JPH09327927A - Moving method and positioning method for thin film material, manufacture of liquid discharging member using them and liquid-charging head manufactured by the manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To move and position a thin film material having at not a specific thickness by floating the material on a base, inclining the base and moving it by using an own weight of the material. SOLUTION: When compressed air regulated by a regulator is supplied from an air supply port 105 to an air reservoir in case of moving a thin film material 101 having a thickness of 50μm or less, medium 102 having a micropore size flows from the micropore to an entire rear surface of the material 101, an infinitesimal air layer is formed between the material 101 and the medium 102 to float. Thereafter, a base 107a is inclined in a θY direction with a base 107b as a reference, and bumped against a bumping reference member 106b in a Y direction by an own weight of the material 101. Then, a base 107c is inclined with a base 107c as a reference in a θX direction, bumped against a bumping reference member 106a in an X direction, and a frictional force with a moving base is eliminated. And, it is moved on a positioning base 107.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for moving a thin film material having a thickness of 50 .mu.m or less, a method for manufacturing a liquid discharging member using the moving method, and a liquid discharging method manufactured by the manufacturing method. Regarding the head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In conventional positioning technology, the thickness is 5
In the case of a medium of 0 μm or more, the medium to be positioned is positioned by directly applying force to the medium by using a cylinder, a cam, air or the like as a reference member.

Further, even for a medium having a thickness of 100 μm or less, when the medium is supplied to the reel, it is merely conveyed and positioned using a sprocket or the like.

Further, the movement of the paper or the like is merely performed by directly sliding the roller or the like.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, it was difficult to move a thin film material having a thickness of 50 μm or less without damage.

Further, it has been difficult to directly slide a thin film material having a thickness of 50 μm or less by frictional force, static electricity or the like.

An object of the present invention is to move and position a thin film material without damaging it.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the following means are used in the present invention. (1) A small amount of air is supplied to the lower surface of the thin film material, a minute air layer is provided between the thin film material and the base, and the thin film material is moved without directly touching it. (2) By inclining the base, it is possible to prevent the thin film material from bending or bending by abutting against the abutting reference surface by utilizing the own weight of the thin film material itself. (3) A thin air layer is provided between the thin film material and the base to eliminate friction, and the movement is due to the weight of the thin film material, so it does not jump out of the base and the machining accuracy of the mechanism etc. is not severe and the cost is low. It is also very advantageous. (4) By using a medium having a minute pore size on the adsorption surface,
It is possible to suppress the deformation of the thin film material to a minimum and securely fix it.

The terms "upstream" and "downstream" used in the description of the present invention refer to the liquid flow direction from the liquid supply source to the discharge port via the bubble generation region (or movable member).
Alternatively, it is expressed as an expression regarding this structural direction.

The "downstream side" of the bubble itself is
It mainly represents a portion on the ejection port side of a bubble which is considered to directly act on ejection of a droplet. More specifically, with respect to the center of the bubble, the downstream side with respect to the flow direction and the structural direction,
Alternatively, it means bubbles generated in a region downstream of the area center of the heating element.

The term "substantially closed" used in the description of the present invention means a state in which, when a bubble grows, the bubble does not slip through a gap (slit) around the movable member before the movable member is displaced. Means

Further, the term "separation wall" as used in the present invention means, in a broad sense, a wall (which may include a movable member) that intervenes so as to separate the bubble generation region and the region directly communicating with the discharge port, In a narrow sense, it means that the flow passage including the bubble generation region is separated from the liquid flow passage that directly communicates with the ejection port to prevent the liquid in each region from being mixed.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention is as follows.

The thin film material transfer method according to the present invention has a thickness of 5 mm.
When the thin film material having a thickness of 0 μm or less is moved, the thin film material is floated on a base for the thin film material, the base is tilted, and the thin film material is moved using its own weight.

The thin film material positioning method according to the present invention is characterized in that the thin film material floated by the thin film material moving method is moved, and the thin film material is abutted against an abutting reference for positioning. To do.

In the method for manufacturing a liquid discharging member according to the present invention, when the thin film material is used in a liquid discharging head composed of a member having a liquid flow path and an element substrate having a heating element,
The liquid ejecting member is manufactured by performing positioning using the positioning method.

A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head having a thin film material between a top plate having a liquid flow path and an element substrate having a heating element. The method is characterized in that the method comprises a step of levitating on a table, inclining the table, and abutting against an abutting reference of the table using the weight of the thin film material to perform temporary positioning.

The liquid discharge head according to the present invention is manufactured by using the above-described manufacturing method, and has a plurality of discharge ports for discharging the liquid and a plurality of heat generations for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid. An element substrate on which a body is arranged, a liquid flow path having a supply path for supplying a liquid onto the heat generating element from the upstream side of the heat generating element, and a liquid passage provided facing the heat generating element and free on the discharge port side. A movable member, which is a thin film material having an end and displacing the free end by a pressure based on the generation of the bubbles to guide the pressure to the discharge port side.

The liquid discharge head according to the present invention is manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method, and has a plurality of discharge ports for discharging the liquid and a plurality of first liquid streams that directly communicate with the respective discharge ports. A grooved member which is a top plate integrally having a plurality of grooves for forming a passage and a concave portion for forming a first common liquid chamber for supplying a liquid to the plurality of first liquid flow paths. And an element substrate on which a plurality of heat generating elements for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid are arranged, and between the grooved member and the element substrate, corresponding to the heat generating element. A thin film material that constitutes a part of the wall of the second liquid flow path, and includes a movable member that is displaced toward the first liquid flow path side by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles at a position facing the heating element. And a certain separating wall.

[0020]

EXAMPLES In the following, in Examples 1 and 2, a liquid ejection head to which the method for producing a liquid ejection head according to the present invention is applied will be described, and in Example 3, a method for producing a liquid ejection head according to the present invention will be described. To do.

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

First, in this embodiment, for discharging liquid,
An example in which the discharge force and the discharge efficiency are improved by controlling the direction of pressure propagation based on bubbles and the direction of growth of bubbles will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment cut in the liquid flow path direction, and FIG. 2 is 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 receives from the common liquid chamber 13 an amount of liquid corresponding to the liquid discharged from the discharge port. .

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 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.

This movable member 31 has a fulcrum (fulcrum portion; fixed end) 33 on the upstream side of a large flow that flows from the common liquid chamber 13 through the movable member 31 to the ejection port 18 side by the liquid ejection 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 space between the heating element and the movable member is a bubble generation area. Note that the types, shapes, and arrangements of the heating element and the movable member are not limited thereto, and may be any shape and arrangement that can control the growth of bubbles and the propagation of pressure as described later. Note that the above-described liquid flow path 10
In order to explain the flow of the liquid to be discussed later, the movable member 31
The portion directly connected to the discharge port 18 with the boundary as the first liquid flow path 14 is divided into two areas of the bubble generation area 11 and the second liquid flow path 16 having the liquid supply path 12 for explanation. I do.

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 US Pat. No. 4,723,129. The pressure based on the generation of the air bubbles and the air bubbles act preferentially on the movable member, and the movable member 31 opens largely toward the discharge port around the fulcrum 33 as shown in FIG. 1 (b), (c) or FIG. To be displaced. 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 with 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 direction of pressure propagation 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 part 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. V1 is the ejection direction V
Since it is closest to the direction of A, it works efficiently. Conversely, V4 has a relatively small direction 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 is 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. 1B, 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.

FIG. 1C shows a state in which the bubble 40 has further grown, but the movable member 31 is further displaced according to the pressure accompanying the generation of 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. Thus, bubble 4
When the movable member 31 is gradually displaced in accordance with the growth of 0, 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 uniformly directed to the discharge port. It can be considered that being able to change the height also enhances the discharge 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 bubbles have been described above. The liquid refilling in the liquid ejecting head of the present invention 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 FIG. 1 (c), when the bubble 40 enters the defoaming process after reaching the maximum volume state, a volume of liquid that supplements the defoamed volume is 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 without the movable member 31, the amount of the liquid flowing from the discharge port side to the defoaming position and the amount of the liquid flowing from the common liquid chamber are the same as the part closer to the discharge port than the bubble generation region and the common liquid. This is due to the magnitude of the flow resistance with the part close to the chamber (based on the flow path resistance and the inertia of the liquid).

Therefore, when the flow resistance on the side close to the ejection port is small, a large amount of liquid flows from the ejection port side to the defoaming position and the retreat amount of the meniscus increases. In particular, as the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port is reduced to increase the discharge efficiency in order to increase the discharge efficiency, the meniscus M at the time of defoaming becomes larger, the refill time becomes longer, and the refill time becomes longer, and high-speed printing is performed. Was to hinder.

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,
The retraction of the meniscus at the time the movable member during bubble disappearance returned to the original position stops, then remaining liquid supply volume of the W2 is made mainly by the liquid supply from the flow V _D2 in 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 using the pressure at the time of defoaming with a conventional head, the vibration of the meniscus becomes large, which leads to deterioration of 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, in the present invention, the forced refill of the second flow path 16 into the foaming region via the liquid supply path 12 and the high speed refill by suppressing the meniscus retreat and the vibration described above are achieved, thereby achieving the discharge. When used in the field of stable recording, high-speed repetitive ejection, and recording, it is possible to improve image quality and realize high-speed recording.

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 caused by the bubbles on the common liquid chamber 13 side (upstream side) is a force (back wave) for pushing back the liquid toward the upstream side.
This back wave caused the pressure on the upstream side, the amount of liquid movement due thereto, and the inertia force accompanying the liquid movement, which reduced the refill of the liquid into the liquid flow path and hindered high-speed driving. . In the present invention, first, the movable member 31
By suppressing these effects on the upstream side, the refill supply property is further improved.

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 through 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, since there is the flow V _D2 for supplying the liquid to the bubble generation region, the liquid supply performance is very high, and the movable member 31 covers the bubble generation region 11 for ejection. Even if the structure is designed to improve efficiency, the liquid supply performance is not deteriorated.

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 FIG. 1 of the present embodiment,
As described above, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 passes through the area center 3 that divides the heating element 2 into the upstream area and the downstream area (passes through the area center (center) of the heating element and the length direction of the liquid flow path). It extends to the heat generating element 2 so as to face a position on the downstream side of a line (orthogonal line). 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.

(Second Embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment as well, the principal principle of liquid ejection is the same as that of the previous embodiment, but in this embodiment, the liquid flow passage is made into a multi-passage structure, and further heat is applied to cause foaming. The liquid (foaming liquid) and the liquid to be mainly ejected (ejection liquid) can be separated.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment in the flow path direction, and FIG. 7 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 heat generating element 2 for giving 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 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 is It communicates with a second common liquid chamber 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 shared.

A separation wall 30 made of an elastic material such as a metal is disposed between the first and second liquid flow paths, and the first liquid flow path and the second liquid flow path are separated from each other. 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 serves to discharge the separation wall of the portion located in the projection space of the heating element in the upward direction of the plane (hereinafter referred to as the discharge pressure generation region; the region A in FIG. 6 and the bubble generation region 11 in B). The side (downstream side of the flow of the liquid) is a free end, and the movable member 31 has a cantilever shape with the fulcrum 33 located on the common liquid chamber (15, 17) side. This movable member 31
Since it is arranged facing the bubble generation region 11 (B), it operates so as to open toward the discharge port side on the first liquid flow path side by the bubbling of the foaming liquid (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). In FIG. 7 as well, a second liquid flow path is formed on the element substrate 1 on which a heating resistor as the heating element 2 and a 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.

In driving the head, 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 foaming liquid in the bubble generating region of the second liquid flow path, and the foaming 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, there is no escape of the foaming pressure from the three sides except for the upstream side of the bubble generation region, so the pressure associated with bubble generation is on the side of the movable member 31 disposed in the discharge pressure generating portion. The movable member 31 is propagated in a concentrated manner, and with the growth of bubbles, the movable member 31 is displaced from the state of FIG. 8A to the first liquid flow path side as shown in FIG. 8B. Due to the operation of the movable member, the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 communicate with each other largely, and the pressure based on the generation of bubbles mainly occurs in the direction (A direction) on the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path. Convey. 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
8 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, etc. 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 foaming can be stabilized and good ejection can be performed.

Further, in the structure of the head of the present invention, since the effects as described in the above embodiments are also produced, it is possible to eject a liquid such as a highly viscous liquid 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 not easily thermally altered 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.

Next, the main part of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment will be described in more detail.

<Arrangement Relationship between Second Liquid Flow Path and Movable Member> FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement relationship between the movable member 31 and the second liquid flow path 16 described above. a) is the separation wall 3
FIG. 2B is a view of the vicinity of the movable member 31 as viewed from above, and FIG. 3B is a view of the second liquid flow path 16 from which the separation wall 30 has been 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 faces the discharge port from the upstream side of the heating element 2 (the upstream side here is from the second common liquid chamber side to the heating element position, the movable member, the first liquid flow path). A chamber having a narrowed portion 19 at the upstream side in a large flow, and suppressing the pressure during bubbling from easily escaping to the upstream side of the second liquid flow path 16 (a bubbling chamber). ) It is structured.

In the case of this embodiment, most of the discharged liquid can be used as the discharged liquid in the first liquid flow path, and the bubbling liquid in the second liquid flow path provided with the heating element is not consumed so much. Therefore, the filling amount of the foaming liquid in the bubble generation region 11 of the second liquid flow path may be small. Therefore, the above-mentioned narrowed portion 19
Since the interval in (1) can be extremely narrowed to several μm to several tens of μm, it is possible to further suppress the pressure at the time of bubbling generated in the second liquid flow path from escaping to the surroundings, and it is possible to concentrate and direct it to the movable member side. Since this pressure can be used as the discharge force via the movable member 31, higher discharge efficiency and discharge 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. 9C, 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. Also,
Since the escape of bubbles from the slit can be suppressed, the discharge pressure and the discharge efficiency can be further increased. Further, the effect of refilling from the upstream side by the pressure at the time of defoaming can be enhanced.

In FIG. 8B, the movable member 6
Of the second liquid flow path 4 with the displacement of the second liquid flow path 4
Some of the bubbles generated in the bubble generation region of the first liquid flow path 1
Although it extends to the fourth side, the ejection force can be further improved by setting the height of the second flow path such that the bubbles extend as compared with the case where the bubbles do not extend. In order for the bubble to extend to 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, and it is desirable that this height be several μm to 30 μm. In this embodiment, this height is set to 1
The thickness was 5 μm.

<Head Structure with Two Flow Paths> Next, the first,
A specific structural example of the liquid ejection head of the present embodiment will be described in which different liquids can be satisfactorily separated and introduced into the second common liquid chamber, the number of parts can be reduced, and cost can be reduced.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the structure of such a liquid discharge head.

The grooved member 50 communicates with the orifice plate 51 having the discharge port 18, the plurality of grooves forming the plurality of first liquid flow paths 14, and the plurality of liquid flow paths 14 in common.
It is roughly configured by a concave portion that constitutes a first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying a liquid (discharge liquid) to each first liquid flow path 3.

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.
10, the first common liquid chamber 15 and then the first liquid flow path 14 are supplied through the first liquid supply passage 20, and the second liquid (foaming liquid) is indicated by an arrow D in FIG. Second, as shown
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.

The second liquid supply passage 21 is the first liquid supply passage 2
It is arranged in parallel with 0, but it is not limited to this,
It may be arranged in any manner as long as it is formed so as to penetrate the separation wall 30 arranged outside the first common liquid chamber 15 and communicate with the second common liquid chamber 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 a grooved member 50.
By the partition wall 30.

As a method of forming the liquid discharge head, FIG.
As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, a common liquid chamber frame and a second liquid passage wall are formed on the element substrate by a dry film, and a grooved member 50 to which the separation wall 30 is fixed and a combined body of the separation wall 30. The second common liquid chamber 17 and the second liquid flow path 16 may be formed by bonding the element substrate 1 together.

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

On this element substrate 1, a plurality of grooves forming the liquid flow path 16 formed by the second liquid path wall and a plurality of foaming liquid flow paths are communicated with each other, and the foaming liquid is formed in each foaming liquid path. 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 is shown in which one second supply path is provided in the grooved member, but a plurality of second supply paths may be provided according to 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 path is performed by the second liquid flow path 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

Further, since the second liquid penetrates the separation wall and is supplied to the second liquid common liquid chamber, the supply of the second liquid to the second liquid flow channel is ensured, and the sufficient supply amount can be secured.
Stable discharge is possible. (Embodiment 3) Next, a method of manufacturing the liquid ejection head described in Embodiments 1 and 2 will be described.

In the case of the liquid discharge head as shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment, the support member 34 for providing the movable member 31 which is a thin film material is patterned on the element substrate 1 by dry film or the like. This support member 34 is formed by
The movable member 31 positioned by the temporary positioning method described below was adhered or fixed by welding. After that, the plurality of grooves forming each liquid flow path 10, the discharge port 18, and the common liquid chamber 13 are formed.
The grooved member, which is the top plate having the concave portion constituting the above, is joined to the element substrate 1 so that the groove and the movable member 31 correspond to each other.

Next, in the case of the liquid discharge head having the two-channel structure as shown in FIGS. 6 and 11 of the second embodiment, first, the element substrate 1 having the heating element 2 is first DF-treated. The wall of the two-liquid channel 16 is patterned, and then the separation wall 30 which is a thin film material positioned by the temporary positioning method described below is aligned and bonded, and the first liquid channel 14 is further formed thereon. A grooved member 50, which is a top plate provided with constituent grooves and the like, is attached. Alternatively, after the wall of the second liquid flow path 16 is formed, the liquid discharge head is manufactured by joining the grooved member 50 having the separation wall 30 attached thereto. In this embodiment, since the alignment mark of the DF and the alignment mark of the thin film material on the element substrate 1 having the heating element 2 are positioned and bonded by image processing, there are few areas in which image processing is possible, and within that area. You must make sure that the alignment mark is inserted. In the present embodiment, the image processable area is 10
It is 0 μm square, and it is necessary to put it in a 50 μm square in consideration of the influence of aberration of a lens for image processing.

Next, a method of positioning the thin film material such as the movable member and the separation wall described above will be described in detail.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the floating principle of the thin film material according to this embodiment.

101 is a thin film material, 102 is a medium having a minute pore size, 103 is a minute air layer, 104 is an air trap, and 1
Reference numeral 05 is an air supply port. First, compressed air adjusted by a regulator from the air supply port 105 is stored in the air pool 104.
To supply. Thereafter, the compressed air accumulated in the air pocket 104 flows from the micropores of the medium 102 having the micropore diameter to the entire back surface of the thin film material 101, and forms a micro air layer 103 between the thin film material 101 and the medium 104 having the micropore diameter. . In this embodiment, the thin film material 101 uses a Ni plate and a resin sheet of 3 to 50 μm, and the medium 102 having a micropore diameter is a porous body having a micropore diameter of 20 μm and a flatness of 4.
What was processed to less than or equal to μm was used. The supply air is 2
kgf / cm ² and the air layer formed at that time was 50 μm for thin film material of 3 μm and 30 μm for 50 μm.
It became a degree. As a result, the surface floated without being affected by static electricity or the like, but in some cases, the effect can be great if a charge-eliminating blow is supplied from the air supply port 105. Further, the medium 102 having a micropore diameter may be not only a porous body but also a medium in which micropores are formed in a thin substrate plate by using etching or the like.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the method of abutting the thin film material on the reference member in this embodiment. Reference numeral 106 is a butt reference member, 106a is a Y-direction reference member, and 106b is an X-direction reference member. 107 is a base, 107a is an upper part, 107b
Is an intermediate portion, and 107c is a lower base.

According to the above-mentioned levitation principle, after the thin film material provided on the base 107a is levitated, the base 107a is moved to the base 107a.
Inclination in the θY direction with reference to b
Make a directional hit. Then, in that state, the base 107
Based on c, the base 107b is tilted in the θX direction, and the abutting reference member 106a is abutted in the X direction. By inclining the bases 107a and 107b in this manner, the thin film material 1
Butt in the X and Y directions by the weight of 01.

For the abutting, finally, θX and θ
The base may be inclined in the Y direction, and the order thereof is arbitrary and may be the same. Also, it is better to change the order and angle depending on the size of the thin film material.

After that, the air supplied to form the air layer between the thin film material 101 and the medium 102 having a minute hole diameter is stopped, and at the same time, the medium 102 having a minute hole diameter.
The thin film material is adsorbed on and temporarily fixed. Then the base 107a,
And 107b, and the abutting reference member 106a is returned.
And 106b are released in the X and Y directions, and the temporary positioning is completed. FIG. 14 shows a state in which the thin film material is provisionally positioned.

At the same time that the base 107 was tilted, the supply air was vibrated to make the thin film material 101 move more easily, but it was confirmed that the thin film material 101 could move without vibration.

Further, in this embodiment, the vibration applied to the supply air was set to 2 KHz, and the inclination angle of the base 107 was set to 10 ° for both θX and θY. In this embodiment, the thin film material 101
Two sizes of 9 × 3 mm and 100 × 3 mm were used, and the temporary positioning accuracy was ± 10 μm or less in both cases.

Also, the method of inclining the base 107 may be a method of inserting a wedge by a cylinder or the like, which is very advantageous in terms of cost.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a medium having a micropore diameter used in this example.

In this embodiment, a porous body is used as the medium 102 having a minute pore size. Pore diameter φA
Was set to 20 μm, 50 μm, and 100 μm, but none of them had an effect on the accuracy of temporary positioning. Thin film material 10
When microfabrication is carried out in No. 1, it is advantageous to use a smaller pore size. In this embodiment, the thin film material 1
Since 01 was processed to about 30 μm, it was 20 μm
A porous body having the following pore size was used. As a result, the thin film material 101 was abutted against the abutting reference member 106 and then adsorbed and temporarily fixed to the porous body. However, since the porous body is smaller than the microfabricated pattern, the microfabrication does not deform, and it does not deform. None, it can be temporarily fixed.

FIG. 16 shows a moving base 108 for supplying the thin film material 101 to the positioning base 107 shown in FIG.

As shown in the figure, when moving the thin film material, the moving base 108 is tilted in advance, and the frictional force with the moving base 108 is applied by using the floating principle of the thin film material of the present invention. Then, the thin film material 101 is moved onto the positioning base 107. At this time, a guide is provided on the moving base 108 so that the thin film material 101 does not rotate or jump out. The moving base 108 is 10 in this embodiment.
Although the inclination is set to °, it is necessary to change the angle depending on the size of the thin film material and the moving distance.

17A and 17B are block diagrams showing the manufacturing process of the liquid discharge head. FIG. 17A is an overall view, and FIG. 17B is an explanatory view of the process (I) of FIG.

In FIG. 17A, first, a substrate having a heating element and a thin film material are assembled, and a member having a liquid path is further bonded thereon to complete a member for a liquid discharge head.

Next, referring to FIG. 17B, a process of assembling the thin film material on the substrate having the heating element will be described. The thin film material 101 is levitated by the moving base, and is supplied onto the positioning base 107 which is in a position capable of supplying. An air layer is formed on the base to float the thin film material. Next, after tilting the base and abutting the thin film material against the abutting reference member, the thin film material is adsorbed and temporarily fixed. Next, the base is set in a posture in which it can be discharged, and another device for assembly is moved to position the thin film material on the substrate having the heating element.

Needless to say, the present invention is also applicable to a side shooter type having a discharge port which faces the surface of the heating element.

[0117]

As described above, according to the present invention, (1) when manufacturing a liquid discharge head or the like, it is possible to move and position thin film materials having different thicknesses with high accuracy and without damaging. The same method can be used without changing the shape or the like. (2) There is no influence of static electricity, which is a problem when handling a thin film material, a low-cost and simple device configuration is provided, and the entire device becomes small. (3) Since a medium having micropores is used, it is possible to freely perform fine processing on a thin film material and expand the range of design.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

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

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

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in a liquid ejection head.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of liquid in the liquid ejection head.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid ejection head (two channels) in a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the movable member.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a structure of a movable member and a liquid flow path.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a supply path of a liquid ejection head.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid ejection head.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the floating principle of the thin film material in the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing the floating principle of a thin film material.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing a state where the provisional positioning of the thin film material is completed.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a medium having a micropore diameter.

FIG. 16 is a view showing a moving base for supplying a thin film material to a positioning base.

17A and 17B are block diagrams showing a manufacturing process of a liquid ejection head, wherein FIG. 17A is an overall view and FIG. 17B is an explanatory view of step (I) in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Element substrate 2 Heating element 3 Area center 5 Wiring electrode 10 Liquid flow path 11 Bubble generation area 12 Supply path 13 Common liquid chamber 14 First liquid flow path 15 First common liquid chamber 16 Second liquid flow path 17 Second common liquid Chamber 18 Discharge port 19 Constricted portion 20 First supply path 21 Second supply path 30 Separation wall (thin film material) 31 Movable member 32 Free end 33 Support point 34 Support member (thin film material) 35 Slit 40 Bubble 50 Groove member (top plate) ) 51 Orifice plate 70 Support 101 Thin film material 102 Medium having micropore diameter 103 Micro air layer 104 Air reservoir 105 Air supply port 106 Impact reference member 107 Base (for positioning) 108 Base (for movement)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 21, 1996

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0107

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, in this embodiment, the vibration applied to the supply air was set to 2 KHz, and the inclination angle of the base 107 was set to 10 ° for both θX and θY. In this embodiment, the thin film material 101
Two sizes of 9 × 3 mm and 100 × 3 mm were used, and the temporary positioning accuracy was ± 10 μm or less in both cases. In this embodiment, when the thin film material is positioned on the substrate having the heating element, the image processing is used as the positioning method. However, the image processable area of this embodiment is 100 μm ×
It was 100 μm, and the reference for positioning the thin film material could be reliably put in the image processing area by temporarily positioning and transporting the thin film material with the accuracy of the temporary positioning of this embodiment.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── 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-Incorporated (72) Inventor Masayuki Okawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Toshio Kashino 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yoshie Nakata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. When moving a thin film material having a thickness of 50 μm or less, the thin film material is floated on a base for the thin film material, the base is tilted, and the thin film material is moved by its own weight. A method of moving a thin film material, which is characterized in that 2. The thin film material moving method according to claim 1, wherein air is supplied to the lower surface of the thin film material through a medium having a minute hole diameter to float the thin film material. 3. The method of moving a thin film material according to claim 2, wherein when the thin film material is moved, the air supplied through the medium having the minute hole diameter is vibrated. 4. A method for positioning a thin film material, comprising: moving the thin film material floated by the moving method according to claim 1, and abutting the thin film material against an abutting reference for positioning the thin film material. 5. When the thin film material is used in a liquid ejection head composed of a member having a liquid flow path and an element substrate having a heating element, the positioning method according to claim 4 is used for positioning and ejecting liquid. A method for manufacturing a liquid ejection member, which comprises manufacturing the member. 6. A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head having a thin film material between a top plate having a liquid flow path and an element substrate having a heating element, wherein the thin film material is levitated on a base. A method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head, comprising the step of inclining and making a provisional positioning by abutting against an abutting reference of a base using the own weight of a thin film material. 7. The method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to claim 6, wherein air is supplied to the lower surface of the thin film material through a medium having a minute hole diameter to float the thin film material. 8. The method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to claim 7, wherein when the thin film material is abutted against the abutting reference by its own weight, the air is vibrated. 9. A plurality of discharge ports manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 6 for discharging a liquid, and a plurality of heating elements for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid. An element substrate arranged, a liquid flow path having a supply path for supplying a liquid onto the heating element from an upstream side of the heating element, and a free end provided on the discharge port side facing the heating element. And a movable member which is a thin film material which displaces the free end by pressure generated by the generation of the bubbles and guides the pressure to the discharge port side. 10. A plurality of discharge ports for discharging a liquid, which are manufactured by using the manufacturing method according to claim 6, and a plurality of first liquid flow paths which directly communicate with each of the discharge ports. A grooved member that is a top plate that integrally has a plurality of grooves for configuring and a recess forming a first common liquid chamber for supplying liquid to the plurality of first liquid flow paths; An element substrate provided with a plurality of heating elements for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and a second element corresponding to the heating element disposed between the grooved member and the element substrate. Which is a thin film material and which comprises a part of the wall of the liquid flow path, and a movable member which is displaced toward the first liquid flow path side by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles at a position facing the heating element. A liquid discharge head having a wall.