JP4853128B2 - Thermal head and printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal head used for thermal recording of various printing apparatuses such as a video printer, a bar code printer, a label printer, a card printer, a facsimile machine, and a ticket vending machine, and a printing apparatus incorporating the thermal head.

The conventional thermal head corresponds to a plurality of partial glazes on the insulating ceramic substrate, a plurality of heating elements on the top of each partial glaze, and parallel to the surface of the insulating ceramic substrate from each partial glaze. A plurality of individual electrodes that are electrically connected to the heating elements are formed, and the heating elements and the individual electrodes are covered with a protective film. The individual electrodes of the thermal head have a constricted portion with a narrow line width at a part thereof, and the constricted portions are arranged in a staggered manner along the edge of the glaze (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).
JP-A-11-179948 (Claim 1, [0015] to [0021], FIG. 2)

  In the above-described conventional thermal head, the distance between adjacent individual electrodes is increased by narrowing the line width of the individual electrodes, and the constricted portions of the individual electrodes are arranged in a staggered pattern along the edge of the glaze. Therefore, it is possible to prevent occurrence of short circuit between adjacent individual electrodes, and the internal stress in the protective film covering the individual electrodes and the like is well dispersed in the surface direction, which effectively concentrates a large stress on a predetermined portion of the protective film. Can be prevented. For this reason, even if a large external force is applied to the protective film by sliding contact of a recording medium such as thermal paper or biting of foreign matter, the protective film does not crack, and the protective film is good for the individual electrodes. It can be deposited in a state. As a result, the reliability of the thermal head is improved.

However, in the above-described conventional thermal head, since two types of individual electrodes having different areas of the portion where the glaze is formed immediately below are formed, heat is generated for each heating element composed of the glaze, the heating element, and the individual electrodes. The contact area with the body is different, and the wiring resistance of the individual electrode is different for each heating element. Therefore, due to these synergistic effects, the resistance value for each heating element varies greatly. As a result, printing unevenness occurs, and there is a problem that high-quality printing cannot be performed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a thermal head and a printing apparatus that can solve the above-described problems.

In order to solve the above problems, a thermal head according to the first aspect of the present invention, a thermal storage layer which is arranged on the base substrate, a plurality of heating elements extending in the sub-scanning direction is formed on the heat storage layer A plurality of individual electrodes provided corresponding to the plurality of heating elements, individually connected to one end of each of the heating elements and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and commonly connected to the other ends of the heating elements. The individual electrode includes a first portion having a constant width along the sub-scanning direction and perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction, and the heat generation in a plan view. A first side surface that is inclined from the sub-scanning direction so that a width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction becomes narrower as it is away from the heat generating part of the body, and a second side surface that is along the sub-scanning direction in plan view A second portion, and the heat generation Connected the first portion and said second portion is connected adjacent the wiring resistance of each said individual electrode is set to be uniform, it is characterized in that a.

The thermal head according to a second aspect of the present invention, a thermal storage layer which is arranged on the base substrate, a plurality of heating elements extending in the sub-scanning direction is formed on the heat storage layer, said plurality of heating elements A plurality of individual electrodes individually connected to each one end of each of the heating elements and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and a common electrode commonly connected to each other end of each of the heating elements. The individual electrode is separated from the first portion whose width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction is constant along the sub-scanning direction and the heat generating portion of the heating element in plan view. And a second portion composed of a first side surface inclined from the sub-scanning direction so that a width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction becomes narrower and a second side surface along the sub-scanning direction in plan view , And is connected to the heat generating part. Portion and said second portion is connected adjacent, and is set such that the contact area between each of said individual electrodes and each of the heating element becomes uniform, it is characterized in that.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the two adjacent individual electrodes, the first side surface of the second portion of one adjacent individual electrode and the other individual electrode adjacent to each other are provided. The second side surface of the second portion includes a portion facing and adjacent to the second side surface.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the thermal head, the second part of the one individual electrode and the second part of the other individual electrode are both connected to the heating portions. It is characterized in that it is connected adjacent to the first part.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided the thermal head according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the individual electrode has an arrangement of the first side surface and the second side surface. Comprises two different second parts .
The invention according to claim 6 is provided corresponding to the heat storage layers arranged on the base substrate, a plurality of heating elements formed on the heat storage layer and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and the plurality of heating elements. A thermal head comprising a plurality of individual electrodes individually connected to one end of each of the heating elements and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and a common electrode commonly connected to the other ends of the heating elements. The width of the individual electrode perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction is constant, and the heating element includes a heating part sandwiched between the individual electrode and the common electrode, and the heating element and the individual electrode In the region along the sub-scanning direction in contact with the first portion, the width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction is constant, and the width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction as the distance from the heat generating portion in plan view increases. Inclined from the sub-scanning direction to narrow A first portion connected to the heat generating portion, and a second portion composed of a first side surface and a second side surface along the sub-scanning direction in a plan view. The second portion is connected adjacently, and the resistance of the heating element corresponding to each individual electrode and the common electrode is set to be uniform.

A printing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the invention is characterized by including the thermal head according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

According to the present invention, a thermal head according to the first aspect of the present invention, a thermal storage layer which is arranged on the base substrate, a plurality of heating elements extending in the sub-scanning direction is formed on the heat storage layer, wherein A plurality of individual electrodes provided corresponding to a plurality of heating elements, individually connected to one end of each of the heating elements and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and commonly connected to the other end of each of the heating elements. A thermal head including a common electrode , wherein the individual electrode includes a first portion having a constant width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction along the sub-scanning direction, and the heating element in a plan view. A first side surface that is inclined from the sub-scanning direction so that a width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction becomes narrower as the distance from the heat generating portion increases, and a second side surface along the sub-scanning direction in plan view. A second portion, and connected to the heat generating portion. Said first portion and said second portion is connected adjacent the wiring resistance of each said individual electrode is set to be uniform and.

  Accordingly, when forming a photoresist pattern by photolithography technology or removing unnecessary portions with an etching solution by etching technology, the adjacent heating element, individual electrode, common electrode, bonding pad or Accumulation between the routing wires can be prevented.

  In addition, when forming a photoresist pattern by photolithography technology, it is possible to prevent the photoresist pattern that should originally be removed from remaining without being removed due to insufficient exposure of the photoresist pattern. it can. As a result, it is possible to prevent adjacent heating elements, individual electrodes, common electrodes, bonding pads, or routing wires from being short-circuited.

  In addition, when one or both of the heating element and the individual electrode are formed in the above shape, the contact area between the heating element and the individual electrode is the same for each heating element, and the wiring of the individual electrode is set for each heating element. The resistance is the same. For this reason, there is little variation in the resistance value for every heating element. Further, the speed at which the heat of the heating element escapes through the electrode is also uniform between adjacent dots because the area of the electrode is almost the same. For these reasons, uneven printing is less likely to occur, and a high-quality image can be printed. Further, the recording medium and the protective film are not damaged.

Further, according to the present invention, a thermal head according to a second aspect of the invention, a thermal storage layer which is arranged on the base substrate, a plurality of heating elements extending in the sub-scanning direction is formed on the heat storage layer A plurality of individual electrodes provided corresponding to the plurality of heating elements, individually connected to one end of each of the heating elements and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and commonly connected to the other ends of the heating elements. The individual electrode includes a first portion having a constant width along the sub-scanning direction and perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction, and the heat generation in a plan view. A first side surface that is inclined from the sub-scanning direction so that a width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction becomes narrower as it is away from the heat generating part of the body, and a second side surface that is along the sub-scanning direction in plan view A second portion, and the heat generating portion, A connection has been said first portion and said second portion are connected adjacent to each other, and the contact area between each of said individual electrodes and each of the heating element is set to be uniform.

  Therefore, when forming a photoresist pattern by photolithography technology or removing an unnecessary portion with an etching solution by etching technology, the photoresist or the etching solution is prevented from accumulating between adjacent heating elements or individual electrodes. can do.

  In addition, when forming a photoresist pattern by photolithography technology, it is possible to prevent the photoresist pattern that should originally be removed from remaining without being removed due to insufficient exposure of the photoresist pattern. it can. As a result, it is possible to prevent adjacent heating elements or individual electrodes from being short-circuited.

  Further, the contact area between the heating element and the individual electrode is the same for each heating element, and the wiring resistance of the individual electrode is the same for each heating element. For this reason, since there is little variation in the resistance value for each heating element, uneven printing is less likely to occur, and a high-quality image can be printed. Further, the recording medium and the protective film are not damaged.

According to the present invention, a printing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the invention includes the thermal head according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. Therefore, a high-quality image can be printed on the recording medium without damaging the recording medium or the protective film.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a thermal head thin film chip 2 constituting a thermal head 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the thermal head 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The thermal head 1 according to the first embodiment is a device mounted as a heat source in, for example, a thermal printing apparatus (that is, a printer). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the thermal head 1 includes a thermal head thin film chip 2 and a drive unit 3 that drives the thermal head thin film chip 2, and the thermal head thin film chip 2 is mounted on the drive unit 3. It has a configuration.

The drive unit 3 is connected so that a printed circuit board (PCB) 5 partially overlaps a heat radiating plate 4 made of, for example, aluminum (Al). This printed circuit board 5 has a plurality of driver ICs (Integrated) on one surface (upper surface).
Circuit) 6 is mounted, and a connector 7 for external connection is attached to the other surface (lower surface). In FIG. 4, only one driver IC 6 is shown. The driver IC 6 is a device for driving the thermal head thin film chip 2. Each terminal of the driver IC 6 is connected to an individual electrode 14 formed on the upper surface of the thermal head thin film chip 2 via a wire 8 and a printed pattern (not shown) formed on one surface of the printed circuit board 5. And a wire 9.

The column portion 15 b of the common electrode 15 formed on the upper surface of the thermal head thin film chip 2 is connected to a printed pattern (not shown) formed on one surface of the printed circuit board 5 via a wire 8. The thermal head thin film chip 2 is fixed to the heat radiating plate 4 constituting the driving unit 3 with, for example, a silicone-based adhesive (not shown). Here, silicone is an organic material having a siloxane bond (≡Si—O—Si≡) composed of silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) as a skeleton, and methyl (—CH ₃ ) as the main component of the silicon (Si). A polymer having groups attached thereto.

  The thermal head thin film chip 2 is generally configured by a base substrate 11, a glaze 12, a heating element 13, an individual electrode 14, a common electrode 15, and a protective film 16. 1 and 2, the protective film 16 is not shown. The basic specifications of the thermal head thin film chip 2 according to the first embodiment are, for example, as follows. That is, the effective print length indicating the print length of the entire thermal head thin film chip 2 (the length in the direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the paper surface shown in FIG. 4) is about 80 mm, and the heat generation that constitutes the thermal head thin film chip 2. The total number of bodies 13 is 640 dots. Accordingly, the heating element density indicating the number of heating elements 13 per 1 mm of the thermal head thin film chip 2 is 8 dots / mm (= 640 dots / 80 mm), and indicates the interval between adjacent heating elements 13 (interval in the main scanning direction). The heating element pitch is 0.125 mm (= 80 mm / 640 dots). The average resistance value indicating the average value of the resistance of the plurality of heating elements 13 constituting the thermal head thin film chip 2 is about 800Ω. The planar size of the heat generating portion (heat generating dot) is about 100 μm × about 100 μm.

In the thermal head thin film chip 2 according to the first embodiment, the base substrate 11 is an insulating ceramic substrate such as aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ) (alumina) having a thickness of about 1 mm or an oxide film on the surface. Is formed of single crystal silicon formed. A glaze 12 having a thickness of about 25 μm is formed on the upper surface of the base substrate 11 in a semicircular shape. The glaze 12 is made of, for example, a low heat conductive material such as SiO ₂ —Al ₂ O ₃ —RO based lead-free and alkali-free glass. The glass transition point Tg of the glass used for the glaze 12 is, for example, about 650 to 700 ° C. The glaze 12 has a function as a heat storage layer that stores heat generated by the heating element 13 inside and maintains the thermal responsiveness of the thermal head 1 well, and contacts the thermal paper (recording medium) during printing. It also has a function to improve the printing quality by improving the properties.

  On the upper surface of the glaze 12, for example, a plurality of heating elements 13 made of a polycrystalline silicon (Poly-Si) thin film with a thickness of about 0.2 μm doped with boron (B) or phosphorus (P) are in the main scanning direction. Are arranged at the above-mentioned heating element pitch. Each of the heating elements 13 has a substantially rectangular shape. The heating element 13 generates Joule heat when power is applied through the individual electrode 14 and the common electrode 15 connected to both ends of the heating element 13, and the heating element 13 has a predetermined required for forming a print on a recording medium such as thermal paper. Become temperature.

  Furthermore, on each upper surface of the plurality of heating elements 13, leaving a region corresponding to the upper surface of the top of the glaze 12 and the vicinity thereof, on the right side in the sub-scanning direction (the horizontal direction of the paper shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), for example, Individual electrodes 14 made of a highly conductive material such as aluminum (Al) or copper (Cu) are formed. Each individual electrode 14 extends substantially in parallel in the sub-scanning direction from one end side of the heating element 13 and functions as a connection wiring connected to the driver IC 6. Further, the individual electrodes 14 are separated from each other through an interval region having a predetermined interval.

  Further, the planar shape has a substantially comb shape so that the heating elements formed by the glaze 12, the heating element 13, and the individual electrodes 14 surround a heating element forming region arranged in parallel in the main scanning direction at a predetermined interval. A common electrode 15 is formed. The common electrode 15 is made of, for example, a highly conductive material such as aluminum (Al) or copper (Cu). The common electrode 15 extends from the beam portion 15a toward the other end of each heating element 13 substantially in parallel in the sub-scanning direction, and is separated from each other through an interval region having a predetermined interval. A plurality of comb teeth 15c are formed integrally. The common electrode 15 functions as a power supply wiring that supplies power to the heating element 13.

  A protective film 16 is formed on the upper surface of the heating element 13, the individual electrode 14, and the common electrode 15 described above, leaving one end to which the wire 8 of the individual electrode 14 and the common electrode 15 is bonded. The protective film 16 prevents the heating element 13, the individual electrode 14, and the common electrode 15 from being corroded by moisture in the atmosphere, and the recording medium when printing an image on a recording medium such as thermal paper. This is to prevent the heating element 13 and the individual electrode 14 from being worn or damaged due to contact with each other. The protective film 16 has a thickness of about 3 to 10 μm. The protective film 16 includes, for example, a material including silicon (Si), boron (B), and phosphorus (P), and specifically includes a silicon-boron-phosphorus compound (SiBP). Yes.

  Next, details of the shape of the individual electrode 14 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the individual electrode 14 extends from the one end side of the heating element 13 substantially parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and includes a wide portion 14 a, a first intermediate portion 14 b, a second intermediate portion 14 c, The narrow portion 14d is integrally formed.

  The wide portion 14 a continues from the one end portion side of the heating element 13 with the same width as the heating element 13. The first intermediate portion 14b is continuous with the wide portion 14a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 14a. The second intermediate portion 14c is continuous with the first intermediate portion 14b and has a shape whose width gradually decreases from the first intermediate portion 14b. The narrow portion 14d continues from the other end side of the second intermediate portion 14c with the same width as the second intermediate portion 14c.

  One side surface of the first intermediate portion 14b is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the wide portion 14a. The other side surface of the first intermediate portion 14b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 14a. One side surface of the second intermediate portion 14c is inclined with respect to one side surface of the first intermediate portion 14b. The other side surface of the second intermediate portion 14c is parallel to the other side surface of the wide portion 14a and is located on the same straight line as the other side surface of the narrow portion 14d. Since all the individual electrodes 14 have the same planar shape, in particular, the planar shape of the portion formed on the heating element 13 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below, the area thereof is also the same. In this case, if all the individual electrodes 14 are formed so as to have the same film thickness, the resistance values of the adjacent individual electrodes 14 become uniform.

  The above-mentioned “uniform resistance value” means that the resistance value difference between the two adjacent heating elements is within 5%, and the overall resistance value difference is within 10%. This means that the difference in resistance value between the two heat generating elements adjacent to each other is small. Here, “the resistance value difference between the two adjacent heating elements is within 5%, and the resistance value difference is within 10% as a whole” Since the heating temperature of the heating element changes due to the difference, if the difference in resistance value between adjacent heating elements is within 5%, there is no problem in printing quality, but if the resistance value difference exceeds 5%, printing unevenness will occur. This is because the print quality is conspicuous. However, the printed unevenness is conspicuous visually because of the difference in resistance value between adjacent heating elements. When considering the entire thermal head 1, that is, two heating elements separated from each other to some extent, the resistance value variation of the heating elements varies. This is because the print quality is not a problem as long as it exceeds 5% and is within 10%. The same applies to the definition of “uniform resistance value” described later.

Next, a manufacturing method of the thermal head thin film chip 2 having the above configuration will be described.
(1) Base substrate 11
When the base substrate 11 is made of alumina ceramic, for example, suitable for ceramic raw material powders such as alumina (aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ )), silica (silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ )), magnesia (magnesium oxide (MgO)), etc. An organic solvent and a solvent are added and mixed to form a slurry, and then a ceramic green sheet is produced using a known doctor blade method, calendar roll method, or the like. Next, the ceramic green sheet is punched into a predetermined shape, and then fired at a high temperature (for example, about 1600 ° C.). The purity of the alumina constituting the base substrate 11 is, for example, about 95%.

(2) Glaze 12
First, a glass paste obtained by adding and mixing an appropriate organic solvent, organic binder or the like to glass powder is applied to a predetermined area on the upper surface of the base substrate 11 using a conventionally known screen printing technique or the like. Next, it processes into a predetermined shape using the said photolithography technique. Next, this is baked at a high temperature of 900 ° C. to 1200 ° C. for a predetermined time.

(3) Heating element 13, individual electrode 14, and common electrode 15
The heating element 13, the individual electrode 14 and the common electrode 15 also use a conventionally well-known thin film forming technique, for example, sputtering, vacuum deposition, LP-CVD (low pressure CVD) method, ion plating, photolithography technique and etching technique. Form. Specifically, first, a heating element 13 made of a polysilicon (Poly-Si) thin film doped with boron (B) or phosphorus (P) is formed on the upper surface of each glaze 12 and base substrate 11. Next, on the upper surface of each of the plurality of heating elements 13, the upper surface of the top of the glaze 12 and a region corresponding to the vicinity thereof are left, and the aluminum is formed on the right side in the sub-scanning direction (the horizontal direction of the paper shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). The individual electrode 14 made of a highly conductive material such as (Al) or copper (Cu) is formed.

  Next, a beam portion 15a and two beams are formed so as to surround a heating element forming region in which heating elements constituted by the glaze 12, the heating element 13, and the individual electrodes 14 are arranged in parallel in the main scanning direction at a predetermined interval. The common electrode 15 is formed of a highly conductive material such as aluminum (Al) or copper (Cu), and the planar shape is substantially comb-shaped. 1).

  In this case, as described above, the individual electrode 14 has the shape shown in FIG. 2, that is, the individual electrode 14 has an area in a sliding contact region (nip region) between the recording medium and the protective film 16 (not shown). A constricted portion that is substantially the same and gradually decreases in width is formed. Therefore, when forming a photoresist pattern by the photolithography technique or removing an unnecessary portion with the etching solution by the etching technique, the photoresist or the etching solution is prevented from being accumulated between the adjacent individual electrodes 14. Can do. In addition, when forming a photoresist pattern by photolithography technology, it is possible to prevent the photoresist pattern that should originally be removed from remaining without being removed due to insufficient exposure of the photoresist pattern. it can. As a result, it is possible to prevent adjacent individual electrodes 14 from being short-circuited.

(4) Protective film 16
The protective film 16 is formed using plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) using silane (SiH ₄ ), diborane (B ₂ H ₆ ), phosphine (PH ₃ ), and the like as raw materials.

  Next, the operation of the thermal head 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. In the thermal head 1 according to the first embodiment, for example, in a state where it is connected to a main body of a thermal printing apparatus or the like via the connector 7 of the driving unit 3, the individual electrodes are formed by the driver IC 6 based on the image pattern information. When a pulse (not shown) is applied to 14 and the common electrode 15, the heating element 13 generates heat based on the current supplied from the individual electrode 14 and the common electrode 15, thereby generating heat for printing. .

  The heat generated at this time is stored in the glaze 12 inside, and after passing through the protective film 16, is finally conducted to a printing area of a recording medium (not shown) such as thermal paper. As a result, the temperature of the heating element constituted by the glaze 12, the heating element 13 and the individual electrode 14 rises and reaches the printing temperature, so that printing is performed on the printing area of the recording medium (not shown).

  In this case, in the thermal head thin film chip 2 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, all the individual electrodes 14 are formed on the heating element 13 having a planar shape, in particular, the glaze 12 formed immediately below. Since the planar shape of the formed part is the same, the area is also the same. Therefore, the contact area between the heating element 13 and the individual electrode 14 is the same for each heating element, and the wiring resistance of the individual electrode 14 is the same for each heating element. For this reason, since there is little variation in the resistance value for every heat generating body 13, a printing nonuniformity does not arise easily and a high quality image can be printed.

Next, when no pulse (not shown) is applied to the individual electrode 14 and the common electrode 15 by the driver IC 6 based on the image pattern information, the heat stored in the glaze 12 constitutes the base substrate 11 and the drive unit 3. The heat radiating plate 4 dissipates heat.
By sequentially repeating the operations described above, a predetermined image of a recording medium (not shown) such as thermal paper is printed.

  When printing is performed using the thermal head 1, the recording medium (not shown) such as thermal paper is conveyed in the main scanning direction by an external platen roller, and the recording medium is used as a heating element constituting the thermal head thin film chip 2. The surface of the protective film 16 formed on the thirteen rows is in sliding contact. In this case, in the thermal head thin film chip 2 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in each individual electrode 14, the wide portion 14 a continuous with the heating element 13 generates heat with the same width as the heating element 13. The first intermediate portion 14b that is continuous from one end side of the body 13 and continues to the wide portion 14a has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 14a. That is, the individual electrode 14 is formed with a constricted portion whose area is substantially the same in the sliding contact region (nip region) between the recording medium and the protective film 16 and whose width gradually decreases. Accordingly, stress does not concentrate in the nip area during printing, and the protective film 16 is not easily damaged. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the protective film 16 from being peeled off or torn or the recording medium from being damaged.

  Here, the relationship between the interval W between adjacent heating elements 13 shown in FIG. 2 and the shortest interval D other than the interval W among the intervals between adjacent individual electrodes 14 corresponding to these heating elements 13 will be considered. . In general, it can be said that the wider the interval W, the smaller the interval D. However, other factors such as the thickness of the photoresist pattern, the exposure gap, the parallelism of the light source of the mask aligner (CHA: collimation half angle), the development conditions, etc. are greatly affected by the relationship between the interval W and the interval D. It seems to have influenced. The distance D is preferably (W + 5) μm or more based on the results of extensive studies by the inventors, but considering the above other factors, the same effect as described above can be obtained even at (W + 1) μm. It seems to be obtained.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the characteristics of the leak rate with respect to the interval W. The leak occurrence rate is a percentage at which an electrical short circuit occurs between adjacent individual electrodes 14. In FIG. 5, a curve “a” indicates characteristics when the planar shape of the individual electrode exhibits the shape described in FIG. On the other hand, the curve b shows the characteristic when the planar shape of the individual electrode has the shape described in the shape according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 2). As can be seen from FIG. 5, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the interval W is about 5 μm or more, the leak occurrence rate is almost 0%.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the thermal head thin film chip 31 constituting the thermal head according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 6 and 7, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. 6 and 7, in place of the individual electrodes 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the individual electrodes 32 are provided oddly from the lower end, and the individual electrodes 33 are newly provided evenly from the lower end. 6 and 7, the protective film 16 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is not shown.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the individual electrode 32 extends from the one end side of the heating element 13 substantially in parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and includes a wide portion 32 a, a first intermediate portion 32 b, a second intermediate portion 32 c, 3 The intermediate part 32d and the narrow part 32e are formed integrally.

  The wide portion 32 a continues from the one end side of the heating element 13 with the same width as the heating element 13. The first intermediate portion 32b is continuous with the wide portion 32a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 32a. The second intermediate portion 32c continues from the other end portion side of the first intermediate portion 32b with the same width as the other end portion side of the first intermediate portion 32b. The third intermediate portion 32d is continuous with the second intermediate portion 32c and has a shape whose width gradually decreases from the second intermediate portion 32c. The narrow part 32e continues from the other end part side of the third intermediate part 32d with the same width as the other end part side of the third intermediate part 32d.

  One side surface of the first intermediate portion 32b is positioned on the same straight line as one side surface of the wide portion 32a. The other side surface of the first intermediate portion 32b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 32a. One side surface of the third intermediate portion 32d is inclined with respect to one side surface of the second intermediate portion 32c. The other side surface of the third intermediate portion 32d is parallel to the other side surface of the wide portion 32a and is located on the same straight line as the other side surface of the narrow portion 32e.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the individual electrode 33 extends from the one end side of the heating element 13 substantially parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and includes a wide portion 33 a, an intermediate portion 33 b, and a narrow portion 33 c that are integrally formed. Configured. The wide portion 33a and the intermediate portion 33b are formed on the heating element 13 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below. On the other hand, the region of the narrow portion 33c other than the region corresponding to the third intermediate portion 32d is formed on the heating element 13 where the glaze 12 is not formed immediately below.

  The wide portion 33 a continues from the one end portion side of the heating element 13 with the same width as the heating element 13. The intermediate portion 33b is continuous with the wide portion 33a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 33a. The narrow part 33c continues from the other end part side of the intermediate part 33b with the same width as the other end part side of the intermediate part 33b.

One side surface of the intermediate portion 33b is inclined with respect to one side surface of the wide portion 33a. The other side surface of the intermediate portion 33b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 33a. The individual electrodes 32 and 33 have the same area, in particular, the area of the portion formed on the heating element 13 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below. In this case, if all the individual electrodes 32 and 33 are formed so as to have the same film thickness, the resistance values of the adjacent individual electrodes 32 and 33 become uniform.
As described above, the individual electrodes 32 and 33 have the shape shown in FIG. 7, that is, the individual electrodes 32 and 33 have an area in a sliding contact region (nip region) between the recording medium and the protective film 16 (not shown). Are substantially the same, and a constricted portion whose width gradually decreases is formed. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the configuration of the thermal head thin film chip 41 constituting the thermal head according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 8 and 9, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. 8 and 9, in place of the individual electrodes 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the individual electrodes 42 are newly provided oddly from the lower end, and the individual electrodes 43 are newly provided evenly from the lower end. 8 and 9, the protective film 16 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the individual electrode 42 extends from the one end side of the heating element 13 substantially parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and includes a wide portion 42 a, a first intermediate portion 42 b, a second intermediate portion 42 c, 3 The intermediate part 42d and the narrow part 42e are formed integrally. The wide portion 42a, the first intermediate portion 42b, the second intermediate portion 42c, and the third intermediate portion 42d are formed on the heating element 13 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below. On the other hand, the narrow portion 42e is formed on the heating element 13 where the glaze 12 is not formed immediately below.

  The wide portion 42 a continues from the one end portion side of the heating element 13 with the same width as the heating element 13. The first intermediate portion 42b is continuous with the wide portion 42a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 42a. The second intermediate portion 42c continues from the other end portion side of the first intermediate portion 42b with the same width as the other end portion side of the first intermediate portion 42b. The third intermediate portion 42d is continuous with the second intermediate portion 42c and has a shape whose width gradually decreases from the second intermediate portion 42c. The narrow part 42e continues from the other end part side of the third intermediate part 42d with the same width as the other end part side of the third intermediate part 42d.

  One side surface of the first intermediate portion 42b is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the wide portion 42a. The other side surface of the first intermediate portion 42b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 42a. One side surface of the third intermediate portion 42d is inclined with respect to one side surface of the second intermediate portion 42c. The other side surface of the third intermediate portion 42d is parallel to the other side surface of the wide portion 42a and is located on the same straight line as the other side surface of the second intermediate portion 42c and the other side surface of the narrow portion 42e. .

  As shown in FIG. 9, the individual electrode 43 extends from the one end side of the heating element 13 substantially parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and has a wide portion 43 a, a first intermediate portion 43 b, a second intermediate portion 43 c, The narrow portion 43d is integrally formed. Regions corresponding to the third intermediate portion 42d of the wide portion 43a, the first intermediate portion 43b, the second intermediate portion 43c, and the narrow portion 43d are formed on the heating element 13 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below. . On the other hand, the region of the narrow portion 43d other than the region corresponding to the third intermediate portion 42d is formed on the heating element 13 where the glaze 12 is not formed immediately below.

  The wide portion 43 a continues from the one end side of the heating element 13 while maintaining the same width as the heating element 13. The first intermediate portion 43b is continuous with the wide portion 43a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 43a. The second intermediate portion 43c is continuous with the first intermediate portion 43b and has a shape whose width gradually decreases from the first intermediate portion 43b. The narrow portion 43d continues from the other end portion side of the second intermediate portion 43c with the same width as the other end portion side of the second intermediate portion 43c.

One side surface of the first intermediate portion 43b is inclined with respect to one side surface of the wide portion 43a. The other side surface of the second intermediate portion 43b is located on the same straight line as the other side surface of the wide portion 43a. One side surface of the second intermediate portion 43c is parallel to one side surface of the wide portion 43a and is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the narrow portion 43d. The other side surface of the second intermediate portion 43c is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the first intermediate portion 43b. The individual electrodes 42 and 43 have the same area, in particular, the area of the portion formed on the heating element 13 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below. In this case, if all the individual electrodes 42 and 43 are formed so as to have the same film thickness, the resistance values of the adjacent individual electrodes 42 and 43 become uniform.
As described above, the individual electrodes 42 and 43 have the shape shown in FIG. 9, that is, the individual electrodes 42 and 43 have an area in the sliding contact area (nip area) between the recording medium and the protective film 16 (not shown). Are substantially the same, and a constricted portion whose width gradually decreases is formed. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of the thermal head thin film chip 51 constituting the thermal head according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 10 and 11, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. 10 and 11, in place of the individual electrodes 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the individual electrodes 52 are provided oddly from the lower end, and the individual electrodes 53 are newly provided evenly from the lower end. 10 and 11, the protective film 16 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the individual electrode 52 extends from the one end side of the heating element 13 substantially in parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and includes a wide portion 52 a, a first intermediate portion 52 b, a second intermediate portion 52 c, 3 The intermediate part 52d and the narrow part 52e are formed integrally.

  The wide portion 52a continues from the one end side of the heating element 13 with the same width as the heating element 13. The first intermediate portion 52b is continuous with the wide portion 52a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 52a. The second intermediate portion 52c continues from the other end portion side of the first intermediate portion 52b with the same width as the other end portion side of the first intermediate portion 52b. The third intermediate portion 52d is continuous with the second intermediate portion 52c and has a shape whose width gradually decreases from the second intermediate portion 52c. The narrow part 52e continues from the other end part side of the third intermediate part 52d with the same width as the other end part side of the third intermediate part 52d.

  One side surface of the first intermediate portion 52b is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the wide portion 52a. The other side surface of the first intermediate portion 52b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 52a. One side surface of the third intermediate portion 52d is inclined with respect to one side surface of the second intermediate portion 52c. The other side surface of the third intermediate portion 52d is parallel to the other side surface of the wide portion 52a, and is located on the same straight line as the other side surface of the second intermediate portion 52c and the other side surface of the narrow portion 52e. .

  As shown in FIG. 11, the individual electrode 53 extends from the one end side of the heating element 13 substantially parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and includes a wide portion 53 a, a first intermediate portion 53 b, a second intermediate portion 53 c, The narrow portion 53d is integrally formed.

  The wide portion 53 a continues from the one end side of the heating element 13 while maintaining the same width as the heating element 13. The first intermediate portion 53b is continuous with the wide portion 53a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 53a. The second intermediate portion 53c is continuous with the first intermediate portion 53b and has a shape whose width gradually decreases from the first intermediate portion 53b. The narrow portion 53d continues from the other end portion side of the second intermediate portion 53c with the same width as the other end portion side of the second intermediate portion 53c.

One side surface of the first intermediate portion 53b is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the wide portion 53a. The other side surface of the first intermediate portion 53b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 53a. One side surface of the second intermediate portion 53c is inclined with respect to one side surface of the first intermediate portion 53b. The other side surface of the second intermediate portion 53c is parallel to the other side surface of the wide portion 53a and is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the narrow portion 53d. The individual electrodes 52 and 53 have the same area, in particular, the area of the portion formed on the heating element 13 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below. In this case, if all the individual electrodes 52 and 53 are formed so as to have the same film thickness, the resistance values of the adjacent individual electrodes 52 and 53 become uniform.
As described above, the individual electrodes 52 and 53 have the shape shown in FIG. 11, that is, the individual electrodes 52 and 53 have an area in a sliding contact region (nip region) between the recording medium and the protective film 16 (not shown). Are substantially the same, and a constricted portion whose width gradually decreases is formed. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the configuration of the thermal head thin film chip 61 constituting the thermal head according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 12 and 13, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. 12 and 13, a heating element 62 and an individual electrode 63 are newly provided in place of the heating element 13 and the individual electrode 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. 12 and 13, the protective film 16 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the heating element 62 extends from the lower end (not shown) of the beam portion 15a of the common electrode 15 substantially in parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and has a wide portion 62a, an intermediate portion 62b, and a terminal end. The part 62c is integrally formed. The wide portion 62a continues from the lower end (not shown) of the beam portion 15a of the common electrode 15 with a width slightly wider than the width of the comb-tooth portion 15c of the common electrode 15. The intermediate part 62b is continuous with the wide part 62a, and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide part 62a. The end portion 62c is continuous with the intermediate portion 62b and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the intermediate portion 62b.

  One side surface of the intermediate portion 62b is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the wide portion 62a. The other side surface of the intermediate portion 62b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 62a. One side surface of the end portion 62c is inclined with respect to one side surface of the intermediate portion 62b. Although not shown, the other side surface of the end portion 62c is located on the same straight line as the other side surface of the intermediate portion 62b. In this case, if all the heating elements 62 are formed so that the respective film thicknesses are the same, the resistance values of the adjacent heating elements 62 become uniform.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the individual electrode 63 extends from the one end side of the wide portion 62 a of the heating element 62 substantially in parallel to the sub-scanning direction, and includes the wide portion 63 a, the first intermediate portion 63 b, and the second intermediate portion. 63c and the narrow part 63d are integrally formed.

  The wide part 63a continues from one end side of the wide part 62a of the heat generating element 62 with a width slightly narrower than the width of the wide part 62a of the heat generating element 62. The first intermediate portion 63b is continuous with the wide portion 63a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 63a. The second intermediate portion 63c is continuous with the first intermediate portion 63b and has a shape whose width gradually decreases from the first intermediate portion 63b. The narrow part 63d continues from the other end part side of the second intermediate part 63c with the same width as the other end part side of the second intermediate part 63c.

One side surface of the first intermediate portion 63b is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the wide portion 63a. The other side surface of the first intermediate portion 63b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 63a and is continuous with the other side surface of the end portion 62c of the heating element 62 without a step. One side surface of the second intermediate portion 63c is inclined with respect to one side surface of the first intermediate portion 63b. The other side surface of the second intermediate portion 63c is parallel to the other side surface of the wide portion 63a and is collinear with the other side surface of the narrow portion 63d. The individual electrode 63 has the same area, in particular, the area of the portion formed on the heating element 62 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below. In this case, if all the individual electrodes 63 are formed so as to have the same film thickness, the resistance values of the adjacent individual electrodes 63 become uniform.
As described above, the heating element 62 and the individual electrode 63 have the shape shown in FIG. 13, that is, the heating element 62 and the individual electrode 63 are in a sliding contact area (nip region) between the recording medium (not shown) and the protective film 16. ), A constricted portion having substantially the same area and gradually decreasing width is formed. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a configuration of a thermal head thin film chip 71 constituting a thermal head according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention, and FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 14 and 15, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. 14 and 15, a heating element 72 and an individual electrode 73 are newly provided in place of the heating element 13 and the individual electrode 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. 14 and 15, the protective film 16 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the heating element 72 extends from the lower end (not shown) of the beam portion 15a of the common electrode 15 substantially in parallel to the sub-scanning direction. The second intermediate portion 72c and the end portion 72d are integrally formed. The wide portion 72a continues from the lower end (not shown) of the beam portion 15a of the common electrode 15 with a width slightly wider than the width of the comb tooth portion 15c of the common electrode 15. The first intermediate portion 72b is continuous with the wide portion 72a and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the wide portion 72a. The second intermediate portion 72c is continuous with the first intermediate portion 72b, and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the first intermediate portion 72b. The end portion 72d is continuous with the second intermediate portion 72c and has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the second intermediate portion 72c.

  One side surface of the first intermediate portion 72b is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the wide portion 72a. The other side surface of the first intermediate portion 72b is inclined with respect to the other side surface of the wide portion 72a. One side surface of the second intermediate portion 72c is inclined with respect to one side surface of the first intermediate portion 72b. The other side surface of the second intermediate portion 72c is located on the same straight line as the other side surface of the first intermediate portion 72b. One side surface of the end portion 72d is located on the same straight line as one side surface of the second intermediate portion 72c. Although not shown, the other side surface of the end portion 72d is parallel to the other side surface of the wide portion 72a and is located on the same straight line as the other side surface of the individual electrode 73. In this case, if all the heating elements 72 are formed so that the respective film thicknesses are the same, the resistance values of the adjacent heating elements 72 become uniform.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the individual electrode 73 extends substantially in parallel in the sub-scanning direction from one end of the wide portion 72 a of the heating element 72. The individual electrode 73 has a substantially rectangular shape, and its width is slightly narrower than the width of the wide portion 72 a of the heating element 72. In this case, if all the individual electrodes 73 are formed so as to have the same film thickness, the resistance values of the adjacent individual electrodes 73 become uniform.

  As described above, the heating element 72 and the individual electrode 73 have the shape shown in FIG. 15, that is, the heating element 72 and the individual electrode 73 are in a sliding contact area (nip region) between a recording medium (not shown) and the protective film 16. ), A constricted portion having substantially the same area and gradually decreasing width is formed. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained.

Embodiment 7 FIG.
Moreover, although each embodiment mentioned above showed the example which applies this invention to the individual electrode or heat generating body formed in the top upper surface vicinity (for example, nip area | region) of a glaze, it is not limited to this. The present invention provides a pattern in which the distance between adjacent electrodes or bonding pads, such as individual electrodes or heating elements other than the vicinity of the upper surface of the top of the glaze (for example, the nip region), common electrodes, bonding pads, routing wires, etc. is narrow Can be applied to.

  FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a configuration of a thermal head thin film chip 81 constituting the thermal head according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 16, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. In FIG. 16, instead of the common electrode 15 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a common electrode 82 is newly provided. In FIG. 16, the protective film 16 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is not shown.

  The common electrode 82 has a U-turn electrode structure in which the adjacent heating elements 13 and individual electrodes 14 are folded back and the ends are continuously connected to each other. Since all the common electrodes 82 have the same planar shape, in particular, the planar shape of the portion formed on the heating element 13 in which the glaze 12 is formed immediately below, the area thereof is also the same. In this case, if all the common electrodes 82 are formed so as to have the same film thickness, the resistance values of the adjacent common electrodes 82 become uniform.

  Therefore, according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the effect obtained by the first embodiment described above can be obtained, and the thermal head can be miniaturized. This is because it is not necessary to form the beam portion 15a and the column portion 15b constituting the common electrode 15 shown in FIG. 1, and thus the size of the entire thermal head thin film chip can be reduced. Further, according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, in the case of the U-turn electrode structure, one heating element 13 connected to one common electrode constitutes one dot, but the resistance value of all the common electrodes 82 Therefore, there is no difference in resistance value between adjacent dots, and there is no difference in the manner of heat dissipation between adjacent heating elements 13.

Embodiment 8 FIG.
FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus 91 according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention. The printing apparatus 91 is a video printer and includes a casing 92 having a substantially hexahedral shape as shown in FIG. A display panel 93 made of a liquid crystal display, an input key 94, and a paper discharge port 95 are provided on the front surface of the casing 92, respectively.

  Further, the thermal paper 96 is accommodated in the casing 92 in a form wound in a roll shape. The front end of the thermal paper 96 is supported by a plurality of (two in FIG. 17) transport rollers 97 and positioned in front of the paper discharge port 95. Further, in the casing 92, the thermal head 1 according to the first embodiment described above or the thermal head thin film chip 31, 41, 51, 61, 71 or 81 according to the second to seventh embodiments described above is provided. A thermal head (hereinafter collectively referred to as “thermal head 98”) is positioned and incorporated on the upper side of the thermal paper 96. By heating the thermal paper 96 with the thermal head 98 to cause color development, an image such as a character or an image is printed on the thermal paper 96, and then the thermal paper 96 can be discharged from the paper discharge port 95.

  As described above, according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention, since the thermal head 98 according to the first to seventh embodiments described above is used, the printing apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention has a high quality. You can print an image.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the design can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. Is included in the present invention.
For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention is applied to a partial glaze type thermal head in which the glaze 12 having a semicircular arc shape is formed only on the heating dots on the upper surface of the base substrate 11. It is not limited to this. The present invention is also applicable to a planar glaze type thermal head in which a glaze is formed on the entire upper surface of the base substrate, and a convex substrate type in which a glaze is formed on a convex base substrate having a step of about 1 mm. be able to. Further, the shape of the glaze may be a semicircular arc shape or a concave shape.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the side surface of the intermediate portion is linearly inclined with respect to the side surface such as the wide portion has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. However, it may be configured to be inclined with respect to the curve. In any case, it is desirable that the inclination angle is gentle.

  Moreover, in each embodiment mentioned above, although the example which an individual electrode and a common electrode consist of aluminum (Al) was shown, it is not limited to this, For example, as a material of an individual electrode and a common electrode, aluminum alloy (Al-- Si, Al-Si-Cu, Al-Ti, etc.) or a refractory metal may be used.

Moreover, in each embodiment mentioned above, although the example which uses the glaze 12 as a thermal storage layer was shown, it is not limited to this, A thermal storage layer is multi-element oxide ceramics of silicon (Si), a transition metal, and oxygen (O) An inorganic heat storage layer made of a layer or an organic heat storage layer made of polyimide resin or the like may be used.
In the seventh embodiment described above, an example in which the present invention is applied to the video printer 81 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a bar code printer, a label printer, a card printer, a facsimile, a ticket machine, and the like. It can also be applied to.
Moreover, each embodiment mentioned above can divert each other's technique as long as there is no contradiction or a problem in the objective, structure, etc. in particular.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermal head thin film chip | tip which comprises the thermal head which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the part of A of FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the thermal head which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the characteristic of the leak incidence rate with respect to the slit width between individual electrodes. It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermal head thin film chip | tip which comprises the thermal head which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the part of A of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermal head thin film chip | tip which comprises the thermal head which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the part of A of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermal head thin film chip which comprises the thermal head which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the part of A of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermal head thin film chip | tip which comprises the thermal head which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the part of A of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermal head thin film chip | tip which comprises the thermal head concerning Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the part of A of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the thermal head thin film chip which comprises the thermal head concerning Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows schematic structure of the printing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 8 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1,98 Thermal head
2, 31, 41, 5, 16, 71, 81 Thermal head thin film chip
3 Drive unit
4 Heat sink
5 Printed circuit board
6 Driver IC
7 Connector
8,9 wire
11 Base substrate
12 glaze (heat storage layer)
13, 62, 72 heating element
14, 32, 33, 42, 43, 52, 53, 63, 73 Individual electrodes
14a, 32a, 33a, 42a, 43a, 52a, 53a, 62a, 63a, 72a, 73a Wide part
14b, 32b, 33b, 42b, 43b, 52b, 53b, 62b, 63b, 72b, 73b First intermediate portion
14c, 32c, 42c, 43c, 52c, 53c, 63c, 72c Second intermediate part
14d, 32e, 33c, 42e, 43d, 52e, 53d, 63d Narrow part
15,82 Common electrode
15a Beam
15b Column
15c comb teeth
16 Protective film
21 and 22 area
32d, 42d, 52d 3rd intermediate part
62c, 72d termination
91 Printing device
92 Casing
93 Display panel
94 Input key
95 Paper exit
96 Thermal paper
97 Conveyance roller

Claims (7)

A thermal storage layer which is arranged on the base substrate, a plurality of heating elements extending in the sub-scanning direction is formed on the heat storage layer, provided corresponding to said plurality of heating elements, each one end of each said heating element A thermal head comprising a plurality of individual electrodes individually connected to each other and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and a common electrode commonly connected to each other end of each heating element ,
The individual electrodes are along the sub-scanning direction,
A first portion having a constant width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction;
A first side surface inclined from the sub-scanning direction so that a width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction becomes narrower as the distance from the heat generating portion of the heating element in a plan view, and a second side surface in the sub-scanning direction in a plan view. And a second portion composed of side surfaces of
The first part and the second part connected to the heat generating part are adjacently connected, and the wiring resistance of each individual electrode is set to be uniform.
Thermal head characterized by that. A thermal storage layer which is arranged on the base substrate, a plurality of heating elements extending in the sub-scanning direction is formed on the heat storage layer, provided corresponding to said plurality of heating elements, each one end of each said heating element A thermal head comprising a plurality of individual electrodes individually connected to each other and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and a common electrode commonly connected to each other end of each heating element ,
The individual electrodes are along the sub-scanning direction,
A first portion having a constant width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction;
A first side surface inclined from the sub-scanning direction so that a width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction becomes narrower as the distance from the heat generating portion of the heating element in a plan view, and a second side surface in the sub-scanning direction in a plan view. And a second portion composed of side surfaces of
The first part and the second part connected to the heat generating part are adjacently connected, and the contact area between each individual electrode and each heat generating element is set to be uniform,
Thermal head characterized by that.   In the two adjacent individual electrodes, the first side surface in the second portion of one adjacent individual electrode and the second side surface in the second portion of the other adjacent individual electrode are: The thermal head according to claim 1, further comprising adjacent and opposing portions.   The second part of the one individual electrode and the second part of the other individual electrode are both connected adjacent to the first part connected to each of the heating portions. The thermal head according to claim 3, wherein: The individual electrodes are:
5. The thermal head according to claim 1, comprising two of the second portions having different arrangements of the first side surface and the second side surface. 6. .   A heat storage layer arranged on the base substrate, a plurality of heating elements formed on the heat storage layer and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and provided corresponding to the plurality of heating elements, at each end of each of the heating elements A thermal head comprising a plurality of individual electrodes individually connected and extending in the sub-scanning direction, and a common electrode commonly connected to each other end of each heating element,
  A width of the individual electrode perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction is constant;
  The heating element is
  Comprising a heating part sandwiched between the individual electrode and the common electrode;
  In the region along the sub-scanning direction where the heating element and the individual electrode are in contact,
  A first portion having a constant width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction;
  A first side surface inclined from the sub-scanning direction so that a width perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction becomes narrower as the distance from the heat generating portion in plan view, and a second side surface along the sub-scanning direction in plan view A second portion comprising:
  The first part and the second part connected to the heat generating part are adjacently connected, and the resistance of the heating element corresponding to each individual electrode and the common electrode is set to be uniform. Was
Thermal head characterized by that. Printing apparatus comprising: a thermal head according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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