JPH09327926A - Manufacture of component with liquid discharging movable head, manufacture of head using it, and liquid discharging head formed of it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately, effectively and simply displace at liquid passages by providing the step corresponding to a recess in the state that a movable member of a thin film material is displaced from the material by using a component having the material including many movable members and many recesses corresponding to the passages. SOLUTION: A movable member 31 is provided at a position opposed to a downstream side part to bubble 40 generated by heating of a heater 2. Part of liquid filled in a bubble generating region 11 is heated by the heat to generate bubble as a membrane boils. At this time, the member 31 is displaced to introduce its pressure propagating direction to a discharge port direction by pressure based on the generation of the bubble 40. A free end 32 of the member 31 is disposed at a downstream side, a fulcrum 33 is disposed at an upstream side, and at least part of the member 33 is opposed to a downstream part of the heater 2. The member 31 is gradually displaced in response to growth of the bubble 40, and hence bubble growing direction can be uniformly directed to the discharge port to enhance its discharging efficiency.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head component having a structure for displacing a movable member and a method for manufacturing the head, and more particularly to a head relating to a novel ejection principle and a method for manufacturing the head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, when ink is ejected for printing on paper, a print head that heats the ink to form bubbles, which is a so-called bubble jet method, is effective in improving printing accuracy. Therefore, it was developed and put to practical use.

In an assembling apparatus for assembling such a bubble jet type print head, a heater for heating the ink and an ejection port for ejecting the foamed ink heated and boiled by the heater toward the paper sheet. And must be accurately positioned on the order of microns. For example, in order to achieve a high printing accuracy of about 360 dpi, 64 discharge holes must be arranged at equal intervals within a range of about 4 and 5 mm, and the arrangement pitch at this time is about 70 microns. It is a fine value.

Here, the formation of the discharge holes at such an extremely small interval is allowed by a predetermined predetermined amount on the orifice plate mounted on the front surface of the top plate member by using an ultra-precision processing device such as a laser processing machine. It is possible to form the discharge holes with high accuracy, and by using the ultra-precision etching technique when forming the heater, similarly, the heater can be formed on the heater board with a predetermined high accuracy. It is something that can be done.

When the heater board and the top plate are attached to each other, it is necessary to accurately align the positions of the grooves of the heater and the top plate.

As a method for this, the position of the heater and the position of the groove of the top plate are measured by a method such as image processing, and the bonding is performed while adjusting the position of the top plate with respect to the heater board (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-171131). Or, a reference surface is provided on the top plate,
A method has been proposed in which the reference surface is abutted against the cut surface of the heater board, and the top plate is attached while adjusting the position of the top board with respect to the heater board.

With the method of bonding the heater board and the top plate, the latter has an advantage that the device structure can be simplified and the line structure can be made smaller and simpler than the former, so that the cost can be reduced.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 31918/1994 discloses a method of manufacturing an ink jet head in which a valve having a triangular tip is provided to correspond to one upstream side of a heat generating portion for forming bubbles for preventing back waves of bubbles. It is disclosed. The present invention
An etching-enabled portion is formed on a resin material, a thin film layer is formed on the etching-enabled portion, and the tip triangle and the groove are formed substantially simultaneously by etching. Therefore, if the etching process is insufficient, the shape of the recess itself or the valve having the triangular tip end will vary, and the desired one cannot be obtained.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is different from the conventional manufacturing method and head, and has an epoch-making ejection principle, structure, and
Compared to the invention previously filed by the applicant of the present invention as an invention with excellent effects, a component with a movable member that has a good yield, can obtain reliable accuracy in the manufacturing process, and can also solve the problems of conventional manufacturing techniques. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing the same.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of manufacturing a thin film material having a large number of movable members accurately, reliably and easily in a liquid path, without damaging the movable members. is there.

An object of the invention according to the present application is to provide a valve existing between the heater board and the top board in the step of sticking the top board and the heater board together by abutting the reference surface of the top board and the cut surface of the heater board. The bonding is performed while adjusting the positions of the heater board and the top plate without damaging the thin film having the.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a method of manufacturing a component having a large number of liquid passages having a liquid discharging movable member, which is a thin film material having a large number of movable members. And a step of associating the movable member of the thin film material with the recessed portion in a state where the movable member of the thin film material is displaced from the thin film material, using a component having a large number of concave portions corresponding to liquid passages. Is a method of manufacturing a component with a movable member for liquid ejection.

Further, the present invention is a liquid discharge head using a component made by a manufacturing method including a step of positioning a substrate having a large number of heat generating elements for the above-mentioned component in correspondence with the movable member. Is a manufacturing method. The present invention also provides a liquid discharge head manufactured by a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head, comprising a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, and a liquid discharge head disposed facing the bubble generation region. And a movable member displaceable between a first position and a second position farther from the bubble generating region than the first position, the movable member being a bubble in the bubble generating portion. By the pressure based on the generation of the liquid, the liquid is displaced from the first position to the second position, and by the displacement of the movable member, the bubbles are largely expanded downstream rather than upstream in the direction toward the discharge port. A liquid ejection head for ejecting.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Before describing a method of manufacturing an inkjet head of the present invention, an inkjet head based on a novel ejection principle, which is an object of manufacturing, will be described.

An ink jet head based on a novel ejection principle will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, an example will be described in which the ejection force and the ejection efficiency are improved by controlling the propagation direction of the pressure based on the bubbles and the growth direction of the bubbles for ejecting the liquid.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment cut in the liquid flow path direction, and FIG. 2 shows a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid discharge head.

The liquid discharge head of this embodiment is a heating element 2 (4 in this embodiment) that applies heat energy to the liquid as a discharge energy generating element for discharging the liquid.
(A heating resistor having a shape of 0 μm × 105 μm)
The liquid flow path 10 is arranged on the element substrate in correspondence with the heating element 2. The liquid flow path 10 has a discharge port 18
And a common liquid chamber 13 for supplying liquid to the plurality of liquid flow paths 10, and an amount of liquid corresponding to the liquid discharged from the discharge port 18 is supplied to the common liquid chamber 13.
Receive from

On the element substrate of the liquid flow path 10, a plate-like movable member 31 facing the above-mentioned heating element 2 and made of an elastic material such as metal and having a flat portion is provided.
Are provided in a cantilever shape. One end of the movable member 31 is fixed to a base (supporting member) 34 formed by patterning a photosensitive resin or the like on the wall of the liquid flow path 10 or the element substrate. Thus, the movable member is held and forms a fulcrum (fulcrum portion) 33.

The movable member 31 has a fulcrum (fulcrum portion; fixed end) 33 on the upstream side of a large flow flowing from the common liquid chamber 13 through the movable member 31 to the ejection port 18 side by the liquid ejecting operation. It has a free end (free end portion) 32 on the downstream side with respect to 33, and is arranged at a position facing the heating element 2 at a distance of about 15 μm from the heating element so as to cover the heating element 2. There is. A bubble generation region 11 is between the heating element 2 and the movable member 31. Heating element,
The type, shape and arrangement of the movable member are not limited to this, and may be any shape and arrangement capable of controlling bubble growth and pressure propagation as will be described later. In the above-described liquid flow path 10, a portion directly communicating with the discharge port 18 with the movable member 31 as a boundary is referred to as a first liquid flow path 14, and a bubble generation area will be described. 11 and a second liquid flow path 16 having a liquid supply path 12.

The movable member 31 is generated by heating the heating element 2.
Heat is applied to the liquid in the bubble generation region 11 between the heating element 2 and the heating element 2 to generate bubbles in the liquid based on the film boiling phenomenon as described in USP 4,723,129. The pressure due to the generation of bubbles and the bubbles preferentially act on the movable member 31,
As shown in FIG. 1B, 1C or 2, the movable member 31 is displaced about the fulcrum 33 so as to be wide open toward the ejection port side. Depending on the displacement or the displaced state of the movable member 31, the propagation of pressure based on the generation of bubbles and the growth of the bubbles themselves are guided to the ejection port side.

Here, one of the basic ejection principles of the present invention will be described. One of the most important principles of the present invention is
The movable member disposed to face the bubble is displaced from the first position in the steady state to the second position after the displacement based on the pressure of the bubble or the bubble itself. This is to guide the pressure due to the generation of bubbles and the bubbles themselves to the downstream side where the discharge port 18 is arranged.

This principle will be described in more detail by comparing FIG. 3 schematically showing a conventional liquid flow path structure using no movable member and FIG. 4 of the present invention. Here, the propagation direction of the pressure toward the discharge port is VA, and the propagation direction of the pressure toward the upstream side is VB.
As shown.

In the conventional head as shown in FIG. 3, there is no structure for restricting the propagation direction of pressure by the generated bubbles 40. Therefore, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 is V1 to
As in V8, it was perpendicular to the surface of the bubble and was oriented in various directions. Among them, VA which has the most influence on liquid ejection
The component having the pressure propagation direction in the direction is the direction component of the pressure propagation of V1 to V4, that is, the portion closer to the discharge port than the position of almost half of the bubble, and directly affects the liquid discharge efficiency, liquid discharge force, discharge speed, etc. It is an important part to contribute. Further, since V1 is closest to the ejection direction VA, it works efficiently, and conversely, V4 has a relatively small directional component toward VA.

On the other hand, in the case of the present invention shown in FIG. 4, the pressure propagation directions V1 to V4 of the bubbles in which the movable member 31 is oriented in various directions as in the case of FIG. It is guided to the discharge port side) and converted into the VA pressure propagation direction, whereby the pressure of the bubble 40 directly and efficiently contributes to the discharge. Then, the bubble growth direction itself is guided in the downstream direction similarly to the pressure propagation directions V1 to V4, and the bubble grows more downstream than upstream. As described above, by controlling the growth direction itself of the bubble by the movable member and controlling the pressure propagation direction of the bubble, it is possible to achieve a fundamental improvement in the discharge efficiency, the discharge force, the discharge speed, and the like.

Next, returning to FIG. 1, the ejection operation of the liquid ejection head of this embodiment will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 (a) shows a state before energy such as electric energy is applied to the heating element 2, that is, a state before the heating element generates heat. What is important here is that the movable member 31 is provided at a position facing at least a downstream portion of the bubble generated by the heat generated by the heating element. In other words, on the liquid flow path structure, at least downstream of the area center 3 of the heating element (from a line passing through the area center 3 of the heating element and orthogonal to the length direction of the flow path, so that the downstream side of the bubble acts on the movable member. The movable member 31 is arranged to the position (downstream).

In FIG. 1 (b), electric energy or the like is applied to the heating element 2 to heat the heating element 2, and the generated heat heats a part of the liquid filling the bubble generating region 11 to cause film boiling. This is a state in which accompanying bubbles are generated.

At this time, the movable member 31 is displaced from the first position to the second position by the pressure based on the generation of the bubbles 40 so as to guide the propagation direction of the pressure of the bubbles 40 toward the discharge port. What is important here is that, as described above, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is arranged on the downstream side (discharge port side), and the fulcrum 33 is arranged on the upstream side (common liquid chamber side). That is, at least a part of the movable member faces a downstream portion of the heating element, that is, a downstream portion of the bubble.

In FIG. 1C, the bubble 40 is further grown, but the movable member 31 is further displaced according to the pressure generated by the bubble 40. The generated bubble grows greatly downstream from the upstream and grows greatly beyond the first position (dotted line position) of the movable member. As the movable member 31 is gradually displaced in accordance with the growth of the bubble 40 in this way, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 and the direction in which the deposition is easily moved, that is, the growth direction of the bubble to the free end side is set to the discharge port. It is considered that the fact that the ink can be uniformly directed also increases the ejection efficiency. The movable member rarely hinders the transmission of bubbles or foaming pressure toward the discharge port, and efficiently controls the direction of pressure propagation and the direction of bubble growth according to the magnitude of the propagating pressure. Can be.

FIG. 1D shows a state in which the bubble 40 contracts and disappears after the film boiling described above due to a decrease in the bubble internal pressure.

The movable member 31 which has been displaced to the second position
Is the initial position (first position) in FIG. 1A due to the negative pressure due to the contraction of the bubble and the restoring force due to the spring property of the movable member itself.
Return to. Further, at the time of defoaming, V _{D1 of} the flow from the upstream side (B), that is, the common liquid chamber side, to compensate for the contracted volume of the bubbles in the bubble generation region 11 and to supplement the volume of the discharged liquid. like the V _D2, also come flows liquid as from the discharge port side of the flow Vc.

The operation of the movable member and the liquid ejecting operation associated with the generation of the bubbles have been described above. The liquid refilling in the liquid ejecting head will be described in detail below.

The liquid supply mechanism in the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

After the state shown in FIG. 1 (c), when the bubble 40 enters the defoaming process after reaching the maximum volume state, a volume of liquid that compensates for the defoamed volume is placed in the bubble generation region of the first liquid flow path 14. It flows in from the discharge port 18 side and the common liquid chamber side 13 of the second liquid flow path 16.

In the conventional liquid flow path structure having no movable member 31, the amount of liquid flowing from the discharge port side to the defoaming position and the amount of liquid flowing from the common liquid chamber are closer to the discharge port than the bubble generation region. And due to the magnitude of the flow resistance between the part close to the common liquid chamber (based on the flow path resistance and the inertia of the liquid). For this reason, when the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port is small, a lot of liquid flows from the discharge port side to the defoaming position, and the retreat amount of the meniscus becomes large. Especially,
As the flow resistance on the side closer to the discharge port is reduced to increase the discharge efficiency to increase the discharge efficiency, the retreat of the meniscus M at the time of defoaming becomes larger, and the refill time becomes longer, which hinders high-speed printing. It was.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the movable member 31 is provided, when the volume W of the bubble is W1 on the upper side and W2 on the side of the bubble generating region 11 with the first position of the movable member 31 as a boundary,
When the movable member returns to the original position at the time of defoaming, the meniscus stops retreating, and the liquid supply for the remaining W2 volume is mainly made by the liquid supply from the flow VD2 of the second flow path 16. Thus, while the amount corresponding to about half of the volume of the bubble W has conventionally been the meniscus retraction amount, it has become possible to suppress the meniscus retreat amount to a smaller amount, which is about half of W1.

Further, the liquid supply for the volume of W2 is forced along the surface of the movable member 31 on the heating element side, mainly from the upstream side (V _D2 ) of the second liquid flow path, by utilizing the pressure at the time of defoaming. Since it can be done automatically, a faster refill could be realized.

What is characteristic here is that when refilling is performed with the conventional head using the pressure at the time of defoaming, the vibration of the meniscus becomes large, which leads to the deterioration of the image quality. In the high-speed refill, the movable member suppresses the flow of the liquid between the region of the first liquid flow path 14 on the discharge port side and the bubble generation region 11 on the discharge port side, so that the vibration of the meniscus can be extremely reduced. It is possible.

As described above, the liquid supply passage 12 of the second passage 16
By achieving high-speed refilling by forcibly refilling the foaming area via the above and suppressing the meniscus retreat and vibration as described above, stable ejection and high-speed repetitive ejection, and when used in the field of recording, improvement in image quality and High-speed recording can be realized.

The structure of the present invention further has the following effective functions. That is, the propagation of the pressure to the upstream side (back wave) due to the generation of bubbles is suppressed. Of the bubbles generated on the heating element 2, most of the pressure generated by the bubbles on the common liquid chamber 13 side (upstream side) has been a force (back wave) that pushes back the liquid toward the upstream side. . This back wave causes the pressure on the upstream side, the amount of liquid movement due to it, and the inertial force associated with the liquid movement,
These reduce the refilling of liquid into the liquid flow path and hinder high-speed driving. In the present invention, first, the movable member 31 suppresses these actions on the upstream side to further improve the refill supply property.

Next, further characteristic structures and effects of this embodiment will be described below.

The second liquid flow path 16 of the present embodiment has a liquid supply path 12 having an inner wall upstream of the heating element 2 and connected to the heating element 2 substantially flat (the surface of the heating element is not largely depressed).
have. In such a case, the supply of the liquid to the bubble generation region 11 and the heat generating element 2 surface along the side surface closer to the bubble generation region 11 of the movable member 31 is performed as V _D2. Therefore, stagnation of the liquid on the surface of the heating element 2 is suppressed, and deposition of gas dissolved in the liquid and so-called residual air bubbles that cannot be defoamed are easily removed. The heat storage does not become too high. Therefore, more stable generation of bubbles can be repeated at high speed. In the present embodiment, the liquid supply path 12 having a substantially flat inner wall has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any liquid supply path that has a gentle inner wall that is smoothly connected to the surface of the heating element. Any shape that does not cause stagnation of the liquid on the heating element or large turbulence in the supply of the liquid may be used.

In some cases, the liquid is supplied to the bubble generating region from V _D1 via the side portion (slit 35) of the movable member. However, in order to more effectively guide the pressure at the time of bubble generation to the discharge port, a large movable member is used so as to cover the entire bubble generation region (cover the heating element surface) as shown in FIG. by return to the position, in the case of forms, such as the flow resistance of the liquid becomes large between the region near the the bubble generation region 11 discharge ports of the first liquid flow path 14, the bubble generating area 11 from the aforementioned V _D1 Incoming liquid flow is impeded. However, in the head structure of the present invention, the flow _VD1 for supplying the liquid to the bubble generation region has a very high liquid supply performance, and the movable member 31 covers the bubble generation region 11. Even if a structure that seeks to improve the efficiency is adopted, the liquid supply performance is not reduced.

As for the positions of the free end 32 and the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31, the free end is relatively downstream of the fulcrum as shown in FIG. 5, for example. With such a configuration, it is possible to efficiently realize functions and effects such as guiding the pressure propagation direction and growth direction of bubbles to the ejection port side during the above-described foaming. Further, this positional relationship achieves not only a function and an effect on discharge, but also an effect that the flow resistance to the liquid flowing through the liquid flow path 10 can be reduced and the refill can be performed at a high speed even when the liquid is supplied. As shown in FIG. 5, when the meniscus M retracted by the discharge returns to the discharge port 18 by capillary force or when liquid is supplied to the defoaming, the liquid flow path 10 (the first liquid (Including the flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16).
This is because the free end and the fulcrum 33 are arranged so as not to go against each other.

Supplementally, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the free end 32 of the movable member 31, as described above, is
The heating element 2 faces a position downstream of an area center 3 (a line passing through the area center (center) of the heating element and orthogonal to the length direction of the liquid flow path) that divides the heating element 2 into an upstream area and a downstream area. As shown in FIG. As a result, the movable member 31 receives a pressure or a bubble that greatly contributes to the discharge of the liquid generated downstream of the area center position 3 of the heating element, and the pressure and the bubble can be guided to the discharge port side, and the discharge efficiency and the like can be improved. Discharge force can be fundamentally improved. In addition, many effects are obtained by utilizing the upstream side of the bubbles.

Further, in the structure of the present embodiment, it is considered that the free end of the movable member 31 makes an instantaneous mechanical displacement, which effectively contributes to the ejection of the liquid.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the ink jet head based on the novel ejection principle. In FIG. 6, A
Indicates a state in which the movable member is displaced (bubbles are not shown), and B indicates a state in which the movable member is in the initial position (first position).
Is assumed to be substantially sealed. (Here, although not shown, there is a flow path wall between A and B to separate the flow path from the flow path.) The movable member 31 in FIG. Is provided with a liquid supply path 12. This allows
The liquid can be supplied along the surface of the movable member on the heating element side and from a liquid supply path having a surface that is substantially flat or smoothly connected to the surface of the heating element.

Here, at the initial position (first position) of the movable member 31, the movable member 31 is close to or in close contact with the heating element downstream wall 36 and the heating element side wall 37 which are arranged downstream and laterally of the heating element 2. Therefore, the bubble generating region 11 is substantially sealed on the discharge port 18 side. For this reason, the pressure of the bubbles at the time of foaming, particularly the pressure on the downstream side of the bubbles, can be concentrated on the free end side of the movable member without being released.

Further, when defoaming, the movable member 31 returns to the first position, and the liquid is supplied onto the heating element at the time of defoaming since the discharge port side of the bubble generation region 31 is substantially sealed, so that a meniscus is not generated. It is possible to obtain the various effects described in the previous embodiments, such as the suppression of backward movement. In addition, the same function and effect as in the previous embodiment can be obtained in the effect regarding refill.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a base 34 for supporting and fixing the movable member 31 is provided upstream from the heating element 2 and has a width smaller than the liquid flow path 10. By setting 34, the liquid supply path 12 as described above
Supply of liquid to Further, the shape of the base 34 is not limited to this, and any shape can be used as long as the refill can be performed smoothly.

Although the distance between the movable member 31 and the heating element 2 is set to about 15 μm in the present embodiment, it may be within a range in which the pressure due to the generation of bubbles is sufficiently transmitted to the movable member.

Next, the main liquid ejection principle has been described so far, but in the present embodiment, the liquid flow path is made into a multi-flow path structure so that the liquid can be foamed by further heating (foaming liquid). ) And a liquid that is mainly discharged (discharge liquid) will be described.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment in the flow path direction, and FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid discharge head.

In the liquid discharge head of this embodiment, the second liquid flow path 16 for foaming is provided on the element substrate 1 provided with the heating element 2 for giving the heat energy for generating bubbles in the liquid. First for discharge liquid directly communicating with the discharge port 18 above
A liquid flow path 14 is provided.

The upstream side of the first liquid flow path 14 communicates with the first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying the discharge liquid to the plurality of first liquid flow paths, and the upstream side of the second liquid flow path 16 Communicates with the second common liquid chamber 17 for supplying the bubbling liquid to the plurality of second liquid flow paths.

However, when the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid are the same liquid, the common liquid chambers may be unified and made common.

A separation wall 30 made of an elastic material such as metal is disposed between the first and second liquid flow paths, and the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path are provided. 16 are divided. In the case where the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are liquids that should not be mixed as much as possible, the flow of the liquids in the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 can be separated as completely as possible by this separation wall. It is better to perform the separation, but if there is no problem even if the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are mixed to some extent, the separation wall may not have the function of complete separation.

The slit 35 is formed in the separation wall of the portion located in the projection space of the heating element upward in the plane direction (hereinafter referred to as the discharge pressure generation region; the region A in FIG. 7 and the bubble generation region 11 in B).
The discharge port side (downstream side of the liquid flow) is a free end,
The movable member 31 has a cantilever shape in which the fulcrum 33 is located on the common liquid chamber (15, 17) side. This movable member 31
Is arranged so as to face the bubble generation region 11 (B), so that it operates so as to open toward the discharge port side on the first liquid flow path side by foaming of the foaming liquid (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). In FIG. 8 as well, a second liquid flow path is formed on the element substrate 1 on which the heating resistor as the heating element 2 and the wiring electrode 5 for applying an electric signal to the heating resistor are arranged. The separation wall 30 is arranged via the space.

The relationship between the arrangement of the fulcrum 33 and the free end 32 of the movable member 31 and the arrangement of the heating element is the same as in the previous embodiment.

Although the structural relationship between the liquid supply passage 12 and the heating element 2 has been described in the previous embodiment, the structural relationship between the second liquid flow path 16 and the heating element 2 is the same in this embodiment as well. are doing.

Next, the operation of the liquid ejection head of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

When the head was driven, the same aqueous ink was used as the ejection liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path 14 and the bubbling liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path 16. The heat generated by the heating element 2 acts on the bubbling liquid in the bubble generation region of the second liquid flow path, so that the bubbling liquid is described in USP 4,723,129 in the same manner as described in the previous embodiment. The bubbles 40 are generated based on the film boiling phenomenon as described above.

In the present embodiment, since there is no escape of the foaming pressure from the three sides except the upstream side of the bubble generating region, the pressure due to the bubble generation is on the movable member 6 side arranged in the discharge pressure generating portion. As the movable member 6 propagates in a concentrated manner and bubbles grow, the movable member 6 moves from the state shown in FIG. 9A to the first state as shown in FIG. 9B.
Displaced toward the liquid flow path. By the operation of the movable member, the first
The liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 are in large communication, and the pressure based on the generation of bubbles is mainly transmitted in the direction (A direction) on the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path. The liquid is discharged from the discharge port by the propagation of the pressure and the mechanical displacement of the movable member as described above.

Next, as the bubbles contract, the movable member 3
1 returns to the position shown in FIG.
In the case, the amount of the discharged liquid corresponding to the amount of the discharged liquid is supplied from the upstream side. Also in this embodiment, since the supply of the discharge liquid is in the direction in which the movable member closes as in the above-described embodiments, the refill of the discharge liquid is not hindered by the movable member.

The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment and the like with respect to the operation and effect of the main part concerning the propagation of the foaming pressure due to the displacement of the movable member, the growth direction of the bubbles, the prevention of the back wave and the like. By adopting the two-channel structure as in the present embodiment, there are the following additional advantages.

That is, according to the configuration of the above embodiment,
The discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are separated from each other, and the discharge liquid can be discharged by the pressure generated by the foaming of the foaming liquid. For this reason, conventionally, even if it is a high-viscosity liquid such as polyethylene glycol, which has been insufficiently foamed even when heat is applied and discharge power is insufficient, this liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path, Liquid that foams well in the foaming liquid (ethanol: water = 4:
By supplying a liquid having a low boiling point or a liquid having a low boiling point to the second liquid flow path, the liquid can be satisfactorily discharged.

Further, by selecting, as the foaming liquid, a liquid that does not generate deposits such as kogation on the surface of the heating element even when it receives heat, so that the foaming can be stabilized and good ejection can be performed.

Further, in the structure of the head of the present invention, the effects as described in the above embodiments are also produced, so that a liquid such as a highly viscous liquid can be ejected with higher ejection efficiency and ejection force.

Further, even in the case of a liquid which is weak to heating, this liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path as a discharge liquid, and a liquid which is hard to be thermally deteriorated in the second liquid flow path and causes good bubbling is supplied. By doing so, it is possible to perform ejection with high ejection efficiency and high ejection force, as described above, without thermally damaging the liquid that is vulnerable to heating.

Although the embodiments of the essential parts of the liquid ejection head and the liquid ejection method of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments applicable to these embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, in the following description, there may be a case where one of the examples of the one-flow channel type and the example of the two-channel type described above is taken up and explained, but it is applicable to both examples unless otherwise specified. is there.

<Ceiling Shape of Liquid Flow Path> FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the liquid discharge head of the present invention in the flow path direction.
A grooved member 50 provided with a groove for constituting 4 (or the liquid flow path 10 in FIG. 1) is provided on the separation wall 30. In the present embodiment, the height of the flow path ceiling near the position of the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is increased, so that the operation angle θ of the movable member can be increased.
The operation range of the movable member may be determined in consideration of the structure of the liquid flow path, durability and bubbling force of the movable member, but it is desirable that the movable member be operated up to an angle including the angle in the axial direction of the discharge port. Conceivable.

Further, as shown in this figure, by making the displacement height of the free end of the movable member higher than the diameter of the discharge port,
More sufficient ejection force is transmitted. Further, as shown in this figure, the height of the liquid flow path ceiling at the fulcrum 33 position of the movable member is lower than the height of the liquid flow path ceiling at the free end 32 position of the movable member. It is possible to more effectively prevent the pressure wave from escaping to the upstream side due to the displacement of.

<Arrangement Relationship between Second Liquid Flow Path and Movable Member> FIG. 11 is a view for explaining the arrangement relationship between the movable member 31 and the second liquid flow path 16 described above. (a) is a view of the separation wall 30 and the vicinity of the movable member 31 as viewed from above, and (b) of the same figure is a view of the second liquid flow path 16 with the separation wall 30 removed as viewed from above. FIG. 3C shows the movable member 31.
FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an arrangement relationship between a first liquid flow path and a second liquid flow path by overlapping these elements. In each of the figures, the lower part of the drawing is the front side where the discharge ports are arranged.

The second liquid flow path 16 of this embodiment is discharged from the upstream side of the heating element 2 (the upstream side here is from the second common liquid chamber side through the heating element position, the movable member and the first flow path). The upstream side of the large flow toward the outlet) has a narrowed portion 19 so that the pressure during bubbling is prevented from easily escaping to the upstream side of the second liquid flow path 16. It has a (foaming chamber) structure.

As in the conventional head, the flow path for bubbling and the flow path for discharging the liquid are the same, and the constriction is formed so that the pressure generated on the liquid chamber side of the heating element does not escape to the common liquid chamber side. In the case of the head provided with, it is necessary to take into consideration the refilling of the liquid, and to adopt a configuration in which the flow passage cross-sectional area in the narrowed portion is not so small.

However, in the case of this embodiment, most of the discharged liquid can be used as the discharge liquid in the first liquid flow path, and the bubbling liquid in the second liquid flow path provided with the heating element is not much. Since it can be prevented from being consumed, the bubble generation region 11 of the second liquid flow path
The filling amount of the foaming liquid into the liquid may be small. Therefore, since the interval in the constricted portion 19 can be made very small, that is, several μm to several tens of μm, it is possible to further suppress the pressure at the time of foaming generated in the second liquid flow path from being released too much to the surroundings, and to concentrate and move. It can be turned to the member side. And since this pressure can be used as a discharge force via the movable member 31,
Higher ejection efficiency and ejection force can be achieved. However, the shape of the first liquid flow path 16 is not limited to the above-described structure, and may be any shape as long as the pressure accompanying the generation of bubbles can be effectively transmitted to the movable member side.

As shown in FIG. 11C, the lateral side of the movable member 31 covers a part of the wall forming the second liquid flow path, whereby the second side of the movable member 31 is covered. It is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing into the liquid channel. This can further enhance the separability between the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid described above. In addition, since the escape of bubbles from the slits can be suppressed, the discharge pressure and the discharge efficiency can be further increased. further,
The effect of the refill from the upstream side by the pressure at the time of the defoaming can be enhanced.

9 (b) and FIG. 10, the bubbles generated in the bubble generation region of the second liquid flow path 4 due to the displacement of the movable member 6 toward the first liquid flow path 14 side. Although a part of it extends to the first liquid flow path 14 side, by making the height of the second flow path such that the bubbles extend in this way, compared to the case where the bubbles do not extend further. The ejection force can be improved. In order for the bubbles to extend into the first liquid flow path 14 in this manner, it is desirable that the height of the second liquid flow path 16 be lower than the height of the maximum bubble. μm to 30 μm
It is desirable that In this embodiment, the height is set to 15 μm.

<Movable Member and Separation Wall> FIG. 12 shows another shape of the movable member 31, 35 is a slit provided in the separation wall, and the slit forms the movable member 31. . (A) is a rectangular shape, (b) is a shape where the fulcrum side is narrower and the movable member is easy to operate, and (c) is a shape where the fulcrum side is wider and the movable member is wider. This is a shape that improves the durability of the device.
As a shape with good operability and durability, FIG.
As shown in (a), it is desirable that the width on the fulcrum side is narrowed in an arc shape, but the shape of the movable member is a shape that can easily operate without entering the second liquid flow path side. ,
Any shape having excellent durability may be used.

In the previous embodiment, the plate-shaped movable member 31
And the separation wall 30 having this movable member has a thickness of 5 μm.
However, the material of the movable member and the separation wall is not limited to this, but has solvent resistance to the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, and has elasticity to operate well as the movable member. However, any material can be used as long as a fine slit can be formed.

As the material of the movable member, high durability
Metals such as silver, nickel, gold, iron, titanium, aluminum, platinum, tantalum, stainless steel, phosphor bronze, and alloys thereof, or resins having a nitrile group such as acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene, and amide groups such as polyamide Resin, resin having a carboxyl group such as polycarbonate, resin having an aldehyde group such as polyacetal, resin having a sulfone group such as polysulfone,
In addition, resins and compounds such as liquid crystal polymers, highly ink-resistant metals such as gold, tungsten, tantalum, nickel, stainless steel, titanium, alloys of these and those with ink resistance coated on the surface or polyamide A resin having an amide group such as
Resins having an aldehyde group such as polyacetal, resins having a ketone group such as polyetheretherketone, resins having an imide group such as polyimide, resins having a hydroxyl group such as a phenol resin, resins having an ethyl group such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. A resin having an alkyl group, a resin having an epoxy group such as an epoxy resin, a resin having an amino group such as a melamine resin, a resin having a methylol group such as a xylene resin and its compound, and a ceramic such as silicon dioxide and its compound. desirable.

Examples of the material for the separation wall include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, melamine resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, polybutadiene, polyurethane, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyarylate, polyimide, polysulfone, and liquid crystal. A resin having good heat resistance, solvent resistance and moldability represented by recent engineering plastics such as polymer (LCP) and its compound, or silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, nickel,
Metals such as gold and stainless steel, alloys and their compounds, or those whose surfaces are coated with titanium or gold are desirable.

The thickness of the separation wall may be determined in consideration of its material and shape from the viewpoint that the strength as the separation wall can be achieved and the movable member operates well.
A thickness of about 0.5 to 10 μm is desirable.

The width of the slit 35 for forming the movable member 31 is set to 2 μm in this embodiment, but if the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid are different liquids and it is desired to prevent the mixture of both liquids, the slit 35 is formed. The width may be set so as to form a meniscus between the two liquids to suppress the flow of the respective liquids. For example, when a liquid of about 2 cP (centipoise) is used as the foaming liquid and a liquid of 100 cP or more is used as the discharge liquid, the liquid mixture can be prevented even with a slit of about 5 μm, but it is preferable that the slit be 3 μm or less. .

The thickness of the μm order (t μm) is targeted as the movable member in the present invention, and the movable member having the thickness of the cm order is not intended. For a movable member having a thickness on the order of μm, a slit width (W
μm), it is desirable to consider the manufacturing variations to some extent.

When the thickness of the member facing the free end and / or the side end of the movable member forming the slit is equal to the thickness of the movable member (FIGS. 9, 10 and the like), the relationship between the slit width and the thickness is calculated. By considering the variation and setting it in the following range, it is possible to stably suppress the mixture of the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid. Although this is a limited condition, as a design point of view, when a high-viscosity ink (5 cp, 10 cp, etc.) is used for a foaming liquid having a viscosity of 3 cp or less, W / t ≦
By satisfying the condition 1, the mixing of the two liquids can be suppressed for a long time.

The slit providing the "substantially closed state" of the present invention is more certain if it is on the order of several μm.

As described above, when the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are functionally separated, the movable member serves as a substantial partitioning member for these. It can be seen that the foaming liquid mixes slightly with the discharge liquid when the movable member moves with the generation of bubbles. In consideration of the fact that an ejection liquid for forming an image generally has a colorant density of about 3% to 5% in the case of ink jet recording, this foaming liquid is in a range of 20% or less with respect to the ejection droplet. Does not cause a large change in concentration. Therefore, the present invention includes such a mixed liquid as a mixture of a foaming liquid and an ejected liquid such that the amount thereof is 20% or less of the ejected liquid droplets.

In the implementation of the above configuration example, the foaming liquid is mixed at an upper limit of 15% even if the viscosity is changed. For a foaming liquid of 5 cps or less, the mixing ratio depends on the driving frequency, but is 10%. The upper limit was about%.

In particular, as the viscosity of the discharge liquid is set to 20 cps or less, the mixed liquid can be reduced (for example, 5% or less).

Next, the positional relationship between the heating element and the movable member in this head will be described with reference to the drawings. However,
The shapes, dimensions, and numbers of the movable member and the heating element are not limited to the following. By the optimal arrangement of the heating element and the movable member, the pressure at the time of foaming by the heating element can be effectively used as the discharge pressure.

By applying energy such as heat to the ink, a state change accompanied by a sharp volume change (generation of bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the action force based on this state change ejects the ink from the ejection port. In a conventional technique of an ink jet recording method, which is a so-called bubble jet recording method, in which an image is formed by adhering a recording medium onto a recording medium, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, although the heating element area and the ink discharge amount are in a proportional relationship, it can be seen that there is a non-foaming effective region S that does not contribute to ink discharge. In addition, from the appearance of the kogation on the heating element, it can be seen that the non-foaming effective area S exists around the heating element. From these results, it is considered that the width of about 4 μm around the heating element is not involved in foaming.

Therefore, in order to effectively utilize the foaming pressure, it is effective to dispose the movable member such that the area directly above the effective foaming area of about 4 μm or more from the periphery of the heating element is covered with the movable area of the movable member. Can be said to be target. In the present embodiment, the effective foaming area is set at about 4 μm or more inside the periphery of the heating element. However, the present invention is not limited to this, depending on the type and forming method of the heating element.

FIG. 14 shows a movable member 301 ((a) in which the total area of the movable region is different from that of the heating element 2 of 58 × 150 μm.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram viewed from above when the movable member 302 (FIG. 2B) is arranged.

The size of the movable member 301 is 53 × 145 μ.
m, which is smaller than the area of the heating element 2, but approximately the same as the effective foaming area of the heating element 2, and is arranged so as to cover the effective foaming area. On the other hand, the size of the movable member 302 is 53 × 220 μm, which is larger than the area of the heating element 2 (when the width is the same, the dimension between the fulcrum and the movable tip is longer than the length of the heating element). Is arranged so as to cover the effective foaming area. The durability and discharge efficiency of the two types of movable members 301 and 302 were measured. The measurement conditions are as follows.

Foaming liquid: 40% ethanol aqueous solution Ejection ink: Dye ink Voltage: 20.2 V Frequency: 3 kHz As a result of an experiment conducted under these measurement conditions, the durability of the movable member was (a) the movable member 301. When 1 × 10 ⁷ pulses were applied, the fulcrum of the movable member 301 was damaged. (B) 3 × 10 ^{8 for the} movable member 302
No damage was seen when the pulse was applied. It was also confirmed that the kinetic energy obtained from the discharge amount and the discharge speed with respect to the input energy was improved by about 1.5 to 2.5 times.

From the above results, in terms of both durability and ejection efficiency, when the movable member is provided so as to cover directly above the effective foaming region, and the area of the movable member is larger than the area of the heating element, It turns out to be excellent.

FIG. 15 shows the relationship between the distance from the edge of the heating element to the fulcrum of the movable member and the amount of displacement of the movable member. FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing the positional relationship between the heating element 2 and the movable member 31 as viewed from the side. Heating element 2 is 40 ×
The one having a size of 105 μm was used. It can be seen that the greater the distance l from the edge of the heating element 2 to the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31, the greater the displacement. Therefore, it is desirable to determine the optimal displacement amount and determine the position of the fulcrum of the movable member based on the required ink discharge amount, the discharge liquid flow path structure, and the shape of the heating element.

When the fulcrum of the movable member is located directly above the effective foaming area of the heating element, the foaming pressure is directly applied to the fulcrum in addition to the stress due to the displacement of the movable member, and the durability of the movable member deteriorates. . According to the experiment of the present inventor, it was found that, in the case where the fulcrum was provided right above the effective foaming area, the movable wall was damaged by about 1 × 10 ⁶ pulses, and the durability was reduced. I have. Therefore, by arranging the fulcrum of the movable member just above the effective foaming area of the heating element, the practicability increases even if the movable member has a shape or material whose durability is not so high. However, even if there is a fulcrum just above the effective foaming area, it can be used favorably if the shape and material are selected. With this configuration, a liquid ejection head having high ejection efficiency and excellent durability can be obtained.

<Element Substrate> The structure of the element substrate provided with a heating element for applying heat to the liquid will be described below.

FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional view of a liquid discharge head of the present invention. FIG. 17 (a) shows a head having a protective film, which will be described later, and FIG. 17 (b), which does not have the protective film.

The second liquid flow path 16 and the separation wall 3 are provided on the element substrate 1.
0, a first liquid flow path 14, and a grooved member 50 provided with grooves forming the first liquid flow path.

The element substrate 1 includes a substrate 107 made of silicon or the like.
A silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film 106 for the purpose of insulation and heat storage is formed on the above, and hafnium boride (HfB ₂ ), tantalum nitride (TaN), and tantalum aluminum (TaAl) forming a heating element are formed thereon. 11) and an electric resistance layer 105 (thickness of 0.01 to 0.2 μm) and a wiring electrode (thickness of 0.2 to 1.0 μm) such as aluminum are patterned as shown in FIG. A voltage is applied from the two wiring electrodes 104 to the resistance layer 105, and a current flows through the resistance layer to generate heat. A protective layer such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride having a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 μm is formed on the resistance layer between the wiring electrodes, and a cavitation resistant layer such as tantalum (having a thickness of 0.1 to 0.6 μm) is formed on the protective layer. ) Is formed to protect the resistance layer 105 from various liquids such as ink.

In particular, the pressure and shock wave generated at the time of bubble generation and defoaming are very strong, and the durability of a hard and brittle oxide film is significantly reduced. Therefore, tantalum (Ta) which is a metal material is used.
Are used as a cavitation-resistant layer.

Further, a constitution in which the above-mentioned protective layer is not necessary depending on the combination of the liquid, the liquid flow path constitution, and the resistance material may be used, and an example thereof is shown in FIG. 17 (b). Examples of the material of the resistance layer that does not require such a protective layer include an iridium-tantalum-aluminum alloy.

As described above, the structure of the heating element in each of the above-described embodiments may be only the resistance layer (heat generating portion) between the electrodes described above, or may include a protective layer for protecting the resistance layer.

In this embodiment, as the heating element, the one having the heating portion composed of the resistance layer which generates heat in response to the electric signal is used, but the heating element is not limited to this, and it is sufficient to discharge the discharge liquid. Any bubbles can be used as long as they generate bubbles in the foaming liquid. For example, a light-to-heat converter that generates heat by receiving light from a laser or the like, or a heat generator that has a heat generating unit that generates heat by receiving a high frequency may be used as the heat generating unit.

On the element substrate 1 described above, in addition to the electrothermal converter constituted by the resistance layer 105 forming the heat generating section and the wiring electrode 104 for supplying an electric signal to the resistance layer, Functional elements such as a transistor, a diode, a latch, and a shift register for selectively driving the electrothermal conversion element may be integrally formed in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Further, in order to drive the heat generating portion of the electrothermal converter provided on the element substrate 1 and discharge the liquid, the rectangular pulse is applied to the resistance layer 105 via the wiring electrode 104. Is applied to rapidly generate heat in the resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes. In the head of each of the above embodiments,
Voltage 24V, pulse width 7μsec, current 150
The heating element was driven by applying an electric signal of 6 mA at mA, and the liquid ink was ejected from the ejection port by the above-described operation. However, the condition of the drive signal is not limited to this, and any drive signal can be used as long as it can appropriately foam the foaming liquid.

<Head Structure with Two-Channel Structure> The following is a liquid ejecting method in which different liquids can be satisfactorily separated and introduced into the first and second common liquid chambers, the number of parts can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. A structural example of the head will be described.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of such a liquid discharge head. The same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the previous embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

In this embodiment, the grooved member 50 is
An orifice plate 51 having a discharge port 18; a plurality of grooves forming a plurality of first liquid flow paths 14;
4 and a concave portion forming a first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying a liquid (discharge liquid) to each first liquid flow path 14.

The separation wall 30 is provided on the lower side of the grooved member 50.
Can be formed to form a plurality of first liquid flow paths 14. Such a grooved member 50 has a first liquid supply path 20 that reaches the inside of the first common liquid chamber 15 from above. Further, the grooved member 50 penetrates the separation wall 30 from the upper part thereof and reaches the second common liquid chamber 17 in the second common liquid chamber 17.
The liquid supply path 21 of FIG.

The first liquid (discharge liquid) is the arrow C in FIG.
As shown by, the liquid is supplied to the first common liquid chamber 15 and then to the first liquid flow path 14 via the first liquid supply path 20, and the second liquid (foaming liquid) is indicated by an arrow D in FIG. As shown, the second
The second common liquid chamber 17 and then the second common liquid chamber 17 via the liquid supply passage 21.
The liquid is supplied to the liquid flow path 16.

In this embodiment, the second liquid supply passage 21
Is arranged in parallel with the first liquid supply passage 20, but is not limited to this, penetrates the separation wall 30 arranged outside the first common liquid chamber 15, and 17 may be arranged in any way as long as it is formed so as to communicate with 17.

The thickness (diameter) of the second liquid supply passage 21
Is determined in consideration of the supply amount of the second liquid.
The shape of the second liquid supply path 21 does not need to be round,
It may be rectangular or the like.

The second common liquid chamber 17 has the grooved member 50.
By the partition wall 30.

As a method of assembling and manufacturing, as shown in the exploded perspective view of this embodiment shown in FIG. 19, the common liquid chamber frame and the second liquid passage wall are formed on the element substrate with a dry film, and the separation wall is fixed. A combined body of the grooved member 50 and the separating wall 30 and the element substrate 1
May be formed to form the second common liquid chamber 17 or the second liquid flow path 16.

In the present embodiment, as described above, as a heating element that generates heat for generating bubbles due to film boiling in the foaming liquid on the support 70 formed of a metal such as aluminum. An element substrate 1 provided with a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements is arranged.

On the element substrate 1, the plurality of grooves forming the liquid flow path 16 formed by the second liquid path wall and the plurality of foaming liquid flow paths are communicated with each other, and the foaming liquid paths are formed in the respective foaming liquid paths. For forming the second common liquid chamber (common bubbling liquid chamber) 17 and the separation wall 30 provided with the movable wall 31 described above.
And are arranged.

Reference numeral 50 is a grooved member. The grooved member is joined to the separation wall 30 to form a discharge liquid flow path (first
A first common liquid chamber (common discharge liquid chamber) 15 which communicates with the groove forming the liquid flow path) 14 and the discharge liquid flow path to supply the discharge liquid to each discharge liquid flow path; Of the recess,
A first supply path (discharge liquid supply path) 20 for supplying discharge liquid to the first common liquid chamber, and a second supply path (foam liquid supply) for supplying foaming liquid to the second common liquid chamber 17. (Road) 21. The second supply passage 21 penetrates the separation wall 30 disposed outside the first common liquid chamber 15 and
7, the foaming liquid is not mixed with the discharge liquid by the communication path, and the foamed liquid is mixed with the second common liquid chamber 1.
5 can be supplied.

The arrangement relationship among the element substrate 1, the separation wall 30, and the grooved top plate 50 is that the movable member 31 is arranged corresponding to the heating element of the element substrate 1, and corresponds to this movable member 31. A discharge liquid flow path 14 is arranged. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which one second supply path is arranged in the grooved member is shown, but a plurality of second supply paths may be provided depending on the supply amount. Furthermore, the flow path cross-sectional area of the discharge liquid supply path 20 and the foaming liquid supply path 21 may be determined in proportion to the supply amount. By optimizing the flow path cross-sectional area as described above, it is possible to further reduce the size of the components that form the grooved member 50 and the like.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the second supply passage for supplying the second liquid to the second liquid passage and the first supply passage for supplying the first liquid to the first liquid passage. By forming the grooved top plate as the grooved member which is the same as the road, the number of parts can be reduced, and the process can be shortened and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the supply of the second liquid to the second common liquid chamber communicating with the second liquid flow passage is performed by the second liquid flow passage in the direction of penetrating the separation wall for separating the first liquid and the second liquid. Since the structure is performed, the step of attaching the separating wall, the grooved member, and the heating element forming substrate only needs to be performed once, and the easiness of making is improved, the attaching accuracy is improved, and good ejection is achieved. You can

<Manufacturing of Liquid Discharging Head> Next, the manufacturing process of the liquid discharging head of the present invention will be described.

In the case of the liquid discharge head as shown in FIG. 2, a base 34 for providing the movable member 31 on the element substrate 1 is formed by patterning a dry film or the like, and the movable member is attached to the base 34. 31 was adhered or fixed by welding. Thereafter, a grooved member having a plurality of grooves forming each liquid flow path 10, a discharge port 18, and a concave part forming the common liquid chamber 13 is joined to the element substrate 1 in such a manner that the grooves correspond to the movable members. It was formed by doing.

Next, a manufacturing process of a liquid discharge head having a two-channel structure as shown in FIGS. 7 and 19 will be described.

Roughly speaking, the second liquid flow path 1 is formed on the element substrate 1.
6, a separation wall 30 is mounted thereon, and a grooved member 50 provided with a groove or the like constituting the first liquid flow path 14 is further mounted thereon. Alternatively, the second liquid flow path 1
After the wall 6 is formed, the grooved member 50 having the separation wall 30 attached thereto is joined onto the wall.

In the manufacturing process of such a head, it is necessary to move the element substrate and the grooved member relative to each other so that the groove and the movable member correspond to each other.
If the movable member formed on the separation wall is projected to the joint side of the element substrate and the grooved member, it may be damaged.

An example for avoiding the protrusion of the movable member to the joining side will be described below. [Embodiment 1] FIG. 20 is a schematic view best showing the features of the present invention.

111 is a thin film having a valve, 112 is a valve (movable member), 113 is a top plate (grooved member), 114
Is a groove, and 115 is a contact surface between the top plate and the thin film.

When the top plate and the element substrate (not shown) are moved relative to each other for alignment, vacuum suction is performed from the ink supply port of the top plate 113, and the suction force causes the valve 112 to move between the top plate 113 and the thin film 111. It is slightly displaced from the contact surface 115 to the groove 114 side.

The thin film having a valve has a thickness of 3 μm to 20 μm and a vacuum suction force of −500 mmHg to −700 mmHg. In this embodiment, the thin film has a thickness of 3 μm and the vacuum suction force is −670 mm.
Hg was performed. The valve displacement at that time is 30-4 in the groove direction.
0 μm. [Embodiment 2] FIG. 21 shows a method of displacing a valve by using magnetic force. In this case, the material of the thin film 111 having the valve 112 is selected from magnetic metal.

The valve-equipped top plate 113 is fixed to an electromagnet or permanent magnet that emits magnetism, and the magnetic attraction force causes the metal valve 112 to be slightly displaced into the groove 114. After the valve-attached top plate and the heater board (element substrate) (not shown) are bonded together, the magnetism-generating material is removed and the magnetism is removed from the thin film. [Third Embodiment] FIG. 22 shows a method of displacing a valve by using magnetic force. The material of the thin film having the valve 112 is selected from magnetic metal. Reference numeral 116 is a heater, 117 is a heater board, and 118 is a heater board auxiliary material made of a magnetic material.

First, the upper surface of the thin film 1 and the heater board 11
7 is magnetized to the contact surface between the heater board auxiliary material 118 and the heater board 7. As a result, a repulsive force is generated between the top plate and the heater board, and the valve 112 is slightly displaced to the groove side from the contact surface 115 between the top plate and the thin film.

After the bonding of the valved top plate and the heater board is completed, the magnetism of the thin film and the heater board auxiliary material is removed. [Embodiment 4] As a method of accommodating a member having a concave portion in a state in which a valve (movable member) is displaced, there is a contact type in addition to the non-contact embodiments of the present invention. For example, a microsphere corresponding to a movable member (diameter of about 40 μm
A method of slightly displacing the movable member using the surface of a sphere having a diameter of 80 μm can be mentioned. In any case, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, the movable member can be displaced and made uniform by placing the movable member in the displaced state and facing the concave portion.

Next, a method of bonding the valve-equipped top plate and the heater board to each other will be described based on the valve displacement techniques according to the first to fourth embodiments.

FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing a state in which the valve is deformed to the groove side from the contact surface between the top plate and the thin film, and the valve-attached top plate and the heater board are bonded together. (A) is a schematic diagram before pasting a valve-attached top plate and a heater board, and (B) is a schematic diagram after pasting.

In FIG. 23, 116 is a heater,
117 is a heater board, 119 is a dry film, 12
Reference numeral 0 is a reference surface of the top plate, and 121 is a cut surface of the heater board.

First, the valve 112 is attached to the top plate 113 and the thin film 111.
Is displaced toward the groove 114 side from the contact surface, and then the reference surface 120 of the top plate 113 is abutted against the cut surface 121 of the heater board to bond the top plate 113 and the heater board 117 while adjusting their positions.

<Discharge Liquid, Foaming Liquid> As described in the above embodiments, in the present invention, by the structure having the movable member as described above, the discharge force and the discharge efficiency are higher than those of the conventional liquid discharge head. The liquid can be ejected at high speed. In the present embodiment, when the same liquid is used for the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, the deposit is not easily generated on the heating element by heating without being deteriorated by the heat applied from the heating element, and vaporized by heat. Various liquids can be used as long as they can change the reversible state of condensation and do not deteriorate the liquid flow path, the movable member, the separation wall, and the like.

Among these liquids, as the liquid (recording liquid) used for recording, the ink having the composition used in the conventional bubble jet device can be used.

On the other hand, in the case of using the head having the two-passage structure of the present invention and separating the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid, the liquid having the above-mentioned properties may be used as the foaming liquid. , Methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, toluene, xylene, methylene dichloride, trichlene, Freon TF, Freon BF, ethyl ether, dioxane, cyclohexane, methyl acetate, acetic acid. ethyl,
Examples include acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, water, and the like, and mixtures thereof.

As the discharge liquid, various liquids can be used regardless of the presence or absence of foamability and the thermal property. In addition, liquids having low foaming properties, liquids which are easily deteriorated or deteriorated by heat, high-viscosity liquids, and the like, which have been difficult to discharge conventionally, can be used.

However, as the properties of the discharge liquid, the discharge liquid itself,
Alternatively, it is desirable that the liquid is not a liquid that hinders ejection, foaming, operation of the movable member, or the like due to a reaction with the foaming liquid.

High-viscosity ink or the like can also be used as the ejection liquid for recording. As other discharge liquids, liquids such as medicines and perfumes that are vulnerable to heat can be used.

In the present invention, recording was performed using an ink having the following composition as a recording liquid that can be used as both the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid. As a result, the droplet landing accuracy was improved and a very good recorded image could be obtained.

[0149]

[Outside 1] In addition, recording was performed by discharging a liquid having a composition shown below in combination with the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid. As a result, a liquid having a viscosity of more than ten cps, which was difficult to discharge with a conventional head, as well as a liquid having a very high viscosity of 150 cP could be discharged favorably, and a high-quality recorded matter could be obtained.

[0150]

[Outside 2] By the way, in the case of the liquid which has been conventionally difficult to be ejected as described above, since the ejection speed is low, the dispersion of the ejection direction is promoted, the landing accuracy of the dots on the recording paper is poor, and the ejection is unstable. Variations in the amount of discharge occurred, and these made it difficult to obtain high-quality images. However, in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the generation of bubbles can be sufficiently and stably performed by using the foaming liquid.
As a result, it is possible to improve the landing accuracy of the droplets and stabilize the ink discharge amount, and it is possible to remarkably improve the quality of the recorded image.

[0151]

As described above, according to the liquid ejecting method, the head, etc. according to the present invention based on the novel ejection principle using the movable member, the synergistic effect of the bubble generated and the movable member displaced by the bubble can be obtained. Since it is possible to efficiently discharge the liquid in the vicinity of the discharge port, there are various effects such that the discharge efficiency can be improved as compared with the conventional bubble jet type discharge method and the head.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, even in an ink jet head having a thin film valve, the thin film valve attached to the top plate is slightly displaced to the groove side, whereby The surface can be abutted against the cut surface of the heater board to be bonded while adjusting the position of the top plate with respect to the heater board.

Needless to say, the present invention is also applicable to a side shooter type having a discharge port located so as to face the heating element surface.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in a conventional head.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in the head of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of the liquid of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a liquid ejection head (two channels) according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the movable member.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining structures of a movable member and a first liquid flow path.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining structures of a movable member and a liquid flow path.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining another shape of the movable member.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a relationship between a heating element area and an ink ejection amount.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an arrangement relationship between a movable member and a heating element.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a distance between an edge of a heating element and a fulcrum and a displacement amount of a movable member.

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining an arrangement relationship between a heating element and a movable member.

FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a supply path of the liquid ejection head according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of a head according to the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing how the valve is displaced using the vacuum suction force in the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing how the valve is displaced using magnetic force according to the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a valve is displaced using magnetic force according to the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing how the top plate and the heater board are joined in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Element substrate 2 Heating element 3 Area center 10 Liquid channel 11 Bubble generation area 12 Supply channel 13 Common liquid chamber 14 First liquid channel 15 First common liquid chamber 16 Second liquid channel 17 Second common liquid chamber 18 Discharge Outlet 19 Constriction part 20 First supply path 21 Second supply path 22 First liquid flow path wall 23 Second liquid flow path wall 24 Convex part 30 Separation wall 31 Movable member 32 Free end 33 Support point 34 Support member 35 Slit 36 Bubble generation Area front wall 37 Bubble generation area side wall 40 Bubble 45 Droplet 50 Groove member 51 Orifice plate 70 Support 111 111 Thin film 112 Valve 113 Top plate 114 Groove 115 Contact surface between thin film and top plate 116 Heater 117 Heater board 118 Magnetic heater Board supplement 119 Dry film 120 Reference surface of top plate 121 Cut surface of heater board

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Kimiyuki Hayashizaki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hisashi Fukai 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Kya Non Inc. (72) Inventor Takayuki Ono 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kiyomitsu Kudo 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Toshio Kashino 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) In-house Yoshie Nakata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a component having a large number of liquid passages having a liquid discharging movable member, wherein a thin film material having a large number of movable members and a component having a large number of recesses corresponding to the liquid passages are used. A method of manufacturing a component with a movable member for liquid ejection, comprising the step of causing the movable member of the thin film material to be displaced from the thin film material, and associating the movable member in the displaced state with the recess. 2. The method for manufacturing a component with a movable member for liquid ejection according to claim 1, wherein vacuuming is performed from the recess of the component as a method of displacing the movable member into the recess. 3. The method of manufacturing a component with a movable member for liquid ejection according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is made of a magnetic metal film, and the movable member is displaced into the recess by magnetic force. 4. A liquid discharge using a component according to claim 1, further comprising a step of positioning a substrate having a large number of heat generating elements with respect to the component in correspondence with the movable member. Head manufacturing method. 5. A liquid ejection head manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein the ejection port ejects liquid.
A bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid and a second position, which is arranged facing the bubble generation region and is farther from the bubble generation region than the first position, can be displaced. A movable member, the movable member being displaced from the first position to the second position by the pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generating portion, and being displaced by the displacement of the movable member. A liquid ejection head that ejects liquid by expanding air bubbles to the downstream side rather than upstream in the direction toward the ejection port.