WO2019012828A1 - Inkjet head, inkjet recording device and method for producing inkjet head - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of preventing decrease in the liquid repellency of the ejection surface side of a nozzle substrate. An inkjet head of an inkjet recording device according to the present invention is provided with a nozzle substrate 40A. The nozzle substrate 40A comprises: a substrate part 41 that is provided with a nozzle 2411 from which an ink is ejected; a liquid repellent film base layer 42A that is formed on the ejection surface side of the substrate part 41 and has a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxynitride film at least on the surface; and a liquid repellent film 43 that is formed on the ejection surface side of the liquid repellent film base layer 42A.

Description

Ink jet head, ink jet recording apparatus, and method of manufacturing ink jet head

The present invention relates to an inkjet head, an inkjet recording apparatus, and a method of manufacturing an inkjet head.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an inkjet recording apparatus that ejects ink from nozzles to form an image or the like is known. The ink jet head of the ink jet recording apparatus has a nozzle substrate having a plurality of nozzle holes and a liquid repellent film formed on the exit surface side.

As the nozzle substrate, there is known a nozzle substrate on which an inner wall of a nozzle hole and a plurality of ink resistant protective films are formed (see Patent Document 1). The nozzle substrate firstly forms a silicon oxide film having high filmability, and then on the inner wall, the injection surface (front surface) and the flow channel side surface (back surface) by the CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition: chemical vapor deposition) method. A protective film of metal oxide having ink resistance is formed, and then a water repellent film (liquid repellent film) is formed on the ejection surface side. This structure is mainly intended to improve the durability to the state in which the ink is in contact with the nozzle substrate.

There is also known a nozzle substrate in which a silicon nitride film and a silicon oxide film are formed on the surface on the flow path side, and the silicon oxide film is removed together with grinding waste (see Patent Document 2).

JP, 2009-184176, A JP 2008-284825 A

On the other hand, abrasion resistance can be mentioned as a property required for the liquid repellent film formed on the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate, but like metal nozzle or silicon oxide film as in the nozzle substrate of Patent Document 1, maintenance time It is worn out by wiping off and the liquid repellency tends to be reduced. In particular, if wiping is performed with an ink containing a coloring material in a state where the ejection surface is wetted, the film thickness of the metal oxide or silicon oxide film of the liquid repellent film underlying layer decreases simultaneously with the decrease of the liquid repellency.

Also in the nozzle substrate of Patent Document 2, there is no protective film on the exit surface side, and the liquid repellency is reduced due to abrasion.

An object of the present invention is to prevent a decrease in liquid repellency of an ejection surface side of a nozzle substrate.

In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, the ink jet head of the invention according to claim 1 is
A substrate portion provided with a nozzle for ejecting ink;
A liquid repellent film base layer formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion and having at least a surface a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxynitride film;
And a liquid repellent film formed on the side of the light emitting surface of the liquid repellent film base layer.

The invention according to claim 2 is the inkjet head according to claim 1 in which
The ink contains pigment molecules.

The invention according to claim 3 is the inkjet head according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The ink is alkaline.

The invention according to claim 4 is the ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The liquid repellent film base layer is formed in the injection surface side of the substrate portion and in the flow path of the nozzle.

The invention according to claim 5 is the ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in which
It has a flow path protective film formed in the flow path of the nozzle of the substrate portion.

The invention according to claim 6 is the inkjet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The liquid repellent film underlayer is made of a silicon nitride film.

The invention according to claim 7 is the ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The liquid repellent film underlayer is made of a silicon oxynitride film.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
The liquid repellent film base layer has a silicon nitride film on the substrate portion side and a silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side.

The invention according to claim 9 is the ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The liquid repellent film base layer has a silicon oxide film on the substrate portion side and a silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side.

The invention according to claim 10 is the inkjet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In the liquid repellent film base layer, concentration gradients of nitrogen and oxygen between the silicon oxide film on the substrate portion side and the silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side are adjusted.

The invention according to claim 11 is the inkjet head according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein
The substrate portion is made of silicon, a metal material or a resin material.

The inkjet recording device of the invention according to claim 12 is
An inkjet head according to any one of claims 1 to 11;
And a cleaning unit that wipes the ink on the side of the ejection surface of the liquid repellent film.

The method for manufacturing an inkjet head according to the invention of claim 13 is
A substrate portion generating step of generating a substrate portion having a nozzle for ejecting ink;
A liquid repellent film base layer forming step of forming a liquid repellent film base layer having a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxynitride film on at least the surface on the emission surface side of the substrate portion;
A liquid repellent film forming step of forming a liquid repellent film on an emission surface side of the liquid repellent film base layer to generate a nozzle substrate;
An inkjet head generating step of generating an inkjet head including the nozzle substrate.

The invention according to claim 14 is the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 13.
In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, a liquid repellent film base layer of a silicon nitride film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion.

The invention according to claim 15 is the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 13.
In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, a liquid repellent film base layer of a silicon oxynitride film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion.

The invention according to claim 16 is the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 13.
In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, a silicon nitride film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion, and the surface of the silicon nitride film is subjected to additional oxidation treatment to form the liquid repellent film base layer.

The invention according to claim 17 is the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 13.
In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, a silicon oxide film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion, and the surface of the silicon oxide film is additionally nitrided to form the liquid repellent film base layer.

The invention according to claim 18 is the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 13.
In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, the liquid repellent film base layer changing from a silicon oxide film on the substrate portion side to a silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side is formed by controlling concentration gradients of nitrogen and oxygen. .

The invention according to claim 19 is the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of claims 13 to 18,
In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, the liquid repellent film base layer is formed in the injection surface side of the substrate portion and in the flow path of the nozzle.

The invention according to claim 20 is the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of claims 13 to 19,
The flow path protective film formation process of forming a flow path protective film in the flow path of the said nozzle is included.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a decrease in liquid repellency of the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the head unit as viewed from the upstream side of the conveyance direction of the recording medium above the conveyance surface of the image forming drum. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the head unit as viewed from the conveyance surface side of the image forming drum. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an image forming drum. FIG. 6 is a view of the image forming drum as seen from the same front side as FIG. 1 as viewed from the rear side. It is a figure which shows typically the cross-sectional shape of an inkjet head. It is a typical sectional view of the 1st nozzle substrate of an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a 1st nozzle board | substrate manufacture process. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the nozzle hole process was carried out. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film base layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film protective layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part to which the liquid repelling film removal process was performed. It is a figure which shows the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate of the film depth direction of the 1st nozzle board | substrate of embodiment. It is a typical sectional view of the 2nd nozzle board. It is a flowchart which shows a 2nd nozzle board | substrate manufacture process. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the nozzle hole process was carried out. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film base layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film protective layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part to which the liquid repelling film removal process was performed. It is a typical sectional view of the 3rd nozzle board. It is a flowchart which shows a 3rd nozzle board | substrate manufacture process. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the nozzle hole process was carried out. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the flow-path protective film was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film base layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film protective layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part to which the liquid repelling film removal process was performed. It is a typical sectional view of the 4th nozzle board. It is a flow chart which shows the 4th nozzle board manufacture processing. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the nozzle hole process was carried out. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the flow-path protective film was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film base layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part in which the liquid repelling film protective layer was formed. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the board | substrate part to which the liquid repelling film removal process was performed. It is a flow chart which shows the 5th nozzle board manufacture processing. It is a figure which shows the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate of the film depth direction of the 1st nozzle substrate of a 4th modification. It is a flow chart which shows the 6th nozzle board manufacture processing. It is a figure which shows the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate of the film depth direction of the 1st nozzle substrate of a 5th modification. It is a flow chart which shows the 7th nozzle board manufacture processing. It is a figure which shows the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate of the film depth direction of the 1st nozzle substrate of a 6th modification. It is a flow chart which shows the 8th nozzle board manufacture processing. It is a figure which shows the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate of the film depth direction of the 1st nozzle substrate of a 7th modification.

Embodiments and first to seventh modifications according to the present invention will be sequentially described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the illustrated example. In the following description, components having the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

Embodiment
An embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. First, the apparatus configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3B. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front.

The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a medium supply unit 10, an image forming unit 20, a medium discharge unit 30, a control unit (not shown), and the like. In the inkjet recording apparatus 1, the recording medium R stored in the medium supply unit 10 is conveyed to the image forming unit 20 based on the control operation of the control unit, and is discharged to the medium discharge unit 30 after an image is formed.

The medium supply unit 10 includes a medium supply tray 11, a transport unit 12, and the like. The medium supply tray 11 is a plate-like member provided so as to be capable of mounting one or more recording media R. The medium supply tray 11 moves up and down according to the amount of the recording medium R placed thereon, and the top one of the recording medium R is held at the conveyance start position by the conveyance unit 12. As the recording medium R, various kinds of media which can be curved and carried on the outer peripheral surface of the image forming drum 21 such as printing paper of various thicknesses, cells, films and fabrics are used.

The transport unit 12 includes a plurality of (for example, two) rollers 121 and 122, an annular belt 123 supported by the rollers 121 and 122 on the inner side, and the recording medium R mounted on the medium supply tray 11. And a supply unit (not shown) for delivering the top one to the belt 123. The conveyance unit 12 conveys the recording medium R delivered on the belt 123 by the supply unit in accordance with the circumferential movement of the belt 123 by the rotation of the rollers 121 and 122 and sends the recording medium R to the image forming unit 20.

The image forming unit 20 includes an image forming drum 21, a delivery unit 22, a temperature measuring unit 23, a head unit 24, a heating unit 25, a delivery unit 26, a cleaning unit 27 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) and the like.

The image forming drum 21 has a cylindrical outer peripheral shape, carries the recording medium R on the outer peripheral surface (conveying surface), and conveys the recording medium R along a conveyance path according to the rotation operation. A heater is provided on the inner surface side of the image forming drum 21 and can heat the conveyance surface so that the recording medium R placed on the conveyance surface has a predetermined set temperature.

The delivery unit 22 delivers the recording medium R delivered from the transport unit 12 to the image forming drum 21. The delivery unit 22 is provided at a position between the conveyance unit 12 of the medium supply unit 10 and the image forming drum 21. The delivery unit 22 has a claw portion 221 which holds one end of the recording medium R sent by the conveyance portion 12, a cylindrical delivery drum 222 which guides the recording medium R held by the claw portion 221, and the like. The recording medium R acquired from the transport unit 12 by the claws 221 moves along the outer peripheral surface of the delivery drum 222 which rotates when sent to the delivery drum 222, and is guided to the outer peripheral surface of the image forming drum 21 as it is Passed

The temperature measuring unit 23 is positioned between the recording medium R being placed on the conveyance surface of the image forming drum 21 and the position at which the recording medium R faces the ink ejection surface (ejection surface) of the first head unit 24. The surface temperature of the recording medium R to be conveyed (the temperature of the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the conveyance surface) is measured. For example, a radiation thermometer is used as the temperature sensor of the temperature measurement unit 23, and the surface temperature of the recording medium R not in contact with the temperature measurement unit 23 (radiation thermometer) is measured by measuring the intensity distribution of infrared rays. . In the temperature measurement unit 23, temperatures at a plurality of points along a width direction (direction perpendicular to the surface of FIG. 1) orthogonal to the direction (conveyance direction) along the path along which the recording medium R is conveyed in the image forming unit 20. A plurality of sensors are arrayed so as to be able to measure, and measurement data is output to each control unit at an appropriate timing set in advance and controlled.

The head unit 24 is disposed at each position of the recording medium R from a plurality of nozzle openings (nozzle holes) provided on the ink ejection surface facing the recording medium R in accordance with the rotation of the image forming drum 21 carrying the recording medium R. An image is formed by ejecting (discharging) ink droplets. In the inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, four head units 24 are spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the image forming drum 21 by a preset distance, and are arranged at predetermined intervals. The four head units 24 respectively output C (cyan) M (magenta) Y (yellow) K (black) inks of four colors. Here, C, M, Y, and K color inks are respectively ejected in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium R. Any ink may be used as the ink, but a normal liquid ink is used here, and the ink is fixed to the recording medium R by the evaporation and drying of the water by the operation of the heating unit 25. Here, each of the head units 24 is a line head capable of forming an image over the image forming width on the recording medium R by combination with the rotation of the image forming drum 21.

The heating unit 25 heats the surface of the recording medium R to be conveyed. The heating unit 25 has, for example, a heating wire or the like, generates heat in response to energization, heats air, and heats the recording medium R by irradiating infrared rays. The heating unit 25 is in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the image forming drum 21 and after the ink is ejected from the head unit 24 onto the recording medium R conveyed by the rotation of the image forming drum 21, the recording medium R is an image. The recording medium R is disposed so as to be able to be heated before it passes from the forming drum 21 to the delivery unit 26. By the operation of the heating unit 25, the ink ejected from the nozzle of the head unit 24 is dried to fix the ink on the recording medium R.

The delivery unit 26 conveys the recording medium R having the ejected and fixed ink from the image forming drum 21 to the medium discharge unit 30. The delivery unit 26 includes a plurality of (for example, two) rollers 261 and 262, an annular belt 263 supported by the rollers 261 and 262 on the inner side, a cylindrical delivery roller 264, and the like. The delivery unit 26 guides the recording medium R on the image forming drum 21 onto the belt 263 by the delivery roller 264, and moves the delivered recording medium R together with the belt 263 that circulates along with the rotation of the rollers 261 and 262. And transport to the medium discharge unit 30.

The cleaning unit 27 cleans the ink ejection surface of the head unit 24. The cleaning unit 27 is disposed adjacent to the image forming drum 21 in the width direction. By moving the head unit 24 in the width direction, the ink ejection surface of the head unit 24 is set at the cleaning position by the cleaning unit 27.

The medium discharge unit 30 stores the recording medium R after image formation sent from the image forming unit 20 until it is taken out by the user. The medium discharge unit 30 has a plate-like medium discharge tray 31 or the like on which the recording medium R conveyed by the delivery unit 26 is placed.

2A and 2B are diagrams showing the configuration of the head unit 24. FIG. FIG. 2A is a schematic view of the head unit 24 as viewed from the upstream side of the conveyance direction of the recording medium R above the conveyance surface of the image forming drum 21. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the head unit 24 as viewed from the conveyance surface side of the image forming drum 21.

The head unit 24 has a plurality of inkjet heads 241. Here, although 16 inkjet heads 241 are provided in one head unit 24, it is not limited to this. The sixteen inkjet heads 241 are included in the eight inkjet modules 242 in sets of two each. The ink jet module 242 is adjusted and fixed at an appropriate relative position by a fixing member 245 here in a zigzag form.

The fixing member 245 is supported and held by the carriage 246. The carriage 246 holds the first sub tank 243 and the second sub tank 244 together, and the ink is supplied from the first sub tank 243 and the second sub tank 244 to the respective inkjet heads 241. The carriage 246 is movable in the width direction on the image forming drum 21 separately for each of the four head units 24.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the inkjet heads 241 each have a plurality of nozzles 2411. The inkjet head 241 ejects ink (droplets) from the openings (nozzle holes) of the plurality of nozzles 2411 provided on each bottom surface (nozzle opening surface 241 a), and is carried on the conveyance surface of the image forming drum 21. The ink droplets are landed on the recording medium R. Although the inkjet head 241 has a two-dimensional array pattern in which the openings are arranged in two lines in the transport direction, the inkjet head 241 is not limited thereto. The openings may be arranged in any suitable one-dimensional or two-dimensional array pattern. The arrangement range of these openings covers the recordable width of the recording medium R carried on the transport surface in the width direction with the entire 16 inkjet heads 241, and image formation in a one-pass method while the head unit 24 is fixed. Is made possible. The nozzle opening surfaces 241a of the sixteen inkjet heads 241 are covered with a liquid repellent film (ink repellent film) 43 (see FIG. 4).

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the cleaning unit 27. FIG. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the image forming drum 21. FIG. FIG. 3B is a view when the image forming drum 21 is transmitted from the same front side as FIG. 1 and viewed from the rear side.

The cleaning unit 27 wipes and removes ink and other contaminants (collectively, foreign substances) adhering to the nozzle opening surface 241 a of the inkjet head 241 after ink ejection and maintenance relating to image formation. As shown in FIG. 3A, the cleaning unit 27 is arranged in the width direction with respect to the image forming drum 21 and is arranged so that the ink ejection surface can be cleaned when the head unit 24 moves in the width direction. .

As shown in FIG. 3B, the cleaning unit 27 includes a wiping member 271, an elastic member 272, an unwinding roller 273, a winding roller 274, and the like. These configurations are separately provided for the plurality of head units 24, but may be provided commonly for the plurality of head units 24 so that the cleaning unit 27 can be moved in the transport direction.

The wiping member 271 is a long cloth-like sheet member, and the length (width) in the width direction of the wiping member 271 can cover the ink ejection surface (the whole of at least a plurality of nozzle opening surfaces 241 a). As the wiping member 271, a member which can easily absorb the moisture of the ink and has a hardness lower than at least the material of the ink ejection surface is preferable, and a member which does not easily damage the liquid repellent film is preferable. As such a member, polyester, an acryl, a polyamide, a polyurethane etc. are mentioned, for example. These members may form a woven or non-woven fabric. In particular, it is more preferable to have a high water absorbability and to which the liquid is easily absorbed even when the pressing force at the time of contact is low. Alternatively, the wiping member 271 may have a blade-like structure.

The elastic member 272 is opposed to the ink ejection surface with the wiping member 271 interposed therebetween, and the size of the surface (pressing surface) opposed to the ink ejection surface is formed so as to cover the entire ink ejection surface. The elastic member 272 is movable substantially perpendicular to the ink ejection surface. As a material of the elastic member 272, for example, a material such as sponge (foamed resin) or rubber which does not damage the nozzle even when pressed against the nozzle opening surface 241a is used. The wiping member 271 is brought into contact with the nozzle opening surface 241a as a whole in a substantially parallel state by moving the elastic member 272 in a direction approaching the nozzle opening surface 241a (ink ejection surface).

When the wiping member 271 is in contact with the nozzle opening surface 241a, the relative position (distance) between the elastic member 272 and the ink ejection surface is fixed here, and accordingly, the pressing of the wiping member 271 against the ink ejection surface is performed. The pressure is kept constant each time within the range of the influence of the separation of the liquid repellent film on the surface of the nozzle opening surface 241a. The relative position is determined so that the pressing force at this time has an appropriate size for wiping the ink on the ink ejection surface. Alternatively, the pressing force may be variable, and in this case, the maximum value is determined according to the relationship between the surface shape of the nozzle opening surface 241 a and the wiping member 271 as described later.

The wiping member 271 is unwound from the unwinding roller 273 and taken up by the winding roller 274 as the winding operation is performed by the winding roller 274. During this time, the elastic member 272 presses the wiping member 271 substantially equally against the ink ejection surface, whereby the new (no ink attached) wiping member 271 in contact with the ink ejection surface is the nozzle opening surface 241a (ink Wipe off the ink etc. adhering to the ejection surface. When all the wiping members 271 are unwound from the unwinding roller 273, the wiping members 271 can be easily replaced.

Next, the nozzle substrate 40A provided on the ink ejection surface of the head unit 24 of the present embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a view schematically showing the cross-sectional shape of the inkjet head 241. As shown in FIG.

Each ink jet head 241 is a bend mode ink jet head formed by laminating a plurality of plates (substrates) as shown in FIG. 4, although not particularly limited. Specifically, in each inkjet head 241, the nozzle substrate 40A, the pressure chamber substrate 50, the diaphragm 60, the spacer substrate 70, and the wiring substrate 80 are stacked in order from the nozzle opening surface 241a (ink ejection surface, downward) side upwards It is done.

The ink supplied from the first sub tank 243 and the second sub tank 244 flows into the pressure chamber 51 of the pressure chamber substrate 50 through the ink flow path communicated with the wiring substrate 80, the spacer substrate 70, and the diaphragm 60. The pressure chamber 51 is in contact with the piezoelectric element portion 71 of the spacer substrate 70 via the diaphragm 60 and is conducted to the nozzle 2411. A control signal from the control unit of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 is input to the piezoelectric element unit 71 via the wiring of the wiring substrate 80, and the piezoelectric element unit 71 physically vibrates, whereby an ink flow path such as the wiring substrate 80 is obtained. The inflow of the ink into the pressure chamber 51 and the outflow of the ink from the inside of the pressure chamber 51 to the nozzle 2411 of the nozzle substrate 40A are performed. Then, the ink in the nozzle 2411 is ejected as an ink droplet from the opening (nozzle hole) on the nozzle opening surface 241 a (emission surface) side, and the ink droplet is landed on the recording medium R.

Note that an intermediate substrate (intermediate layer) having a flow path that leads from the pressure chamber 51 to the nozzle 2411 may be provided between the nozzle substrate 40A and the pressure chamber substrate 50.

Next, the configuration of the nozzle substrate 40A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle substrate 40A. In the nozzle substrate 40A of FIG. 5, the lower side of the drawing is the (ink) ejection surface side (head outer side), and the upper side is similarly expressed as the flow path side (head inner side, pressure chamber side). The same shall apply to cross-sectional views of processes.

As shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle substrate 40A has a substrate portion 41, a liquid repellent film base layer 42A, and a liquid repellent film 43. The substrate unit 41 is a substrate unit made of silicon. The nozzle 2411 is an ink nozzle formed on the substrate portion 41, and includes an ink flow path and a nozzle hole on the ejection surface side. The liquid repellent film base layer 42A is provided on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41, and is a base layer on the flow path (substrate portion 41) side of the liquid repellent film 43. In the present embodiment, the liquid repellent film base layer 42A is silicon nitride (silicon nitride film) SiN. The liquid repellent film 43 is provided on the ejection surface side of the liquid repellent film base layer 42A, and has, for example, a configuration in which a fluorine chain is formed on the surface of perfluoropolyether (PFPE). ).

Since the liquid repellent film base layer 42A is made of a silicon nitride film, the durability against film loss due to wiping of the cleaning portion 27 and the bonding property with the liquid repellent film 43 (a siloxane bond can be formed) can be compatible. . It is estimated that this film loss is due to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).

In recent years, the use of inkjet printing in the textile field has advanced. Compared to the conventional printing method, there is no need to make a plate in ink jet printing, it is possible to cope with a small number of lots, and there is an advantage that the amount of ink waste liquid is small. When polyester or synthetic fiber is used as the recording medium R, an aqueous ink such as a disperse dye ink or a sublimation ink is used, but an additive such as a dispersant exhibits alkalinity. In the ink containing pigment molecules, the dispersion of the pigment molecules is controlled by the pH of the ink. In an alkaline environment, the hydrolysis of the liquid repellent film is promoted, so that the liquid repellent film formed by the conventional silane coupling has low reliability. Moreover, even if the printing ink itself is neutral or weakly alkaline, a cloth coated with an alkaline pretreatment agent for improving color development may be used. In the case of an inkjet printer for printing, the surface of the fabric is made alkaline by raising the surface. The treatment agent may affect the reliability of the liquid repellency of the subsequent inkjet head surface.

On the other hand, the silicon nitride film has high chemical stability. Therefore, in the region in which the ink and the pretreatment agent are alkaline, the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A of silicon nitride has high durability to film reduction against wiping. In particular, the region of pH = 9 greater than the alkali, but the dissolution of the silicon oxide film of the prior art becomes significant, the liquid-repellent film underlayer 42A of the silicon nitride film, can be expected remarkably improved durability than SiO ₂ . In particular, in the ink containing a pigment molecule such as carbon black, the pigment molecule plays a role like a kind of sand particles (abrasive particles), so that the durability effect of the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A is also high.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, a method of manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 subjected to the nozzle hole processing. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A is formed. FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film 43a is formed. FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film protective layer 45 is formed. FIG. 7E is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate part 41 subjected to the liquid repellent film removal process. FIG. 8 is a view showing the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate in the film depth direction of the nozzle substrate 40A of the present embodiment.

A first nozzle substrate manufacturing process for manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the manufacturer applies a resist pattern to the surface on the flow path side of the silicon substrate serving as the base member using a mask according to the position where the nozzle 2411 including the ink flow path is formed. The substrate portion 41 provided with the nozzles 2411 is formed by processing the nozzle hole and the nozzle flow path by etching. As a method of etching in step S11, for example, reactive ion etching (RIE) according to the easy digging Bosch method is used. Alternatively, laser perforation or blasting may be used (used in combination) to form the ink flow path or the nozzle.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the manufacturer forms a liquid repellent film base layer 42A of silicon nitride (silicon nitride film) on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41 by CVD, sputtering or the like (step S12). After step S12, the substrate portion 41 is preferably cleaned to remove foreign matter. Here, since the substrate unit 41 is silicon-based, RCA cleaning is preferably used, but other cleaning methods may be used depending on the material of the substrate unit 41.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, the manufacturer forms the liquid repellent film 43a in the injection surface side of the substrate portion 41 and in the flow path of the nozzle 2411 by dipping or the like (step S13). In step S13, more specifically, first, a process of improving the wettability of the surface of the substrate unit 41 is performed. For example, the wettability is improved by forming an OH group on the surface of the SiO ₂ film by performing plasma treatment in oxygen gas. Then, a liquid repellent agent is applied to the base material 2410 having improved wettability. Here, the liquid repellent agent is applied to the entire surface by immersing the substrate portion 41 in the liquid repellent agent (dip coating). Here, for example, a liquid obtained by diluting a predetermined perfluoropolyether (PFPE) with a fluorine-based solvent is used as the liquid repellent. The liquid repellent agent further contains water as a solvent, and may contain a surfactant or the like. As the method of application, other than that, CVD, spray coating, spin coating, wire bar coating (if siloxane graft type polymer is used, etc.) can be used.

Then, the substrate portion 41 to which PFPE is attached is allowed to stand under appropriate conditions (temperature and humidity), and the liquid repellent film 43a is formed. A chemical bond (siloxane bond) is generated between the PFPE and the substrate portion 41 (silicon nitride of the liquid repellent film underlayer 42A) based on the above-described plasma treatment and hydrolysis using a silane coupling agent, A liquid repellent film 43 a of fluorine chain is formed on the surface of the substrate portion 41. Appropriate conditions are determined according to the type of the liquid repellent agent, etc., and heat treatment is performed at normal temperature or high temperature state (eg, 300 to 400 ° C.) as needed. Then, after the liquid repellent film 43a is formed on the entire surface of the substrate portion 41, the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film 43a is formed is washed (rinsed) with a fluorine-based solvent (hydrofluoroether or the like). At this time, ultrasonic cleaning is performed to remove the remaining PFPE which has not generated a chemical bond. As a frequency of ultrasonic waves, a MHz band is preferably used. Thus, the liquid repellent film 43 a formed on the surface of the substrate unit 41 by chemical bonding becomes a monomolecular film formed along the shape of the substrate unit 41.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7D, the manufacturer forms a liquid repellent film protection layer 45 such as a masking tape or a resist on the emission surface side of the substrate unit 41 (step S14). Then, as shown in FIG. 7E, the manufacturer removes the liquid repellent film 43a in the flow path of the substrate portion 41 where the liquid repellent film protective layer 45 is not formed by oxygen plasma treatment or the like. Leave (step S15). Then, the manufacturer removes the liquid repellent film protection layer 45, forms the nozzle substrate 40A (step S16), and ends the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process.

Then, the nozzle substrate 40A formed by the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process by the manufacturer is adhered to the pressure chamber substrate 50 (or the intermediate substrate), and the nozzle substrate 40A, the pressure chamber substrate 50, the diaphragm 60, the spacer substrate 70, a substrate on which the wiring substrate 80 is stacked is generated, and a driving circuit and an ink supply path are connected to the substrate to generate the inkjet head 241, which is used as a part of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 .

FIG. 8 shows the composition ratio [%] of silicon Si, oxygen O, and nitrogen N according to the coordinates in the film depth direction (the injection surface side → the flow path side) of the formed nozzle substrate 40A. The liquid repellent film 43 is omitted. The liquid repellent film base layer 42A is made of silicon nitride SiN. The substrate portion 41 is made of silicon Si.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the inkjet head 241 is formed on the substrate portion 41 on which the nozzle 2411 for ejecting ink is formed, and on the ejection surface side of the substrate portion 41, and has a silicon nitride film at least on the surface. The nozzle substrate 40A is provided with a liquid film base layer 42A and a liquid repellent film 43 formed on the ejection surface side of the liquid repellent film base layer 42A. The liquid repellent film base layer 42A is made of a silicon nitride film. The substrate portion 41 is made of silicon. For this reason, since the film reduction of the liquid repellent film 43 at the time of ink wiping is prevented by the liquid repellent film base layer 42A, it is possible to prevent the liquid repellency of the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A from being lowered.

The ink also contains pigment molecules such as carbon black. For this reason, the effect of the large chemical mechanical polishing at the time of ink wiping in which the pigment molecules behave like abrasive particles can be suppressed, and the decrease in liquid repellency on the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A can be further prevented.

Also, the ink is alkaline. In particular, the silicon oxide film SiO ₂ dissolves in the region of pH> 9 of the ink. Therefore, as compared with the conventional structure using the silicon oxide film SiO ₂ as the liquid repellent film base layer, the silicon nitride film on the surface of the liquid repellent film base layer 42 A is not dissolved, and the repellent side of the nozzle substrate 40 A is repellent It is possible to prevent the deterioration of the liquid.

The liquid repellent film 43 is supported on the liquid repellent film base layer 42A by siloxane bonding. For this reason, the bond between the liquid repellent film 43 and the liquid repellent film base layer 42A can be strengthened, and the decrease in the liquid repellency of the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A can be further prevented.

The inkjet recording apparatus 1 further includes an inkjet head 241 and a cleaning unit 27 that wipes off the ink on the ejection surface side of the liquid repellent film 43. Therefore, the effect of chemical mechanical polishing by the ink wiping of the cleaning unit 27 can be suppressed, and the ink jet recording apparatus 1 can be realized which prevents the decrease in the liquid repellency of the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A.

Further, in the manufacture of the inkjet head 241, a substrate portion 41 having a nozzle 2411 for ejecting ink is generated, and a liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A having a silicon nitride film at least on the surface is formed on the ejection surface side of the substrate portion 41. A liquid repellent film 43 is formed on the ejection surface side of the liquid repellent film base layer 42A to generate a nozzle substrate 40A, and an inkjet head 241 including the nozzle substrate 40A is generated. For this reason, since the film reduction of the liquid repellent film 43 at the time of ink wiping is prevented by the liquid repellent film base layer 42A, it is possible to prevent the liquid repellency of the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A from being lowered.

Further, on the exit surface side of the substrate portion 41, a liquid repellent film base layer 42A of a silicon nitride film is formed. Therefore, the liquid repellent film underlayer can be easily formed without performing additional processing and the like.

Further, the substrate portion 41 is made of silicon (silicon). Therefore, a semiconductor process can be used to process the nozzle 2411. By using this semiconductor process, it is possible to process the nozzle 2411 with high accuracy, and it is possible to manufacture the inkjet head 241 having excellent drawing quality with very small variation in the ejection angle.

(First modification)
A first modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11E. The device configuration of this modification is the same as that of the inkjet recording device 1 of the above embodiment, but the nozzle substrate 40A is replaced with a nozzle substrate 40B. Therefore, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

The configuration of the nozzle substrate 40B will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle substrate 40B. As shown in FIG. 9, the nozzle substrate 40B has a substrate portion 41, a liquid repellent film base layer 42B, and a liquid repellent film 43. The liquid repellent film base layer 42 B is a layer which is provided in the exit surface side of the substrate portion 41 and in the flow path of the nozzle 24 11 and a part thereof becomes the base layer on the substrate portion 41 side of the liquid repellent film 43. In the present modification, the liquid repellent film base layer 42B is a silicon nitride film made of silicon nitride SiN.

Next, a method of manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40B will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 11E. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the second nozzle substrate manufacturing process. FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 subjected to the nozzle hole processing. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film base layer 42B is formed. FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film 43a is formed. FIG. 11D is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film protective layer 45 is formed. FIG. 11E is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate part 41 subjected to the liquid repellent film removal process.

A second nozzle substrate manufacturing process for manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40B will be described with reference to FIG. First, step S21 corresponding to FIG. 11A is the same as step S11 of the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process of FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, as in step S12 of FIG. 6, the manufacturer uses silicon nitride (silicon nitride film) in the injection surface side of the substrate portion 41 and the flow path of the nozzle 2411 by CVD, sputtering or the like. The liquid repellent film base layer 42B is formed (step S22). Steps S23 to S25 and step S26 respectively corresponding to FIGS. 11C, 11D, and 11E are the same as steps S13 to S16 in FIG.

As described above, according to the present modification, the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42B is formed in the exit surface side of the substrate portion 41 and in the flow path of the nozzle 2411. Further, in the manufacture of the ink jet head 241, the liquid repellent film base layer 42B is formed in the injection surface side of the substrate portion 41 and in the flow path of the nozzle 2411. Therefore, compared to the configuration in which the liquid repellent film base layer 42A is formed only on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41, the liquid repellent film base layer 42B can be easily formed. Further, the liquid repellent film base layer 42B can prevent the deterioration of the substrate portion 41 due to the ink in the flow path of the nozzle 2411.

(Second modification)
A second modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14F. The device configuration of this modification is the same as that of the inkjet recording device 1 of the above embodiment, but the nozzle substrate 40A is replaced with the nozzle substrate 40C. Therefore, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

The configuration of the nozzle substrate 40C will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle substrate 40C. As shown in FIG. 12, the nozzle substrate 40 </ b> C has a substrate portion 41, a flow path protective film 44, a liquid repellent film base layer 42 </ b> A, and a liquid repellent film 43. The flow path protective film 44 is a film which is provided in the injection surface side of the substrate portion 41 and in the flow path of the nozzle 2411 and a part thereof becomes an underlayer on the substrate portion 41 side of the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A. The flow path protective film 44 is a protective film having ink resistance. The material of the flow path protective film 44 is an oxide of titanium, zirconium, chromium, hafnium, nickel, tantalum, silicon or the like. The composition of the oxide may include two or more materials in the case where only one of these elements is contained or in order to improve the durability and the in-channel wettability. One example is hafnium silicate containing hafnia and silicon, and tantalum silicate containing tantalum and silicon.

Next, a method of manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40C will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 14F. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the third nozzle substrate manufacturing process. FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 subjected to the nozzle hole processing. FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the flow path protective film 44 is formed. FIG. 14C is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film base layer 42A is formed. FIG. 14D is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film 43a is formed. FIG. 14E is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film protective layer 45 is formed. FIG. 14F is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate unit 41 subjected to the liquid repellent film removal process.

A third nozzle substrate manufacturing process for manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40C will be described with reference to FIG. First, step S31 corresponding to FIG. 14A is the same as step S11 of the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process of FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 14B, the manufacturer forms the flow path protective film 44 in the injection surface side of the substrate portion 41 and in the flow path of the nozzle 2411 by CVD, ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition: atomic layer deposition) or the like. (Step S32). Steps S33 to S36 and step S37 respectively corresponding to FIGS. 14C, 14D, 14E and 14F are the same as steps S12 to S16 in FIG.

As described above, according to the present modification, the ink jet head 241 has the flow path protective film 44 formed in the injection surface side of the substrate portion 41 and in the flow path of the nozzle 2411 of the substrate portion 41. Further, in the manufacture of the inkjet head 241, the flow path protective film 44 is formed in the injection surface side of the substrate portion 41 and in the flow path of the nozzle 2411. For this reason, the flow path protective film 44 can prevent the deterioration of the substrate portion 41 due to the ink in the flow path of the nozzle 2411.

(Third modification)
A third modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17F. The device configuration of this modification is the same as that of the inkjet recording device 1 of the above embodiment, but the nozzle substrate 40A is replaced with a nozzle substrate 40D. Therefore, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

The configuration of the nozzle substrate 40D will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle substrate 40D. As shown in FIG. 15, the nozzle substrate 40D includes a substrate portion 41, a flow path protective film 44, a liquid repellent film base layer 42B, and a liquid repellent film 43.

Next, a method of manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40D will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 17F. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the fourth nozzle substrate manufacturing process. FIG. 17A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 subjected to the nozzle hole processing. FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the flow path protective film 44 is formed. FIG. 17C is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film base layer 42B is formed. FIG. 17D is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film 43a is formed. FIG. 17E is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate portion 41 on which the liquid repellent film protective layer 45 is formed. FIG. 17F is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the substrate part 41 subjected to the liquid repellent film removal process.

A fourth nozzle substrate manufacturing process for manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40D will be described with reference to FIG. First, step S41 corresponding to FIG. 17A is the same as step S11 of the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process of FIG. Step S42 corresponding to FIG. 17B is the same as step S32 in the third nozzle substrate manufacturing process of FIG. Steps S43 to S46 and step S47 respectively corresponding to FIGS. 17C, 17D, 17E and 17F are the same as steps S22 to S26 in FIG.

As described above, according to the present modification, the same effects as those of the first and second modifications can be obtained by the nozzle substrate 40D.

(The 4th modification)
A fourth modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. The device configuration of this modification is the same as that of the inkjet recording device 1 of the above embodiment, but the liquid repellent film underlying layer 42A of silicon nitride (silicon nitride film) SiN of the nozzle substrate 40A is made of silicon nitride oxide (silicon oxide). Nitride film) The liquid repellent film base layer 42A of SiON is replaced with a structure. Therefore, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

A method of manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the fifth nozzle substrate manufacturing process. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate in the film depth direction of the nozzle substrate 40A of this modification.

A fifth nozzle substrate manufacturing process for manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIG. First, step S51 is the same as step S11 of the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process of FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the manufacturer forms a liquid repellent film base layer 42A of silicon nitride oxide (silicon oxynitride film) SiON on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41 by CVD, sputtering or the like (Step S52). In step S52, for example, in the CVD, oxygen O ₂ is added to the gas to be the material of silicon nitride, and the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A is formed. Steps S53 to S56 are the same as steps S13 to S16 in FIG.

The liquid repellent film on the surface is formed by making the liquid repellent film base layer 42A a silicon oxynitride film while maintaining the durability against the chemical mechanical polishing durability and increasing the number of siloxane bonding sites on the surface compared with the silicon nitride film. There is an effect that 43 can be formed in higher density. Furthermore, since the silicon nitride film has a large film stress, the warpage of the substrate portion 41 (nozzle substrate 40A) as a silicon chip becomes large, but the stress is relaxed by using the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A as a silicon oxynitride film. Warpage is also suppressed.

FIG. 19 shows the composition ratio [%] of silicon Si, oxygen O, and nitrogen N according to the coordinates in the film depth direction (the injection surface side → the flow path side) of the formed nozzle substrate 40A. The liquid repellent film 43 is omitted. The liquid repellent film base layer 42A is made of a silicon oxynitride film SiON. The substrate unit 41 is made of silicon Si.

As described above, according to this modification, the liquid-repellent film foundation layer 42A is made of a silicon oxynitride film. Further, in the manufacture of the ink jet head 241, a liquid repellent film base layer 42A of a silicon oxynitride film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41. Therefore, the liquid repellent film base layer 42A prevents the film loss of the liquid repellent film 43 at the time of ink wiping, so that the liquid repellency of the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A can be prevented from lowering and the liquid repellency of the surface The adhesion improvement and the high density formation of the film 43 can be realized, and the stress can be relaxed and the warpage of the nozzle substrate 40A can be suppressed by using silicon nitride oxide (silicon oxynitride film) SiON. Furthermore, the liquid repellent film base layer 42A can be easily formed without performing additional processing.

(Fifth modification)
A fifth modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. The apparatus configuration of this modification is the same as that of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, but the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A of silicon nitride (silicon nitride film) SiN of the nozzle substrate 40A Silicon oxinitride film) It is set as the composition replaced with liquid repelling film foundation layer 42A of the silicon nitride film which is SiON. Therefore, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

A method of manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the sixth nozzle substrate manufacturing process. FIG. 21 is a view showing the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate in the film depth direction of the nozzle substrate 40A of this modification.

A sixth nozzle substrate manufacturing process for manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIG. First, step S61 is the same as step S11 of the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process of FIG. Then, the manufacturer forms a liquid repellent film base layer 42A of silicon nitride (silicon nitride film) SiN on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41 by CVD, sputtering or the like (step S62).

Then, the manufacturer performs additional oxidation processing on the liquid repellent film base layer 42A of the silicon nitride film formed in step S62 by oxygen plasma processing or the like to form silicon nitride silicon nitride (silicon oxynitride film) SiON. A liquid repellent film base layer 42A of a nitride film is formed (step S63). Steps S64 to S67 are similar to steps S13 to S16 of FIG.

The silicon oxynitride film may be formed at least in the vicinity of the surface layer to increase the resistance to chemical mechanical polishing. Therefore, in the present modification, after the formation of the silicon oxynitride film, the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A is formed by additional oxidation with oxygen plasma or the like.

FIG. 21 shows the composition ratio [%] of silicon Si, oxygen O, and nitrogen N according to the coordinates in the film depth direction (the injection surface side → the flow path side) of the formed nozzle substrate 40A. The liquid repellent film 43 is omitted. The liquid repellent film base layer 42A has a surface made of a silicon oxynitride film SiON, and the other than the surface is made of a silicon nitride film SiN. The substrate unit 41 is made of silicon Si.

As described above, according to the present modification, the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A includes the silicon nitride film on the substrate portion 41 side and the silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side. Further, in the manufacture of the inkjet head 241, a silicon nitride film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41, and the surface of the silicon nitride film is subjected to additional oxidation treatment to form a liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A. For this reason, since the reduction of the film thickness of the liquid repellent film 43 at the time of ink wiping is prevented by the liquid repellent film base layer 42A, it is possible to prevent the liquid repellency of the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A from lowering. By the silicon oxynitride film 42A, adhesion improvement and high density formation of the liquid repellent film 43 on the surface can be performed, and stress can be relaxed, and warpage of the nozzle substrate 40A can also be suppressed.

(Sixth modification)
A sixth modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23. The device configuration of this modification is the same as that of the inkjet recording device 1 of the above embodiment, but the liquid repellent film base layer 42A of silicon nitride SiN of the nozzle substrate 40A has a surface of silicon nitride oxide (silicon oxynitride film). A liquid repellent film base layer 42A of silicon dioxide (silicon oxide film) SiO ₂ which is SiON is replaced. Therefore, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

The method of manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the seventh nozzle substrate manufacturing process. FIG. 23 is a view showing the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate in the film depth direction of the nozzle substrate 40A of this modification.

A seventh nozzle substrate manufacturing process for manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIG. First, step S71 is the same as step S11 of the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process of FIG. Then, the manufacturer forms a liquid repellent film base layer 42A of silicon dioxide (silicon oxide film) SiO ₂ on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41 by CVD, sputtering, thermal oxidation treatment or the like (step S73).

Then, the manufacturer performs additional nitriding processing on the liquid repellent film base layer 42A of the silicon oxide film formed in step S62 by plasma nitriding, gas nitriding, etc., and the surface becomes silicon nitride oxide (silicon oxynitride film). The liquid repellent film base layer 42A of the silicon oxide film is formed (step S73). Plasma nitriding is a method of nitriding the surface of an object by using nitrogen N ₂ + oxygen O ₂ or ammonia NH ₃ as a plasma state in vacuum. Gas nitriding is a method of nitriding the surface of an object by introducing ammonia NH ₃ into a chamber and performing heat treatment. Steps S74 to S77 are the same as steps S13 to S16 in FIG.

The silicon oxynitride film may be formed at least in the vicinity of the surface layer to increase the resistance to chemical mechanical polishing. For this reason, in the present modification, after the silicon oxide film is formed, an additional nitriding process is performed to convert the surface into SiON. By using the liquid repellent film base layer 42A as a silicon oxide film base, warpage suppression of the silicon substrate portion 41 by relaxation of the film stress and adhesion with the substrate portion 41 rather than the liquid repellent film base layer 42A of the silicon nitride film The effects of improvement and can be obtained.

FIG. 23 shows the composition ratio [%] of silicon Si, oxygen O, and nitrogen N according to the coordinates in the film depth direction (the injection surface side → the flow path side) of the formed nozzle substrate 40A. The liquid repellent film 43 is omitted. Liquid repellent film underlayer 42A, the surface is constituted by a silicon oxynitride film SiON, other than the surface is composed of silicon oxide film SiO _2. The substrate unit 41 is made of silicon Si.

As described above, according to the present modification, the liquid repellent film base layer 42A includes the silicon oxide film on the substrate portion 41 side and the silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side. Further, in the manufacture of the ink jet head 241, a silicon oxide film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41, and the surface of the silicon oxide film is additionally nitrided to form a liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A. For this reason, the silicon oxynitride film of the liquid repellent film base layer 42A prevents the film loss of the liquid repellent film 43 at the time of ink wiping, so that it is possible to prevent the liquid repellency on the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A from being lowered. Further, adhesion improvement and high density formation of the liquid repellent film 43 on the surface can be realized, and stress can be relieved, and warpage of the nozzle substrate 40A can be suppressed, and the silicon oxide film of the liquid repellent film underlying layer 42A The adhesion of the

(Seventh modified example)
A seventh modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25. FIG. The apparatus configuration of this modification is the same as that of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, but the liquid repellent film foundation layer 42A of silicon nitride (silicon nitride film) SiN of the nozzle substrate 40A The liquid repellent film base layer 42A which is a silicon oxynitride film) SiON and gradually becomes silicon dioxide (silicon oxide film) SiO ₂ on the side of the substrate portion 41 is replaced. Therefore, the description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

A method of manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an eighth nozzle substrate manufacturing process. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the composition ratio of silicon, oxygen and nitrogen with respect to the coordinate in the film depth direction of the nozzle substrate 40A of this modification.

An eighth nozzle substrate manufacturing process for manufacturing the nozzle substrate 40A of the present modification will be described with reference to FIG. First, step S81 is the same as step S11 of the first nozzle substrate manufacturing process of FIG. Then, the manufacturer forms the liquid repellent film base layer 42A, in which the concentration gradient of nitrogen and oxygen in the silicon oxide film is adjusted on the emission surface side of the substrate portion 41 by CVD, sputtering, thermal oxidation treatment, etc. (Step S83). In step S83, for example, using a gas for forming a silicon oxide film, formation of a liquid repellent film underlayer of a silicon oxide film is started by CVD, and nitrogen source gas (nitrogen or nitrogen) in the gas for forming a silicon oxide film is generated. The concentrations of the ammonia source gas and the oxygen source gas are controlled, the nitrogen concentration is increased with time, and the oxygen concentration is decreased to form the liquid repellent film underlayer 42A. Then, the surface of the liquid-repellent film foundation layer 42A formed in step S83 functions as a silicon oxynitride film, and the substrate portion 41 side functions as a silicon oxide film. Steps S83 to S86 are the same as steps S13 to S16 in FIG.

FIG. 25 shows the composition ratio [%] of silicon Si, oxygen O, and nitrogen N according to the coordinates in the film depth direction (the injection surface side → the flow path side) of the formed nozzle substrate 40A. The liquid repellent film 43 is omitted. The liquid repellent film base layer 42A is configured such that the surface is made of a silicon oxynitride film SiON along the film depth direction, and the surface other than the surface is changed to a silicon oxide film on the substrate portion 41 side. The substrate unit 41 is made of silicon Si.

As described above, the nitrogen concentration of the surface (the surface on which the liquid repellent film 43 is formed) is made high by controlling the addition amount (ratio) of the nitrogen source gas and the oxygen source gas in the film forming process and decreasing the composition as going into the film. This makes it possible to form a low stress silicon oxynitride film without additional processing.

As described above, according to this modification, the concentration gradient of nitrogen and oxygen between the silicon oxide film on the substrate portion 41 side and the silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side of the liquid repellent film base layer 42A is adjusted. In the manufacture of the ink jet head, a liquid repellent film base layer 42A is formed which changes from the silicon oxide film on the substrate 41 side to the silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side by controlling the concentration gradient of nitrogen and oxygen. For this reason, the silicon oxynitride film of the liquid repellent film base layer 42A prevents the film loss of the liquid repellent film 43 at the time of ink wiping, so that it is possible to prevent the liquid repellency on the ejection surface side of the nozzle substrate 40A from being lowered. Further, the adhesion improvement and high density formation of the liquid repellent film 43 on the surface can be realized, and the stress is relieved, and the warp of the nozzle substrate 40A can be suppressed, and the adhesion with the substrate portion 41 is achieved by the silicon oxide film on the substrate portion 41 side. I can improve the nature. Furthermore, the liquid repellent film base layer 42A can be easily formed without performing additional processing.

The description in the above-described embodiment and modification is an example of a suitable inkjet head, an inkjet recording apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the inkjet head according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, at least two of the above-described embodiment and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

Moreover, in the said embodiment and modification, although the material of the board | substrate part 41 demonstrated as silicon, it is not limited to this. For example, the material of the substrate portion 41 may be a metal material such as SUS (Steel Use Stainless) or nickel, or a resin material such as polyimide. By making the substrate portion 41 of polyimide as a resin material, the heat resistance can be enhanced, and the annealing treatment can be performed at a high temperature after the formation of the liquid repellent film underlayer or after the formation of the liquid repellent film. Alternatively, by making the substrate portion 41 of PPS (Poly Phenylene Sulfide: polyphenylene sulfide) as a resin material, dimensional stability can be enhanced, and nozzle length variation can be reduced. In addition, by using the substrate portion 41 as SUS as a metal material, the nozzle 2411 can be easily formed by punching on a SUS film, laser processing, or electroforming.

Moreover, in the said embodiment and modification, although the nozzle board | substrate of the inkjet head of the bend mode which laminated | stacked the several board | substrate was demonstrated, it is not limited to this. For example, the nozzle substrate of the above embodiment and modification is applied to a nozzle substrate of a shear mode ink jet head which imparts bending deformation by applying an electric field in a direction perpendicular to the polarization direction of the piezoelectric element to pressurize ink in the channel. It may be configured to

Further, the detailed configuration and the detailed operation of each part constituting the ink jet recording apparatus 1 in the above-described embodiment and modification can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As described above, the inkjet head, the inkjet recording apparatus, and the method for manufacturing the inkjet head of the present invention can be applied to recording using ink.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 inkjet recording apparatus 10 medium supply unit 11 medium supply tray 12 transport unit 121, 122 roller 123 belt 20 image forming unit 21 image forming drum 221 claw unit 222 drum 22 delivery unit 23 temperature measuring unit 24 head unit 241 inkjet head 241 a nozzle opening Surface 2411 Nozzle 242 Inkjet module 243 First sub tank 244 Second sub tank 245 Fixing member 246 Carriage 25 Heating section 26 Delivery section 261, 262, 264 Roller 263 Belt 27 Cleaning section 271 Wiping member 272 Elastic member 273 Unrolling roller 274 Winding roller 30 Medium Discharge Unit 31 Medium Discharge Trays 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D Nozzle Substrates 41 Substrates 42A, 42B Liquid Repellent Layer Base Layers 43, 43 Lyophobic film 44 flow channel protective film 45 liquid-repellent film-protecting layer 50 pressure chamber substrate 51 pressure chamber 60 diaphragm 70 spacer substrate 71 piezoelectric element 80 wiring substrate R recording medium

Claims (20)

1. A substrate portion provided with a nozzle for ejecting ink;
   A liquid repellent film base layer formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion and having at least a surface a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxynitride film;
   An inkjet head comprising: a nozzle substrate having a liquid repellent film formed on an ejection surface side of the liquid repellent film base layer.
2. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the ink contains pigment molecules.
3. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the ink is alkaline.
4. The ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the liquid repellent film base layer is formed on an emission surface side of the substrate portion and in a flow path of the nozzle.
5. The ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a flow path protective film formed in the flow path of the nozzle of the substrate portion.
6. The ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the liquid repellent film base layer is made of a silicon nitride film.
7. The ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the liquid repellent film underlayer is made of a silicon oxynitride film.
8. The ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the liquid repellent film base layer has a silicon nitride film on the substrate portion side and a silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side.
9. The ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the liquid repellent film base layer has a silicon oxide film on the substrate portion side and a silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side.
10. 6. The liquid repellent film base layer according to claim 1, wherein a concentration gradient of nitrogen and oxygen between the silicon oxide film on the substrate portion side and the silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side is adjusted. The inkjet head as described in a term.
11. The ink jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the substrate portion is made of silicon, a metal material or a resin material.
12. An inkjet head according to any one of claims 1 to 11;
    An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a cleaning unit that wipes the ink on the ejection surface side of the liquid repellent film;
13. A substrate portion generating step of generating a substrate portion having a nozzle for ejecting ink;
    A liquid repellent film base layer forming step of forming a liquid repellent film base layer having a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxynitride film on at least the surface on the emission surface side of the substrate portion;
    A liquid repellent film forming step of forming a liquid repellent film on an emission surface side of the liquid repellent film base layer to generate a nozzle substrate;
    An inkjet head producing step of producing an inkjet head including the nozzle substrate.
14. The method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 13, wherein a liquid repellent film base layer of a silicon nitride film is formed on the light emitting surface side of the substrate portion in the liquid repellent film base layer forming step.
15. The method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 13, wherein in the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, a liquid repellent film base layer of a silicon oxynitride film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion.
16. In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, a silicon nitride film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion, and the surface of the silicon nitride film is subjected to additional oxidation treatment to form the liquid repellent film base layer. The manufacturing method of the inkjet head as described in these.
17. In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, a silicon oxide film is formed on the emission surface side of the substrate portion, and the surface of the silicon oxide film is additionally nitrided to form the liquid repellent film base layer. The manufacturing method of the inkjet head as described in these.
18. In the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, the liquid repellent film base layer changing from a silicon oxide film on the substrate portion side to a silicon oxynitride film on the emission surface side is formed by controlling concentration gradients of nitrogen and oxygen. A method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 13.
19. The ink jet head according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein in the liquid repellent film base layer forming step, the liquid repellent film base layer is formed in the injection surface side of the substrate portion and in the flow path of the nozzle. Manufacturing method.
20. The method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of claims 13 to 19, further comprising a flow path protection film forming step of forming a flow path protection film in the flow path of the nozzle.

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