JP7185454B2 - HEAD CHIP, LIQUID JET HEAD, LIQUID JET RECORDING APPARATUS, AND HEAD CHIP MANUFACTURING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a head chip that ejects liquid, a manufacturing method thereof, and a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection recording apparatus that include the head chip.

2. Description of the Related Art A liquid jet recording apparatus having a liquid jet head is known as a recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium, and the liquid jet head includes a head chip for jetting liquid. In this liquid jet recording apparatus, liquid is jetted from the head chip onto the recording medium, so that an image is recorded on the recording medium.

The head chip includes an actuator plate that is electrically driven to eject liquid. The actuator plate is provided with a plurality of channels. An electrode is provided on the side wall of this channel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2001-334657

If the electrode of the actuator plate corrodes, the reliability of the head chip may deteriorate.

Therefore, it is desired to provide a head chip that can improve reliability, a method of manufacturing the same, and a liquid jet head and a liquid jet recording apparatus having the head chip.

A head chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a head chip that includes an actuator plate that applies pressure to a liquid and ejects the liquid, wherein the actuator plate includes a plurality of grooves arranged with sidewalls interposed therebetween, and an electrode having a vapor deposition film formed by oblique vapor deposition and a plating film covering the vapor deposition film. Further, the side walls are composed of piezoelectric particles, and the vapor deposition film includes an adhesion film containing a material different from that of the plating film and a corrosion-resistant film containing the same material as that of the plating film. The sum of the thickness of the corrosion resistant film and the thickness of the plating film is greater than the thickness of the adhesion film.

A liquid ejecting head according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a head chip that ejects liquid and a supply unit that supplies liquid to the head chip, and the head chip is the same as the head chip according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. It has a configuration of

A liquid jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a liquid jet head that jets liquid onto a recording medium, and a storage section that stores the liquid. has a configuration similar to that of the liquid jet head.

A method of manufacturing a head chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a method of manufacturing a head chip that includes an actuator plate that applies pressure to a liquid and ejects the liquid, wherein the step of forming the actuator plates includes: and forming a plurality of grooves on the side wall by oblique vapor deposition and plating in this order to form an electrode having a vapor deposited film and a plated film . Further, the side walls are composed of piezoelectric particles, and the deposited film includes an adhesion film containing a material different from the constituent material of the plating film, and a corrosion-resistant film containing the same material as the constituent material of the plating film. Thus, the sum of the thickness of the corrosion resistant film and the thickness of the plating film is made larger than the thickness of the adhesion film.

According to the head chip, liquid jet head, liquid jet recording apparatus, and head chip manufacturing method of one embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress corrosion of the electrodes provided on the sidewalls of the grooves of the actuator plate and improve reliability. becomes possible.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a liquid jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the liquid jet head shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a liquid jet head chip shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is another perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the liquid jet head chip shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing configurations of a cover plate and an actuator plate shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an enlarged configuration of the drive electrode shown in FIG. 5; FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing the liquid jet head chip shown in FIG. 3 and the like; FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining step S3 shown in FIG. 7; 8 is a flow chart showing another example of a method of manufacturing the liquid jet head chip shown in FIG. 7; 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example (1) of the configuration of the main part of the liquid jet head chip shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example (2) of the configuration of the main part of the liquid jet head chip shown in FIG. 3; FIG.

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The order of explanation is as follows.

1. Liquid jet recording device (head chip and liquid jet head)
1-1. Overall configuration 1-2. Configuration of Liquid Jet Head 1-3. Configuration of Head Chip 1-4. Manufacturing method of head chip 1-5. Operation 1-6. Action and effect 2 . Modification 3. Other variations

<1. Liquid Jet Recording Apparatus (Head Chip and Liquid Jet Head)>
A liquid jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

It should be noted that each of the head chip and the liquid jet head according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is part of the liquid jet recording apparatus described here. Therefore, the head chip and the liquid jet head will be described together below.

The liquid jet recording apparatus described here is, for example, a printer that forms an image on a recording medium. The type of recording medium is not particularly limited, but includes, for example, paper, film, cloth and tile.

<1-1. Overall configuration>
First, the overall configuration of the liquid jet recording apparatus will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective configuration of a printer 1, which is a specific example of a liquid jet recording apparatus (inkjet printer). In FIG. 1, the outer edge (contour) of the housing 10 is indicated by a dashed line.

This printer 1 is, for example, an inkjet printer that uses a recording liquid (ink 9). Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a pair of transport mechanisms 2a and 2b, an ink tank 3, an inkjet head 4, a supply tube 50, and A scanning mechanism 6 is provided.

[Conveyance Mechanism and Ink Tank]
The transport mechanisms 2a and 2b are mechanisms for transporting the recording paper P loaded into the printer 1 in the transport direction D (X-axis direction). The ink tank 3 is a vessel that stores ink 9 . Here, the ink tank 3 is an embodiment of the "accommodating portion" of the present disclosure. Here, the printer 1 includes, for example, four ink tanks 3 (3Y, 3M, 3C, 3K) containing inks 9 of different colors. Each of the ink tanks 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3K For example, it contains yellow (Y) ink 9, magenta (M) ink 9, cyan (C) ink 9, and black (K) ink 9, respectively.

[Inkjet head and supply tube]
The inkjet head 4 is a liquid ejecting head that ejects ink droplets 9 supplied from a supply tube 50 onto the recording paper P, and is, for example, an edge shoot type inkjet head. In the edge shoot type inkjet head 4, for example, as will be described later, each of the plurality of channels C1 extends in a predetermined direction (for example, the Z-axis direction), and each of the plurality of nozzle holes H2 has a plurality of channels C1. Ink 9 is jetted in the same direction (Z-axis direction) as the extending direction of each channel C1 (see FIG. 3). That is, the extending direction of each channel C1 and the direction in which the ink 9 is ejected from each nozzle hole H2 match each other.

Here, the printer 1 is provided with four inkjet heads 4 (4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K) for ejecting inks 9 of different colors, for example, as shown in FIG. A detailed configuration of the inkjet head 4 will be described later (see FIG. 2).

[Scanning Mechanism]
The scanning mechanism 6 is a mechanism for scanning the inkjet head 4 in a direction intersecting the transport direction D, and includes, for example, a pair of guide rails 61 a and 61 b, a carriage 62 and a drive mechanism 63 . For example, the carriage 62 includes a base 62a and a wall portion 62b, and is movable in a direction intersecting the transport direction D along guide rails 61a and 61b while supporting the inkjet head 4. As shown in FIG. The drive mechanism 63 includes, for example, a pair of pulleys 631a and 631b, an endless belt 632, and a drive motor 633. The belt 632 is connected to the carriage 62, for example.

<1-2. Configuration of Liquid Jet Head>
FIG. 2 shows an enlarged perspective view of the inkjet head 4 (4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K) shown in FIG.

The inkjet head 4 includes, for example, a fixing plate 40, an inkjet head chip 41, a supply mechanism 42, a control mechanism 43, and a base plate 44, as shown in FIG. An inkjet head chip 41 , a supply mechanism 42 (a channel member 42 a described later), and a base plate 44 are fixed to one surface of the fixed plate 40 , for example. Here, the inkjet head chip 41 is one embodiment of the "head chip" of the present disclosure.

[Inkjet head chip]
The inkjet head chip 41 is the main part of the inkjet head 4 that ejects the ink 9 . The detailed configuration of the inkjet head chip 41 will be described later (see FIGS. 3 to 5).

[Supply Mechanism]
The supply mechanism 42 supplies the ink 9 supplied through the supply tube 50 to the inkjet head chip 41 (an ink introduction hole 410a to be described later: see FIGS. 3 and 4). The supply mechanism 42 includes, for example, a channel member 42a and a pressure damper 42b which are connected to each other via an ink connection pipe 42c. The flow path member 42a is a flow path through which the ink 9 flows, and a supply tube 50, for example, is attached to the pressure buffer 42b having a storage chamber for the ink 9. As shown in FIG.

[Control mechanism]
The control mechanism 43 includes, for example, a circuit board 43a, a drive circuit 43b, and a flexible board 43c. The circuit board 43a includes, for example, a drive circuit 43b for driving the inkjet head chip 41, and the drive circuit 43b includes, for example, an integrated circuit (IC). The flexible substrate 43c electrically connects the drive circuit 43b and the inkjet head chip 41 (drive electrodes Ed, which will be described later; see FIG. 5) to each other. Although not shown here, the flexible substrate 43c includes, for example, a plurality of extraction electrodes connected respectively to the drive circuit 43b and the plurality of drive electrodes Ed.

<1-3. Configuration of Head Chip>
FIG. 3 shows a state in which a series of components of the inkjet head chip 41 are combined with each other. On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows a state in which the series of constituent elements of the inkjet head chip 41 are separated from each other in order to facilitate viewing of the series of constituent elements. In FIG. 5, the plurality of nozzle holes H2 are indicated by dashed lines. In FIG. 3, only a part of the outline of the flexible substrate 43c is indicated by a dashed line.

The inkjet head chip 41 includes, for example, a cover plate 410, an actuator plate 411, a nozzle plate (ejection hole plate) 412, and a support plate 413, as shown in FIGS. Cover plate 410 and actuator plate 411 are stacked on top of each other. The nozzle plate 412 is in contact with the support plate 413 in a state in which the cover plate 410 and the actuator plate 411 are fitted in, for example, fitting holes 413a provided in the support plate 413 .

The cover plate 410 is attached to the actuator plate 411 with an adhesive, for example. The nozzle plate 412 is attached to one end of the cover plate 410 and the actuator plate 411 in the Z-axis direction via an adhesive.

[Actuator plate]
The actuator plate 411 is a member that is electrically driven to eject the ink 9 from the multiple nozzle holes H2.

Actuator plate 411 includes a plurality of drive walls Wd that define a plurality of channels C1. Here, the "channel C1" corresponds to a specific example of the "groove" of the present disclosure, and the "drive wall Wd" corresponds to a specific example of the "side wall" of the present disclosure.

The actuator plate 411 includes, for example, one or more of piezoelectric materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) (piezoelectric particles 411P in FIG. 6 to be described later). is a single piezoelectric substrate (cantilever type or monopole type) set so that the polarization direction in the Y-axis direction is unidirectional. Each channel C1 is a non-through groove, and a plurality of ejection channels C1e and a plurality of dummy channels (non-ejection channels) C1d are arranged alternately in the X-axis direction, for example. Each ejection channel C1e communicates with each nozzle hole H2 and functions as a pressure chamber that applies pressure to the ink 9 . In other words, the ejection channel C1e is filled with the ink 9, while the dummy channel C1d is not filled with the ink 9. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, each injection channel C1e communicates with a nozzle hole H2 in the nozzle plate 412, which will be described later, while each dummy channel C1d does not communicate with the nozzle hole H2, which will be described later. It is covered from above by a cover plate 410 .

Each of the plurality of channels C1 extends from one end of the actuator plate 411 (the end closer to the nozzle plate 412) toward the other end (the end farther from the nozzle plate 412) in the Z-axis direction. is doing. However, each of the plurality of dummy channels C1d, for example, extends to the other end of the actuator plate 411 and terminates at the other end. On the other hand, each of the plurality of injection channels C1e, for example, does not extend to the other end of the actuator plate 411 and terminates midway (position between one end and the other end). .

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner wall surface C1m defining each injection channel C1e is rounded near the end of each injection channel C1e on the far side from the nozzle plate 412. As shown in FIG.

The actuator plate 411 includes, for example, a first channel forming portion 411a located on one end side and provided with both a plurality of injection channels C1e and a plurality of dummy channels C1d, and a first channel forming portion 411a located on the other end side and having a plurality of and a second channel forming portion 411b in which no ejection channel C1e is provided and only a plurality of dummy channels C1d are provided. Since the plurality of drive walls Wd described above define the plurality of channels C1 (the plurality of ejection channels C1e and the plurality of dummy channels C1d), they are provided in the first channel forming portion 411a described above.

A driving electrode Ed extending in the Z-axis direction is provided on each side surface of the plurality of driving walls Wd. The drive electrode Ed is an electrode that electrically drives (deforms) the drive wall Wd in order to cause the plurality of ejection channels C1e to function as pressure chambers. Here, the drive electrode Ed corresponds to a specific example of the "electrode" of the present disclosure.

The drive electrodes Ed include a pair of common electrodes Edc provided on the side surfaces of the drive walls Wd defining the ejection channel C1e, and a pair of active electrodes Eda provided on the side surfaces of the drive walls Wd defining the dummy channel C1d. contains. Each of the active electrode Eda and the common electrode Edc extends, for example, from the interface between the cover plate 410 and the actuator plate 411 to the middle of each inner wall surface. In each of FIGS. 3 and 4, illustration of the plurality of drive electrodes Ed is omitted.

The plurality of drive electrodes Ed and the circuit board 43a (drive circuit 43b) are connected to each other through the flexible board 43c as described above. As a result, a drive voltage is applied to the plurality of drive electrodes Ed from the drive circuit 43b through the flexible substrate 43c. In this case, for example, drive voltages having different polarities are applied to each of the common electrode Edc and the active electrode Eda. The common electrode Edc is connected to, for example, a ground potential (GND potential), and the active electrode Eda is connected to a predetermined potential. The common electrode Edc may be connected to a negative potential, for example.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the piezoelectric particles 411P forming the driving wall Wd and the driving electrodes Ed provided on the side surface of the driving wall Wd. In the present embodiment, this drive electrode Ed includes a vapor deposition film DF and a plated film PF covering this vapor deposition film DF. Therefore, the deposition film DF is less likely to be exposed on the side surface of the drive wall Wd. Although details will be described later, this makes it possible to suppress deterioration in the reliability of the inkjet head chip 41 due to corrosion of the drive electrodes Ed.

The driving wall Wd is composed of, for example, a plurality of piezoelectric particles 411P. The piezoelectric particles 411P are made of PZT, for example, and have a particle size of about 1 μm to 3 μm, for example. The vapor deposition film DF is formed by a vapor deposition method such as an oblique vapor deposition method, as will be described later. This deposited film DF includes, for example, an adhesion film DF1 and an anti-corrosion film DF2. The adhesion film DF1 and the corrosion-resistant film DF2 cover at least part of the surface of each of the plurality of piezoelectric particles 411P, and are provided in the order of the adhesion film DF1 and the corrosion-resistant film DF2 from the piezoelectric particle 411P side. The adhesion film DF1 is for adhering the corrosion-resistant film DF2 to the surface of the piezoelectric particles 411P, and has high adhesion to the piezoelectric particles 411P. The adhesion film DF1 contains, for example, at least one of titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and the like. The corrosion-resistant film DF2 covers at least part of the surface of the piezoelectric particles 411P via the adhesion film DF1. This anti-corrosion film DF2 preferably has high corrosion resistance to the ink 9 . The corrosion resistant film DF2 is made of, for example, gold (Au), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), or the like. By providing such a corrosion-resistant film DF2, corrosion of the drive electrode Ed can be suppressed. The adhesion film DF1 and the corrosion resistant film DF2 have substantially the same thickness, for example.

The plated film PF is obtained by growing a corrosion resistant film DF2 by a plating method such as an electroless plating method, as will be described later. That is, the plated film PF is made of the same material as the corrosion resistant film DF2, such as gold (Au), platinum (Pt), or palladium (Pd). By providing such a plating film PF, the corrosion resistance of the drive electrode Ed can be improved more effectively. The constituent material of the plating film PF is different from the constituent material of the adhesion film DF1. At least part of the plating film PF covers the adhesion film DF1 exposed from the corrosion resistant film DF2. For example, in one cross section (eg, FIG. 6), the sum of the thickness of the corrosion resistant film DF2 and the thickness of the plating film PF is larger than the thickness of the adhesion film DF1. By increasing the thickness of the plating film PF, the adhesion film DF1 exposed from the corrosion resistant film DF2 can be more reliably covered. The thickness of the plating film PF is preferably, for example, 1/2 or more of the size of the particle size of the piezoelectric particles 411P. This makes it easier to cover the entire surface of the piezoelectric particles 411P. Therefore, the adhesion film DF1 exposed from the corrosion resistant film DF2 can be more reliably covered.

[Cover plate]
The cover plate 410 is a member that covers the actuator plate 411 . A cover plate 410 is provided to face the actuator plate 411 .

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, for example, the cover plate 410 has a concave ink introduction hole 410a provided with a plurality of slits 410b. Each slit 410b is, for example, a through groove extending in the same direction as the extending direction (Z-axis direction) of each channel C1.

Since the position of each slit 410b corresponds to the position of each ejection channel C1e, the ink introduction hole 410a communicates with each ejection channel C1e via each slit 410b. As a result, the ink 9 is supplied to each of the ejection channels C1e through the slits 410b, so that the plurality of ejection channels C1e are filled with the ink 9. As shown in FIG.

[Nozzle plate]
The nozzle plate 412 has a plurality of nozzle holes H2 that are through holes and faces the actuator plate 411 . The plurality of nozzle holes H2 are arranged, for example, at intervals in the X-axis direction, and the opening shape of the nozzle holes H2, that is, the shape of the nozzle holes H2 viewed from the Z-axis direction is, for example, circular. The inner diameter of the nozzle hole H2 is, for example, gradually reduced in the direction in which the ink 9 is ejected. This is because the ejection speed and straightness of the ink 9 are thereby improved. The nozzle plate 412 includes, for example, one or more of insulating materials such as polyimide. The nozzle plate 412 may include, for example, any one or more of conductive materials such as stainless steel (SUS).

[Support plate]
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the support plate 413 has a fitting hole 413a extending in the X-axis direction. They are stacked and fitted together.

<1-4. Manufacturing Method of Head Chip>
FIG. 7 shows an example of a method for manufacturing the inkjet head chip 41 in order of steps. Here, the manufacturing process of the actuator plate 411 will be mainly described with reference to FIG.

First, a substrate made of a piezoelectric material such as PZT is prepared, and a resist film pattern is formed on the substrate (step S1). The resist film may be formed by coating a photosensitive resin material on the substrate, or by bonding a resist film to the substrate. The pattern of this resist film is formed using, for example, a photolithography method.

Next, a plurality of channels C1 are formed in this substrate (step S2). The channel C1 is formed by grooving the substrate using, for example, a dicer.

After forming the plurality of channels C1 on the substrate, a vapor deposition film DF is formed on the surface of the substrate and the side surfaces of the channels C1 (step S3). The vapor deposition film DF is formed by, for example, an oblique vapor deposition method in order of the adhesion film DF1 and the anti-corrosion film DF2.

FIG. 8 shows a process of forming an adhesion film DF1 and a corrosion-resistant film DF2 on the surfaces of the piezoelectric particles 411P forming the side surfaces of the channel C1 using the oblique vapor deposition method. The deposition direction DD is inclined from the normal direction to the surface of the substrate. An adhesion film DF1 and an anti-corrosion film DF2 are formed on the surfaces of the piezoelectric particles 411P from the vapor deposition direction DD. By using the oblique vapor deposition method, the vapor deposition film DF can be formed over a wide range of side surfaces of the channel C1. On the other hand, in the vapor deposition method, the vapor deposition film DF is hardly formed in the shadow of the piezoelectric particles 411P with respect to the vapor deposition direction DD. Therefore, many portions (exposed portions R) of the adhesion film DF1 are exposed from the anti-corrosion film DF2. As the vapor deposition direction DD is greatly inclined with respect to the normal direction of the substrate surface, the exposed portion R increases.

After forming the vapor deposition film DF on the side surface of the channel C1, the resist film on the substrate surface is removed (step S4). Along with the resist film, the deposited film DF adhering to the resist film is also removed. This resist film removing step is a so-called lift-off method. Thereby, the deposited film DF on the side surface of each channel C1 is electrically isolated.

After removing the resist film, burrs (unnecessary protrusions) of the vapor deposition film DF are removed (step S5). After step S5, a step of removing the passive film formed on the surface of the vapor deposition film DF may be performed. For example, a passive film is likely to be formed on the surface of the adhesion film DF1 made of titanium (Ti). This passivation film can be removed with, for example, a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. By removing the passivated film, it becomes easier to form a plated film PF, which will be described later, on the deposited film DF.

Subsequently, a plated film PF is formed to cover the deposited film DF (step S6). Thereby, the drive electrode Ed is formed on the side surface of the channel C1. This plating film PF is formed, for example, by an electroless plating method using a reducing plating solution. This reduced plating solution contains, for example, the same metal as the metal contained in the corrosion resistant film DF2. The reduction type plating solution also contains, for example, a reducing agent, a complexing agent and a stabilizer. By using such a reducing plating solution, the plating film PF is formed so as to isotropically grow from the corrosion resistant film DF2. In other words, the corrosion resistant film DF2 is isotropically thickened. Thereby, the adhesion film DF1 in the exposed portion R (FIG. 8) is covered with the plating film PF. Since the plating film PF is formed after the resist film is removed (step S4), burrs are less likely to occur on the plating film PF.

Although it is possible to form the plated film PF using an electrolytic plating method, the use of the electroless plating method makes it easier to control the thickness of the plated film PF than the electrolytic plating method.

After completing the actuator plate 411 by forming the drive electrode Ed on the side surface of the channel C1 in this manner, the actuator plate 411 and other plates (for example, the cover plate 410 and the nozzle plate 412, etc.) are assembled ( step S7). As a result, the inkjet head chip 41 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is completed.

FIG. 9 shows another example of the method of manufacturing the inkjet head chip 41. As shown in FIG. In this way, after steps S1 to S5 are performed in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 7, plate assembly (step S7) and plating film PF formation (step S6) may be performed in this order. good. A step of removing the passive film formed on the surface of the vapor deposition film DF may be performed between step S7 and step S6.

<1-5. Operation>
[Printer operation]
In this printer 1, the recording paper P is transported in the transport direction D, and the ink 9 is ejected onto the recording paper P while the inkjet head 4 reciprocates in the direction intersecting the transport direction D. As shown in FIG. Thus, an image is recorded on the recording paper P. FIG.

[Inkjet head operation]
The inkjet head 4 ejects the ink 9 onto the recording paper P using a shear mode, for example, according to the following procedure.

In the inkjet head 4, the drive circuit 43b applies a corresponding voltage to the nozzle plate 412 when the drive circuit 43b applies a drive voltage to the actuator plate 411 (the plurality of active electrodes Eda). In this case, each drive wall Wd bends and deforms in the Y-axis direction by utilizing the piezoelectric thickness sliding effect. As a result, the volume of each ejection channel C1e increases, so the ink 9 is guided to each ejection channel C1e. After that, when the drive voltage becomes zero (0V) and the corresponding voltage also becomes zero (0V), each drive wall Wd is deformed to return to its original state. As a result, the ink 9 guided to each ejection channel C1e is pressurized due to the decrease in the volume of each ejection channel C1e, so that the ink 9 is ejected from each nozzle hole H2 onto the recording paper P. .

<1-6. Action and effect>
In the inkjet head chip 41, the inkjet head 4, and the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the drive electrode Ed of the actuator plate 411 consists of the vapor deposition film DF (adhesion film DF1, anti-corrosion film DF2) and the plating film PF covering the vapor deposition film DF. , the vapor deposition film DF is less likely to be exposed on the side surface of the driving wall Wd. As a result, deterioration in reliability of the inkjet head chip 41 due to corrosion of the drive electrodes Ed can be suppressed. This action and effect will be described below.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, since the vapor deposition film DF is formed in the vapor deposition direction DD, the vapor deposition film DF is hardly formed in the shadow of the piezoelectric particles 411P with respect to the vapor deposition direction DD. In other words, the vapor deposition film DF is hardly formed by the wraparound from the vapor deposition source. Therefore, the corrosion-resistant film DF2 cannot sufficiently cover the adhesion film DF1 only by the vapor deposition method, and many exposed portions R of the adhesion film DF1 are likely to occur.

If the drive electrodes Ed were formed only by vapor deposition, the adhesion films DF1 exposed on the side surfaces of the drive walls Wd would easily come into contact with the ink 9 because the exposed portions R of the adhesion films DF1 are large. Since the adhesion film DF1 has lower corrosion resistance than the corrosion-resistant film DF2, the drive electrode Ed may corrode.

On the other hand, if the driving electrodes Ed are formed by plating after the vapor deposition, the plating film PF is isotropically formed, so that the exposed portions R that are the shadows of the piezoelectric particles 411P are also formed. It is covered with the plating film PF. As a result, the adhesion film DF1 is covered with the plating film PF having high corrosion resistance, and corrosion of the drive electrodes Ed due to contact between the adhesion film DF1 and the ink 9 can be suppressed. Further, even if the film quality of the vapor deposition film DF formed by the oblique vapor deposition method is low, the film quality of the drive electrode Ed can be maintained by the plated film PF.

Further, when the plating film PF is formed by an electroless plating method using a reducing plating solution, the plating film PF is formed so as to grow from the corrosion resistant film DF2. In other words, the plating film PF is also not formed on the portion where the corrosion resistant film DF2 is not formed. Therefore, the patterning process of the plated film PF becomes unnecessary.

As described above, in the inkjet head chip 41 of the present embodiment, the drive electrode Ed of the actuator plate 411 has the plating film PF covering the vapor deposition film DF, so that the vapor deposition film DF is exposed on the side surface of the drive wall Wd. become difficult. Therefore, even if the deposited film DF includes the adhesion film DF1 with relatively low corrosion resistance, it is possible to suppress corrosion of the drive electrodes Ed caused by contact of the ink 9 with the adhesion film DF1. This suppresses deterioration in reliability due to corrosion of the drive electrode Ed. Therefore, the reliability of the inkjet head chip 41, the inkjet head 4 and the printer 1 can be improved.

Further, by forming the plating film PF by an electroless plating method using a reducing plating solution, the patterning process of the plating film PF becomes unnecessary. That is, the adhesion film DF1 can be covered with the plating film PF without adding a patterning step. Therefore, the reliability of the inkjet head chip 41, the inkjet head 4, and the printer 1 can be improved by a simple method.

Furthermore, the plating film PF can be formed after the resist film is removed (step S4 in FIGS. 7 and 9), and the plating film PF is less likely to have burrs or the like due to the removal of the resist film. . Therefore, the plating film PF can be formed without adding a step of removing burrs.

<2. Variation>
FIG. 10 shows a schematic cross-sectional configuration of a main part of an inkjet head chip 41 according to a modification. In this inkjet head chip 41, the cover plate 410 has wirings 410W electrically connected to the drive electrodes Ed. For example, a flexible substrate 43c (see FIG. 3) is connected to this cover plate 410. As shown in FIG. That is, the wiring 410W of the cover plate 410 is used to electrically connect the drive electrodes Ed and the flexible substrate 43c. Thus, by providing the wiring 410W on the cover plate 410, the degree of freedom of wiring can be increased.

The cover plate 410 has wiring 410W on the surface facing the actuator plate 411, for example. The actuator plate 411 has a pad electrode 411E on the surface facing the cover plate 410, for example. This pad electrode 411E is connected to the drive electrode Ed. The drive electrode Ed is electrically connected to the wiring 410W through the pad electrode 411E by bringing the wiring 410W into contact with the pad electrode 411E.

The inkjet head chip 41, in which the wiring 410W of the cover plate 410 and the pad electrode 411E of the actuator plate 411 are connected in this manner, is assembled as shown in FIG. It is preferable to form the plated film PF (step S7). By performing step S7 after step S8, the plating film PF is formed so as to cover the connecting portion between the wiring 410W and the pad electrode 411E (FIG. 10). That is, at least part of each of the wiring 410W and the pad electrode 411E is covered with the plating film PF. This can improve the stability of the electrical connection between the wiring 410W and the pad electrode 411E.

As shown in FIG. 11, the wiring 410W of the cover plate 410 and the pad electrode 411E of the actuator plate 411 may be connected, and the flexible substrate 43c may be connected to the pad electrode 411E. For example, the pad electrode 411E and wiring 410W are connected to the common electrode Edc. By providing the wiring 410W on the cover plate 410, redundancy can be enhanced. In such an inkjet head chip 41 as well, the plating film PF can be formed so as to cover the connecting portion between the wiring 410W and the pad electrode 411E.

<3. Other modified examples>
Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiment and modifications, the aspect of the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described in the above-described embodiment and the like, and various modifications are possible.

Specifically, for example, one liquid ejecting head (liquid ejecting head chip) does not eject one color of liquid (ink), and the one liquid ejecting head ejects a plurality of different colors (for example, two colors). etc.).

Further, for example, the liquid ejecting head is not limited to the edge shoot type liquid ejecting head described above, and may be a side shoot type liquid ejecting head. In this side-shoot type liquid jet head, when each channel provided in the actuator plate extends in a specific direction, each nozzle hole provided in the nozzle plate intersects with the extending direction of each channel. Ink is ejected in a direction.

Further, for example, the liquid ejecting head may be a circulating liquid ejecting head in which the ink 9 is circulated by a circulation mechanism between the inkjet head 4 and the ink tank 3, or may be a non-circulating liquid ejecting head. There may be.

Further, although the so-called cantilever type actuator plate 411 has been described in the above embodiments and the like, the actuator plate 411 may be of a chevron type. At this time, the actuator plate 411 is composed of, for example, a laminate of two piezoelectric substrates having different polarization directions in the Y-axis direction, and the drive electrodes Ed are provided on the entire inner wall surfaces of the drive walls Wd.

Further, for example, in the above embodiment and the like, the case where the opening shape of the nozzle hole H2 is circular has been described, but the opening shape of the nozzle hole H2 may be, for example, an elliptical shape, a polygonal shape such as a triangular shape, or a star shape. Other shapes such as a mold shape may be used.

Further, for example, applications to which the liquid jet head chip, liquid jet head, and liquid jet recording apparatus of the present disclosure are applied are not limited to inkjet printers, and may be other uses. Other applications are other devices such as facsimiles and print-on-demand machines, for example.

Note that the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limited, and other effects may be provided.

In addition, the present disclosure can also be configured as follows.
(1)
A head chip that ejects the liquid, comprising an actuator plate that applies pressure to the liquid,
The actuator plate is
a plurality of grooves arranged with sidewalls of each other;
and an electrode provided on the side wall and having a vapor deposition film and a plating film covering the vapor deposition film.
(2)
The head chip according to (1), wherein the plating film contains at least one of gold (Au), platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd).
(3)
The vapor deposition film includes an adhesion film containing a material different from the constituent material of the plating film, and a corrosion resistant film containing the same material as the constituent material of the plating film,
The head chip according to (1) or (2), wherein the sum of the thickness of the corrosion resistant film and the thickness of the plating film is larger than the thickness of the adhesion film.
(4)
said sidewalls comprising a piezoelectric material;
The head chip according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the plated film has a thickness equal to or more than half the grain size of the piezoelectric material.
(5)
a cover plate having wiring electrically connected to the electrodes and provided opposite to the actuator plate;
The head chip according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein at least part of the wiring is covered with the plating film.
(6)
the head chip according to any one of (1) to (5);
and a supply mechanism for supplying the liquid to the head chip.
(7)
the liquid jet head according to (6);
A liquid jet recording apparatus comprising: a storage section that stores the liquid.
(8)
A method for manufacturing a head chip that includes an actuator plate that applies pressure to a liquid and ejects the liquid,
The step of forming the actuator plate includes:
forming a plurality of trenches with sidewalls from each other;
A method of manufacturing a head chip, comprising: forming an electrode on the side wall by performing a vapor deposition method and a plating method in this order.
(9)
The method of manufacturing a head chip according to (8) above, wherein after forming an adhesion film and a corrosion-resistant film on the sidewall in this order by the vapor deposition method, the corrosion-resistant film is grown by the plating method to form the electrode. .
(10)
The method of manufacturing a head chip according to (9), further comprising removing a passivation film formed on the surface of the adhesion film before performing the plating method.
(11)
The head chip manufacturing method according to (9) or (10), wherein the plating method uses a reduction plating solution.

Reference Signs List 1 printer 3 ink tank 4 inkjet head 9 ink 41 inkjet head chip 42 supply mechanism 410 cover plate 410W wiring 411 actuator plate 411P piezoelectric particles 411E Pad electrode 412 Nozzle plate 413 Support plate C1 Channel C1d Dummy channel C1e Ejection channel Ed Drive electrode DF Deposition film DF1 Adhesion film DF2 Corrosion-resistant film PF Plating film, Eda: Active electrode, Edc: Common electrode, H2: Nozzle hole, P: Recording paper, Wd: Driving wall.

Claims (9)

A head chip that ejects the liquid, comprising an actuator plate that applies pressure to the liquid,
The actuator plate is
a plurality of grooves arranged with sidewalls of each other;
an electrode provided on the side wall and having a deposited film formed by an oblique deposition method and a plated film covering the deposited film;
the side walls are composed of piezoelectric particles,
The vapor deposition film includes an adhesion film containing a material different from the constituent material of the plating film, and a corrosion resistant film containing the same material as the constituent material of the plating film,
The head chip, wherein the sum of the thickness of the corrosion resistant film and the thickness of the plating film is greater than the thickness of the adhesion film. 2. The head chip according to claim 1, wherein said plating film contains at least one of gold (Au), platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd). a cover plate having wiring electrically connected to the electrodes and provided opposite to the actuator plate;
3. The head chip according to claim 1, wherein at least part of said wiring is covered with said plating film. a head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 3;
and a supply mechanism for supplying the liquid to the head chip. a liquid jet head according to claim 4;
A liquid jet recording apparatus comprising: a storage section that stores the liquid. A method for manufacturing a head chip that includes an actuator plate that applies pressure to a liquid and ejects the liquid,
The step of forming the actuator plate includes:
forming a plurality of trenches with sidewalls from each other;
forming an electrode having a deposited film and a plated film on the sidewall by performing an oblique deposition method and a plating method in this order on the side wall;
The side walls are composed of piezoelectric particles,
wherein the deposited film includes an adhesion film containing a material different from the constituent material of the plating film and a corrosion resistant film containing the same material as the constituent material of the plating film;
A method of manufacturing a head chip, wherein the sum of the thickness of the corrosion resistant film and the thickness of the plating film is made larger than the thickness of the adhesion film. 7. The head chip according to claim 6, wherein after forming the adhesive film and the anti-corrosion film on the sidewall in this order by the oblique vapor deposition method, the anti-corrosion film is grown by the plating method to form the electrodes. manufacturing method. 8. The method of manufacturing a head chip according to claim 7, further comprising a step of removing a passivation film formed on the surface of said adhesion film before performing said plating method. 9. The method of manufacturing a head chip according to claim 7, wherein the plating method uses a reduction plating solution.

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