JPH11170531A - Liquid discharge head and head substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a highly reliable substrate for a liquid discharge head which faces an air bubble area to guide air bubbles generated in an air bubble generation area, can be used efficiently to discharge liquid and can be manufactured simply by forming a movable member of a material resistant to ink onto the substrate. SOLUTION: A plate-like movable member 31 formed of an elastic material and having a flat face part is set like a cantilever to face a heat-generating body 2 on an element substrate 1 of a liquid passage 10. One end of the movable member 31 is fixed to a wall of the liquid passage or on the element substrate 1, whereby the movable member 31 is held and constitutes a fulcrum 33. Since the movable member 31 is accurately positioned by patterning based on photolithography, the movable member 31 can be registered with a heat generation resistance body with high accuracy. The movable member 31 is required to be formed of one of silicon nitride, diamond, amorphous carbon hydroride and silicon carbide.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head and a head substrate for discharging a desired liquid by generating bubbles generated by applying thermal energy to a liquid, and more particularly to a displacement head utilizing the generation of bubbles. The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head having a movable member and a head substrate.

In the present invention, "recording" means not only giving an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure to a recording medium, but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern. Is also meant.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art By giving energy such as heat to ink, a state change accompanied by a steep volume change (formation of bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the ink is ejected from an ejection port by an action force based on this state change. An ink jet recording method in which an image is formed by attaching this to a recording medium, that is, a so-called bubble jet recording method, has been conventionally known.

A recording apparatus using this bubble jet recording method includes Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-59911 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-59911.
As disclosed in JP-A-59914, a discharge port for discharging ink, an ink flow path communicating with the discharge port, and an energy generating means for discharging ink arranged in the ink flow path Heating element (electric heat conversion element)
Are generally provided.

According to the above-described recording method, a high-quality image can be recorded at a high speed and with low noise, and in a head performing this recording method, ejection ports for ejecting ink are arranged at a high density. Therefore, it has many excellent points such that a high-resolution recorded image and a color image can be easily obtained with a small device. For this reason, this bubble jet recording method has recently been used in many office devices such as printers, copiers, and facsimile machines, and has been used in industrial systems such as textile printing devices.

Therefore, some of the present inventors return to the principle of liquid ejection, and enthusiastically study to provide a novel liquid ejection method using bubbles which has not been obtained conventionally and a head and the like used therefor. And disclosed in JP-A-9-2019.
No. 66 has been filed. JP-A-9-2019966
The invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H10-15064 discloses that the positional relationship between the fulcrum and the free end of the movable member in the liquid path is set such that the free end is located on the discharge port side, that is, on the downstream side. This is a technique for positively controlling bubbles by arranging them facing a bubble generation region.

[0007] According to the liquid discharge head and the like based on the extremely novel discharge principle as described above, a synergistic effect between the generated bubble and the movable member displaced by the bubble can be obtained, and the liquid near the discharge port can be efficiently discharged. Because it can discharge, compared to the conventional bubble jet type discharge method, head, etc.
Discharge efficiency can be improved.

[0008]

Here, various materials can be considered as the material of the movable member used in the above-described liquid discharge head, and the pressure generated by the bubbles is efficiently used for discharging the liquid. Therefore, nickel having excellent elasticity is generally used.

Here, in order to sufficiently bring out the effect of the movable member, it is necessary to provide a gap (interval) of about 1 to 20 μm between the movable part and the heating element. Therefore, as shown in FIG. It is necessary to provide a pedestal having the same thickness as the gap at the fixed portion of the pedestal. However, in this configuration, it is difficult to fix the movable member with high accuracy to the pedestal portion so as to be positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the heating resistor, particularly when the heating resistors are arranged at high density. is there.
Therefore, there is a demand for a configuration that can be positioned with high accuracy even when the heating resistors are arranged at high density.

In the above structure, when the pedestal and the movable member are formed by plating (electroforming) with a plating material such as nickel or the like, the movable member can be formed with high precision by using a photolithography method which is a semiconductor technology. Can be positioned with respect to the heating resistor, but in this case, the process is complicated and, for example, when a highly alkaline ink is used, the plating material is not necessarily sufficient in terms of corrosion resistance to the ink. There was something.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and is intended to provide a liquid discharge head substrate having excellent mechanical and chemical durability and low manufacturing cost. The purpose is to provide.

[0012]

To achieve the above object, the present invention includes the following inventions and embodiments.

A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and supplying the liquid to the discharge port, a substrate including a heating element for generating bubbles in the liquid, and the heating element A movable member provided in the liquid flow path with the discharge port side as a free end so as to face the movable member, and the free end being located downstream from the area center of the heating element. The movable members are silicon nitride, diamond,
A liquid discharge head formed of one of hydrogenated amorphous carbon and silicon carbide, and formed on the substrate.

The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is formed of silicon nitride doped with an impurity.

[0015] A liquid discharge head, wherein the movable member is formed of a silicon nitride multilayer film having a composition changed or an impurity added.

A liquid ejection head substrate comprising: a heating element for generating air bubbles in a liquid; and a cantilever-shaped movable member arranged at a predetermined interval so as to face the heating element. A substrate for a liquid discharge head, wherein the movable member is formed of any one of silicon nitride, diamond, hydrogenated amorphous carbon, and silicon carbide, and is formed on the substrate.

The substrate for a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is formed of silicon nitride doped with an impurity.

The liquid discharge head substrate according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is formed of a silicon nitride multilayer film having a composition changed or an impurity added.

(Operation) In the present invention configured as described above, a movable member can be easily formed on a substrate. The constituent material has chemical resistance and ink resistance, and a highly reliable head and a substrate having the same can be manufactured.

The terms “upstream” and “downstream” used in the description of the present invention refer to the flow direction of a liquid from a liquid supply source to a discharge port via a bubble generation region (or a movable member).
Alternatively, it is expressed as an expression regarding this structural direction. The “downstream side” of the bubble itself mainly represents a portion on the side of the bubble discharge port which is assumed to directly act on the discharge of the droplet. More specifically, it refers to a bubble generated in a region downstream of the center of the bubble with respect to the flow direction or the configuration direction, or in a region downstream of the area center of the heating element.

In the broad sense, the term "separation wall" as used in the present invention means a wall (which may include a movable member) interposed so as to separate a bubble generation region from a region directly communicating with the discharge port.
In a narrow sense, it means that the flow path including the bubble generation area is separated from the liquid flow path that directly communicates with the discharge port, and mixing of the liquid in each area is prevented.

Further, the term "comb teeth" as used in the present invention means a shape in which the fulcrum of the movable member is a common member and the front of the free end is open.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Before describing a specific embodiment of the present invention, first, when discharging a liquid in the present invention, the direction of pressure propagation based on bubbles and the direction of growth of bubbles are controlled. The most basic configuration for improving the force and the discharge efficiency will be described.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining the ejection principle of the liquid ejection head of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the liquid flow path. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the liquid discharge head is a heating element 2 (in this example, a heating resistor having a shape of 40 μm × 105 μm) acting as a discharge energy generating element for discharging the liquid. Is provided on the element substrate 1, and a liquid flow path 10 is arranged on the element substrate corresponding to the heating element 2. The liquid flow path 10 communicates with the discharge port 18 and also communicates with a common liquid chamber 13 for supplying liquid to the plurality of liquid flow paths 10.
An amount of liquid corresponding to the liquid discharged from 8 is received from the common liquid chamber 13.

On the element substrate of the liquid flow path 10, a plate-shaped movable member 31 made of an elastic material and having a flat portion facing the heating element 2 is cantilevered. It is provided in a beam shape. One end of this movable member is connected to the liquid flow path 10.
Is fixed on the wall or the element substrate 1. by this,
The movable member is held and constitutes a fulcrum (fulcrum portion) 33.

Further, since the position of the movable member is accurately determined by the patterning method based on the photolithography method, highly accurate positioning with the heating resistor can be performed.

The movable member 31 has a fulcrum (fulcrum portion: fixed end) 33 on the upstream side of a large flow flowing from the common liquid chamber 13 to the discharge port 18 through the movable member 31 by the liquid discharging operation. 33 is disposed 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 so as to have a free end (free end portion) 32 on the downstream side with respect to 33. I have. The space between the heating element 2 and the movable member 31 is the bubble generation area 11.

The movable member 31 is generated by causing the heating element 2 to generate heat.
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 is largely moved toward the discharge port 18 centering on the fulcrum 33 as shown in FIG. 1 (b), (c) or FIG. Displace to open. 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 18 side. Also, at this time, since the tip of the free end 32 has a width, it is easy to guide the bubbling power of the bubbles to the discharge port 18 side, and to fundamentally improve the discharge efficiency, the discharge force or the discharge speed. Can be.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the direction of the liquid flow path for explaining the basic structure of the liquid discharge head of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid discharge head is provided with a plurality of (only one is shown in FIG. 4) heating elements 2 for providing thermal energy for generating bubbles in the liquid. The device includes a substrate 1, a top plate 3 bonded on the element substrate 1, and an orifice plate 4 bonded to front end surfaces of the element substrate 1 and the top plate 3a.

The element substrate 1 is formed by depositing a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film on a substrate of silicon or the like for the purpose of insulation and heat generation, and further forming an electric resistance layer and wiring constituting the heating element 2 thereon. It is patterned. The heating element 2 generates heat by applying a voltage from the wiring to the electric resistance layer and passing a current through the electric resistance layer.

The top plate 3a is for constituting a plurality of liquid flow paths 7 corresponding to the respective heating elements 2 and a common liquid chamber 8 for supplying a liquid to each of the liquid flow paths 7. Liquid passage side walls 9 extending between the heating elements 2 are provided integrally.
The top plate 3 is made of a silicon-based material, and a pattern of the liquid flow path 7 and the common liquid chamber 9 is formed by etching, or a silicon nitride, silicon oxide, or the like is formed on a silicon substrate by a known film forming method such as CVD. After depositing the material to be the channel side wall, the liquid channel 7 can be formed by etching.

The orifice plate 4 has a plurality of discharge ports 5 corresponding to the respective liquid flow paths 7 and communicating with the common liquid chamber 8 via the respective liquid flow paths 7. The orifice plate 4 is also made of a silicon-based material. For example, the orifice plate 4 is formed by shaving a silicon substrate having the discharge ports 5 to a thickness of about 10 to 150 μm. Note that the orifice plate 4 is not always a necessary component in the present invention,
Instead of providing the orifice plate 4, a wall equivalent to the thickness of the orifice plate 4 is left on the tip surface of the top plate 3 a when the liquid flow path 7 is formed in the top plate 3 a, and the discharge port 5 is formed in each part. Thus, a top plate with a discharge port can be provided.

The liquid discharge head further includes a first liquid flow path 7 a communicating the liquid flow path 7 with the discharge port 5, and a heating element 2.
The heating element 2 is divided into a second liquid flow path 7b having
Is provided with a cantilever-shaped movable member 6 arranged to face the. The movable member 6 is a thin film formed of a silicon-based material such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide.

The movable member 6 has a fulcrum 6a on the upstream side of a large flow flowing from the common liquid chamber 8 through the movable member 6 to the discharge port 5 by the liquid discharging operation, and is provided on the downstream side with respect to the fulcrum 6a. The heating element 2 is disposed at a position facing the heating element 2 at a predetermined distance from the heating element 2 so as to cover the heating element 2 so as to have the free end 6b. The space between the heating element 2 and the movable member 6 is a bubble generation area 10a.

When the heating element 2 is caused to generate heat based on the above configuration, the bubble generation area 10a between the movable member 6 and the heating element 2
Heat acts on the liquid, and bubbles are generated on the heating element 2 based on the film boiling phenomenon and grow. The pressure associated with the growth of the bubbles acts on the movable member 6 preferentially, and the movable member 6 is displaced so as to open largely toward the discharge port 5 around the fulcrum 6a as shown by the broken line in FIG. Depending on the displacement or the displaced state of the movable member 6, the propagation of pressure based on the generation of bubbles and the growth of the bubbles themselves are guided to the ejection port 5 side, and the liquid is ejected from the ejection port 5.

That is, the fulcrum 6a is located on the bubble generation area 10a on the upstream side of the liquid flow in the liquid flow path 7 (on the common liquid chamber 8 side).
By providing the movable member 6 having the free end 6b on the downstream side (discharge port 5 side) having the pressure, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble is guided to the downstream side, and the pressure of the bubble directly and efficiently contributes to the discharge. become. Then, the growth direction of the bubble itself is guided in the downstream direction similarly to the pressure propagation direction, and the bubble grows larger downstream than upstream. In this way, by controlling the growth direction itself of the bubble by the movable member and controlling the propagation direction of the bubble,
Fundamental ejection characteristics such as ejection efficiency, ejection force or ejection speed can be improved.

On the other hand, when the bubble enters the defoaming step, the bubble rapidly disappears due to a synergistic effect with the elastic force of the movable member 6, and the movable member 6 also finally reaches the initial position shown by the solid line in FIG. Return to. At this time, in order to compensate for the contracted volume of the bubbles in the bubble generation region 10a and to supplement the volume of the discharged liquid, the liquid flows from the upstream side, that is, the common liquid chamber side, and the liquid flows into the liquid flow path 7. The refilling of the liquid is performed efficiently, rationally and stably with the return action of the movable member 6. Hereinafter, a material and a manufacturing method of the movable member, which are features of the liquid ejection head of the present invention, will be described in detail.

Example 1 First, BPSG is formed on a substrate 201 by a CVD method at a temperature of 350 ° C. (FIG. 5A). This BPS
The thickness of G finally corresponds to the gap between the movable part of the movable member and the heating element, and is controlled to a value between 1 and 20 μm at which the effect of the movable member is most remarkable in terms of the balance of the entire flow path.
Next, a resist 203 for patterning BPSG
Is applied by spin coating or the like (FIG. 5B), and is exposed and developed (FIG. 5C). Thereby, the resist corresponding to the fixed portion of the movable member is removed.

The BPSG in a portion where there is no resist is removed by wet etching with buffered hydrofluoric acid. Next, plasma ashing by oxygen plasma,
Alternatively, the resist is immersed in a resist remover to remove the remaining resist (FIG. 5E). On this, a temperature of 400 using ammonia and silane gas as raw materials by plasma CVD.
It is considered that the composition of the SiN film (Si ₃ N ₄₎ is best at a thickness of 1 to 10 μm under the condition of ° C. The effect of the movable member is that N is 1 to 1.5 with respect to Si: 1. It may be in the range.) A film is formed. This SiN film is generally used in a semiconductor process, and has alkali resistance, chemical stability, and ink resistance.

That is, since this film finally becomes a movable member, there is no limitation on the manufacturing method for achieving the structure and composition for obtaining the optimum physical property values. For example, a method of forming SiN is as follows.
Regardless of the plasma CVD method mentioned above, normal pressure CV
D, LP (low pressure) CVD, bias ECRCVD, microwave CVD, sputtering, or coating can also be used. Also in the SiN film, its stress, rigidity, physical properties such as Young's modulus, alkali resistance, chemical properties such as acid resistance, etc., to improve according to the application,
The composition ratio is changed stepwise to form a multilayer film. Alternatively, an impurity is added stepwise to form a multilayer film. Alternatively, impurities may be added in a single layer. Next, a resist for patterning the SiN film is applied by spin coating or the like, and is patterned. The movable member is etched by dry etching using CF ₄ gas or the like, or reactive ion etching.

Finally, wet etching with buffered hydrofluoric acid is performed to remove BPSG remaining under the movable part.
Is removed, a movable member can be formed as shown in FIG. Also, even if the BPSG is partially etched in the innermost part below the movable part,
BPSG is easily etched by an alkaline substance such as ink, and melts out when ink is finally supplied, so that a problem in reliability is unlikely to occur. In addition, here, the gap of the movable member is not limited to BPSG as described above, but may be any as long as it has a selectivity with SiN by buffered hydrofluoric acid.
For example, a SiO.sub.2 film having a lower temperature of less than 400.degree. In addition to the above, from the viewpoint of simplicity in the process,
Organic materials may be used.

In the above description, the thickness of the movable member is set to 1
Although it is specified in the range of 10 to 10 μm, for example, since the Young's modulus of SiN is about twice as high as that of Ni, which is a known movable member, even if the relative thickness is set to 1/2, the same effect is obtained. Is obtained.

Although only the movable member has been described in the above description, a portion for supporting the movable member can be formed at the same time. Alternatively, the effect of the present invention is not affected at all even if only the supporting portion is formed of a different material for the purpose of simplifying the manufacturing method or the adhesiveness.

Embodiment 2 The movable member can be formed of a diamond film or a hydrogenated amorphous carbon film. In Example 1, a diamond film can be formed by using methane gas, nitrogen, and oxygen instead of the SiN film as raw materials, exciting plasma using microwaves (2.45 GHz), and forming the film at a substrate temperature of 450 ° C. . Alternatively, a hydrogenated amorphous carbon film (diamond-like carbon) that can be manufactured more easily than diamond is 13.56 MH.
It can be formed by a plasma CVD method in which plasma is excited by an RF bias of z.

The diamond film thus formed has extremely excellent physical properties (for example, the Young's modulus is about three times that of SiN, and the same effect can be obtained even if the thickness is relatively 1/3). Since it has high chemical stability and excellent heat radiation characteristics, it is more suitable as a movable member than a SiN film. The hydrogenated amorphous carbon film is inferior to the diamond film in physical properties, but is superior to the SiN film. Therefore, from the viewpoint of balance between performance and manufacturing difficulty, that is, manufacturing cost, like the diamond film and the SiN film, Can be used.

Embodiment 3 The same effect can be obtained even if the movable member is further made of SiC. It is considered that the composition of the SiC film is best when Si: C = 1: 1.
The same effect can be obtained in the range of 1.5 to 1.5.

A heating element 2 for applying heat to the liquid will now be described.
The configuration of the element substrate 1 provided with is described.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a liquid discharge apparatus to which the liquid discharge head of the present invention is applied.
(A) is a diagram showing a device having a protective film described later, and (b) is a diagram showing a device without a protective film.

In FIG. 6, the liquid flow path 10 shown in FIG.
Is a first liquid flow path 14, and the liquid supply path 12 is a second liquid flow path 14.
Although the liquid supplied to each of the liquid flow paths 16 may be the same liquid, the use of different liquids widens the range of selection of the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path 14, that is, the discharge liquid. be able to.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second
The liquid flow path 16, the separation wall 30, the movable member 31, and the first
And a grooved member 50 provided with a groove constituting the first liquid flow path 14.

The element substrate 1 has a base 107 made of silicon or the like.
A silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film 106 for insulation and heat storage is formed thereon, and hafnium boride (HfB ₂₎ constituting a heating element having a thickness of 0.01 to 0.2 μm is formed thereon. ), Tantalum nitride (TaN),
An electric resistance layer 105 such as tantalum aluminum (TaAl);
Wiring electrode 10 made of aluminum or the like having a thickness of 0.2 to 1.0 μm
4 are patterned. These two wiring electrodes 1
From 04, a voltage is applied to the electric resistance layer 105, and a current flows through the electric resistance layer 105 to generate heat. On the electric resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes 104, a protective layer 103 such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride is formed with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.2 μm, and further thereon, a protective layer 103 with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.6 μm. The anti-cavitation layer 102 such as tantalum is formed to protect the electric resistance layer 105 from various liquids such as ink.

In particular, the pressure and shock waves generated during the generation and defoaming of bubbles are extremely strong, and the durability of a hard and brittle oxide film is significantly reduced.
Are used as the anti-cavitation layer 102.

A structure that does not require the above-described protective layer may be used depending on the combination of the liquid, the liquid flow path structure, and the resistance material. An example is shown in FIG. 6B.

Examples of the material of the resistance layer which does not require such a protective layer include iridium = tantalum = aluminum alloy. In particular, in the present invention, the liquid in the second liquid flow path for foaming can be separated from the liquid discharged from the first liquid flow path to be suitable for foaming. It is advantageous.

As described above, the configuration of the heating element 2 in the above-described embodiment may include only the electric resistance layer 105 (heating section) between the wiring electrodes 104, or the electric resistance layer 1
05 may be included.

In the present embodiment, the heating element 2 having a heating section composed of a resistance layer that generates heat in response to an electric signal is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. What is necessary is just to generate enough bubbles in the foaming liquid in the second liquid flow path to discharge them. For example, a light-to-heat converter that generates heat by receiving light from a laser or the like as a heat generating portion or a heat generating member that has a heat generating portion that generates heat by receiving a high frequency may be used.

The above-mentioned element substrate 1 has an electrothermal converter composed of an electric resistance layer 105 constituting a heating section and a wiring electrode 104 for supplying an electric signal to the electric resistance layer 105. In addition, functional elements such as a transistor, a diode, a latch, and a shift register for selectively driving the electrothermal conversion element may be integrally formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process.

Further, in order to drive the heat generating portion of the electrothermal transducer provided on the element substrate 1 as described above and discharge the liquid, a rectangular pulse is applied to the electric resistance layer 105 via the wiring electrode 104. It suffices to apply the voltage so that the electric resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes 104 generates heat sharply.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a voltage waveform applied to the electric resistance layer 105 shown in FIG.

In the liquid ejection apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, the voltage is 24 V and the pulse width is 7 μs.
c, a current of 150 mA, an electric signal was applied at 6 kHz to drive the heating element, and the ink as a liquid was ejected from the ejection port by the operation described above. However,
The condition of the drive signal in the present invention is not limited to this, and may be any drive signal capable of appropriately foaming the foaming liquid.

[0063]

As described above, in the present invention,
Because the movable member made of ink-resistant material is built on the substrate, it faces the bubble generation area, guides the bubbles generated in the bubble generation area, and can be used efficiently for liquid ejection Further, it is possible to provide a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge head substrate which can be easily manufactured and have high reliability. That is, it is possible to achieve both the manufacturing cost and the reliability of the movable member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a discharge principle in a liquid discharge head of the present invention.

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

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining functions of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a shape of a movable member manufactured by the process shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view showing one embodiment of a method for manufacturing a movable member used in the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are longitudinal sectional views showing a configuration example of a liquid discharge apparatus to which the liquid discharge head of the present invention is applied, wherein FIG. 6A is a view showing an apparatus having a protective film described later, and FIG. FIG. 2 shows a device without a blank.

7 is a diagram showing a voltage waveform applied to the electric resistance layer shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 element substrate 2 heating element 3 area center 3a top plate 4 orifice plate 5 discharge port 6 movable member 6a fulcrum 6b free end 7 liquid flow path 7a first liquid flow path 7b second liquid flow path 8 common liquid chamber 9 liquid Roadside wall 10a Bubble generation area 10 Liquid flow path 11 Bubble generation area 12 Liquid supply path 13 Common liquid chamber 14 First liquid flow path 16 Second liquid flow path 18 Discharge port 20 First liquid supply path 21 Second liquid supply Road 30 Separation wall 31 Movable member 32 Free end 33 Support point 34 Pedestal 40 Bubbles 45 Droplet 50 Grooved member 70 Support 102 Anti-cavitation layer 103 Protective layer 104 Wiring electrode 105 Resistance layer 106 Silicon layer 107 Base 201 Substrate 202 Substrate 202 BPSG 203 Resist 204 Pedestal 205 Moving parts

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshiyuki Imanaka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masahiko Kubota 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Ishinaga 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masahiko 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masami Ikeda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc.

Claims (6)

[Claims] A substrate provided with a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and supplying the liquid to the discharge port, a heating element for generating bubbles in the liquid, A liquid discharge head comprising: a movable member provided in the liquid flow path with the discharge port side as a free end so as to face a heating element, and the free end positioned downstream from an area center of the heating element. The liquid discharge head, wherein the movable member is formed of any one of silicon nitride, diamond, hydrogenated amorphous carbon, and silicon carbide, and is formed on the substrate. 2. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein said movable member is made of silicon nitride doped with impurities. 3. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein said movable member is formed of a silicon nitride multilayer film having a composition changed or an impurity added. 4. A liquid ejection head substrate comprising: a heating element for generating air bubbles in a liquid; and a cantilever-shaped movable member arranged at a predetermined interval so as to face the heating element. A liquid discharge head substrate, wherein the movable member is formed of any one of silicon nitride, diamond, hydrogenated amorphous carbon, and silicon carbide, and is formed on the substrate. 5. The liquid discharge head substrate according to claim 4, wherein said movable member is formed of silicon nitride doped with impurities. 6. The liquid discharge head substrate according to claim 4, wherein said movable member is formed of a silicon nitride multilayer film having a changed composition or an added impurity.