JPS61284449A - Liquid jet recording head and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make excellent in electrochemical reaction resistance, oxidation resistance, mechanical impact resistance, and heat resistance and to further enhance heat response, by forming a heat-generating resistor layer from an amorphous material having carbon atoms as a matrix and containing halogen atoms and a substance dominating electric conductivity. CONSTITUTION:A plurality of sets each consisting of a heat-generating resistor layer 14 and a pair of electrodes 16, 17 connected to said layer 14 are together provided on a support 12 and effective heat-generating layers 18, 18', 18'' are provided to said support 12 at predetermined intervals. The heat-generating resistor layer 14 comprises an amorphous material based on carbon atoms and containing halogen atoms and a substance dominating electric conductivity. As the halogen atoms, F and C1 are pref. As the substance dominating electric conductivity, P-type impurities imparting a P-type conductive characteristic and N-type impurities imparting a N-type conductive characteristic can be utilized. Because this resistor layer has high durability to mechanical impact and excellent chemical stability, no protective layer is especially required. Therefore, the liquid jet recording head using this heat-generating resistor layer is improved in heat response because heat energy generated with the input of a signal is imparted to a liquid in an extremely efficient manner.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a liquid jet recording head and a liquid jet recording apparatus in which the recording head is mounted on a P5.

[Prior Art] Among the various recording methods currently known, the non-impact recording method generates almost no noise during recording, is capable of high-speed recording, and uses special fixing treatment on plain paper. The so-called inkjet recording method, which can perform recording without the need for a conventional inkjet recording method, is recognized as an extremely useful recording method. Regarding this inkjet recording method, various methods have been proposed so far, some of which have been improved and commercialized, and efforts are still being made to put some into practical use.

The inkjet recording method uses various working principles to fly droplets of recording liquid called ink.
Recording is performed by attaching it to a recording member such as paper.

The present applicant has also already proposed a new system related to such an inkjet recording method. This new method has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 52-118798, and its basic principle is as outlined below.

In other words, in this inkjet recording method, a thermal pulse is applied as an information signal to the recording liquid introduced into an action chamber that can contain the recording liquid, whereby the recording liquid generates vapor bubbles and self-contracts. In this method, the recording liquid is ejected from an ejection port communicating with the action chamber according to the acting force generated in the process, and is caused to fly as small droplets, which are attached to a recording member to perform recording.

By the way, this method has a high-density multi-array configuration and is easily adapted to high-speed recording and color recording, and the configuration of the implementation device is simpler than conventional ones, so the overall recording head can be made more compact and mass-produced. to turn towards;
By making full use of the advantages of IC technology and micro-processing technology, which have seen remarkable technological progress and improved reliability in the semiconductor field, it has the advantage of being easy to lengthen, and is a method with a wide range of applications. be.

The characteristic recording head of the liquid jet recording apparatus described above is provided with an electrothermal transducer as a means for ejecting liquid from an ejection port to form flying droplets.

The electrothermal converter is used to efficiently apply the generated thermal energy to the liquid, increase the ON-OFF response speed of the thermal effect on the liquid, and so on.

It is said that it is desirable to have a structure in which the discharge port is provided in a heat acting part communicating with the liquid so as to be in direct contact with the liquid.

However, since the electrothermal converter basically consists of a heating resistor that generates heat when energized and a pair of electrodes for energizing the heating resistor,
If the heating resistor is in direct contact with the liquid, depending on the electrical resistance of the recording liquid, electricity may flow through the liquid, or the liquid itself may be electrolyzed by the flow of electricity through the liquid. When the heating resistor is energized, the heating resistor reacts with the liquid, resulting in a change in resistance value due to corrosion of the heating resistor itself, damage or destruction of the heating resistor, or even damage from the heating resistor. The surface of the heating resistor may be damaged or a portion of the heating resistor may be cracked due to the mechanical impact caused by the change in state from the generation of liquid vapor bubbles to self-extinction due to the action of the generated heat. In some cases, it was destroyed due to the occurrence of damage.

For this reason, in the past, alloys such as NiCr and Zr
B2. The heating resistor is made of an inorganic material that has relatively excellent characteristics as a heating resistor material, such as metal boride such as HfB2, and 5i0 is applied on the heating resistor made of the material.
By providing a protective layer (upper layer) made of a material with excellent oxidation resistance such as No. It has been proposed to improve durability against repeated use.

However, a liquid jet recording device having a recording head equipped with an electrothermal converter having the above-mentioned configuration uses a liquid with relatively low electrical conductivity (for example, water or alcohol as a liquid medium) as a colored liquid for recording. When using recording liquids with high content of Na ions and high electrical conductivity, they have excellent oxidation resistance and are satisfactory in terms of repeated use durability. When an electrolyte liquid is used, it is insufficient in terms of durability against repeated use and resistance to change over time. Therefore, there are restrictions on the selection of the recording liquid to be used, which is particularly an obstacle when recording in multiple colors or in natural colors.

Furthermore, even in the case where the Ws protection layer is provided on the heating resistor as described above, it is impossible to substantially completely prevent liquid from entering the heating resistor side due to defects in the protective layer itself that occur during layer formation, for example. This is extremely difficult in terms of reproducibility and mass production. Furthermore, a liquid flow path (nozzle) having a high density and a large number of heat acting parts as part of its structure is provided. In the case of so-called high-density multi-orifice construction, it is necessary to provide at least as many electrothermal converters as the number of liquid channels at once, so the impact of failure due to defects in the protective layer on the manufacturing yield of electrothermal converters is limited. This is a big problem, including in terms of manufacturing costs. Furthermore, there is also the problem that thermal responsiveness is sacrificed due to the presence of the protective layer. Furthermore, the presence of the Al1 layer sacrifices heat generation responsiveness to a predetermined electrical signal. Therefore, even when there is no protective layer and the heating resistor is in direct contact with the recording liquid, it has excellent heat resistance 2 oxidation resistance, mechanical shock resistance, electrochemical reactivity resistance, and thermal response. It is widely desired to develop a liquid jet recording device equipped with an electrothermal converter.

[Object of the invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and
The main object of the present invention is to provide an excellent liquid jet recording head that solves the conventional problems described above, and a liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with the recording head.

Another object of the present invention is to have particularly high chemical stability, excellent electrochemical reaction resistance, and oxidation resistance, as well as excellent mechanical impact resistance and heat resistance, and furthermore, by eliminating the protective layer, thermal response is improved. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid jet recording head equipped with a heating resistor that can improve performance, and a liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with the recording head.

[Summary of the Invention] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned object includes an ejection port provided for ejecting a liquid to form flying droplets, and a heat utilized for forming the flying droplets. In a liquid jet recording head equipped with an electrothermal converter that generates energy, the heating resistance layer constituting the electrothermal converter has carbon atoms as a matrix and contains halogen atoms and a substance that controls electrical conductivity. This is achieved by a liquid jet recording head characterized by being made of an amorphous material, and a liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with the liquid jet recording head.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view showing the structure of an embodiment of the liquid jet recording head of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 1--2.

In the figure, 12 is a support body on which an electrothermal converter is provided, 14 is a heating resistance layer constituting the electrothermal converter, and 16 and 17 are paired electrodes constituting the electrothermal converter. As shown in FIG. 1, the heating resistor layer 14 and the heating resistor! A plurality of sets with a pair of electrodes 16 and 17 connected to
．． 18'.

18'', . . . are arranged at predetermined intervals. In this embodiment, one electrode 16 is a common electrode in which a plurality of electrodes are grouped together. Part 18.18", 18".

An electric signal is applied to the heat generating resistor layer 14 constituting the... through electrodes 16 and 17, and each heat generating portion generates heat based on this.

As shown in FIG. 2, a top plate 20 in which a groove is formed on the side of the heat generating portion of the support 12 is bonded to a substrate having the support 12, the heat generating resistance layer 14, and the electrodes 16,17. A sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS.
"■" in Figure 1 in the places corresponding to ", 1III."
Grooves 22, 22', 22'' along the -■ direction...
- is formed. These grooves each correspond to the support 12
A space for accommodating the recording liquid is formed between the two. These spaces have heat acting portions 24 that apply heating energy to the recording liquid.

On the left side in FIG. 2, the space opens to the outside, and this opening becomes a liquid discharge port 26. The space is connected to a recording liquid supply source on the right side in FIG. When thermal energy is generated from a heat generating part in the space based on the recording signal and acts on the recording liquid in the space, vapor bubbles are generated in the recording liquid, and the pressure at that time causes the recording liquid near the discharge port 26 to Discharge in the direction of.

Furthermore, as can be seen from the above explanation, in Fig. 1, the top plate 2
The illustration of 0 is omitted.

In the present invention, the material of the support 12 is not particularly limited, but in practice, the heating resistance layer 1 formed on the surface of the support 12 is not particularly limited.
4 and during use, the heat generating resistive layer 1
A material having good durability against the heat generated by No. 4 is preferably used. Further, it is preferable that the support 12 has a higher electrical resistance than the heat generating resistance layer 14 formed on the surface thereof, but in the case where an insulating layer is interposed between the support 12 and the heat generating resistance layer 14. Alternatively, the support 12 may be made of a material having a smaller electrical resistance than the heat generating resistance layer 14.Furthermore, in the present invention, depending on the usage conditions of the liquid jet recording head, the support 12 may be made of a material having a lower electrical resistance than the heat generating resistance layer 14. Small or large supports 12 can be used.

The support 12 used in the present invention is glass,
Examples include those made of inorganic materials such as ceramics, silicon, and metals, and those made of organic materials such as polyamide resin and polyimide resin.

In the present invention, the first heating resistance layer 14 is made of an amorphous material having carbon atoms as its base material and containing halogen atoms and a substance controlling electrical conductivity. F as a halogen atom,
CI, Br, I, etc. can be used, and these may be used alone or in a combination of two or more.As the halogen atom, especially F,
CI is preferable, and F is particularly preferable. Also, as substances that control electrical conductivity, so-called impurities in the semiconductor field, that is, p-type impurities that give p-type conductivity characteristics and n-type impurities that give n-type conductivity characteristics. is available. Examples of p-type impurities include atoms belonging to group Ⅰ of the periodic table of the elements, such as B, AI, Ga, In, TI, etc., with B and Ga being particularly preferred. Belonging atoms, such as P, As, Sb, Bi
P and As are particularly preferred, and these may be used alone or in combination.

The content of halogen atoms in the heating resistor layer 14 is appropriately selected depending on the purpose of use so as to obtain desired characteristics, and is preferably o, ooot to 30 atomic %, more preferably 0.0005 to 30 atomic %. It is 20 atomic %, preferably o, ooi to 10 atomic %.

The content of the electrically conductive substance in the heating resistance layer 14 is appropriately selected so as to obtain desired characteristics, and is preferably 0.01 to 50,000 atomic ppm, more preferably 0.5 to 50,000 atomic ppm. 10,000 atomic ppm, optimally 1 to 5,000 atomic ppm.

Furthermore, there is no particular limit to the thickness of the heat generating resistor layer 14.

In the recording head of the present invention, an amorphous material (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as ra-C:X(p,n)J) comprising carbon as a matrix and containing halogen atoms and an electrically conductive dominant substance.

Here, X represents a halogen atom, and p and n represent an electrically conductive dominant substance. It is formed.

For example, a-C:X(p,
n) to form the resistive layer 14 consisting of:

Basically, the support 12 is placed in a deposition chamber under reduced pressure, and a raw material gas for C supply that can supply carbon atoms (C) and an X supply gas that can supply halogen atoms (X) are used in the deposition chamber. A raw material gas and a raw material gas for supplying an electrically conductive substance are introduced, and a glow discharge is generated in the deposition chamber using high frequency or microwave to form a-C:X(p) on the surface of the support 2.
, n) may be formed.

In addition, a-C:X(p,
In order to form the resistance layer 14 consisting of n), basically the support 2 is placed in a deposition chamber under reduced pressure, and an inert gas such as Ar, He, etc. or these gases are heated in the deposition chamber. When sputtering a target made of C in an atmosphere of a gaseous mixed gas, a raw material gas for supplying X and a raw material gas for supplying an electrically conductive substance may be introduced into the deposition chamber.

In the above method, as the raw material gas for supplying C, the raw material gas for supplying X, and the raw material gas for supplying electrically conductive substance, in addition to those in a gaseous state at room temperature and normal pressure, substances that can be gasified under reduced pressure are used. be able to.

Examples of raw materials for C supply include saturated hydrocarbons having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, ethylene hydrocarbons having 2 to 5 carbon atoms, acetylenic hydrocarbons having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. The saturated hydrocarbons include methane (CH4), ethane (C2H8), propa7(C3)1B), n-buty(n-C4H10), pentane (C5B12),
x Tyrenic hydrocarbons include ethylene (C2H4),
Propylene (C3Ha), butene-1 (C4H8)
, butene-2 (C4H8), inbutylene (C4Ha
), pentene (C5HIO), acetylene hydrocarbons such as acetylene (C2B2), methylacetylene (C3H4), butyne (C4He), and aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene (C6He).

As a raw material for supplying X, for example, halogen.

Examples of halogens include halides, interhalogen compounds, halogen-substituted hydrocarbon derivatives, and specifically F2. C12
, Br2. I2, halides include HF, HCI,
HBr, HI, BrF, CI as interhalogen compounds
F, ClF3. BrF5, BrF:+, IF3,
IF7, ICI, more r, halogen-substituted hydrocarbon derivatives include CF4, CHF3, CH2F2, CH
3F, CC14, CHC13, CH2C12, CH3C
l, CB F4 , CI(B F3 , CI(2B
F2, CH3Br, CI4, CHI3, CH2
Examples include I2, CH3I, etc.

Examples of raw materials for supplying electrically conductive substances include the following.

Examples of raw materials for supplying group m atoms include B2 H6, 84HlG, and B5 B9 for supplying boron atoms.

Boron hydrides such as B5H11, BθH10, B6H12, and B8H14 and boron halides such as BF3, BC13, and BBr3 are used, and AlCl3. GaCl3. Ga(C)I3)3. In
Cl3. TlCl3 etc. are used.

As raw materials for supplying Group V atoms, for example, hydrogenated phosphorus such as PH3, F2 H4, PH41, P
F3, PFs, PC13, FCl2. PBr3. P
Br3. Phosphorus halides such as PI3 are used, and AsH3, AsF3, AsC1 are used to supply other atoms.
3, AsBr3, AgF2, SbH3, SbF3
, SbF5.5bCI3.5bC15, BiH3, Bi
Cl3.13tBr3 etc. are used.

These raw materials may be used alone or in combination.

In the heating resistance layer forming method as described above, in order to control the amount of halogen atoms and the amount of electrical conductivity controlling substance contained in the resistance layer 14 to be formed, and the characteristics of the resistance layer 14, it is necessary to control the support temperature, the raw material Gas supply amount 4. Discharge power, pressure in the deposition chamber, etc. are set appropriately.

The support temperature is preferably selected from 20 to 1500°C, more preferably 30 to 1200°C, and optimally 50 to 1100°C.

The supply amount of the raw material gas is determined as appropriate depending on the desired performance of the heating resistance layer and the desired film formation rate.

The output power is preferably 0.001 to 20W/CrrI
', more preferably 0, 01 to 15 W/crrf, optimally O-05 to lON/crrr' (7).

The pressure inside the deposition chamber is preferably 10-4 to 10 Torr.
, more preferably 10-2 to 5 Torr.

The resistive layer of the recording head of the present invention obtained using the heat generating resistive layer forming method as described above has characteristics close to those of diamond.

That is, for example, one having a Vickers hardness of 1,800 to 5,000 can be obtained. Furthermore, since it contains a halogen atom and an electrically conductive controlling substance, it has particularly good controllability of resistance value.

The heat generating resistive layer of the present invention has high durability against mechanical shock and excellent chemical stability, and therefore does not require a special protective layer. The liquid jet recording head has good thermal responsiveness because thermal energy generated in response to signal input is applied to the liquid extremely efficiently. This also leads to improved ejection responsiveness of flying droplets that are formed in response to signals input to the liquid jet recording head.

However, as long as the desired responsiveness is exhibited, a protective layer may be formed on the heating resistor layer as described above.

Furthermore, when the recording liquid is conductive, a protective layer is necessary to prevent short circuits between electrodes.

In the above embodiment example, an example is shown in which the heat generating resistive layer and the electrode are provided on the support in this order, but in the recording head of the present invention, the electrode and the heat generating resistive layer may be provided in this order on the support. , FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a substrate having an electrothermal transducer of such a recording head.

Note that in one or more embodiments, the support 12 is described as being single, but the support 12 in the present invention may be a composite. As shown in FIG. 5, the support 12 is composed of a composite of a base 12a and a surface layer 12b, and the base 12a can be made of, for example, the support materials described in connection with FIGS. 1 to 3 above. For the layer 12b, a material with better adhesion to the resistance layer 14 formed thereon can be used.The surface layer 12b may be made of, for example, an amorphous material containing carbon atoms as a matrix or a conventionally known material. It is composed of oxides etc. ``Such a surface layer 12b can be obtained by depositing an appropriate raw material on the base 12a by a method similar to the method for forming the heating resistor layer described above. In addition, the surface layer 12
b may be a normal glassy glaze layer, or if the base 12a is metal, it may be an oxide layer formed by oxidizing its surface.

The electrical ai16.17 in the recording head of the present invention may be of any material as long as it has a predetermined conductivity, such as Au, C
u, A1. Made of metal such as Ag and Ni.

Next, the outline of the method for manufacturing the recording head of the present invention will be explained.

FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a deposition apparatus used when forming a heat generating resistive layer on the surface of a support. tt
ot is a deposition chamber, 1102-1106 are gas cylinders, 1107-1111 are mass flow controllers, 1112-tits are inflow valves, 11
17-1121 are outflow valves, 1122-112
6 is a gas cylinder valve, 1127 to 1131 are outlet pressure gauges, 1132 is an auxiliary valve, 1
133 is a lever, 1134 is a main valve, 1135 is a leak valve, 1136 is a vacuum gauge, 1137 is a support material for forming a substrate with an electrothermal converter to be manufactured, 1138 is a heater, 1139 is a support means, 1140 is a high voltage power source, 1141 is an electrode, and 1142 is a shutter. Note that 1142-1 is a target attached to the electrode 1141 when performing the sputtering method.

For example, 1102 is sealed with CF4 gas (99.9% purity or higher) diluted with Ar gas, and 1103
BF3 gas diluted with Ar gas (purity 99.9%)
1104 is sealed with PF5 gas (purity of 99.9% or more) diluted with Ar gas. Before the gas in these cylinders flows into the deposition chamber 1101, each gas cylinder 1102 to 110617)
Ensure that valves 1122-1126 and leak valve 1135 are closed, and that inlet valve 1112
~1116, confirm that the outflow valves 1117~1121 and the auxiliary valve 1132 are open, and first open the main valve 1134 to evacuate the deposition chamber 1101 and gas piping.Next, the vacuum gauge 1136 reads approximately 1.5X
When the temperature reaches 10-6 Torr, the auxiliary valve 1132
, inlet valves 1112-1116 and outlet valve l
・Close 117-1121. After that, the deposition chamber 1101
A desired gas is introduced into the deposition chamber 1101 by opening the valve of the gas pipe connected to the cylinder of the gas to be introduced into the deposition chamber 1101 .

Next, an example of the procedure for forming the resistive layer of the recording head of the present invention by the glow discharge method using the above-described apparatus will be described. Open the valve 1122 and turn on the gas pump 110
2, open the valve 1123 to let the BF3/Ar gas flow out from the gas pump 1103, and set the pressure on the outlet pressure gauges 1127 and 1128 to 1 kg.
/crn', then inlet valve 1112.111
3 gradually open the mass flow controller 1107.1.
108, and then the outflow valve 111.
7.1118, gradually open the auxiliary valve 1132 CF
4/ Ar gas and BF3/Ar gas in deposition chamber 1
101. At this time, the mass flow controllers 1107 and 1108 are adjusted so that the ratio of the flow rate of CF, /Ar gas and the flow rate of BF:+/Ar gas becomes the desired value, and the pressure in the deposition chamber 1101 is adjusted to the desired value. Adjust the opening degree of the main valve 1134 while checking the reading on the vacuum gauge 1136 so that Then, the temperature of the support 1137 supported by the support means 1139 in the deposition chamber 1101 is heated by the heater 1138 to a desired temperature, and then the shutter 1142 is opened to generate a glow discharge in the deposition chamber tioi. let

Next, an example of the procedure for forming the resistive layer of the recording head of the present invention by sputtering using the above-described apparatus will be described. A high-purity graphite (11
42-1 as a target, CF4 from gas pump 1102 in the same manner as in the glow discharge method.
/Ar gas and BF3/Ar gas are introduced into the deposition chamber 1101 from the gas pump 1103 at desired flow rates, respectively. The target 1142-1 is sputtered by opening the shutter 1142 and turning on the high voltage power supply 1140. At this time, the support 11 is heated by the heater 1138.
37 to a desired temperature and adjusting the opening degree of the main valve 1134 to bring the inside of the deposition chamber 1101 to a desired pressure is similar to the glow discharge method.

In the case of a substrate having an electrothermal converter of a liquid jet recording head as shown in Nos. 1 to 31λ, after forming a heating resistor layer on the support as described above, an electrode is placed on the heating resistor layer. A conductive layer (for example, an Au layer, an A1 layer) is formed, and then a conductive layer and a heat-generating resistive layer are patterned using photolithography, and if necessary, the layer is made of an insulating material, etc. However, four layers may be laminated.

In addition, in the case of a substrate having an electrothermal converter of a liquid jet recording head as shown in FIG. 4, a conductive layer is formed on the support in advance, and the conductive layer is patterned using photolithography technology. After this, a heat generating resistor layer is formed by the glow discharge method or sputtering method as described above.

The grooved top plate may be made of the same material as the above-mentioned support, for example, by mechanical cutting with a microcutter, chemical etching, etc., or if the top plate is made of photosensitive glass, the desired shape can be formed. A substrate with grooves formed by exposing and developing a pattern can be used. The board with the electrothermal transducer and the top plate can be joined with a well-aligned hill, for example by bonding with adhesive or by attaching the top plate. Depending on the material, this can be done by heat fusion.

In the embodiment described above, a liquid jet recording head of the type shown in a partial perspective view in FIG.
Although the head 6 has been described as opening in the direction of the groove 22 formed in the top plate 20, in the present invention, the liquid discharge port 26 is provided directly in the top plate 20 as shown in FIG. In the head of the type shown in FIG. 8, the opening at the end of the groove 2 formed in the top plate 20 is used as a recording liquid inlet, and the recording liquid is discharged from the discharge port 26 in the direction of arrow Y. Of course, one end of the t+ curve 22 may be closed, and the recording liquid may be introduced from at least one opening.

Next, a modification of the liquid jet recording head of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 8.

In this case, the portion of the top plate 20 other than the groove 22 is in close contact with the substrate having the electrothermal converter. Therefore, each heat acting part 24 formed corresponding to the valley groove z2 of the top plate 20 is connected to the support body 1.
The barrier portion 30, which is a portion in close contact with the portion 2, is used to block the cylindrical portion 2. In addition, in FIG. 9, each heat generating part 18 is provided corresponding to each discharge port 26.

10 to 12 are sectional views corresponding to FIG. 9 showing other examples.

In the case of FIG. 10, the barrier part 30 is not in complete contact with the support body 12, and the heat acting parts 24 corresponding to each heat generating part 18 are in communication with each other.

In the case of FIG. 11, the barrier section 30 is formed not on the top plate 20 but on the substrate, and the heat acting sections 24 corresponding to the respective heat generating sections 18 communicate with each other as in the case of FIG. 10 above.

In the case of FIG. 12, no barrier portion is formed as in the cases of FIGS. 9 to 11.

Although FIGS. 9 to 12 above relate to the liquid jet recording head of the type shown in FIG. 8, the same applies to the type of liquid jet recording head shown in FIG.

The barrier part (wall) 30 does not necessarily have to be provided as described above, and even if it affects the ejection direction, ejection speed, or ejection amount of the liquid ejected from the adjacent ejection ports, the flying droplets may be prevented. It is not necessarily necessary to provide a barrier section unless there is an error exceeding an allowable range in the point of impact on the recording member. However, in order to further reduce the mutual influence between the discharge ports and to improve energy efficiency (liquid discharge efficiency), it is preferable to provide a barrier section, and the barrier section is preferably formed integrally with the top plate. Of course, only the barrier portion may be a separate member. The flat top plate may be made of the same material as the grooved top plate. Moreover, a photosensitive resin can also be used for the barrier part and the top plate.

A specific example of the liquid jet recording head of the present invention will be shown below.

[Example] First, a substrate having an electrothermal converter used in the following Examples and Comparative Examples was prepared in the following manner.

As a support, #7059 glass manufactured by Corning Co., Ltd.
An St plate provided with a thermally oxidized 5i02 heat storage layer (thickness 5 Bm) as a surface layer was used.

A heating resistance layer, an electrode, and optionally a protective layer are formed on the support. The layer configurations of the heating resistor layer, electrode, and protective layer were of the following three types: A, B, and C.

A heating resistor layer was formed on the Type A support using the deposition apparatus shown in FIG. The conditions during the deposition are as shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. The Examples listed in Table 1 were carried out by the glow discharge method, and the Examples and Comparative Examples listed in Table 2 were carried out by the sputtering method. Graphite (99,99%) was used as a target during sputtering except for the comparative example, and the comparative example was HfB2.
was used.

During the deposition, the flow rate of each gas and other conditions were maintained as shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively, and the heating resistance layer was formed on the primary layer with the thickness shown in Table 3. An At layer was formed on the resistance layer by an electron beam method, a resist pattern was formed by a photolithography technique, and the A1 layer was etched into a desired shape to form a plurality of pairs of electrodes. Subsequently, a resist pattern was formed by photolithography, and predetermined portions of the heating resistor layer were removed using an HF-based etching solution. As an example,
A heat generating resistor element was formed in which the above electrode was attached to a heat generating portion consisting of a portion of the heat generating resistor layer measuring 40 μm x 200 m.

The heat generating parts were arranged at a pitch of 8 pieces/mm.

Next, a photosensitive polyimide (trade name: Photonice) is spin-coded. Then, prebaked at 80℃ for 1 hour,
After exposure with an aligner, develop.

The 8th section of the building will be constructed with a window opening structure. And 140
After baking at 400°C for 30 minutes and 1 hour at 400°C, a substrate having an electrothermal transducer is completed.

The resistance of each heat generating part of the electrothermal converter thus obtained was as shown in Table 53.

Note that the photosensitive polyimide is used to prevent electrolysis in the ink of the Alfi electrode.

In FIG. 8, a schematic perspective view of a completed substrate having an electrothermal converter is shown in FIG. 13, and a schematic cross-sectional view is shown in FIG. 14, 28 is a polyimide layer.

Type B A heating resistance layer was formed on the support in the same manner as in Type A. The deposition cases are shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. Note that during the deposition, the flow rate of each gas and other conditions were maintained as shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively, and a heat generating resistive layer having the thickness shown in Table 3 was formed. Next, an Au layer was formed on the heating resistor layer by an electron beam method, a re-registration pattern was formed by a photolithography technique, and the Au layer was etched into a desired shape to form a plurality of pairs of electrodes. Next, a resist pattern is formed using photolithography technology, and H
Predetermined portions of the heating resistor layer were removed using an F-based etching solution. As an example, a heat generating resistor element was formed in which an L-shaped electrode was placed on a heat generating portion consisting of a heat generating resistor layer of 40 gm x 200 pm. The heat generating parts were arranged at a pitch of 8 pieces/mm. In this way, a substrate having an electrothermal transducer is completed.

The resistance of each heat generating part of the electrothermal converter thus obtained was as shown in Table 3.

A schematic perspective view of a completed substrate having an electrothermal converter is shown in FIG. 15, and a schematic cross-sectional view is shown in FIG. 16.

Type C A1 layer is formed on the support by electron beam method, and a resist pattern is formed by photolithography technique.
After etching the layer into a desired shape to form a plurality of pairs of electrodes, a heating resistor layer was formed on the patterned A1 layer.

The heating resistance layer was formed in the same manner as in the case of type A.

The deposition conditions were maintained as shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively, and heat generating resistive layers having the thicknesses shown in Table 3 were formed. Subsequently, a resist pattern was formed by photolithography, and predetermined portions of the heating resistor layer were removed using an HF-based etching solution. - As an example, 40g
A heat generating resistor element was formed in which the above electrode was attached to a heat generating portion consisting of a heat generating resistor layer of m×200 gm.

The heat generating parts were arranged at a pitch of 8 pieces/mm. still.

Since the A1 electrode is protected by this heating resistance layer, there is no need to form a protective film. In this way, a substrate having an electrothermal transducer is completed.

The resistance of each heat generating part of the electrothermal converter thus obtained was as shown in Table 3.

A schematic perspective view of a completed substrate having an electrothermal converter is shown in FIG. 17, and a schematic cross-sectional view is shown in FIG. 18.

Using the substrate having the electrothermal transducer completed as described above, a liquid jet recording device 71 is created. The heads to be produced include the type shown in FIG. 7 (hereinafter referred to as type 1) and the type shown in FIG. 8 (hereinafter referred to as type 2).

For type l, there are two ways to create
C-P2 was created using one type of creation method. The method for creating them will be described below.

Type 1-1 First, as shown in the schematic perspective view of FIG.
A grooved top plate 20 is prepared by cutting a plurality of grooves 22 (width: 40 lm, depth: 4 ogm) and a groove 42 serving as a common ink chamber on a micro-cutter using a micro-cutter.

Next, the substrate completed above and the top plate 20 are connected to the heat generating part and the groove 2.
2 and then joined together, and furthermore, as shown in the schematic perspective view of FIG. 20, an ink introduction pipe 44 for introducing ink from an ink supply section (not shown) to the common ink chamber is connected. Record Rad 46 was completed in one piece.

Type 1-2 A photosensitive film 50 (trade name: Odile, Tokyo Ohka) is laminated on the substrate completed above. And Y
A glass plate 54 laminated with a photosensitive resin film 52 (trade name Odile, Tokyo Ohka) is then laminated onto the patterned film. Join.

Then, this joined body is shaped by machining such as dicing to form the discharge port 26, and an ink introduction pipe 44 is connected from an ink supply section (not shown) to the common ink chamber, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. A recording head 56 as shown in the perspective view was integrally completed.

Type 2 First, the top plate 20 in which the discharge port 26 is formed is created. The top plate 20 is a stainless steel plate with grooves formed by etching, etc., and a photosensitive film (product name: PHT-145FT-, 50,
Hitachi Chemical) pattern is formed, and Ni plating is electroformed on top of the pattern. The portion where the hole is formed as the discharge port 26 is where the pattern of the photosensitive film is located.

The top plate 20 created in this way and the substrate completed above are aligned with the heat generating parts and the discharge ports 26 corresponding thereto, and then bonded with adhesive. Incidentally, the board is machined to make holes so that ink can be supplied into the top plate 20.Next, in order to introduce ink into the common ink chamber from an ink supply section (not shown) on the back side of the joined board, The introduction tube 60 was joined to integrally complete a recording head 62 as shown in the schematic perspective view of FIG. Note that 64 is a recessed portion of the top plate 20 and constitutes a rebarrier portion.

Type A, Type B, and Type C of the layer structure of the substrate having an electrothermal converter and the head manufacturing method Type 1-1. Type 1-2. Although there are any combinations of type 2, a combination of type A and type 1-1 was used in the following durability experiment.

An experiment on the durability of the produced recording head will be described below.

The recording head created above has electrode leads (individual electrode leads and common A electrode leads: not shown) connected to individual electrodes 17 for each heat generating part and electrodes 16 common to each heat generating part. A lead board was attached and the recording head unit was completed.

Using these recording head units, a liquid jet recording apparatus as shown in a schematic perspective view in FIG. 23 was constructed.

In FIG. 23, 70 is a recording head unit;
72 is a carriage on which the recording unit 70 is placed, and 74 is a guide member for reciprocating the carriage 72. Further, 76 is a platen, and 78 is a recording member held on the platen 76, such as paper.

The recording liquid ejection ports of the recording head unit 70 are oriented in the direction of arrow Z, and the recording liquid is ejected in the form of droplets in the direction of the arrow, and is deposited in the form of dots on the recording member 78 on the platen 76. . Main scanning is performed by moving the recording head unit 70 along the guide member 74 by an appropriate driving means, and sub-scanning is performed by rotating the platen 76 around a rotation axis 77 by an appropriate driving means. , whereby recording is performed on the recording member 78.

The experimental conditions were as follows.

Pulse width of t0JLs e c, 200IL in the heat generating part
A rectangular pulse with a voltage 12 times the minimum bubbling voltage (the voltage at which bubbling begins in the ink) (for example, 24 cm if the minimum bubbling voltage is 20 V) was applied with a pulse input period of sec. The composition of the ink used was as follows.

Water: 68 parts by weight DEC: 30 parts by weight Black dye - 2 parts by weight When an ink droplet ejection experiment was conducted using the experimental conditions and ink described above, durability evaluations as shown in Table 3 were obtained.

The durability of these Examples and Comparative Examples was evaluated based on the number of times that electrical pulses could be applied in the following manner. In other words, "
"○" and "x" indicate the number of times the electrical pulse was repeatedly applied as shown below.

From the results of Q 10' 1 time or more x 100 times or less, it can be seen that in the examples of the present invention, records with significantly superior durability compared to the comparative examples were obtained. Furthermore, in one example of the present invention, the recording performance was also excellent.

In the above durability experiment, L type A and type 1-1 were used.
Similar results were obtained with other combinations.

Table 3 Next, FIG. 24 shows a partially cutaway perspective view of an embodiment of the liquid jet recording device of the present invention.

In this example of bad implementation, two recording head units 7
o are held in parallel by the carriage 72 by the pressing member 71.
It is fixed and placed on. Recording head unit 70
is a so-called disposable type, and contains recording liquid. The movement of the carriage 72 along the guide member 74 is achieved by fixing a part of the wire 82 wound between the pulleys 80 and 81 to the shaft ridge 72, and moving the carriage 72 along the guide member 74 using the motor 84.
This is done by driving and rotating the pulley 81.

On the other hand, the rotating shaft 77 of the platen 76 is driven and rotated by a motor 86 and a gear mechanism 88, thereby feeding the recording member 78.

90 is recorded via the carriage 72) 70
This is a flexible wiring board connected to the carriage 72 in order to supply an electric signal for ejecting recording liquid in the Z direction.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention as described above, chemical It has high mechanical stability, excellent electrochemical reactivity resistance, oxidation resistance, and an electrothermal converter with excellent mechanical impact resistance and heat resistance. Therefore, it has extremely high thermal response and repeated use durability. A good liquid jet recording head and liquid jet recording device are provided.

According to the present invention, the resistance value controllability of the heating resistance layer is particularly good.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize liquid jet recording with high frequency response and high reliability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view of the recording head of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 1--2, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line mm in FIG. 4 and 5 are partial cross-sectional views of a substrate containing an electrothermal transducer of the recording head of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the deposition apparatus. 7 and 8 are partial perspective views of the recording head of the present invention. 9 to 12 are partial sectional views of the recording head of the present invention. FIGS. 13, 15, and 17 are perspective views of a substrate having an electrothermal transducer of the recording head of the present invention, and FIGS.
FIGS. 16 and 18 are sectional views thereof, respectively. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the top plate of the recording head of the present invention. 20, 21, and 22 are perspective views of the recording head of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the recording apparatus of the present invention. 12: Support 24: Heat generating resistance layer 16. 17: Electrode 18: Heat generating part 20: Top plate 24: Heat acting part 26 Two discharge ports Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Flash Fig. 13 Fig. 14

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A liquid comprising an ejection port provided for ejecting a liquid to form flying droplets, and an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used to form the flying droplets. The ejection recording head is characterized in that the heating resistance layer constituting the electrothermal converter is made of an amorphous material containing carbon atoms as a matrix, halogen atoms, and a substance controlling electrical conductivity. Liquid jet recording head. (2) A liquid comprising an ejection port provided for ejecting liquid to form flying droplets, and an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used to form the flying droplets. In a liquid jet recording device equipped with a jet recording head, the heating resistance layer constituting the electrothermal converter is an amorphous layer made of carbon atoms as a matrix and containing halogen atoms and a substance controlling electrical conductivity. A liquid jet recording device characterized by being made of a material.