JP2014124884A - Liquid jet head and liquid jet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jet head and a liquid jet apparatus that can suppress variance in vibration characteristics by suppressing a diaphragm from being eroded with a liquid and can make nozzle openings higher in density and a head thin.SOLUTION: A liquid jet head comprises: a flow passage formation substrate 10 provided with a pressure generation chamber 12 communicating nozzle openings 21 for discharging a liquid; a diaphragm 50 which is provided on one surface side of the flow passage formation substrate 10 and seals the pressure generation chamber 12; and a piezoelectric actuator 300 as pressure generation means provided on the diaphragm 50. The diaphragm 50 has a first vibration layer 51 consisting principally of zirconium oxide on the side of the flow passage formation substrate 10, a second vibration layer 52 provided on the opposite side of the first vibration layer 51 from the flow passage formation substrate and consisting principally of silicon oxide, and a third vibration layer 53 provided on the opposite side of the second vibration layer 52 from the first vibration layer 51 and consisting principally of zirconium oxide.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus that eject liquid from nozzle openings, and particularly to an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus that eject ink as liquid.

  An ink jet recording head, which is an example of a liquid ejecting head, includes, for example, a piezoelectric actuator that is a piezoelectric element on one side of a flow path forming substrate provided with a pressure generating chamber that communicates with a nozzle opening. The ink is ejected from the nozzles by deforming the vibration plate to cause a pressure change in the pressure generating chamber.

  Here, as the vibration plate, a plate provided with silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, or the like on the flow path forming substrate side has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In addition, in order to prevent the flow path forming substrate and the diaphragm from being eroded by the ink in the flow path, the inner wall of the flow path such as the pressure generating chamber is provided with a protective film having liquid resistance such as tantalum oxide. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2009-83140 A JP 2011-88369 A JP 2012-143981 A

  However, when silicon oxide or zirconium oxide is provided on the flow path forming substrate side of the vibration plate, if the protective film has pinholes or the like, the vibration plate is eroded (etched) by ink (liquid) in the flow path. Thus, there is a problem that the vibration characteristics of the diaphragm are affected and the diaphragm cannot be stably deformed.

  In particular, when the density of nozzle openings is increased and the ink jet recording head is thinned, the protective film needs to be thin, and defects such as pinholes are likely to occur in the protective film.

  Such a problem exists not only in an ink jet recording head but also in a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid other than ink.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention suppresses the vibration plate from being eroded by the liquid, suppresses variations in vibration characteristics, and realizes higher nozzle openings and thinner heads. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus that can perform the same.

An aspect of the present invention that solves the above problems includes a flow path forming substrate provided with a pressure generating chamber that communicates with a nozzle opening for discharging a liquid, and the pressure generating chamber provided on one side of the flow path forming substrate. And a pressure generating means provided on the diaphragm, the diaphragm comprising a first vibration layer mainly composed of zirconium oxide on the flow path forming substrate side, A second vibration layer mainly composed of silicon oxide provided on a side opposite to the flow path forming substrate of the first vibration layer; and a second vibration layer provided on a side opposite to the first vibration layer. And a third vibration layer mainly composed of zirconium oxide.
In such an aspect, by providing the first vibration layer mainly composed of zirconium oxide on the flow path forming substrate side of the diaphragm, the diaphragm is prevented from being eroded by the liquid filled in the pressure generating chamber, The vibration characteristics of the diaphragm can be stabilized. In addition, by providing the second vibration layer mainly composed of silicon oxide on the first vibration layer, the overall thickness of the diaphragm can be adjusted by the second vibration layer and the hardness of the vibration plate can be adjusted. Adjustments can be made. Furthermore, even if a protective film is provided in the pressure generating chamber, the thickness of the protective film can be reduced, the displacement characteristics of the piezoelectric actuator can be improved, and the piezoelectric actuator can be made thinner, so that the liquid jet The head can be thinned.

  Here, it is preferable that the first vibration layer is formed by atomic layer deposition. According to this, it is possible to increase the film density of the first vibration layer and further suppress the erosion by the liquid.

  The inner wall of the pressure generating chamber is preferably provided with a protective film having liquid resistance, and the protective film is preferably formed with a thickness of 0.3 mm or more and 50 nm or less. . According to this, the thickness of the protective film can be made relatively thin, the displacement characteristics of the piezoelectric actuator can be improved, the piezoelectric actuator can be made thin, and the liquid jet head can be made thin. Can do.

  The protective film is preferably formed by atomic layer deposition. According to this, the film density of a protective film can be raised and the erosion by a liquid can be suppressed further.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including the liquid ejecting head according to the above aspect.
A liquid ejecting apparatus with a reduced size can be realized by stabilizing the liquid ejection characteristics.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a recording head according to Embodiment 1 of the invention. 2A and 2B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the recording head according to Embodiment 1 of the invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the recording head according to the first embodiment of the invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments.
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink jet recording head which is an example of a liquid jet head according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1 and a sectional view taken along line AA ′ in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ of FIG.

  As shown in the drawing, the flow path forming substrate 10 provided in the ink jet recording head I which is an example of the liquid jet head of the present embodiment is made of, for example, a silicon single crystal substrate in the present embodiment. In the flow path forming substrate 10, the pressure generating chambers 12 partitioned by the plurality of partition walls 11 are arranged side by side along a direction in which a plurality of nozzle openings 21 for discharging the same color ink are arranged in parallel. Hereinafter, this direction is referred to as a direction in which the pressure generating chambers 12 are arranged side by side or a first direction X. Further, the direction orthogonal to the first direction X is hereinafter referred to as a second direction Y.

  An ink supply path 13 and a communication path 14 are provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber 12 of the flow path forming substrate 10, that is, on one end side in the second direction Y orthogonal to the first direction X. Is partitioned by a plurality of partition walls 11. On the outside of the communication passage 14 (on the side opposite to the pressure generation chamber 12 in the second direction Y), a communication portion that constitutes a part of the manifold 100 serving as a common ink chamber (liquid chamber) of each pressure generation chamber 12. 15 is formed. That is, the flow path forming substrate 10 is provided with a liquid flow path including a pressure generation chamber 12, an ink supply path 13, a communication path 14, and a communication portion 15.

Here, the inner wall surface (inner surface) of the liquid flow path including the pressure generation chamber 12, the ink supply path 13, the communication path 14, and the communication portion 15 of the flow path forming substrate 10 has ink resistance (liquid resistance). A protective film 200 made of a material such as tantalum oxide (TaOx; amorphous) is provided. The material of such a protective film 200 is not limited to tantalum oxide, and depending on the pH value of the ink used, for example, silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), hafnium oxide (HfO ₂ ), or the like may be used.

  The protective film 200 can be formed by a vapor phase method such as sputtering or atomic layer deposition (ALD). In particular, the protective film 200 is preferably formed by atomic layer deposition. Note that “formed by atomic layer deposition” means formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD). According to this atomic layer deposition method, the protective film 200 can be formed with a relatively thin film thickness and a high film density. That is, by forming the protective film 200 at a high film density, the ink resistance (liquid resistance) of the protective film 200 is improved, and the vibration plate 50, the flow path forming substrate 10 and the like are eroded by ink (liquid). Can be suppressed. Therefore, the thickness of the protective film 200 can be reduced. Further, by forming the protective film 200 by the atomic layer deposition method, it can be formed thinner than the CVD method or the like. However, the atomic layer deposition method is not suitable for forming a thick film because it takes a longer time to form a film than the sputtering method.

  In this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the protective film 200 is formed thin by using a material that is unlikely to be eroded by ink (liquid) for the lowermost layer (the flow path forming substrate 10 side) of the diaphragm 50. In addition, the diaphragm 50 can be prevented from being eroded by the ink. That is, when a material that is easily eroded by ink (liquid) is used for the lowermost layer of the vibration plate 50, the protective film 200 cannot be formed thin, and the protective film 200 needs to be formed thick. In the present embodiment, even when the protective film 200 is formed by a sputtering method and a pinhole or the like is formed in the protective film 200 by using a material that is hard to be eroded by ink for the lowermost layer of the diaphragm 50, the diaphragm 50 Can be prevented from being eroded by the ink.

  By the way, when a pinhole or the like is formed in the protective film 200 by reducing the thickness of the protective film 200 using a material eroded by ink as the flow path forming substrate 10, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate or the like. In some cases, the partition wall 11 may be eroded by the ink. However, even if the partition wall 11 is eroded by the ink, it does not reach the adjacent pressure generation chamber 12 and does not change the displacement characteristic of the diaphragm 50. Therefore, the vibration characteristic of the piezoelectric actuator 300 is not changed. There is no particular problem.

For example, when the protective film 200 is formed of tantalum oxide by an atomic layer deposition method, the thickness may be in the range of 0.3 mm or more and 50 nm or less, and may be in the range of 10 nm or more and 30 nm or less. Is preferred. That is, the atomic layer deposition method forms a film uniformly and densely (high film density). Ta ₂ O ₅ (TaO _X ) is soluble in alkali, but if the film density is high (about 7 g / cm ² ), it becomes difficult to dissolve in alkali, and acid resistance does not dissolve in solutions other than hydrogen fluoride. Therefore, it is effective as a protective film against strong alkaline solution and strong acid solution. That is, according to the atomic layer deposition method, the protective film 200 can be easily formed with high accuracy with a relatively thin thickness of 50 nm or less. Further, since the protective film 200 formed by the atomic layer deposition method is formed with a high film density, sufficient ink resistance can be ensured with a thickness of 0.3 mm or more. Incidentally, forming the protective film 200 thicker than this is not preferable because it takes time to form the film and increases the cost. Further, it is not preferable to form the protective film 200 thinner than this because a uniform film may not be formed on the whole.

  By reducing the thickness of the protective film 200 in this manner, the protective film 200 can be prevented from inhibiting the displacement of the vibration plate 50, and the displacement of the piezoelectric actuator 300, which will be described in detail later, can be improved. Further, since the thickness of the protective film 200 can be reduced, the volume of the pressure generating chamber 12 can be secured even if the thickness of the flow path forming substrate 10 is reduced, and the thickness of the piezoelectric actuator 300 can be reduced. Can be thinned. Therefore, the ink jet recording head I can be reduced in thickness and the nozzle openings 21 can be increased in density.

  On one side of the flow path forming substrate 10, that is, the surface where the liquid flow path such as the pressure generation chamber 12 opens, a nozzle plate 20 having a nozzle opening 21 communicating with each pressure generation chamber 12 is provided with an adhesive. Or a heat-welded film or the like. In other words, the nozzle openings 21 are arranged in the nozzle plate 20 in the first direction X.

The other surface side of the flow path forming substrate 10 includes a first vibration layer 51 formed of a material containing zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ) and silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) formed on the first vibration layer 51. A second vibration layer 52 formed of a material and a third vibration layer 53 formed of a material containing zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ) formed on the second vibration layer 52 are stacked. The liquid flow path such as the pressure generation chamber 12 is formed by anisotropically etching the flow path forming substrate 10 from one side (the side where the nozzle plate 20 is bonded). The other surface of the liquid flow path is defined by the first vibration layer 51.

Here, the first vibration layer 51 is formed of a material containing zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂₎ is a main component of zirconium oxide of the first vibration layer 51 may be a (ZrO _2), other materials It may be included. Similarly, the main component of the second vibration layer 52 may be silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), and the third vibration layer 53 may be zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ).

Such a first vibration layer 51 can be formed on the flow path forming substrate wafer by sputtering or atomic layer deposition (ALD). In particular, the first vibration layer 51 is preferably formed by atomic layer deposition. The first vibration layer 51 being formed by atomic layer deposition means that the first vibration layer 51 is formed by a film formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Thus, by forming the 1st vibration layer 51 by an atomic layer deposition method, it can form with a high film density and can further improve ink resistance (liquid resistance). That is, the first vibration layer is mainly composed of zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ) and is not easily eroded by alkali and acid inks, but the first vibration layer 51 is further formed by an atomic layer deposition method. As a result, the ink resistance can be further improved and the ink can be made less susceptible to erosion.

  Note that the first vibration layer 51 is for improving the ink resistance (liquid resistance) of the vibration plate 50, and therefore the thickness thereof may be relatively thin.

  For example, the second vibration layer 52 functions as an adjustment layer that adjusts the overall thickness of the diaphragm 50 together with the first vibration layer 51 and the second vibration layer 52. Further, by providing the second vibration layer 52 containing silicon oxide as a main component, the rigidity and toughness of the diaphragm 50 can be adjusted to the optimum ones.

  The second vibration layer 52 can be formed by a vapor phase method such as an atomic layer deposition method (ALD) or a chemical vapor deposition method (CVD).

  The third vibration layer 53 can be formed by a vapor phase method such as a sputtering method or an atomic layer deposition method, a liquid phase method, or the like.

  The third vibration layer 53 has a role of suppressing diffusion of components such as lead and bismuth of the piezoelectric layer 70 to the second vibration layer 52 side. The third vibration layer 53 also has a role of matching the crystal lattice constant of the piezoelectric layer 70.

  In addition, as long as the diaphragm 50 has the 1st vibration layer 51, the 2nd vibration layer 52, and the 3rd vibration layer 53, the other film | membrane may be provided. However, by providing the first vibration layer 51, the second vibration layer 52, and the third vibration layer 53 as the vibration plate 50 as in this embodiment, for example, a vibration having only a conventional silicon oxide layer and zirconium oxide layer. It can be easily adjusted to have the same hardness as the plate. That is, the rigidity and toughness of the diaphragm 50 can be designed in the same manner as in the past, and the same deformation as in the conventional piezoelectric actuator 300 can be easily performed.

  On such a diaphragm 50, a piezoelectric actuator 300 having a first electrode 60, a piezoelectric layer 70, and a second electrode 80 is formed as pressure generating means of the present embodiment. Here, the piezoelectric actuator 300 refers to a portion including the first electrode 60, the piezoelectric layer 70, and the second electrode 80. In general, one electrode of the piezoelectric actuator 300 is used as a common electrode, and the other electrode and the piezoelectric layer 70 are patterned for each pressure generating chamber 12. In addition, here, a portion that is configured by any one of the patterned electrodes and the piezoelectric layer 70 and in which piezoelectric distortion is generated by applying a voltage to both electrodes is referred to as a piezoelectric active portion. In the present embodiment, the first electrode 60 is used as a common electrode for the piezoelectric actuator 300 and the second electrode 80 is used as an individual electrode for the piezoelectric actuator 300. However, there is no problem even if this is reversed for the convenience of the drive circuit and wiring.

The piezoelectric layer 70 is made of a piezoelectric material of the oxide having a polarization structure formed on the first electrode 60, for example, may consist of a perovskite oxide represented by the general formula ABO _3, A is Pb B can contain at least one of zirconium and titanium. The B may further contain niobium, for example. Specifically, as the piezoelectric layer 70, for example, lead zirconate titanate (Pb (Zr, Ti) O ₃ : PZT), lead zirconate titanate niobate containing silicon (Pb (Zr, Ti, Nb) ) O ₃ : PZTNS) or the like can be used.

  Further, the piezoelectric layer 70 is a lead-free piezoelectric material that does not contain lead, for example, a composite oxide having a perovskite structure containing bismuth ferrate or bismuth ferrate manganate, barium titanate or potassium bismuth titanate, or the like. It is good.

  Furthermore, each second electrode 80 that is an individual electrode of the piezoelectric actuator 300 is drawn from the vicinity of the end on the ink supply path 13 side and extended to the vibration plate 50. For example, gold (Au ) Etc. are connected.

  On the flow path forming substrate 10 on which the piezoelectric actuator 300 is formed, that is, on the first electrode 60, the vibration plate 50, and the lead electrode 90, a protection having a manifold portion 31 constituting at least a part of the manifold 100. The substrate 30 is bonded via an adhesive 35. In the present embodiment, the manifold portion 31 penetrates the protective substrate 30 in the thickness direction and is formed across the width direction of the pressure generating chamber 12. As described above, the communication portion 15 of the flow path forming substrate 10. The manifold 100 is configured as a common ink chamber for the pressure generation chambers 12. Further, the communication portion 15 of the flow path forming substrate 10 may be divided into a plurality of pressure generation chambers 12 and only the manifold portion 31 may be used as a manifold. Further, for example, an ink supply is provided in which only the pressure generating chamber 12 is provided in the flow path forming substrate 10, and the manifold and each pressure generating chamber 12 are communicated with the diaphragm 50 interposed between the flow path forming substrate 10 and the protective substrate 30. A path 13 may be provided.

  The protective substrate 30 is provided with a piezoelectric actuator holding portion 32 having a space that does not hinder the movement of the piezoelectric actuator 300 in a region facing the piezoelectric actuator 300. The piezoelectric actuator holding portion 32 only needs to have a space that does not hinder the movement of the piezoelectric actuator 300, and the space may be sealed or not sealed.

  The protective substrate 30 is provided with a through hole 33 that penetrates the protective substrate 30 in the thickness direction. The vicinity of the end of the lead electrode 90 drawn from each piezoelectric actuator 300 is provided so as to be exposed in the through hole 33.

  A driving circuit 120 that functions as a signal processing unit is fixed on the protective substrate 30. As the drive circuit 120, for example, a circuit board, a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC), or the like can be used. The drive circuit 120 and the lead electrode 90 are electrically connected via a connection wiring 121 made of a conductive wire such as a bonding wire inserted through the through hole 33.

  As the protective substrate 30, it is preferable to use a material substantially the same as the coefficient of thermal expansion of the flow path forming substrate 10, for example, glass or ceramic material. It formed using the crystal substrate.

  A compliance substrate 40 including a sealing film 41 and a fixing plate 42 is bonded onto the protective substrate 30. Here, the sealing film 41 is made of a material having low rigidity and flexibility, for example, a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) film, and one surface of the manifold portion 31 is sealed by the sealing film 41. The fixing plate 42 is made of a hard material such as metal, for example, stainless steel (SUS). Since the area of the fixing plate 42 facing the manifold 100 is an opening 43 that is completely removed in the thickness direction, one surface of the manifold 100 is sealed only with a flexible sealing film 41. Has been.

  In such an ink jet recording head I of this embodiment, after taking ink from an ink introduction port connected to an external ink supply means (not shown) and filling the interior from the manifold 100 to the nozzle opening 21, the drive circuit In accordance with the recording signal from 120, a voltage is applied between each of the first electrode 60 and the second electrode 80 corresponding to the pressure generating chamber 12, and the vibration plate 50, the first electrode 60, and the piezoelectric layer 70 are bent and deformed. By doing so, the pressure in each pressure generating chamber 12 increases, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings 21.

  As described above, in the ink jet recording head I of the present embodiment, the first vibration layer 51 mainly composed of zirconium oxide is provided on the flow path forming substrate 10 side of the vibration plate 50, so that the flow path, particularly the pressure is increased. Even if pinholes, cracks, or the like are formed in the protective film 200 in the generation chamber 12, the diaphragm 50 (the first vibration layer 51) can be prevented from being eroded by ink. That is, zirconium oxide, which is a material forming the first vibration layer 51, is less likely to be eroded by alkaline or acidic ink than silicon oxide or the like, and even if the ink comes into contact with the pinhole or the like of the protective film 200. The change in the displacement characteristics of the diaphragm 50 can be suppressed. In particular, by forming the first vibration layer 51 by atomic layer deposition (atomic layer deposition), the film density of the first vibration layer 51 is improved, the ink resistance is further improved, and the ink of the vibration plate 50 is increased. It is possible to suppress the erosion caused by the vibration and to make the diaphragm 50 have stable vibration characteristics.

  In addition, by providing the first vibration layer 51 containing zirconium oxide as a main component on the flow path forming substrate 10 side of the vibration plate 50, the protective film 200 that prevents the vibration plate 50 from being eroded by ink may not be formed. In the present embodiment, the protective film 200 is formed on the vibration plate 50 by forming the protective film 200 to protect the partition wall 11 of the flow path forming substrate 10. Since it is provided for the purpose of protecting the partition wall 11 of the formation substrate 10, the thickness can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the displacement characteristics of the piezoelectric actuator 300 by suppressing the protective film 200 from inhibiting the deformation of the diaphragm 50. In addition, since it is possible to suppress the deformation of the vibration plate 50 by forming the protective film 200 thin, the piezoelectric layer 70 of the piezoelectric actuator 300 can be thinned and the thickness of the flow path forming substrate 10 can be reduced. The depth (depth of the pressure generating chamber 12) can be reduced, the ink jet recording head I can be made thinner, and the nozzle openings 21 can be made dense.

(Other embodiments)
As mentioned above, although Embodiment 1 of this invention was demonstrated, the basic composition of this invention is not limited to what was mentioned above.

  In the first embodiment described above, the first vibration layer 51 is provided on the flow path forming substrate 10 side of the vibration plate 50, but the first vibration layer 51 defines one surface of the flow path such as the pressure generation chamber 12. Therefore, another layer of a material other than zirconium oxide may be provided between the first vibration layer 51 and the flow path forming substrate 10. That is, if the first vibration layer 51 defines at least a flow path such as the pressure generation chamber 12 of the flow path forming substrate 10, erosion of the vibration plate 50 by ink can be suppressed. Of course, if the flow path forming substrate 10 side is formed of the first vibration layer 51, it is between the first vibration layer 51 and the second vibration layer 52, or between the second vibration layer 52 and the third vibration layer 53. Other layers formed of other materials may be provided.

  Further, in the first embodiment described above, the thin film piezoelectric actuator 300 is used as the pressure generating means for ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle openings 21. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto. Alternatively, a thick film type piezoelectric actuator formed by a method such as affixing or a longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric actuator in which piezoelectric materials and electrode forming materials are alternately stacked to expand and contract in the axial direction may be used.

  In the first embodiment described above, the piezoelectric actuator 300 is used as the pressure generating means for ejecting the ink droplets from the nozzle opening 21. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this. For example, static electricity is generated between the diaphragm and the electrode. It is possible to use a so-called electrostatic actuator that discharges droplets from the nozzle openings by deforming the diaphragm by electrostatic force.

  Moreover, in Embodiment 1 mentioned above, although the silicon single crystal substrate was illustrated as the flow-path formation board | substrate 10, it is not limited to this in particular, For example, you may make it use materials, such as a SOI substrate and glass.

  In addition, the ink jet recording heads of these embodiments constitute a part of a recording head unit having an ink flow path communicating with an ink cartridge or the like, and are mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the recording head units 1A and 1B having the ink jet recording head, cartridges 2A and 2B constituting ink supply means are detachably provided, and a carriage 3 on which the recording head units 1A and 1B are mounted. Is provided on a carriage shaft 5 attached to the apparatus body 4 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The recording head units 1A and 1B, for example, are configured to eject a black ink composition and a color ink composition, respectively.

  The driving force of the driving motor 6 is transmitted to the carriage 3 via a plurality of gears and timing belt 7 (not shown), so that the carriage 3 on which the recording head units 1A and 1B are mounted is moved along the carriage shaft 5. The On the other hand, the apparatus body 4 is provided with a platen 8 along the carriage shaft 5, and a recording sheet S that is a recording medium such as paper fed by a paper feed roller (not shown) is wound around the platen 8. It is designed to be transported.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus II described above, the ink jet recording head I (recording head units 1A and 1B) is exemplified as being mounted on the carriage 3 and moving in the main scanning direction. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a so-called line recording apparatus in which an ink jet recording head I is fixed and printing is performed simply by moving a recording sheet S such as paper in the sub-scanning direction.

  In the above embodiment, an ink jet recording head has been described as an example of a liquid ejecting head, and an ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus. The present invention is intended for the entire apparatus, and can of course be applied to a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus that eject liquid other than ink. Other liquid ejecting heads include, for example, various recording heads used in image recording apparatuses such as printers, color material ejecting heads used in the manufacture of color filters such as liquid crystal displays, organic EL displays, and FEDs (field emission displays). Examples thereof include an electrode material ejection head used for electrode formation, a bio-organic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and the like, and can also be applied to a liquid ejection apparatus provided with such a liquid ejection head.

  I ink jet recording head (liquid ejecting head), II ink jet recording apparatus (liquid ejecting apparatus), 10 flow path forming substrate, 12 pressure generating chamber, 13 ink supply path, 14 communication path, 15 communication section, 20 nozzle plate, 21 nozzle opening, 30 protective substrate, 40 compliance substrate, 50 vibration plate, 51 first vibration layer, 52 second vibration layer, 53 third vibration layer, 60 first electrode, 70 piezoelectric layer, 80 second electrode, 90 Lead electrode, 100 manifold, 120 drive circuit, 200 protective film, 300 piezoelectric actuator (pressure generating means)

Claims (6)

A flow path forming substrate provided with a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening for discharging liquid;
A diaphragm that is provided on one side of the flow path forming substrate and seals the pressure generating chamber;
Pressure generating means provided on the diaphragm,
The diaphragm includes a first vibration layer mainly composed of zirconium oxide on the flow path forming substrate side,
A second vibration layer mainly composed of silicon oxide provided on the opposite side of the first vibration layer from the flow path forming substrate;
A liquid ejecting head comprising: a third vibrating layer mainly composed of zirconium oxide provided on the opposite side of the second vibrating layer from the first vibrating layer.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the first vibration layer is formed by atomic layer deposition.   The liquid jet head according to claim 1, wherein a protective film having liquid resistance is provided on an inner wall of the pressure generation chamber.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 3, wherein the protective film is formed by atomic layer deposition.   6. The liquid jet head according to claim 4, wherein the protective film is formed with a thickness of 0.3 mm or more and 50 nm or less.   A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising the liquid ejecting head according to claim 1.

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