JPH10175296A - Ink-jet head and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink-jet head in which an ink passage is formed by utilizing a dry film and minute unevennesses are easily formed of the dry film with good precision to perform densification. SOLUTION: In the ink-jet head 1, a dry film 5 laminated on the whole face is provided on a base plate 2. A photomask having a pattern shading light is superposed to form adjacent many ink pressure chambers 4 of an ink passage. After exposure is performed at constant exposure value, a second photomask, which is equipped with a pattern having a light transmission slit for forming a minute barrier 8 partitioning the adjacent ink pressure chambers 4, is furthermore superposed and again exposed by changing exposure value. Thereby, the ink pressure chambers 4 are formed in such a state that the cured minute barrier 8 is left with good precision by removing the uncured dry film of a region in which the dry film 5 is not exposed. The ink-jet head is manufactured by joining a second base plate 7, in which orifices 6 performing discharge of ink are formed, from the upside of the dry film 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an ink jet head for ejecting recording ink in an ink jet printer and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a printer for recording in accordance with image data, particularly pixel data, inputted to recording paper, a laser printer represented by an electrophotographic system, a thermal printer utilizing a thermal transfer system, and a recording ink are used. An ink jet printer or the like that performs recording by ejecting ink is generally well known.

In the ink jet printer, a recording image is ejected to a recording sheet as needed to reproduce a desired image directly on the recording sheet. Therefore, in order to eject the supplied ink as ink droplets according to the pixel data, an ink jet head having an ink passage and an ink ejection pressure generating element is required.

In general, the ink jet head includes an ink discharge port (orifice), an ink flow path (path), an ink pressure chamber provided as a part of the ink path and communicating with the ink discharge port, and an ink pressure chamber. An ink discharge pressure generating element provided correspondingly is provided.

Conventionally, as a method of manufacturing such an ink-jet head, for example, a fine groove is formed in a glass or metal plate by cutting or etching, and then each plate having the groove is formed into another appropriate plate. The ink jet head is manufactured by forming an ink passage and the like including an ink pressure chamber by joining with a plate.

However, if an ink jet head is manufactured by the above-described conventional method, the wall of the ink passage for forming the ink passage to be cut becomes rough, and the ink passage may be distorted due to a difference in etching rate. Thus, it is very difficult to obtain an accurate ink passage. For this reason, the ink ejection characteristics of the formed ink jet head vary. Further, at the time of cutting, the chip is easily chipped or cracked, and the production yield is deteriorated. When the etching process is performed, there are many manufacturing steps, and there is a disadvantage that the manufacturing cost is increased.

Further, a disadvantage common to the above-mentioned conventional methods is that a grooved plate in which a groove of an ink passage is formed and a substrate provided with an ink discharge pressure generating element for generating energy when ejecting ink are provided. At the time of bonding, since each positioning accuracy is required, mass productivity is also difficult.

Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-43876 discloses that a photo-curable photosensitive composition layer provided on a substrate surface for forming an ink jet head is subjected to a predetermined pattern exposure corresponding to an ink passage. Curing the exposed areas,
It is specified that an ink passage including an ink pressure chamber is formed on the substrate surface by removing an uncured composition in an unexposed portion to manufacture an ink jet head. According to this method, the ink passage can be processed with high accuracy and high yield. Therefore, an ink jet head which is rich in mass productivity and inexpensive can be provided.

[0009]

As described above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
According to the method for manufacturing an ink jet head described in JP-A-7-43876, as described above, there are advantages in mass productivity and cost. However, in recent years, high-resolution image quality has been demanded by high-density nozzles in the ink jet recording method, and with the current resolution of the photosensitive resin (dry film), a large number of ink passages can be created on the same substrate. It will be very difficult. That is, since it is necessary to make the space between the ink passages extremely narrow, it is not possible to accurately form a wall surface (barrier) that separates adjacent ink passages in a photosensitive resin having a difficulty in resolution.

When the ink passage is formed, a photosensitive resin having a considerable thickness is stuck on a substrate and a pattern formed according to the ink passage is formed because of the necessity of forming a passage through which ink passes. And the entire surface is exposed. At this time, the amount of light to a portion serving as a fine barrier between the ink passages is insufficient. For this reason, the photosensitive resin in a portion that becomes a barrier due to insufficient light quantity is not sufficiently cured and is partially removed, and unnecessary ink leakage may occur from that portion.

By increasing the amount of exposure light to compensate for the shortage of light amount described above, a part of the light goes around the fine ink passage portion, and the photosensitive resin corresponding to the ink passage portion is exposed and cured. It will also be. For this reason, the ink passage is partially closed, so that the ink cannot be supplied smoothly. In other words, fine barriers and ink passages
It is very difficult to form using a photosensitive resin.

For this reason, in the production of an ink jet head which does not require a high density as in the prior art, the technique for manufacturing an ink jet head described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-434876 is suitable, but a high density is required. In making an ink jet that does not work, it is unsuitable as it is.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet head which enables ultra-precision processing and has high reliability, and a method of manufacturing the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method capable of performing fine processing of an ink passage or the like with high accuracy and faithfully in design.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for obtaining an ink jet having excellent use durability and high productivity.

[0016]

According to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head for achieving the above-mentioned object, wherein the ink jet head comprises an ejection port for ejecting ink, and an ink passage communicating with the ejection port. When a photosensitive resin is laminated on the substrate constituting the substrate and the photosensitive resin is exposed in accordance with the pattern for forming the ink passage, the exposure of a portion constituting a barrier of an adjacent ink passage and another portion is performed. The ink passage is formed by changing the amount and curing, and removing the photosensitive resin in the other unexposed portions.

According to the ink jet head having such a configuration, when forming fine ink passages or barriers between the ink passages, the amount of exposure of the photosensitive resin in the minute portions is changed by changing the respective exposure amounts. Accurately determine the cured or uncured state
Can be controlled accurately. For example, a fine barrier or ink passage can be formed by increasing the amount of exposure to the photosensitive resin corresponding to the barrier portion and decreasing the amount of exposure to the portion corresponding to the ink passage.

In the ink jet head, the substrate is provided with individual ink discharge ports or ink discharge pressure generating elements, and the photosensitive resin is laminated thereon, and the ink discharge is performed in accordance with the formed ink passages. If the second substrate provided with the pressure generating element or the ink discharge port is joined, the problem of alignment can be solved, and an ink jet head with high productivity can be obtained.

On the other hand, a method of manufacturing an ink jet head for achieving the object of the present invention is directed to a method of manufacturing an ink jet head in which an ejection port for ejecting ink and an ink passage leading to the ejection port are formed. Laminating a photosensitive resin on a substrate constituting an inkjet head, and overlaying a photomask having a pattern serving as a light-shielding portion that is not irradiated with light in a region where an ink passage is formed on the sheet-shaped photosensitive resin. A first exposure step of exposing the photosensitive resin from the upper surface on which the photomask is stacked with light capable of curing the photosensitive resin, and a light for forming a barrier adjacent to an ink flow path to be formed after the first exposure step. A second photomask having a pattern in which a slit for transmitting light through and a light-shielding portion is formed in the first exposure mask. A step of superimposing on a photosensitive resin which is exposed at-up, than on the second photomask,
A second exposure step of performing exposure with a light amount different from the first exposure step, and a step of removing a photosensitive resin corresponding to an unexposed portion corresponding to a pattern of a photomask after the second exposure step; Bonding the second substrate from the photosensitive resin formed as an ink flow path using the photosensitive resin region removed by the removing step.

According to the above-described structure, a portion serving as an ink passage is subjected to normal exposure to prevent light from sneaking into the photosensitive resin in a region corresponding to the ink passage, thereby preventing unnecessary curing of the resin. it can. The fine barrier between the ink passages is separately exposed at the barrier. At this time, by increasing the exposure amount, the photosensitive resin corresponding to the barrier portion can be cured with a sufficient amount of light.

As described above, in the second exposure step, a light amount larger than the light amount in the first exposure step is applied to form a fine barrier between ink passages. It is possible to provide an ink jet head that can eliminate ink leakage between passages, form fine irregularities, that is, ink passages with high density with high precision and accuracy, and have high yield and high mass productivity.

In the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to the present invention, after the step of removing the unexposed portion of the photosensitive resin after the exposure, when the second substrate is joined, the second substrate is provided with an ink. An orifice for discharging is formed, and the orifice is joined so as to correspond to the ink passage.
As a step before the step of laminating the photosensitive resin on the substrate, the step of arranging the ink discharge pressure generating element for discharging the ink can solve the problem of alignment and the like, and the point of mass productivity can be solved. It is very advantageous.

Further, according to another method of manufacturing an ink jet head for achieving the object of the present invention, an ink jet head having an ejection port for ejecting ink and an ink passage communicating with the ejection port is formed. In the manufacturing method, a film forming step of providing a light reflection film on a portion corresponding to a barrier between ink passages leading to ink ejection ports on a substrate constituting an ink jet head, and further laminating a photosensitive resin on the substrate And a step of superposing a photomask having a pattern to be a light-shielding portion where light is not irradiated to a region where an ink path is formed on the photosensitive resin, and the photopolymer is cured from the upper surface on which the photomask is superposed. An exposure step of exposing with light to be obtained, and a photo exposure corresponding to an unexposed portion corresponding to a photomask pattern after the exposure step. Removing the resin, and joining the second substrate from above the photosensitive resin to seal the opening surface of the concave portion serving as the ink passage in the photosensitive resin region removed by the removing step. .

Also in such a manufacturing method, the exposure amount in the portion serving as the barrier between the ink passages and the exposure amount in the portion serving as the ink passage can be substantially changed, and the fine passages and barriers can be accurately and accurately formed. Can be formed. Therefore, the yield of the ink jet head is high and the productivity is high.
According to this method, only one exposure is required, and the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an ink jet head according to the present invention and a method for manufacturing the same will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 6 are views showing a procedure for manufacturing an ink jet head according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
7 to 11 are views showing a procedure for manufacturing an ink jet head according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6 and 11 are sectional views of an ink jet head manufactured by the manufacturing method according to the present invention. The structure of the ink jet head manufactured according to the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 6, the ink jet head 1
Is silicon, glass, ceramics, plastic,
An ink discharge pressure generating element 3 such as a buckling element or a piezoelectric element (or a heating element) is disposed on a substrate 2 made of an appropriate material such as a metal so as to correspond to each pressure chamber.

The ink discharge pressure generating element 3 is provided corresponding to the ink pressure chamber 4 formed as a part of the ink passage. The ink pressure chamber 4 is formed by removing a photosensitive resin (dry film) 5 attached (laminated) on the substrate 2, for example, which is cured by ultraviolet light by pattern exposure.

Then, the second orifice 6 for ejecting ink is formed so as to correspond to the ink pressure chamber 4.
Of the substrate 7 on the dry film 5 and brought into close contact therewith,
Thus, the ink jet head 1 is configured. Each of the ink pressure chambers 4 communicates with an ink supply path that forms an ink path that supplies ink by capillary action (not shown in FIG. 6). The ink supply passage and the ink pressure chamber 4 constitute an ink passage.

In the present invention, in particular, between adjacent ink pressure chambers 4, a barrier 8, which is a fine projection for dividing each pressure chamber 4, and an ink supply path constituting an ink path are provided. There is a characteristic when forming. That is, the barrier 8
In order to increase the density of the orifice 6 for ejecting ink, the pressure chamber 4 and the like, it is necessary to form the orifice 6 with a very fine width. Prevention of unnecessary exposure due to sneak of exposure light or insufficient exposure to the area of the dry film 5 corresponding to the barrier 8 and the ink supply path, and prevention of unnecessary removal without exposure and accurate production Is done.

The ink jet head 1 having the above structure
According to the method, by appropriately supplying a voltage to the ink ejection pressure generating element 3, the ink is ejected from the orifice 6 due to a pressure change in the ink pressure chamber 4, and is ejected as an ink droplet toward the recording paper. . Then, when the supply of the voltage to the ink discharge pressure generating element 3 is released, a negative pressure state is generated with respect to the previous pressure change, and the ink fills the ink pressure chamber 4 via the ink supply path. become.

The ink jet head 1 shown in FIG. 11 is different from the ink jet head 1 shown in FIG. 6 in that a reflective film 9 is formed on the substrate 2 at a portion where a barrier 8 for partitioning the adjacent ink pressure chamber 4 is formed. The other structures are the same except for the provision.

(First Embodiment) A procedure for producing the ink jet head 1 according to FIGS. 1 to 5, that is, a production method will be described below.

First, as a first step, as shown in FIG. 1, silicon, glass, ceramics, plastic,
The number of ink ejection pressure generating elements 3 corresponding to orifices for ejecting ink is provided on the substrate 2 appropriately selected from metal or the like. The ink discharge pressure generating element 3 has an ink pressure chamber formed at a portion corresponding to the position, and is provided at a position corresponding to the ink pressure chamber. Although not shown, these ink ejection pressure generating elements 3 are provided with electrodes for appropriately supplying a voltage, and signal lines and the like for supplying a voltage to the electrodes are formed on the upper surface of the substrate 2. Here, two ink ejection pressure generating elements 3 are provided,
This is for the sake of simplicity, and the required number of elements 3 are provided on the surface 2A of the substrate 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink discharge pressure generating element 3
The surface 2A of the substrate 2 provided with is cleaned. That is, unnecessary foreign substances and the like are removed using a removing liquid or the like, and the surface is dried. After this drying, the ink ejection pressure generating element 3
On the surface 2A of the substrate 2 provided with
The film-form photoresist 5 (hereinafter referred to as dry film) heated to about 110 ° C.
The lamination is performed under the conditions of a min speed and ^{2 to 5} kgf / cm ² . What is necessary is just to set suitably as a method of this lamination.

Next, on the dry film 5 laminated on the substrate 2, an ink passage including an ink pressure chamber corresponding to the ink discharge pressure generating element 2 and an ink supply path for supplying ink to the ink pressure chamber is formed. In order to form the concave portions (grooves) to be formed, a photomask 11 having a predetermined pattern (hatched portion) 10 is superimposed as shown in FIG. The pattern 10 blocks out light, and is formed so as to correspond to the ink passage and the pressure chamber.

Therefore, with the photomask 11 superimposed, uniform light is irradiated from the surface of the photomask 11 for a certain time by the exposure lamp 12 as shown in FIG. The exposure lamp 12 has an exposure amount of, for example, 300 mJ / c.
m ² or less. In this case, the dry film 5 corresponding to the pattern 10 is not cured because it is not irradiated with light and can be removed.

Here, the pattern 10a provided so as to correspond to the ink discharge pressure generating element 3 is for forming the ink pressure chamber (4), and is used for forming the pattern 10b.
Form an ink supply passage leading to the ink pressure chamber 4. Therefore, if the exposure amount by the exposure lamp 12 is too large, the pattern 10
Exposure by light wraparound is performed on the light shielding part of b,
This also hardens the dry film 5 in that part. For this purpose, the exposure amount is set as described above.

That is, the pattern 10b is for forming fine concave portions (grooves),
When the exposure is performed, the light is shielded by the pattern 10b, but when the amount of light is large, a part of the light reaches the dry film 5 corresponding to the light shielding portion. This is due in particular to light wraparound. Therefore, the dry film 5 forming the concave portion for supplying the ink is partially cured, which hinders the supply of the ink. However, in the present invention, the exposure amount by the exposure lamp 12 at this time is limited, and the pattern 1
The dry film 5 corresponding to the light shielding portion of 0 can be adjusted so as not to be irradiated with light.

When the above-described exposure is completed, the photomask 11 is removed, and then, as shown in FIG. 4, a photo for forming a convex portion serving as a barrier 8 for partitioning between adjacent ink pressure chambers 4 is formed. The mask 13 is overlaid. The photomask 13 has a slit 13a for transmitting light corresponding to the portion to be the barrier 8. Then, in this state, the entire surface is uniformly exposed by the exposure lamp 11. The exposure at this time is set to be larger than the previous exposure. For example, 40
0 mJ / cm ² . Thereby, the barrier 8 between the ink pressure chambers 4 serving as a fine portion can be formed with high accuracy. That is,
Sufficient light is applied to the dry film 5 through the slit 12a. Therefore, the barrier 8 which becomes a fine projection can be formed accurately and precisely.

As a method of changing the exposure amount, generally, as described above, an ultraviolet irradiation device (exposure lamp 1) is used.
It can be managed by 2) image plane illuminance × illuminance time. In order to make the exposure time constant, the illuminance of the exposure lamp 12 may be increased. This can be easily done by controlling the voltage or the like.

The amount of exposure is not limited to the above example, and the amount of exposure is the amount of ultraviolet energy given to the dry film 5.
It can also be controlled by the sensitivity peak wavelength. For example, by using a mask aligner (PLA-501F manufactured by Canon Inc.), the sensitivity peak wavelength is changed to 365 nm (for negative resist) and 405 nm (for positive resist), and exposure is similarly performed to give the dry film 5. There was a difference in the amount of energy, and the same result as in the case of changing the amount of exposure could be obtained, which was actually obtained.

As described above, the photomasks 11 and 1
By changing the amount of exposure light using 3 and uniformly exposing the entire surface with an exposure lamp 12, the exposed dry film 5 other than the light-shielding patterns of the photomasks 11 and 13 undergoes a polymerization reaction to be cured, and becomes solvent-insoluble. . Further, the regions of the dry film 5 which are shielded from light by the patterns of the photomasks 11 and 13 and are not exposed do not cure and remain soluble in a solvent.

Therefore, after the exposure step, the dry film 5 is immersed in a volatile organic solvent, for example, trichloroethane, and the uncured dry film 5 is subjected to solvent removal (development). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the dry film 5 is removed and a concave portion is formed. For example, a region corresponding to the ink discharge pressure generating element 3 is the ink pressure chamber 4 and FIG.
The ink supply path 14 is formed so that the area corresponding to the pattern 10b shown in FIG.

Here, the slit portion 13a of the photomask 13 corresponding to the barrier 8 shown in FIG.
If a portion corresponding to the barrier 8 is provided at the same time and exposure is performed once, a sufficient amount of exposure cannot be obtained in the region of the dry film 5 corresponding to the barrier 8, and the barrier 8 which is a fine projection is formed with high accuracy. become unable. Therefore, a part of the ink pressure chamber 4 may communicate with the adjacent ink pressure chamber 4. If the exposure is performed with a sufficient amount of light in order to solve this problem, the dry film 5 corresponding to the ink supply path 14 which is formed into a fine concave portion, regardless of the light-shielding portion of the pattern 10b of the photomask 11, will be described. Exposure is caused by light wraparound. As a result, a part of the ink supply path 14 is cured, so that the ink cannot be sufficiently supplied to the ink pressure chamber 4.

In this regard, according to the method of manufacturing the ink jet head according to the present invention, the barrier 8 formed by the fine projections,
The ink supply path 14 serving as a fine concave portion can be formed easily with high accuracy.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 6, a second substrate 7 having an orifice 6 for discharging ink is bonded onto the dry film 5 shown in FIG. That is, the second substrate 7 is bonded from above the dry film 5 in order to seal the ink pressure chamber 4 which is the ink passage formed by the dry film 5 and the opening surface of the concave portion which becomes the ink supply path 14. .

In this case, the second substrate 7 is joined so that the orifice 6 is positioned at a portion corresponding to the ink pressure chamber 4 in the dry film 5. About this joining, after aligning both using a jig etc.,
130 to 200 ° C, 0.5 to ² kg / cm ²
Thermocompression bonding at a pressure of 0.5 to 1 hour. Thereby, the opening surfaces of the concave portions forming the ink passages, that is, the opening surfaces of the ink pressure chamber 4 and the ink supply passage 14 are sealed.
In this case, the ink pressure chamber 4 is sealed by the second substrate 7 via the orifice 6. This makes it possible to easily manufacture a high-density inkjet head. In this case, by performing an exposure process using a light source as necessary, the two are brought into close contact and joined.

In FIG. 3, the photomask 11 is
The pattern 10a is formed such that all portions corresponding to the ink pressure chambers 4 are connected. In this case, the slits 13 shown in FIG.
A pattern shape having a may be used. When exposure is performed using the photomask 13 shown in FIG. 4, even if the exposure amount is the same as that shown in FIG. 3, the exposure reaches a sufficient exposure amount and the dry film 5 can be cured.
That is, even if the exposure amount is the same, the exposure amount as a whole increases the portion where the barrier 8 is formed by performing the exposure twice.

Further, the ink discharge pressure generating element 3 is provided on the substrate 2 and a required ink passage is formed by laminating a dry film 5 on the upper surface thereof. The dry film 5 is laminated on the second substrate on which the orifice 6 is formed, and the ink pressure chamber 4 and the ink supply path 14, which are ink passages, are formed through the respective steps of FIGS. The ink jet head 1 can be manufactured by joining the substrates 2 provided with the ink discharge pressure generating elements 3 as shown.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment,
This is a method of forming the above-described barrier 8 of the fine convex portion and the ink supply path 14 of the fine concave portion by one exposure. Therefore, only one type of photomask is required for exposure, and an ink passage can be formed with higher accuracy. Also in this case, by changing the exposure amount, the above-mentioned fine unevenness can be easily formed using the dry film 5.

First, FIG. 7 shows an ink discharge pressure generating element 3 such as a buckling element or a piezoelectric element (a heating element is also possible) on the surface of a substrate 2 made of the same material as in FIG. Arrange. Then, the ink ejection pressure generating element 3
On the surface of the substrate 2 provided with the above, a reflection film 9 of a good reflectance such as a metal is formed in a region to be a barrier 8 of a fine convex portion for forming an ink passage. After forming this reflection film 9, the first
Similarly to the embodiment, the surface of the substrate 1 is cleaned and dried.

After the purification and drying, the surface of the substrate 2 was heated to 80 ° C.
Dry film 5 heated to about 110 ° C.
Laminating is performed as shown in FIG. 8 under the conditions of a speed of up to 3.0 m / min and a pressure of ^{2 to 5} kgf / cm ² .

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, a photomask 16 having a predetermined pattern 15 is overlaid on the dry film 5 laminated on the surface of the substrate 2. This photomask 1
6 is different from the first embodiment in that the pattern 15 is such that the pattern 15 can be formed by separately dividing the ink pressure chambers 4.
5a. In other words, the pattern 15a is formed such that a region that becomes the barrier 8 of the adjacent ink pressure chamber 4, particularly a portion corresponding to the reflective film 9, becomes a slit that can transmit light. Further, a pattern 15a is formed on the photomask 16 in order to form the ink supply path 14.

In this case, the slits between the patterns 15a face the reflection film 9 previously provided on the surface of the substrate 2.

Then, in the state shown in FIG. 9, the entire surface is exposed with uniform light from the photomask 16 by the exposure lamp 12. In this case, since the reflection film 9 having a good reflectance is formed on the portion where the fine convex portion is formed, the light is exposed by the light from the slit portion. The curing speed of the dry film 5 at the portion where the rate is good is promoted. Therefore, even with a small amount of exposure, the dry film 5 corresponding to the barrier 8 which is a fine projection can be sufficiently cured. In addition to the other pattern 15, light (ultraviolet light)
Is irradiated to cause a polymerization reaction of the dry film 5, which is similarly cured and becomes insoluble in the solvent. Further, the portion of the dry film 5 corresponding to the light-shielded area of the pattern 15 that has not been exposed is not cured, and remains soluble in a solvent.

In this case, since it is not necessary to increase the exposure amount, the dry film 5 in the portion of the ink supply path 14 which becomes a fine concave portion is not cured by the pattern 15b, It will not be cured.

Then, the dry film 5 after the exposure step is immersed in a non-volatile organic solvent, for example, trichloroethane to develop the uncured dry film 5, and is disposed on the substrate 2 as shown in FIG. The ink pressure chamber 4 and the ink supply path 14 divided by the barrier 8 corresponding to the ink ejection pressure generating element 3 are formed.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 11, a second substrate 7 having an orifice 6 for discharging ink is formed.
To the ink pressure chamber 4 and the ink supply path 14 shown in FIG.
And so on. In particular, the second substrate 7 is joined so that the orifice 6 is positioned at a portion corresponding to the ink pressure chamber 4 in the dry film 5. About this joining, after aligning both using a jig etc., it is made to closely_contact | adhere and 130 degreeC-20.
0.5 ° C to 0.5 ° C at a pressure of 0.5 to ² kg / cm ²
Heat compression for hours. As a result, the opening surface serving as the ink passage is sealed, and the orifice 6
Is sealed through. This makes it possible to easily manufacture a high-density inkjet head. In this case, by performing an exposure process using a light source as necessary, the two are brought into close contact and joined.

As described above, in the fine ink passage in the ink jet head and the fine barrier separating the ink passage, a sufficient amount of light is given to the necessary portion of the dry film by changing the exposure amount. It is possible to easily adjust the amount of light so as to prevent the unnecessary portions from being hardened by being exposed by the wraparound of light. Therefore, when forming an ink passage using a dry film, fine uneven portions for high density can be formed easily and accurately.

Here, also in the second embodiment, naturally, the reflection film 9 is provided on the surface of the second substrate 7 and a dry film is laminated thereon, thereby performing the steps shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. A similar inkjet head can be easily created.

In the first and second embodiments, the second substrate 7 having the orifice 6 formed thereon is sealed so as to seal the opening surface of the ink passage formed by the dry film 5 on the substrate 1. However, the orifice 6 may be formed by the dry film 5. That is, the grooves corresponding to the orifices 6 communicating with the ink pressure chambers 4 can be simultaneously formed in the dry film 5 by appropriately forming the light-shielding patterns of the photomasks 11, 13, and 16.

[0064]

As described above, according to the present invention, an ink jet head having a high yield and a high reliability can be easily obtained even if the density is increased, and an inexpensive ink jet head having high mass productivity can be obtained. Can be provided.

Further, in the manufacturing method, a fine pattern for forming an ink passage can be easily formed by effectively utilizing a dry film, thereby simplifying the manufacturing and greatly improving the yield in manufacturing an ink jet head. The manufacturing cost can be reduced, and at the same time, a high-density, low-cost inkjet head can be easily obtained.

In addition, in order to form a fine ink passage, only the exposure amount is changed, and there is no inconvenience such as communication between the ink passages or closing of the ink passage, and reliability is improved. A very high inkjet head can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a state in which an ink ejection pressure generating element is arranged on a substrate constituting a head as a first step of manufacturing an ink jet head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to the present invention;
It is a figure which shows the state which laminated | stacked the photocurable dry film which is the next process of.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which a photomask having a pattern for forming an ink passage to be the next step of FIG. 2 is overlaid and necessary exposure is performed.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which a second photomask having a pattern for forming a fine ink passage to be the next step of FIG. 3 is overlaid and necessary exposure is performed.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which a dry film region of a non-exposed portion after the exposure step of FIG. 4 is removed, and an ink passage constituting an ink jet head is formed.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of an ink ejection portion of the inkjet head manufactured according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which an ink ejection pressure generating element and a reflection film are arranged on a portion to be finely processed on a substrate constituting the ink jet head as an initial step of manufacturing the ink jet head according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which a photocurable dry film is laminated, which is the next step of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a state in which a photomask having a pattern for forming an ink passage to be the next step of FIG. 8 is overlaid and necessary exposure is performed.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which a dry film region of a non-exposed portion after the exposure step of FIG. 9 is removed, and an ink passage forming an inkjet head is formed.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of an ink ejection portion of an inkjet head manufactured according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink-jet head 2 Substrate 3 Ink discharge pressure generating element 4 Ink pressure chamber 5 Dry film (photosensitive resin) 6 Orifice (ink discharge part) 7 Second substrate 8 Barrier (fine projection) 9 Reflective film 10 Pattern 11 Photo Mask 12 Exposure lamp (exposure means) 13 Second photomask 13a Slit 14 Ink passage (fine recess) 15 Pattern 16 Photomask

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor ▲ Yoshi ▼ Murahisa 22-22, Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Sharp Corporation (72) Inventor Norihiro Ochi 22nd Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. 22 Sharp Corporation

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet head comprising an ejection port for ejecting ink and an ink passage communicating with the ejection port, wherein a photosensitive resin is laminated on a substrate constituting the ink jet head, and the photosensitive resin is provided on the photosensitive resin. When performing exposure in accordance with the pattern forming the ink passage, the exposure amount of the portion constituting the barrier of the adjacent ink passage and the other portion is changed and cured, and the photosensitive resin of the other unexposed portion is cured. An ink jet head, wherein an ink passage is formed by removing the ink passage. 2. The substrate is provided with individual ink discharge ports or ink discharge pressure generating elements, and the photosensitive resin is laminated thereon, and the ink discharge pressure generating elements or ink discharge pressure generating elements or ink discharge pressure elements are formed in accordance with the formed ink passages. 2. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the second substrate having the outlet is joined to form an ink jet head. 3. A method for manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising forming an ejection port for ejecting ink and an ink passage communicating with the ejection port, comprising laminating a photosensitive resin on a substrate constituting the inkjet head. Superimposing a photomask having a pattern serving as a light-shielding portion that is not irradiated with light in a region where an ink passage is formed on the photosensitive resin; and light that can cure the photosensitive resin from an upper surface on which the photomask is superimposed. A first exposure step of exposing, and after the first exposure step, a second photo having a pattern in which a slit for transmitting light is formed to form a barrier adjacent to an ink path to be formed, and the other is a light shielding portion. Overlaying a mask on the photosensitive resin exposed in the first exposure step; A second exposure step of performing exposure with a light amount different from the first exposure step, and a step of removing a photosensitive resin corresponding to an unexposed portion corresponding to a pattern of a photomask after the second exposure step; Bonding the second substrate from above the photosensitive resin in order to seal the opening surface of the concave portion serving as the ink passage in the photosensitive resin region removed in the removing step. 4. The second exposure step includes irradiating a larger amount of light than the first exposure step.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a fine barrier between ink passages can be formed. 5. When bonding the second substrate after the removing step, an orifice for discharging ink is formed on the second substrate, and the orifice is bonded to correspond to the ink passage, while the orifice is bonded to the second substrate. 5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of disposing an ink discharge pressure generating element for discharging ink as a step before the step of laminating a photosensitive resin thereon. . 6. A method of manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising forming an ejection port for ejecting ink and an ink passage leading to the ejection port, wherein the ink passage leading to the ink ejection port is adjacent to a substrate constituting the inkjet head. Forming a light-reflecting film on a portion corresponding to a barrier during the process, laminating a photosensitive resin on the substrate, and preventing light from being irradiated on a region where an ink passage is formed on the photosensitive resin. Stacking a photomask having a pattern to be a light-shielding portion, exposing with light that can cure the photosensitive resin from the upper surface on which the photomask is stacked, and performing an exposure corresponding to the pattern of the photomask after the exposure step. Removing the photosensitive resin corresponding to the exposed portion; and removing the photosensitive resin region removed by the removing step. Bonding the second substrate from above the photosensitive resin to seal the opening surface of the concave portion serving as the ink passage.