JP6260142B2 - Method for manufacturing liquid jet head - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid jet head, and is particularly useful when applied to pressure bonding of two members having different shapes of opposing adhesive surfaces.

  As a liquid ejecting apparatus, there is an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an ink jet recording head (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In an ink jet recording head, pressure is applied to ink in a pressure generating chamber by pressure generating means, thereby ejecting ink droplets through nozzle openings formed in a nozzle plate. Pressure generation means using a thin film type piezoelectric actuator, using a thick film type piezoelectric actuator formed by a method such as attaching a green sheet, and alternately laminating piezoelectric materials and electrode forming materials A device using a longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric actuator that can be expanded and contracted in the axial direction has been proposed.

  One type of ink jet recording head that uses a piezoelectric actuator as a piezoelectric actuator is one that has an integrally joined actuator unit and a communication plate that is a flow path member. Here, the actuator unit includes a flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generation chamber is formed and a thin film type piezoelectric actuator is disposed so as to face the pressure generation chamber, and protection for covering and protecting the piezoelectric actuator. The substrate is integrally joined. The communication plate has a nozzle plate with a nozzle opening formed on the surface opposite to the joint surface with the actuator unit, and a nozzle communication path that connects the pressure generating chamber and the nozzle opening. An ink supply path or the like that communicates the manifold, which is the storage section, and the pressure generation chamber is formed.

  In the joining process of the actuator unit and the communication plate as described above, the joint surface between the actuator unit coated with adhesive and the communication plate is brought into contact with and sandwiched between the upper tool and the lower tool, and heated and pressurized. Predetermined adhesion is performed.

  Note that there is Patent Document 2 as a prior art that discloses a technique for suppressing warpage during bonding in the manufacturing process of an inkjet head.

JP 2002-355961 A JP 2006-321171 A

  By the way, in the joining process of the actuator unit and the communication plate as described above in the prior art, the lower surface of the upper tool is brought into contact with the surface (upper surface) of the actuator unit, and the upper surface of the lower tool is placed on the surface (lower surface) of the communication plate. Pressing and adhering in contact. Here, the entire upper surface of the planar actuator unit is in contact with the lower surface of the upper tool, which is a plane, while the entire lower surface of the communication plate is in contact with the upper surface of the lower tool, which is a plane. It has become.

  Here, the area of the plane on the joint surface side with the communication plate of the actuator unit is smaller than the area of the plane on the joint surface side with the actuator unit of the communication plate. As a result, a portion that does not come into contact with the actuator unit is generated on the joint surface side of the communication plate.

  For this reason, when a pressing force is applied between the upper tool and the lower tool to sandwich the actuator unit and the communication plate, there arises a problem that warpage of the communication plate occurs.

  Such a problem is not limited to the ink jet recording head, and similarly exists in liquid ejecting heads other than ink.

  In view of the above-described problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a liquid ejecting head that can prevent warping of one member in a process of bonding and joining two types of members having different sizes, such as an actuator unit and a communication plate. An object is to provide a manufacturing method.

  The aspect of the present invention that achieves the above-described object includes a plurality of members stacked and bonded to each other with an adhesive, and the pressure is applied to the liquid in the pressure generating chamber by the pressure generating means. A method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting head that ejects ink droplets through a nozzle opening formed in a plate, wherein a first member having a relatively small shape on a joint surface side and a shape of the surface are relatively In a state where a second member larger than the second member is brought into contact with an adhesive, the second member is sandwiched between one tool that contacts the first member and the other tool that contacts the second member. The tool in the joining step has a joining step for pressurizing and joining, and the contact surface of the other tool with the second member is the same as the outer shape on the joining surface side of the first member Is formed to be In the method of manufacturing a liquid jet head, which comprises using from.

  According to this aspect, when the other tool receives a pressing force associated with clamping the first and second members with the one and the other tools at the time of pressing and joining, the pressing surface of the other tool is: Since it has the same shape as the joint surface of the first member, the pressing force at this time acts on the region on the joint surface side of the second member other than the region where the first member abuts. There is no. That is, the force that warps the second member due to the first member having a smaller shape than the second member can be removed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of warpage in the second member in the pressurizing / bonding step, and to perform good bonding between the first member and the second member.

  Here, an actuator unit having a pressure generating chamber filled with liquid and pressure generating means for applying pressure to the liquid in the pressure generating chamber is used as the first member, and the pressure generating chamber and the nozzle opening are communicated with each other. This can be satisfactorily applied to the case where the second member is a communication plate in which a nozzle supply passage and a liquid supply passage that connects the manifold, which is a liquid storage portion, and the pressure generation chamber are formed. This is because the actuator unit and the communication plate are manufactured by pressurizing and joining, but generally the shape of the communication plate is larger than the shape of the actuator unit.

  Further, the tool is for heating and pressure bonding, and the relationship of the following formula (1) is established so that the expansion amount of the actuator unit and the communication plate at the time of heating and pressure bonding is uniform. It is desirable to configure so as to.

αa × Th = αr × Tl (1)
Where αa: linear expansion coefficient of the first member (actuator unit)
αr: Linear expansion coefficient of the second member (communication plate)
Th: Temperature of one tool
Tl: Temperature of the other tool When the condition of the above formula (1) is satisfied, the thermal expansion amounts of the first member (actuator unit) and the second member (communication plate) are the same. This is because the warpage of the second member can be satisfactorily suppressed.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a recording head manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a recording head manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the aspect of the heat joining process in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the aspect of the heat joining process in a prior art.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink jet recording head which is an example of a liquid jet head according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof. As shown in both drawings, an ink jet recording head I which is an example of a liquid jet head according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of members such as a head main body 11 and a case member 40, and the plurality of members are laminated to form an adhesive. Are joined by. In the present embodiment, the head body 11 includes a flow path forming substrate 10, a communication plate 15, a nozzle plate 20, a protective substrate 30, and a compliance substrate 45.

  In this embodiment, the flow path forming substrate 10 constituting the head main body 11 is formed of a silicon single crystal substrate, and a plurality of pressure generating chambers 12 eject a plurality of inks of the same color onto the flow path forming substrate 10. The nozzle openings 21 are juxtaposed along the direction in which the nozzle openings 21 are juxtaposed (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as a first direction X).

  Further, the flow path forming substrate 10 is provided with a plurality of rows in which the pressure generation chambers 12 are arranged in parallel in the first direction X, and in this embodiment, two rows. An arrangement direction in which a plurality of rows of the pressure generation chambers 12 in which the pressure generation chambers 12 are formed along the first direction X is provided is referred to as a second direction Y. A diaphragm 51 is attached to one surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 with an adhesive so as to seal one opening of the pressure generating chamber 12.

  On the other hand, a piezoelectric actuator (pressure generating means) 300 including a first electrode 60, a piezoelectric layer 70, and a second electrode 80 is provided on the insulator film of the diaphragm 51 attached to the flow path forming substrate 10. It has been. In the present embodiment, the first electrode 60 functions as a common electrode common to the plurality of piezoelectric actuators 300, and the second electrode 80 functions as an individual electrode independent of each piezoelectric actuator 300.

  One end of each lead electrode 90 is connected to the second electrode 80. A wiring substrate 121 provided with a drive circuit 120 is connected to the other end of the lead electrode 90.

  A protective substrate 30 having substantially the same size as the flow path forming substrate 10 is bonded to the surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 on the piezoelectric actuator 300 side. The protective substrate 30 has a holding portion 31 that is a space for protecting the piezoelectric actuator 300.

  Thus, the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed, and the flow path forming substrate 10 in which the thin film type piezoelectric actuator 300 is disposed facing the pressure generating chamber 12 and the protective substrate that covers and protects the piezoelectric actuator 300. The actuator unit A is formed by integrally joining 30. This actuator unit A is the first member in this embodiment.

  The communication plate 15, which is the second member in this embodiment that is pressurized and joined to the actuator unit A, is a member having a larger shape than the actuator unit A, and is on the nozzle plate 20 side (the vibration plate 51) of the flow path forming substrate 10. It is joined to the actuator unit A on the opposite side). A nozzle plate 20 having a plurality of nozzle openings 21 communicating with each pressure generating chamber 12 is joined to the communication plate 15. The communication plate 15 is provided with a nozzle communication path 16 that connects the pressure generation chamber 12 and the nozzle opening 21. Here, the communication plate 15 has a larger area than the flow path forming substrate 10, and the nozzle plate 20 has a smaller area than the flow path forming substrate 10. Thus, cost reduction can be achieved by making the area of the nozzle plate 20 relatively small.

  The communication plate 15 is provided with a first manifold portion 17 and a second manifold portion 18 that constitute a part of the manifold 100. The first manifold portion 17 is provided through the communication plate 15 in the thickness direction (the stacking direction of the communication plate 15 and the flow path forming substrate 10). Further, the second manifold portion 18 is provided to open to the nozzle plate 20 side of the communication plate 15 without penetrating the communication plate 15 in the thickness direction.

  Further, the communication plate 15 is provided with an ink supply path 19 that communicates with one end portion of the pressure generation chamber 12 in the second direction Y independently for each pressure generation chamber 12. The ink supply path 19 communicates the second manifold portion 18 and the pressure generation chamber 12.

  A case member 40 that defines a manifold 100 communicating with the plurality of pressure generating chambers 12 together with the head body 11 is fixed to the head body 11 having such a configuration. The case member 40 has substantially the same shape as the communication plate 15 described above in a plan view, and is fixed to the protective substrate 30 with an adhesive, and is also fixed to the communication plate 15 with an adhesive. Specifically, the case member 40 has a recess 41 having a depth in which the flow path forming substrate 10 and the protective substrate 30 are accommodated on the protective substrate 30 side. The concave portion 41 has an opening area larger than the surface of the protective substrate 30 bonded to the flow path forming substrate 10. The opening surface on the nozzle plate 20 side of the recess 41 is sealed by the communication plate 15 in a state where the flow path forming substrate 10 and the like are accommodated in the recess 41. As a result, a third manifold portion 42 is defined by the case member 40 and the head body 11 on the outer peripheral portion of the flow path forming substrate 10. The first manifold portion 17 and the second manifold portion 18 provided on the communication plate 15 and the third manifold portion 42 defined by the case member 40 and the flow path forming substrate 10 are used in the manifold 100 of the present embodiment. Is formed.

  The material of the protective substrate 30 is preferably a material having the same linear expansion coefficient as that of the flow path forming substrate 10 to which the protective substrate 30 is bonded. In this embodiment, a silicon single crystal substrate is used.

  A compliance substrate 45 is provided on the surface of the communication plate 15 on the liquid ejection surface 20a side where the first manifold portion 17 and the second manifold portion 18 open. The compliance substrate 45 seals the openings of the first manifold portion 17 and the second manifold portion 18 on the liquid ejection surface 20a side.

  In this embodiment, the compliance substrate 45 includes a sealing film 46 and a fixed substrate 47. The sealing film 46 is made of a flexible thin film (for example, a thin film having a thickness of 20 μm or less formed of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) or stainless steel (SUS)), and the fixed substrate 47 is made of stainless steel ( It is formed of a hard material such as a metal such as SUS. Since the region of the fixed substrate 47 facing the manifold 100 is an opening 48 that is completely removed in the thickness direction, one surface of the manifold 100 is sealed only with a flexible sealing film 46. The compliance portion 49 is a flexible portion.

  The case member 40 is provided with an introduction path 44 that communicates with the manifold 100 and supplies ink to each manifold 100. The case member 40 is provided with a connection port 43 that communicates with the through hole 32 of the protective substrate 30 and through which the wiring substrate 121 is inserted.

  In the ink jet recording head I having such a configuration, when ink is ejected, the ink is taken in from the ink storing means such as an ink cartridge through the introduction path 44, and the inside of the flow path extends from the manifold 100 to the nozzle opening 21. Fill with ink. Thereafter, according to a signal from the drive circuit 120, a voltage is applied to each piezoelectric actuator 300 corresponding to the pressure generation chamber 12, so that the diaphragm 51 is bent and deformed together with the piezoelectric actuator 300. As a result, the pressure in the pressure generating chamber 12 is increased and ink droplets are ejected from the predetermined nozzle openings 21.

  The stacked substrates constituting the flow path member of the ink jet recording head I are pressed and bonded to each other via an adhesive. In particular, in this embodiment, heating is also performed using a heat tool.

  Here, the heating / pressure bonding process according to the embodiment using the heat tool for the actuator unit A and the communication plate 15 in the ink jet recording head I as described above will be described.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an aspect of the heating / pressure bonding process in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the actuator unit A, which is a first member having a relatively small surface shape on the joint surface side, and a communication plate 15, which is a second member, having a relatively large shape on the joint surface. The actuator unit A and the communication plate 15 are sandwiched between one heat tool 200 </ b> A and the other heat tool 200 </ b> B of the pair of heat tools 200 while being in contact with each other via an adhesive. Here, the heat tool 200 in the joining step is formed such that the contact surface of the other heat tool 200B with respect to the communication plate 15 is the same as the outer shape of the actuator unit A on the joining surface side. That is, in the other heat tool 200B, the portion that forms the contact surface with respect to the communication plate 15 is the convex portion 200B1, and the upper surface of the width 200 of the convex portion 200B1 is the width W1 (= W2) of the actuator unit A. It has the same shape as the joint surface.

  As a result, according to the present embodiment, when the communication plate 15 receives the pressing force associated with clamping the actuator unit A and the communication plate 15 with the one and the other heat tools 200A and 200B during heating and pressure bonding, Since the pressing surface of the other heat tool 200B has the same shape as the bonding surface of the actuator unit A, the area on the bonding surface side of the communication plate 15 other than the area where the actuator unit A contacts is not The pressing force does not act. That is, the force that warps the communication plate 15 due to the actuator unit A having a smaller shape than the communication plate 15 can be removed.

  Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the warpage of the communication plate 15 in the heating / pressurizing bonding step and to perform good bonding between the actuator unit A and the communication plate 15.

  Here, although not shown in FIG. 3, a recess is provided on the surface of the heat tool 200 </ b> B on which the communication plate 15 is placed, according to the position of the nozzle communication path 16, and the actuator unit A and the communication plate 15. Even if the adhesive on the joint surface flows through the nozzle communication passage 16, it is allowed to escape to the recess.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that the heat tool 200 is configured so that the relationship of the following formula (2) is established so that the expansion amounts of the actuator unit A and the communication plate 15 at the time of heating and pressing are uniform.

αa × Th = αr × Tl (2)
Where αa: linear expansion coefficient of the first member (actuator unit)
αr: Linear expansion coefficient of the second member (communication plate)
Th: Temperature of one tool
Tl: Temperature of the other tool When the condition of the above formula (2) is satisfied, the thermal expansion amounts of the first member (actuator unit) and the second member (communication plate) are the same. Warpage of the second member can be satisfactorily suppressed.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an aspect of a heating / pressure bonding process in the prior art. As shown in the figure, the conventional heat tool 201 is composed of a flat plate member, one of the heat tool 201A contacting the actuator unit A and the other heat tool 201B contacting the communication plate 15. Was forming.

  Accordingly, when the actuator unit A and the communication plate 15 are sandwiched between the one and the other heat tools 201A and 201B, the difference between the shape of the joint surface side of the actuator unit A and the shape of the joint surface side of the communication plate 15 is different. Due to the fact that the outer shape on the joint surface side of the actuator unit A is smaller than the outer shape on the joint surface side of the communication plate 15, the other heat tool 201B warps as shown by the dotted line in the figure, and accordingly Warpage occurs in the communication plate 15.

  In contrast, according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent the warpage of the communication plate 15.

(Other embodiments)
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the basic configuration of the present invention is not limited to that described above. A first member (actuator unit A in the above embodiment) having a relatively small shape on the joint surface side and a second member (the communication plate 15 in the above embodiment) having a relatively large shape on the surface. And the like can be applied to other types of liquid ejecting heads. A manufacturing method of a liquid ejecting head having a manufacturing process including a step of bonding a first member having a relatively small shape on the surface on the bonding surface side and a second member having a relatively large shape on the surface. Can be applied as well. For example, a longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric actuator that uses a thick film type piezoelectric actuator formed by a method such as attaching a green sheet, and alternately extends and contracts piezoelectric materials and electrode forming materials in the axial direction. It can apply similarly to what was used, and can exhibit the same effect.

  I ink jet recording head, A actuator unit, 10 flow path forming substrate, 11 head body, 12 pressure generating chamber, 15 communication plate, 20 nozzle plate, 21 nozzle opening, 30 protective substrate, 40 case member, 51 vibration plate, 200 Heat tool, 300 Piezoelectric actuator

Claims (3)

A plurality of members are laminated, and each member is joined with an adhesive, and the pressure is applied to the liquid in the pressure generating chamber by the pressure generating means, whereby the ink is passed through the nozzle openings formed in the nozzle plate. A method of manufacturing a liquid jet head that discharges droplets,
The first member in a state where the first member having a relatively small shape on the joining surface side and the second member having a relatively large shape on the surface are brought into contact with each other via an adhesive. Having a joining step of sandwiching and pressing and joining between one tool that comes into contact with the other tool and the other tool that comes into contact with the second member,
The tool is for heating and pressure bonding, and the relationship of the following formula (1) is set so that the amount of expansion between the first member and the second member at the time of heating and pressure bonding is uniform. A method of manufacturing a liquid jet head, characterized by being realized.
αa × Th = αr × Tl (1)
Where αa: linear expansion coefficient of the first member
αr: linear expansion coefficient of the second member
Th: Temperature of one tool
Tl: Temperature of the other tool The tool used in the joining step is one in which the contact surface of the other tool with respect to the second member is formed to be the same as the outer shape of the joining surface side of the first member. The method of manufacturing a liquid jet head according to claim 1 . The first member is an actuator unit having a pressure generation chamber filled with a liquid and a pressure generation means for applying pressure to the liquid in the pressure generation chamber,
The second member is a communication plate in which a nozzle communication path that communicates the pressure generation chamber and the nozzle opening, and a liquid supply path that communicates a manifold that is a liquid storage portion and the pressure generation chamber are formed. The method of manufacturing a liquid jet head according to claim 1, wherein:

Images