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
  • B41J2/162—Manufacturing of the nozzle plates
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23P—METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS
  • B23P15/00—Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass
  • B23P15/16—Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass plates with holes of very small diameter, e.g. for spinning or burner nozzles
• • 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
  • B41J2/1433—Structure of nozzle plates
• • 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
• • 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
  • B41J2/1628—Manufacturing processes etching dry etching
• • 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
  • B41J2/1631—Manufacturing processes photolithography
• • 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
• • 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
  • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
  • B41J2/164—Manufacturing processes thin film formation
  • B41J2/1642—Manufacturing processes thin film formation thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• • 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
  • B41J2/164—Manufacturing processes thin film formation
  • B41J2/1646—Manufacturing processes thin film formation thin film formation by sputtering
• • 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
  • B41J2202/00—Embodiments of or processes related to ink-jet or thermal heads
  • B41J2202/01—Embodiments of or processes related to ink-jet heads
  • B41J2202/11—Embodiments of or processes related to ink-jet heads characterised by specific geometrical characteristics
• • 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

Definitions

• NOZZLE PLATE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING NOZZLE PLATE, INKJET HEAD, AND INKJET PRINTING APPARATUS
• the present invention relates to a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole for . discharging liquid, an inkjet head, an inkjet printing apparatus, and a method of manufacturing a nozzle plate.
• Inkjet printing is one of such printing methods.
• the inkjet printing method involves discharging ink droplets from a nozzle of an inkjet head and causing the ink droplets to land on a substrate to be printed.
• An inkjet head typically includes a nozzle plate and a liquid chamber forming plate.
• the nozzle plate includes a discharge outlet arranged at a nozzle surface and a nozzle hole corresponding to a hollow portion in connection with the discharge outlet that penetrates through the nozzle plate in the thickness direction.
• the liquid chamber forming plate is bonded with the nozzle plate to form an ink liquid chamber that is in connection with the nozzle hole corresponding to the hollow portion of the nozzle plate.
• Such an inkjet head is configured to
• the drive means may be implemented by a system using electrostatic force, a system using a piezoelectric element, or a system using thermal element, for example .
• Patent Document 1 Patent Document 1
• a method of manufacturing a nozzle plate that involves irradiating a laser beam on the surface of a substrate ⁇ that is to become a nozzle plate in its thickness direction.
• a laser beam By irradiating the laser beam in the thickness direction of the substrate, portions of the substrate irradiated by the laser beam are melted so that a through hole reaching the rear face of the substrate is formed.
• a nozzle plate having a discharge outlet formed at the surface of the substrate and a nozzle hole
• corresponding to a hollow portion in connection with the discharge outlet that penetrates through the substrate in its thickness direction to reach the rear face of the substrate may be manufactured.
• a discharge outlet pitch may be reduced by densifying the nozzle holes.
• discharge outlet may vary from a desired target shape
• wide variations may be created in the opening areas of the discharge outlets and the opening shapes of the discharge outlets may be irregular and
• the opening shape of . the discharge outlets is limited to circular shapes or oval shapes.
• ink mists or ink satellites may be formed to thereby hinder high quality printing.
• a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole that penetrates through the nozzle plate in a thickness direction is provided.
• the nozzle plate includes a discharge outlet formed at the nozzle hole, and provided curvatures of four corner portions of an opening shape of the discharge outlet are denoted as Rl, R2, R3, and R , the opening shape of the
• a surface of a first substrate having a groove formed thereon is bonded with a surface of a second substrate to form bonded substrate so that the groove forms a nozzle hole. Then, the bonded
• the cross-sectional shape of the groove by arranging the cross-sectional shape of the groove to be substantially the same throughout its entire length in the longitudinal direction, the opening area and the opening shape of discharge outlets formed by cutting the bonded substrate in the direction substantially perpendicular to the
• positions along the longitudinal direction of the groove may be substantially uniform.
• Rl, R2, R3, and R4 provided curvatures of four corner portions of the opening shape of the discharge outlet.
• FIGS. 1A-1D are perspective views illustrating process steps for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the nozzle plate manufactured by the manufacturing method. of the first embodiment
• FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional perspective view of the nozzle plate along cutting plane line A- A' of FIG. 2A;
• FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary opening shape of a discharge outlet of the nozzle plate
• FIG. 4 shows a micrograph of the discharge outlet
• FIGS. 5A and 5B show micrographs of a nozzle hole
• FIGS. 6 ⁇ and 6B show micrographs of a discharge outlet and a nozzle hole of a nozzle plate according to a comparative example
• FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate configurations of plates that make up an inkjet head according to a second embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 8A is a plan view of a bonded plate
• FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the bonded plate along cutting plane line B-B' of FIG. 8A;
• FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the inkjet head according to the second embodiment.
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an inkjet printing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 11A is a right side view of the inkjet printing apparatus
• FIG. 11B is a front view of the inkjet printing apparatus
• FIGS. 12A and 12B show micrographs of dots printed on a substrate by the inkjet printing
• FIG. 13 is a micrograph of dots printed on a substrate by the inkjet printing apparatus of the third embodiment using the nozzle plate of the
• ink properties such as the viscosity and the surface tension of inks in different colors such as yellow, magenta, and cyan are arranged to be substantially the same.
• inks with various physical properties have to be used to accommodate printing at various film thicknesses according to a pattern to be printed such as a . wiring, a semiconductor film, or an insulating film.
• the solvent of the ink may vary depending on whether an aqueous ink, an organic solvent ink, or an acidic ink is used, for example, the material of the inkjet head needs to be chemically durable.
• a nozzle plate according to an embodiment of the
• present invention is preferably made of a base material that is chemically and physically durable and has a flat and smooth surface.
• a base material that is chemically and physically durable and has a flat and smooth surface.
• oxide glass substrate made of Si0 2 glass or
• borosilicate glass or a single crystal substrate made of quartz, sapphire, or Si may be used.
• FIGS. 1A-1D are perspective views illustrating process steps for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
• a groove 12 in a desired pattern is formed on the surface of a first substrate 11 by a first process step.
• a pitch of a groove pattern on a photo mask corresponds to a nozzle pitch of the nozzle plate.
• an alignment groove for aligning the nozzle plate may be formed at the outer side of the groove 12 for forming the nozzles.
• the photo mask pattern may be formed by applying, exposing, and developing a photosensitive resist such as SU-8, and the first substrate 11 may be etched thereafter.
• etching method a dry etching method such as reactive-ion etching (RIE) or a wet etching method may be used. It is noted that the shape of the groove 12 may be controlled by the mask pattern and the etching condition. As an optional process step, in the case of forming an electrode film at the nozzle hole, the electrode film may be formed within the groove 12 by a photolithography process after forming the groove 12 on the surface of the first substrate 11.
• RIE reactive-ion etching
• a single layer or multiple layers of a metal such as Pt, Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mo, W, Nb, or Ta, an alloy thereof, or a transparent conductive oxide such as ITO, ATO, or AZO may be formed at a thickness of 20-150 nm by sputtering or vacuum vapor deposition and a pattering process may be performed thereafter, for example.
• a second process step 1 the surface of the first substrate 11 having the groove 12 formed thereon is bonded with a flat surface of a second substrate 21. Because the surface of the second substrate 21 is flat, precise positioning of the first substrate 11 with respect to the second substrate 21 may not be necessary.
• the bonding method conventional techniques such as thermal fusion bonding, anodic bonding, direct bonding, or plasma activation low temperature bonding may be used, for example.
• a bonded plate nozzle
• nozzle length L corresponds to a flow path length (nozzle length) L of the nozzle hole, and the nozzle length L may be freely adjusted by changing the cutting width.
• a nozzle face (cut surface) of the nozzle plate manufactured by the process steps of FIGS. 1A-1D has plural discharge outlets 32.
• FIG. 2B corresponding to a cross-sectional view of the nozzle plate along
• Such a straight nozzle 33 hole may be formed in a case where the width of the groove 12 formed in the first process step illustrated in FIG. 1A is maintained the same.
• additional process steps such as polishing and cleaning may be performed before, after, or in between the above first through third process steps as is necessary or desired.
• a liquid-repellent treatment process may be performed on the surface of the nozzle plate.
• a counterboring process may be performed at the periphery of the discharge outlet after the third process step. Also, although the groove 12 is only formed on the first substrate 11 in the above
• a groove may also be formed on the second substrate 21 and the grooves on the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 21 may be bonded together to form a single groove of the nozzle plate.
• the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 21 may have to be positioned with greater precision.
• the groove 12 is arranged to have a straight configuration in the above embodiment, in alternative embodiments, the groove 12 may be arranged into a tapered configuration in which the groove width of gradually changes, or the groove 12 may be arranged to have a stepped configuration so that each nozzle plate created by cutting the bonded plate may have a different discharge outlet diameter, for example-.
• the number of discharge outlets and the discharge outlet pitch are determined in the first process step. Because the first process step involves a photolithography
• the first process step may be advantageously
• an opening area S of the discharge outlet and a configuration of the nozzle hole are determined by the first process step and the second process step.
• the nozzle hole may be arranged into a straight configuration.
• the nozzle hole length L which corresponds to the cutting width determined in the third process step, may be freely adjusted by changing the cutting width.
• the periphery of the discharge outlet are preferably made of a dielectric material that has high chemical durability.
• the nozzle plate itself may be made of an oxide material, such as Si0 2 glass, silicate glass, or borosilicate glass, for example.
• a structural base may be created with single crystal silicon and a Si0 2 film may be formed on a surface including a nozzle flow path by a thermal process, for example.
• the nozzle plate is preferably made of a material that can provide high insulation such as Si0 2 glass, sapphire, or quartz, for example.
• FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary opening shape of the discharge outlet. As illustrated in FIG 3, the opening shape of the discharge outlet
• the opening area S of the discharge outlet is arranged to be no more than 100 ⁇ 2
• the ratio L/S of the length L of the straight portion (nozzle flow path portion) of the nozzle hole to the opening area S of the discharge outlet is arranged to be at least 2 /im "1 .
• the ratio L/S may preferably be arranged to be at least 4 im -1 , and more preferably at least 10 / ⁇ 1 . It is noted that the opening shape of the discharge outlet is not limited to a
• quadrangular shape such as that illustrated in FIG. 3, may alternatively be arranged into a polygonal shape with three corners or five corners, for example.
• ink viscosity ⁇ is 10-12 mPa ⁇ s and the surface tension y is 28-35 mN/m.
• ink used in the printed electronics may have widely varying ink viscosities n, which may range from about several mPa- s to several hundred mPa- s.
• the flow rate Q of the fluid may be derived from the following Hagen-Poiseuille equation (1).
• the ratio L/S has to be suitably adjusted to achieve a desired flow rate Q.
• the opening diameter of the discharge outlet is about 20 ⁇
• the length of the straight portion of the nozzle hole is about 50 ⁇
• the ratio L/S cannot be adequately controlled.
• the present inventors have found that high quality printing with reduced ink mists and ink satellites may be enabled by designing the discharge outlet of a nozzle plate into the opening shape as described above according to the present embodiment. Further, in the present embodiment, the orifice cross-sectional area of a nozzle may be reduced by approximately 1/4 or less compared to conventional designs, the nozzle hole length L may be freely adjusted within a range from several dozen
• nozzle plate that can accommodate inks having various physical properties may be manufactured. Further, in the nozzle plate manufactured according to the nozzle plate manufacturing method of the present embodiment, where plural discharge
• the standard deviation of structural parameters of the discharge outlets may be maintained within ⁇ 3%. Enabling such uniform printing with little deviations may be important in the case of increasing the discharge outlet density in order to increase productivity of the printed matter. It is noted that uniformity of the structural parameters of the discharge outlets may be particularly important in the printed electronics because electrical
• all or part of the inner wall surface of the nozzle hole may be covered by metal or a transparent conductive oxide.
• a metal such as Pt, Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mo, , Nb, or Ta, an alloy thereof, or a transparent conductive oxide such as ITO, ATO, or AZO may be used. Further, plural layers of such material may be
• the periphery of the discharge outlet is preferably arranged to have adequate liquid-repellency.
• Conventional techniques may be used to secure such liquid-repellency.
• a liquid-repellent film made of fluorine resin or silicone resin may be formed on the entire discharge face of the nozzle
• the nozzle face of the nozzle plate may have to be cleaned.
• conventional cleaning techniques may be used such as wiping the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate with rubber to remove excess ink, or vacuuming the ink, for example.
• the cleaning effect may be further improved by performing a counterboring process at the periphery of the discharge outlet to form a recessed portion.
• bonded structure was cut using a precision cutting machine, and the cut faces were polished to
• nozzle plates with a length of 6 mm, a width of 40 mm, and thicknesses of 0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.725 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.0 mm.
• the processed surface of the Si0 2 glass substrate having the grooves formed thereon and the surface of the other Si0 2 glass substrate that has undergone the UV-ozone process were bonded together and heated at 1150 °C for 30 minutes. Then, the bonded structure was cut using a precision cutting machine, and the cut faces were polished to
• nozzle plates with a length of 6 mm, a width of 40 mm, and thicknesses of 0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.725 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.0 mm.
• the Si0 2 glass substrate at the Ni mask opening portions was etched through reactive ion etching using CF 4 gas to form the grooves at a depth of 1 ⁇ .
• the. Ni mask was dissolved using nitric acid and the Si0 2 glass substrate was rinsed with water.
• the processed surface of the Si0 2 glass substrate having the grooves formed thereon and the surface of the other Si0 2 glass substrate that has undergone the UV-ozone process were bonded together and heated at 1150 °C for 30 minutes.
• the bonded structure was cut using a precision cutting machine, and the cut faces were polished to manufacture nozzle plates with a length of 6 mm, a width of 40 mm, and thicknesses of 0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.725 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.0 mm.
• bonded structure was cut using a precision cutting machine, and the cut faces were polished to
• nozzle plates with a length of 6 mm, a width of 40 mm, and thicknesses of 0.1 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.725 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.0 mm.
• a Si0 2 glass substrate (20X40 mm, 0.3 mm thick) was prepared as a base material.
• ultrasonic cleaning process was performed on the Si0 2 glass substrate using a neutral detergent, pure water, and isopropyl alcohol. After drying the Si0 2 glass substrate, a UV-ozone process was performed on the Si0 2 glass substrate at 90 °C for 10 minutes. Then, aluminum was deposited on the Si0 2 glass substrate at a thickness of 100 nm and alignment marks were formed through a normal photolithography process. Then, a trepanning process was performed on the Si0 2 glass substrate by focusing the third harmonic of Nd:YAG laser (wavelength 355 nm, pulse width 10 ps,
• a Si0 2 glass substrate (20X40 mm, 0.7 mm thick) was prepared as a base material.
• ultrasonic cleaning process was performed on the Si0 2 glass substrate using a neutral detergent, pure water, and isopropyl alcohol. After drying the Si0 2 glass substrate, a UV-ozone process was performed on the Si0 2 glass substrate at 90 °C for 10 minutes. Then, aluminum was deposited on the Si0 2 glass substrate at a thickness of 100 nm and alignment marks were formed through a normal photolithography process. Then, a trepanning process was performed on the Si0 2 glass substrate by focusing the third harmonic of Nd:YAG laser (wavelength 355 nm, pulse width 10 ps,
• FIG. 4 shows a micrograph of a discharge outlet opening of the nozzle plate of Embodiment 1
• FIG. 5A shows a micrograph of a nozzle hole of the nozzle plate of
• FIG. 5B shows an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 5A surrounded by a dot-dashed line.
• opening shape of the discharge outlet of the nozzle plate corresponds to the desired target shape, and the nozzle hole also has the desired straight
• Example 1 the discharge outlet diameter D may
• nozzle flow path portions of the nozzle holes are tapered and unstable.
• FIGS. 6A and 6B showing micrographs of a nozzle
• the nozzle surface and a nozzle flow path cross-section of the nozzle plate manufactured in Comparative Example 1 the nozzle surface and the periphery of the discharge outlet is rough and partially chipped, and the flow path has a tapered configuration rather than a
• the nozzle plates of the above Embodiments 1-4 may be used to
• FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate configurations of plates that are included in the inkjet head of the present embodiment. It is noted that the illustrated inkjet head uses electrostatic force as the drive means.
• FIG. 7A illustrates the nozzle plate 31 having plural discharge outlets 32.
• fluorine-based liquid- repellent material is spin coated on the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate 31. Then, the nozzle plate 31 is dried in an oven at 60 °C for 30 minutes to perform a liquid-repellant treatment process on the surface.
• FIG. 7B illustrates a flow path plate 41 corresponding to a liquid chamber plate. An Mo film is formed on the flow path plate 41 at a
• FIG. 7C illustrates an ink inlet plate 51 including an ink inlet 52 for
• the nozzle plate 31 is arranged along alignment marks formed on the flow path plate 41 and is bonded with the flow path plate 41 using UV cured resin. Further, the ink inlet plate 51 is bonded to the flow path plate 41 using UV cured resin to manufacture a bonded plate 60 as illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B.
• an inkjet head 80 as illustrated in FIG. 9 is manufactured by mounting the bonded plate 60 to a plate holder 82 that is installed in a Z a j3 direction position adjustment mechanism 81 and connecting an electrode of the bonded plate 60 to a high voltage pulse amplifier (not shown) .
• ink may be introduced into the discharge chamber 44 from the ink inlet 52 beforehand.
• the ink inlet 52 may be in connection with an ink tank via a tube and ink may be transported from the ink tank to the discharge chamber 44.
• a voltage from the high voltage pulse amplifier may be applied to the electrode within the bonded plate 60 based on a signal from a higher-level device.
• electrically charged ink droplets may be discharged from the nozzle holes by electrostatic force, and the ink droplets may land on the surface of a substrate to be printed 90 that is arranged on a XYZ stage 83.
• the inkjet head of the present embodiment includes the nozzle plate 31 and the flow path plate 41.
• the nozzle plate 31 is manufactured according to the nozzle plate manufacturing method of the above- described first embodiment.
• the flow path plate 41 which is bonded to the nozzle plate 31, corresponds to a liquid chamber forming plate that forms ink flow paths such as discharge chambers and reservoirs that are arranged to be in connection with the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate 31 by bonding with the nozzle plate 31.
• the inkjet head of the present embodiment is configured to discharge ink droplets from a selected discharge outlet using the drive means to apply a force to a meniscus formed at the tip of the corresponding nozzle.
• a discharge outlet using the drive means to apply a force to a meniscus formed at the tip of the corresponding nozzle.
• piezoelectric element may be used as the drive means.
• the piezoelectric element may be arranged within the discharge chamber, and an electrode that is connected to the piezoelectric element may be extracted outside the discharge chamber to be connected to a pulse power circuit.
• electrostatic force may be used as the drive means.
• an electrode film may be formed at the inner wall of the nozzle hole as is described above, or the electrode film may be formed on the rear face of the nozzle plate. The electrode film may alternatively be extracted from the
• thermoelectric conversion element may be used as the drive means.
• the thermoelectric conversion element may be arranged within the
• FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an inkjet printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.
• FIG. 11A is a right side view of the inkjet printing apparatus 100
• FIG. 11B is a front view of the inkjet printing apparatus 100.
• the inkjet printing apparatus 100 includes an XY stage 101, a bridge, T- axis adjustment mechanism 102, and a Z-axis
• the XY stage 101 is configured to support a substrate to be printed arranged thereon.
• the bridge is arranged to straddle across the XY stage 101 like a gate.
• the T-axis adjustment mechanism 102 which is arranged at the bridge, has the Z-axis adjustment mechanism 103 attached thereto.
• the inkjet head 80 is held by a vertical (Z- axis) drive stage of the Z-axis adjustment mechanism 103.
• the bridge and the XY stage 101 are arranged on a surface plate.
• a substrate to be printed is arranged on the XY stage 101. In a preferred
• a substrate suction mechanism and a temperature adjustment mechanism are also provided.
• the XY stage 101 is electrically connected to a drive circuit and is driven by a motion controller
• the inkjet head 80 is
• alignment may be provided, for example.
• the present embodiment is not limited to such type of inkjet printing apparatus as long as it functions as an apparatus capable of printing desired data on a substrate by cooperatively controlling discharge operations by the inkjet head and the position of the substrate by a computer program.
• a silicon substrate having a thermally oxidized film was used as the substrate to be printed and gold nanopaste NPG-J by Harima Chemicals, Inc. was used as the ink.
• FIG. 12B is an enlarged view of the micrograph of FIG. 12A.
• the dot radius was 2.8 ⁇
• the dot height was 110 nm
• the discharge volume was 14 fL .
• FIG. 13 is a micrograph showing an exemplary result of discharging ink using the nozzle plate of
• a nozzle plate has a nozzle hole that penetrates through the nozzle plate in a thickness direction.
• a nozzle plate has a nozzle hole that penetrates through the nozzle plate in a thickness direction.
• the nozzle plate includes a first
• first substrate including a bonding surface on which a groove is formed
• second substrate including a surface that is bonded to the bonding surface of the first substrate, and a discharge outlet formed at the nozzle hole.
• the discharge outlet is formed on a cut - surface of the first substrate and the second substrate that are bonded together, and
• a nozzle plate that enables high quality printing with reduced ink mists and ink satellites and stable ink droplet discharge operations may be provided.
• the nozzle plate of Mode 1 or Mode 2 is made of a dielectric material with chemical durability. In this way, as described above in connection with the first embodiment, a nozzle plate with adequate chemical durability that enables high quality
• the nozzle hole includes a nozzle flow path portion that is in communication with the
• a nozzle plate that enables high quality printing and stable ink droplet discharge operations may be provided.
• an opening area of the discharge outlet is denoted as S and a length of a nozzle flow path portion of the nozzle hole that is in connection with the discharge outlet is denoted as L, S ⁇ 100 ⁇ m 2 and ratio L/S ⁇ 2 m _1 .
• an opening area of the discharge outlet is denoted as S and a length of a nozzle flow path portion of the nozzle hole that is in connection with the discharge outlet is denoted as L, S ⁇ 100 ⁇ m 2 and ratio L/S ⁇ 4 ⁇ 1 .
• an opening area of the discharge outlet is denoted as S and a length of a nozzle flow path portion of the nozzle hole that is in connection with the discharge outlet is denoted as L, S ⁇ 100 ⁇ m 2 and ratio L/S ⁇ 10 ⁇ 1 .
• a method of manufacturing a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole that penetrates through the nozzle plate in a thickness direction includes the steps of forming a groove on a surface of a first substrate, bonding a surface of a second substrate to the surface of the first substrate on which the groove is formed to create a bonded substrate, and cutting the bonded substrate in a direction
• a nozzle hole 33 may be formed between the bonding faces of these
• the discharge outlet 32 may be formed on a cut surface of the bonded substrate.
• the opening area and the opening shape of the discharge outlets formed by cutting the bonded substrate in the direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the groove at given positions along the longitudinal direction of the groove may be
• a nozzle plate having discharge outlets with reduced variations in the opening area and a stable opening shape may be manufactured .
• the nozzle hole includes a
• a nozzle plate that enables high quality printing with reduced ink mists and ink satellites and stable ink droplet discharge operations may be manufactured.
• the nozzle plate manufactured by the method of Mode 8 or Mode 9 is made of a dielectric material with chemical durability. In this way, as described above in connection with the first embodiment, a nozzle plate with adequate chemical durability that enables high quality printing and stable ink
• the nozzle hole includes a nozzle flow path portion that is in connection with the discharge outlet, and the nozzle flow path
• portion is arranged to have a straight configuration.
• the nozzle hole may be arranged to have a straight configuration .
• a nozzle plate that enables high quality printing and a stable ink droplet discharge operations may be manufactured.
• an opening area of the discharge outlet is denoted as S and a length of a nozzle flow path portion of the nozzle hole that is in connection with the discharge outlet is denoted as L, S ⁇ 100 ⁇ m 2 and L/S ⁇ 2 ⁇ 1 .
• a nozzle plate manufactured by any one of the methods of Modes 8-12 provided an opening area of the discharge outlet is denoted as S and a length of a nozzle flow path portion of the nozzle hole that is in connection with the discharge outlet is denoted as L, S ⁇ 100 ⁇ m 2 and L/S ⁇ 4 ⁇ '1 .
• S opening area of the discharge outlet
• L length of a nozzle flow path portion of the nozzle hole that is in connection with the discharge outlet
• a nozzle plate manufactured by any one of the methods of Modes 8-13 provided an opening area of the discharge outlet is denoted as S and a length of a nozzle flow path portion of the nozzle hole that is in connection with the discharge outlet is denoted as L, S ⁇ 100 ⁇ m 2 and L/S ⁇ 10 ⁇ . '1 .
• S opening area of the discharge outlet
• L length of a nozzle flow path portion of the nozzle hole that is in connection with the discharge outlet
• An inkjet head includes at least one of the nozzle plate according to any one of Modes 1-7 or the nozzle plate manufactured by any one of the methods of Modes 8-14, and an ink flow path that is connected to a nozzle flow path portion formed at the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate and is configured to supply ink to the nozzle flow path portion.
• an inkjet head that enables high quality printing and a stable ink droplet discharge
• An inkjet printing apparatus includes an inkjet head of Mode 15, drive means for driving the inkjet head, a scanning unit that is configured to support a substrate to be printed and scan the
• control unit that is configured to
• an inkjet printing apparatus may be provided that is capable of properly printing desired data on a substrate to be printed by controlling discharge operations of the inkjet head and the position of the substrate.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
• Coating Apparatus (AREA)
• Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Machining, And Combined Machining (AREA)
• Nozzles (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=50027878

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (12)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (18)

• 2012
  • 2012-07-31 JP JP2012170502A patent/JP6048794B2/ja active Active
• 2013
  • 2013-07-19 CN CN201380040170.6A patent/CN104507686B/zh active Active
  • 2013-07-19 US US14/412,827 patent/US9481173B2/en active Active
  • 2013-07-19 EP EP13825001.4A patent/EP2879879B1/en active Active
  • 2013-07-19 KR KR1020157002266A patent/KR101690893B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2013-07-19 WO PCT/JP2013/070255 patent/WO2014021200A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2013-07-19 IN IN2996KON2014 patent/IN2014KN02996A/en unknown
  • 2013-07-25 TW TW102126682A patent/TWI592312B/zh active

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events