for example, the following features.

  According to the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate according to this modification, the operation axis in the scanning process can be set only in the depth direction (first direction 110) of the glass substrate 10. According to this, since the tapered surface of the nozzle hole 13 can be formed only by adjusting the spot diameter of the focal region 136, the manufacturing method becomes simpler and the manufacturing accuracy of the tapered surface can be improved. it can.

2. Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The manufacturing method of the liquid droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment includes the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate described above.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an example of a droplet ejecting head 300 manufactured by the method for manufacturing a droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5-6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the method for manufacturing the droplet ejecting head 300 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, an example of a droplet ejecting head 300 manufactured by the method of manufacturing a droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings, and then a method for manufacturing the droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment will be described. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the droplet ejecting head 300 manufactured by the method of manufacturing a droplet ejecting head according to this embodiment includes a nozzle plate 50, a substrate 60 formed above the nozzle plate 50, and a substrate 60. A vibration plate 70 formed above the vibration plate 70, a piezoelectric element 80 formed above the vibration plate 70, and a sealing plate 90 provided so as to cover the piezoelectric element 80 above the vibration plate 70. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate 60 is formed above the nozzle plate 50 and has a pressure chamber 61. As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate 60 has a wall portion 62 that constitutes a side wall of the pressure chamber 61. Further, the substrate 60 may have a manifold 65 that is in communication with the pressure chamber 61 via the supply path 63 and the communication path 64 (not shown). A through hole (not shown) may be formed in the manifold 65, and liquid may be supplied into the manifold 65 from the outside through the through hole. According to this, by supplying the liquid to the manifold 65, it is possible to supply the liquid to the pressure chamber 61 via the supply path 63 and the communication path 64. The shape of the pressure chamber 61 is not particularly limited. The shape of the pressure chamber 61 may be, for example, a parallelogram or a rectangle in a plan view when viewed from the normal direction of the upper surface 11. The number of pressure chambers 61 is not particularly limited, and may be one or a plurality of pressure chambers 61. The material of the substrate 60 is not particularly limited. The substrate 60 may be formed from, for example, single crystal silicon, nickel, stainless steel, stainless steel, glass ceramics, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the diaphragm 70 is a plate-like member, and a first surface 11 on which the piezoelectric element 80 is formed above the surface and a surface opposite to the first surface 11. Two surfaces 12. In the droplet ejecting head 300, the vibration plate 70 constitutes a deforming portion. In other words, the diaphragm 70 can be deformed by deformation of the piezoelectric element 80 described later. Thereby, the volume of the pressure chamber 21 of the flow path forming plate 20 formed below can be changed. The structure and material of the diaphragm 70 are not particularly limited as long as they have flexibility and can be deformed. For example, the diaphragm 70 may be formed of a laminate of a plurality of films. At this time, the diaphragm 70 is, for example, a laminate including a laminate of silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ) and zirconium dioxide (ZrO ₂ ), a metal film such as nickel, and a polymer material film such as polyimide. Also good.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the diaphragm 70 is formed with an opening 71 that communicates with the manifold 65. The shape of the opening 71 is not particularly limited as long as the liquid can be supplied to the manifold 65. Although not shown, a conductive layer containing nickel and gold may be formed in the peripheral region of the opening 71.

  Next, the piezoelectric element 80 is formed above the vibration plate 70. In the present embodiment, the form of the piezoelectric element 80 is not particularly limited as long as it has a piezoelectric layer sandwiched between electrodes. That is, the piezoelectric element 80 may be a unimorph piezoelectric element in a bending vibration mode (bent mode). Although not shown, the piezoelectric element 80 may be a stacked piezoelectric element in a stretching vibration mode (piston mode).

  In the description of the manufacturing method of the droplet ejecting head of the present embodiment, the piezoelectric element 80 is a unimorph type piezoelectric element in a bending vibration mode (bent mode), and includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements 80. In the case of 300, a structure in which the second electrode 83 that is the upper electrode is formed as a common electrode will be described as an example. However, the droplet ejecting head 300 manufactured by the method for manufacturing a droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment is not limited to the following form. For example, a liquid droplet ejecting head formed so that the first electrode 81 serving as the lower electrode serves as a common electrode may be used. The details of the piezoelectric element 80 will be described later in the method of manufacturing the droplet ejecting head.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the droplet ejecting head 300 can include a sealing plate 90. The sealing plate 90 is formed above the piezoelectric element 80 as shown in FIG. The sealing plate 90 has a sealing region 91 that can seal the piezoelectric element 80 in a predetermined space region. The sealing region 91 may be a spatial region that does not hinder the vibration motion of the piezoelectric element 80. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the sealing plate 90 may have an opening 92 that communicates with the manifold 65 of the substrate 60 and the opening 71 of the vibration plate 70. The structure and material of the sealing plate 90 are not particularly limited. For example, the sealing plate 90 may be formed from, for example, single crystal silicon, nickel, stainless steel, stainless steel, glass ceramics, or the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a flexible film 95 and a fixed film 96 may be formed above the opening 92 of the sealing plate 90. The flexible film 95 is formed so as to seal the opening 92. The flexible film 95 may be formed of, for example, a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) film. The fixed film 96 has an opening 97 above the opening 92 through the flexible film 95. The fixing film 96 is not particularly limited as long as the flexible film 95 can be fixed. For example, the fixing film 96 may be formed of a material such as a metal such as stainless steel. Here, when a space constituted by the manifold 65 of the substrate 60, the opening 71 of the vibration plate 70 and the opening 92 of the sealing plate 90 is used as a reservoir, one surface of the reservoir is sealed only by the flexible film 95. It has stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the drive circuit 200 may be mounted on the sealing plate 90 via an electrical connection (not shown). Although not shown, the drive circuit 200 is electrically connected to the piezoelectric element 80 by wire bonding or the like, for example. Moreover, the droplet ejecting head 300 may be made of, for example, various resin materials or various metal materials, and may include a housing that can accommodate the above-described configuration (not shown).

  Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a liquid droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Note that the manufacturing method of the liquid droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment differs depending on whether the material used for forming the substrate 60 is single crystal silicon or the like and stainless steel or the like is used. In the following, a method for manufacturing a droplet jet head using single crystal silicon will be described as an example. The manufacturing method of the liquid droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited to the following manufacturing method, and when nickel, stainless steel, stainless steel, or the like is used as a material, a process such as a known electroforming method is included. Also good.

  In the description of the manufacturing method of the droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment, as an example of the process, the substrate 60 is formed after the process of forming the piezoelectric element 80 first. Thereafter, the sealing plate 80 is mounted, and the nozzle plate 50 manufactured by the nozzle plate manufacturing method described above is bonded. However, the process after each step is not limited to the manufacturing method described below. Note that the detailed description of the configuration already described above will be given the same reference numerals and will be omitted.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a substrate 60a that is a material substrate of the substrate 60 and in which the pressure chamber 61 and the like are not formed is prepared. The substrate 60a is partitioned with a region 61a and the like where the pressure chamber 61 and the like are formed. A diaphragm 70 is formed above the substrate 60a as shown in FIG. As a method for forming the vibration plate 70, a known film forming method can be used. The diaphragm 70 is formed by, for example, a vapor deposition method such as a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method or a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) method, a sputtering method, a MOD (Metal Organic Deposition) method, or the like. Although not shown, the diaphragm 70 may be patterned into a desired shape.

  Note that the patterning step in this embodiment is performed by a known photolithography technique or a known etching technique. When patterning is performed by etching, dry etching or wet etching may be used. In addition, a resist forming / removing step and a developing step may be included as appropriate.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the piezoelectric element 80 is formed above the vibration plate 70. The piezoelectric element 80 is disposed above the region 61a of the substrate 60a where the pressure chamber 61 is formed. As shown in FIG. 5B, the piezoelectric element 80 only needs to have a piezoelectric layer 82 sandwiched between the first electrode 81 and the second electrode 83, and the form thereof is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the piezoelectric element 80 includes a first electrode 81, a piezoelectric layer 82, and a second electrode 83.

  A first electrode 81 serving as a lower electrode is formed above the diaphragm 70. As a method for forming the first electrode 81, a known film forming method and patterning method can be used. For example, the material conductive film of the first electrode 81 is formed by vapor deposition such as CVD or PVD, plating, sputtering, MOD, or the like, and is patterned into a desired shape.

  The structure and material of the first electrode 81 are not particularly limited as long as it has conductivity. For example, the first electrode 81 may be formed of a single layer. Or the 1st electrode 81 may be formed with the laminated body of a some film | membrane. The first electrode 81 is made of conductive oxide such as platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), strontium oxide (SRO), and lanthanum nickel oxide (LNO). It may be a conductive layer containing any of the above.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the first electrode 81 may have an electrical connection part 81 a with the lead part 210 electrically connected to the drive circuit 200. The lead part 210 may be formed of the same metal as the first electrode 81, or may be formed of a metal layer made of a laminate including nickel / chromium alloy (NiCr) and gold (Au).

  Next, the piezoelectric layer 82 is formed so as to cover the first electrode 81. The structure and material of the piezoelectric layer 82 are not particularly limited as long as they have piezoelectric characteristics. The method for manufacturing the piezoelectric layer 82 is not particularly limited, and is formed from a known piezoelectric material by a known method such as a sol-gel method. For example, a precursor film that is a raw material film of the piezoelectric layer 82 is formed above the first electrode 81. The precursor film can be formed by a known method, for example, a sol-gel method, a CVD method, a MOD method, a sputtering method, a laser ablation method, or the like. Here, the precursor film may be crystallized by heat treatment. Thereby, a piezoelectric film can be formed. Further, this crystallization step may be performed partially or after patterning of the second electrode 83. The heat treatment condition is not particularly limited as long as it is a temperature at which the precursor film can be crystallized. The heat treatment can be performed, for example, at 500 to 800 degrees in an oxygen atmosphere. Next, the piezoelectric film 82 can be formed by patterning the piezoelectric film into a desired shape.

For the piezoelectric layer 82, for example, a perovskite oxide piezoelectric material can be used. Examples of the piezoelectric material of the piezoelectric layer 82 include lead zirconate titanate (Pb (Zr, Ti) O ₃ : PZT), lead zirconate titanate niobate (Pb (Zr, Ti, Nb) O ₃ : PZTN). ), Barium titanate (BaTiO ₃ : BT), potassium sodium niobate ((Na, K) NbO ₃ : NKN), bismuth sodium titanate ((Bi, Na) TiO ₃ : BNT), and the like can be used.

  Next, the second electrode 83 is formed above the piezoelectric layer 82 so as to overlap with at least a part of the first electrode 81. As a method for forming the second electrode 83, a known film forming method and patterning method can be used. For example, the conductive film of the second electrode 83 is formed by forming a film by a vapor deposition method such as a CVD method or a PVD method, a plating method, a sputtering method, or a MOD method, and patterning the film into a desired shape.

  The structure and material of the second electrode 83 are not particularly limited as long as it has conductivity. For example, the second electrode 83 may be formed of a single layer. Alternatively, the second electrode 83 may be formed of a stacked body of a plurality of films. The second electrode 83 is made of conductive oxide such as platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), strontium oxide (SRO), and lanthanum nickel oxide (LNO). It may be a conductive layer containing any of the above.

  Although not shown, the second electrode 83 may have a contact portion with a lead portion electrically connected to the drive circuit 200. The lead portion may be formed of the same metal as the second electrode 83, or may be formed of a metal layer made of a laminate including nickel / chromium alloy (NiCr) and gold (Au).

  The piezoelectric element 80 may be formed by any of the above configurations.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, the sealing plate 90 in which the sealing region 91 is formed is mounted from above the piezoelectric element 80. Here, the piezoelectric element 80 can be sealed in the sealing region 91. The sealing plate 90 may seal the piezoelectric element 80 with an adhesive, for example.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the substrate 60a is thinned to a predetermined thickness, and the pressure chamber 61 and the like are partitioned. For example, a mask (not shown) is formed on the surface opposite to the surface on which the substrate 10 is formed so as to be patterned into a desired shape with respect to the substrate 60a having a predetermined thickness, and is etched. A pressure chamber 61, a wall 62, a supply path 63, a communication path 64, and a manifold 65 (not shown) are defined. The shape of the pressure chamber 61 is not particularly limited. The shape of the pressure chamber 61 may be, for example, a parallelogram in a plan view or a rectangle. The number of pressure chambers 61 is not particularly limited, and may be one or a plurality of pressure chambers 61. As described above, the pressure chamber plate 60 having the pressure chamber 61 below the substrate 10 can be formed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the nozzle plate 50 having the nozzle holes 13 is bonded to a predetermined position by, for example, an adhesive. In the method for manufacturing a liquid droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment, the nozzle plate 50 is manufactured by the method for manufacturing the nozzle plate 50 described above. Thereby, the nozzle hole 13 communicates with the pressure chamber 61, and the liquid supplied into the pressure chamber 61 can be discharged, for example, toward the lower side of the nozzle plate 50 (the direction opposite to the pressure chamber 61). it can.

  The droplet ejecting head 300 can be manufactured by any of the above methods. As described above, the manufacturing method of the droplet ejecting head 300 is not limited to the manufacturing method described above.

  As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the droplet jet head according to the present embodiment, in the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate 50, glass is used, the mask process and the dry etching process are not required, and the nozzle hole is a taper suitable for ejection. A nozzle plate having a surface can be more easily manufactured.

3. Next, a droplet ejecting apparatus 1000 having a droplet ejecting head manufactured by the method for manufacturing a droplet ejecting head according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, a case where the droplet ejecting apparatus 1000 is an ink jet printer will be described. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing the droplet ejecting apparatus 1000.

  The droplet ejecting apparatus 1000 includes a head unit 1030, a driving unit 1010, and a control unit 1060. Further, the droplet ejecting apparatus 1000 is disposed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1020, the apparatus main body 1020, the paper feed unit 1050, the tray 1021 on which the recording paper P is set, the discharge port 1022 for discharging the recording paper P. An operation panel 1070.

  The head unit 1030 includes, for example, an ink jet recording head (hereinafter also simply referred to as “head”) configured from the above-described droplet ejecting head 300. The head unit 1030 further includes an ink cartridge 1031 that supplies ink to the head, and a transport unit (carriage) 1032 on which the head and the ink cartridge 1031 are mounted.

  The drive unit 1010 can reciprocate the head unit 1030. The drive unit 1010 includes a carriage motor 1041 serving as a drive source for the head unit 1030, and a reciprocating mechanism 1042 that reciprocates the head unit 1030 in response to the rotation of the carriage motor 1041.

  The reciprocating mechanism 1042 includes a carriage guide shaft 1044 whose both ends are supported by a frame (not shown), and a timing belt 1043 extending in parallel with the carriage guide shaft 1044. The carriage guide shaft 1044 supports the carriage 1032 while allowing the carriage 1032 to freely reciprocate. Further, the carriage 1032 is fixed to a part of the timing belt 1043. When the timing belt 1043 is caused to travel by the operation of the carriage motor 1041, the head unit 1030 is reciprocated by being guided by the carriage guide shaft 1044. During this reciprocation, ink is appropriately discharged from the head, and printing on the recording paper P is performed.

  The control unit 1060 can control the head unit 1030, the drive unit 1010, and the paper feed unit 1050.

  The paper feeding unit 1050 can feed the recording paper P from the tray 1021 to the head unit 1030 side. The paper feed unit 1050 includes a paper feed motor 1051 serving as a driving source thereof, and a paper feed roller 1052 that rotates by the operation of the paper feed motor 1051. The paper feed roller 1052 includes a driven roller 1052a and a drive roller 1052b that face each other up and down across the feeding path of the recording paper P. The drive roller 1052b is connected to the paper feed motor 1051. When the paper supply unit 1050 is driven by the control unit 1060, the recording paper P is sent so as to pass below the head unit 1030.

  The head unit 1030, the drive unit 1010, the control unit 1060, and the paper feed unit 1050 are provided inside the apparatus main body 1020.

  The droplet ejecting apparatus 1000 can include the droplet ejecting head 300 according to the present invention. As described above, the droplet ejection head 300 according to the present invention includes the nozzle plate 50 manufactured by the nozzle plate manufacturing method according to the present embodiment.

  In the above-described example, the case where the droplet ejecting apparatus 1000 is an ink jet printer has been described. However, the printer of the present invention can also be used as an industrial liquid ejecting apparatus. As the liquid (liquid material) discharged in this case, various functional materials adjusted to an appropriate viscosity with a solvent or a dispersion medium, or those containing metal flakes or the like can be used.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail as described above, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications can be made without departing from the novel matters and effects of the present invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention.

1 etching barrier layer, 10 glass substrate, 11 first region, 12 second region,
13 nozzle hole, 13a opening, 13b opening, 13c inner surface, 16 reforming part,
20 optical elements, 30 laser beams, 36 focal areas, 50 nozzle plates,
60 substrate, 60a substrate, 61 pressure chamber, 61a region, 62 wall,
63 supply path, 64 communication path, 65 manifold, 70 diaphragm, 71 opening,
80 piezoelectric element, 81 first electrode, 81a electrical connection, 82 piezoelectric layer,
83 Second electrode, 90 sealing plate, 91 sealing region, 92 opening, 95 flexible film,
96 fixed membrane, 97 opening, 110 first direction, 120 second direction,
200 drive circuit, 210 lead portion, 300 droplet ejection head,
1000 droplet ejection device, 1010 drive unit, 1020 device main body, 1021 tray,
1022 discharge port, 1030 head unit, 1031 ink cartridge,
1032 carriage, 1041 carriage motor, 1042 reciprocating mechanism,
1043 Timing belt, 1044 Carriage guide shaft, 1050 Paper feed unit,
1051 paper feed motor, 1052 paper feed roller, 1060 control unit,
1070 Operation panel

Claims (8)

An irradiation step of irradiating a glass substrate with a laser beam and forming a modified portion of the glass substrate in a focal region where the laser beam of the glass substrate is condensed,
A scanning step of scanning the laser beam relative to the glass substrate so that a region where the nozzle hole of the glass substrate is formed is the modified portion;
Etching process to wet-etch the glass substrate and remove the modified portion;
Grinding the glass substrate to a desired thickness and forming a nozzle plate having nozzle holes;
A method for manufacturing a nozzle plate, comprising: In claim 1,
The laser beam irradiation conditions in the irradiation step are a nozzle plate manufacturing method in which a wavelength is 400 nm or more and 10,000 nm or less, and a pulse width is 10 femtoseconds or more and 1000 fetomseconds or less. In claim 1 or 2,
The nozzle plate manufacturing method, wherein the inner surface of the nozzle hole has a tapered surface. In any one of Claim 1 to 3,
The etchant in the etching step includes hydrofluoric acid, and the concentration of the hydrofluoric acid is 20% or more and 35% or less. In any one of Claims 1-4,
The scanning step includes a step of changing the position of the focal region in the thickness direction of the glass substrate, and a step of changing the position of the focal region in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. Method. In any one of Claims 1-4,
The scanning step includes a step of changing a position of the focal region in a thickness direction of the glass substrate while changing a spot diameter of the focal region. In claim 6,
In the scanning step, the spot diameter of the focal region changes in a range of Φ1 μm or more and Φ10 μm or less.   A method for manufacturing a droplet ejecting head, comprising the method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to claim 1.

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