JPS63270157A - Manufacture of electrostatic latent-image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need for high-accuracy registering of electrodes with opening parts and securely provide the opening parts, by providing a group of independent electrodes on a substrate, coating the electrode group and the substrate with an insulator layer, then providing a common electrode layer on the insulator layer, and providing the opening parts. CONSTITUTION:An electrode layer 2 is provided on a substrate 1, a resist layer is provided by coating, then exposure to light is performed by using a photo- mask having a desired pattern, and the resist layer at exposed parts is removed. Independent electrodes 2a, 2b... are formed by etching, and an insulator layer 3 is provided. A common electrode layer 4 is provided on the insulator layer 3, a resist layer is provided on the layer 4 thereon by coating, exposure to light is performed by using a mask, unrequired parts of the resist material are removed, and then etching is conducted to perforate the common electrode layer 4 and the insulator layer 3, thereby providing openings 5. In the etching step, etching of the common electrode layer 4 and etching of the insulator layer 3 are preferably performed separately by using different etching liquids.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device that modulates ion flow to form an electrostatic TlWI image on a dielectric material.

[Conventional technology]

In general, the principle of electrostatic recording using an ion flow is explained with reference to FIG.
A developing agent such as toner is applied to the electrostatic latent image 13 by a developing device 14 to form a toner image 15, and the toner image 15 is transferred to the recording paper 17 in the transfer section 16, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image. Electronic records are made. After the recording medium is neutralized by the static eliminating section 18, the remaining developer is removed by the toner removing section 19 in preparation for the next recording.

Conventionally, the ion flow generation method in the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus described above involves arranging pin-shaped electrodes in a row and bringing them into contact with a dielectric material.
A direct electrostatic recording method is known in which a discharge is caused directly between the electrode and the dielectric, but the gap between the electrode and the dielectric must be maintained with high precision, and the discharge cannot be stabilized. However, there were drawbacks such as electrode wear.

In order to eliminate the above drawbacks, various indirect electrostatic recording methods are known. For example, FIG.
This is a method proposed in Japanese Patent No. 63, in which the corona ion generator 11 has a corona wire 21 built into the shield 20, and an insulating layer 23 is provided at the bottom of the ion generator 11.
A common electrode 22a and a control electrode 22b are provided on both sides,
Ions generated in the ion generator 11 are led out from the ion passage hole 24 to charge the dielectric 25 according to the electric field strength between the common electrode 22a and the control electrode 22b.

Further, FIG. 10 shows a method proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-132571, in which discharge electrodes 27a and 27b are arranged facing each other on one surface of an insulating substrate 26, and the other surface of the insulating substrate 26 is is provided with an accelerating electrode 28, and by applying voltage pulses with different polarities between the discharge electrodes 27a and 27b, a discharge is caused to generate positive and negative ions, and the voltage pulse to the accelerating electrode 28 Accordingly, ions are extracted and the dielectric body 25 is charged with positive or negative ions.

FIG. 11 shows a method proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,160.257, in which a drive electrode 31 and a control electrode 32 are formed with a dielectric 30 in between, and a common An electrode 34 is formed. The drive electrode 31 and the control electrode 32 are arranged in a matrix so that their directions are different from each other, and a plurality of openings 35 and 36 are formed in the insulating layer 33 and the common electrode 34 in correspondence with the matrix. Then, a plurality of drive electrodes 31 and control electrodes 32
By selectively applying an AC voltage between them, positive and negative ions are generated near the control electrode 32 corresponding to the selected portion of the matrix, and the polarity of the bias voltage between the control electrode 32 and the common electrode 34 is changed. Depending on the positive or negative ions,
Electrostatic recording is carried out through the openings 35 and 36.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the wire discharge method shown in FIG. 9, the ions generated by corona discharge are far from the aperture area, so most of them are absorbed by the shield 20, and the ions passing through the aperture electrodes 22a and 22b The problem is that the flow is low and the ion utilization efficiency is poor.

In addition, in the method of discharging using electrodes shown in FIG. 10, since the electrodes are exposed, leakage is likely to occur, and
Since the electrodes are directly discharged from each other, the electrodes are easily damaged, and there are also problems in that the large number of electrodes makes it difficult to increase density or wire them.

In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 11, although there are relatively few problems mentioned above, matrix driving is essential, so when forming a latent image on one line, it is necessary to rearrange and align the data. Further, it is difficult to increase the speed, and as a result, there is a problem that a complicated control circuit is required and the device becomes large.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present applicant has a group of electrodes arranged independently of each other on a substrate, a common electrode facing the electrode group with an insulating layer in between, and the common electrode A separate application has been filed for an electrostatic latent image forming device that has openings in the and insulating layer, which enables high ion utilization efficiency, stable discharge, and enables higher speed and higher density. There is.

However, in this electrostatic latent image forming device, high precision is required for the positional accuracy of the opening, the discharge area, and the independent electrode, and also when the opening is formed by bonding a common electrode or an insulating layer with which the opening is formed in advance. High-precision positioning is required, and there is also a problem in that the adhesive may spill out and block the opening during bonding.

The present invention solves this problem, and is a method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device that allows highly accurate positioning of electrodes and openings, and that can reliably form openings. The purpose is to provide

[Means for solving problems]

To this end, the method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device of the present invention includes a group of electrodes arranged independently of each other on a substrate, a common electrode facing the group of electrodes with an insulating layer in between, and
In an electrostatic latent image forming device having an opening in the common electrode and an insulating layer, an independent electrode group is formed on a substrate, the electrode group and the substrate are covered with an insulating layer, and then a common electrode is formed on the insulating layer. The method is characterized in that an electrode layer is formed and then a perforation step is performed to form the opening.

[Effect]

In the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG.
(a) As shown in the figure, an electrode layer 2 is formed on a substrate 1,
Next, a resist layer is applied (b), exposed to light using a photomask with a desired pattern (C), and the exposed portions of the resist layer are removed (d).

After that, etching is performed to form independent electrodes 2a, 2b, .
. . . e), then an insulating layer 3 is formed.
Next, a common electrode layer 4 is formed on the insulating layer 3 (g), and a resist layer is applied thereon (h), and exposure is performed using a mask (i) to remove unnecessary resist material (j).
, L, an etching step is performed to form holes in the common electrode layer 4 and the insulating layer 3 to form openings 5 (k), and finally the resist material is removed to obtain an electrostatic latent image forming device.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of an electrostatic latent image forming device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrode section in FIG. 1,
3 and 4 are cross-sectional views showing other embodiments of the electrostatic latent image forming device to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 5 is an embodiment of the method for manufacturing the electrostatic latent image forming device of the present invention. FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining other embodiments of the method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a base, 2 is an electrode layer, 2a to 2d are electrodes, 3 is an insulating layer, 4 is a common electrode, 5 is an opening, 6 is a base layer, 7 is a dielectric layer, 8.9 is a DC power supply, 10 indicates AC power supply.

In FIG. 1, mutually independent electrodes 28 are provided on the base 1.
%2b, 2C12d,... are arranged in parallel,
Each of the electrodes 2a to 2d is coated with an insulation 113, and a common electrode 4 is arranged on the insulation N3, and
Openings 5 are formed in the common electrode 4 to face each other between the electrodes 2a to 2d. Further, a dielectric layer 7 is formed on the base layer 6, and the dielectric layer 7 is disposed facing the common electrode 4, and the base N6 is grounded. On the other hand, a bias voltage is applied to the common electrode 4 by a DC power supply 8, and for example, a DC voltage is applied to the electrode 2a by a DC power supply 9, and an AC voltage to which the DC voltage is applied is applied to the electrode 2b. The voltage is applied by a power source 10.

FIG. 3 shows another example of the electrostatic latent image forming device. (a
) In the figure, every other electrode among the adjacent electrodes 2a to 2d is covered with an insulating layer 3, and the insulating layer of the other electrodes is omitted in the portion facing the adjacent electrode. In the figure (b), only one side of adjacent electrodes 2a to 2d is coated with an insulating layer, and the other side is exposed. In any case, it is sufficient that at least one of a pair of adjacent electrodes is coated with an insulating coating.

FIG. 4 shows still another example, in which the vicinity of the electrode 2b is covered with insulation N3a having excellent ion resistance and ozone resistance, and the part between it and the common electrode 4 is covered with ordinary insulation N3b. That is, by using the function as an insulating layer separately, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

To explain the operation of the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus having the above configuration, in the voltage application state shown in FIG. Creeping discharge occurs,
ions are generated.

The generated ions are generated by the common electrode 4 and independent electrodes 2a and 2b.
Due to the electric field formed between them, the ions exit from the discharge region A and are led out through the opening 5 of the common electrode 4.
It is accelerated by the electric field formed between the common electrode 4, the dielectric N7, and the base layer 6, and reaches the surface of the dielectric N7 to form an electrostatic latent image.

According to the electrostatic latent image forming device described above, since the discharge is caused between the electrodes via the insulating layer, the ion utilization efficiency is high, and abnormal discharge such as leakage between the electrodes is prevented, and stable discharge can be obtained. Can be done.

Furthermore, there is no need to assemble a matrix for printing, and one line can be printed all at once, increasing the printing speed. Furthermore, since the electrode groups are arranged in parallel, manufacturing is simple, the number of electrodes is small, wiring is easy, and high density is possible. Furthermore, compared to direct electrostatic recording, there is no need to maintain a narrow gap between the electrode and the dielectric, and there is less wear on the electrode.

Next, a method of manufacturing the electrostatic latent image forming device will be explained with reference to FIG. 5. First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), an electrode layer 2 is formed on a substrate 1. This may be done by pasting conductive foil together, or by a method such as screen printing, vapor deposition, or sputtering. After applying a resist layer b) and exposing it to light using a photomask with a desired pattern, The resist layer in exposed areas is removed (d). In this example, a positive type is shown, but a negative type may be used.

After that, etching is performed to form independent electrodes 2a, 2b,
... form a layer e), then form an insulating layer 3 (
f) This method is not limited to screen printing, vapor deposition, spuck, etc., but it is formed by selecting a material that can withstand discharge, such as alumina or an inorganic material. Next, a common electrode layer is formed on the insulating layer 3. 4 in the same manner as described above.
), a resist layer is further applied thereon (h), exposure is performed using a mask (i), and unnecessary resist material is removed (j). Thereafter, an etching process is performed to perforate the common electrode N4 and the insulating layer 3 to form an opening 5 (k
), In this etching step, it is preferable to perform etching of the common electrode layer 4 and etching of the insulating layer 3 separately by changing the etching solution.Finally, the resist material is removed and the electrostatic latent image forming device is removed. It's something you get.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and (j) of FIG.
The steps up to are the same, and then only the common electrode 8i4 is etched (a), and then the common electrode 4 is used as a resist to etch the insulation N3 to form the opening 5 (b).

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.
After forming the electrodes 2a, 2b, the insulating layer 3, and the common electrode 4 on the substrate 1 (a) through the steps (a) to (g) in FIG. 5, a desired opening 5 is formed using a laser beam. ),
(C) An electrostatic latent image forming device as shown in the figure is obtained.

In the above manufacturing method, an electrostatic latent image forming device is manufactured in which both sides of the electrode 2a12b are coated with insulation, but even if the electrode is coated with insulation as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the electrostatic latent image forming device shown in FIG. 4 can also be manufactured by a similar manufacturing method.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, an independent electrode group is formed on a substrate, the electrode group and the substrate are covered with an insulating layer, and then a common electrode layer is formed on the insulating layer. Since the openings in the common electrode and the insulating layer are drilled almost simultaneously, the electrodes and openings can be aligned with high precision, and the openings are not blocked by adhesive material extruding.
It is possible to form an opening reliably.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrode section in FIG. 1, and FIGS. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the electrostatic latent image forming device to which the device is applied, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of the method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the electrostatic latent image forming device, and FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the electrostatic latent image forming device. ,
FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining a conventional electrostatic latent image forming apparatus. ■... Base, 2... Electrode layer, 2a to 2d... Electrode, 3... Insulating layer, 4... Common electrode, 5... Opening,
6... Base layer, 7... Dielectric layer, 8.9... DC power supply, 10... AC power supply. Figure 1 A Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 (A) ((L) ω) Figure 5 (B) ('l) (S) (Shin bow Figure 7 (α) Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 (Mountain)

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) An electrostatic potential having a group of electrodes arranged independently of each other on a substrate, a common electrode facing the electrode group with an insulating layer in between, and having an opening in the common electrode and the insulating layer. In an image forming apparatus, forming an independent electrode group on a substrate,
An electrostatic latent image forming device characterized in that after covering the electrode group and the base with an insulating layer, a common electrode layer is formed on the insulating layer, and then a perforation step is performed to form the opening. manufacturing method. (2) The method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the independent electrode group is formed by etching. (3) The method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hole is formed by etching in the hole forming step. (4) The method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the perforation step is performed by using laser light.