WO2020170319A1 - Plaque de buse et son procédé de fabrication, tête à jet d'encre et appareil de formation d'images - Google Patents

Plaque de buse et son procédé de fabrication, tête à jet d'encre et appareil de formation d'images Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2020170319A1
WO2020170319A1 PCT/JP2019/005957 JP2019005957W WO2020170319A1 WO 2020170319 A1 WO2020170319 A1 WO 2020170319A1 JP 2019005957 W JP2019005957 W JP 2019005957W WO 2020170319 A1 WO2020170319 A1 WO 2020170319A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
round portion
nozzle plate
round
nozzle
inkjet head
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2019/005957
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English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
原　慎太郎
江口　秀幸
Original Assignee
コニカミノルタ株式会社
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Application filed by コニカミノルタ株式会社 filed Critical コニカミノルタ株式会社
Priority to PCT/JP2019/005957 priority Critical patent/WO2020170319A1/fr
Priority to JP2021501170A priority patent/JP7287451B2/ja
Publication of WO2020170319A1 publication Critical patent/WO2020170319A1/fr

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • 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

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a nozzle plate, a method for manufacturing the nozzle plate, an inkjet head, and an image forming apparatus.
  • An inkjet head used in an inkjet printer or the like has a nozzle plate provided with a large number of minute nozzle holes on the ejection surface of droplets (ink).
  • the opening area of each nozzle hole on the ejection side is made smaller, It is required to increase the volume of the nozzle hole.
  • Patent Documents 1 to 4 describe a nozzle plate having a reverse round-shaped nozzle hole in which a flow path width is curvilinearly narrowed from a liquid inflow side to a liquid discharge side. .. It is considered that the nozzle hole having such a shape can increase the volume of the nozzle hole while reducing the opening area on the side where droplets are ejected.
  • Patent Documents 4 and 5 describe nozzle plates having nozzle holes whose cross-sectional shape changes stepwise along the liquid ejection direction.
  • the first silicon layer of an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) wafer is anisotropically etched to form a substantially vertical space on the side where droplets are discharged, and the second silicon of the SOI wafer is formed. Isotropic etching is performed on the layer to form a curved space that connects the above-mentioned substantially vertical space with a narrow channel width, and then a glass substrate having a substantially vertical space into which liquid is introduced is anodically bonded. By doing so, a nozzle plate in which three spaces having different cross-sectional shapes are formed inside the nozzle hole is manufactured.
  • SOI Silicon on Insulator
  • Patent Document 5 a nozzle plate having two steps of tapered holes having different taper angles formed by drilling and pressing is manufactured. ..
  • a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole having a shape capable of increasing the amount of droplets that can be ejected in one operation while controlling the ejection characteristics of the droplet, and a processing method for forming the nozzle hole having the shape are provided. The desire to develop still exists.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method, an inkjet head including the nozzle plate, and an image forming apparatus including the inkjet head.
  • the above problem is a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle holes for ejecting droplets, wherein the nozzle holes are arranged on the most upstream side in the ejection direction of the droplets, and A first round portion whose diameter decreases in a direction, a second round portion which is arranged on the downstream side of the first round portion and whose diameter decreases in the droplet ejection direction, and the second round portion
  • the straight portion having a diameter that is arranged downstream of the round portion and has a constant diameter in the discharge direction of the droplet
  • Each of the first round portion and the second round portion has a shape in which an outer edge is defined by a curved surface that is convex outward, and an outer edge of the first round portion and an outer edge of the second round portion.
  • a single crystal silicon wafer having a resist pattern formed on one surface thereof is subjected to a first isotropic etching step of performing isotropic etching using the resist pattern as a mask, and the single crystal silicon wafer is Using the resist pattern as a mask, a second isotropic etching step of performing isotropic etching under different conditions from the first isotropic etching step and the single crystal silicon wafer are performed using the resist pattern as a mask.
  • a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate which includes an anisotropic etching step of performing isotropic etching in this order.
  • an inkjet head having a pressure chamber with a larger aspect ratio of partition walls and less likely to be destroyed during manufacturing a method for manufacturing the inkjet head, and an image forming apparatus including the inkjet head are provided.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus using an inkjet method.
  • FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an outline of an inkjet head used in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, showing an outline of a head chip included in the inkjet head according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2, showing an outline of a head chip included in the inkjet head according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of a region C in FIG.
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle hole for showing the volume of the nozzle hole included in the nozzle plate shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of a nozzle hole when an upstream round portion is produced by performing isotropic etching only once, and FIG. 7B is isotropic etching performed only once. It is sectional drawing which shows another shape of a nozzle hole at the time of producing the round part by the side of this.
  • 8A to 8C are first process diagrams showing a process of manufacturing the nozzle plate according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • 9A to 9C are second process charts showing the process of manufacturing the nozzle plate according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • 10A to 10B are third process charts showing the process of manufacturing the nozzle plate in the embodiment of the present invention.
  • 11A to 11C are fourth process charts showing the process of manufacturing the nozzle plate according to the embodiment of the present invention.
  • the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention can have the same configuration as the image forming apparatus by a known inkjet method except that the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment has an inkjet head according to the present embodiment described below.
  • the image forming apparatus 100 includes an inkjet head 1, an ink supply device 120, a transport device 130, and a main tank 140.
  • the inkjet head 1 has a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium 150 such as paper, which is a printing target.
  • the inkjet head 1 is configured such that a plurality of types of ink having different colors are supplied to specific nozzles.
  • the inkjet head 1 is, for example, arranged so as to be capable of scanning in a direction transverse to the transport direction X of the recording medium 150 on which an image is to be formed. The configuration of the inkjet head 1 will be described later.
  • the transport device 130 is a device for transporting the recording medium 150 to the inkjet head 1.
  • the transport device 130 includes, for example, a belt conveyor 131 and a rotatable feed roller 132.
  • the belt conveyor 131 is composed of rotatable pulleys 133a and 133b, and an endless belt 134 stretched around these pulleys 133a and 133b.
  • the feed roller 132 is arranged at a position facing the pulley 133a on the upstream side in the transport direction X of the recording medium 150 so as to sandwich the belt 134 and the recording medium 150 and feed the recording medium 150 onto the belt 134.
  • the ink supply device 120 is arranged integrally with the inkjet head 1.
  • the ink supply device 120 is arranged for each type of ink. For example, when four color inks of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and K (black) are used, four ink supply devices 120 are arranged in the inkjet head 1.
  • Each ink supply device 120 is supplied with ink in the main tank 140 via a pipe 161 and a valve 164 connected to the main tank 140. Further, each ink supply device 120 communicates with a common ink chamber 2 of the inkjet head 1 described later via a pipe 162, and is connected so as to be able to supply ink of each color to an ink supply port 2 a of a desired common ink chamber 2. There is.
  • the inkjet head 1 is also connected to the main tank 140 by a bypass pipe 163 branched from the pipe 161.
  • a valve 164 that can switch and set a flow path of ink to one or both of the pipe 161 and the bypass pipe 163 is arranged.
  • Each of the pipe 161, the pipe 162, and the bypass pipe 163 is a flexible tube.
  • the valve 164 is, for example, a three-way valve.
  • the main tank 140 is a tank for containing the ink to be supplied to the inkjet head 1.
  • the main tank 140 is arranged separately from the inkjet head 1.
  • the main tank 140 has, for example, a stirring device (not shown).
  • the main tank 140 can be appropriately determined according to the image forming performance and size of the image forming apparatus 100. For example, when the image forming speed of the image forming apparatus is 1 to 3 m 2 /min, the capacity of the main tank 140 is, for example, 1 L.
  • FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an outline of the inkjet head 1 used in the image forming apparatus 100 described above.
  • the inkjet head 1 has a common ink chamber 2, a holding portion 3, a head chip 4, and a flexible wiring board 5.
  • the common ink chamber 2 is formed in a hollow, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and one surface facing the holding portion 3 is open.
  • An ink supply port 2a for supplying the ink of the ink supply device 120 and an ink discharge port 2b for discharging the ink to the ink supply device 120 are provided on one surface of the common ink chamber 2 facing the opening.
  • the common ink chamber 2 has a filter inside, and removes foreign matters from the ink supplied from the ink supply port 2a by the filter and finely crushes the bubbles contained in the ink.
  • the holding portion 3 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape having an opening 3a at a substantially center thereof, and is arranged so as to cover the opening of the common ink chamber 2.
  • the common ink chamber 2 is connected to one surface of the holding portion 3 so as to cover the opening 3a.
  • the head chip 4 is connected to the other surface of the holding portion 3 so as to cover the opening 3a.
  • the holding unit 3 connects the common ink chamber 2 and the head chip 4 via the opening 3a.
  • An insertion hole 3b is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the holding portion 3.
  • the flexible wiring board 5 is inserted into the insertion hole 3b.
  • One end of the flexible wiring board 5 is connected to the wiring board 50 of the head chip 4 described later.
  • the other end of the flexible wiring board 5 is inserted into the insertion hole 3b provided in the holding portion 3 from the other surface of the holding portion 3 and is drawn out to the common ink chamber 2 side.
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 showing an outline of the head chip 4 included in the inkjet head 1 described above, and FIG. 4 is an outline of the head chip 4 included in the inkjet head 1 described above.
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
  • the head chip 4 has a nozzle plate 10, an intermediate plate 20, a pressure chamber forming plate 30, a drive plate 40, and a wiring board 50. Further, the head chip 4 is formed by laminating a nozzle plate 10, an intermediate plate 20, a pressure chamber forming plate 30, a drive plate 40, and a wiring board 50 in this order from the ink ejection surface side.
  • a plurality of nozzle holes 11 are formed in the nozzle plate 10.
  • the nozzle hole 11 penetrates from one surface of the nozzle plate 10 to the other surface.
  • the nozzle hole 11 has a cross-sectional shape that is narrowed down so that the tip side, which is an ejection port, has a small diameter, and ejects the ink supplied from the common ink chamber 2 from the ejection port to the outside.
  • a plurality of nozzle holes 11 (for example, 500 to 2000) are provided in the nozzle plate 10 and are arranged in a matrix.
  • the nozzle hole 11 communicates with the pressure chamber 31 formed in the pressure chamber forming plate 30 via the intermediate plate 20 laminated on the nozzle plate 10.
  • a liquid repellent film 13 is formed on the surface of the nozzle plate 10 on the ink ejection side.
  • the intermediate plate 20 is arranged between the nozzle plate 10 and the pressure chamber forming plate 30.
  • the intermediate plate 20 is provided with a first communication hole 21 that connects the nozzle hole 11 and a pressure chamber 31 provided in the pressure chamber forming plate 30 described later.
  • the first communication hole 21 is provided at a position corresponding to the nozzle hole 11 of the nozzle plate 10, and penetrates from one surface to the other surface of the intermediate plate 20.
  • the pressure chamber forming plate 30 has a plurality of pressure chambers 31 and a vibration plate 32.
  • the pressure chamber 31 is provided at a position corresponding to the nozzle hole 11 of the nozzle plate 10 and the first communication hole 21 of the intermediate plate 20. Further, the pressure chamber 31 penetrates from one surface to the other surface of the pressure chamber forming plate 30.
  • the pressure chamber 31 applies an ejection pressure to the ink ejected from the nozzle hole 11 due to its volume variation.
  • a partition 33 is formed between the plurality of pressure chambers 31.
  • the partition 33 is entirely formed of an electroplatable metal such as nickel (Ni). As a result, the rigidity of the partition wall 33 can be made higher, and the inkjet head 1 can have a stable structure that is not easily destroyed by vibration.
  • the diaphragm 32 is arranged so as to cover the opening of the pressure chamber 31 opposite to the intermediate plate 20.
  • the diaphragm 32 is provided with a second communication hole 34 that communicates with the pressure chamber 31.
  • the drive plate 40 is arranged on one surface of the vibration plate 32 opposite to the one surface on the pressure chamber 31 side.
  • the drive plate 40 has a space 41 and a third communication hole 42 that communicates with the second communication hole 34.
  • the space 41 is arranged at a position facing the pressure chamber 31 with the diaphragm 32 interposed therebetween.
  • the actuator 60 is housed in the space 41.
  • the actuator 60 has a piezoelectric element 61, a first electrode 62, and a second electrode 63.
  • the first electrode 62 is laminated on one surface of the diaphragm 32.
  • An insulating layer may be arranged between the first electrode 62 and the diaphragm 32.
  • the piezoelectric element 61 is laminated on the first electrode 62, and is arranged for each pressure chamber 31 (for each channel) at a position facing the pressure chamber 31 with the diaphragm 32 and the first electrode 62 interposed therebetween.
  • the piezoelectric element 61 is made of a material that deforms when a voltage is applied, and is made of, for example, a ferroelectric material such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Further, the second electrode 63 is laminated on the surface of the piezoelectric element 61 opposite to the first electrode 62. The second electrode 63 is connected via a bump 64 to a wiring layer 51 provided on a wiring board 50 described later.
  • the film thickness of the piezoelectric element 61 is, for example, 10 ⁇ m or less.
  • the wiring board 50 has a wiring layer 51 and a silicon layer 52 on which the wiring layer 51 is formed.
  • the wiring layer 51 is connected to the bump 64 provided on the second electrode 63 via the solder 51a.
  • the outer edge of the wiring layer 51 is connected to the flexible wiring board 5.
  • a silicon layer 52 is arranged on one surface of the wiring layer 51 opposite to the drive plate 40. The silicon layer 52 is bonded to the holding unit 3.
  • the wiring board 50 is provided with a fourth communication hole 53 penetrating the wiring layer 51 and the silicon layer 52.
  • the fourth communication hole 53 communicates with the common ink chamber 2 through the third communication hole 42 of the drive plate 40 and the opening 3 a of the holding portion 3.
  • An inlet that serves as a flow path that supplies the chamber 31 is configured. The inlet plays a role of reducing the flow path resistance (flow rate) of the ink flowing from the common ink chamber 2 into the pressure chamber 31.
  • the first communication hole 21 of the intermediate plate 20 and the nozzle hole 11 of the nozzle plate 10 which are communicated with each other form an outlet for ejecting the ink in the pressure chamber 31 toward the recording medium 150.
  • the ink contained in the common ink chamber 2 passes through the inlet (that is, the fourth communication hole 53, the third communication hole 42, and the second communication hole 34), and the pressure chamber 31. Flow into. Then, by applying a voltage between the first electrode 62 and the second electrode 63, the piezoelectric element 61 is deformed (vibrated), and the diaphragm 32 is deformed (vibrated) along with the deformation of the piezoelectric element 61. .. When the vibrating plate 32 is deformed (vibrated), a pressure for ejecting ink is generated in the pressure chamber 31.
  • the ink in the pressure chamber 31 is pushed out to the outlet (that is, the first communication hole 21 and the nozzle hole 11) and is ejected from the tip (nozzle opening) of the nozzle hole 11 toward the recording medium 150. ..
  • FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of the region C in FIG. 3 showing the cross-sectional shape of the nozzle plate 10. Note that in FIG. 5, only the nozzle plate 10 is shown and the intermediate plate 20 is omitted for the sake of simplicity.
  • the nozzle holes 11 of the nozzle plate 10 are formed in this order from the side of the intermediate plate 20 in the ejection direction of liquid droplets (ink), and the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b are formed. , And the straight portion 11c.
  • the first round portion 11a is arranged on the most upstream side with respect to the ink ejection direction of the nozzle plate 10
  • the second round portion 11b is arranged on the downstream side of the first round portion 11a
  • the straight portion 11c Is arranged on the most downstream side, which is on the downstream side of the first round portion 11a.
  • the first round portion 11a is a space arranged closest to the intermediate plate 20 in the nozzle hole 11, and is a space into which the ink pushed out from the first communication hole 21 of the intermediate plate 20 first reaches and flows in. is there.
  • the first round portion 11a is a space formed by isotropic etching.
  • the first round portion 11a has an outer edge defined by an outwardly convex curved surface in the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 5 (that is, a cross-sectional shape along a plane parallel to the droplet ejection direction), and the first communicating hole. It has a shape in which the diameter decreases from the side of 21 to the side of the second round portion 11b (that is, toward the ink ejection direction).
  • the second round portion 11b is a space that is arranged between the first round portion 11a and the straight portion 11c and connects the first round portion 11a and the straight portion 11c.
  • the second round portion 11b is a space formed by isotropic etching under conditions different from the isotropic etching used when forming the first round portion 11a.
  • the second round portion 11b has an outer edge defined by an outwardly convex curved surface, and extends from the first round portion 11a side to the straight portion 11c side (that is, toward the ink ejection direction). ) Having a shape in which the diameter is reduced.
  • the second round portion 11b has an outer edge shape that is not similar to the outer edge shape of the first round portion 11a.
  • the straight portion 11c is a space that is arranged closest to the ejection surface of the nozzle hole 11, and the ink that has passed through the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b arrives and flows in the straight portion 11c of the nozzle plate 10. It is a space that is ejected to the outside (that is, the outside of the inkjet head 1).
  • the straight portion 11c is a space formed by anisotropic etching. Therefore, in the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 5, the straight portion 11c has a shape in which the diameter is constant from the second round portion 11b side to the ink ejection surface side (that is, toward the ink ejection direction).
  • the first round portion 11a, the second round portion 11b, and the straight portion 11c have line-symmetrical shapes with the same virtual straight line Z as the axis of symmetry.
  • the first round portion 11a, the second round portion 11b, and the straight portion 11c have a shape of n times rotational symmetry (n is an arbitrary integer) about the axis Z in the three-dimensional space.
  • the first round portion 11a has an opening portion 12a that is an opening surface that opens toward the intermediate plate 20, the first boundary portion 12b that is the boundary surface between the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b, and the second round portion.
  • the second boundary portion 12c which is the boundary surface between the straight portion 11c and the straight portion 11c
  • the opening portion 12d which is the opening surface of the straight portion 11c that opens toward the ink ejection surface side, are both circular and have their centers.
  • the nozzle plates 10 are arranged concentrically in a plan view so as to exist on the same axis Z.
  • the first boundary portion 12b which is the boundary surface between the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b, has a constricted shape in the sectional view shown in FIG. There is.
  • the first boundary portion 12b may have an apex at the intersection of the line defining the outer edge of the first round portion 11a and the line defining the outer edge of the second round portion 11b. , The intersection may have a predetermined roundness of R.
  • the diameter of the second boundary 12c and the diameter of the opening 12d are substantially the same.
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle hole 11 shown in FIG. 5 for showing the volume of the nozzle hole 11.
  • the total cross-sectional area of the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b is calculated as the diameter of the opening 12a (FIG. 5).
  • Is the length of the upper side and the diameter of the second boundary portion 12c (Dc in FIG. 5) is the length of the lower side.
  • the nozzle hole 11 has a volume obtained by summing the volumes of the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b when the outer edges of the first round portion and the second round portion are defined by straight lines.
  • the amount of ink that can be accommodated in the nozzle holes 11 can be increased by increasing the width.
  • the edge of the first boundary portion 12b is an arbitrary one point of the edges of the second boundary portion 12c and the one point of the edges of the opening 12a that is closest to the arbitrary point. And may be outside or inside the straight line connecting the lines and (that is, the hypotenuse of the virtual trapezoid). That is, in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 6, the curved line indicating the side surface of the first round portion 11a and the curved surface indicating the side surface of the second round portion 11b may or may not intersect with the hypotenuse of the virtual trapezoid. Good.
  • FIG. 7 corresponds to the round portion on the upstream side (corresponding to the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b of the nozzle hole 11 included in the nozzle plate 10 according to the present embodiment by performing the isotropic etching only once.
  • the shape of the nozzle hole having a space formed by performing the above-mentioned isotropic etching only once is indicated by a solid line
  • the shape of the nozzle hole 11 included in the nozzle plate 10 according to the present embodiment is indicated by a dotted line.
  • FIG. 7A is a typical nozzle hole when a space 11e having the same depth as the total depth of the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b in the present embodiment is formed on the upstream side. It is a schematic diagram which shows a different shape. At this time, since the diameter of the opening 12e of the nozzle hole becomes larger due to side etching, it is difficult to arrange the nozzle holes at a high density.
  • FIG. 7B shows that the etching rate in the depth direction is increased by increasing the amount of sputtering by the ions generated from the etching gas by increasing the bias power, thereby increasing the depth of the first round portion 11a and the second round portion.
  • the undercut width due to side etching tends to be insufficient, and the diameter of the opening 12f of the nozzle hole cannot be increased so much, and the amount of ink that can be stored in the nozzle hole cannot be increased so much.
  • the nozzle hole 11 having the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b is formed by performing the isotropic etching twice, the undercut width due to the side etching is appropriately widened in the first isotropic etching. Then, the depth of the nozzle hole can be made deeper by the second isotropic etching after changing the conditions such as the bias power. Therefore, it is possible to form the nozzle hole 11 in which the diameter of the first round portion 11a is appropriately widened and the depth is sufficiently deep.
  • the second round portion 11b formed by the second isotropic etching so that the depth of the nozzle hole becomes deeper has a smaller reduction rate of the diameter in the ink ejection direction.
  • Such a second round portion 11b also has an effect similar to that of the straight portion 11c, that is, increasing the ink ejection speed and straightness. Therefore, when the nozzle hole 11 having the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b is formed by performing the isotropic etching twice, the ink ejection amount is increased by the first round portion 11a and the second round portion 11b.
  • the second round portion 11b and the straight portion 11c can form the nozzle hole 11 whose ejection performance is also improved.
  • the straight portion 11c is formed by anisotropic etching, the diameter of the straight portion 11c can be controlled relatively freely.
  • the nozzle hole 11 increases the amount of ink that can be accommodated in the nozzle hole 11 without changing the diameter of the straight portion 11c that affects the ink ejection characteristics, and the amount of droplets that can be ejected in one operation. Can be more.
  • Db/Da is 0.35 or more and 0.85 or less. Is preferable, and more preferably 0.5 or more and 0.7 or less. Further, Dc/Da is preferably 0.1 or more and 0.35 or less, and more preferably 0.15 or more and 0.3 or less.
  • Da is preferably 50 ⁇ m or more and 150 ⁇ m or less, and more preferably 55 ⁇ m or more and 100 ⁇ m or less.
  • Db is preferably 30 ⁇ m or more and 80 ⁇ m or less, and more preferably 35 ⁇ m or more and 70 ⁇ m or less.
  • Dc is preferably 10 ⁇ m or more and 40 ⁇ m or less, and more preferably 15 ⁇ m or more and 30 ⁇ m or less.
  • the shape of the opening 12a, the first boundary 12b, the second boundary 12c, and the opening 12d is circular, but the shape is elliptical. Other shapes such as a system may be used.
  • the shapes of the opening 12a, the first boundary portion 12b, the second boundary portion 12c, and the opening 12d are not circular, Da, Db, and Dc may have their respective short diameters.
  • La/Lb is 0.1 or more and 3 or less. It is preferably 0.2 or more and 1.5 or less. Further, Lc/(La+Lb) is preferably 0.2 or more and 2 or less, and more preferably 0.5 or more and 1.5 or less.
  • La is preferably 5 ⁇ m or more and 50 ⁇ m or less, more preferably 10 ⁇ m or more and 30 ⁇ m or less.
  • Lb is preferably 10 ⁇ m or more and 50 ⁇ m or less, and more preferably 15 ⁇ m or more and 40 ⁇ m or less.
  • Lc is preferably 10 ⁇ m or more and 50 ⁇ m or less, and more preferably 15 ⁇ m or more and 30 ⁇ m or less.
  • the first round portion 11a, the second round portion 11b, and the straight portion 11c can be manufactured by processing one silicon wafer of single crystal silicon.
  • FIGS. 8 to 11 are explanatory views showing an example of a method of manufacturing the nozzle plate 10 included in the inkjet head 1 according to this embodiment. Note that in FIGS. 8 to 11, the scales of some members are changed for easier understanding.
  • a resist is applied on a single crystal silicon wafer 710, exposed and developed to form a resist pattern 715.
  • the resist pattern 715 has a substantially circular shape that is the same as the second boundary portion 12c of the straight portion 11c at the position where the straight portion 11c of the nozzle hole 11 is formed, and the surface of the silicon wafer 710 is exposed. It may be formed so as to have the opening 715a.
  • the thickness of the resist pattern 715 may be a thickness that can withstand the subsequent first isotropic etching, second isotropic etching, and anisotropic etching, and can be selected according to each etching condition. it can.
  • the resist pattern 715 has a substantially circular shape in the present embodiment, it may have an elliptical shape or the like.
  • a first isotropic etching is performed using the resist pattern 715 as a mask.
  • the first isotropic etching can be performed, for example, by dry etching using a fluorine gas such as SF 6 as an etching gas, the flow rate of the etching gas is 200 sccm, the pressure is 10 Pa, and the bias power is 10 W. ..
  • a fluorine gas such as SF 6 as an etching gas
  • the flow rate of the etching gas is 200 sccm
  • the pressure is 10 Pa
  • the bias power is 10 W. ..
  • FIG. 8B in the cross section obtained by cutting the silicon wafer 710 in the thickness direction by the first isotropic etching, the first round having a curved side surface shape and a reduced diameter in the depth direction.
  • Pattern 711a is formed.
  • the maximum width of the first round pattern 711a is wider than the width of the opening 715a of the resist pattern 715.
  • second isotropic etching is performed under conditions different from those of the first isotropic etching.
  • the second isotropic etching may be performed under the condition that the etching rate in the depth direction is higher than that of the first isotropic etching.
  • the condition that the bias power is larger than that of the first isotropic etching is used. You can go in.
  • the second isotropic etching can be performed, for example, by dry etching using a fluorine gas such as SF 6 as an etching gas, the flow rate of the etching gas is 200 sccm, the pressure is 10 Pa, and the bias power is 60 W. ..
  • the etching conditions for the first isotropic etching and the second isotropic etching are set so as to control the shape formed mainly by changing the bias power.
  • the range of the bias power is preferably 10 W to 30 W in the first isotropic etching and 50 W to 80 W in the second isotropic etching.
  • the shape of the etching gas species can be better controlled by adding another fluorine-based composition or oxygen.
  • the ICP power to be applied is preferably in the range of 1000 to 2000W.
  • anisotropic etching is performed using the resist pattern 715 as a mask.
  • the above-mentioned anisotropic etching may be repeated by switching the mode from the isotropic etching to the anisotropic etching using an apparatus having a function corresponding to the anisotropic etching commonly called Bosch process.
  • the anisotropic etching is performed by using, for example, a fluorine-based gas such as SF 6 as an etching gas and C 4 F 8 as a passivation gas.
  • Dry etching can be performed with an etching gas flow rate of 500 sccm, a passivation gas flow rate of 600 sccm, a pressure of 10 Pa, and a bias power of 60 W.
  • a straight pattern 711c having a straight side surface shape and a constant diameter in the depth direction is formed. It is formed.
  • the width of the straight pattern 711c is substantially the same as the width of the opening 715a of the resist pattern 715.
  • the resist (resist pattern 715) is removed.
  • a photosensitive material 716 a such as a positive resist or photosensitive polyimide is applied to the surface of the silicon wafer 710.
  • the photosensitive material is applied by a low-speed coater or the silicon wafer 710 is dipped in the photosensitive material so that the applied photosensitive material 716a is sufficiently introduced into the straight pattern 711c. You can do it.
  • the photosensitive material 716a is exposed and cured using a photomask 1010 having a width larger than the width of the straight pattern 711c.
  • the photosensitive material 716a can be cured so that at least the inside of the straight pattern 711c is filled with the cured material 716b (protective material) of the photosensitive material.
  • a protective film 717 is attached to the silicon wafer 710 so as to cover the opening of the first round pattern 711a, and the silicon wafer 710 is turned upside down.
  • the protective film 717 may cover the opening of the first round-shaped pattern 711a so as to prevent the cured material 716b of the photosensitive material from falling off when the silicon wafer 710 is turned upside down,
  • a silicon wafer, a SiC wafer, a glass plate, or the like can be used.
  • the silicon wafer 710 is ground from the surface opposite to the surface on which the first round pattern 711a to the straight pattern 711c are formed. The grinding is performed at least until the straight pattern 711c and the cured material 716b of the photosensitive material are exposed. After that, the ground surface is mirror-finished by polishing.
  • a liquid repellent film 713 is formed on the polished and mirror-finished surface.
  • the liquid repellent film 713 may have any liquid repellent property with respect to the ink, and for example, a solution containing a liquid repellent agent such as fluorine may be applied and baked.
  • a solution containing a liquid repellent agent such as fluorine
  • the protective film 717 is removed, and the cured material 716a of the photosensitive material is also removed.
  • the liquid repellent film 713 deposited on the surface of the cured material 716b of the photosensitive material is also lifted off and simultaneously removed.
  • the nozzle plate 10 can be obtained by removing contaminants by O 2 plasma or the like, cleaning with a cleaning liquid or the like, and then cutting the silicon wafer 710 into a desired shape for individualization.
  • the nozzle plate 10 thus obtained is joined to the separately prepared intermediate plate 20, and further joined to the pressure chamber forming plate 30, the drive plate 40, and the wiring substrate 50 to form the head chip 4. be able to. Furthermore, the ink jet head 1 can be obtained by joining the head chip 4 to the common ink chamber 2, the holding portion 3, and the flexible wiring board 5. The inkjet head 1 can be mounted on an image forming apparatus using a known inkjet method.
  • the piezo type inkjet head having the piezoelectric element is used for description, but the nozzle plate having the nozzle plate may be applied to another type of inkjet head such as a thermal jet type. Good.
  • the nozzle plate of the present invention it is possible to increase the amount of droplets that can be ejected in one operation while controlling the ejection characteristics of droplets from the inkjet head. Therefore, according to the nozzle plate of the present invention, it is possible to further increase the definition of the image to be formed and to form the image more efficiently, and thus contribute to the further spread of the inkjet head in the fields such as image formation and pattern formation. There is expected.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne une plaque de buse pourvue d'une pluralité de trous de buse permettant de décharger des gouttelettes. Dans la plaque de buse, le trou de buse a une première partie ronde qui est disposée sur le côté le plus en amont par rapport à la direction d'éjection des gouttelettes et qui a un diamètre décroissant dans la direction d'éjection des gouttelettes ; une seconde partie ronde qui est disposée en aval de la première partie ronde et qui a un diamètre décroissant dans la direction d'éjection des gouttelettes ; et une partie droite qui est disposée en aval de la seconde partie ronde et qui a un diamètre constant dans la direction d'éjection des gouttelettes. Dans la forme transversale le long d'un plan parallèle à la direction d'éjection des gouttelettes, la première partie ronde et la seconde partie ronde ont toutes deux une forme dans laquelle le bord extérieur est défini par une surface incurvée convexe tournée vers l'extérieur, et une limite entre le bord extérieur de la première partie ronde et le bord extérieur de la seconde partie ronde est convexe vers l'intérieur.
PCT/JP2019/005957 2019-02-19 2019-02-19 Plaque de buse et son procédé de fabrication, tête à jet d'encre et appareil de formation d'images WO2020170319A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/JP2019/005957 WO2020170319A1 (fr) 2019-02-19 2019-02-19 Plaque de buse et son procédé de fabrication, tête à jet d'encre et appareil de formation d'images
JP2021501170A JP7287451B2 (ja) 2019-02-19 2019-02-19 ノズルプレートおよびその製造方法

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/JP2019/005957 WO2020170319A1 (fr) 2019-02-19 2019-02-19 Plaque de buse et son procédé de fabrication, tête à jet d'encre et appareil de formation d'images

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WO2020170319A1 true WO2020170319A1 (fr) 2020-08-27

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6258286B1 (en) * 1999-03-02 2001-07-10 Eastman Kodak Company Making ink jet nozzle plates using bore liners
JP2002370351A (ja) * 2001-06-15 2002-12-24 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd インクジェット記録ヘッド及びインクジェット記録装置
JP2006224619A (ja) * 2005-02-21 2006-08-31 Brother Ind Ltd ノズルプレートの製造方法及びノズルプレート
JP2010508136A (ja) * 2006-10-25 2010-03-18 コーニンクレッカ フィリップス エレクトロニクス エヌ ヴィ 高速ジェット噴射用装置のノズル
JP2018083316A (ja) * 2016-11-22 2018-05-31 コニカミノルタ株式会社 ノズルプレートの製造方法およびインクジェットヘッドの製造方法

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6258286B1 (en) * 1999-03-02 2001-07-10 Eastman Kodak Company Making ink jet nozzle plates using bore liners
JP2002370351A (ja) * 2001-06-15 2002-12-24 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd インクジェット記録ヘッド及びインクジェット記録装置
JP2006224619A (ja) * 2005-02-21 2006-08-31 Brother Ind Ltd ノズルプレートの製造方法及びノズルプレート
JP2010508136A (ja) * 2006-10-25 2010-03-18 コーニンクレッカ フィリップス エレクトロニクス エヌ ヴィ 高速ジェット噴射用装置のノズル
JP2018083316A (ja) * 2016-11-22 2018-05-31 コニカミノルタ株式会社 ノズルプレートの製造方法およびインクジェットヘッドの製造方法

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