JPH1158811A - Manufacture of ion-flow electrostatic recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method capable of readily producing an ion-flow electrostatic recording head with high durability and uniform image quality by using an inexpensive film-forming device. SOLUTION: A manufacturing method for an ion-flow electrostatic recording head comprises a plurality of first electrodes 12 provided on an insulation substrate 11, a plurality of second electrodes 14 having an aperture section 14a on an intersection provided by being intersected by the first electrodes 12, a third electrode 16 having an aperture section 16a corresponding to the intersection, a dielectric body layer 13 provided between first and second electrodes and an insulation body layer 15 having an aperture section 15a provided between the second and third electrodes. An alumina film 131 is formed on the dielectric body layer 13 as a frontmost surface layer such that a solution containing a precursor compound including aluminum is coated, dried and baked.

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 ion flow electrostatic recording head used for electrostatic printing and copying.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, for example, in electrostatic printing and the like,
2. Description of the Related Art There is known an electrostatic recording apparatus that generates ions having a high current density, extracts the ions, selectively applies the ions to a member to be charged, and charges the member to be charged in an image form.

[0003] As an ion flow electrostatic recording head used in this electrostatic recording apparatus, one having a configuration as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B is known. (A), (B) of FIG.
In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes an insulating substrate, and a plurality of first substrates extending substantially linearly in the same direction on the insulating substrate 1 and arranged substantially in parallel.
An electrode 2 is provided. These first electrodes 2 are fixed to one surface of the dielectric layer 3. Also, the dielectric layer 3
A plurality of second electrodes 4 extending in a direction different from the direction in which the first electrodes 2 extend are fixed to the other surface with an adhesive 8. A plurality of first electrodes 2 and a plurality of second electrodes 4 form a matrix. Further, an opening 4a for ion generation is formed at a portion corresponding to the intersection of the matrix of the second electrode 4. Further, on the opposite side of the second electrode 4 from the first electrode 2, an insulator layer 5 is provided.
The third electrode 6 is provided via the. Openings 5a and 6a corresponding to the opening 4a of the second electrode 4 are formed in the insulator layer 5 and the third electrode 6, respectively. The openings 5a and 6a define the ion flow passage 7 through the openings 5a and 6a. Is configured.

In the ion flow electrostatic recording head thus configured, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4
By applying a high voltage alternately between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 corresponding to a selected portion of the matrix of the above, the opening 4a of the second electrode 4 opposed to that portion
In the vicinity, positive and negative ions are generated. Also, the second electrode 4
And a third electrode 6, a bias voltage is applied, and only ions determined by the polarity are selectively extracted from the generated ions, pass through the ion flow passage 7, and face the third electrode 6. The member to be charged, which is arranged in a position, can be partially charged. Therefore, by selectively driving the first and second electrodes having a matrix structure, electrostatic recording using dots can be performed.

By the way, in the ion flow electrostatic recording head thus configured, the dielectric substance used for forming the dielectric layer 3 may not cause dielectric breakdown even at a high voltage applied for generating ions. Required. Further, the dielectric layer 3 needs to have a thickness enough to efficiently generate ions and withstand dielectric breakdown, so that a material having a high dielectric constant is suitable. For example, JP-A-2-1537
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 60, a material in which titanium oxide powder is mixed in a silicone-modified polyester alkyd resin is used as a material constituting the dielectric layer 3.

In the above-mentioned publication, the material for forming the first electrode is a copper foil, a second electrode, and a third electrode.
As a material for forming the electrodes, a stainless steel sheet is used, and an adhesive for fixing the second electrode to the dielectric layer and an adhesive for fixing the third electrode to the insulating layer include a silicone pressure-sensitive adhesive. Adhesive is used.

[0007]

As disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, when a stainless steel sheet is used as a material for forming the second electrode, the second electrode 4 has a thickness of 5 μm or less. It is fixed to the surface of the dielectric layer 3 via the adhesive layer 8. In this case, a discharge occurs between the inner peripheral wall surface of the opening 4a of the second electrode 4 and the surface of the dielectric layer 3 on the first electrode 2, and the surface of the dielectric layer 3 gradually discharge energy with time. It is oxidatively decomposed in the process and is scraped, degrading into a state like blowing powder. Since the deterioration of the surface of the dielectric layer differs for each of the openings 4a, a variation in the discharge state occurs, which causes a problem that the image quality of an electrostatically recorded image deteriorates. In addition, since a high voltage is applied between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4, a high dielectric strength is required for the dielectric layer 3. However, as described above, the dielectric layer 3 gradually increases over time. When the surface of No. 3 is oxidized and decomposed by the discharge energy and is scraped to be in a state of blowing powder, the withstand voltage is reduced and a problem is likely to occur in durability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional ion flow electrostatic recording head. It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method capable of manufacturing a highly durable ion flow electrostatic recording head which prevents surface deterioration, has no variation in image quality, and has high durability. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ion flow electrostatic recording head having high image quality and high durability, comprising an alumina layer capable of exhibiting discharge resistance of a dielectric layer and minimizing stress. The aim is to provide a method. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head which has high durability and has no variation in image quality, in which alumina can be formed on the surface of the dielectric layer with less man-hour. And Further, the invention according to claim 4 provides a method of manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head which can stably form alumina as a dielectric outermost surface layer more uniformly, has less variation in image quality, and has high durability. The purpose is to:

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of first electrodes extending in one direction and in parallel on an insulating substrate are provided. A plurality of second electrodes extending in a direction intersecting with the first electrode and forming a matrix with the first electrode, and an opening formed in a portion corresponding to the intersection of the matrix; A third electrode disposed on a side opposite to the first electrode and having an opening formed at a portion corresponding to an intersection of the matrix, and a dielectric provided between the first electrode and the second electrode; Production of an ion flow electrostatic recording head comprising a layer and an insulator layer provided between the second electrode and the third electrode and having an opening at a portion corresponding to an intersection of the matrix. In the method, aluminum is used as the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer. The solution containing the precursor compounds containing um, is characterized in that the deposition of the alumina film coated and dried and fired to.

By forming the alumina film as the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer in this manner, the dielectric surface is hardly deteriorated by the discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode. It is possible to realize an ion flow electrostatic recording head having high performance. In addition, the formation of the alumina film as the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer is performed by applying, drying and baking a precursor compound solution by a thick film technique without using ordinary semiconductor thin film manufacturing equipment such as a sputtering apparatus. As a result, a large amount of capital investment is not required, and the device can be easily manufactured at low cost.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head according to the first aspect.
The alumina film is formed to a thickness of 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less. By forming the alumina film to such a thickness, the discharge resistance of the alumina film as the outermost layer of the dielectric layer can be exhibited, and the stress during the alumina film formation can be minimized. Therefore, the discharge from the opening can be made uniform, and an ion flow electrostatic recording head having high image quality and high durability can be realized. When the thickness of the alumina film is less than 0.5 μm, it is difficult to withstand the discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode, so that the life tends to be short. The residual stress tends to cause peeling or cracking at the interface between the alumina film and its upper layer or lower layer in the case of alumina or in a subsequent film forming step and the like, and the discharge starting voltage becomes too high, making it difficult to discharge. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head according to the first or second aspect, the solution containing the precursor compound comprises an organic aluminum compound dispersed in a polymer. Characterized in that the solution is By using a solution in which an organoaluminum compound is dispersed in a polymer as described above, a film can be formed to a thickness of the order of μm in a single film forming process, with less man-hours, no variation in image quality, and high durability. An ion flow electrostatic recording head can be manufactured.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head according to the first or second aspect, the solution containing the precursor compound is water and / or water.
Alternatively, it is a colloidal solution in which boehmite alumina sol is dispersed in an alcohol solvent. By using such a colloidal solution, a film is formed using boehmite alumina that has already been uniformly granulated, so that the alumina film as the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer can be formed more uniformly and stably. It is possible to manufacture a highly durable ion flow electrostatic recording head which can be formed into a film and has less variation in image quality.

[0014]

Next, an embodiment will be described. First, the configuration of an ion flow electrostatic recording head manufactured based on the method for manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG.
Numeral 11 is an insulating substrate of an ion flow electrostatic recording head made of alumina and having a thickness of about 1 mm whose surface is glazed with a glass-based material having a thickness of 50 μm. On the insulating substrate 11, a plurality of first electrodes 12, which are induction electrodes for ion generation, are formed by printing and firing gold resinate and patterning by photoetching.
Are provided. These plurality of first electrodes 12,
Are arranged side by side substantially in parallel in one direction. A dielectric layer 13 formed by printing and firing an amorphous glass-based dielectric paste is provided on the insulating substrate 11 and the first electrodes 12,. Outermost layer 13 of this dielectric layer 13
1, a thin alumina film is formed, and on the surface thereof, similarly to the first electrode 12, a plurality of second electrodes 14, which are discharge electrodes patterned by printing and firing gold resinate and patterning by photoetching.・ ・ Is provided. The plurality of second electrodes 14,... Are arranged on the surface of the dielectric layer 13 on the side opposite to the insulating substrate 11, and are juxtaposed in a direction crossing the first electrodes 12,. .. And the second electrode
.. Constitute a matrix.
Then, the portions corresponding to the intersections of the matrix of the second electrodes 14 are respectively provided with ion generating openings 14a,.
Are formed.

On the side of the dielectric layer 13 where the second electrodes 14,... Are arranged, an insulating layer 15 made of polyimide is provided in a state where the second electrodes 14,. Further, a strip-shaped third electrode 16 made of molybdenum is adhered to the surface of the insulator layer 15. The third electrode 16 includes the first electrode 12,.
Are formed at the portions corresponding to the intersections of the matrix of the... And the second electrodes 14,.
In addition, each opening of the second electrode 14,.
Are formed to communicate between the openings 14a,... And the openings 16a,. Each opening 16a,... Of the third electrode 16 is an insulating layer.
Are connected to the openings 14a of the second electrodes 14,... Through the openings 15a of the 15, so that the ion flow passages 17,. Has formed.

During operation of the ion flow electrostatic recording head configured as described above, based on a print signal,
The matrix between the first electrodes 12,... And the second electrodes 14,... Is appropriately selected, and the first electrodes 12,. An AC voltage is applied between. As a result, positive and negative ions are generated at the selected matrix intersection. At this time, a bias voltage is applied between the second electrode 14,... And the third electrode 16, and only ions determined by the polarity thereof are opened at the openings 14a of the second electrode 14,.・ It is extracted from the neighboring parts inside. The extracted ions are supplied to the opening 15a of the insulator layer 15 and the opening 16a of the third electrode 16,
, And locally charges a dielectric drum (not shown). Therefore, a dot latent image can be formed on the dielectric drum by selectively driving the first electrodes 12,... And the second electrodes 14,.

Next, an embodiment of a method of manufacturing the ion flow electrostatic recording head according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to manufacturing process diagrams shown in FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the surface of an insulating substrate 11 made of an alumina substrate having a thickness of about 1 mm is coated with "GS-40".
A glassy glaze treatment layer 111 is formed to a thickness of about 50 μm using, for example, Nippon Special Ceramics Co., Ltd. Next, a gold resinate paste such as “GB-1003” (manufactured by Tanaka Kikinzoku International) is screen-printed on the surface of the glaze-treated layer 111, and baked at 650 ° C. for 10 minutes in a belt furnace. , After patterning into a predetermined pattern by photo etching, again in a belt furnace
By refiring at 850 ° C. for 10 minutes, a first electrode 12 having a thickness of 0.7 μm is formed as shown in FIG. Next, an amorphous glass-based dielectric paste "LS-201" (manufactured by Tanaka Kikinzoku International) is screen-printed thereon.
And dried in a clean oven at 100 ° C for 10 minutes, and then baked in a belt furnace at 850 ° C for 10 minutes.
A dielectric layer 13 having a thickness of 3 μm is formed as shown in FIG.

Next, a solution in which an organoaluminum compound is dispersed in a polymer, for example, “MP
S ”(Epoxy Technology Inc.) is applied by dip coating, and the solvent is dried at 120 ° C. for 5 minutes. Then, the temperature is raised from 20 ° C. to 400 ° C. in an oxygen atmosphere for 15 minutes in a programmed firing furnace. 2 minutes, and this process is repeated twice to form a 3 μm-thick dielectric layer outermost layer 131 as shown in FIG.
It is formed as shown in FIG. Next, a gold resinate paste such as “GB-1003” (manufactured by Tanaka Kikinzoku International) is screen-printed on the surface in the same manner as the first electrode, and baked at 650 ° C. for 10 minutes in a belt furnace, and then printed again. Repeat baking, pattern by photo-etching into a predetermined pattern, and again at 850 ° C in a belt furnace
Re-bake for 10 minutes, and a thickness of 0.7 as shown in FIG.
A second electrode 14 of μm is formed. The “MPS” used in the present embodiment contains an organic aluminum compound, a special polymer, and N, N-dimethylformamide as a solvent for forming an alumina film.

Next, after forming the second electrode 14, a polyimide precursor solution is applied by screen printing.
After curing for a time, pattern it into a predetermined pattern with an alkaline etchant, and make a polyimide insulating layer with a thickness of 50 μm.
Form 15. Next, a third electrode 16 of molybdenum foil having a thickness of 25 μm, which has been patterned by photoetching in advance, is positioned and attached with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, as shown in FIG. 3B. Next, an ion flow electrostatic recording head is completed.

According to the method for manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head having the above-described structure, the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer is formed by applying, drying and firing a solution containing a precursor compound containing aluminum. Since the film is formed from the formed alumina film, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the dielectric layer surface due to electric discharge by using an inexpensive apparatus, and to realize a highly durable ion flow electrostatic recording head without variation in image quality. It can be easily manufactured. Further, since the thickness of the alumina film of the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer is set to 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less, discharge resistance of the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer can be exhibited. Stress can be minimized, whereby a high-quality and high-durability ion flow electrostatic recording head with uniform discharge from each opening can be realized.

Further, since a solution in which an organoaluminum compound is dispersed in a polymer is used as the solution containing the precursor compound, a thicker alumina film can be formed by one film formation. With a small number of man-hours, it is possible to manufacture an ion flow electrostatic recording head with high durability without variation in image quality, and furthermore, stable coating of a large area, excellent film thickness stability and excellent film adhesion, The formation of an alumina film without defects such as holes can be realized.

In the above embodiment, the insulator layer 15 is formed by screen printing and curing using a polyimide precursor solution. Alternatively, the insulator layer 15 may be formed by laminating a polyimide coverlay film. It may be formed using a photosensitive polyimide coverlay film or a photo solder resist mask made of acrylic resin or epoxy resin, depending on the durability specification. In the present embodiment, the third electrode 16 is formed by patterning a molybdenum foil. However, depending on the durability specification, the third electrode 16 may be formed by patterning a stainless steel foil or a nickel foil, or may be formed by surface-treating these. Etc. may be used.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a solution in which an organoaluminum compound is dispersed in a polymer is used as the solution containing the precursor compound for forming the dielectric layer outermost layer 131. Using a colloid solution in which boehmite alumina sol is dispersed in water and / or an alcohol solvent.
It is manufactured by a process similar to that of the embodiment. Second
The colloid solution used in the embodiment is specifically “Alumina Clear Sol” (manufactured by Kawaken Fine Chemical Co., Ltd.)
This is an alumina sol of high-purity ultrafine particles manufactured from distilled organic aluminum compound refined products,
It is a colloidal solution of boehmite alumina using water as a dispersant. The drying and firing conditions used in this embodiment are almost the same as those in the first embodiment, but the alumina film on the dielectric layer outermost surface layer in this embodiment has a thickness of 0.5 μm / time. Is repeated twice.

According to the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and in addition, the alumina film as the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer can be formed more uniformly and stably. In addition, a highly durable ion flow electrostatic recording head with less variation in image quality can be easily manufactured.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, instead of using the glazed alumina insulating substrate in the second embodiment, a 1 mm thick insulating substrate made of crystallized glass is used. The ion flow electrostatic recording head is manufactured in the same process as in the second embodiment. According to this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the second embodiment, it is possible to easily obtain a highly durable ion flow electrostatic recording head with improved surface smoothness and less variation in image quality. Can be.

[0026]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the alumina film as the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer is coated with a solution containing a precursor compound containing aluminum. Is formed by applying, drying and baking, so that an inexpensive film forming apparatus can be used to prevent the deterioration of the dielectric layer surface due to electric discharge and to have a highly durable ion flow electrostatic recording head with no variation in image quality. Can be easily manufactured. According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the thickness of the alumina film on the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer is set to 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less, the discharge resistance of the alumina film on the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer is effectively improved. And the stress during alumina film formation can be kept to a minimum, realizing a high-quality and high-durability ion flow electrostatic recording head with uniform discharge from each opening. be able to. Claim 3
According to the described invention, as a solution containing a precursor compound, a solution in which an organoaluminum compound is dispersed in a polymer is used, so that a film can be formed thicker in one film formation, with a smaller number of steps, A highly durable ion flow electrostatic recording head having no variation in image quality can be easily manufactured. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the colloidal solution in which boehmite alumina sol is dispersed in water and / or an alcohol solvent is used as the solution having the precursor compound. The film can be formed more uniformly and stably, and a highly durable ion flow electrostatic recording head with less variation in image quality can be easily manufactured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a completed embodiment of an ion flow electrostatic recording head manufactured according to a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing process for describing a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing step that follows the manufacturing step shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a conventional ion flow electrostatic recording head, and a perspective view with a part cut away.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Insulating substrate 111 Glaze treatment layer 12 First electrode 13 Dielectric layer 131 Outermost surface layer (alumina film) 14 Second electrode 14a Opening 15 Insulator layer 15a Opening 16 Third electrode 16a Opening 17 Ion flow passage

Claims (4)

[Claims] A plurality of first electrodes extending in one direction and in parallel on the insulating substrate; and a plurality of first electrodes extending in a direction intersecting the first electrodes, forming a matrix with the first electrodes. A plurality of second electrodes having openings formed at portions corresponding to intersections of the matrix;
A third electrode disposed on the opposite side to the electrode and having an opening formed in a portion corresponding to the intersection of the matrix;
An opening is formed at a portion corresponding to an intersection of the matrix and a dielectric layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and provided between the second electrode and the third electrode; In the method of manufacturing an ion flow electrostatic recording head comprising an insulator layer, as the outermost surface layer of the dielectric layer,
A method for producing an ion flow electrostatic recording head, comprising applying, drying, and firing a solution containing a precursor compound containing aluminum to form an alumina film. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alumina film has a thickness of 0.5 μm to 10 μm.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the film is formed to have the following thickness. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the solution containing the precursor compound is a solution in which an organoaluminum compound is dispersed in a polymer. 4. The ion flow electrostatic device according to claim 1, wherein the solution containing the precursor compound is a colloid solution in which boehmite alumina sol is dispersed in water and / or an alcohol solvent. Manufacturing method of recording head.