JP4363150B2 - Method for manufacturing droplet discharge head - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge head, a manufacturing method thereof, and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a configuration for suppressing variations in ejection characteristics (weight and speed of ejected droplets) between nozzles. The present invention also relates to a manufacturing apparatus for a display panel using a color filter or an electroluminescent element, which is configured using the droplet discharge head manufactured as described above.

  An apparatus of a droplet discharge method (typically, there is an ink jet method used for printing by discharging ink) is used for printing in all fields regardless of home use or industrial use. . In the droplet discharge method, for example, a droplet discharge head having a plurality of nozzles is moved relative to an object, and the droplet is discharged to a predetermined position of the object. In this method, a display panel (EL display; hereinafter referred to as electroluminescent display) using an electroluminescent (ElectroLuminescence: hereinafter referred to as EL) element such as a color filter or an organic compound for manufacturing a display device using liquid crystal (Liquid Crystal). Panel)), and is also used for the production of microarrays of biomolecules such as DNA and proteins.

  Here, there are at least two methods for discharging droplets. One method is to heat a liquid to be discharged (hereinafter simply referred to as a liquid) to generate a gas (bubble) in a part of a flow path through which the liquid passes, and the pressure causes a droplet to be discharged from each nozzle provided in the head. This is a discharge method. The other is provided with a discharge chamber for storing liquid in a part of the flow path, and is a wall on at least one surface of the discharge chamber (here, a bottom wall. This wall is also integrally formed with other walls. In the following, there is a method in which the wall is referred to as a diaphragm, the pressure in the discharge chamber is increased by a shape change, and a droplet is discharged from a communicating nozzle.

  In the liquid droplet ejection head as described above, a method of pressurizing and ejecting the liquid is adopted, but at the time of pressurization, not only the direction of the nozzle but also the direction in which the nozzle is provided in the liquid Since pressure is also applied in the reverse direction, a liquid flow is also generated in the reverse direction.

  Here, normally, the liquid is once stored in a reservoir provided in the droplet discharge head and supplied to each flow path communicating with each nozzle. Therefore, when pressure is applied in the direction opposite to the nozzle in each flow path, the liquid flows into the reservoir. As described above, since the reservoir communicates in common with each nozzle (flow path), the pressure applied from one flow path to the reservoir side interferes (propagates) with the liquid flowing through the other flow path, and other nozzles. This may affect the discharge characteristics of the ink. Therefore, the reservoir is usually provided with a diaphragm for buffering (absorbing pressure) these pressures (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-115179 (page 3, FIG. 1)

  Here, normally, when a silicon substrate is processed to form a nozzle or the like, the diaphragm is processed and integrally formed with them. That is, the diaphragm is made of silicon. However, the Poisson's ratio of this silicon is as small as 0.09 and the Young's modulus is large. These are due to the fact that the elasticity of silicon is crystalline elasticity and is an anisotropic material, so that only a slight strain can be tolerated. Moreover, since the damping capability is low, especially when the droplet discharge head (vibrating plate) is driven at a high frequency as in recent years, the vibration of the diaphragm due to the previous driving is attenuated, and before the convergence, the vibration due to the next driving occurs. . Further, as the number of nozzles on the head increases and the density of each flow path narrows, the influence of mutual interference between the nozzles increases. As described above, with a high density and high frequency drive, a diaphragm made of silicon is insufficient to realize a buffering effect in order to play a role of pressure buffering. Further, in order to obtain a sufficient buffering effect, the diaphragm may be increased, but the droplet discharge head is also increased and the cost is increased. Moreover, although the silicon | silicone of a diaphragm part may be thinned, since it becomes easy to break, manufacture becomes difficult.

  Accordingly, in order to solve such a situation, the present invention is to obtain a droplet discharge head having a diaphragm having a high damping capacity, sufficient pressure buffering capacity even at high frequency driving, and easy to manufacture, a manufacturing method thereof, and the like. Objective. It is another object of the present invention to obtain an apparatus for recording (printing), an apparatus for manufacturing a microarray by discharging biomolecules, and the like using the obtained droplet discharge head.

In the method of manufacturing a liquid droplet ejection head according to the present invention, in which a liquid filled in a flow path is pressurized and liquid droplets are ejected from a nozzle communicating with the flow path, the liquid is applied in a direction other than the ejection direction. It includes at least a step of forming a member having rubber elasticity on the side of the wall surface serving as a pressure receiving channel that contacts the liquid or the opposite side, and a step of removing a part or all of the wall surface .

  In the present invention, when droplets are ejected from each nozzle on the droplet ejection head, the pressure applied to the liquid other than the ejection direction by driving interferes with another nozzle (flow path), and the ejection characteristics of the nozzles are reduced. A member having rubber elasticity is formed by vapor deposition on the liquid contact surface of the wall surface to be buffered so as not to adversely affect the liquid surface or the opposite surface. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a droplet discharge head having a higher buffering effect than that in which the pressure is buffered by a silicon diaphragm. In addition, since the thinned silicon can be reinforced by the member having rubber elasticity, it is possible to prevent cracks during manufacturing and improve the yield.

  Moreover, in this invention, after forming the member which has rubber elasticity, a part or all of wall surfaces, such as a silicon | silicone, is removed, and a member is comprised as a new wall. Therefore, the pressure buffering effect can be exhibited by the characteristics of the material of the member without being affected by the characteristics of the material constituting the original wall.

  In the method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the present invention, the wall surface is removed by a wet etching method or a dry etching method.

  In the present invention, the wall surface can be cleanly removed by a wet etching method or a dry etching method which is frequently used for a droplet discharge head and can effectively remove silicon which is a main material of the droplet discharge head.

  In the method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the present invention, the wall surface is formed on the same surface as the surface on which the nozzle is formed.

  In the present invention, in consideration of the influence of atmospheric pressure and the like, a wall surface serving as a diaphragm is formed in the direction of the surface on which the nozzle is formed (mainly downward). Therefore, pressure buffering can be performed effectively.

  In the method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the present invention, a wall surface is formed in a portion serving as a reservoir for supplying liquid to a plurality of flow paths.

  In the present invention, since the wall surface serving as the diaphragm is provided in the reservoir that is a common part of the plurality of flow paths, it is possible to effectively buffer the pressure applied from each flow path to the opposite side of the nozzle.

  In the method of manufacturing a liquid droplet ejection head according to the present invention, in which a liquid filled in a flow path is pressurized and liquid droplets are ejected from a nozzle communicating with the flow path, the nozzle and the member having rubber elasticity are included. A flow path is formed by joining a substrate having a pressure buffering portion that buffers pressure applied to the liquid in a direction other than the discharge direction and a substrate having a recess.

  In the present invention, the flow path is formed by bonding a substrate having a nozzle and a member having rubber elasticity and a substrate having a recess. Therefore, in the manufacture of the droplet discharge head, a member can be configured as a part of the flow path in contact with the liquid by providing a member having rubber elasticity on the side to be the flow path and then joining them.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a droplet discharge head according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a face-type droplet discharge head. In FIG. 1, a cavity plate 1 as a first substrate is made of, for example, a (110) plane silicon single crystal substrate (including this substrate, hereinafter simply referred to as a silicon substrate). The cavity plate 1 has a recess (the bottom wall is the diaphragm 4 (thickness is about 2.2 μm)) serving as the discharge chamber 5 and a reservoir 7 for commonly storing liquid discharged from each nozzle 12. Forming a recess. These recesses become a part of the liquid flow path together with the narrow groove that forms the orifice 6 formed in the nozzle plate 3. For example, an anisotropic wet etching method is used to form the recess. The reservoir 7 is supplied with liquid from a tank (not shown) via the liquid supply port 13. As will be described later, the cavity plate 1 is covered with an insulating film 14 having a thickness of about 0.11 μm. The electrode terminal 19 is provided to generate a potential difference between the cavity plate 1 and the electrode 8.

  The electrode substrate 2 serving as the second substrate has a thickness of about 1 mm and is bonded to the lower surface of the cavity plate 1 when viewed in FIG. In the present embodiment, borosilicate heat-resistant hard glass is used as the material for the electrode substrate 2. In the electrode substrate 2, a recess 9 having a depth of about 0.28 μm is provided by etching in accordance with each discharge chamber 5 formed in the cavity plate 1. And the electrode 8, the lead part 10, and the terminal part 11 (henceforth, these are collectively called an electrode part) are provided in the inside. In the present embodiment, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) doped with tin oxide as an impurity is used as the material of the electrode portion, and the thickness of the recess 9 is, for example, about 0.1 μm by, for example, sputtering. Form a film. Therefore, the gap (gap) G length formed between the insulating film 14 and the electrode 8 is about 0.18 μm. Here, ITO is used as the material of the electrode portion, but a metal such as chromium may be used as the material.

  The nozzle plate 3 serving as the third substrate is, for example, a silicon substrate having a thickness of about 180 μm. The cavity plate 1 is bonded to the surface opposite to the electrode substrate 2 (upper surface as viewed in FIG. 1). A nozzle 12 communicating with the discharge chamber 5 is formed on the nozzle plate 3. As shown in FIG. 2 to be described later, the nozzle 12 is configured in two stages so as to approach a taper shape, and the inner diameter (the side joined to the cavity plate 1; hereinafter referred to as the first nozzle) is the outer diameter. Bigger than. This is to improve the straightness of the liquid by the rectifying action of the liquid flow. Further, a narrow groove serving as the orifice 6 is provided on the inner surface (lower surface in the case of FIG. 1), and the recess serving as the discharge chamber 5 and the recess serving as the reservoir 7 are communicated. Reference numeral 18 denotes a diaphragm. In the present embodiment, the diaphragm 18 is constituted by a part of silicon constituting the main configuration of the nozzle plate 3 and a pressure buffer member 18A having flexibility and rubber elasticity. In the present embodiment, recesses are formed on the inner surface and the outer surface, and the silicon in the portion that becomes the diaphragm 18 is thinned. In the present embodiment, the pressure buffering member 18A is provided on a surface from which droplets are discharged (hereinafter referred to as a nozzle surface). Here, in FIG. 1, the nozzle plate 3 having the nozzles 12 is the upper surface, and the electrode substrate 2 is the lower surface. Often becomes.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view from the side of the droplet discharge head. The liquid discharged from the nozzle hole of the nozzle 12 is stored in the discharge chamber 5, and the diaphragm 4, which is the bottom wall of the discharge chamber 5, is bent to increase the pressure in the discharge chamber 5, and the liquid droplets are discharged from the nozzle hole. Discharge. Here, the diaphragm 4 of the present embodiment is composed of a high-concentration boron-doped layer. This is for the purpose of increasing the thickness accuracy of the diaphragm 4 by using an etching stop and for increasing the rigidity of the diaphragm 4. Further, an insulating film 14 made of, for example, a silicon oxide film (for example, SiO ₂ ) is formed on at least the lower surface (surface facing the electrode substrate 2) of the cavity plate 1 (in this embodiment, the portion that becomes the flow path is also formed). It is assumed that the insulating film 14 is formed). This is to prevent contact with the electrode 8 when the droplet discharge head (the vibration plate 4) is driven, but to prevent dielectric breakdown and short circuit.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes an oscillation circuit that is connected to the terminal portion 11 via the wire 21 and controls supply and stop of charge to the electrode 8. The oscillation circuit 15 oscillates at 20 kHz, for example, and supplies electric charges by applying pulse voltages of 0 V and 30 V to the electrode 8. When the oscillation circuit 15 is driven and charges are supplied to the electrode 8 to be positively charged, for example, the diaphragm 4 is negatively charged and is attracted to the electrode 8 by an electrostatic force and bent. As a result, the volume of the discharge chamber 5 increases. When the supply of electric charges to the electrode 8 is stopped, the diaphragm 4 returns to its original state. At that time, the volume of the discharge chamber 5 also returns to its original state. Recording is performed by landing on the recording paper 17. The silicon substrate of the cavity plate 1 and the oscillation circuit 15 are electrically connected via electrode terminals 19. The sealing portion 22 is formed of resin and is provided to prevent foreign matters from entering the electrode 8 and causing a short circuit or the like.

  The silicon substrate is processed to form other members such as the nozzles 12, and the diaphragm 18 that becomes a part of the reservoir 7 is formed on the nozzle plate 3. The diaphragm 18 interferes with the discharge of nozzles 12 other than the nozzle 12 communicating with each other by the driving pressure of the plurality of diaphragms 4 of the droplet discharge head so as not to affect the direction other than the nozzle 12 ( In particular, it plays a role of buffering pressure applied to the orifice 6 and the reservoir 7 when viewed from the diaphragm 4 side. Here, the Poisson's ratio ν of silicon is about 0.09. However, since the Poisson's ratio is very small and the Young's modulus is large, the damping performance is low, and the time until the vibration of the diaphragm 18 converges becomes long. Therefore, when the droplet discharge head (diaphragm 4) is driven at a high frequency, the diaphragm is applied with pressure due to the driving of the next vibrating plate 4 before the vibration due to the driving of the previous vibrating plate 4 is not converged. The pressure buffering capacity cannot be fully exhibited without being attenuated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the pressure buffering capacity is enhanced as compared with the conventional one by configuring the pressure buffering member 18A at least larger than the Poisson's ratio (about 0.09) of silicon as a part of the diaphragm 18. Here, considering the effect of pressure buffering and the fact that the material can be easily obtained, it is more preferable that the material is made of a material having a Poisson's ratio of 0.3 or more. In this embodiment, Parylene C having a Poisson's ratio of about 0.5 is used.

  Parylene C is dichlorodiparaxylylene among parylene resins, and is excellent in water vapor permeability. In this embodiment, the pressure buffering member 18A is provided on the nozzle surface, but there is no problem even if it comes into contact with a liquid such as ink used for printing, and it can be configured as a part of the flow path. Moreover, it has tolerance with respect to alkaline etching solutions, such as KOH (potassium hydroxide) aqueous solution, hydrofluoric acid, etc. Therefore, as represented by a droplet discharge head, it is easy to apply even when manufacturing a microfabricated element that frequently uses etching or the like in the manufacturing process.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process of processing the joint surface of the nozzle plate 3. Next, a manufacturing example of the droplet discharge head in the present embodiment will be described. First, an example of a procedure for producing the nozzle plate 3 will be described. Here, the manufacturing method procedure of the droplet discharge head is not limited to the steps described below. Further, for example, in each step, for those that are simply described as etching, either dry etching or wet etching may be used.

First, a silicon substrate to be the nozzle plate 3 is thermally oxidized to form a silicon oxide film (for example, SiO ₂ ) on the silicon substrate surface (FIG. 3A). Next, a resist material is applied to the surface to be bonded to the cavity plate 1 (hereinafter referred to as a bonding surface) to form a resist, and is close to the first surface of the nozzle 12 (the nozzle surface of the nozzle 12 formed in two steps). Patterning is performed. Then, the silicon oxide film is etched using the resist as a mask, and the silicon oxide film corresponding to the first stage of the nozzle 12 is removed (FIG. 3B).

  Thereafter, a resist material is applied again to form a resist, and patterning is performed on the second stage of the nozzle 12 (referring to the stage closer to the discharge chamber 5), the narrow groove serving as the orifice 6, and the recess serving as the diaphragm 18. Then, the silicon oxide film is etched using the resist as a mask (FIG. 3C). At this time, the entire silicon oxide film is not etched, but for example, etching is performed until the thickness of the silicon oxide film is halved (half etching). At this time, since the nozzle surface is protected by the resist, the silicon oxide film on the nozzle surface is not etched.

  Next, first-stage anisotropic dry etching is performed on the silicon substrate to be the nozzle plate 3 using the silicon oxide film as a mask (FIG. 3D). Etching with the diameter of the first stage of the nozzle 12 is performed by anisotropic dry etching of the first stage. At this time, etching is performed by an amount corresponding to the depth (length) of the first stage.

  Next, the silicon oxide film left by a half thickness is removed by etching (FIG. 3E). Then, the second stage anisotropic dry etching is performed to form the second stage of the nozzle 12, and at the same time, the narrow groove to be the orifice 6 and the recess to be the diaphragm 18 are also formed (FIG. 3 (f)). After the above process is completed, all the silicon oxide film is removed by etching (FIG. 3G).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a processing step of the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate 3. The silicon substrate to be the nozzle plate 3 processed on the bonding surface is thermally oxidized again to form a silicon oxide film (FIG. 4A). Next, the nozzle surface is patterned by a photolithography method to form a concave portion (FIG. 4B). Then, the silicon oxide film is etched using the resist as a mask. In the etching of the silicon oxide film, the portion that becomes the nozzle surface is half-etched, and the portion that becomes the diaphragm 18 is fully etched. (FIG. 4 (c)).

  Then, the portion that becomes the diaphragm 18 is etched, the above-mentioned half-etched portion is removed, and the nozzle surface is etched. In this case, etching is performed until the nozzle 12 is opened (however, at this stage, a silicon oxide film is left in the opening) (FIG. 4D). At this stage, the thickness of the concave portion that becomes the diaphragm 18 is further deeply etched in order to provide the pressure buffering member 18A in the concave portion that becomes the diaphragm 18. Next, the silicon oxide film is peeled off and removed, and the nozzle 12 is opened. Thereafter, a silicon oxide film is formed on the entire surface of the nozzle plate by thermal oxidation or p-CVD.

  And about 1-10 micrometers of layers of parylene C are formed by a vapor deposition method, and 18 A of pressure buffer members are provided (FIG.4 (e)). The thickness of this layer is adjusted according to the buffer effect. Here, before the deposition of Parylene C, the silicon surface of the concave portion that becomes the diaphragm 18 is selectively roughened by RIE (reactive ion etching), thereby improving the adhesion with silicon directly by the anchor effect. Good. Alternatively, a silane coupling agent or the like serving as a primer may be applied to the silicon surface and subjected to primer treatment to improve the adhesion. This primer treatment is convenient in that it can be easily performed. Here, the resist is used as a mask, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an evaporation mask or the like may be used. As described above, the pressure buffer member 18A is provided, and after all the resist is removed, dry oxidation is performed to complete the final nozzle plate 3 (FIG. 4F).

  Next, a manufacturing procedure of the cavity plate 1 and the electrode substrate 2 will be described. On the silicon substrate to be the cavity plate 1, a layer in which boron, for example, boron-doped is diffused is formed on the side facing the electrode substrate 2. Further, processing steps such as forming an insulating film 14 are performed. And about the surface which opposes the nozzle plate 3 which is an opposite surface, the recessed part used as the discharge chamber 5 and the reservoir | reserver 7 is formed by performing anisotropic wet etching etc. FIG. At that time, the layer in which boron is diffused remains without being etched by wet etching. A part of this layer is configured as the diaphragm 4.

  For the electrode substrate 2, a recess 9 is formed on the surface of the glass substrate that is the material facing the cavity plate 1 by, for example, etching or the like. Then, in accordance with the position of the diaphragm 4 formed on the cavity plate 1, an electrode portion made of, for example, ITO is formed inside the recess 9. Further, a through hole that becomes the liquid supply port 13 is formed by, for example, a drill.

  The produced nozzle plate 3, cavity plate 1 and electrode substrate 2 are joined so that the cavity plate 1 is sandwiched between the nozzle plate 3 and the electrode substrate 2. At that time, the lower surface of the nozzle plate 3 and the surface of the cavity plate 1 on which the recesses are formed are joined. Further, the surface of the cavity plate 1 on which the diaphragm 22 is formed and the surface of the electrode substrate 2 on which the electrode 31 is formed are joined. At that time, the cavity plate 1 that is a silicon substrate and the electrode substrate 2 that is a glass substrate are bonded by, for example, anodic bonding. Anodic bonding is advantageous because it can be firmly bonded, but is not limited to anodic bonding, and bonding can also be performed by other bonding methods.

  The joined body obtained by joining the respective plates (substrates) is in a wafer shape at the time of joining, and a plurality of droplet discharge heads are integrally formed. Therefore, each droplet discharge head is cut by dicing. Further, the transmission circuit 15, the terminal portion 11, and the electrode terminal 19 are electrically connected by the wire 21 to complete the droplet discharge head. The above-described manufacturing method is an example. For example, a droplet discharge head is manufactured in a process in which a silicon substrate to be a cavity plate 1 and an electrode substrate 2 are first bonded and then a member such as a recess is formed on the silicon substrate. May be.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the pressure buffer member 18A made of parylene C having a Poisson's ratio of about 0.5 is provided on a part of the wall of the reservoir 7, and is configured as the diaphragm 18. A diaphragm having a high damping capacity can be provided in the reservoir 7 while buffering. Even if the head (diaphragm 4) is driven at a high frequency, the natural frequency of the diaphragm 4 and the natural frequency in the reservoir 7 can be reduced. Since they are different, the vibration in the reservoir can be attenuated without causing pressure interference between the diaphragm 4 and the diaphragm 18. Therefore, even if the number of nozzles 12 increases due to the increase in density and the interval between the flow paths becomes narrow, the vibration of the diaphragm due to the previous driving of the diaphragm 4 affects the next driving of the diaphragm 4. There is nothing. Therefore, interference between nozzles via the reservoir 7 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a droplet discharge head in which the discharge characteristics (droplet weight, droplet velocity) of each nozzle 12 are stable. In addition, due to the stable ejection characteristics, it is possible to improve the quality of recording such as printing, manufacturing of electroluminescent elements, microarrays, and the like. The pressure buffering member 18A also serves to reinforce the silicon formed by thinning the diaphragm 18 and can prevent the silicon from being cracked. Therefore, the silicon diaphragm can be thinned, and the nozzle plate 3 In addition, the manufacturing of the droplet discharge head can be facilitated and the yield can be improved.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the above-described embodiment, the pressure buffering member 18 </ b> A is formed on the silicon on the nozzle surface, which is a part of the nozzle plate 3, for the portion that becomes the diaphragm 18. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pressure buffering member 18A may be formed on the silicon on the bonding surface. As in the first embodiment, when the pressure buffering member 18A is parylene C, depending on the liquid to be ejected, in the case of general printing ink, the ink may be affected. It can be formed on the flow path. In this case, in order to ensure the wettability of the contact surface with the ink, an appropriate surface treatment such as corona discharge, oxygen plasma, or ultraviolet irradiation may be performed in advance.

  It is also possible to remove a part of silicon in contact with the portion where the pressure buffering member 18A is formed by a dry etching method or a wet etching method and configure the pressure buffering member 18A as a part of the wall of the reservoir 7. When the pressure buffering member 18A is formed on the nozzle surface side, the silicon is removed from the bonding surface side. Conversely, when the pressure buffering member 18A is formed on the bonding surface side, the silicon is removed from the nozzle surface side. By removing the silicon, the pressure buffering member 18A becomes a part of the wall of the reservoir 7, but the pressure buffering effect of the material of the pressure buffering member 18A can be exhibited without being affected by the silicon.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the above-described embodiment, parylene C is used as the material as the pressure buffering member 18A. Parylene C is an optimum material for a pressure buffer member used for a droplet discharge head in consideration of water vapor permeability, chemical resistance, heat resistance, and the like. However, the present invention does not limit the pressure buffering member to Parylene C. For example, it has flexibility, elasticity, etc., such as natural rubber (latex rubber, Poisson ratio 0.45), and has a Poisson ratio. Other materials that are higher than silicon may be used. Further, a material excellent in chemical resistance and heat resistance such as PPS (polyphenylene sulfide, Poisson's ratio is 0.34 to 0.36) may be used after being applied (printed) and thermally cured.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the above-described embodiment, the face discharge type liquid droplet discharge head has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and so-called edge discharge type liquid droplets are discharged from the side surface of the liquid droplet discharge head. It can also be applied to a discharge head.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
The above-described embodiment can also be applied to a so-called piezo-type droplet discharge head that pressurizes a liquid using a piezoelectric element and discharges a droplet from a nozzle hole. The present invention is also applied to a droplet discharge head that uses other pressurization methods such as a thermal method that pressurizes a liquid in a flow path, for example, a thermal method that heats the liquid and discharges it with a pressure generated by gas generation. can do.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing main constituent means of a recording (printing) apparatus of a droplet discharge method (inkjet method) using the droplet discharge head manufactured in the above embodiment. This droplet discharge device is a so-called serial type device. In FIG. 5, the printing apparatus includes a drum 111 on which a print paper 110 that is a substrate to be printed is supported, and a droplet discharge head 112 described in the above-described embodiment that discharges liquid onto the print paper 110 to perform recording. It is mainly composed of. Although not shown, there is a liquid tank for supplying liquid to the droplet discharge head 112. The print paper 110 is held by being pressed against the drum 111 by a paper press roller 113 provided parallel to the axial direction of the drum 111. A feed screw 114 is provided parallel to the axial direction of the drum 111, and the droplet discharge head 112 is held. As the feed screw 114 rotates, the droplet discharge head 112 moves in the axial direction of the drum 111.

  On the other hand, the drum 111 is rotationally driven by a motor 116 via a belt 115 or the like. Further, for example, the print control means 117 constituted by a CPU, MPU, etc. drives the feed screw 114 and the motor 116 based on the print data and the control signal, and although not shown here, the droplet discharge head Printing is performed while controlling the vibration circuit to be driven by driving the oscillation circuit connected to 112.

  As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, a droplet discharge device is configured using the droplet discharge head obtained in the above-described first to fifth embodiments and having little variation in the discharge characteristics of each nozzle 12. Thus, high quality recording (printing) can be performed by reducing landing deviation and spot diameter variation. Further, the intervals between the nozzles, the discharge chambers, and the like can be narrowed, and higher resolution recording (printing) can be performed.

Embodiment 7 FIG.
In the sixth embodiment, the example of printing by the printing apparatus including the droplet discharge head of the present invention has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and includes various droplet discharge heads. The present invention can be applied to a droplet discharge device that discharges droplets. For example, an electroluminescent display panel is provided by providing the droplet discharge head of the present invention in an electroluminescent display panel manufacturing apparatus, and discharging and fixing a liquid containing an organic or inorganic compound electroluminescent element on the display panel. Can be manufactured. In the case of a polymer material, the vapor deposition method cannot be used, and therefore production by droplet discharge is particularly effective. In addition, by providing a device for discharging a solution containing biomolecules, a device for producing a microarray of biomolecules such as DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acids), proteins, etc., or for examining a living body is obtained. be able to. In addition, a color filter manufacturing apparatus used for a display device using liquid crystal or the like can be obtained. Since these devices are often used for business purposes, it is particularly required that there is little variation in the discharge performance between the nozzles, but these devices equipped with the droplet discharge head of the present invention are required. Can be met. Moreover, the apparatus provided with the droplet discharge head of the above-mentioned embodiment can be used for all other industrial uses and household uses such as dye discharge.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a droplet discharge head. It is sectional drawing from the side of a droplet discharge head. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a process for processing a joint surface of a nozzle plate 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a process for processing a nozzle surface of a nozzle plate 3. It is a figure showing the main component means of a droplet discharge printing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 cavity plate, 2 electrode substrate, 3 nozzle plate, 4 diaphragm, 5 discharge chamber, 6 orifice, 7 reservoir, 8 electrode, 9 recess, 10 lead part, 11 terminal part, 12 nozzle, 13 liquid supply port, 14 insulation Membrane, 15 Oscillator, 16 Droplet, 17 Recording paper, 18 Diaphragm, 18A Pressure buffer member, 19 Electrode terminal, 21 Wire, 22 Sealing part, 110 Print paper, 111 Drum, 112 Droplet ejection head, 113 Paper pressure bonding Roller, 114 feed screw, 115 belt, 116 motor, 117 print control means

Claims (5)

In a method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head that pressurizes a liquid filled in a flow path and discharges liquid droplets from a nozzle that communicates with the flow path.
Forming a member having rubber elasticity on the side of the wall that is to be the flow path that receives pressure applied to the liquid in a direction other than the discharge direction, or on the side in contact with the liquid;
A method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head, comprising: at least a step of removing a part or all of the wall surface . The process according to claim 1, wherein the droplet discharge head is characterized in that a wet etching or dry etching to remove the said wall. 3. The method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the wall surface is formed on the same surface as the surface on which the nozzle is formed. Droplet method for producing a discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by forming the wall surface portion serving as a reservoir for supplying the liquid to the plurality of flow paths. A substrate having a pressure buffering portion for buffering the pressure applied to the liquid in addition to the ejection direction, the nozzle and a member having rubber elasticity;
The method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the flow path is formed by bonding a substrate having a recess.

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