JP3592120B2 - Method of manufacturing ink jet recording head and ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink, and an ink jet recording head manufactured by the manufacturing method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An ink jet recording head generally has a plurality of ink flow paths each communicating with a plurality of fine ink ejection ports, and an ink chamber commonly communicating with the plurality of ink flow paths. Hereinafter, a plurality of ink flow paths and a common ink chamber are collectively referred to as an ink path. In general, an energy generator that generates energy used for discharging ink from the discharge port is provided corresponding to the ink flow path. As a typical example of the energy generator, an electrothermal conversion element or a piezoelectric element that generates thermal energy as energy used for discharging ink can be given.
[0003]
As a method of manufacturing such an ink jet recording head, for example, JP-A-61-154947 and JP-A-62-253457 disclose a method of forming an ink path pattern with a dissolvable resin, A method is described in which the epoxy resin is cured by coating with a resin or the like, and after cutting the substrate, a pattern made of a soluble resin is eluted and removed. This method is mainly described as a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head of a type in which the direction in which ink is ejected and the direction in which ink is supplied onto the electrothermal transducer are substantially perpendicular.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in order to obtain a high-quality recorded image by the ink jet recording head, it is desirable that small droplets of ink ejected from the ejection ports be stably ejected from each ejection port at the same volume and ejection speed. In order to achieve this, JP-A-4-10940 to JP-A-4-10942 disclose a method in which a drive signal is applied to an electrothermal transducer in accordance with recording information, and the There is disclosed an ejection method in which bubbles are formed by applying thermal energy, which gives a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling of the ink, to the ink, and the bubbles are communicated with the outside air to eject the ink as droplets. In order to realize such an ejection method, it is preferable that the distance between the ejection port (orifice) and the electrothermal conversion element (heater) (hereinafter, abbreviated as “OH distance”) is short for the ink jet recording head. In the above-described ejection method, since the OH distance substantially determines the ejection volume of the droplet, it is important that the OH distance can be formed accurately and with good reproducibility.
[0005]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-286149 discloses a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head capable of accurately manufacturing such a short OH distance. A typical example of the manufacturing method described in this publication is as follows. First, on a substrate on which a desired number of energy generators are arranged, a solution obtained by dissolving a coating resin containing a solid epoxy resin at room temperature in a solvent, by solvent coating on the dissolvable resin layer, A coating resin layer serving as an ink path wall is formed on the dissolvable resin layer. Next, a discharge port is formed in the coating resin layer above the energy generator, and an ink path is formed by eluting and removing the soluble resin layer.
[0006]
By the way, in the ink jet recording head, ink droplets may adhere to the periphery of the ejection port after the ejection of the ink is repeated. Depending on the degree of the attachment of the droplet, a deviation may occur in the ejection flight direction of the droplet ejected from the ejection port, which may hinder high-accuracy and high-definition recording. In order to prevent the ink from adhering to the vicinity of the ejection port, which is the main cause of such a deviation in the ejection direction, a method of performing a water-repellent treatment on the ejection port surface where the ejection port is formed is known.
[0007]
Conventionally, a water repellent applied on a flexible member such as silicon rubber is transferred to an ejection port surface of an ink jet recording head manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method, and the ink jet recording is performed through processes such as drying and curing. The head had been subjected to a water-repellent treatment. However, in the process of water repellent treatment, it is necessary to prevent a very small portion of the water repellent from entering the discharge port due to transfer of the water repellent agent onto the surface where the discharge port is already open. Was difficult. In recent years, in order to obtain a high-quality and high-definition recording image using an ink jet recording head, droplets discharged from a discharge port have become extremely small. For this reason, the penetration of the water repellent into the discharge port, even in a very small amount, may affect the droplet discharge direction.
[0008]
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head capable of discharging ink straight from a discharge port in a targeted direction and performing high-quality, high-definition recording stably for a long time, and the manufacturing method. An object of the present invention is to provide a manufactured ink jet recording head.
[0009]
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head in which a water-repellent material does not enter the ejection openings, and an ink jet recording head manufactured by the manufacturing method.
[0010]
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head capable of accurately forming a water-repellent film having a sufficient resistance to external factors such as paper jam and paper dust rubbing in a predetermined area. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording head manufactured by the manufacturing method.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head provided with an ejection port surface provided with ejection ports for ejecting ink ,
Before opening the portion which becomes the discharge port of said discharge port surface, a conductive treatment step of conducting processing the discharge port surface, including the location of the discharge port surface,
In order to open the discharge port, a removing step of removing the material of the portion serving as the discharge port, including the portion subjected to the conductive treatment ,
An electrodeposition step of electrodepositing a water-repellent material in a region where the conductive processing of the discharge port surface has been performed ,
And a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head.
[0012]
In the method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention, preferably, before the conductive treatment step, in a state where the material is present at a location to be the discharge port, the discharge port surface is formed by cutting. Process.
[0013]
Further, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording head manufactured by such a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head , wherein the water repellent material does not enter the inside of the discharge port .
[0014]
In the present invention, before opening the discharge port, the discharge port surface is subjected to a conductive treatment or the conductive process is performed to an intermediate stage. Therefore, when the water-repellent paint is electrodeposited, only the discharge port surface excluding the discharge port is subjected to the water-repellent treatment, and the water-repellent paint does not enter the inside of the discharge port. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an ink jet recording head in which the ejection direction is not shifted even if the ejected ink droplet is very small. In addition, it is possible to accurately form a water-repellent film having a sufficient thickness in a predetermined region with sufficient resistance to external factors such as paper jam and paper dust rubbing.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention may be any method as long as a method of opening a nozzle hole serving as an ejection port by removing a portion serving as an ejection port from a member provided with the ejection port. It is possible to apply.
[0016]
In the present invention, the timing of removing the portion serving as the discharge port and opening the discharge port is a time when the conductive processing of the discharge port surface on which the discharge port is arranged is completed or in the middle of the conductive processing. Here, "completion of the conductive treatment" means that the surface subjected to the conductive treatment becomes sufficiently conductive to perform the electrodeposition coating. In addition, the “intermediate stage of the conductive treatment” means that even if the surface that has not undergone the conductive treatment up to the intermediate stage is subjected to the remaining conductive treatment in the same manner, the surface shows sufficient conductivity to perform electrodeposition coating. The stage where nothing happens. The conductive treatment is completed by continuously performing the conductive treatment on the surface that has been subjected to the conductive treatment up to the intermediate stage. After the dissolvable material (eg, resin) is eluted and removed in the middle of the conductive treatment to form the discharge port, even if the remaining steps of the conductive treatment are performed, the inside of the discharge port is not conductive. There is no water repellent treatment.
[0017]
For example, when the surface to be processed is etched as a pre-treatment, and then Sn treatment (seed planting), Pd treatment (catalyst treatment), and electroless plating are sequentially performed, the elution and removal of the soluble resin material is performed by Sn treatment. It may be done later. In the case of a conductive treatment that does not require the Sn treatment, the elution and removal of the soluble resin material may be performed after the Pd treatment. When the conductive process is completed, a relatively thick metal film is also formed on the resin material to be dissolved and removed. Therefore, it is better to elute and remove the soluble resin material in the middle of the conductive process. However, it is preferable because it is simple and the later electrodeposition coating property is good.
[0018]
The water-repellent paint used in the present invention can be electrodeposited, and a known material such as an acrylic silicon-based, acrylic fluorine-based, epoxy silicon-based, or epoxy fluorine-based paint can be used. As such a water-repellent paint, for example, Honey Chemical Co., Ltd. paint HT-8 can be mentioned.
[0019]
According to the present invention, the water-repellent paint can be formed thick on the discharge port surface, and a thickness of, for example, 0.5 μm or more that can sufficiently withstand practical use can be easily formed.
[0020]
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used as a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head in which a direction in which ink is ejected from an ejection port and a direction in which ink is supplied onto an energy generator in an ink path are substantially parallel. Alternatively, the present invention can also be used as a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head in which the direction in which ink is ejected from the ejection port is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which ink is supplied onto the energy generator in the ink path.
[0021]
An ink jet recording head in which the direction of ink ejection and the direction of ink supply onto the energy generator are substantially parallel is typically shaped as shown in FIG. In this case, as described in, for example, JP-A-61-154947, if a dissolvable resin material is made of a photosensitive resin such as a resist formed on a substrate by exposure and development, an ink path is required. Can be easily formed. The photosensitive resin may be either a positive type or a negative type, and when formed into an ink path pattern, is eluted and removed by a solvent appropriately determined in consideration of a difference in solubility with an insoluble material covering the pattern. Anything that can be done is acceptable. If a positive photosensitive resin is used, the ink path can be formed more easily. As the solvent used for elution, for example, an organic solvent, an aqueous alkaline solution, or the like can be used.
[0022]
Instead of using such a photosensitive resin, it is also possible to form a soluble resin material on a substrate and then shape the formed soluble resin material by etching. Etching is usually performed using an appropriate resist. For example, a dry etching method using a Si-based resist such as FH-SP (manufactured by Fujifilm Olin Co., Ltd.) and the like can be mentioned.
[0023]
In addition, the insoluble material forming the wall of the ink path may be entirely formed of a non-soluble resin or the like, or a part may be formed of a rigid body such as a substrate and the remainder may be formed of a non-soluble resin. Or the like.
[0024]
On the other hand, an ink jet recording head in which the direction of ink ejection and the direction of ink supply onto the energy generator are substantially perpendicular has a shape as shown in FIG. 6 (i). In this case, a photosensitive resin is used as a member on which the discharge port is disposed, and by exposing the film after forming the photosensitive resin, a portion to be a discharge port later can be dissolved and its periphery becomes insoluble. In this way, the discharge port can be formed by eluting and removing the discharge port after the conductive treatment of the discharge port surface or in the middle of the conductive processing.
[0025]
As the photosensitive resin, a positive type or a negative type may be used, and a resin which becomes a discharge port after exposure is soluble and its periphery becomes insoluble may be used. Examples of the photosensitive resin include a photosensitive resin containing an epoxy resin as a resin component as described in JP-A-6-286149. The solvent used for elution is appropriately determined in consideration of the difference in solubility. For example, an organic solvent or an aqueous alkaline solution can be used.
[0026]
Instead of using the above-described photosensitive resin, after forming a member on which a discharge port is to be formed on a substrate on which predetermined processing for forming an ink path is performed, and then performing conductive processing on the discharge port surface or performing conductive processing. In the middle of the process, the member provided with the discharge port may be etched to form the discharge port. The etching is performed using an appropriate resist. For example, a dry etching method using a Si-based resist such as FH-SP (manufactured by Fujifilm Olin Co., Ltd.) and the like can be mentioned.
[0027]
The method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a full line type recording head in which a plurality of ejection ports are arranged over the entire width of a recording sheet, and further, a color recording head in which a plurality of recording heads are integrally combined. It is also effective when manufacturing.
[0028]
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described specifically with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0029]
[ Reference example ]
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to a reference example of the present invention in the order of manufacturing steps. 2 to 3 are schematic perspective views showing a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to a reference example of the present invention in the order of manufacturing steps.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 1 (a1), a positive photoresist (AZ-4903 manufactured by Hoechst) is spin-coated on an aluminum substrate 1 on which an electrothermal transducer 9 is formed as an energy generator so as to have a thickness of 30 μm. And a pre-bake at 90 ° C. for 40 minutes in an oven to form a resist layer 2.
[0031]
Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (a 2), the resist layer 2 was subjected to pattern exposure through a mask pattern 3 by a mask aligner PLA-501 (manufactured by Canon) at an exposure amount of 800 mJ / cm ² . Thereafter, development was performed using a 0.75 wt% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, followed by rinsing with ion-exchanged water, and post-baking at 70 ° C. for 30 minutes. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 (a3) and 2 (a), a resist pattern including a portion (4) corresponding to a plurality of ink flow paths and a portion (4a) corresponding to a common ink chamber. 4, 4a were obtained.
[0032]
Next, as shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 2B, a low-temperature curing type epoxy resin composition was applied on the resist patterns 4 and 4a using a microdispenser. This epoxy resin composition becomes the road wall forming member 5 that forms the wall of the ink path.
[0033]
Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (c1) and FIG. 2 (c), a painted aluminum lid plate 6 was covered. Reference numeral 6b denotes a dug portion formed on the cover plate 6 so as to correspond to the common ink chamber, and reference numeral 6c denotes a supply port for supplying ink to the common ink chamber. Then, the epoxy resin composition to be the road wall forming member 5 was cured at 80 ° C. for 2 hours. Here, the epoxy resin composition is
Yuka Shell Epoxy Epicoat 828 (85 parts);
Ciba-Geigy epoxy DYO22 (10 parts);
Shin-Etsu Chemical epoxy silane KBM403 (5 parts); and Asahi Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. microencapsulation curing agent Novacur HX-3722 (60 parts)
Are adjusted by mixing. Next, in order to form a discharge port surface, a diamond chip saw made by Oriental Diamond Co., Ltd. was attached to an automatic slicer DLS-61 / 50RMS manufactured by Disco Co., Ltd., and one point of BB ′ in FIG. Cut along the dashed line. In order to remove the surface oxide film of the aluminum substrate 1 and the aluminum cover plate 6 mainly exposed at the cut end surface, the cut end surface is degreased at 50 ° C. for 5 minutes using Top Alclean 161 manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Then, etching was performed at 45 ° C. for 1.5 minutes using Top Alsoft 108 manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Subsequently, the cut end surfaces of the substrate 1 and the cover plate 6 are subjected to a zincate treatment at room temperature for 40 seconds with a substar ZN-10 manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and a top Nicolon TOM manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is used. Electroless plating was performed at 90 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a plating layer 6a (FIG. 1 (c2)).
[0034]
Next, a catalyst was applied to the cut end surface of the road wall forming member 5 made of epoxy resin at 40 ° C. for 3 minutes using an OPC-50 inducer manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The activated surface 5a was formed by performing an activation treatment at room temperature for 3 minutes using SEIKEN C-150 Crystallar MU (FIG. 1 (c3)). In the present reference example , the treatment of the catalyst application and the activation corresponds to the treatment up to the middle stage of the conductive treatment.
[0035]
Next, the resist patterns 4 and 4a are removed by ethyl cellosolve as indicated by arrows in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1D and FIG. 3D, the ink path 7 is formed, and a portion corresponding to the ejection port in the activation surface 5a is removed.
[0036]
Next, an electroless plating treatment is performed at 65 ° C. for 2 minutes using Top Chemialloy B-1 manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and a nickel-boron alloy is coated on the activation surface 5a of the road wall forming member 5 made of epoxy resin. Once formed, the conductive treatment of the epoxy resin was completed.
[0037]
Next, a 3 μm-thick electrodeposited coating of Honey Chemical Co., Ltd. coating HT-8 was applied to the conductive treated surface of the epoxy resin, and then cured at 120 ° C. for 2 hours to complete the water-repellent treatment. Thus, a water-repellent film 5b was formed as shown in FIGS. 1 (e) and 3 (e). In this ink jet recording head, the water-repellent paint did not enter the discharge port, and had good discharge characteristics.
[0038]
[Example]
FIGS. 4 to 6 are schematic perspective views ((a)) showing a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention in the order of the manufacturing steps, and a schematic cross section cut along a dashed line AA ′ thereof. It is a figure (after (b)).
[0039]
First, the flat plate-shaped silicon substrate 8 electrothermal converting element 9 (heating resistor made of a material HfB ₂₎ is formed as an energy generating body set up blast mask thereon, supplying ink by sandblasting A through-hole 13 was formed (FIG. 4A).
[0040]
Next, a layer of polymethyl isopropenyl ketone (ODUR-1010 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.) was applied on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate and dried to form a dry film. The laminate was transferred to form a dissolvable resin layer made of polymethylisopropenyl ketone on the substrate 8. Since ODUR-1010 has a low viscosity and is difficult to form into a thick film, it was concentrated before use.
[0041]
Next, after pre-baking the dissolvable resin layer at 120 ° C. for 20 minutes, a mask aligner PLA520 (cold mirror CM290) manufactured by Canon Inc. was exposed for 1.5 minutes in an ink path pattern. Next, spray development was performed with 1% caustic soda to form a resist pattern 10 corresponding to the ink path formed of a soluble resin (FIG. 4B). The thickness of the resist pattern 10 after development is 10 μm.
[0042]
Next, a solution of the photosensitive resin composition in a mixed solvent of methyl isobutyl ketone / diglyme was spin-coated so as to cover the resist pattern 10 to form a photosensitive coating resin layer 11 as shown in FIG. . At this time, the thickness of the photosensitive coating resin layer 11 on the resist pattern 10 was 10 μm. The photosensitive resin composition for forming the coating resin layer used here is
Epoxy resin EHPE-3150 (trade name: manufactured by Daicel Chemical Co., Ltd.);
Diol 1, 4 HFAB (trade name: manufactured by Central Glass Co., Ltd.);
Silane coupling agent A-187 (trade name: manufactured by Nippon Unicar); and photopolymerization initiator Adeka Optomer SP-170 (trade name: manufactured by Asahi Denka Kogyo KK)
It consists of
[0043]
Then, using a mask aligner PLA520 (CM250) (manufactured by Canon), as shown in FIG. 5D, pattern exposure for forming ink discharge ports was performed via a mask 14. This made the exposed portions insoluble and the unexposed portions remained soluble. The exposure was performed for 10 seconds, and the after-baking was performed at 60 ° C. for 30 minutes.
[0044]
Subsequently, the photosensitive coating resin layer 11 was etched with a chromic acid solution (420 g / l) at 55 ° C. for 1 minute, and treated at room temperature for 3 minutes with a TMP sensitizer manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. One tin ion was adsorbed on the photosensitive coating resin layer 11. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5E, a treatment was performed at room temperature for 3 minutes using a TMP activator manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to form a Pd catalyst metal layer 16a.
[0045]
Next, the photosensitive coating resin layer 11 was developed with methyl isobutyl ketone to form a nozzle portion 17a communicating with the ink ejection port as shown in FIG. 5 (f). In the present embodiment, a nozzle pattern of φ26 μm was formed. Subsequently, electroless plating was performed at 45 ° C. for 3 minutes with TMP Chemical Nickel manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to form a plating layer 16b, and the conductive treatment of the coating resin layer 11 was completed.
[0046]
A coating HT-8 manufactured by Honey Chemical Co., Ltd. was electrodeposited to a thickness of 2 μm on the head having been subjected to the conductive treatment as described above, and cured at 100 ° C. for 1 hour, as shown in FIG. 6 (g). Then, the electrodeposition coating film 16 was formed, and the water-repellent treatment was completed.
[0047]
In this state, since the resist pattern 10 still remains, the resist pattern 10 is again exposed for 2 minutes using the mask aligner PLA520 (CM290) (manufactured by Canon Inc.), and immersed in methyl lactate while applying ultrasonic waves, and FIG. As shown in ()), the remaining resist pattern 10 was eluted and removed. Next, heating at 150 ° C. for one hour is performed to completely cure the photosensitive coating material layer 11 and the electrodeposition coating film 16.
[0048]
Finally, as shown in FIG. 6I, the ink supply member 15 is bonded to the ink supply port 13 to complete the ink jet recording head. In the ink jet recording head manufactured in this manner, the water-repellent paint did not enter the discharge port 17 and had good discharge characteristics.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the inkjet recording head manufacturing method of the present invention, in order to obtain a high-quality image, it is possible to obtain a head having almost no displacement in the ejection direction even if the ejection of the recording droplet is very small. Can be Further, it is possible to obtain a head having a film thickness sufficiently resistant to external factors such as paper jam and paper dust rubbing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to a reference example of the invention in the order of manufacturing steps.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to a reference example of the invention in the order of manufacturing steps.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a method of manufacturing the ink jet recording head according to the reference example of the present invention in the order of manufacturing steps, following FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view ((a)) showing a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention in the order of manufacturing steps, and a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a dashed line AA ′ (( b) and later).
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing method of the ink jet recording head according to the embodiment of the invention in the order of the manufacturing process, following FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method of manufacturing the ink jet recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention in the order of manufacturing steps, following FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 aluminum substrate 2 resist layer 3 mask pattern 4, 4 a resist pattern 5 road wall forming member 5 a activation surface 5 b water repellent film 6 aluminum lid plate 6 a plating layer 7 ink path 8 silicon substrate 9 electrothermal conversion element
10 Resist pattern
11 Photosensitive coating resin layer
13 Through hole
14 Mask
15 Ink supply member
16 Electrodeposition coating
16a Pd catalyst metal layer
16b plating layer
17 Discharge port
17a Nozzle part

Claims (3)

A method of manufacturing an inkjet recording head provided with an ejection port surface provided with ejection ports for ejecting ink ,
Before opening the portion which becomes the discharge port of said discharge port surface, a conductive treatment step of conducting processing the discharge port surface, including the location of the discharge port surface,
In order to open the discharge port, a removing step of removing the material of the portion serving as the discharge port, including the portion subjected to the conductive treatment ,
An electrodeposition step of electrodepositing a water-repellent material in a region where the conductive processing of the discharge port surface has been performed,
A method for producing an ink jet recording head, comprising: 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of forming the ejection port surface by cutting in a state where the material is present at the location serving as the ejection port before the conductive processing step. 3. 3. An ink jet recording head manufactured by the method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the water repellent material does not enter the inside of the discharge port.

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