JP6129005B2 - Cleaning method for recording head substrate - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for cleaning a recording head substrate constituting an inkjet recording head.

  Patent Document 1 describes a wafer cleaning method in a dicing apparatus. In such a cleaning method, when a wafer after cutting is cleaned by a spinner, the wafer is rotated at a first rotation speed, cleaned for a predetermined time, and then at a second rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed. Switch and clean for a predetermined time. By repeating such spinner cleaning a plurality of times, contamination adhered to the cut wafer is removed.

JP 2006-310395 A

  However, since the central portion of the wafer after cutting is cleaned more frequently by the cleaning nozzle than the outer peripheral portion of the wafer, static electricity may be generated due to friction when the cleaning liquid comes into contact with the wafer. When the cut wafer is a recording head substrate constituting an ink jet recording head and includes an electrothermal conversion element (heater) as an ejection energy generating element for ejecting ink from the ejection port, The electrothermal transducer may be affected by static electricity. That is, there is a possibility that anodic oxidation may occur in the electrothermal conversion element provided inside the recording head substrate due to static electricity generated at the center of the wafer after cutting.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning method for cleaning a recording head substrate so that anodic oxidation does not occur in an electrothermal conversion element provided inside the recording head substrate.

  In the method for cleaning a recording head substrate according to the present invention, a plurality of recording head substrates having electrothermal conversion elements as ejection energy generating elements for ejecting ink from ejection ports are held on a spinner table. A cleaning method for cleaning the plurality of recording head substrates by rotation and reciprocation of a cleaning nozzle that moves through a rotation center of the spinner table while spraying a cleaning liquid, wherein the plurality of recording head substrates are disposed on the rotation center. The plurality of recording head substrates are held on a spinner table so that the electrothermal conversion element is not positioned.

  According to the present invention, the static electricity generated on the recording head substrate located at the rotation center of the spinner table is converted into electrothermal conversion by shifting the position of the electrothermal conversion element provided on the recording head substrate from the rotation center of the spinner table. The influence on the element can be kept small. That is, generation of anodization of the electrothermal conversion element due to static electricity can be suppressed. As a result, a high-quality recording head can be efficiently manufactured without significantly changing the manufacturing process of the recording head including the cleaning process for the recording head substrate.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a recording head substrate. It is explanatory drawing of the wafer in which the some substrate for recording heads was formed. It is explanatory drawing of the positional relationship of the wafer and spinner table in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the washing | cleaning method of the board | substrate for recording heads in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the vicinity of the center portion of the spinner table of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a positional relationship between the cleaning nozzle of FIG. 4 and a recording head substrate. It is an expanded sectional view which follows the VII-VII line of Drawing 6 (b). It is explanatory drawing of the positional relationship of the wafer and spinner table in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the washing | cleaning method of the board | substrate for recording heads in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of movement control of the washing nozzle in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a recording head substrate 11 constituting an inkjet recording head. A recording head substrate (hereinafter also simply referred to as “substrate”) 11 is formed with a heater (electrothermal conversion element) 12 that generates energy necessary for ejecting ink and a nozzle plate 15. . An ink supply path 13 is formed on the substrate 11, and a plurality of ejection ports 14 communicating with the ink supply path 13 are formed on the nozzle plate 15. The substrate 11 is formed with an electrical connection portion 16 for electrical connection with the recording apparatus main body. The ink jet recording head constituted by such a substrate 11 is supplied with ink through the ink supply path 13, and receives a drive signal for the heater 12 from the recording apparatus main body through the electrical connection portion 16. In response to the drive signal, the heater 12 serving as an ejection energy generating element generates heat, whereby the ink is foamed. By using the foaming energy, the ink can be ejected from the ejection port 14 corresponding to the heater 12.

  In this example, a total of six ejection port arrays are formed by the plurality of ejection ports 14, and the arrangement pitch P of the ejection ports 14 in each ejection port array. The ejection ports 14 in the ejection port arrays L1-1 and L1-2 are shifted by a half pitch (P / 2), and these form an ejection port array L1 for ejecting ink supplied from the common ink supply path 13. doing. Similarly, the ejection ports 14 in the ejection port arrays L2-1 and L2-2 are shifted by a half pitch (P / 2), which are ejection port arrays for ejecting ink supplied from the common ink supply path 13. L2 is formed. Similarly, the ejection ports 14 in the ejection port arrays L <b> 3-1 and L <b> 3-2 are shifted by a half pitch (P / 2), which are ejection port arrays for ejecting ink supplied from the common ink supply path 13. L3 is formed. Therefore, depending on the substrate 11 of this example, the three colors of ink supplied from each of the three ink supply paths 13 can be discharged from the discharge port arrays L1, L2, and L3. The number and arrangement form of the discharge ports formed in the substrate 11 are not limited to the form of this example and are arbitrary.

  FIG. 2A is a plan view of the wafer 10 before cutting, and a plurality of the substrates 11 of FIG. 1 including the heater 12, the nozzle plate, and the electrical connection portion 16 are formed on the wafer. The wafer 10 is cut along a plurality of predetermined cutting lines (including cutting lines LA and La) in the vertical and horizontal directions to separate the plurality of substrates 11. In the wafer dicing in the present embodiment, the wafer 10 before cutting is attached to the dicing tape 21. At that time, the frame center 300 of the dicing frame 20 shown in FIG. 2B is located between the substrates 11 before separation where the intersection (hereinafter referred to as “intersection”) 400 of the cutting lines LA and La is located. The wafer 10 before cutting is attached to the dicing tape 21. In this example, the wafer 10 before cutting is attached to the dicing tape 21 so that the frame center 300 of the dicing frame 20 and the intersection 400 of the cutting lines LA and La of the wafer 10 overlap each other. The cutting lines LA and La are cutting lines passing through the vicinity of the center (wafer center) 200 of the wafer 10.

  The wafer 10 attached to the dicing frame 20 by the dicing tape 21 is mounted on the spinner table 1 as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the frame center 300 of the dicing frame 20 is set so as to overlap the table center (rotation center) 100 of the spinner table 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the frame center 300 of the dicing frame 20 may be positioned between the substrates 11 before separation where the intersection 400 is positioned. In the case of this example, the intersection 400 should just be located on the rotation center of the spinner table 1. In the wafer 10 according to the present embodiment, the intersection 400 is not located at the wafer center 200 due to the arrangement of the substrates 11, so that the wafer 10 is dicing tape 21 so that the wafer center 200 is shifted from the frame center 300 as shown in FIG. 3. Pasted on.

  After the wafer 10 stuck on the dicing tape 21 in this way is cut along a plurality of vertical and horizontal cutting lines (including the cutting lines LA and La) by a dicing blade and separated into individual substrates 11, Spinner cleaning is performed as described later. In the present embodiment, the wafer center 200 is shifted from the table center 100 by mounting the dicing frame 20 so that the table center 100 and the frame center 300 overlap. By holding the dicing frame 20 and the dicing tape 21 on the spinner table 1, the wafer 10 does not fall off even if the spinner table 1 rotates at a high speed.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining spinner cleaning after the substrate 11 is separated into individual pieces. As the spinner table 1 on which the wafer 10 is mounted rotates in the direction of arrow A at a variable speed, the cleaning nozzle 2 attached to the cleaning arm 3 reciprocates in the movable range on the wafer 10 in the direction of arrow B. 10 is spinner cleaned. The rotation speed of the spinner table 1 in this embodiment is 50 to 500 rpm. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an arbitrary speed may be set.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the substrates 11 arranged on the wafer 10. The substrates 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D are four substrates that are adjacent to each other in the vicinity of the table center 100, and are sequentially arranged in the rotation direction of the spinner table 1 around the table center 100. The intersection of virtual lines C1 and C2 connecting the heaters 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D located at the corners of the substrates 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D is the cleaning center 500. These heaters 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D are heaters that are closest to the table center 100 in each of the substrates 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D.

  In this embodiment, the heater 12A corresponds to the heater corresponding to the discharge port 14 located at the lowermost right corner of the substrate 11A in FIG. 5, that is, the discharge port 14 positioned at the lowest position in the discharge port row L3-2 in FIG. It is a heater. The heater 12B is a heater corresponding to the discharge port 14 positioned at the lower left corner of the substrate 11B in FIG. 5, that is, a heater corresponding to the discharge port 14 positioned at the lowermost position of the discharge port array L1-1 in FIG. The heater 12C is a heater corresponding to the discharge port 14 positioned in the upper right corner of the substrate 11C in FIG. 5, that is, the heater corresponding to the discharge port 14 positioned in the uppermost position of the discharge port array L3-2 in FIG. The heater 12D is a heater corresponding to the discharge port 14 positioned at the upper left corner of the substrate 11D in FIG. 5, that is, a heater corresponding to the discharge port 14 positioned at the uppermost position in the discharge port row L1-1 in FIG.

  The imaginary line C1 is a connection connecting the heaters 12A and 12D, the imaginary line C2 is a connection connecting the heaters 12B and 12C, and the cleaning center 500 at the intersection of these connections C1 and C2 is the table center. Located on 100. Accordingly, the heaters 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D are located at equal distances from the cleaning center 500 that overlaps the table center 100. The cleaning center 500 in this example is an intersection 400 of vertical and horizontal cutting lines LA and La. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cleaning center 500 may be at the intersection of C1 and C2 or in the vicinity of the intersection of C1 and C2, and may be on the substrate 11.

  FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram of the position of the cleaning nozzle 2 in the spinner cleaning of the present embodiment, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of the VIb portion of FIG. 6A. The cleaning nozzle 2 reciprocates so that the central portion thereof passes over the intersection 400 of the cutting lines LA and La. By shifting the mounting position of the cleaning nozzle 2 with respect to the cleaning arm 3, the cleaning position of the cleaning nozzle 2 with respect to the wafer 10 can be easily changed. However, when the position of the cleaning nozzle 2 is shifted, the cleaning nozzle 2 may not pass over the table center 100 of the spinner table 1, and there may be a portion where the cleaning cannot be performed on the wafer 10.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. In the vicinity of the table center 100 where the centrifugal force does not act, the cleaning liquid 4 tends to always exist, and the number of times of cleaning is larger than the outer peripheral portion of the wafer 10. In this example, since the table center 100 and the intersection 400 of the cutting line overlap, the substrates 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D and the cutting lines LA, La located in the vicinity of the table center 100 are separated from the cleaning nozzle 2. The cleaning liquid 4 tends to remain. The substrates 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D located in the vicinity of the table center 100 are likely to generate static electricity due to friction with the cleaning liquid that is in contact with the cleaning arm 3 every time the cleaning arm 3 is operated. Anodization may occur.

  The substrates 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D in the present embodiment are equidistant from the table center 100 even if they are the heaters 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D that are closest to the table center 100. Therefore, even if static electricity is generated in the table center 100, the influence of the static electricity on the heater 12 inside the substrate can be suppressed to be small, and anodization of the heater 12 can be prevented. If the heater 12 inside the substrate is located at the table center 100, the heater 12 may be anodized.

(Second Embodiment)
In the following second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment described above will be described.

  FIG. 8 shows the mounting positions on the dicing tape 21 of the wafers 10 separated for each substrate 11. In the present embodiment, the dicing tape 21 bonds them so that the frame center 300 of the dicing frame 20 and the wafer center 200 of the wafer 10 overlap. Further, by mounting the dicing frame 20 so that the table center 100 and the frame center 300 of the spinner table 1 overlap, the wafer center 200 also overlaps with the table center 100. A dicing frame 20 and a dicing tape 21 are held by suction on the spinner table 1 so that the wafer 10 does not fall off even if the spinner table 1 rotates at a high speed.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view for explaining spinner cleaning after the substrate 11 is separated into individual pieces. While the spinner table 1 on which the wafer 10 is mounted rotates in the direction of arrow A at a variable speed, the cleaning nozzle 2 attached to the cleaning arm 3 reciprocates in the movable range on the wafer 10 in the direction of arrow B, thereby 11 is spinner cleaned. As shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning nozzle 2 reciprocates so as to draw a trajectory passing through the wafer center 200.

  In the case of this embodiment, the moving speed of the cleaning nozzle 2 is such that the cleaning flow rate of the cleaning liquid 4 per unit area (the amount of spray from the cleaning nozzle 2) is the same at the wafer center 200 and the outer periphery of the wafer 10. Is variable. Specifically, the moving speed of the cleaning nozzle 2 between the cleaning point P2 near the wafer center 200 and the cleaning point P3 with respect to the moving speed of the cleaning nozzle 2 on the outer periphery of the wafer 10 including the cleaning points P3 and P4. To increase. Thereby, the cleaning flow rate per unit area on each substrate 11 is adjusted. As a result, the cleaning flow rate in the vicinity of the wafer center 200, which tends to be large, is suppressed to the same level as the cleaning flow rate at the outer peripheral portion of the wafer 10. In the present embodiment, the moving speed of the cleaning nozzle 2 is controlled in order to adjust the cleaning flow rate per unit area. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cleaning liquid 4 per unit time ejected from the cleaning nozzle 2 is controlled. The flow rate may be controlled. Both or both of the former speed control and the latter flow rate control may be performed.

  Thus, by controlling the moving speed of the cleaning nozzle 2 and the like so that the cleaning flow rate per unit area on each substrate 11 is the same amount, static electricity that is likely to be generated on the substrate 11 located near the wafer center 200. Can be suppressed. Accordingly, anodization of the heater 12 in the substrate 11 due to static electricity can be prevented.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention holds the recording head substrate on the spinner table so that the electrothermal transducer in the recording head substrate is not positioned on the rotation center of the spinner table at least when cleaning the recording head substrate. If you can. In addition, when a plurality of recording head substrates are formed on a common wafer, the spinner table is rotated so that the rotation center of the spinner table is positioned between the recording head substrates on which the wafer cutting lines are positioned. Just hold it on the table. In that case, the cutting line does not necessarily pass through the center of rotation of the spinner table. Further, the wafer may be held on the spinner table so that the rotation center of the spinner table is positioned between the recording head substrates where the intersection of the cutting lines is located. In this case, the intersection of the cutting lines is not necessarily the spinner table. It does not have to pass through the center of rotation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Spinner table 2 Cleaning nozzle 4 Cleaning liquid 10 Wafer 11 Recording head board | substrate 12 Electrothermal conversion element (heater)
14 Ink ejection port 21 Dicing tape 100 Center of rotation 200 Center of wafer

Claims (8)

A plurality of recording head substrates having electrothermal conversion elements as ejection energy generating elements for ejecting ink from ejection ports are held on a spinner table, and the spinner table is rotated while jetting cleaning liquid. A cleaning method for cleaning the plurality of recording head substrates by reciprocating a cleaning nozzle that moves through a rotation center,
A method of cleaning a recording head substrate, wherein the plurality of recording head substrates are held on a spinner table so that the electrothermal transducer is not positioned on the rotation center. After the plurality of recording head substrates are formed on a common wafer, the wafer held on the spinner table is cut along a predetermined cutting line to be separated while being held on the spinner table. And
2. The method for cleaning a recording head substrate according to claim 1, wherein the wafer is held on the spinner table so that the electrothermal transducer is not positioned on the rotation center.   The method of cleaning a recording head substrate according to claim 2, wherein the wafer is held on the spinner table via a dicing tape.   4. The recording head substrate according to claim 2, wherein the wafer is held on the spinner table so that the rotation center is positioned between the recording head substrates on which the cutting line is positioned. 5. Cleaning method.   4. The recording head according to claim 2, wherein the wafer is held on the spinner table so that the rotation center is located between the recording head substrates on which the intersections of the cutting lines are located. Substrate cleaning method.   6. The method for cleaning a recording head substrate according to claim 2, wherein the center of the wafer is positioned between the recording head substrates where the intersections of the cutting lines are located. Around the rotation center, the first, second, third, and fourth recording head substrates are positioned so as to be sequentially arranged in the rotation direction of the spinner table,
An imaginary line connecting the electrothermal conversion element closest to the rotation center on the first recording head substrate and the electrothermal conversion element closest to the rotation center on the third recording head substrate. Is the first connection, and the electrothermal conversion element at the position closest to the rotation center in the second recording head substrate and the electrothermal conversion at the position closest to the rotation center in the fourth recording head substrate. The intersection of the said 1st and 2nd connection is located on the said rotation center, when the virtual line which connects an element is made into a 2nd connection, The rotation point in any one of Claim 1 to 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Cleaning method for recording head substrate.   The cleaning nozzle is ejected per unit time and the moving speed of the cleaning nozzle and the cleaning nozzle so as to equalize the amount of cleaning liquid sprayed per unit area to each of the plurality of recording head substrates from the cleaning nozzle. 8. The method for cleaning a recording head substrate according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the amounts of the cleaning liquid is controlled.

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