US20030058310A1 - Liquid-jet head, fabricating method of the same, and liquid-jet apparatus - Google Patents
Liquid-jet head, fabricating method of the same, and liquid-jet apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US20030058310A1 US20030058310A1 US10/228,269 US22826902A US2003058310A1 US 20030058310 A1 US20030058310 A1 US 20030058310A1 US 22826902 A US22826902 A US 22826902A US 2003058310 A1 US2003058310 A1 US 2003058310A1
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Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
- B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
- B41J2/1632—Manufacturing processes machining
- B41J2/1634—Manufacturing processes machining laser machining
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
- B41J2/1607—Production of print heads with piezoelectric elements
- B41J2/161—Production of print heads with piezoelectric elements of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
- B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
- B41J2/1623—Manufacturing processes bonding and adhesion
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
- B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
- B41J2/1626—Manufacturing processes etching
- B41J2/1629—Manufacturing processes etching wet etching
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
- B41J2/14201—Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements
- B41J2/14233—Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm
- B41J2002/14241—Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm having a cover around the piezoelectric thin film element
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
- B41J2002/14403—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads including a filter
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
- B41J2002/14419—Manifold
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T156/00—Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
- Y10T156/10—Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
- Y10T156/1052—Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
- Y10T156/1056—Perforating lamina
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/42—Piezoelectric device making
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49401—Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet
Abstract
A liquid-jet head effective in prevention of imperfect eject such as occlusion of a nozzle, a method of fabricating the liquid-jet head, and a liquid-jet apparatus are provided. In a liquid-jet head having a passage-forming substrate on which a pressure-generating chamber communicating with a nozzle orifice is formed, a plurality of piezoelectric elements provided on one side of the passage-forming substrate via a vibration plate, each of the piezoelectric elements comprising a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode, the passage-forming substrate is provided with a communicating path communicating with one end in a longitudinal direction of the pressure-generating chamber so as to penetrate the passage-forming substrate. In addition, a penetrated portion for supplying a liquid to the communicating path is formed in a region of the vibration plate opposite to the communicating path by laser processing.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to liquid-jet heads for ejecting, methods of fabricating the same and liquid-jet apparatuses. More specifically, the present invention relates to an ink-jet recording head for ejecting ink droplets out of nozzle orifices by applying pressure to ink supplied to pressure-generating chambers communicating with the nozzle orifices for ejecting the ink droplets by use of piezoelectric elements, a method of fabricating the same and an ink-jet recording apparatus.
- 2. Description of the Prior Art
- Typical ink-jet recording heads include vibration plates, which constitute part of pressure-generating chambers communicating with nozzle orifices for ejecting ink droplets. Such ink-jet recording heads eject ink droplets out of the nozzle orifices by deforming the vibration plates with piezoelectric elements and thereby applying pressure to the ink in the pressure-generating chambers. There are two types of the ink-jet recording heads currently put into practical use; one uses a piezoelectric actuator of a longitudinal vibration mode, which expands and contracts in an axial direction of the piezoelectric element, and the other uses a piezoelectric actuator of a flexural vibration mode.
- The former type effectuates variation of volumes of the pressure-generating chambers by allowing end faces of the piezoelectric elements to abut on the vibration plates. Accordingly, it is possible to fabricate a head suitable for high-density printing. However, the former type has a problem of complicated fabrication process, because the fabrication process includes a difficult step of sectioning the piezoelectric elements into comb shapes so as to align with arrangement pitches of the nozzle orifices, and an operation for positioning and fixing the sectioned piezoelectric elements to the pressure-generating chambers.
- On the contrary, the latter type effectuates formation of the piezoelectric elements on the vibration plates by a relatively simple step of attaching a green sheet of a piezoelectric material in line with shapes of the pressure-generating chambers and then baking the green sheet. However, the latter type has a problem of difficulty in high-density arrangement, because a certain area is required for utilizing flexural vibration.
- Meanwhile, in order to solve the inconvenience of the recording head of the latter type, Japanese Laid-Open No. 5(1993)-286131 discloses a recording head, in which a piezoelectric material layer is formed uniformly on an entire surface of a vibration plate by use of a film forming technology, and piezoelectric elements are independently formed for respective pressure-generating chambers by sectioning the piezoelectric material layer into shapes corresponding to the pressure-generating chambers by use of a lithography process.
- Moreover, such an ink-jet recording head is provided with a reservoir as a common ink chamber to the respective pressure-generating chambers, whereby the ink is supplied from the reservoir to the respective pressure-generating chambers.
- Such a reservoir has been conventionally formed on a passage-forming substrate, where the pressure-generating chambers are formed, on an opposite side to the piezoelectric elements, by means of laminating a plurality of substrates. However, there has been a problem of increases in material costs and assembly costs. In addition, there has been a problem of difficulty in downsizing the head. In order to solve, the foregoing problems, a structure is proposed in which a reservoir is provided on the same side of a passage-forming substrate where piezoelectric elements are formed and the reservoir communicates with pressure-generating chambers via penetrated portions formed on vibration plates.
- However, in the above-described ink-jet recording head, the penetrated portions are formed by mechanically processing the vibration plates. Accordingly, there is a problem that cracks or the like are generated around the penetrated portions. Moreover, there is also a problem that fragments may fall from a portion of the vibration plate where cracks are generated if ink is filled in and ejected in the state where the cracks are generated, whereby the fragments may occlude a nozzle orifice and may cause imperfect .
- Note that the foregoing problems are not limited to ink-jet recording heads for ejecting ink, but are also applicable naturally to methods of fabricating other liquid-jet heads for ejecting liquids other than ink.
- In consideration of the foregoing circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid-jet head which prevents imperfect eject such as occlusion of a nozzle, a method of fabricating the liquid-jet head and a liquid-jet apparatus.
- To solve the foregoing problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a liquid-jet head having a passage-forming substrate on which a pressure-generating chamber communicating with a nozzle orifice is formed, a plurality of piezoelectric elements provided on one side of the passage-forming substrate via a vibration plate, each of the piezoelectric elements comprising a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode. Here, the passage-forming substrate is provided with a communicating path communicating with one end in a longitudinal direction of the pressure-generating chamber so as to penetrate the passage-forming substrate, and a penetrated portion for supplying a liquid to the communicating path is formed in a region of the vibration plate opposite to the communicating path by laser processing.
- According to the first aspect, since the penetrated portion is formed by laser processing, cracks and the like are not generated around the penetrated portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent occurrence of imperfect eject such as occlusion of a nozzle, attributable to a fragment of the vibration plate being mixed into the liquid.
- A second aspect of the present invention is the liquid-jet head according to the first aspect, in which dross in an amount within one-fourth of a diameter of the nozzle orifice is adhered to a peripheral portion of the penetrated portion.
- According to the second aspect, even if the dross falls off and is mixed into the liquid, the dross is d out of the nozzle orifice together with the liquid. Accordingly, occurrence of occlusion of the nozzle is avoided.
- A third aspect of the present invention is the liquid-jet head according to any one of the first and the second aspects, in which the penetrated portion is at least formed into any of a size as large as an open region of the communicating path on the vibration plate side and a size smaller than the open region.
- According to the third aspect, the passage-forming substrate and the like are not affected upon formation of the penetrated portion by laser processing.
- A fourth aspect of the present invention is the liquid-jet head according to the third aspect, in which the penetrated portion is formed into a shape along an open edge of the communicating path.
- According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to form the penetrated portion having the shape along the open edge of the communicating path by means of irradiating a laser beam along the open edge of the communicating path.
- A fifth aspect of the present invention is the liquid-jet head according to the third aspect, in which the penetrated portion is composed of a plurality of penetrated holes provided within the open region of the communicating path.
- According to the fifth aspect, it is easily possible to form the penetrated portion by laser processing, and it is also possible to prevent deformation of the passage-forming substrate owing to heat.
- A sixth aspect of the present invention is the liquid-jet head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which a reservoir-forming plate including a reservoir portion communicating with the communicating path via the penetrated portion is bonded to the passage-forming substrate on a side where the piezoelectric element is provided.
- According to the sixth aspect, the reservoir is constituted is the communicating path and the reservoir portion communicating with each other via the penetrated portion. Moreover, it is possible to avoid any fragments from the vibration plate being mixed into the liquid in the reservoir.
- A seventh aspect of the present invention is a liquid-jet apparatus including the liquid-jet head according to any one of the first to the sixth aspects.
- According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to realize an ink-jet recording apparatus capable of preventing imperfect eject and thereby improved in reliability.
- An eighth aspect of the present invention is a method of fabricating a liquid-jet head having a passage-forming substrate on which a pressure-generating chamber communicating with a nozzle orifice is formed, a plurality of piezoelectric elements provided on one side of the passage-forming substrate via a vibration plate, each of the piezoelectric elements comprising a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode. Here, the method includes the steps of forming the vibration plate and the piezoelectric element on one side of the passage-forming substrate, forming the pressure-generating chamber by patterning from another side of the passage-forming substrate and forming a communicating portion to communicate with one end in a longitudinal direction of the pressure-generating chamber, and forming a penetrated portion for supplying a liquid to the communicating path in a region of the vibration plate opposite to the communicating path by laser processing.
- According to the eighth aspect, since the penetrated portion is formed by laser processing, cracks and the like are not generated around the penetrated portion.
- A ninth aspect of the present invention is the method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to the eighth aspect, in which a laser beam is irradiated on the vibration plate in the step of forming a penetrated portion to effectuate processing such that dross in an amount within one-fourth of a diameter of the nozzle orifice is adhered.
- According to the ninth aspect, even if the dross adhered to the vicinity of an opening of the penetrated portion falls off and is mixed into the liquid, the dross is ejected out of the nozzle orifice together with the liquid. Accordingly, occurrence of occlusion of the nozzle is avoided.
- A tenth aspect of the present invention is the method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of the eighth and the ninth aspects, in which a laser beam with a fundamental wavelength oscillated by a Q-switched YAG laser oscillator is irradiated on the vibration plate in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
- According to the tenth aspect, the penetrated portion is formed by locally heating the vibration plate. Therefore, it is possible to form the penetrated portion favorably without affecting the periphery thereof. In particular, since the penetrated portion can be formed by a laser beam with a relatively low output level, the passage-forming substrate in the vicinity thereof is prevented from deformation attributable to processing or heat.
- An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of the eighth and the ninth aspects, in which a laser beam with a higher harmonic wavelength oscillated by a Q-switched YAG laser oscillator is irradiated on the vibration plate in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
- According to the eleventh aspect, the penetrated portion is formed by locally heating the vibration plate. Therefore, it is possible to form the penetrated portion favorably without affecting the periphery thereof.
- A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of the eighth and the ninth aspects, in which a laser beam with a second harmonic wavelength oscillated by a Q-switched YAG laser oscillator is irradiated on the vibration plate in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
- According to the twelfth aspect, the penetrated portion is formed by locally heating the vibration plate. Therefore, it is possible to form the penetrated portion favorably without affecting the periphery thereof.
- A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of the eighth to the twelfth aspects, in which the laser processing is performed underwater.
- According to the thirteenth aspect, fragments generated upon formation of the penetrated portion are rinsed off with water. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fragments from remaining and being mixed into the liquid.
- A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of the eighth to the thirteenth aspects, in which the laser beam is irradiated on the vibration plate in a region corresponding to an open edge of the communicating portion and the laser beam is scanned along the open edge of the communicating portion in the step of forming a penetrated path.
- According to the fourteenth aspect, the penetrated portion is formed by locally heating the vibration plate. Therefore, it is possible to form the penetrated portion favorably without affecting the periphery thereof.
- A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the method of a liquid-jet head according to any one of the eighth to the thirteenth aspects, in which a plurality of penetrated holes are formed on at least the vibration plate in a region opposite to the communicating path in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
- According to the fifteenth aspect, it is possible to form the penetrated portion favorably without affecting the periphery thereof.
- A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of the eighth to the fifteenth aspects. Here, before the step of forming the penetrated portion on the vibration plate the method includes the step of bonding a reservoir-forming plate, which has a reservoir portion communicating with the communicating path via the pierced hole, to the passage-forming substrate on a side where the piezoelectric element is formed.
- According to the sixteenth aspect, rigidity of the passage-forming substrate is increased owing to the reservoir-forming plate. Therefore, it is possible to form the pressure-generating chamber and the communicating path favorably by etching and to form the penetrated portion favorably.
- FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
- FIG. 2A is a plan view showing the ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, and
- FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
- FIGS. 3A to3D are cross-sectional views showing a fabrication process of the ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
- FIGS. 4A to4D are cross-sectional views showing the fabrication process of the ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the fabrication process of the ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the fabrication process of the ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the fabrication process of the ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a plan view showing principal parts of an ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.
- FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional views showing another fabrication process of an ink-jet recording head according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an ink-jet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on certain preferred embodiments.
- (Embodiment 1)
- FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIGS. 2A and 2B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view relevant to FIG. 1, respectively.
- As shown in the drawings, a passage-forming
substrate 10 is made of a single-crystal silicon substrate having plane orientation of (110) in this embodiment. On this passage-formingsubstrate 10, pressure-generatingchambers 12 partitioned by a plurality ofpartition walls 11 are arranged in parallel along the width direction thereof. The pressure-generatingchambers 12 are formed by anisotropic etching from one plane of the passage-formingsubstrate 10. Moreover, outside one end in a longitudinal direction of each pressure-generatingchamber 12, a communicatingpath 13 is formed, which constitutes part of areservoir 110 as a common ink chamber to the respective pressure-generatingchambers 12 by communicating with a reservoir portion of a reservoir-forming plate to be described later. The communicatingpath 13 communicates with one end in the longitudinal direction of respective pressure-generatingchambers 12 via eachink supply path 14. - Meanwhile, on the other plane of the passage-forming
substrate 10, anelastic film 50 in a thickness from 1 to 2 μm is formed, which is made of silicon oxide (SiO2) , for example. - Here, the anisotropic etching is performed by use of a difference in etching rates on the single-crystal silicon substrate. For example, if the single-crystal silicon substrate is soaked into an alkaline solution such as KOH in this embodiment, then the single-crystal silicon substrate is gradually corroded away, whereby a first (111) plane perpendicular to a (110) plane, and a second (111) plane at about a 70-degree angle with the first (111) plane and about a 35-degree angle with the (110) plane emerge. The anisotropic etching is performed by use of the disposition that the etching rate of the (111) plane is about {fraction (1/180)} of the etching rate of the (110) plane. By use of the anisotropic etching as described above, it is possible to perform high-precision processing based on depth processing in a parallelogram shape defined by two of the first (111) planes and two of the inclined second (111) planes. In this way, it is possible to arrange the pressure-generating
chambers 12 in high density. - In this embodiment, long edges of the respective pressure-generating
chambers 12 are formed by the first (111) planes and short edges thereof are formed by the second (111) planes. Moreover, the pressure-generatingchambers 12 and the communicatingpath 13 are formed by etching so as to almost penetrate the passage-formingsubstrate 10 until reaching theelastic film 50. Here, theelastic film 50 is exposed to an extremely small degree of erode by the alkaline solution for etching the single-crystal silicon substrate. - Moreover, each
ink supply path 14 communicating with one end of each pressure-generatingchamber 12 is formed shallower than the pressure-generatingchamber 12, whereby resistance on a passage of the ink flowing into the pressure-generatingchamber 12 is maintained at a constant level. In other words, theink supply paths 14 are formed by etching the single-crystal silicon substrate halfway in the thickness direction (half-etching). Note that the half-etching is performed by adjusting etching time. - Regarding the thickness of the passage-forming
substrate 10, an optimum thickness is selected in accordance with arranging density of the pressure-generatingchambers 12. In the case of arranging the pressure-generatingchambers 12 by 180 pieces per inch (180 dpi) or thereabout, for example, the thickness of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 is preferably set in a range from about 180 to 280 μm, or more preferably at about 220 μm. In the case of arranging the pressure-generatingchambers 12 in relatively high density by 360 dpi or thereabout, for example, then the thickness of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 is preferably set within 100 μm. This is because the partition walls between adjacent pressure-generating chambers can maintain sufficient rigidity while increasing the arranging density. - A
nozzle plate 20 is fixed to an open side of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 with an adhesive, a thermo-bonding film, or the like. Here, thenozzle plate 20 is provided withnozzle orifices 21 drilled thereon. The nozzle orifices 21 communicate with the respective pressure-generatingchambers 12 on opposite sides to theink supply paths 14. Thenozzle plate 20 is made of glass ceramics, stainless steel or the like, which has a thickness in a range from 0.1 to 1 mm and a coefficient of linear expansion in a range from 2.5 to 4.5×10−6/° C. at a temperature of 300° C. or lower, for example. Thenozzle plate 20 covers the entire surface of one plane of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 with one plane thereof, whereby thenozzle plate 20 also functions as a reinforcing plate for protecting the single-crystal silicon substrate against shock or external force. Meanwhile, it is also possible to form thenozzle plate 20 by use of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion almost as the same as that of the passage-formingsubstrate 10. In this case, degrees of deformation of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 and thenozzle plate 20 owing to heat become almost equivalent to each other. Accordingly, it is possible to bond the both members easily by use of a thermosetting adhesive or the like. - Here, sizes of the
nozzle orifices 21 and sizes of the pressure-generatingchambers 12 are optimized in accordance with an amount of ink droplets to be ejected, a eject speed, a eject frequency and the like. For example, in the case of recording 360 dots of ink droplets per inch, thenozzle orifices 21 need to be formed accurately so as to have diameters of several ten micrometers. - Meanwhile, a
lower electrode film 60 having a thickness of about 0.2 μm, for example, apiezoelectric layer 70 having a thickness in a range from about 0.5 to 3 μm, for example, and anupper electrode film 80 having a thickness of about 0.1 μm, for example, are formed on theelastic film 50 provided on the passage-formingsubstrate 10 by lamination in accordance with a process to be described later, wherebypiezoelectric elements 300 are constituted accordingly. Here, thepiezoelectric elements 300 refer to portions including thelower electrode film 60, thepiezoelectric layer 70 and theupper electrode film 80. In general, each of thepiezoelectric elements 300 is constituted by setting one of the electrodes thereof as a common electrode, while patterning the other electrode and thepiezoelectric layer 70 depending on each pressure-generatingchamber 12. Moreover, each portion composed of one of the electrodes and thepiezoelectric layer 70 which are patterned, in which piezoelectric distortion is caused upon application of electric voltage between the both electrodes, is hereinafter referred to as a piezoelectricactive portion 320. In this embodiment, thelower electrode film 60 is defined as the common electrode of eachpiezoelectric element 300 and theupper electrode film 80 is defined as an individual electrode of thepiezoelectric element 300. However, it is by all means possible to invert such definitions due to reasons attributable to drive circuits or wiring designs. In any case, each piezoelectric active portion will be formed on each pressure-generating chamber. Furthermore, thepiezoelectric element 300 and a vibration plate, which is displaced when thepiezoelectric element 300 is driven, are hereinafter collectively referred to as a piezoelectric actuator. - Moreover, the reservoir-forming
plate 30 including thereservoir portion 31 which constitutes at least part of thereservoir 110 is bonded onto the passage-formingsubstrate 10 where the piezoelectric elements are formed. In this embodiment, thereservoir portion 31 penetrates the reservoir-formingplate 30 in the thickness direction thereof and is formed across the pressure-generatingchambers 12 in the width direction thereof. In addition, thereservoir portion 31 is formed such that at least an open region of thereservoir portion 31 on the passage-formingsubstrate 10 side is larger than an open region of the communicatingpath 13 on the reservoir-formingplate 30 side. Furthermore, thereservoir portion 31 communicates with the communicatingpath 13 of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 via a penetratedportion 100 which penetrates theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60, thus constituting thereservoir 110 as a common ink chamber to the respective pressure-generatingchambers 12. - As for the reservoir-forming
plate 30, it is preferred to use a material having almost the same coefficient of thermal expansion as that of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 such as glass and a ceramic material. In this embodiment, for example, the reservoir-formingplate 30 is made of a single-crystal silicon substrate having a thickness of about 400 μm, which is the same material as the passage-formingsubstrate 10. - Here, the penetrated
portion 100 which connects between the communicatingpath 13 and thereservoir portion 31 is formed in a region of theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 opposite to the communicatingpath 13; more specifically, inside the open region of the communicatingpath 13 on the reservoir-formingplate 30 side. For example, the penetratedportion 100 of this embodiment is composed of apierced hole 51, which is almost as large as the open region of the communicatingpath 13 on the reservoir-formingplate 30 side. - As will be described later in detail, the penetrated
portion 100 is formed by laser processing of the vibration plate (theelastic film 50 and the lower electrode film 60). In this way, the penetratedportion 100 is favorably formed without generating cracks or the like in the periphery thereof. As a result, fragments of theelastic film 50 or thelower electrode film 60 are not scattered and mixed into the ink. In this way, it is possible to prevent occurrence of imperfect ink eject attributable to occlusion of thenozzle orifice 21 by the fragments. - A
compliance substrate 40 composed of a sealingfilm 41 and a fixingplate 42 is bonded to the reservoir-formingplate 30. Here, the sealingfilm 41 is made of a material having low rigidity and high flexibility (such as a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) film having a thickness of 6 μm) . One side of thereservoir portion 31 is sealed by this sealingfilm 41. Meanwhile, the fixingplate 42 is made of a hard material of metal or the like (such as stainless steel (SUS) having a thickness of 30 μm). Moreover, a region of the fixingplate 42 opposite to thereservoir 110 is completely removed in the thickness direction so as to constitute anopening portion 43. Accordingly, one side of thereservoir 110 is just sealed by theflexible sealing film 41 and thereby constitutes aflexible portion 32, which is deformable upon variations of inner pressure. - Moreover, an
ink introducing port 35 for supplying the ink to thereservoir 110 is formed on thecompliance substrate 40 in a position outside almost the central portion in the longitudinal direction of thereservoir 110. In addition, anink introducing path 36 is provided in the reservoir-formingplate 30 so as to connect between theink introducing port 35 and a sidewall of thereservoir 110. - Meanwhile, in a region of the reservoir-forming
plate 30 opposite to thepiezoelectric elements 300, a piezoelectricelement holding portion 33 is provided so as to secure a sufficient space not to interfere with motion of thepiezoelectric elements 300 and so as to hermetically seal the space. Here, at least the piezoelectricactive portions 320 of thepiezoelectric elements 300 are hermetically sealed inside the piezoelectricelement holding portion 33, whereby thepiezoelectric elements 300 are prevented from destruction attributable to external environment such as moisture in the atmosphere. - The ink-jet recording head constituted as described above intakes the ink through the
ink introducing port 35 connected to unillustrated external ink supply means, whereby the ink is filled throughout the inside from thereservoir 110 to thenozzle orifices 21. Next, electric voltage is applied between theupper electrode film 80 and thelower electrode film 60 in accordance with a recording signal from an unillustrated external drive circuit, whereby theelastic film 50, thelower electrode film 60 and thepiezoelectric layer 70 are subjected to flexure deformation. In this way, pressure inside the pressure-generatingchamber 12 is increased and the ink droplets are thereby ejected out of therelevant nozzle orifice 21. - Now, description will be made regarding a method of fabricating the above-described ink-jet recording head with reference to FIG. 3A to FIG. 4D. Note that FIG. 3A to FIG. 4D are cross-sectional views taken along the longitudinal direction of the pressure-generating
chamber 12. - First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the
elastic film 50 is formed. To be more precise, a zirconium layer is formed on the passage-formingsubstrate 10 and then subjected to thermal oxidation in a diffusion furnace at a temperature in a range from 500° C. to 1200° C., thus forming theelastic film 50 made of zirconium oxide. - Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the
lower electrode film 60 made of platinum, for example, is formed on the entire surface of theelastic film 50 and then patterned into a given shape. - Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the
piezoelectric layer 70 made of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), for example, and theupper electrode film 80 made of a variety of metal including aluminum, gold, nickel, platinum and the like, or made of a conductive oxide and the like, are deposited serially and then patterned simultaneously to form thepiezoelectric elements 300. - Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3D, a
lead electrode 90 made of gold (Au), for example, is formed on the entire surface of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 and then patterned in line with the respectivepiezoelectric elements 300. - The foregoing steps collectively constitute a film-forming process. Now, as shown in FIG. 4A, the reservoir-forming
plate 30 where thereservoir portion 31, the piezoelectricelement holding portion 33 and the like are formed is bonded to the passage-formingsubstrate 10 on the side where thepiezoelectric elements 300 are formed, by use of an adhesive or the like. - Subsequently, as previously described, the passage-forming
substrate 10 made of the single-crystal silicon substrate is subjected to the anisotropic etching until reaching theelastic film 50, whereby the pressure-generatingchambers 12, the communicatingpath 13 and theink supply paths 14 are simultaneously formed as shown in FIG. 4B. Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 in the region opposite to the communicatingpath 13 are removed by laser-processing, whereby the penetratedportion 100 is formed. - To be more precise, a
laser beam 120 is focused and irradiated from the communicatingpath 13 side of the passage-formingsubstrate 10 onto theelastic film 50 in the region corresponding to the open edge of the communicatingpath 13 on the reservoir side, and then thelaser beam 120 is scanned along the open edge of the communicatingpath 13. In this way, theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 are locally subjected to thermal processing and thereby cut away along the open edge of the communicatingpath 13. As a consequence, theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 in the open region of the communicatingpath 13 are removed together as shown in FIG. 4D and the penetratedportion 100 is formed. In short, the penetratedportion 100 is formed virtually as the same size as the open region of the communicatingpath 13 on the vibration plate side. - Here, it is preferred to use a laser beam oscillated by a Q-switched YAG laser oscillator for formation of the penetrated
portion 100, i.e. removal of theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60. For example, in this embodiment, a laser beam having a fundamental wavelength (1064 nm) is focused and irradiated on the surface of theelastic film 50, and the penetratedportion 100 is formed by cutting theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 away. - For example, in this embodiment, the laser beam having the fundamental wavelength is oscillated at an output level of about 10 mW (a repetition frequency at 1 kHz) by the Q-switched YAG laser oscillator and is irradiated from the
elastic film 50 side onto the vibration plate so as to form the penetratedportion 100. - In this way, it is possible to prevent the fragments of the
elastic film 50 or thelower electrode film 60 from scattering in the event of forming the penetratedportion 100, and it is also possible to avoid occurrence of imperfect eject such as occlusion of the nozzle by the fragments. - Moreover, since the Q-switched YAG laser oscillator is used for forming the penetrated
portion 100, it is possible to process with a laser beam at a relatively lower power level. Specifically, since the penetratedportion 100 is formed in this embodiment by use of the laser beam having the fundamental wavelength, the passage-formingsubstrate 10 and the like in the vicinity of the penetratedportion 100 are prevented from being processed (heated) by the laser beam. Accordingly, it is possible to cut only theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 favorably. - Here, if a focus point P1 of the
laser beam 120 is located in a position shifted from the vibration plate as shown in FIG. 5, for example, then thelaser beam 120 will be also irradiated on the passage-formingsubstrate 10 as well as theelastic film 50. Moreover, the communicatingpath 13, for example, is formed by subjecting the passage-formingsubstrate 10 to the anisotropic etching. Therefore, the side face of the communicatingpath 13 includes portions composed ofinclined planes 13 a as shown in FIG. 4C, which are inclined with respect to the surface of the passage-formingsubstrate 10. Moreover, the side face of the communicatingpath 13 also includes portions composed ofperpendicular planes 13 b, which are almost orthogonal with respect to the surface of the passage-formingsubstrate 10. Accordingly, although thelaser beam 120 may not be irradiated on the passage-formingsubstrate 10 in the portion where the side face of the communicatingpath 13 is composed of theinclined plane 13 a, thelaser beam 120 is surely irradiated on the passage-formingsubstrate 10 in the portion where the side face of the communicatingpath 13 is composed of theperpendicular plane 13 b (see FIG. 6). - Nevertheless, in this embodiment, the passage-forming
substrate 10 is made of the single-crystal silicon substrate having a relatively low index of laser-beam absorption, and theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 are cut away by irradiating the laser beam of the fundamental wavelength at a relatively low output level. Accordingly, if thelaser beam 120 is irradiated on the passage-formingsubstrate 10, it is possible to cut only theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 away favorably without processing (heating) the passage-formingsubstrate 10. - Meanwhile, in the event of forming the penetrated
portion 100 by laser processing as described above, dross is adhered to a surface of the vibration plate opposite to the side where thelaser beam 120 is irradiated, i.e. to a surface of thelower electrode film 60 in the periphery of the penetratedportion 100. If the dross falls off and is mixed into the ink, there is a risk of causing imperfect eject such as occlusion of the nozzle by the dross. - Nevertheless, if the penetrated
portion 100 is formed by cutting theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 away along the open edge of the communicatingpath 13 as described in this embodiment, in other words, if theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 are cut away and removed by means of locally irradiating thelaser beam 120 only onto the region corresponding to the open edge of the communicatingpath 13, the size of the dross to be adhered to the periphery of the penetratedportion 100 is limited to one-fourth or less of a diameter of thenozzle orifice 21. - Therefore, if the dross of that size falls off and is mixed into the ink, this dross will be ejected from the
nozzle orifice 21 together with the ink. Accordingly, occlusion of the nozzle by the dross does not occur, and ink eject performance can be thereby maintained favorably. - Note that the penetrated
portion 100 is formed by irradiating the laser beam having the fundamental wavelength onto theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 in this embodiment. However, the penetratedportion 100 may be also formed by irradiating a laser beam having a higher harmonic wavelength oscillated from the Q-switched YAG laser oscillator, for example, by irradiating a second harmonic laser beam (having a wavelength of 532 nm). If the penetratedportion 100 is formed by such a laser beam having a relatively shorter wavelength, the size of the dross will be reduced even smaller. Therefore, it is possible to prevent occurrence of occlusion of the nozzle or the like even more surely. - Moreover, in this embodiment, the penetrated
portion 100 is formed by irradiating the laser beam from theelastic film 50 side onto the vibration plate because the reservoir-formingplate 30 has a thickness several times thicker than the passage-formingsubstrate 10. However, the direction of irradiation of the laser beam is not particularly limited thereto. It is by all means possible to form the penetratedportion 100 by irradiating the laser beam from thelower electrode film 60 side onto the vibration plate as shown in FIG. 7. As previously mentioned, thelower electrode film 60 tends to absorb the laser beam relatively easily because thelower electrode film 60 is made of metal such as platinum. Therefore, the mode of irradiating the laser beam from thelower electrode film 60 side onto the vibration plate offers an advantage of enhancement in process efficiency. - Furthermore, although the laser processing may take place in the atmosphere, it is preferred to dispose the workpiece fabricated in the foregoing steps underwater. In other words, it is preferred to form the penetrated
portion 100 by means of irradiating the laser beam onto theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 underwater. In this way, it is possible to surely prevent the fragments of theelastic film 50 or thelower electrode film 60 from being mixed into the ink. - As described above, the present invention adopts the mode of forming the penetrate
portion 100 by use of the laser processing. Accordingly, cracks and the like are not generated on theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 around the penetratedportion 100. Therefore, when the ink is filled into thereservoir 110, theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 around the penetratedportion 100 do not fall off largely owing to the cracks. Accordingly, such a large fragment will not be mixed into the ink. As a consequence, it is possible to prevent imperfect eject such as occlusion of the nozzle, and to achieve the ink-jet recording head with improved reliability. - Moreover, since the penetrated
portion 100 is formed by the laser processing, i.e. non-contact processing, it is possible to form the penetratedportion 100 easily and favorably regardless of in an underwater condition or an atmospheric condition, without requiring special treatment. - After the penetrated
portion 100 is formed as described above, thecompliance substrate 40 is bonded onto the reservoir-formingplate 30 and thenozzle plate 20 is bonded to and integrated with the passage-formingsubstrate 10 on the opposite side to the reservoir-formingplate 30. In this way, the ink-jet recording head is fabricated. - (Embodiment 2)
- FIG. 8 is a plan view of an ink-jet recording head according to embodiment 2.
- Embodiment 1 describes the example that the penetrated
portion 100 is composed of thepierced hole 51 almost as large as the open region of the communicatingpath 13 on the reservoir-formingplate 30 side. However, it is just satisfactory as far as the penetratedportion 100 is formed inside the open region of the communicatingpath 13. - This embodiment shows an example that a penetrated portion is composed of penetrated holes smaller in size than an open region of a communicating path. To be more precise, as shown in FIG. 8, a penetrated
portion 100A is composed of a plurality of penetratedholes 51A formed on a vibration plate in a region corresponding to an open region of a communicatingpath 13. Here, other elements are similar to those in embodiment 1. - As similar to embodiment 1, the plurality of penetrated
holes 51A can be formed by cutting anelastic film 50 and alower electrode film 60 by scanning with alaser beam 120 so as to remove theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 together regarding portions to form the respective penetratedholes 51A. - If the sizes of the penetrated
holes 51A are relatively small, then it is also possible to irradiate the laser beam onto theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 in the positions to form the respective penetratedholes 51A such that the relevant portions of theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 are removed by thermal processing. - Similar effects to embodiment1 can be obtained if the penetrated
portion 100A is composed of the plurality of penetratedholes 51A as described above. - (Other Embodiments)
- Although the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.
- For example, although the penetrated
portion 100 is formed after bonding the reservoir-formingplate 30 to the passage-formingsubstrate 10 in the above-described embodiments, it is by all means possible to form the penetratedportion 100 before bonding the reservoir-formingplate 30 to the passage-formingsubstrate 10. - Moreover, in the above-described embodiment 1, the penetrated
portion 100 is formed by scanning along the open edge of the communicatingpath 13 with the laser beam to cut theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 away. However, without limitation to the foregoing, it is by all means possible to irradiate the laser beam onto theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 within the open region of the communicatingpath 13 so as to remove theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 away by thermal processing. When theelastic film 50 and thelower electrode film 60 are removed by thermal processing as described above, for example, it is also possible to leave thepiezoelectric layer 70 and theupper electrode film 80 for constituting thepiezoelectric element 300 on thelower electrode film 60 in the region opposite to the communicatingpath 13 as shown in FIG. 9A, and to form the penetratedportion 100 by irradiating thelaser beam 120 from above theupper electrode film 80. Rigidity of the films formed in the region opposite to the communicatingpath 13 is enhanced by means of leaving thepiezoelectric layer 70 and theupper electrode film 80 in the region opposite to the communicatingpath 13. Accordingly, it is possible to favorably form the penetratedportion 100 . Note that thepiezoelectric layer 70 and theupper electrode film 80 in the region opposite to the communicatingpath 13 may still remain after formation of the penetratedportion 100. However, in reality, thepiezoelectric layer 70 and theupper electrode film 80 are substantially removed by irradiation of thelaser beam 120 as shown in FIG. 9B. - Moreover, in the above-described embodiments, the Q-switched YAG laser oscillator is used for forming the penetrated
portion 100, for example. However, without limitation to the foregoing, it is also possible to use a femtosecond laser oscillator, for example, which can oscillate laser beams smaller in pulse widths than the Q-switched YAG laser oscillator. - Moreover, in the above-described embodiments, the communicating
path 13 is formed continuously over the regions corresponding to the plurality of the pressure-generatingchambers 12 to communicate with the plurality of the pressure-generatingchambers 12 via the respectiveink supply paths 14, for example. However, without limitation to the foregoing, it is also possible to form the communicatingpaths 13 independently for the respective pressure-generatingchambers 12, for example. In this case, it is preferred to provide the penetratedportions 100 independently for the respective communicatingpaths 13 as well. - Furthermore, the above-described embodiments have exemplified the ink-jet recording head of a thin-film type, which can be fabricated by applying film-forming and lithography processes. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing. For example, the present invention is also applicable to ink-jet recording heads having various types of structures, such as an ink-jet recording head including pressure-generating chambers formed by laminating substrates, an ink-jet recording head including a piezoelectric layer formed by adhesion of a green sheet or by screen printing, and an ink-jet recording head including a piezoelectric layer formed by crystal growth owing to hydrothermal crystallization method or the like.
- As described above, the present invention is applicable to various ink-jet recording heads having different structures unless such application goes against the spirit of the invention.
- Meanwhile, the ink-jet recording head according to any of these embodiments constitutes part of a recording head unit which includes ink passages communicating with ink cartridges and the like, whereby the ink-jet recording head is installed in an ink-jet recording apparatus. FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing one example of such an ink-jet recording apparatus.
- As shown in FIG. 10,
cartridges recording head units carriage 3 carrying therecording head units carriage shaft 5 fitted to anapparatus body 4. For example, therecording head units - Moreover, driving power of a
drive motor 6 is transferred to thecarriage 3 through unillustrated gears and atiming belt 7, whereby thecarriage 3 carrying therecording head units carriage shaft 5. Meanwhile, a platen 8 is provided on theapparatus body 4 along thecarriage 3. The platen 8 is made rotatable by driving power of an unillustrated paper-feeding motor. Moreover, a recording sheet S, which is a recording medium such as paper fed by a paper-feeding roller or the like, is conveyed on the platen 8. - In the foregoing explanations, the ink-jet recording head for ejecting ink has been taken as an example of the liquid-jet head. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is generally applicable to wide ranges of liquid-jet heads and liquid-jet apparatuses.
- Such applied liquid-jet heads may include, for example, a recording head for use in an image recording apparatus such as a printer, a color material-jet head for use in fabrication of a color filter of a liquid crystal display device and the like, an electrode material-jet head for use in formation of electrodes of an organic electroluminescent display device, a field emission display (FED) device and the like, and a bioorganic material-jet head for use in fabrication of a biochip.
- As describe above, according to the present invention, the penetrated portion is formed on the vibration plate in the region opposite to the communicating path by laser processing. Accordingly, it is possible to form the penetrated portion favorably without generating cracks on the vibration plate. Therefore, it is possible to avoid imperfect eject such as occlusion of a nozzle by fragments of the vibration plate.
Claims (16)
1. A liquid-jet head including a passage-forming substrate on which a pressure-generating chamber communicating with a nozzle orifice is formed, and a plurality of piezoelectric elements provided on one side of the passage-forming substrate via a vibration plate, each of the piezoelectric elements comprising a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode, the liquid-jet head comprising:
a communicating path communicating with one end in a longitudinal direction of the pressure-generating chamber, the communicating path being provided in the passage-forming substrate so as to penetrate the passage-forming substrate; and
a penetrated portion for supplying a liquid to the communicating path, the penetrated portion being formed in a region of the vibration plate opposite to the communicating path by laser processing.
2. The liquid-jet head according to claim 1 , wherein dross in an amount within one-fourth of a diameter of the nozzle orifice is adhered to a peripheral portion of the penetrated portion.
3. The liquid-jet head according to claim 1 , wherein the penetrated portion is at least formed into any of a size as large as an open region of the communicating path on the vibration plate side and a size smaller than the open region.
4. The liquid-jet head according to claim 3 , wherein the penetrated portion is formed into a shape along an open edge of the communicating path.
5. The liquid-jet head according to claim 3 , wherein the penetrated portion is composed of a plurality of penetrated holes provided within the open region of the communicating path.
6. The liquid-jet head according to claim 1 , wherein a reservoir-forming plate including a reservoir portion communicating with the communicating path via the penetrated portion is bonded to the passage-forming substrate on a side where the piezoelectric element is provided.
7. A liquid-jet apparatus comprising:
the liquid-jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .
8. A method of fabricating a liquid-jet head including a passage-forming substrate on which a pressure-generating chamber communicating with a nozzle orifice is formed, a plurality of piezoelectric elements provided on one side of the passage-forming substrate via a vibration plate, each of the piezoelectric elements comprising a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode, the method comprising the steps of:
forming the vibration plate and the piezoelectric element on one side of the passage-forming substrate;
forming the pressure-generating chamber by patterning from another side of the passage-forming substrate and forming a communicating path to communicate with one end in a longitudinal direction of the pressure-generating chamber; and
forming a penetrated portion for supplying a liquid to the communicating path in a region of the vibration plate opposite to the communicating path by laser processing.
9. The method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to claim 8 , wherein a laser beam is irradiated on the vibration plate in the step of forming a penetrated portion to effectuate processing such that dross in an amount within one-fourth of a diameter of the nozzle orifice is adhered.
10. The method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of claims 8 and 9, wherein a laser beam with a fundamental wavelength oscillated by a Q-switched YAG laser oscillator is irradiated on the vibration plate in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
11. The method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of claims 8 and 9, wherein a laser beam with a higher harmonic wavelength oscillated by a Q-switched YAG laser oscillator is irradiated on the vibration plate in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
12. The method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to any one of claims 8 and 9, wherein a laser beam with a second harmonic wavelength oscillated by a Q-switched YAG laser oscillator is irradiated on the vibration plate in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
13. The method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to claim 8 , wherein the laser processing is performed underwater.
14. The method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to claim 8 , wherein the laser beam is irradiated on the vibration plate in a region corresponding to an open edge of the communicating path and the laser beam is scanned along the open edge of the communicating path in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
15. The method of a liquid-jet head according to claim 8 , wherein a plurality of penetrated holes are formed on at least the vibration plate in a region opposite to the communicating path in the step of forming a penetrated portion.
16. The method of fabricating a liquid-jet head according to claim 8 , before the step of forming the penetrated portion on the vibration plate, the method further comprising the step of:
bonding a reservoir-forming plate having a reservoir portion communicating with the communicating path via the pierced hole, to the passage-forming substrate on a side where the piezoelectric element is formed.
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US10/793,895 US6925712B2 (en) | 2001-08-28 | 2004-03-08 | Method of fabricating a liquid-jet head |
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JP2001257745 | 2001-08-28 | ||
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JP2002240101A JP2003145761A (en) | 2001-08-28 | 2002-08-21 | Liquid jet head, its manufacturing method and liquid jet apparatus |
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US10/793,895 Expired - Fee Related US6925712B2 (en) | 2001-08-28 | 2004-03-08 | Method of fabricating a liquid-jet head |
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Cited By (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US20030063137A1 (en) * | 2001-09-13 | 2003-04-03 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Liquid jetting head, method of manufacturing the same, and liquid jetting apparatus incorporating the same |
EP1547775A1 (en) * | 2003-12-25 | 2005-06-29 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Inkjet Head |
US20060227180A1 (en) * | 2005-04-12 | 2006-10-12 | Chih-Chang Tsai | Piezoelectric vibration plate |
US20060261708A1 (en) * | 2005-03-30 | 2006-11-23 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Piezoelectric element, liquid-jet head using piezoelectric element and liquid-jet apparatus |
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- 2002-08-27 US US10/228,269 patent/US20030058310A1/en not_active Abandoned
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2004
- 2004-03-08 US US10/793,895 patent/US6925712B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2003145761A (en) | 2003-05-21 |
US20040169705A1 (en) | 2004-09-02 |
US6925712B2 (en) | 2005-08-09 |
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Owner name: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MURAI, MASAMI;REEL/FRAME:013531/0576 Effective date: 20021001 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |