JPH11342618A - Manufacture of ink jet recording head and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a processing property of a projection section which is formed on a bonding face in order to improve an adhesion property in the bonding in the case where a substrate having ejection energy generating elements formed thereon and a top plate having grooves for ink passages formed thereon are bonded to produce an ink jet recording head. SOLUTION: In the case where grooves 9 for ink passage is formed on a top plate substrate 2 by a laser light 1, the grooves 9 are formed by using a pair of masks 4A, 4B. After that, the masks 4A, 4B are shifted by distances a, b, respectively, then an overlapping position of opening sections 6 of the masks 4A, 4B is positioned on a central section of a partition wall 10 and the overlapping width is corresponding to a width of a recess section 10C to be formed. In the above condition, a laser light 1 is emitted thereon to form the recess section 10C. A portion which becomes a projection section relative to the recess section 10C is crushed at the bonding, thereby improving the adhesion property.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a top plate having a groove for an ink path communicating with a discharge port and a substrate having a discharge energy generating element formed thereon. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet recording head formed by bonding.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, a top plate having a groove for forming an ink path provided corresponding to each of a plurality of discharge ports, and a discharge energy generator disposed in a part of the ink path. 2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording head configured by bonding a substrate having elements formed thereon has been known.
Since this type of recording head joins the top plate and the substrate, the adhesion between the top plate and the substrate may become a problem depending on the accuracy of the joining surface. As one configuration for improving the adhesion, the present applicant has provided a projection which can be easily deformed on the joint surface on the top plate side, and crushes this at the time of joining to reduce the gap between the joint surfaces. Kaihei 4-250048
In the publication.

[0003]

However, in the conventional example shown in the above-mentioned publication, since the formation of the projection is performed by the resin molding die similarly to the formation of the top plate, the shape and size of the projection are Is relatively limited, and it is not easy to always obtain a recording head having high adhesion in accordance with the difference in the structure and size of the recording head. For example, one trend in recent years is to increase the length of the recording head and increase the density of the ejection ports. In this case, it is not easy to apply the bonding force sufficiently and uniformly, and the size of the bonding surface is reduced. In order to improve the adhesion between the top plate and the substrate, a more accurate one is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an ink-jet recording apparatus which can always ensure appropriate adhesion between a top plate and a substrate by adapting to various structures and sizes of a recording head. It is to provide a manufacturing method and an apparatus.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided:
A substrate on which an energy generating element for generating energy used for ink ejection was formed, and a top plate on which a groove for forming an ink path including the energy generating element inside together with the substrate were formed. In the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head, a plurality of masks are prepared, and a laser is applied to the top plate base material through the plurality of masks in a state where openings of the plurality of masks are overlapped in the first positional relationship. A plurality of grooves are formed by irradiating light, the plurality of masks in the first positional relationship are respectively moved in an arrangement direction of the plurality of grooves, and openings of each of the plurality of masks are moved to a second position. The top substrate is irradiated with laser light through the plurality of masks in the superimposed state, and is brought into contact with the substrate between the plurality of grooves. Forming a recess in the partition wall as a surface, it is characterized in that comprising the step.

The plurality of masks having the second positional relationship are moved in the direction in which the plurality of grooves are arranged, and the openings of the plurality of masks are overlapped with each other in a third positional relationship. And irradiating the top plate base material with laser light through the plurality of masks in the superimposed state, and forming a concave portion in a partition portion serving as a bonding surface with the substrate between each of the plurality of grooves. Forming, further comprising forming a projection on the partition wall.

According to the above arrangement, after laser processing of the ink path groove using a plurality of masks, the mask is moved only by an appropriate amount, and the opening corresponding to the width of the concave or convex portion is obtained. The overlapping state of the portions and the formation position of the concave portion and the like are determined, and laser processing is performed through the mask in this state to form the concave portion or the convex portion.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams for explaining processing of a top plate in a manufacturing process of a recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In these figures, 1 is a laser beam, 2
Is a base material for a top plate which is processed by a laser beam and is made of resin. Reference numeral 3 denotes a substrate fixing holder for fixing the resin substrate 1, and reference numerals 4A and 4B denote processing masks, respectively. A pair of these two sets is used for forming grooves and recesses of the top plate by laser as described later. It becomes a mask. Reference numeral 5 denotes a mask holder movably provided to hold the processing mask 4A, and reference numeral 8 denotes a mask holder movably provided to hold the processing mask 4B. The processing masks 4A and 4B are each provided with an opening 6 through which the laser light 1 passes.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a groove processed by the laser beam 1 transmitted through the processing mask 4A and the processing mask 4B, respectively, 9 denotes a shift distance of the processing unit mask 4A with respect to the substrate fixing holder 3, and 6 denotes a processing mask. 4B is a shift distance from the substrate fixing holder 3, and C is a processing mask 4.
A gap 13 between A and the processing mask 4B is a concave portion formed in a partition part that divides the groove 9.

A Kr-F excimer laser beam having a wavelength of 248 nm was used as the laser beam 1, and polysulfone was used as a material for the resin substrate 2.

The processing masks 4A and 4B are made of quartz or glass which transmits laser light, and have a structure in which a coating layer made of nickel or the like is laminated on the processing mask in advance in the shape. And then removing the unexposed laminate. The size of each of the mask openings 6 on which nickel is not deposited is 160 μm in the X direction in the figure.
m, and 1,340 openings 6 are provided at a pitch of 280 μm in the X direction. In FIG. 1, only a plurality of openings are shown for simplification of illustration.

Based on the above configuration, a description will be given below of the processing of the ink path groove of the top plate.

First, as shown in FIG. 1A, the masks 4A and 4B are overlapped while maintaining a gap C of 10 μm in the Y direction in the figure between the masks 4A and 4B. The corresponding openings 6 are not shifted from each other. In this embodiment, a laser beam 1 is radiated from a laser (not shown) to the substrate 2 through a pair of processing masks in this embodiment using a 光学 optical projection system. The irradiation condition at this time is that the laser energy density is 1 J / cm ² · pulse and 200 pulses are applied. Thus, a groove 9 having an opening d = 40 μm and a depth e = 30 μm is formed on the substrate 2 as shown in FIG. The pitch of the grooves 9 is about 70 μm corresponding to 360 dpi, corresponding to the discharge port (nozzle) pitch.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the processing mask 4A is shifted in the X direction by a shift distance a = 60 μm, while the processing mask 4B is shifted by a shift distance b = 140 μm.
Similarly, it is moved in the X direction by m. Thus, the width in the X direction of the opening formed by overlapping the openings 6 of the masks 4A and 4B is 80 μm, and the center of this width is set to the partition wall between the grooves 9 formed in the previous step. The center of the part 10 can be matched.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, the substrate 2 is irradiated with a laser beam 1 through a processing mask having the above-described positional relationship. The condition at this time is that the laser energy density on the processing surface of the substrate 2 is also 1 J / cm ² · pu
1 s, which was irradiated for 10 pulses. As a result, as shown in FIG.
= 20 μm and a depth I = 3 μm. Note that the widths g and h of the portions 10A and 10B which are relatively protruded by the formation of the recess 10C are both 5 μm. According to the above steps, 13
Forty concave portions 10C are formed.

After the above configuration, the concave portion 10C has 1340
The base material 2 having 1340 grooves and 9 grooves 9 is placed on a substrate (not shown) on which the ejection energy generating elements are formed.
When pressed with a pressing force of kg, the convex portions 10A and 10B relatively formed by the formation of the concave portion 10C are crushed, whereby the sealing property of the partition wall between the ink paths can be improved. In addition, by using the above-described processing method, the shift distance a of the processing mask 4A and the shift distance b of the processing mask 4B are appropriately determined, and the recess 10C is formed.
, Ie, the methods f, g, and h shown in FIG. 2 can be changed. Further, the dimension I can be set to an arbitrary dimension by changing the number of laser irradiation pulses. Therefore, in addition to the dimensions of the above-described embodiment, various shapes are possible as shown in sample numbers 3 to 8 in FIG. Sample numbers 6 to 8 are for a head having a nozzle pitch equivalent to 720 dpi.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 3A to 3C are schematic views for explaining a processing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, unlike the concave portions of the above-described embodiment, a convex portion is formed on each partition. That is, similarly to the first embodiment, the groove 9 is first processed (FIG. 3).
(A)) Then, the processing mask 4A is shifted by a distance a = 40.
μm, while the processing mask 4B is shifted by a distance b = 160
By moving by μm, only the left shoulder of each partition 10 is processed (FIG. 3B). The irradiation condition of the laser beam at this time is such that the laser energy density 1
Irradiate 10 pulses at J / cm ² · pulse. Thereafter, the processing mask 4A is shifted by a distance a = -40.
μm, shift distance b = −160 μm for processing mask 4B
And only the right shoulder of each partition 10 is processed (FIG. 3).
(C)). Irradiation conditions at this time were as follows: laser energy density of 1 J / cm ² · pulse on the processed surface of substrate 2
This is to irradiate 0 pulse.

By the above steps, as shown in FIG.
= 40 μm, e = 30 μm, and 1340 groove portions 9 are formed, and J = 10 μm, K =
The protrusion 10D of 3 μm is formed. Such a convex part 10
The substrate 2 having 1340 D and 1340 grooves 9
30k for the substrate on which the ejection energy generating element is formed
When pressed with a load of g, the protrusions 10D are crushed, thereby improving the airtightness of each partition. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, various shapes can be obtained as shown by sample numbers 9 to 14 in FIG.

When various shapes are formed for such concave portions or convex portions, the shift distances a and b of the processing masks 4A and 4B are appropriately determined, as is clear from the above two embodiments. Thereby, the formation position and the formation width of the concave portion or the convex portion can be determined. By performing such a process a plurality of times for one partition part, as in the above two embodiments, one process is performed.
Not only one concave portion or one convex portion but also a plurality of concave portions or convex portions can be formed.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, 2
Although it is assumed that the concave portions and the like are processed using one set of processing method masks, the application of the present invention is not limited to such a case,
For example, three or more masks may be used as one set. In this case, the respective shift distances when the processing width is reduced can be determined more easily.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view schematically showing an ink jet recording head using a top plate processed according to each of the above embodiments, and FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of this recording head. .

In these figures, 15 is an ejection energy generating element, 16 is a substrate on which the ejection energy generating element 15 is formed, and 17 is a groove 9 formed on the top plate 20 as described above (see FIGS. 1 to 4). ), An ink discharge port 18 formed by laser processing on the top plate 20, and a common liquid chamber 19 formed by a groove formed on the top plate 20.

FIG. 7 shows the groove 9 of the top plate in the above embodiment.
It is a perspective view which shows typically the processing apparatus for processing etc. The top plate 2 to be processed corresponds to the top plate 20 shown in FIG. 5, but in this figure, for the sake of simplicity, grooves 9 for forming liquid paths are formed.
Only the portion is highlighted. The same applies to the corresponding processing mask, but it goes without saying that these may be appropriately configured according to the required configuration of the top plate and the like.

In the figure, reference numeral 22 denotes an apparatus for controlling the movement of the processing mask 4A, and reference numeral 23 denotes an apparatus for controlling the movement of the processing mask 4B. Reference numeral 25 denotes a device for controlling the movement of the substrate holder 3. With such a device,
As described above, the holders 5 and 8 are shifted by the shift distances a and b, respectively, and the grooves 9 which form the ink paths by irradiating the excimer laser beam 1
1340 and the concave portion 10C or the convex portion 10D are 134
Zero can be formed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the results of evaluating the occurrence of crosstalk and the print quality of a recording head manufactured using the top plate obtained by the above-described two embodiments.

In the figures, sample numbers 3 to 8 are those in which the above-described embodiment 1 and its dimensions are variously changed, and sample numbers 9 to 14 are those in embodiment 2 and whose dimensions are variously changed. is there. Also, sample number 1
And 2 show comparative examples.

As is apparent from this figure, the embodiment of the present invention in which the concave or convex portion is provided and the top plate of the partition portion is improved in the adhesiveness to the substrate, in terms of crosstalk and print quality. It can be seen that good results can be obtained.

(Others) It should be noted that the present invention includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for performing ink ejection, particularly in an ink jet recording system. An excellent effect is obtained in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a type in which the state of ink is changed by the thermal energy. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any type of continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to a sheet holding liquid (ink) or an electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis.
This is effective because air bubbles inside can be formed. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination configuration (straight liquid flow path or right-angle liquid flow path) of the discharge port, liquid path, and electrothermal converter as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 44,558 which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of Japanese Patent No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an aperture for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration is based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as described above, a recording head fixed to the apparatus main body or an electric connection with the apparatus main body or ink from the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

It is preferable to add a recording head ejection recovery unit, a preliminary auxiliary unit, and the like as the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, the recording head is heated using capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, an electrothermal transducer, another heating element or a combination thereof. Pre-heating means for performing the pre-heating and pre-discharging means for performing the discharging other than the recording can be used.

The type and number of recording heads to be mounted are, for example, not only one provided for single color ink, but also a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities. A plurality may be provided. That is, for example, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, but may be any of integrally forming a printing head or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is also very effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of the recording modes of full color by color mixture.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or lower and which softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. In general, the ink jet system generally controls the temperature of the ink itself within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. Sometimes, the ink may be in a liquid state. In addition, in order to positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to prevent evaporation of the ink, the ink is solidified in a standing state and heated. May be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by the application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start solidifying when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1260, it is also possible to adopt a form in which the sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in a state where it is held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is not only used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, but also for a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function. It may take a form.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention,
After performing the laser processing of the ink path groove using a plurality of masks, the mask is moved only by an appropriate amount, and the overlapping state of the openings according to the width of the concave portion or the convex portion and the forming position of the concave portion are determined. The laser beam can be processed through the mask in this state to form a concave portion or a convex portion.

As a result, when the substrate having the energy generating element and the top plate are joined together, the recesses or projections which can be easily deformed and crushed are formed with a high degree of freedom in dimension, reduced in the number of steps and inexpensively. Can be manufactured.

Further, the top plate provided with the concave and / or convex portions can enhance the adhesion between the substrate and the top plate, and can suppress the printing failure due to the crosstalk phenomenon, thereby reducing the cost of a highly reliable ink jet recording head. In addition, the number of steps can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams for explaining a processing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a substrate obtained by the above processing.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams for explaining a processing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a substrate obtained by the above processing.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of an ink jet recording head using a top plate obtained by the embodiment.

6 is a perspective view of the inkjet recording head shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view schematically showing a top plate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating evaluation of print quality according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 laser light 2 base material (top plate) 3 base material fixing holder 4A, 4B processing mask 5, 8 mask holder 6 mask opening 9 groove 10 partition 10C concave 10D convex 15 energy generating element 16 substrate 18 discharge port 19 Common liquid chamber

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A substrate on which an energy generating element for generating energy used for ink ejection is formed, and a top plate on which a groove for forming an ink path including the energy generating element inside the substrate together with the substrate is formed. And a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head in which a plurality of masks are prepared, and a top plate is provided via the plurality of masks in a state where openings of the plurality of masks are overlapped in a first positional relationship. A plurality of grooves are formed by irradiating a laser beam to the base material, and the plurality of masks in the first positional relationship are moved in the arrangement direction of the plurality of grooves, respectively. The opening is in a state of being overlapped in a second positional relationship, and the top plate base material is irradiated with laser light through the plurality of masks in the overlapped state, and each of the plurality of grooves is Forming a recess in the partition wall portion serving as the junction surface of the substrate between, method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head, characterized in that it has a step. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of masks having the second positional relationship are moved in an arrangement direction of the plurality of grooves, and the openings of the plurality of masks are overlapped with each other in a third positional relationship. Irradiating the top plate base material with laser light through the plurality of masks in the superimposed state, and forming a concave portion on a partition wall serving as a bonding surface with the substrate between the plurality of grooves. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: forming a protrusion on the partition. 3. A plurality of recesses are formed in the partition by repeating the step of overlapping the third position and the step of forming a recess in the partition. The method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 2. 4. A plurality of projections are formed on the partition by repeating a step of forming the state of being superposed in the third positional relationship and a step of forming a recess in the partition. The method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 2. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the laser beam is an excimer laser beam. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energy generating element generates thermal energy for generating bubbles in the ink. 7. A substrate on which an energy generating element for generating energy used for ink ejection is formed, and a top plate on which a groove for forming an ink path including the energy generating element inside the substrate together with the substrate is formed. The manufacturing apparatus for an ink jet recording head in which a plurality of masks are provided, and the openings of the plurality of masks are overlapped with each other in a first positional relationship. Means for irradiating a substrate with laser light to form a plurality of grooves; and moving the plurality of masks in the first positional relationship in the direction in which the plurality of grooves are arranged, respectively; Means for making the opening portions of the plurality of masks overlap in a second positional relationship, and irradiating the top plate equipment with laser light through the plurality of masks in the overlapping state, Means for forming a concave portion in a partition wall portion, which is a bonding surface with the substrate between the respective grooves, and a device for manufacturing an ink jet recording head.