JP4419639B2 - Electrostatic MEMS actuator, micro fluid drive device including micro pump, micro fluid ejection device including ink jet printer head, and printing device including ink jet printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrostatic MEMS actuator suitable for energy transfer and driving to a microfluid, a pressure propagation device including a speaker using the electrostatic MEMS actuator, a microfluidic driving device including a micropump, and a minute amount including an inkjet printer head. The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus and a printing apparatus including an ink jet printer equipped with the micro fluid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, for example, an ink jet printer has been developed in which an ink jet printer head using an electrostatic electromechanical system (MEMS) actuator is mounted in order to achieve high-speed printing and high-definition printing and to reduce the size. In addition to the inkjet printer head, the electrostatic MEMS actuator is considered to be used in various microfluidic drive devices (so-called micropumps) in combination with fluid flow paths.

10 and 11 show an example of an electrostatic MEMS element serving as a conventional electrostatic MEMS actuator.
10 includes a lower electrode 5 formed on a substrate 4 having an insulating film (for example, silicon oxide film) 3 on the surface of a silicon substrate 2, and an insulating film (for example, silicon) An oxide film) 6 is formed, and a diaphragm 9 having an upper electrode 8 is arranged so as to face the lower electrode 5 with a space 7 in between. The electrostatic MEMS element 1 is configured by forming a plurality of electrostatic MEMS elements 1A, 1B,... Having the same configuration on a common substrate 4. In this case, the lower electrode 5 is formed in common to the MEMS elements 1A, 1B,... And the upper electrode 8 constituting the diaphragm 9 is formed in the individual electrodes 8A, 8B,. Is done. Each diaphragm 9 is supported on the substrate 4 at both ends via the anchor portion 10 and formed as a so-called doubly supported beam structure. The diaphragm 9 includes a combination of an insulating film and an upper electrode, for example, a silicon oxide film 11, an upper electrode 8 [8A, 8B,...], A silicon oxide film 12, a silicon nitride film 13, and an outermost silicon oxide film 14. . The anchor portion 10 is formed integrally with the vibration plate 9 by a laminated film of silicon oxide films 11 and 12, a silicon nitride film 13 and a silicon oxide film 14 constituting the vibration plate 9. Further, a plasma silicon nitride (SiN) film may be laminated over the entire surface.

  In the electrostatic MEMS element 21 of FIG. 11, the lower electrode 5 is individually formed in each of the electrostatic MEMS elements 21A, 21B... And the upper electrode 8 constituting the diaphragm is shared by the MEMS elements 21A, 21B. Formed and configured. That is, the electrostatic MEMS element 21 forms the individual lower electrodes 5 [5A, 5B,...] On the substrate 4 having the insulating film 3 on the surface of the silicon substrate, and the surfaces of the lower electrodes 5A, 5B,. A diaphragm 9 having a common upper electrode 8 covered with an insulating film 6 and having a common upper electrode 8 facing each lower electrode 5A, 5B,... In this case, the diaphragm 9 and the anchor portion 10 are configured by a common laminated film in which the insulating film and the upper electrode are combined, for example, a common laminated film in which the silicon oxide film 16, the upper electrode 8, and the silicon oxide film 17 are sequentially laminated. . In this electrostatic MEMS element 21, since the lower electrodes 5 [5A, 5B,...] Are individually formed as shown in the drawing, the step portion 18 corresponding to the step of the lower electrode 5 at the time of manufacture is formed on the diaphragm 9. It is formed.

  FIG. 12 shows a wiring structure of the electrostatic MEMS element 1 in which, for example, the lower electrode 5 of FIG. 10 is shared and the upper electrode 8 is individually formed. The common lower electrode 5 of each of the electrostatic MEMS elements 1A to 1D is grounded, and the individual upper electrodes 8A to 8D of the electrostatic MEMS elements 1A to 1D are respectively connected to the required positive voltage (+ V via the switch elements 19A to 19D). ) Or a required negative voltage (−V) is applied.

  The operation of the electrostatic MEMS element 1 of FIG. 12 is as follows. For example, when the switch element 19A of the first electrostatic MEMS element 1A is turned on, + V is applied to the upper electrode 8A, and a ground voltage is applied to the lower electrode 5, whereby the upper electrode 8A and the lower electrode 5 are interposed. An electrostatic force is generated, and the diaphragm 9A having the upper electrode 8A bends toward the lower electrode 5 side. When the switch element 19A is turned off, the diaphragm 9A returns to the original position. In this way, the diaphragm 9A is driven. By selectively turning on and off the switch elements 19A to 19D, the diaphragms 9A to 9D of the electrostatic MEMS elements 1A to 1D are selectively driven.

Patent Document 1 describes an ink jet printer head using an electrostatic actuator and an ink jet printer equipped with the ink jet printer head.
Republished patent WO99 / 34979

When the electrostatic MEMS element serving as the electrostatic MEMS actuator described above is used in an inkjet printer or the like, higher performance is desired. For example, electrostatic MEMS elements are characterized by low power consumption. In the resistance heating type and piezo type ink jet printers, the power consumption is about 500 nJ / droplet, and further reduction in power consumption is required. If it is an electrostatic MEMS system, about 20 nJ / droplet is possible. The power consumption is affected by the capacitance between the upper electrode and the lower electrode.
In addition, the electrostatic MEMS element has a problem of charging, and a special drive waveform is often used as a countermeasure. Charging will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, when the electrostatic MEMS element 1 is continuously driven repeatedly, a negative charge 24 is charged in the insulating film 23 of the upper electrode 8 to which a positive voltage (+ V) is applied, and a ground voltage (0 V) is obtained. A positive charge 26 is charged to the insulating film 25 of the lower electrode 5 to which is applied. Therefore, when the operation is continuously repeated, the repulsive force is weakened because the amplitude of the diaphragm 8 is reduced due to the charged residual charges 24 and 26. For example, when applied to an ink jet printer head, the ink discharge amount varies. .
Furthermore, when the lower electrodes 5A and 5B shown in FIG. 11 are formed independently for each MEMS element, the thickness of the electrode is transferred to the diaphragm 9, so that the diaphragm 9 is not formed flat, and step portions 18 are formed at both ends. appear. FIG. 14 schematically shows a diaphragm 9 having a double-supported beam structure having a stepped portion 18. In the case of such a diaphragm 9, the tension of the diaphragm 9 is absorbed by the step portion 18 and adversely affects the strength and life of the diaphragm. Further, when the step portion 18 is generated in the diaphragm 9, warpage due to unnecessary stress is generated in the diaphragm 9, and the height of the gap 20 (see FIG. 11) is reduced. When such an electrostatic MEMS actuator is applied to, for example, an ink jet printer head, the displacement capacity is insufficient, and the discharge speed and the discharge amount of liquid droplets are reduced.

In view of the above points, the present invention provides an electrostatic MEMS actuator capable of further improving performance.
The present invention also provides a microfluidic driving device including a speaker micropump using an electrostatic MEMS actuator suitable for energy transmission and driving to such a microfluid, and a microfluidic ejecting device including an ink jet printer head. The present invention provides a printing apparatus including an ink jet printer equipped with a micro fluid discharge device.

The electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention includes a plurality of adjacent MEMS elements, an independent lower electrode constituting each MEMS element, an upper electrode of a diaphragm, and both surfaces of the upper electrode so as to be continuous with each diaphragm. An insulating film that forms a part of the diaphragm, an insulating film that covers a surface of the lower electrode facing the upper electrode, and an insulating film that extends integrally from the insulating film that forms a part of the diaphragm And an anchor portion that supports both ends of the diaphragm, and the width of the lower electrode is set larger than the interval between the anchor portions .

The electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention is the above-mentioned electrostatic actuator, wherein two adjacent MEMS elements are grouped, and the lower electrode of one MEMS element and the upper electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected in each group. The upper electrode of one MEMS element in each group is connected in common through the first switch element, the first terminal is derived, and the lower electrode of the other MEMS element in each group is connected to the second switch element. And the second terminal is led out, and the lower electrode of one of the MEMS elements in each set is commonly connected to lead out the third terminal .

The microfluidic drive device according to the present invention includes a plurality of adjacent MEMS elements, an independent lower electrode constituting each MEMS element, an upper electrode of a diaphragm, and both surfaces of the upper electrode so as to be continuous with each diaphragm. Formed of an insulating film that forms part of the diaphragm, an insulating film that covers the surface of the lower electrode facing the upper electrode, and an insulating film that extends integrally from the insulating film that forms part of the diaphragm An electrostatic MEMS actuator having an anchor portion for supporting both ends of the diaphragm, wherein the width of the lower electrode is set larger than the interval between the anchor portions, and a fluid disposed on the electrostatic MEMS actuator. It is set as the structure provided with the flow path.

In the microfluidic drive device according to the present invention, in the microfluidic drive device described above, two adjacent MEMS elements are grouped, and the lower electrode of one MEMS element and the upper electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected in each group. The upper electrodes of the one MEMS element in each set are connected in common via the first switch element, the first terminal is derived, and the lower electrode of the other MEMS element in each set is connected to the second switch The second terminal is led out commonly connected through the elements, the lower electrode of one MEMS element of each set is commonly connected, and the third terminal is led out.

A microfluidic discharge device according to the present invention includes a plurality of adjacent MEMS elements, independent lower electrodes constituting the MEMS elements, upper electrodes of diaphragms, and both surfaces of the upper electrode so as to be continuous with the diaphragms. Formed of an insulating film that forms part of the diaphragm, an insulating film that covers the surface of the lower electrode facing the upper electrode, and an insulating film that extends integrally from the insulating film that forms part of the diaphragm And an electrostatic MEMS actuator having an anchor portion for supporting both ends of the diaphragm, wherein the width of the lower electrode is set larger than the interval between the anchor portions, and a nozzle disposed on the electrostatic MEMS actuator It is set as the structure provided with the liquid chamber which has.

The microfluidic discharge device according to the present invention is the above microfluidic discharge device, wherein two adjacent MEMS elements are grouped, and the lower electrode of one MEMS element and the upper electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected in each group. The upper electrodes of one of the MEMS elements in each set are connected in common via the first switch element, the first terminal is derived, and the lower electrode of the other MEMS element in each set is the second switch element And the second terminal is led out, the lower electrode of one of the MEMS elements in each set is commonly connected, and the third terminal is led out.
The microfluidic discharge device according to the present invention may be configured such that, in the microfluidic discharge device, a set of two adjacent MEMS elements is arranged corresponding to one liquid chamber having a nozzle.

A microfluidic discharge device according to the present invention includes a plurality of line-shaped micro-pumps including an electrostatic MEMS actuator having one of the above-described configurations and a liquid chamber having a nozzle over the width of an object to be printed. The arrangement is as follows.

  A printing apparatus including an inkjet printer according to the present invention includes a microfluidic discharge device, a discharge target fluid supply mechanism, and a mechanism that moves relative to the print target and the microfluidic discharge device. The structure is formed by any one of the above-described microfluidic discharge devices.

  According to the electrostatic MEMS actuator of the present invention, since the lower electrode and the upper electrode of the diaphragm in the plurality of electrostatic MEMS elements are made independent of each other, the area of the lower electrode and the upper electrode is reduced, The capacitance between the upper electrodes is reduced. As a result, low power consumption and high drive speed of the electrostatic MEMS actuator can be realized, and high performance can be achieved.

By the electrode width of the lower portion electrode is set greater than the distance between the anchor portion which supports the vibration plate, the effective area of the diaphragm is driven to face the lower electrode, the thickness of the lower electrode is transferred The stepped portion is not formed and is flattened. The step to which the thickness of the lower electrode is transferred is formed in an anchor portion where the influence of the step can be ignored. Thereby, the tension | tensile_strength of a diaphragm is maintained and the intensity | strength and lifetime of a diaphragm can be improved. Further, since unnecessary stress is not generated in the diaphragm, unnecessary warpage does not occur in the diaphragm. For this reason, for example, when applied to a micro fluid ejection device including an ink jet printer head, the ejection speed and the ejection amount of the droplets are not impaired. As described above, the reliability of the diaphragm is improved, and the performance of the electrostatic MEMS actuator can be improved.

  According to the electrostatic MEMS actuator of the present invention, since the upper electrode of the diaphragm of one MEMS element and the lower electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected, the electric charge generated by repeated driving, that is, the lower electrode The charge charged in the insulating film covering the electrode and the upper electrode leaks between the electrodes of the adjacent MEMS elements and disappears in a short time. As a result, a phenomenon in which the repulsive force is weakened by reducing the amplitude of the diaphragm is avoided, and the performance of the electrostatic MEMS actuator can be improved. As a result, for example, when applied to an ink jet printer head, there is no fluctuation in the ink discharge amount.

  According to the microfluidic drive device of the present invention, the electrostatic MEMS actuator in which the lower electrode and the upper electrode of the diaphragm in the plurality of adjacent MEMS elements are independently formed, and the electrostatic MEMS actuator are disposed on the electrostatic MEMS actuator. With the configuration including the fluid flow path, the area of the lower electrode and the upper electrode in the electrostatic MEMS actuator is reduced, and the capacitance between the lower electrode and the upper electrode is reduced. As a result, low power consumption and high speed driving of the microfluidic drive device can be realized, and high performance can be achieved.

By setting the width of the lower electrode in the electrostatic MEMS actuator to be larger than the interval between the two anchor portions that support the diaphragm, the effective area of the diaphragm that is driven to face the lower electrode, The step where the thickness of the lower electrode is transferred is not formed, and is flattened. The step to which the thickness of the lower electrode is transferred is formed at an anchor portion where the influence of the step can be ignored. Thereby, the tension | tensile_strength of a diaphragm is maintained and the intensity | strength and lifetime of a diaphragm can be improved. Further, since unnecessary stress is not generated in the diaphragm, the distance between the diaphragm and the substrate does not vary, and the drive voltage does not vary. For this reason, the flow rate and flow rate of the fluid do not change, and the performance of the microfluidic drive device can be improved.

According to the microfluidic drive device according to the present invention, in the adjacent MEMS element in the electrostatic MEMS actuator, the upper electrode of the diaphragm of one MEMS element and the lower electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected. As a result, the charge generated by the repeated driving of the electrostatic MEMS actuator, that is, the charge charged to the insulating film covering the lower electrode and the upper electrode, leaks between the electrodes of the adjacent MEMS elements and disappears in a short time. The Therefore, it is avoided that the repulsive force and amplitude of the diaphragm are weakened, and there is no fluctuation in the flow rate of the fluid every time the electrostatic MEMS actuator is driven. As a result, high performance of the microfluidic drive device can be achieved.

  According to the microfluidic discharge device according to the present invention, the electrostatic MEMS actuator in which the lower electrode and the upper electrode of the diaphragm in the plurality of adjacent MEMS elements are independently formed, and the electrostatic MEMS actuator are disposed on the electrostatic MEMS actuator. With the configuration including the liquid chamber having the nozzle, the area of the lower electrode and the upper electrode in the electrostatic MEMS actuator is reduced, and the capacitance between the lower electrode and the upper electrode is reduced. As a result, low-power consumption and high-speed driving of the micro fluid ejection device can be realized, and high performance can be achieved.

By setting the width of the lower electrode in the electrostatic MEMS actuator to be larger than the interval between the two anchor portions that support the diaphragm, the effective area of the diaphragm that is driven to face the lower electrode, The step where the thickness of the lower electrode is transferred is not formed, and is flattened. The step to which the thickness of the lower electrode is transferred is formed at an anchor portion where the influence of the step can be ignored. Thereby, the tension | tensile_strength of a diaphragm is maintained and the intensity | strength and lifetime of a diaphragm can be improved. Further, since unnecessary stress is not generated in the diaphragm, the distance between the diaphragm and the substrate does not vary, and the drive voltage does not vary. For this reason, it is possible to improve the performance of the microfluidic discharge device without impairing the discharge speed and discharge amount of the droplets.

According to the microfluidic ejection device according to the present invention, in the adjacent MEMS element of the electrostatic MEMS actuator, the upper electrode of the diaphragm of one MEMS element and the lower electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected. As a result, the charge generated by the repeated driving of the electrostatic MEMS actuator, that is, the charge charged to the insulating film covering the lower electrode and the upper electrode, leaks between the electrodes of the adjacent MEMS elements and disappears in a short time. The Therefore, it is avoided that the amplitude and repulsive force of the diaphragm are weakened, and the ink ejection speed and ejection amount of the electrostatic MEMS actuator are not changed. As a result, high performance of the micro fluid discharge device can be achieved.

  According to the microfluidic discharge device according to the present invention, in any of the microfluidic discharge devices described above, a plurality of micropumps including the electrostatic MEMS actuator and one liquid chamber are provided over the width of the object to be printed. A high-performance line head can be provided by adopting a configuration arranged in a shape.

  According to a printing apparatus including an ink jet printer according to the present invention, a microfluidic discharge device includes a microfluidic discharge device, a discharge target fluid supply mechanism, and a mechanism that relatively moves the printing object and the microfluidic discharge device. By forming the device with any one of the above-described microfluidic discharge devices, the power consumption is reduced and the life is improved. Therefore, for example, it can be used for a portable inkjet printer driven by a battery.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention. In the electrostatic MEMS actuator 31 according to the present embodiment, MEMS elements to be a plurality of electrostatic actuators are formed on a common substrate 34. That is, a plurality of individual (independent) lower electrodes 35 [35A, 35B] are arranged on the common substrate 34 so as to cover the lower electrodes 35 [35A, 35B]. An insulating film 36 is formed on the surface. In this example, the insulating film 36 is formed as a planarizing film. A diaphragm 39 [39A, 39B] having individual (independent) upper electrodes 38 [38A, 38B] is disposed on the substrate 24 so as to face the lower electrodes 35A, 35B via the space 37, respectively. Is done. The electrostatic MEMS element 31A is constituted by the diaphragm 39A having the lower electrode 35A and the upper electrode 38A, and the electrostatic MEMS element 31B is constituted by the diaphragm 39B having the lower electrode 35B and the upper electrode 38B. Since the lower electrode 35 is formed on the substrate 34, no spatial displacement occurs when a voltage is applied to the lower electrode 35.

  The diaphragm 39 [39A, 39B] is formed of a laminated film of an insulating film and an upper electrode. For example, the silicon oxide film 42, the upper electrode 38, the silicon oxide film 43, the silicon nitride film 44, and the surface silicon oxide film 45 are formed. It is formed of a laminated film in which The diaphragm 39 [39A, 39B] is formed in a so-called doubly supported beam structure by supporting both ends thereof by anchor portions 46 formed on the substrate 34. The anchor portion 46 is formed of, for example, an insulating film having the same configuration as that of the diaphragm 39, that is, a laminated film of a silicon oxide film 42, a silicon oxide film 43, a silicon nitride film 44, and a silicon oxide film 45. It is integrally formed.

  The substrate 34 may be a required substrate such as a substrate in which an insulating film is formed on a semiconductor substrate such as silicon (Si) or gallium arsenide (GaAs), or an insulating substrate such as a glass substrate including a quartz substrate. it can. In this example, a substrate 34 in which an insulating film 43 such as a silicon oxide film is formed on a silicon substrate 42 is used. The lower electrode 35 [35A, 35B] is formed of a conductive material thin film, for example, a polycrystalline silicon film doped with impurities, a metal (deposited film of polycrystalline Pt, Ti, Al, Au, Cg, Ni, etc.), ITO It is formed of a (Indium Tin Oxide) film, a semiconductor layer formed in the semiconductor substrate 34, or the like. In this example, it is formed of a polycrystalline silicon film doped with impurities. The upper electrode 38 [38A, 38B] is formed of a conductive material thin film. For example, a polycrystalline silicon film doped with impurities, a metal (deposited film of polycrystalline Pt, Ti, Al, Au, Cg, Ni, etc.), ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film or the like. In this example, it is formed of a polycrystalline silicon film doped with impurities.

  The operation of the electrostatic MEMS actuator 31 described above is the same as described above, and the diaphragm 39 is driven by the electrostatic force when a required voltage is applied between the upper electrode 38 and the lower electrode 35. For example, if a ground voltage (0 V) is applied to the lower electrode 35 and a positive voltage (+ V) or a negative voltage (−V) is applied to the upper electrode 38, the diaphragm 39 is bent toward the substrate 34, and 0 V is applied to the upper electrode 38. Is applied, the diaphragm 38 is repeatedly driven to return to its original position. The applied voltages to the upper electrode 38 and the lower electrode 35 may be reversed.

  According to the electrostatic MEMS actuator 31 according to the present embodiment, the lower electrodes 35A and 35B and the upper electrodes 38A and 38B of the respective electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are independently formed, so that the lower The area of the electrode 35 [35A, 35B] and the upper electrode 38 [38A, 38B] is reduced, the capacitance between the lower electrode 35 and the upper electrode 38, the lower electrode 35 and the substrate 34, and the silicon substrate 32 in the present invention example. The parasitic capacitance C0 between (see FIG. 1) can be reduced. As a result, the electrostatic MEMS actuator can be reduced in power consumption and driven at a higher speed to achieve higher performance.

  FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention. In the electrostatic MEMS actuator 51 according to the present embodiment, electrostatic MEMS elements serving as a plurality of electrostatic actuators are formed on a common silicon substrate 34. That is, a plurality of individual (independent) lower electrodes 52 [52A, 52B] are arranged on a common substrate 34, and an insulating film, for example, is formed on the surface of each lower electrode 52A, 52B. A silicon oxide film 53 is formed. A diaphragm 56 [56A, 56B] having an upper electrode 55 [55A, 55B] is arranged on the substrate 34 with respect to the lower electrodes 52A, 52B via spaces 54, respectively. The diaphragms 55A and 55B are formed of a laminated film of an insulating film and a conductive material thin film (upper electrode) with the upper electrode 55 in common. The diaphragm 55 [55A, 55B] is formed in a doubly-supported beam structure by supporting both ends thereof by anchor portions 57 formed on the substrate 34. The diaphragm 56 [56A, 56B] and the anchor portion 57 are formed with the same film structure. For example, a stack of a silicon oxide film 58, a polycrystalline silicon film upper electrode 55 [55A, 55B] and a surface silicon oxide film 59 is formed. Formed with a film. The diaphragm 56A having the upper electrode 55 and the lower electrode 52A constitute an electrostatic MEMS element 51A, and the diaphragm 56B having the upper electrode 55 and the lower electrode 52B constitute an electrostatic MEMS element 51B.

In the present embodiment, in particular, the electrode width L of the lower electrodes 52A and 52B of the MEMS elements 51A and 51B is set longer than the interval W between the two anchor portions 57 that support the diaphragm 56 [56A and 56B]. The
2, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

According to the electrostatic MEMS actuator 51 according to the present embodiment, the electrode width L of the lower electrodes 52A, 52B of the MEMS elements 51A, 51B is the distance W between the two anchor portions 57 that support the diaphragm 56 [56A, 56B]. By setting the length longer, no step is formed in the effective region of the diaphragm 56 that is driven to face the lower electrodes 52A and 52B, and is flattened. In other words, the thickness of the individual lower electrodes 52A and 52B is transferred during manufacturing to form the stepped portion 60 on the diaphragms 52A and 52B. However, the stepped portion 60 is located at the anchor portion 57 and is separated from the diaphragm 56. That is, the step portion 60 is formed on the anchor portion 57 where the influence of the step can be ignored. Thereby, the tension of the diaphragm 56 is maintained, and the strength and life of the diaphragm 56 are improved. Further, since unnecessary stress is not generated in the diaphragm 56, the warpage of the diaphragm 56 is reduced. For this reason, when applied to, for example, a microfluidic discharge device, the discharge speed and discharge amount of the droplets are not impaired.
As a result, the reliability of the diaphragm is improved, and the performance of the electrostatic MEMS actuator can be improved.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention. In this example, the configuration of the diaphragm in which the electrode width of the lower electrode shown in FIG. 2 is set to be longer than the interval between the anchor portions is shown in FIG. 1 in which the upper electrode and the lower electrode in each electrostatic MEMS element of FIG. This is a case where the present invention is applied to the electrostatic MEMS actuator.
In the electrostatic MEMS actuator 61 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of independent lower electrodes 35 (35A and 35B are shown) are arranged on a common substrate 42, and an insulating film such as silicon is provided. Diaphragms 39 [39A, 39B] having independent upper electrodes 38 [38A, 38B] so as to face the lower electrodes 35 [35A, 35B] coated with the oxide film 36 'via the space 37. 39B] is arranged to form a plurality of electrostatic MEMS elements 61A and 61B to be electrostatic MEMS actuators. And electrode width L of lower electrode 35A, 35B of electrostatic MEMS element 31A, 31B is set longer than the space | interval W between the both anchor parts 46 which support the diaphragm 39 [39A, 39B].
In FIG. 3, parts corresponding to those in FIG.

  According to the electrostatic MEMS actuator 61 according to the present embodiment, the lower electrodes 35A and 35B and the upper electrodes 38A and 38B of the respective electrostatic MEMS elements 61A and 61B are independently formed. Achieves high-speed driving. At the same time, the electrode width L of the lower electrodes 35A and 35B is set to be longer than the interval W between the two anchor portions 46 that support the diaphragm 39 [39A, 39B]. Goes up. Therefore, the high performance of the electrostatic MEMS actuator can be further achieved by combining both the effects.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4B , the electrostatic MEMS actuator 63 according to the present embodiment adopts the same configuration as that of FIG. That is, a plurality of independent lower electrodes 35 [35A, 35B,...] Are arranged on a common substrate, and are opposed to the respective lower electrodes 35 [35A, 35B,. As described above, the diaphragms 39 [39A, 39B,...] Having independent upper electrodes 38 [38A, 38B,. 31B .. is formed. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, in the adjacent electrostatic MEMS element, the lower electrode 35 of one electrostatic MEMS element and the upper electrode 38 of the other electrostatic MEMS element are electrically connected. The

That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, when a plurality of electrostatic MEMS elements 31A, 31B, 31C, and 31D are arranged on a common substrate 34 for convenience, two adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements are arranged. A set of elements. For example, the electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are set as a set, and the electrostatic MEMS elements 31C and 31D are set as a set. In the two adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B, the lower electrode 35A of one electrostatic MEMS element 31A and the upper electrode 38B of the other electrostatic MEMS element 3B are electrically connected. Further, in two adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31C and 31D, the lower electrode 35C of one electrostatic MEMS element 31C and the upper electrode 38D of the other electrostatic MEMS element 3D are electrically connected. And, among the two adjacent electrostatic MEMS element, one of the electrostatic MEMS device 31A, 31 C of the upper electrode 38A, to derive a terminal A commonly connected via respective switching elements SW11, SW13 and 38C. Further, the lower electrodes 35B and 35D of the other electrostatic MEMS elements 31B and 31D are commonly connected through the switch elements SW12 and SW14, respectively, and the terminal B is derived. Further, the lower electrodes 35A and 35C of one of the electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31C are commonly connected to derive the terminal C.

In the present embodiment, the terminals A, B, and C are combined with the ground voltage (0 V), plus voltage (+ V), and minus voltage (−V) as applied voltages to form a wiring circuit. 5A to 5D show examples of the wiring and applied voltage in FIG. 4B.
FIG. 5A is configured to connect the terminal A and the terminal B, apply a binary pulse P1 of 0 V and a plus voltage (+ V), and apply a ground voltage (0 V) to the terminal C. In this circuit, for example, when the switch elements SW11 to SW14 are selectively turned on, one period of the pulse P1 is applied to the terminals A and B in synchronization. In the selected electrostatic MEMS element, the upper electrode 38 and hence the diaphragm 39 are displaced downward at + V of the pulse P1, and the diaphragm 39 returns to its original state at 0V.
Considering, for example, the case where two adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are driven simultaneously, as shown in FIG. 6, the insulating film 100 covering the upper electrode 38A to which + V of one electrostatic MEMS element 31A is applied. Is charged with a negative charge e ^−, and a positive charge h ⁺ is charged on the insulating film 101 covering the upper electrode 38B to which 0 V of the other electrostatic MEMS element 31B is applied. Here, if the insulation resistance of the insulating films 100 and 101 constituting the diaphragm and the anchor portion is lowered to such an extent that the drive is not affected (for example, the insulation resistance is lowered by doping impurities), the charge e ⁻ ,. h ⁺ leaks between the adjacent upper electrodes 38A and 38B, and the residual charges e ⁻ and h ⁺ disappear in a short time. Even when the adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are selectively driven via the switch elements SW11 and SW12, the residual charges e ⁻ and h ⁺ are eliminated, although there is a slight time delay. Can do.

In FIG. 5B, the terminal A and the terminal B are connected, a ternary pulse P2 of 0 V, a positive voltage (+ V), and a negative voltage (-V) is applied, and a ground voltage (0 V) is applied to the terminal C. Composed. In this circuit, for example, when the switch elements SW11 to SW14 are selectively turned on, a half period of the pulse P2 is applied to the terminals A and B in synchronization. In the selected electrostatic MEMS element, the upper electrode 38 and hence the diaphragm 39 are displaced downward by + V or -V of the pulse P2, and the diaphragm 39 returns to its original state at 0V.
Also in this configuration, the residual charges e and h disappear in a short time as in the case of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is configured to connect the terminal A and the terminal B, apply a plus voltage (+ V), and apply a ground voltage (0 V) to the terminal C. In this circuit, for example, the switch elements SW11 to SW14 are selectively turned on / off to drive the electrostatic MEMS element. In this case, when the switch element is turned on, + V is applied to the upper electrode of the electrostatic MEMS element and the diaphragm 39 is displaced downward, and when the switch element is turned off, the diaphragm 39 returns to its original state.
Now, for example, considering the case where two adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are driven simultaneously, if the insulation resistance of the insulating film covering the lower electrodes 35A and 35B is lowered to a level that does not affect driving, Leakage occurs between the adjacent lower electrodes 35A and 35B, and the residual charges e ⁻ and h ⁺ disappear in the same manner. Even when the adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are selectively driven via the switch elements SW11 and SW12, the residual charges e ⁻ and h ⁺ can be eliminated.

In FIG. 5D, the terminal A and the terminal B are connected to apply a binary pulse P3 of 0 V and a positive voltage (+ V1), and a binary pulse P4 of 0 V and a positive voltage (+ V2) is applied to the terminal C. When the electrostatic MEMS actuator is applied to, for example, a microfluidic ejection device, + V1 is a voltage at which ink can be ejected, and + V2 is a voltage at which the diaphragm moves although ink is not ejected. + V1> + V2. The pulses P3 and P4 are supplied so that + V1 and + V2 are alternately applied with their phases shifted. At this time, if the application period t1 of + V1 and the application time t2 of + V2 are set to (+ V1) × application time t1 = (+ V2) × application time t2, the supplied charge amount becomes the same. Residual charges e ⁻ and h ⁺ can be easily released.
Now, for example, considering the case where two adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are driven simultaneously, the diaphragms of the electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are driven by the pulse P3, and the residual charges e ⁻ and h ⁺ are generated by the pulse P4. Can escape. That is, since the diaphragm returns immediately after the pulse P3 is applied and turned off (TA), ink is ejected. When the ink ejection is finished, the pulse P4 is applied and turned off. When the pulse P4 is turned on / off, the vibration plate slightly vibrates but does not discharge ink. By applying a pulse P4 having a polarity opposite to that of the pulse P3, the residual charges e ⁻ and h ⁺ can be released. Further, residual vibration in the diaphragm and the liquid chamber can be reduced by adjusting the timing.

According to the electrostatic MEMS actuator 63 according to the above-described embodiment, in the adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B, 31C and 31D, the lower electrodes 35A and 35C of one electrostatic MEMS element 31A and 31C and the other By configuring the upper electrodes 38B and 38D of the electrostatic MEMS elements 31B and 31D to be electrically connected to each other, the charged electric charge is transferred between the electrodes of the adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B, and the electrostatic MEMS element 31C. And 31D electrodes can be escaped in a short time.
That is, even if the lower electrodes 35A, 35B, 35C, and 35D and the upper electrodes 38A, 38B, 38C, and 38D are individually configured, the number of wires and external electrodes is not increased, so that the adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A, 31B, When wiring common electrodes to the electrostatic MEMS elements 31C and 31D, the lower electrodes 35A and upper electrodes 38B of the adjacent electrostatic MEMS elements 31A and 31B are connected, and the lower electrodes 35C and 38D of the electrostatic MEMS elements 31C and 31D are connected. By connecting, the charged charges e and h can be released.

  When the electrostatic MEMS actuator 63 according to the present embodiment is applied to, for example, a microfluidic discharge device, a single micropump is configured using two electrostatic MEMS actuators that are simultaneously driven with respect to one liquid chamber. It is suitable for. In addition, when one micropump is configured with one electrostatic MEMS actuator in one liquid chamber, the above configuration is achieved by connecting and wiring between the electrostatic MEMS actuators of adjacent micropumps as shown in FIG. Although it takes a little time compared to the above, the charge to be charged can be released between the electrodes of the adjacent electrostatic MEMS actuator.

In the present invention, the electrostatic MEMS actuator alone according to the present embodiment described above can be used as a pressure propagation device such as a speaker.
Furthermore, various microfluidic drive devices (so-called micropumps) can be configured by disposing a fluid flow path on the electrostatic MEMS actuator of the present embodiment described above. The microfluidic drive device of the present embodiment includes, for example, a microfluidic discharge device including an ink jet printer head, a cooling pump for cooling a semiconductor device by flowing a cooling liquid over the semiconductor device for cooling a semiconductor device such as a CPU, and thermal diffusion For equipment and industrial use, polymers such as organic EL, low molecular organic material coating device, printed wiring printing device, solder bump printing device, three-dimensional modeling device, μTAS (Micro Total Analysis Systems) pl (picoliter) The present invention can be applied to a supply head that is controlled and supplied in the following minute units, and a supply head that is controlled and supplied with a very small amount of gas.
As the electrostatic MEMS actuator applied to the microfluidic drive device according to the present embodiment, the electrostatic MEMS actuator having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, or FIG. Can do.

7 to 9 show an embodiment in which a microfluidic discharge device is configured using the above-described electrostatic MEMS actuator.
The microfluidic discharge device 71 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of electrostatic MEMS actuators 72 [721, 722,...] Arranged in parallel at high density, and the electrostatic MEMS actuators 72 [721, 722,. A liquid chamber 73 and a partition wall structure 75 in which a nozzle 74 for discharging liquid droplets to the outside is formed are arranged at positions corresponding to the diaphragm of the liquid, and communicates with each liquid chamber 73 from a discharge target fluid supply mechanism (not shown). A flow path 77 for supplying the fluid 76 is provided. Each flow path 77 is branched from a common flow path 78 from the discharge target fluid supply mechanism (see FIG. 7). An orifice 79 is provided in the vicinity of the entrance of the liquid chamber 73 in the flow channel 77 to suppress backflow (see the schematic diagram in FIG. 8).

  The microfluidic discharge device 71 includes a pair of liquid chambers 73 and an electrostatic MEMS actuator 72 to form one micropump (for example, a printer head element) 81, and a plurality of micropumps 81 [81A, 81B,. It is arranged with a predetermined arrangement. The microfluidic discharge device 71 can be configured as, for example, a line / microfluidic discharge device (for example, a line head) arranged in a line over the width of an object to be printed with a plurality of micropumps 81A, 81B,. Examples of objects to be printed include paper, flexible resin films, and flexible sheets for printed wiring boards.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of electrostatic MEMS actuators are provided corresponding to one micropump 81 composed of the liquid chamber 73 and the electrostatic MEMS actuator 72. That is, a plurality of electrostatic MEMS actuators 721, 722,... Corresponding to one liquid chamber 73 are constituted by two electrostatic MEMS actuators 72A, 72B in this example. As shown in FIG. 9, these two electrostatic MEMS actuators 72A and 72B are formed with two independent lower electrodes 35A and 35B on a common substrate 34, respectively, with respect to the two lower electrodes 35A and 35B. The diaphragms 39A and 39B having the two independent upper electrodes 38A and 38B with the space 37 interposed therebetween are arranged and formed. The diaphragms 39A and 39B are formed in a doubly supported beam structure in which both ends are supported by anchor portions.

  The two diaphragms 39A and 39B corresponding to one liquid chamber 73 are supported by the sub-anchors (supports) 82, and the diaphragm 39 [39A, 39B] is supported by the main anchor portion 83 between the adjacent micropumps 81. In this example, a plurality of main anchor portions 83 and sub anchor portions 82 are provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the diaphragm 39. The main anchor portion 83 and the sub-anchor portion 82 are integrally formed with the diaphragm 39 by the same insulating film constituting the diaphragm 39.

  As described with reference to FIG. 3, the electrostatic MEMS actuator 72 sets the electrode width L of the lower electrode 35 to be longer than the interval W between the two anchor portions 82 and 83 that support both ends of the diaphragms 39A and 39B. In the configuration and the adjacent pair of electrostatic MEMS actuators 72A and 72B, the lower electrode 35A of one electrostatic MEMS actuator 72A and the upper electrode 38B of the other electrostatic MEMS actuator 72B are electrically connected, The wiring and applied voltage described with reference to FIG. 5 can be adopted.

  In the microfluidic discharge device 71 according to the present embodiment, when both electrostatic MEMS actuators 72A and 72B are driven simultaneously and the diaphragms 39A and 39B are simultaneously displaced toward the lower electrode 35, the volume in the liquid chamber 73 increases. The ink 76 is supplied into the liquid chamber 73 through the orifice 79. Next, when the diaphragms 39A and 39B return to their original positions, the volume in the liquid chamber 73 contracts and the inside of the liquid chamber 73 is pressurized, so that a required amount of ink 76 based on the volume fluctuation amount is ejected from the nozzle 73. .

According to the microfluidic discharge device 71 according to the present embodiment, the lower electrodes 35A and 35B and the upper electrodes 38A and 38B of the adjacent electrostatic MEMS actuators 72A and 72B are independently formed, thereby reducing the electrode area. The electrostatic capacitance between the lower electrode 35 [35A, 35B] and the upper electrode 38 [38A, 38B] and the parasitic capacitance between the lower electrode 35 and the substrate 32 can be reduced. Thereby, low power consumption and long life of the micro fluid discharge device 71 can be achieved.
When the lower electrode 35 and the upper electrode 38 are formed independently, the electrode width of the lower electrode 35 [35A, 35B] is made slightly longer than the distance W between the anchor portions 82 and 82, so that the diaphragm 39 [39A, 39B], the occurrence of warpage due to the stress difference in the film thickness direction is suppressed, and the diaphragm 39 can ensure a required amplitude. Further, the step due to the thickness of the lower electrode 35 is formed in the anchor portions 82 and 83 and is detached from the diaphragm 39, so that the influence of the step is ignored and the influence of the step on the strength and life of the diaphragm 39 can be reduced. it can.
Since the lower electrode 35A of one electrostatic MEMS actuator 72A is connected to the upper electrode 38B of the other electrostatic MEMS actuator 72B, an insulating film covering the lower electrode 35] 35A, 35B] and the upper electrode 38 [38A, 38B] is used. The generated charges can be eliminated, and fluctuations in the repulsive force and amplitude fluctuations of the vibration plate 39, and fluctuations in the ejection speed and ejection amount of the ink 76 based thereon are avoided. Therefore, a high-performance microfluidic discharge device can be provided.

  As the electrostatic MEMS actuator 72 used for the microfluidic discharge device 71, the electrostatic MEMS actuator having a configuration described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 or a combination of these configurations can be adopted.

In the embodiment according to the present invention, an ink jet printer which is one of printing apparatuses equipped with the above-described microfluidic discharge device can be configured. The ink jet printer according to the present embodiment includes, for example, the above-described line / trace fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in the same length as the width of the print paper, the ejection target fluid supplying mechanism, and the printing It can be configured as a line head type ink jet printer provided with a mechanism for relatively moving the object and the micro fluid discharge device. Examples of the printing object include paper, a flexible resin film, and a flexible sheet for a printed wiring board as described above.
The moving mechanism may be a mechanism that fixes the line head and transports the printing object, or a mechanism that moves the line head while fixing the printing object.
In addition, other inkjet printers and printing apparatuses of the present invention employ a serial scanning type microfluidic ejection device in which the microfluidic ejection device is operated vertically with respect to the relative transfer direction of an object to be printed. You can also.

According to the ink jet printer and the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, a highly reliable and high performance ink jet printer and printing apparatus can be provided by mounting the above-described microfluidic discharge device of the present invention.
In particular, it is desired to use a battery to make an inkjet printer portable. Moreover, the longer the lifetime, the better. For this reason, an electrostatically driven MEMS microfluidic discharge device is very effective because it consumes less power in principle. In the conventional ink jet printer system, as described above, electric charge is wasted, but by mounting the electrostatic MEMS microfluidic discharge device of this embodiment, power consumption can be reduced. Therefore, a portable inkjet printer can be provided.

The electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention is applied to a pressure transmission device including a speaker, an optical MEMS (optical switch, optical intensity modulator, etc.), a high frequency filter, a high frequency switch, an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, and the like. The present invention can be applied to a vibrator, a microfluidic drive device, and the like.
The microfluidic drive device according to the present invention can be applied to a pump, a microfluidic discharge device including an ink jet printer head, and a printing device including an inkjet printer. The micro fluid ejection device is not limited to ink ejection, but can be applied to ejection of solder paste material, organic semiconductor material, wiring material, perfume for adjusting the scent atmosphere in the room, and other various ejection target fluids.
The MEMS structure targeted by the present invention is a micro / nanoscale structure.

It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the electrostatic MEMS actuator which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows other embodiment of the electrostatic MEMS actuator which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows other embodiment of the electrostatic MEMS actuator which concerns on this invention. A is a circuit diagram showing connection wiring of another embodiment of the electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention. B is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the electrostatic MEMS actuator according to the present invention. FIG. 4A to 4D are circuit diagrams each showing a connection wiring of the electrostatic MEMS actuator of FIG. 4B. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the electrostatic MEMS actuator of this invention. It is a schematic top view which shows one Embodiment of the trace fluid discharge apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is typical sectional drawing on the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing on the BB line of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the conventional electrostatic MEMS actuator. It is a block diagram which shows the other example of the conventional electrostatic MEMS actuator. It is a circuit diagram which shows the connection wiring of the conventional electrostatic MEMS actuator of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the conventional electrostatic MEMS actuator. In the conventional electrostatic MEMS actuator, it is explanatory drawing of the problem of a diaphragm with a level | step-difference part.

  31..Electrostatic MEMS actuator, 31A, 31B..Electrostatic MEMS element (electrostatic MEMS element actuator), 32..Silicon substrate, 33..Insulating film, 34..Substrate, 35 [35A, 35B] .. Lower electrode, 36, 36 '.. Insulating film, 37 .. Space, 38 [38A, 38B] ... Upper electrode, 39 [39A, 39B] ... Vibration plate, 42, 43, 44, 45 ... Insulating film , 46 ··· Anchor portion, 51 ·· Electrostatic MEMS actuator, 51A, 51B · · Electrostatic MEMS element (electrostatic MEMS actuator), 52 [52A, 52B] · · Lower electrode, 53 · · Insulating film, 55 [ 55A, 55B] ... Upper electrode, 57 ... Anchor part, 58,59 ... Insulating film, 60 ... Step part, 61,63 ... Electrostatic MEMS actuator, 61A, 61B ... Static MEMS element (electrostatic MEMS actuator), 100, 101 .. Insulating film, e, h .. charge, 71 .. Trace fluid ejection device, 72A, 72B .. Electrostatic MEMS actuator, 72 [721, 722] .. Electrostatic MEMS actuator, 73 ... Liquid chamber, 74 ... Nozzle, 75 ... Bulkhead structure, 76 ... Ink, 77, 78 ... Flow path, 79 ... Orifice, 81 [81A, 81B] ... Micro pump

Claims (9)

A plurality of adjacent MEMS elements;
An independent lower electrode and an upper electrode of a diaphragm constituting each MEMS element;
An insulating film constituting part of the diaphragm formed on both surfaces of the upper electrode so as to be continuous with each diaphragm;
An insulating film covering a surface of the lower electrode facing the upper electrode;
Formed of an insulating film integrally extending from an insulating film constituting a part of the diaphragm, and having an anchor portion for supporting both ends of the diaphragm,
An electrostatic MEMS actuator in which a width of the lower electrode is set larger than an interval between the anchor portions . Two adjacent MEMS elements are grouped, and in each group, the lower electrode of one MEMS element and the upper electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected,
The upper electrodes of the one MEMS element of each set are commonly connected via the first switch element, and the first terminal is derived,
The lower electrode of the other MEMS element of each set is commonly connected via the second switch element, and the second terminal is derived,
The lower electrodes of the one MEMS element of each set are connected in common and the third terminal is derived.
The electrostatic MEMS actuator according to claim 1 . A plurality of adjacent MEMS elements, independent lower electrodes constituting the MEMS elements and upper electrodes of the diaphragm, and one of the diaphragms formed on both surfaces of the upper electrode so as to be continuous with each diaphragm. The diaphragm is formed of an insulating film that forms a part, an insulating film that covers a surface of the lower electrode that faces the upper electrode, and an insulating film that integrally extends from the insulating film that forms part of the diaphragm An electrostatic MEMS actuator having an anchor portion that supports both ends of the lower electrode, wherein the width of the lower electrode is set larger than the interval between the anchor portions;
A fluid flow path disposed on the electrostatic MEMS actuator;
A microfluidic drive device comprising: Two adjacent MEMS elements are grouped, and in each group, the lower electrode of one MEMS element and the upper electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected,
The upper electrodes of the one MEMS element of each set are commonly connected via the first switch element, and the first terminal is derived,
The lower electrode of the other MEMS element of each set is commonly connected via the second switch element, and the second terminal is derived,
The lower electrodes of the one MEMS element of each set are connected in common and the third terminal is derived.
The microfluidic drive device according to claim 3 . A plurality of adjacent MEMS elements, independent lower electrodes constituting the MEMS elements and upper electrodes of the diaphragm, and one of the diaphragms formed on both surfaces of the upper electrode so as to be continuous with each diaphragm. The diaphragm is formed of an insulating film that forms a part, an insulating film that covers a surface of the lower electrode that faces the upper electrode, and an insulating film that integrally extends from the insulating film that forms part of the diaphragm An electrostatic MEMS actuator having an anchor portion that supports both ends of the lower electrode, wherein the width of the lower electrode is set larger than the interval between the anchor portions;
A liquid chamber having a nozzle disposed on the electrostatic MEMS actuator;
A microfluidic discharge device. Two adjacent MEMS elements are grouped, and in each group, the lower electrode of one MEMS element and the upper electrode of the other MEMS element are electrically connected,
The upper electrodes of the one MEMS element of each set are commonly connected via the first switch element, and the first terminal is derived,
The lower electrode of the other MEMS element of each set is commonly connected via the second switch element, and the second terminal is derived,
The lower electrodes of the one MEMS element of each set are connected in common and the third terminal is derived.
The microfluidic discharge device according to claim 5 . The set of two adjacent MEMS elements is arranged corresponding to one liquid chamber having a nozzle.
The microfluidic discharge device according to claim 6 . A plurality of micropumps composed of electrostatic MEMS actuators and one liquid chamber having a nozzle are arranged in a line shape over the width of the object to be printed.
A microfluidic discharge device according to any one of claims 5 to 7 . A microfluidic discharge device, a discharge target fluid supply mechanism, a printing object and a mechanism that moves relative to the microfluidic discharge device,
A printing apparatus, wherein the microfluidic discharge device is formed of the microfluidic discharge device according to any one of claims 5 to 7 .

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