WO2023008375A1 - ノズルプレート、液滴吐出ヘッド、液滴吐出装置及びノズルプレートの製造方法 - Google Patents

ノズルプレート、液滴吐出ヘッド、液滴吐出装置及びノズルプレートの製造方法 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023008375A1
WO2023008375A1 PCT/JP2022/028634 JP2022028634W WO2023008375A1 WO 2023008375 A1 WO2023008375 A1 WO 2023008375A1 JP 2022028634 W JP2022028634 W JP 2022028634W WO 2023008375 A1 WO2023008375 A1 WO 2023008375A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
nozzle
mask layer
forming
straight
planes
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
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PCT/JP2022/028634
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English (en)
French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
大士 梶田
幸一 鮫島
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Konica Minolta Inc
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Konica Minolta Inc
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Application filed by Konica Minolta Inc filed Critical Konica Minolta Inc
Priority to CN202280052282.2A priority Critical patent/CN117769495A/zh
Priority to JP2023538522A priority patent/JPWO2023008375A1/ja
Publication of WO2023008375A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023008375A1/ja
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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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 droplet ejection head, a droplet ejection device, and a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate.
  • the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle plate, a droplet ejection head, a droplet ejection device, and a nozzle capable of achieving both high density nozzle openings and suitable ejection characteristics. To provide a method of manufacturing a plate.
  • a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle flow paths formed with nozzle openings for ejecting liquid droplets on a first surface of a single crystal silicon substrate,
  • the nozzle channel has a nozzle tapered portion in which a channel area, which is a cross-sectional area perpendicular to a droplet ejection direction, gradually widens from the first surface toward a second surface facing the first surface.
  • a straight communicating portion that is continuous with the end of the nozzle taper portion on the second surface side and has a pair of opposing surfaces that are substantially parallel; Among the sides where the surfaces forming the straight communication portion intersect with the second surface, the length of the side of the pair of opposing surfaces is longer than the length of the sides of the other surfaces,
  • the nozzle taper portion includes four planes whose crystal planes are substantially ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes.
  • a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle flow paths formed with nozzle openings for ejecting liquid droplets on a first surface of a single crystal silicon substrate,
  • the nozzle channel has a nozzle tapered portion in which a channel area, which is a cross-sectional area perpendicular to a droplet ejection direction, gradually widens from the first surface toward a second surface facing the first surface.
  • a straight communicating portion that is continuous with the end of the nozzle taper portion on the second surface side and has a pair of opposing surfaces that are substantially parallel; Among the sides where the surfaces forming the straight communication portion intersect with the second surface, the length of the side of the pair of opposing surfaces is longer than the length of the sides of the other surfaces,
  • the nozzle taper portion is composed of four crystal planes that are substantially ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes.
  • the invention according to claim 3 is the nozzle plate according to claim 1 or 2, Of the sides where the planes forming the straight communication portion intersect with the second plane, the crystal plane of the plane in which the length of the side of the pair of opposing planes is longer than the length of the sides of the other planes is approximately ⁇ 101 ⁇ plane.
  • the invention according to claim 4 is the nozzle plate according to claim 1 or 2, Of the sides where the planes forming the straight communication portion intersect with the second plane, the crystal plane of the plane in which the length of the side of the pair of opposing planes is longer than the length of the sides of the other planes is approximately ⁇ 100 ⁇ plane.
  • the invention according to claim 5 is the nozzle plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
  • a sidewall mask layer is provided on at least a portion between the portion where the nozzle taper portion and the straight communication portion intersect and the first surface.
  • a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle flow paths formed with nozzle openings for ejecting liquid droplets on a first surface of a single crystal silicon substrate,
  • the nozzle channel has a nozzle tapered portion in which a channel area, which is a cross-sectional area perpendicular to a droplet ejection direction, gradually widens from the first surface toward a second surface facing the first surface.
  • a straight communication portion provided continuously from the end of the nozzle taper portion on the second surface side to the second surface
  • a side wall mask layer is provided on at least a portion between a portion where the nozzle taper portion and the straight communication portion intersect and the first surface
  • the nozzle taper portion includes four planes whose crystal planes are substantially ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes.
  • a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle flow paths formed with nozzle openings for ejecting liquid droplets on a first surface of a single crystal silicon substrate,
  • the nozzle channel has a nozzle tapered portion in which a channel area, which is a cross-sectional area perpendicular to a droplet ejection direction, gradually widens from the first surface toward a second surface facing the first surface.
  • a straight communication portion provided continuously from the end of the nozzle taper portion on the second surface side to the second surface
  • a side wall mask layer is provided on at least a portion between a portion where the nozzle taper portion and the straight communication portion intersect and the first surface
  • the nozzle taper portion is composed of four crystal planes that are substantially ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes.
  • the invention according to claim 8 is the nozzle plate according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
  • the sidewall mask layer has a shape that gradually narrows from the first surface to the second surface or from the second surface to the first surface.
  • the invention according to claim 9 is the nozzle plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
  • the nozzle flow path includes a nozzle straight portion that is continuous with an end portion of the nozzle taper portion on the first surface side.
  • the invention according to claim 10 is the nozzle plate according to claim 9, In the nozzle straight portion, the maximum portion of the flow passage area is equal to or less than the flow passage area of the end portion of the nozzle taper portion on the first surface side.
  • the invention according to claim 11 is the nozzle plate according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
  • the maximum length of the taper height from the first surface to the end of the nozzle taper portion on the second surface side is 20 ⁇ m or more.
  • a droplet ejection head mounted in a droplet ejection device, A nozzle plate according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is provided.
  • a droplet ejection device A droplet ejection head according to claim 12 is provided.
  • a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate of a droplet ejection head comprising: a first step of forming a surface mask layer on a first surface of a single crystal silicon substrate having a ⁇ 100 ⁇ surface crystal orientation; a second step of forming a slit pattern to be a slit in the surface mask layer; a third step of forming the slits by penetrating the single crystal silicon substrate under the slit pattern from the surface by dry etching or deep digging halfway; a fourth step of forming a sidewall mask layer in the slit; a fifth step of forming a circular or polygonal opening pattern to be nozzle openings in the surface mask layer; a sixth step of forming a through-hole by dry-etching the surface of the single-crystal silicon substrate located under the opening pattern through the substrate; By enlarging the through-hole by anisotropic wet etching of the single-crystal silicon substrate, a straight communication is continuously formed between the
  • the invention according to claim 15 is the method for manufacturing the nozzle plate according to claim 14, an eighth step of forming a nozzle straight portion by deep-etching the single crystal silicon substrate under the opening pattern from the surface to the middle by dry etching; A ninth step of forming a nozzle mask layer along the inner surface of the nozzle straight portion is performed between the fifth step and the sixth step.
  • a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate of a droplet ejection head comprising: a first step of forming a surface mask layer on a first surface of a single crystal silicon substrate having a ⁇ 100 ⁇ surface crystal orientation; a second step of simultaneously forming a circular or polygonal opening pattern serving as nozzle openings and a slit pattern serving as slits in the surface mask layer; a third step of forming slits by penetrating or deep-cutting the single crystal silicon substrate under the slit pattern from the surface by dry etching; a fourth step of forming a sidewall mask layer in the slit; a fifth step of forming a through-hole by dry-etching the surface of the single-crystal silicon substrate located under the opening pattern through the substrate; By enlarging the through-hole by anisotropic wet etching of the single-crystal silicon substrate, a straight communication is continuously formed between the nozzle taper portion and the end portion of the end portion of the surface mask layer;
  • the invention according to claim 17 is the method for manufacturing the nozzle plate according to claim 16, a seventh step of forming a nozzle straight portion by deep-etching the single crystal silicon substrate under the opening pattern from the surface to the middle by dry etching; An eighth step of forming a nozzle mask layer along the inner surface of the nozzle straight portion is performed between the third step and the fifth step.
  • the nozzle plate According to the nozzle plate, the droplet ejection head, the droplet ejection device, and the method of manufacturing the nozzle plate according to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both high density nozzle openings and favorable ejection characteristics.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a droplet ejection device according to this embodiment
  • FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the main part of the droplet ejection head according to the embodiment
  • FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a nozzle plate showing nozzle flow paths according to the embodiment
  • FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle plate taken along line IIIB-IIIB of FIG. 3A
  • FIG. It is a sectional view of a nozzle plate concerning a modification.
  • FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a nozzle plate showing nozzle flow paths according to another embodiment
  • FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a nozzle plate showing nozzle flow paths according to another embodiment;
  • FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a nozzle plate showing nozzle flow paths according to another embodiment;
  • FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of a nozzle plate showing nozzle flow paths according to another embodiment
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle plate showing nozzle flow paths according to another embodiment
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle plate showing nozzle flow paths according to another embodiment
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle plate showing main steps of the method of manufacturing the nozzle plate according to the first embodiment
  • FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle plate showing main steps of a method of manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the second embodiment
  • FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle plate showing main steps of a method of manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the third embodiment
  • FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle plate showing a modification of main steps of a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the third embodiment;
  • FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle plate showing a modification of main steps of a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the third embodiment; It is sectional drawing of the nozzle plate which shows the manufacturing process of the nozzle plate which concerns on a modification. It is sectional drawing of the nozzle plate which shows the manufacturing process of the nozzle plate which concerns on a modification.
  • 4 is an enlarged plan view showing one ink channel of the piezoelectric plate;
  • FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing nozzle flow paths of a nozzle plate according to a comparative example;
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction of an inkjet head to which a nozzle plate according to a comparative example is joined;
  • FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing nozzle flow paths of a nozzle plate according to a comparative example;
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction of an inkjet head to which a nozzle plate according to a comparative example is joined;
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction of an inkjet head to which a nozzle plate according to a comparative example is joined;
  • FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing nozzle flow paths of a nozzle plate according to a comparative example
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction of an inkjet head to which a nozzle plate according to a comparative example is joined
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction of an inkjet head to which a nozzle plate according to a comparative example is joined;
  • an inkjet recording apparatus 1 including an inkjet head 10, which is a droplet ejection head will be disclosed as a droplet ejection apparatus according to the present embodiment.
  • the transport direction of the recording medium P in the inkjet recording apparatus 1 is the front-rear direction
  • the direction perpendicular to the transport direction on the transport surface of the recording medium P is the left-right direction.
  • a direction perpendicular to the direction (ink ejection direction) will be described as a vertical direction.
  • the inkjet head 10 will be described with reference to the state in which it is attached to the inkjet recording apparatus 1 .
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.
  • the inkjet recording apparatus 1 conveys a recording medium P such as paper in the front-rear direction through a plurality of units U by a conveying section T including, for example, a conveying belt T1 and conveying rollers T2.
  • a plurality of inkjet heads 10 are arranged in each unit U, and the ink of each color is ejected from each inkjet head 10 to perform printing on the recording medium P. As shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the main configuration of one inkjet head 10.
  • FIG. 2 shows a head chip 100 having a nozzle plate 110, a channel plate 120, a piezoelectric plate 130, and a wiring plate 140.
  • FIG. 2 also shows an FPC 200 (Flexible Printed Circuit).
  • FPC 200 is electrically connected to wiring plate 140 .
  • the nozzle opening portion N is drawn upward, that is, it is drawn upside down with respect to FIG.
  • the head chip 100 has a structure in which each plate is laminated.
  • the nozzle plate 110, the flow path plate 120, the piezoelectric plate 130, and the wiring plate 140 are all plate-like members elongated in the left-right direction and in the shape of a substantially quadrangular prism.
  • the nozzle plate 110 is a substrate on which nozzle flow paths 111 (see FIG. 3A), which are holes penetrating in the vertical direction, are arranged in rows along the horizontal direction.
  • a nozzle opening portion N that is an opening portion of the nozzle flow path 111 is provided on the lower surface side of the nozzle plate 110 . That is, the lower surface side of the nozzle plate 110 forms the ejection surface (first surface) Ba of the inkjet head 10 . Then, ink is ejected from the nozzle openings N substantially perpendicularly to the ejection surface Ba. Details of the nozzle plate 110 and the nozzle channel 111 will be described later.
  • the flow path plate 120 is a rectangular parallelepiped plate-like member that has substantially the same shape as the nozzle plate 110 when viewed in the vertical direction.
  • the channel plate 120 is provided with a through channel 121 and an individual discharge channel 122 .
  • the through channel 121 is a channel communicating with the nozzle channel 111 .
  • the individual discharge channel 122 is a channel branched from the through channel 121 .
  • An adhesion surface (second surface) Bb (see FIG. 3A), which is a surface facing the ejection surface Ba of the nozzle plate 110, is adhered (fixed) to the lower surface of the flow path plate 120 via an adhesive.
  • the lower surface of the piezoelectric plate 130 is adhered (fixed) to the upper surface of the flow path plate 120 with an adhesive.
  • the channel plate 120 is made of, for example, a silicon substrate.
  • the piezoelectric plate 130 is a rectangular parallelepiped plate-like member that has substantially the same shape as the nozzle plate 110 when viewed from above.
  • the piezoelectric plate 130 is provided with a pressure chamber 131 , a common discharge channel 132 and a vertical discharge channel 133 .
  • the pressure chamber 131 communicates with the through channel 121 .
  • the common discharge channel 132 communicates with the individual discharge channel 122 .
  • the vertical discharge channel 133 communicates with the common discharge channel 132 .
  • the material of the piezoelectric plate 130 is a ceramic piezoelectric body (a member that deforms according to voltage application).
  • Examples of such piezoelectric materials include PZT (lead zirconate titanate), lithium niobate, barium titanate, lead titanate, and lead metaniobate.
  • the wiring plate 140 is a flat substrate having an area larger than that of the piezoelectric plate 130 .
  • the wiring plate 140 is provided with an ink supply channel 141 and a discharge hole 142 .
  • the ink supply channel 141 communicates with an ink chamber (not shown) through a first opening 1411 that is an opening on the upper surface side.
  • the ink supply channel 141 communicates with the pressure chamber 131 through the second opening 1412 on the lower surface side.
  • the discharge hole 142 communicates with the vertical discharge channel 133 .
  • the wiring plate 140 has its lower surface adhered to the upper surface of the piezoelectric plate 130 via an adhesive.
  • a substrate of glass, ceramics, silicon, plastic, or the like can be used as the wiring plate 140.
  • the bonding surface of the wiring plate 140 with the piezoelectric plate 130 is provided with a plurality of wirings that are connected to the electrodes of the ink channels, which will be described later. Further, the FPC 200 is connected to the end of the wiring plate 140 where the wiring is provided via, for example, an ACF (Anisotropic Conductive Film). Drive signals output from a drive circuit (not shown) are supplied to ink channel electrodes via wiring 210 on the FPC 200 and wiring on the wiring plate 140 .
  • the through channels 121, the pressure chambers 131, and the ink supply channels 141 are connected to form an ink channel.
  • the ink channel is provided at a position overlapping the nozzle flow path 111 when viewed from the top and bottom direction, and communicates with the nozzle flow path 111 . In this manner, the ink channels and the nozzle flow paths 111 each constitute an ink flow path.
  • An electrode (not shown) is formed on the inner wall surface of the ink channel.
  • the portion of the wall surface between the ink channels, which is made of the piezoelectric material of the piezoelectric plate 130, is displaced according to the potential difference between the driving signals applied to the electrodes of the adjacent ink channels.
  • the pressure of the ink in the ink channel fluctuates as the wall surface repeats the displacement of the shear mode type (shear mode type).
  • the volume of the pressure chamber 131 changes according to this pressure variation, and the ink in the ink channel is ejected from the nozzle opening portion N. That is, the inkjet head 10 of the present embodiment performs shear mode type ink ejection.
  • the individual discharge channel 122, the common discharge channel 132, the vertical discharge channel 133 and the discharge holes 142 constitute an ink discharge channel.
  • a part of the ink supplied from the ink chamber to the ink channel can be discharged to the outside of the inkjet head 10 through the ink discharge channel.
  • air bubbles and foreign matter in the ink channel can be discharged to the outside of the head chip 100 together with the ink.
  • the flow path plate 120 is not an essential component in the inkjet head 10 according to the present invention. That is, the nozzle plate 110 and the piezoelectric plate 130 may be directly bonded together.
  • the head chip 100 preferably has a shape similar to that of the openings of the ink flow paths on the bonding surfaces of the plates, and more preferably has the same shape.
  • FIG. 2 shows the nozzle plate 110 in which only one row of nozzle openings N is arranged in the left-right direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, a plurality of rows of nozzle openings N may be provided in the front-rear direction.
  • FIG. 3A is an enlarged plan view showing one nozzle flow path 111 when the nozzle plate 110 is viewed from the bonding surface Bb side.
  • FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing one nozzle channel 111 along line IIIB-IIIB of FIG. 3A.
  • the nozzle plate 110 is composed of a single crystal silicon substrate B. As shown in FIG.
  • the single crystal silicon substrate B is a plate-shaped member made of single crystal silicon (Si) and having a thickness of about 100 ⁇ m to 725 ⁇ m.
  • the nozzle flow path 111 is a through hole penetrating from the discharge surface Ba of the single crystal silicon substrate B to the bonding surface Bb. As shown in FIG. 3B, for example, a nozzle opening portion N, a nozzle straight portion 1111, a nozzle taper portion 1112, and a straight communication portion 1113 are provided from the discharge surface Ba toward the adhesion surface Bb.
  • the nozzle openings N are holes that are circular or polygonal in shape.
  • the nozzle openings N are arranged in a matrix on the ejection surface Ba side of the single-crystal silicon substrate B, and communicate with the nozzle straight portion 1111 on the bonding surface Bb side.
  • the diameter can be about 15 ⁇ m to 45 ⁇ m.
  • the nozzle straight portion 1111 is formed continuously with the end portion of the nozzle tapered portion 1112 on the ejection surface Ba side.
  • the resistance applied when ink is ejected from the nozzle opening portion N increases, suppressing vibration of the meniscus, so that the shape of the meniscus can be further stabilized.
  • FIG. 3B illustrates a case where the flow passage area, which is the cross-sectional area in the direction perpendicular to the ink ejection direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 3B), in the nozzle straight portion 1111 is substantially constant in the vertical direction.
  • the flow passage area which is the cross-sectional area in the direction perpendicular to the ink ejection direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 3B)
  • the nozzle straight portion 1111 is substantially constant in the vertical direction.
  • the angle that the nozzle straight portion 1111 forms with the axis parallel to the nozzle central axis is not limited to 0°, and may be tapered as long as the angle is smaller than 15°.
  • a nozzle straight portion 1111 may be provided with a plurality of surfaces 1111a and 1111b having different angles with respect to an axis parallel to the nozzle central axis.
  • the maximum flow path area of the nozzle straight portion 1111 is preferably equal to or less than the flow path area of the end portion of the nozzle taper portion 1112 on the side of the discharge surface Ba.
  • the vertical length of the nozzle straight portion 1111 (height of the nozzle straight portion 1111) is about 5 ⁇ m to 50 ⁇ m. Since the height of the nozzle straight portion 1111 is within this range, an appropriate resistance is applied when ink is ejected.
  • the nozzle taper portion 1112 includes four ⁇ 111 ⁇ crystal faces. It has a substantially constant angular taper of greater than or equal to .
  • the nozzle flow path 111 has at least a portion where the taper height h, which is the height from the discharge surface Ba to the end of the nozzle taper portion 1112 on the adhesive surface Bb side, shown in FIG. 3B, is 20 ⁇ m or more. That is, it is preferable that the maximum length of the taper height h is 20 ⁇ m or more. When the maximum length of the taper height h is 20 ⁇ m or more, the effect of stabilizing the ink meniscus shape of the nozzle taper portion 1112 can be sufficiently obtained. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the nozzle flow path 111 is provided with the nozzle straight portion 1111, the height of the nozzle straight portion 1111 is included in the taper height h.
  • the nozzle taper portion 1112 only needs to include four ⁇ 111 ⁇ crystal planes.
  • the nozzle taper portion 1112 may include, for example, other planes whose crystal planes are different from the ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes and whose angles with respect to the axes parallel to the nozzle central axis are different.
  • the nozzle taper portion 1112 may be composed of only four ⁇ 111 ⁇ crystal planes. Specifically, when there is a surface (terrace plane) substantially parallel to the ejection surface Ba at the connecting portion between the nozzle taper portion 1112 and the straight communication portion 1113, the nozzle taper portion 1112 has a crystal plane of ⁇ 111 ⁇ and the configuration of the straight communication portion 1113, which will be described later, can both be satisfied.
  • the straight communication portion 1113 is continuous with the end portion of the nozzle taper portion 1112 on the bonding surface Bb side, and is provided up to the bonding surface Bb.
  • the straight communication portion 1113 has a pair of opposing surfaces that are substantially parallel. Further, the surfaces forming the straight communication portion 1113 are configured such that, of the sides intersecting the bonding surface Bb, the length of the sides of a pair of opposing surfaces is longer than the sides of the other surfaces.
  • the shape of the opening in the bonding surface Bb is elongated. Since the cross section of the straight communication portion 1113 perpendicular to the vertical direction is elongated in this way, the density of the nozzle openings N in the nozzle plate 110 can be further increased.
  • the sidewall mask layer 112 closes through holes (slits S, which will be described later) formed adjacent to the nozzle flow paths 111 in the process of forming the nozzle flow paths 111, which will be described later. It also serves to prevent ink from flowing out from the through holes when the nozzle plate 110 is used. As shown in FIG. 3B, the sidewall mask layer 112 is provided along the inner surface of the straight communication portion 1113 at the intersection of the nozzle taper portion 1112 and the straight communication portion 1113 .
  • a material for forming the sidewall mask layer 112 is not particularly limited.
  • an oxide such as SiO 2 (silicon oxide), a metal plating such as Al (aluminum) or Cr (chromium), or a resin can be used.
  • the width of the sidewall mask layer 112 is preferably 0.1 ⁇ m to 50 ⁇ m. Moreover, it is particularly preferable that the width of the sidewall mask layer 112 is 0.5 ⁇ m to 20 ⁇ m. If the width of the sidewall mask layer 112 is 0.5 ⁇ m or more, the effect of stopping the progress of anisotropic wet etching (WE) in the step of forming the straight communication portion 1113 described later increases. Also, if the width of the sidewall mask layer 112 is 20 ⁇ m or less, the formation is facilitated. In particular, when the sidewall mask layer 112 is made of oxide, its width is preferably 0.5 ⁇ m to 5 ⁇ m. This is because if the sidewall mask layer 112 has a width of 5 ⁇ m or less, it can be formed by thermal oxidation in a short time and at low cost.
  • WE anisotropic wet etching
  • the sidewall mask layer 112 is formed such that the width thereof gradually narrows from one of the discharge surface Ba and the bonding surface Bb to the other surface.
  • the width of the tip on the other surface side is narrower by 20% or more than the width of the tip on the one surface side. Since the sidewall mask layer 112 has such a shape, the sidewall mask layer 112 can be easily filled without voids in the step of forming the sidewall mask layer 112 to be described later.
  • the nozzle taper portion 1112 is bilaterally symmetrical.
  • the straight communication portion 1113 is not limited to the configuration in which the crystal plane is the substantially ⁇ 101 ⁇ plane or the substantially ⁇ 100 ⁇ plane of the single crystal silicon substrate B.
  • a pair of opposing substantially ⁇ 101 ⁇ planes of straight communication portion 1113 are substantially parallel, and a cross-sectional shape of a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction of straight communication portion 1113 is elongated.
  • a cross-sectional shape of a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction of straight communication portion 1113 is elongated.
  • the opposing surfaces may be substantially parallel to each other, and the cross section of the surface perpendicular to the vertical direction of the straight communication portion 1113 may be rectangular.
  • the side wall mask layer 112 in the portion adjacent to the straight communication portion 1113 may be removed. If the sidewall mask layer 112 remains at least partially between the intersection of the nozzle taper portion 1112 and the straight communication portion 1113 and the ejection surface Ba, ink leakage can be suppressed.
  • 3B and 4 illustrate the case where the sidewall mask layer 112 is formed so as to penetrate the single crystal silicon substrate B, but the present invention is not limited to this.
  • FIGS. 5A to 5C illustrate the case where the nozzle opening portion N has a substantially square shape, but it is not limited to this.
  • the nozzle opening portion N may have any shape such as a circular shape or a polygonal shape.
  • the nozzle flow path 111 may include at least a nozzle opening portion N, a nozzle taper portion 1112, and a straight communication portion 1113.
  • the nozzle plate 110 attached to the inkjet head 10 and ejecting ink is illustrated, but the liquid ejected from the nozzle plate 110 is not limited to ink.
  • the nozzle plate 110 includes a plurality of nozzle flow paths 111 formed with nozzle openings N for ejecting droplets on the first surface Ba of the single crystal silicon substrate B.
  • the nozzle channel 111 has a channel area that is a cross-sectional area orthogonal to the droplet ejection direction from the first surface Ba toward the second surface Bb facing the first surface Ba.
  • the nozzle taper portion 1112 has a substantially crystal plane. It contains four planes of ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes. According to this configuration, the cross section of the straight communication portion 1113 perpendicular to the vertical direction has an elongated shape, and the density of the nozzle openings N in the nozzle plate 110 can be increased. Further, when joined to another plate having an ink flow channel whose cross-sectional shape of a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction is rectangular, the shape of the joint between the ink flow channel and the nozzle flow channel 111 substantially matches. Ejection characteristics are improved.
  • the length of the side of one pair of opposing planes is longer than the length of the sides of the other planes. It is composed of ⁇ 101 ⁇ planes or approximately ⁇ 100 ⁇ planes. According to this configuration, the nozzle taper portion 1112 is left-right symmetrical, and the symmetry of the liquid flow is maintained, so the injection angle is more stable.
  • the nozzle plate 110 is a nozzle plate 110 having a plurality of nozzle flow paths 111 formed with nozzle openings N for ejecting droplets on the first surface Ba of the single crystal silicon substrate B.
  • the channel area which is a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the droplet ejection direction, gradually widens from the first surface Ba toward the second surface Bb facing the first surface Ba.
  • a nozzle taper portion 1112 and a straight communication portion 1113 provided continuously from the end of the nozzle taper portion 1112 on the second surface Bb side to the second surface Bb, and the nozzle taper portion 1112 and the straight communication portion 1113 intersect.
  • a sidewall mask layer 112 is provided on at least a portion between the portion and the first surface Ba, and the nozzle taper portion 1112 includes four planes whose crystal planes are substantially ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes. According to this configuration, the through hole formed adjacent to the nozzle channel 111 can be blocked, and the liquid can be prevented from flowing out from the through hole.
  • the sidewall mask layer 112 has a shape that gradually narrows from the first surface Ba to the second surface Bb or from the second surface Bb to the first surface Ba. According to this configuration, since the side wall mask layer 112 is easily filled without voids, it is possible to further prevent the liquid from flowing out from the through holes formed adjacent to the nozzle flow paths 111 .
  • the nozzle flow path 111 also includes a nozzle straight portion 1111 that is continuous with the end portion of the nozzle taper portion 1112 on the first surface side Ba. According to this configuration, the resistance at the time of droplet ejection is increased, the vibration of the meniscus can be suppressed, the shape of the meniscus can be stabilized, and the ejection stability can be improved.
  • the nozzle straight portion 1111 has a maximum flow passage area that is equal to or less than the flow passage area of the end portion of the nozzle taper portion 1112 on the first surface Ba side. According to this configuration, it is possible to further enhance the effect of improving the meniscus stability by providing the nozzle straight portion 1111 .
  • the maximum length of the taper height h from the first surface Ba to the end of the nozzle taper portion 1112 on the second surface side Bb is 20 ⁇ m or more. According to this configuration, the resistance at the time of droplet ejection is increased, the vibration of the meniscus can be suppressed, the shape of the meniscus can be stabilized, and the ejection stability can be improved.
  • the method for manufacturing the nozzle plate according to the first embodiment is a method for manufacturing the nozzle plate 110 of the droplet discharge head 10, and includes steps A-1 to A-7 shown in FIG. Then, the nozzle plate 110 in which the nozzle flow path 111 including at least the nozzle opening portion N, the nozzle taper portion 1112 and the straight communication portion 1113 is formed is manufactured.
  • A-1 step First, as the A-1 step (first step), a surface mask layer 113 is uniformly formed on the ejection surface (first surface) Ba of the single crystal silicon substrate B whose surface crystal orientation is the ⁇ 100 ⁇ plane. do.
  • ⁇ Surface mask layer> As a material for forming the surface mask layer 113, for example, SiO 2 , Al, Cr, resin, or the like can be used, like the sidewall mask layer 112 .
  • a thermal oxidation method or a CVD method can be applied to form a mask layer made of SiO 2 .
  • a thermal oxidation method or a CVD method can be applied to form a mask layer made of SiO 2 .
  • SiO 2 by thermal oxidation is preferred. This is because SiO 2 has good adhesion to the single-crystal silicon substrate B and has the effect of preventing side etching during anisotropic wet etching (WE), which will be described later.
  • the surface mask layer 113 may have a single layer structure as shown in FIG. 8, or may have a multilayer structure.
  • a slit pattern 115 that will become a slit S described later is formed in the surface mask layer 113 .
  • a resist pattern is formed on the surface mask layer 113 by a well-known photolithographic technique.
  • a positive photoresist or a negative photoresist can be used to form the resist pattern.
  • Known materials can be used as the positive photoresist and the negative photoresist.
  • ZPN-1150-90 manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd. can be used as a negative photoresist.
  • OFPR-800LB and OEBR-CAP112PM manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd. can be used as a positive photoresist.
  • the resist layer is formed by applying it to a predetermined thickness using a spin coater or the like. After that, a pre-baking process is performed under conditions such as 110° C. for 90 seconds.
  • HMDS hexamethyldisilazane
  • the HMDS treatment is an organic material called hexamethyldisilazane, and for example, OAP (hexamethyldisilazane, manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.) can be used.
  • OAP hexamethyldisilazane, manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.
  • the coating may be performed using a spin coater, or exposure to hexamethyldisilazane vapor can be expected to improve adhesion.
  • a predetermined mask is used to expose the resist layer with an aligner or the like.
  • the amount of light is about 50 mJ/cm 2 .
  • a developing solution for example, NMD-3 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd. for 60 to 90 seconds
  • a slit pattern 115 is formed by dry etching (DE1) the surface mask layer 113 using the resist pattern as a mask. After forming the slit pattern 115, the resist pattern is removed.
  • Dry etching is performed using a dry etching device such as a RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) device or an ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma)-RIE etching device, which is a dry etching device that employs an inductive coupling method for the discharge method.
  • a dry etching device such as a RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) device or an ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma)-RIE etching device, which is a dry etching device that employs an inductive coupling method for the discharge method.
  • RIE Reactive Ion Etching
  • ICP Inductively Coupled Plasma
  • CHF 3 trifluoromethane
  • CF 4 tetrafluoromethane
  • etching is performed for a predetermined time under the conditions of a CHF 3 gas flow rate of 80 sccm, a pressure of 3 Pa, and an RF power of 90 W to obtain a slit pattern. 115 can be formed.
  • ⁇ Removal of resist pattern> As a method for removing the resist pattern, for example, a wet process using acetone or an acid solution or a dry process using oxygen plasma can be used.
  • step A-3 (third step), the single crystal silicon substrate B under the slit pattern 115 is through-processed by dry etching (DE2) from the surface to form slits S.
  • step A-4 (fourth step)
  • the sidewall mask layer 112 is formed in the slit S.
  • the dry etching (DE2) can be performed using an ICP-RIE etching apparatus that employs an inductively coupled plasma discharge method.
  • the slit S may be formed so that the width of the cross section of the plane perpendicular to the vertical direction is equal at any location.
  • the slit S is likely to be blocked by the mask on the near side, and there is a possibility that voids are formed on the far side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, forming the slit S so as to gradually narrow from one surface to the other surface of the single crystal silicon substrate B facilitates formation of the sidewall mask layer 112 without voids.
  • the straight communication portion 1113 can be formed with higher accuracy in the anisotropic wet etching (WE) in the step A-7 described later.
  • a thermal oxidation method using SiO 2 can be applied as a method for forming the sidewall mask layer 112 as a method for forming the sidewall mask layer 112
  • a thermal oxidation method using SiO 2 can be applied as a method for forming the sidewall mask layer 112
  • step A-5 Next, as a step A-5 (fifth step), a circular or polygonal opening pattern 114 that becomes the nozzle opening portion N is formed in the surface mask layer 113 .
  • the method of forming the opening pattern 114 is the same as the method of forming the slit pattern 115 in step A-2.
  • step A-6 (sixth step), the single-crystal silicon substrate B under the opening pattern 114 is through-processed from the surface by dry etching (DE2) to form through-holes.
  • DE2 dry etching
  • step A-7 (seventh step), the through hole is enlarged by anisotropic wet etching (WE). Then, a nozzle taper portion 1112 and a straight communication portion 1113 communicating with the nozzle taper portion 1112 are formed.
  • WE anisotropic wet etching
  • nozzle taper portion 1112 is the ⁇ 111 ⁇ plane with an extremely slow etching rate. Therefore, a nozzle tapered portion 1112 having an angle of 35.3° with an axis parallel to the nozzle central axis is formed.
  • a straight communication portion 1113 is formed on the inner surface F2 along the sidewall mask layer 112 from the portion where the surface F1 contacts the sidewall mask layer 112 .
  • the sidewall mask layer 112 formed in the slit S performs anisotropic wet etching (WE) on the single crystal silicon substrate B. expansion of the nozzle channel 111 can be controlled. That is, the shape of the cross section of the straight communication portion 1113 perpendicular to the vertical direction can be set to any shape depending on the formation locations of the slits S and the side wall mask layers 112 .
  • the surface forming the straight communication portion 1113 is the adhesive surface (second surface).
  • the nozzle flow path 111 is adhered.
  • the shape of the opening on the surface Bb side can be made elongated. Therefore, when it is adhered to another plate, it is possible to prevent deterioration of ejection characteristics due to shape mismatch between the ink flow paths of the other plate and the nozzle flow paths 111 of the nozzle plate 110 . Also, the density of the nozzle openings N in the nozzle plate 110 can be increased.
  • the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate 110 according to the second embodiment includes steps B-1 to B-6 shown in FIG. It should be noted that in the following description, detailed descriptions of the content that overlaps with the manufacturing process of the nozzle plate according to the first embodiment will be omitted.
  • step B-1 (first step), a surface mask layer 113 is uniformly formed on the surface of the single crystal silicon substrate B whose surface crystal orientation is the ⁇ 100 ⁇ plane.
  • an opening pattern 114 and a slit pattern 115 are simultaneously formed in the surface mask layer 113 as a B-2 step (second step).
  • the method of forming the opening pattern 114 and the slit pattern 115 is the same as the steps A-2 and A-5.
  • the patterning for the nozzle openings N and the patterning for the slits S are performed at the same time, so that the positional relationship between the nozzle openings N and the slits S can be easily maintained.
  • step B-3 Next, a slit S is formed in step B-3 (third step).
  • the method of forming the slit S is the same as in step A-3.
  • the single crystal silicon substrate B under the slit pattern 115 is dry-etched (DE2) from the surface, there is a possibility that the single crystal silicon substrate B under the opening pattern 114 is also etched. Therefore, it is preferable to protect the opening pattern 114 with a resist layer or the like in advance and remove the resist layer after the slits S are formed.
  • step B-4 (fourth step), sidewall mask layers 112 are formed in the slits S.
  • the material and formation method of the sidewall mask layer 112 are the same as those in step A-4. If a mask layer is also formed on the opening pattern 114 during the formation of the sidewall mask layer 112, it is removed by etching using an RIE apparatus or the like.
  • step B-5 in step B-5 (fifth step), the single crystal silicon substrate B below the opening pattern 114 is dry-etched (DE2) to form a through-hole.
  • step A-7 in step B-6 (sixth step), the through-hole is subjected to anisotropic wet etching (WE) to remove the nozzle opening portion N, the nozzle taper portion 1112, and the surface.
  • WE anisotropic wet etching
  • a nozzle flow path 111 having a straight communicating portion 1113 is formed on an inner surface F2 along the side wall mask layer 112 from a portion where F1 abuts on the side wall mask layer 112 .
  • the opening pattern 114 and the slit pattern 115 are simultaneously formed in step B-2. Therefore, the symmetry of the nozzle opening portion N and the slit S can be easily maintained, and the nozzle flow path 111 with a more stable injection angle can be formed.
  • FIG. 10 shows main steps of a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the third embodiment. After forming the opening pattern 114 in the A-5 step, in the A-8 step (eighth step), the single crystal silicon substrate B under the opening pattern 114 is removed from the front surface by the length of the expected nozzle straight portion 1111. A nozzle straight portion 1111 is formed by dry etching (DE2).
  • step A-9 (the ninth step), a nozzle mask layer 116 is formed along the inner surface of the nozzle straight portion 1111 .
  • the material and formation method of the nozzle mask layer 116 are the same as those of the surface mask layer 113 in step A-1.
  • the nozzle mask layer 116 formed on the bottom of the nozzle straight portion 1111 is removed.
  • the nozzle mask layer 116 on the bottom of the nozzle straight portion 1111 can be removed by etching using an RIE apparatus or the like.
  • the nozzle mask layer 116 on the bottom is etched first. It is also possible to make etching of the nozzle mask layer 116 on the side wall more difficult by using a low pressure and a high bias as dry etching conditions.
  • step A-6 the single crystal silicon substrate B under the nozzle straight portion 1111 is dry-etched (DE2) from the surface to form a through hole.
  • step A-7 the through hole is enlarged by anisotropic wet etching (WE).
  • WE anisotropic wet etching
  • the nozzle mask layer 116 formed in the nozzle flow path 111 prevents the progress of etching during anisotropic wet etching (WE). Suppress. Therefore, the nozzle straight portion 1111 having a desired length can be formed in the nozzle channel 111 .
  • step A-8 dry etching (DE2) is performed by changing the processing conditions (for example, time, power, pressure, gas flow rate, etc.) so that the axis parallel to the nozzle central axis It is possible to provide a nozzle straight portion 1111 composed of a plurality of surfaces having different angles.
  • processing conditions for example, time, power, pressure, gas flow rate, etc.
  • the nozzle channel 111 having the nozzle straight portion 1111 is formed by performing the steps A-8 and A-9 between the steps A-5 and A-6. It is not limited to this.
  • the nozzle straight portion 1111 is formed by dry etching (DE2) by the length of the nozzle straight portion 1111 to be planned between the steps B-4 and B-5.
  • -7 step (seventh step) and B-8 step (eighth step) of forming the nozzle mask layer 116 along the inner surface of the nozzle straight portion 1111 are performed to form the nozzle channel 111 having the nozzle straight portion 1111. You may
  • step B-7 may be performed between steps B-3 and B-4.
  • the sidewall mask layer 112 and the nozzle mask layer 116 can be formed simultaneously in the step B-4, and the step B-8 can be simplified.
  • the dry etching (DE2) in the step B-7 has an adverse effect on the shape of the slit S, the slit S is thermally oxidized to a thickness of 0.1 ⁇ m after the step B-3. You can go through the process.
  • the slit S is provided by penetrating the single crystal silicon substrate B under the slit pattern 115 by dry etching (DE2), but it is not limited to this.
  • the slit S may be a long hole formed by deep digging halfway.
  • the time is controlled so that the anisotropic wet etching (WE) is stopped halfway, so that the nozzle taper portion 1112 and the straight communication can be achieved.
  • a portion 1113 may be formed.
  • only the nozzle taper portion 1112 may be formed by continuing the anisotropic wet etching (WE) to the end.
  • a step of removing the mask layers including the sidewall mask layer 112 and the nozzle mask layer 116 in the nozzle flow path 111 may be performed.
  • the mask layer is made of SiO2 , it can be removed with hydrofluoric acid.
  • the mask layer is removed, all of the sidewall mask layer 112 adjacent to the inner surface of the straight communication portion 1113 is removed.
  • only the surface portion of the side wall mask layer 112 between the portion where the straight communication portion 1113 and the nozzle taper portion 1112 intersect and the ejection surface Ba is removed. Therefore, even if the mask layer is removed, the ink will not flow out from the slit S, which is a through hole.
  • the slit S is formed from the ejection surface Ba side, but the present invention is not limited to this.
  • the slit S may be formed from the adhesive surface Bb side.
  • the slit S is formed by deep engraving instead of penetrating, dry etching (DE2) is performed up to the portion where the straight communication portion 1113 is desired to be formed, and the anisotropic wet etching (WE) is performed to the portion where the side wall is to be stopped.
  • a mask layer 112 must be formed. This is the same regardless of which side of the single crystal silicon substrate B, the ejection surface Ba or the bonding surface Bb, the slit S is formed.
  • the method of forming the slit S by piercing is not limited to the method of piercing from the ejection surface Ba side or the adhesive surface Bb side at once.
  • a slit S as a through hole is formed by performing deep etching from the discharge surface Ba side and also performing deep etching from the bonding surface Bb side.
  • Layer 112 may be formed.
  • a portion to be the straight communication portion 1113 may be processed in advance on the bonding surface Bb side.
  • a protective film may be formed on the nozzle plate 110 for long-term use of ink ejection.
  • a step of forming a protective film covering the surface including the inside of the nozzle channel 111 is performed.
  • the protective film is made of a material that does not dissolve upon contact with the ink, such as a metal oxide film (tantalum pentoxide, hafnium oxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, etc.), or a metal oxide film containing silicon.
  • a metal oxide film tantalum pentoxide, hafnium oxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, etc.
  • a metal oxide film containing silicon such as a metal oxide film (tantalum pentoxide, hafnium oxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, etc.), or a metal oxide film containing silicon.
  • Materials used for forming metal silicate films tantalum silicate, hafnium silicate, niobium silicate, titanium silicate, zirconium silicate, etc.
  • an organic film such as polyimide, polyamide, or parylene may be used as the protective film.
  • the thickness of the protective film is not particularly limited
  • Example creation A nozzle plate 110 having 1000 nozzle flow paths 111 formed according to the following examples and comparative examples was manufactured. Then, each nozzle plate 110 was ground to a thickness of 175 ⁇ m. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the inkjet head 10 is formed by bonding to a piezoelectric plate 130 having a rectangular cross-sectional shape of 50 ⁇ m ⁇ 250 ⁇ m on a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction of the ink flow path. The head 10 was mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus 1 .
  • a nozzle channel 111 was formed by the following steps A-1 to A-7.
  • Step A-1 A surface mask layer 113 was formed by thermal oxidation on the discharge surface Ba of a single crystal silicon substrate B having a crystal orientation of ⁇ 100 ⁇ and a thickness of 400 ⁇ m.
  • Step A-2 A slit pattern 115 was formed on the surface mask layer 113 .
  • Step A-3 A slit S was formed by dry etching (DE2) the single crystal silicon substrate B under the slit pattern 115 .
  • Step A-4 A side wall mask layer 112 was formed in the slit S.
  • the straight communication portion 1113 was formed with a width of 2 ⁇ m so that the cross section of the surface perpendicular to the vertical direction had an elongated shape of 50 ⁇ m ⁇ 250 ⁇ m as shown in FIG. 3A.
  • Two parallel sidewall mask layers 112 were formed.
  • the slit S was formed by the Bosch process using a Si deep digging device.
  • Step A-5 The single-crystal silicon substrate B under the surface mask layer 113 was dry-etched (DE1) from the surface by an RIE apparatus to form a square opening pattern 114 of 30 ⁇ m ⁇ 30 ⁇ m. CHF 3 was used as an etching gas.
  • Step A-6 Through-holes were formed by dry-etching (DE2) from the surface of the single-crystal silicon substrate B under the opening pattern 114 using a Si deep etching device.
  • A-7 step Anisotropic wet etching (WE) with a KOH solution is performed on the through-holes to form four nozzle taper portions 1112 whose crystal planes are ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes and the nozzle taper portions 1112 whose crystal planes are.
  • a straight communicating portion 1113 composed of a ⁇ 101 ⁇ plane continuous with the end portion on the adhesive surface Bb side of is formed.
  • Example 2 In steps A-2 to A-4, as shown in FIG. 5C, the slit S and the side wall mask are formed so that the cross section of the straight communication portion 1113 perpendicular to the vertical direction has a rectangular shape of 50 ⁇ m ⁇ 250 ⁇ m. A layer 112 was formed. Other conditions are the same as in Example 1.
  • Example 3 The following steps A-8 and A-9 were performed between steps A-5 and A-6 to form a nozzle flow path 111 having a nozzle straight portion 1111 .
  • Other conditions are the same as in Example 2.
  • Step A-8 A nozzle straight portion 1111 having a depth of 20 ⁇ m was formed by dry etching (DE2) from the surface of the single crystal silicon substrate B under the opening pattern 114 using a Si deep etching device.
  • Step A-9 After thermally oxidizing the single crystal silicon substrate B, only the oxide film on the bottom of the nozzle straight portion 1111 was removed by the RIE apparatus.
  • Example 4 In steps A-2 to A-4, the single crystal silicon substrate B is rotated by 45° while the ejection surface Ba and the bonding surface Bb are fixed, and then the slit S and the side wall mask layer 112 are formed. As shown, a straight communicating portion 1113 composed of ⁇ 100 ⁇ planes was formed. Other conditions are the same as in Example 2.
  • step A-3 and A-4 the slit S and the side wall mask layer 112 were formed so that the width gradually narrowed from the discharge surface Ba toward the bonding surface Bb. Specifically, when the slit S was formed, dry etching (DE2) was performed so that the width on the discharge surface Ba side was 3 ⁇ m and the width on the bonding surface Bb side was 1 ⁇ m. Other conditions are the same as in Example 2.
  • Example 6 In the step A-7, the nozzle channel 111 is arranged so that the crystal plane of the straight communicating portion 1113 is neither the ⁇ 100 ⁇ plane nor the ⁇ 101 ⁇ plane of the single crystal silicon substrate B, and the nozzle taper portion 1112 is left-right asymmetrical. formed. Other conditions are the same as in Example 2.
  • Example 7 A nozzle channel 111 was formed by the following steps B-1 to B-6. Other conditions are the same as in Example 2.
  • Step B-1 A surface mask layer 113 was formed on the surface of the single crystal silicon substrate B by thermal oxidation.
  • Step B-2 Single-crystal silicon substrate B under surface mask layer 113 was dry-etched (DE1) from the surface using an RIE apparatus to simultaneously form opening pattern 114 and slit pattern 115 .
  • Step B-4 The sidewall mask layer 112 was formed by thermally oxidizing the slit S. At this time, although an oxide film was also formed on the opening pattern 114, it was removed by etching with an RIE apparatus.
  • Step B-5 The single-crystal silicon substrate B under the opening pattern 114 was dry-etched (DE2) from the surface to form a through-hole.
  • Step B-6 Anisotropic wet etching (WE) with a KOH solution is performed on the through-holes to form four nozzle taper portions 1112 whose crystal planes are ⁇ 111 ⁇ planes and the nozzle taper portions 1112 whose crystal planes are.
  • a straight communicating portion 1113 composed of a ⁇ 101 ⁇ plane continuous with the end portion on the side of the bonding surface Bb of is formed.
  • Example 8-1 The following steps B-7 and B-8 were performed between the steps B-4 and B-5 to form the nozzle channel 111 having the nozzle straight portion 1111 .
  • Other conditions are the same as in Example 7.
  • Step B-7 A nozzle straight portion 1111 was formed by subjecting the single crystal silicon substrate B under the opening pattern 114 to dry etching (DE2) from the surface to a depth of 20 ⁇ m using a Si deep etching device.
  • Step B-8 By thermally oxidizing the single crystal silicon substrate B, the nozzle mask layer 116 was formed on the nozzle straight portion 1111, and only the oxide film on the bottom surface of the nozzle straight portion 1111 was removed by the RIE apparatus.
  • Example 8-2 By performing the following B-7 step between the B-3 step and the B-4 step, and the following B-8 step between the B-4 step and the B-5 step, respectively, the sidewall mask layer 112 is formed in the B-4 step. and the nozzle mask layer 116 were simultaneously formed to form the nozzle channel 111 having the nozzle straight portion 1111 .
  • Other conditions are the same as in Example 7.
  • Step B-7 A nozzle straight portion 1111 was formed by subjecting the single crystal silicon substrate B under the opening pattern 114 to dry etching (DE2) from the surface to a depth of 20 ⁇ m using a Si deep etching device.
  • Step B-8 Only the oxide film on the bottom surface of the nozzle straight portion 1111 was removed by an RIE apparatus.
  • Example 9 After the A-7 step, the thickness of the single crystal silicon substrate B was reduced from 400 ⁇ m to 175 ⁇ m by anisotropic wet etching (WE) with KOH without grinding. After that, as shown in FIG. 6, the sidewall mask layer 112 provided adjacent to the inner surface of the straight communication portion 1113 was removed with hydrofluoric acid. Other conditions are the same as in Example 4.
  • step A-2 to A-4 the sidewall mask layer 112 was formed so that the cross-sectional shape of the straight communication portion 1113 perpendicular to the vertical direction was 50 ⁇ m ⁇ 59 ⁇ m. Then, a nozzle flow path 111 having a taper height h with a maximum length of 20 ⁇ m was formed. Other conditions are the same as in Example 2.
  • FIG. 16A shows an enlarged plan view of a nozzle plate 110 having nozzle flow paths 111 in this modified example.
  • 16B shows a cross-sectional view of a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the inkjet head 10 in which the nozzle plate 110 according to this modification is joined to the piezoelectric plate 130 of FIG. 15. As shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 17A shows an enlarged plan view of a nozzle plate 110 having nozzle flow paths 111 in this modified example.
  • 17B shows a cross-sectional view of a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the inkjet head 10 in which the nozzle plate 110 according to this modification is joined to the piezoelectric plate 130 of FIG. 15.
  • FIG. 17C shows a cross-sectional view of a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction.
  • FIG. 18A shows an enlarged plan view of a nozzle plate 110 having nozzle flow paths 111 in this modified example.
  • FIG. 18B shows a cross-sectional view of a surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the inkjet head 10 in which the nozzle plate 110 according to this modification is joined to the piezoelectric plate 130 of FIG. 15 .
  • FIG. 18C shows a cross-sectional view of a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction.
  • test 1-2 was performed using the inkjet recording apparatus 1 equipped with the inkjet head 10 having the nozzle plate 110 of Examples 1-9 and Comparative Examples 1-3.
  • Test 1-2 The results of Test 1-2 are shown in Table I.
  • Comparative Example 1 the meniscus shape became unstable, and ejection failure occurred to the extent that normal ejection could not be performed.
  • Comparative Example 2 the resistance at the time of ejecting the ink was increased, air bubbles were likely to be generated, and the ink could not be ejected unless the drive voltage was increased to 30V.
  • Comparative Example 3 the maximum length of the taper height h was reduced, and the meniscus stability was deteriorated. In addition, the resistance at the time of ejecting the ink was increased, so that air bubbles were likely to be generated.
  • the side wall mask layer 112 is formed when the nozzle channel 111 is manufactured, and the shape of the cross section of the straight communicating portion 1113 perpendicular to the vertical direction is the piezoelectric plate. It can be seen that by matching the shape of the cross section of the surface perpendicular to the vertical direction of the ink flow path 130, the meniscus shape becomes stable and suitable ejection characteristics can be obtained.
  • Example 3 Example 8-1, and Example 8-2 are compared with other examples, the formation of the nozzle straight portion 1111 in the nozzle channel 111 increases the resistance during ink ejection, The driving voltage increased slightly. However, partly because the maximum length of the taper height h increased, the meniscus shape became more stable.
  • the shape of the cross section of the surface of the straight communication portion 1113 perpendicular to the vertical direction is the same as the shape of the cross section of the surface of the piezoelectric plate 130 perpendicular to the vertical direction of the ink flow path. Matching. Therefore, a suitable exit angle and meniscus stability could be achieved.
  • Example 2 all the ink came to enter the nozzle channel 111 from the piezoelectric plate 130, and the resistance was further reduced, so the drive voltage was slightly reduced.
  • the slits S and the sidewall mask layers 112 are formed so as to gradually narrow from the first surface toward the second surface facing the first surface. By doing so, it can be seen that the injection angle is more stable. This is because the sidewall mask layer 112 can be easily filled without voids, and the precision of the straight communication portion 1113 can be improved.
  • Example 2 and Example 7, or Example 3 and Example 8-1 and Example 8-2 by simultaneously forming the opening pattern 114 and the slit pattern 115, the emission angle becomes more stable. I know it will be like this. This is because it becomes easier to align the nozzle openings N and the slits S, and the nozzle flow paths 111 with higher symmetry can be formed.
  • Example 4 when comparing Example 4 and Example 9, the single crystal silicon substrate B is removed by anisotropic wet etching (WE) to reduce the thickness, and the side wall provided adjacent to the straight communication portion 1113 is removed. It can be seen that the ejection characteristics are not affected even if the mask layer 112 is removed.
  • WE anisotropic wet etching
  • the ink jet recording apparatus 1 can be used if the nozzle flow path 111 has a drive voltage of 29 V or less at which the droplet velocity becomes about 6 m/s on average. It can be seen that it has a meniscus stability that withstands .
  • the maximum length of the taper height h is 20 ⁇ m or more as in Example 10, the cross-sectional area of the surface of the straight communication portion 1113 perpendicular to the vertical direction becomes larger than that in Comparative Examples 2 and 3, and the ink is ejected. resistance becomes smaller.
  • the present invention can be used for a nozzle plate, a droplet discharge head, a droplet discharge device, and a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate that can achieve both high density nozzle openings and suitable ejection characteristics.

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PCT/JP2022/028634 2021-07-27 2022-07-25 ノズルプレート、液滴吐出ヘッド、液滴吐出装置及びノズルプレートの製造方法 Ceased WO2023008375A1 (ja)

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WO2024063031A1 (ja) * 2022-09-22 2024-03-28 コニカミノルタ株式会社 ノズルプレート、液滴吐出ヘッド及び液滴吐出装置
WO2024063030A1 (ja) * 2022-09-22 2024-03-28 コニカミノルタ株式会社 ノズルプレートの製造方法

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