JP3231195B2 - Method of manufacturing ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a liquid for recording (such as ink) is ejected from the discharge port as flying droplets, it relates to the manufacturing method of the ink jet recording head for recording by attaching onto a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an ink jet recording head which performs recording by discharging ink from discharge ports, using an electrothermal converter as an energy generating element for generating energy for discharging ink. As one configuration of the ink jet recording head, a substrate in which a groove for forming an ink flow path and the like provided corresponding to the electrothermal converter is joined to a substrate on which the electrothermal converter is formed is joined. There is. FIG. 12 and FIG. 1 show an example in which such an ink jet recording head is integrally mounted on an ink tank to form a cartridge type.
3 is shown. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of an example of a conventional ink jet cartridge integrally provided with an ink jet recording head and an ink tank, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state where the ink jet cartridge shown in FIG.

In FIG. 10, a head unit IJU
Is a unit of a type that discharges ink by generating thermal energy in accordance with an electric signal and causing film boiling in the ink.
0, an ink jet recording head IJH including a wiring board 2000 and a top plate 1300, a support 2100, a pressing spring 1350, and an ink supply path member 1600.

[0004] A heater board 1500 is provided on a Si substrate.
Electrothermal transducers for generating the thermal energy, arranged in a plurality of rows, and electric wires of Al or the like for supplying electric power thereto are formed by a film forming technique. Wiring board 20
Reference numeral 00 includes wiring corresponding to the wiring of the heater board 1500 (for example, connected by wire bonding), and a pad 2001 located at an end of the wiring and receiving an electric signal from the main device. The top plate 1300 includes a partition for forming an ink liquid path, a common liquid chamber, and the like corresponding to each of the plurality of ink ejection ports, and receives ink supplied from an ink tank and introduces the ink into the common liquid chamber. Receiving port 1301 and an orifice plate 1302 having a plurality of ejection ports. Top plate 1
The partition walls and the like included in 300 are molded integrally with the top plate 1300, and polysulfone is preferable as the integrally molded material, but other molding resin materials may be used.

[0005] The support 2100 supports the rear surface of the wiring board 2000 on a flat surface and is formed of, for example, metal, and forms a structural member of the head unit IJU. The presser spring 1350 has an M-shape, presses a portion of the top plate 1300 corresponding to the common liquid chamber at the center of the M-shape, and has a front droop portion 135.
In step 1, similarly, the portion of the top plate 1300 corresponding to the liquid path is pressed by line contact. The foot of the presser spring 1350 is
By engaging with the back side of the support 2100 through the hole 3121 of the heater board 1500 and the top plate 130
0 is sandwiched between the support 2100. As a result, the heater board 1500 and the top plate 1300 are urged by the pressing spring 1350 and the front sag 1351 and are fixed to the support 2100 by pressure. Support 2100
Are two positioning projections 10 provided on the ink tank.
12 and two positioning and heat fusion holding projections 180
In addition to the two positioning holes 2101 and 1900 that engage with each of the ink cartridges 0, the rear surface has projections 2500 and 2600 for positioning the inkjet cartridge with respect to the apparatus-body-side carriage. In addition, the support 2100 also has a hole 2102 through which an ink supply pipe 1603 (described later) through which ink can be supplied from an ink tank can be penetrated. The attachment of the wiring board 2000 to the support 2100 is performed by sticking with an adhesive or the like.

The positioning projection 2 of the support 2100
Depressions 2400 are provided in the vicinity of 500 and 2600, respectively. These depressions 2400 are formed on three sides of the assembled inkjet cartridge (shown in FIG. 2) around the head unit IJU in the inkjet cartridge. In addition, at the extension points of the plurality of parallel grooves 3000 and 3001, respectively, unnecessary objects such as dust and ink are provided so as not to reach the projections 2500 and 2600. The lid member 2200 in which the parallel groove 3000 is formed forms an outer wall of the ink jet cartridge and also forms a portion for accommodating the head unit IJU. The ink supply path member 1600 in which the parallel groove 3001 is formed is the same as the ink supply pipe 160 described above.
3, the ink conduit 16 communicating therewith.
01 is provided in the form of a cantilever with the connection side to the ink supply pipe 1603 fixed, and further includes a sealing pin 1602 for securing a capillary phenomenon with the ink supply pipe 1603 at the fixed portion of the ink conduit 1601. Note that reference numeral 1660 denotes a packing for sealing the ink tank and the ink supply pipe 1603, and 1650 denotes a filter provided at the tank side end of the ink supply pipe 1603.

[0007] Since the ink supply path member 1600 is molded, not only is it inexpensive and formed with high positional accuracy, but also the ink conduit 1601 in the form of a cantilever allows the ink conduit 1601 to be used even in mass production. The press-contact state of the top plate 1300 against the ink receiving port 1301 can be stabilized. In this example, the sealing adhesive is poured from the ink supply path member side under this pressure contact state.

The ink supply path member 1600 is fixed to the support 2100 by fixing the holes 190 in the support 2100.
1 and 1902, the back side pins (not shown) of the ink supply path member 1600 are connected to the holes 1901 and 19 of the support 2100.
This can be easily performed by projecting through the base material 02 and thermally bonding the portion projecting to the back surface side of the support 2100. The slightly protruding region on the back side of the heat-sealed portion is accommodated in a recess (not shown) in the side wall surface of the head unit IJU mounting surface of the ink tank.
Is accurately obtained.

The ink tank is a cartridge body 100
0, ink absorber 1050, and ink absorber 1050
Is inserted from the side of the cartridge main body 1000 opposite to the head unit IJU mounting surface, and a lid 1100 for sealing the cartridge is inserted. Ink absorber 1
050 is arranged in the cartridge main body 1000.
The supply port 1200 is a supply port for supplying ink to the head unit IJU, and is provided by injecting ink from the supply port 1200 in a process before the head unit IJU is arranged in the cartridge main body 1000. An injection port for impregnating 1050 ink. In the ink jet cartridge of this example, the portion where the ink can be injected into the ink tank is the air communication port 14.
01 and the supply port 1200. However, the rib 2300 provided on the inner surface of the cartridge body 1000 and the partial rib 2500 provided on the inner surface of the lid 1100,
By providing a configuration in which the in-tank air existence regions formed by the ink absorbers 2501 and 2501 are provided in a portion communicating with the atmosphere communication port 1401 side and over a corner region farthest from the supply port 1200, Maintains good ink supply. Therefore, it is important that relatively good and uniform ink injection into the ink absorber 1050 is performed through the supply port 1200. This method is extremely effective in practice.

The rib 2300 is provided on the cartridge body 100.
Behind 0, there are four ribs parallel to the carriage movement direction (only two upper ribs are shown in FIG. 12) to prevent the ink absorber 1050 from coming into close contact with the surface of the main body 1000. Also, the partial ribs 2501 and 2500
On the extension in the direction in which the rib 2300 extends, the lid 110
However, unlike the rib 2300, it is in a divided state. As a result, the space where air is present is increased more than the former. The partial rib 25
00 and 2501 are dispersed on a surface that is less than half the total area of the lid 1100. These ribs 2300 and partial ribs 2500 and 2501 allow the ink absorber 1
The ink in the corner portion farthest from the supply port 1200 at 050 can be more stably guided to the supply port 1200 side by capillary force.

An atmosphere communication port 1401 is provided in the cartridge main body 1100 for communicating the inside of the ink tank with the atmosphere. A liquid material 1400 is disposed inside the air communication port 1401, and thereby the air communication port 1401 is provided.
Ink is prevented from leaking.

The ink storage space of the ink tank has a rectangular shape. In this case, the above-described arrangement of the ribs is particularly effective because the long side is provided on the side surface. By providing a rib on the entire lid 1100, the ink supply from the ink absorber 1050 can be stabilized.

The head unit IJU is surrounded except for the lower opening by the ink tank and the cover member 2200 that covers the head unit IJU after the head unit IJU is mounted thereon. Attached to the side carriage,
At this time, since the lower opening is close to the carriage, a substantially four-sided surrounding space is formed. Therefore, heat generated from the ink jet recording head IJH in the surrounding space is uniformly distributed in the space and is effective in maintaining the space at a uniform temperature. However, a slight temperature rise may occur, for example, when the inkjet recording head IJH is driven continuously for a long time. For this reason, in this example, a slit 1700 having a width smaller than this space is provided on the upper surface of the ink jet cartridge in order to assist the natural heat radiation from the support 2100, and the temperature distribution of the entire head unit IJU is prevented while preventing a temperature rise. Uniformity is not influenced by the environment.

When assembled as an ink jet cartridge as shown in FIG. 13, ink is supplied from a supply port 1200 of an ink tank to a hole 21 provided in a support 2100.
02 and the ink supply path member 1600 are guided to an ink conduit 1601 in the ink supply path member 1600 through an ink supply pipe 1603 disposed through an introduction port provided on the middle and back sides thereof, and after passing through the inside, The ink flows into the common liquid chamber via the ink receiving port 1301 of the top plate 1300. A packing made of, for example, silicone rubber or butyl rubber is provided at the connection between the supply pipe and the conduit described above, whereby sealing is performed and an ink supply path is secured.

The top plate 1300 is made of a resin having excellent ink resistance, such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene oxide, or polypropylene.
Together with the orifice plate 1302, it is integrally molded with a mold.

As described above, the ink supply path member 160
Since the top plate 1, the top plate 1300, and the cartridge body 1000 are each integrally formed parts, not only the assembling accuracy is high, but also the quality of mass production is extremely effective. Further, since the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, excellent wear characteristics can be surely exhibited.

In the ink jet recording head IJH as described above, the adhesion between the heater board 1500 and the top plate 1300 is important for stabilizing the ink ejection characteristics. In particular, the importance of the ink-jet recording head has been increased with the recent increase in length of the ink-jet recording head. In order to improve the adhesion between the heater board 1500 and the top plate 1300, the present applicant has proposed an inkjet recording head having a structure in which fine projections are integrally formed on the joining surface of the top plate 1300 and the heater board 1500 ( JP-A-4-250004). According to this,
When the top plate 1300 is pressed against and joined to the heater board 1500, the projection is deformed, and the adhesion between the top plate 1300 and the heater board 1500 is improved.

[0018]

However, as described above, in the case where the projection is formed on the joining surface of the top plate and the heater board, the projection is fine and is formed by integral molding. It was difficult to control the resin flow, and the yield was not good. In addition, since the shape of the projection is also limited, especially in the case of a long ink jet recording head, it may not be sufficiently adhered to the heater board, and a crosstalk phenomenon may occur.

[0019] The present invention may yield a top plate member, yet good adhesion to the top plate member and the substrate inkjet
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a print recording head .

[0020]

In order to achieve the above object, a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention comprises forming a plurality of discharge ports for discharging ink and a plurality of grooves respectively communicating with the respective discharge ports. the grooved member, and a plurality of energy generating elements for generating ejection energy applied to the ink is joined to the substrate provided in correspondence with the respective grooves, their
Ink flow paths in which the energy generating elements are respectively arranged
In the method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head, the laser light source corresponds to the shape of the groove of the top plate member.
Groove processing pattern, and the groove of the top plate member
A concave portion formed on a joint surface of the partition wall with the substrate,
Is the convex part that becomes relatively convex by removing the surroundings
A machine with a pattern for joining surface processing corresponding to the shape
Mask part with a mask, and in the processing step to the top plate member
And a mask section moving mechanism for moving the mask section in accordance with
The laser processing apparatus used with, the mask moving mechanism
By moving the mask, the groove processing
The top plate member with the laser beam through a pattern for
And forming the groove, and for processing the joint surface
Irradiating the bonding surface with laser light through a pattern,
Forming a concave portion or a convex portion, and thereafter, the top plate member and the
It is characterized by joining with a substrate .

In this case, the concave portion or the convex portion may be formed in parallel with the groove.

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

[0025]

[0026]

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

Further, when the top plate member is made of a polymer resin, the laser light source may be a light source that emits a pulsed ultraviolet laser, and among them, the pulsed ultraviolet laser is a Xe-Cl excimer. laser,
Kr-F excimer laser, Ar-F excimer laser, Y
It is preferably any of a fourth harmonic of an AG laser, a mixing wave of a fundamental wave and a second harmonic of a YAG laser, or a nitrogen gas laser.

[0031]

In the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the top plate member having the discharge port and the groove is joined to the substrate on which the energy generating element is provided, thereby generating the energy. A plurality of ink flow paths corresponding to the elements are configured. Here, since the top plate member has at least one concave portion or convex portion on the joining surface of the wall partitioning the groove with the substrate, the convex portion or concave portion was formed by joining the top plate member to the substrate. The surface is crushed by the pressing force, and the adhesion between the substrate and the top plate member is increased.
In particular, since the concave portion or the convex portion is formed by laser processing, fine processing can be easily performed, and the yield of the top plate member is also improved . Moreover, the shape of the groove, convex or concave part on the top plate member
The pattern consists of a pattern for groove processing and a pattern for joint surface processing.
To a mask part with a mask provided with
Moving the mask part according to the processing steps of the mask
Mask moving machine using a laser processing device having a mechanism
Groove processing by moving the mask
And the processing of the concave or convex parts in a series of
Can be performed with high positional accuracy.
Performed efficiently and with good yield.

Further, by forming the concave portion or the convex portion in parallel with the groove, the adhesion between the top plate member and the substrate is further enhanced in the longitudinal direction of the ink flow path, and the mutual discharge energy generated in each ink flow path is increased. Is more effectively eliminated.

[0033]

[0034]

[0035]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a first embodiment of a laser processing apparatus used for the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the laser processing apparatus of the present embodiment is provided with a laser oscillator 1 as a laser light source for emitting a laser beam 2 and a processing system for processing a workpiece W with the laser beam 2 from the laser oscillator 1. Device frame 6
And an information processing / control system 7 for performing information processing and control relating to processing of the work W.

Laser light 2 generated from laser oscillator 1
Is partially reflected by the beam splitter 3, and the reflected light is monitored by the power detector 4. On the other hand, the laser beam 2 transmitted through the beam splitter 3
Is reflected by two 45 ° total reflection mirrors 5 and is incident on the device frame 6. As the beam splitter 3,
A parallel plane plate of synthetic quartz is used, and a part of the laser beam 2 is separated only by surface reflection.

The apparatus frame 6 includes an optical system 8 and a work W
An observation / measurement system 9 for observing and measuring the position, a mask section 10, and a work station 11 for moving the work W are provided. The optical system 8 forms the beam shaping optical system and the Keller illumination optical system 8a arranged on the optical axis a of the laser beam 2 incident on the apparatus frame 6 and the image of the mask unit 10 on the processing surface of the workpiece W. A projection optical system 8b, and a mask section 10 is arranged between the beam shaping optical system and the Keller illumination optical system 8a and the projection optical system 8b. Note that a reduction optical system may be used for the projection optical system 8b in consideration of the durability of the mask unit 10. In this embodiment,
The projection optical system 8b with a quarter reduction was used.

The mask section 10 holds a mask provided with a pattern to be processed on the workpiece W, and is provided so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis a by a mask section moving mechanism 10a. Work pattern W
Can be moved to a predetermined position. In this embodiment, a mechanism for moving the mask unit 10 in the vertical direction (a direction perpendicular to the drawing) is used as the mask unit moving mechanism 10a.

In order to adjust the inclination of the work W with respect to the optical axis a, the work station 11 may be provided with appropriate adjusting means. For example, three axes orthogonal to each other and 2
The workstation 11 may be constituted by a combination of stages having degrees of freedom about five axes of rotation around one axis.
By adopting a configuration in which the center for rotation adjustment is aligned with the processing center of the workpiece W, control of the adjusting means can be simplified.

In order to position the work W on the work station 11, the work W is
The jig 11a to be attached to the
It is preferable that a plurality of reference pins are provided to abut on the workpiece W arranged above. Further, it is preferable to provide a clamp mechanism on the jig 11a in addition to the abutment mechanism described above, such as by air suction, and integrate the clamp mechanism with an automatic hand to enable automatic supply of the work W to the work station 11. Further, by setting a plurality of works W at the workstation 11 at the same time, the storage time may be shortened. However, in this case, since one axis in the rotation direction of the adjusting means cannot be positioned at the center of the work W, it is necessary to convert the reference value between the measurement and the movement of the work W.

The observation / measurement system 9 includes a lens barrel 9a having an objective lens and an epi-illumination light source 9b incorporated in the lens barrel 9a.
And a CCD camera sensor 9c connected to the lens barrel 9a, and two mirrors 9d arranged on the optical axis a. Each measuring device and mirror 9d are connected to the projection optical system 8b and the workstation 11
And mirror 9d during laser irradiation.
Deviates from the optical axis a and moves on the optical axis a only during measurement. In this embodiment, the movement of the mirror 9d is controlled by an air cylinder mechanism.

The position data of the work W from the observation / measurement system 9 and the beam power data from the power detector 4 are fed back to the information processing / control system 7. First, the measurement result by the observation / measurement system 9 is provided to the image processing system 7a for each of the above measuring devices, and the result of the signal processing is provided to the control system 7b. The control system 7b calculates the moving distance of the work W based on the measurement result, and causes the moving means 7c to move the stage in the workstation 11. When the value of the observation / measurement system 9 becomes a constant value, the position adjustment by the moving means 7c ends, the mirror 9d is shifted from the optical axis a, and the signal for causing the laser oscillator 1 to emit the laser light 2 is kept constant. Give time or constant pulse number. Further, the beam power information from the power detector 4 is fed back to the control system 7b to adjust the output given to the laser oscillator 1 via the interface 7d.

As the laser oscillator 1 used in the laser processing apparatus used in the present invention, a YAG laser oscillator,
CO ₂ laser oscillator, excimer laser oscillator, N ₂
Although a high-power laser oscillator or the like can be applied, in this embodiment, a polymer resin is used as the work W, and for the reasons described below, an excimer laser oscillator, in particular, a Kr-F excimer laser oscillator is used. I have.

An excimer laser is a laser that can oscillate ultraviolet light, can output high-intensity energy, has excellent monochromaticity, has good directivity, can perform short-pulse oscillation, and can collect energy with a lens. There is an advantage that the density can be increased. In other words, the excimer laser oscillator discharges and excites a mixed gas of rare gas and halogen,
Short pulse (15-35 ns) ultraviolet light can be oscillated and Kr
-F, Xe-Cl, Ar-F lasers and the like are often used. These oscillation energy numbers are 100 mJ / pulse,
The pulse repetition frequency is between 30 and 100 Hz. Thus, when the surface of the polymer resin is irradiated with high-intensity short-pulse ultraviolet light, the irradiated portion is instantaneously decomposed and scattered with plasma emission and collision sound. The so-called “ABLATIVE PHO
Cause TODECOMPOSITION (APO) "process, whereby it can be processed in polymer resin. This is another laser, produces a clearly different in the case of CO ₂ laser drilling according to, for example, infrared. For example, polyimide ( PI)
When the film is irradiated with laser light using an excimer laser (Kr-F laser), the light absorption wavelength of the PI film becomes U
Since the hole is in the V region, a clean hole can be formed. However, the edge of the hole is roughened by the YAG laser not in the UV region, and a crater is formed around the hole by the CO ₂ laser.

As described above, a laser capable of oscillating ultraviolet light is excellent in the processability of a polymer resin. However, as a laser capable of oscillating ultraviolet light, in addition to an excimer laser, a fourth harmonic of a YAG laser and a YAG laser can be used. mixing light of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic, N ₂ laser is raised, can be used in these also the laser processing apparatus used in the present invention.

Next, the work W will be described. The work W processed in the present embodiment is one of the components constituting the ink jet recording head used in the ink jet recording apparatus, specifically, as the grooved member of the ink jet recording head shown in FIGS. The top plate 19.

Here, the ink jet recording head will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inkjet recording head shown in FIG. 1 taken along an ink flow path. FIG. 4 shows FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the top plate of the inkjet recording head shown in FIG.

The ink jet recording head of this embodiment is
It comprises a silicon substrate 20 on which energy generating elements for generating energy used for discharging ink are patterned, and a top plate 19 joined to the substrate 20. As the energy generating element, an electrothermal converter 18 (a heating resistor or the like) which is supplied with an applied voltage to generate thermal energy is used. The plurality of electrothermal transducers 18 are arranged in parallel, and are integrally formed on the substrate 20 by a film forming technique together with wiring such as aluminum for supplying electric power to the electrothermal transducer 18.

On the other hand, the top plate 19 is provided with each electrothermal converter 18.
And a groove 19a that forms the ink flow path 14 when the top plate 19 is joined to the substrate 20.
An ink chamber 13 for temporarily storing ink to be supplied to each ink flow path 14, and an ink supply port 1 for introducing ink from an ink tank (not shown) into the ink chamber 13;
2 and an orifice plate 17 in which a plurality of ejection ports 16 corresponding to each ink flow path 14 are formed integrally.

When electric power is supplied to the electrothermal converter 18 based on the above configuration, thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal converter 18, and the ink on the electrothermal converter 18 undergoes film boiling, causing the ink to flow into the ink flow path 14. Bubbles are formed. The ink droplet is ejected from the ejection port 16 by the growth of the bubble.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, concave portions 15 are formed on the joint surfaces of the walls partitioning the grooves 19a of the top plate 19 with the substrate 20, respectively. Each recess 15 has a depth h and a width w, and extends in parallel with the groove 19a. In this embodiment, the depth h of the recess 15 is 3 μm and the width w is 14 μm.
And

As the material of the top plate 19, among the polymer resins, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene oxide or the like having excellent ink resistance may be used. In this embodiment, polysulfone was used. Also,
The top plate 19 can be formed by injection molding. However, as described below, the discharge port 16 and the groove 19 are formed.
Since a and the recess 15 are formed by laser processing, a shape in which the discharge port 16, the groove 19a, and the recess 15 are not formed is formed by injection molding.

The above-described groove 19a and concave portion 15 correspond to FIG.
Is processed by the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. Groove 19a
The processing of the recesses 15 is performed by attaching the work surface to the work station 11 with the work surface facing the mask unit 10 using the top plate 19 having the work surface (joint surface with the substrate 20) formed as a plane as the work W. This is performed by irradiating the laser beam 2 through the held mask.

In processing the groove 19a and the concave portion 15, the mask 21 provided with the pattern as shown in FIG.
Is used. That is, the groove processing pattern 21a,
The mask 21 is provided with a recess processing pattern 21b positioned corresponding to the position of the groove processing pattern 21a.

Using such a mask 21, the grooves 19a and the recesses 15 are processed by the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. The mask section 10 to which the mask 21 is attached is moved by the mask section moving mechanism 10a. Since the mask 21 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction, the mask 21 is attached to the mask unit 10 so that the groove processing pattern 21a and the recess processing pattern 21b are located along the moving direction of the mask unit 10. Thus, the laser beam 2 of the groove processing pattern 21a and the recess processing pattern 21b can be applied to the processing portion of the top plate 19 only by moving the mask 21, and labor for replacing the mask can be omitted.

Either the processing of the groove 19a or the processing of the concave portion 15 may be performed first, but in this embodiment, the concave portion 15 is processed after the processing of the groove 19a. At this time, the laser light 2
In order to prevent the top plate 19 from being blocked by the orifice plate 17, it is better to incline the top plate 19 with respect to the optical axis a. In this embodiment, the processing surface of the top plate 19 is inclined by about 15 ° with respect to the optical axis a. Processing. Also, the depth h of the recess 15 and the groove 19a
However, these depths can be controlled by changing the number of irradiation pulses of the laser beam 2.

On the other hand, regarding the processing of the discharge port 16, the groove 1
After the processing of 9a, it was performed by Kr-F excimer laser irradiation from the groove 19a side.

As described above, each groove 19 of the top plate 19
By providing the recess 15 on the joint surface of the wall partitioning a with the substrate 20, the mechanical strength of the joint surface is reduced.
When the top plate 19 and the substrate 20 are joined, the bonding surface of the top plate 19 with the substrate 20 is crushed to the concave portion 15 by the pressing force of the top plate 19, so that the adhesion between the top plate 19 and the substrate 20 can be improved. . As a result, the mutual influence of the ink ejection energy between the ink flow paths 14 is eliminated, so that the crosstalk phenomenon is prevented and the ink ejection characteristics can be stabilized. Moreover, since the recess 15 is provided in parallel with the groove 19a, the adhesion between the top plate 19 and the substrate 20 is further improved.

Further, by processing the groove 19a and the concave portion 15 with the laser beam 2, fine processing can be easily performed, and the yield of the top plate 19 is improved. Further, the groove 19
a and a concave portion 15 are processed by using a laser processing apparatus in which the mask 21 is movable.
Thus, the groove 19a and the concave portion 15 can be processed, and the work of replacing the mask 21 is not required, so that the working time can be shortened.
The groove processing pattern 21a and the concave processing pattern 2
1b can be provided on one mask 21.
The positional accuracy between the groove 15 and the concave portion 19a is improved, and the yield of the top plate 19 is further improved.

[0061] (Second Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the Inkuji <br/> jet top plate of the recording head manufactured by cutting along the array direction of the grooves by the second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the top plate 1
A projection 115 is formed on a joint surface of the wall that partitions each of the grooves 119 a with the substrate 120. Each convex part 1
15 have a height h and a width w, respectively, and extend in parallel with the groove 119a. In this embodiment, the height h of the projection 115 is set to 3
μm and the width w were 6 μm. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

The processing of the groove 119a and the convex portion 115 is also performed by the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in this embodiment. However, the convex portion 115 cannot be added by laser processing.
The portion excluding the convex portion 115 is removed by a predetermined depth by laser processing, and the portion which becomes relatively high is referred to as a convex portion 115. Therefore, in this embodiment, a mask 121 as shown in FIG. 7 is used. That is, the groove processing pattern 121a and the groove processing pattern 1 similar to those of the first embodiment are used.
The mask 121 is provided with a projection processing pattern 121b having openings formed at intervals equal to the width w of the projection 115, which is located corresponding to the position 21a.

Using such a mask 121, the groove 119a and the convex portion 115 are processed by moving the mask 121 as in the first embodiment. Thereby, the processing of the convex portion 115 can be performed easily and accurately, and the yield of the top plate 119 is improved.

As described above, each groove 1 of the top plate 119
The projection 11 is formed on the joint surface of the wall partitioning the substrate 19a with the substrate 120.
By providing 5, the projection 115 is crushed by the pressing force of the top plate 119 when the top plate 119 and the substrate 120 are joined,
As in the first embodiment, the adhesion between the top plate 119 and the substrate 120 is enhanced. Further, by providing the convex portion 115 in parallel with the groove 119a, the adhesion between the top plate 119 and the substrate 120 is further improved.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a main part of a top plate of an ink jet recording head manufactured according to a third embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from a bonding surface side with a substrate. is there.

As shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the top plate 2
A large number of circular concave portions 215 are formed on the joint surface of the wall partitioning each of the grooves 219 a with the substrate 220. Each of the recesses 215 has a depth h and is arranged so as not to communicate with an adjacent groove. In this embodiment, the depth h of the concave portion 215 is 3 μm. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted. The shape of the recess is not limited to a circle.

The processing of the groove 219a and the concave part 215 is also performed by the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in this embodiment. When processing the groove 219a and the concave portion 215, the mask 22 provided with a pattern as shown in FIG.
1 was used. That is, the groove processing pattern 221a similar to that of the first embodiment, and the mesh-shaped concave processing pattern 22 positioned corresponding to the position of the groove processing pattern 221a.
1b is a mask 21 provided with the mask 21b.

Using such a mask 221, the groove 219a and the concave portion 215 are processed by moving the mask 221 as in the first embodiment. Thereby, the processing of the concave portion 215 can be performed easily and accurately, and the yield of the top plate 219 is improved. The size of the concave portion 215 can be arbitrarily set by changing the roughness of the mesh of the concave portion processing pattern 221b of the mask 221.

As described above, each groove 2 of the top plate 219
By providing a large number of recesses 215 on the joint surface of the wall partitioning the base plate 19 a with the substrate 220, when the top plate 219 and the substrate 120 are joined, the pressing force of the top plate 219 causes the substrate 2
20 is crushed up to the concave portion 215, and the adhesion between the top plate 219 and the substrate 220 is increased as in the first embodiment. Further, since each recess 215 is arranged so as not to communicate with the adjacent groove 219, the ink in the groove 219 does not leak to the adjacent groove 219 via the recess 215.

Next, a description will be given inkjet recording apparatus using the Lee inkjet recording head described above. Generally, a recording apparatus that performs recording by scanning a recording head on a recording medium is divided into a line-type recording apparatus and a serial-type recording apparatus. 2
There are two types.

First, a line type ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a so-called full-line type ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

In FIG. 10, a recording medium 5 such as paper or cloth is shown.
02 denotes two transport rollers 50 arranged in parallel with each other.
1, the paper is conveyed in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. Recording medium 50
2, a full-line type ink jet recording head 503 is arranged at a predetermined interval from the recording medium 502. This inkjet recording head 503
In this example, the ejection openings (not shown) are formed over the entire width of the recording medium 502 in the width direction of the recording medium 502, and are manufactured by the same configuration and the same steps as those of the above-described embodiment.

Based on the above configuration, while transporting the recording medium 502, an energy generating element (not shown) is driven based on a recording signal and ink is ejected from an ejection port, so that recording is performed on the recording medium 502. Done. As described above, the ink jet recording head of the present invention has excellent adhesion between the top plate and the substrate, so that even when the ink jet recording head is long, the ink ejection characteristics are stable and can be easily manufactured.
It is particularly suitable for such a full line type ink jet recording head 503.

Next, a serial type ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an example of a serial type ink jet recording apparatus using an ink jet recording head of the present invention.

In FIG. 11, an ink jet cartridge 600 is an integrated ink jet recording head and ink tank, similar to that shown in FIG. 13, and is detachably mounted on a carriage 710. Among them, the ink jet recording head is manufactured with the same configuration and the same steps as those of the above-described embodiment.

The lead screw 756 in which the spiral groove 755 is cut is driven to rotate via driving force transmission gears 762 and 760 in conjunction with forward and reverse rotation of the driving motor 764. The carriage 710 is moved by a pin (not shown) provided at a fitting portion with the lead screw 756.
55, and is slidably guided by the guide rail 754, so that it can reciprocate in the directions indicated by arrows a and b.

On the other hand, the recording medium 771 is
The sheet is conveyed by a platen roller 751 that is guided by the motor 41 and rotates by using the conveyance motor 743 as a drive source. This is performed using the paper feed motor 36 as a drive source. The transported recording medium 771 is pressed against the platen roller 751 by a paper pressing plate 753 at a position facing the inkjet cartridge 600, and the distance from the inkjet recording head 601 (see FIG. 10) is maintained at a predetermined distance. You. Here, while repeating the pitch feed of the recording medium 771 at a predetermined pitch and the reciprocating movement of the carriage 710, the energy generating element (not shown) is driven based on the recording signal, and ink is discharged from the ejection port (not shown). Recording is performed by ejection.

The photocouplers 758 and 759 constitute a home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the lever 757 of the carriage 710 in this area and performing reverse rotation of the driving motor 764 in the rotation direction.

A cap member 770 for capping the front surface of the ink jet cartridge 600 is provided with a support member 765.
, And further provided with suction means 773, and the ink jet recording head 6
02 suction recovery is performed. A support plate 768 is attached to the main body support plate 767, and the cleaning blade 766 slidably supported by the support plate 768 is moved in the front-rear direction by driving means (not shown). The form of the cleaning blade 766 is not limited to the illustrated one,
It goes without saying that a known device can be applied to this example.
The lever 763 is used to start the suction recovery operation, and moves with the movement of the cam 769 abutting on the carriage 710, and the driving force from the driving motor 764 is transmitted by a known transmission means such as a gear 761 or clutch switching. Movement is controlled.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery processes are performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 756 when the carriage 710 reaches the home position side area. If a desired operation is performed at a known timing, any of the embodiments can be applied.

The present invention brings about an excellent effect particularly in an ink jet recording head and a recording apparatus in which a flying liquid droplet is formed by utilizing thermal energy and recording is performed.

The typical structure and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to an electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which This is effective because heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, causing film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, and as a result, air bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding one-to-one to this drive signal can be formed. It is. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, The present invention also includes a configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.

In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, or absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration in which an opening corresponds to a discharge unit.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification is used. Either a configuration that satisfies the length or a configuration as a single recording head that is integrally formed may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exert the above-described effects.

In addition, the print head is replaceable with a print head of a replaceable chip type, which can be electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus or supplied with ink from the main body of the apparatus, or is integrated with the print head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head provided with an ink tank is used.

Further, provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus,
It is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like, since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, and recording Performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing another ejection is also effective for performing stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be a recording head integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of recording heads. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full colors by color mixture.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or lower and which softens at room temperature, or which is liquid, In general, in the ink jet method, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. What is necessary is just liquid thing.

In addition, the temperature rise due to the thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink is solidified in a standing state for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink. Either ink may be used, or in any case, the ink may be liquefied by application of heat energy according to the recording signal and ejected as a liquid ink, or may already start to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The use of an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time by thermal energy is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-5684.
No. 7 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-71260, in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter while being held in a liquid or solid state in the concave portions or through holes of the porous sheet. It is good. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition , the form of the recording device is as follows.
The image output terminal of an information processing device such as a word processor or a computer may be integrally or separately provided, or may be a copy device combined with a reader, or a facsimile device having a transmission / reception function.

[0094]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

According to the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head of the present invention, since the top plate member has at least one concave or convex portion on the joint surface of the wall partitioning the groove with the substrate, the substrate and the top plate member are Can have high adhesion. As a result, the mutual influence of the ejection energy between the ink flow paths is eliminated, and the occurrence of the crosstalk phenomenon can be suppressed. In particular, concave or convex parts are for groove processing
Having mask pattern and joint surface processing pattern
A mask part provided with
Since it is formed by a laser processing apparatus having a mask portion moving mechanism that is moved according to the process, fine processing can be easily performed, and the yield of the top plate member can be improved . Only
Processing of hand grooves and concave or convex parts is performed in a series of processes.
The top plate can be manufactured efficiently.
You.

By forming the concave portions or the convex portions in parallel with the grooves, the adhesion between the top plate member and the substrate is further enhanced in the longitudinal direction of the ink flow path, and the mutual transfer of the ejection energy between the ink flow paths is achieved. The influence can be eliminated more effectively.

Since the adhesion between the top plate member and the substrate is difficult to obtain as the length of the ink jet recording head becomes longer, the ink jet recording head of the present invention can be used in the width direction of the recording area of the recording medium on which recording is performed. This is particularly effective in an ink jet recording head in which discharge ports are formed along.

[0098]

[0099]

[0100]

When the top plate member is made of a polymer resin, by using a light source that emits a pulsed ultraviolet laser as a laser light source, it is possible to clean the polymer resin into a desired shape. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a first embodiment of a laser processing apparatus used for the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an ink jet recording head manufactured according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inkjet recording head shown in FIG. 1 cut along an ink flow path.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the top plate of the ink jet recording head shown in FIG. 2, taken along a direction in which grooves are arranged.

5 is a view showing an example of a mask used for processing the grooves and recesses of the top plate shown in FIG. 4 by the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

6 is a cross-sectional view of the Inkuji <br/> jet top plate of the recording head manufactured by cutting along the array direction of the grooves by the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a mask used for processing the grooves and projections of the top plate shown in FIG. 6 by the laser processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a main part of a top plate of an ink jet recording head manufactured according to a third embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from a bonding surface side with a substrate.

9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mask used for processing the grooves and recesses of the top plate illustrated in FIG. 8 by the laser processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a full-line type ink jet recording apparatus using an ink jet recording head manufactured according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of an example of a serial type ink jet recording apparatus using an ink jet recording head manufactured according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of an example of a conventional ink jet cartridge in which an ink jet recording head and an ink tank are integrally provided.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where the ink jet cartridge shown in FIG. 12 is assembled.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 laser oscillator 2 laser beam 3 beam splitter 4 power detector 5 45 ° total reflection mirror 6 device frame 7 information processing / control system 7a image processing system 7b control system 7c moving means 7d interface 8 optical system 8a beam shaping optical system and Keller illumination Optical system 8b Projection optical system 9 Observation / measurement system 9a Lens barrel 9b Epi-illumination light source 9c CCD camera sensor 9d Mirror 10 Mask unit 10a Mask unit moving mechanism 11 Workstation 11a Jig 12 Ink supply port 13 Ink liquid chamber 14 Ink flow path 15 recess 16 discharge port 17 orifice plate 18 electrothermal transducer 19, 119, 219 top plate 19a, 119a, 219a groove 20, 120, 220 substrate 21, 121, 221 mask 21a, 121a, 221a groove processing pattern 21 221b Concavity processing pattern 115 Convex part 121b Convex processing pattern 501 Conveying rollers 502, 771 Recording medium 503, 601 Ink jet recording head 600 Ink jet cartridge 602 Ink tank 710 Carriage 741 Guide member 743 Conveying motor 751 Platen roller 753 Paper press Plate 754 Guide rail 755 Line groove 756 Lead screw 757, 763 Lever 758, 759 Photocoupler 760, 762 Driving force transmission gear 761 Gear 764 Driving motor 765 Support member 766 Cleaning blade 767 Main body support plate 768 Support plate 769 Cam 770 Cap member 771 Opening in cap 773 Suction means a Optical axis W Work

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sugitani 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-2-121845 (JP, A) Shokai Sho63 -151840 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/05 B23K 26/00 330 B41J 2/16

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of energy generating elements for generating a discharge energy for applying ink to a top plate member having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging ink and a plurality of grooves respectively communicating with the respective discharge ports. the so bonded to the substrate which is provided in correspondence with the respective grooves, in the manufacturing method of each ink jet recording heads constituting the ink flow path in which the energy generating elements are arranged, and a laser light source, said groove of the top plate member Corresponding to the shape of
The groove processing pattern and the groove of the top plate member are specified.
A concave portion or a peripheral portion formed on a joining surface of the cut wall with the substrate.
The shape of the convex part that becomes relatively convex by removing the surrounding
With a pattern for bonding surface processing corresponding to
According to the processing step to the top plate member
A mask unit moving mechanism for moving the mask unit
Moving the mask by the mask moving mechanism using a laser processing apparatus
And the top plate via the groove processing pattern
Irradiating the member with the laser beam to form the groove;
To the joint surface via the joint surface processing pattern
The concave or convex portion is formed by irradiating a laser beam,
Then, the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head further comprises joining the top plate member and the substrate . Wherein said concave or convex portion, a manufacturing method of an ink jet recording head according to claim 1, formed parallel to the groove. 3. The top plate member is made of a polymer resin,
The laser light source, the ink jet recording heads according to claim 1 or 2 which is a light source that emits a pulsed ultraviolet laser
Manufacturing method . 4. The pulsed ultraviolet laser is Xe-Cl.
Excimer laser, Kr-F excimer laser, Ar-F excimer laser, fourth harmonic of YAG laser, mixing waves of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic of the YAG laser, or in claim 4 is any one of nitrogen gas laser The manufacturing method of the ink jet recording head according to the above.