JP3285601B2 - Liquid jet recording head and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid jet recording head having a liquid flow path constituted by joining a member having a groove and a member having a flat surface, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of forming a liquid flow path of a liquid jet recording head, a method of joining a member having a groove for a liquid flow path to a flat member has been known.

FIG. 14 is a schematic partial sectional view showing an example of a liquid flow path obtained by a conventional method. This liquid flow path is formed, for example, as follows. First, a desired number of heating elements 2 and electrode materials 3 are arranged on a flat base 1. On top of this,
The protective film 4 and the anti-cavitation film 5 are sequentially coated, and the surface thereof is treated with a silane coupling agent 11. After this,
The ink passage wall 6 is formed by using patterning using a dry film photoresist. Separately, a glass top plate 8 having a liquid resist 12 as an adhesive applied on one side is prepared. The liquid resist 1 on the glass top plate 8
By adhering the ink passage wall 6 to the ink passage wall 6 as shown in FIG.
The liquid flow path 9 as shown in FIG. However, in this conventional method, the liquid resist 12 tends to hang into the liquid flow path 9 and it is difficult to form the liquid flow path 9 having a uniform shape. This is related to the non-uniformity of the shape of the ink discharge ports and the like at the end positions of the liquid flow path 9, causing a problem that the ink discharge amount of the liquid jet recording head is varied and the print quality is deteriorated.

As another conventional method, a liquid resist 12 is used.
A method of bonding a top plate by anodic bonding without using a bonding material such as that described in JP-A-3-79350 is described. FIG. 15 is a schematic partial sectional view showing an example of a liquid flow path obtained by such anodic bonding. This liquid flow path is formed, for example, as follows. First, a groove for a liquid flow path is formed on the silicon substrate 1 by anisotropic etching. The surface on the groove side is covered with the SiO ₂ layer 13.
When the SiO ₂ layer 13 and the glass top plate 8 are laminated, and a power source 10 is connected to the silicon substrate 1 and the glass top plate 8 and a voltage is applied to perform anodic bonding, a flow path 9 is obtained. However, according to this conventional method, the materials to be joined are glass and SiO ₂ , and high insulation strength cannot be obtained because they are insulators, and the joining process involves difficulty. Further, in this conventional method, since a groove for a liquid flow path is formed by anisotropic etching, a silicon single crystal which is an insulator is used as a base.

[0005] As another conventional method, there is a method in which both joining surfaces are made of glass, heated to near a melting point, and melt-pressed. However, this conventional method requires a heating / cooling step up to about 600 ° C., and thus has disadvantages such as a long process time, a narrow selection range of materials, and a tendency of the liquid flow path and the shape of the discharge port to be easily deformed during heating.

As another conventional method, a method in which one bonding surface of silicon substrates is made of low-melting glass to perform low-temperature, low-voltage bonding is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-49956. However, in this conventional method, since the top plate material is opaque, the nozzle length becomes non-uniform, and it becomes difficult to grasp the dust or ink discharge state in the discharge port. This is because the nozzle length affects the discharge characteristics, and therefore, it is common to provide a cut mark in the discharge port and perform cutting through the transparent top plate. The substrate is also limited to silicon.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art. In other words, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid flow path having a sufficiently high bonding strength between members constituting a liquid flow path, a liquid flow path and a discharge port having a uniform shape, a transparent top plate to be used, and a variation in ink discharge amount. The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid jet recording head capable of performing high-quality printing without any problem.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method capable of widening a selection range of a base material and enabling easy production.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has a liquid flow path formed by joining a member having a groove and a member having a flat surface, and discharges a liquid to the member having the groove at the bottom of the groove. In the liquid jet recording head provided with an electrothermal transducer for performing the operation, the joining surface of one of the member having the groove portion and the member having the flat surface is fused via a conductive layer. Is a low-melting glass thin film having a temperature of 100 ° C. or lower, and a joining surface of the other member is made of a conductive material.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid flow path formed by joining a member having a groove and a member having a flat surface, and the member having the groove is provided for discharging a liquid to the bottom of the groove. In the method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head provided with an electrothermal transducer, the bonding surface of one of the member having the groove and the member having the flat surface has a melting point of which is determined via a conductive layer. It is characterized by comprising a step of forming a low melting point glass thin film of 100 ° C. or less, a joining surface of the other member being formed of a conductive material, and bonding the low melting point glass and the conductive material by anodic bonding. This is a method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Reference Example 1> Fig. 1 is a process drawing showing the manufacture example of the liquid flow path of the liquid body jet recording head. This liquid channel was formed as follows.

First, 10 HfB ₂ was deposited on the silicon substrate 1.
Sputtered with thickness of 00 angstrom and overlaid with 5 Al
000 angstrom thick sputter. Thereafter, the layer photolithography, the heating element 2 made of HfB ₂ in the pattern as shown in FIG. 1 (a) using an etching technique, to form the electrode material 3 made of Al. On this, SiO ₂ was sputtered to a thickness of 2 μm to form an oxidation-resistant protective film 4, and Ta was further sputtered to a thickness of 0.5 μm to form a cavitation-resistant film 5. Although not shown, both the films 4 and 5 were also subjected to predetermined patterning. On this, a dry film photoresist 17 was laminated and patterned as shown in FIG. 1 (b). After this,
As shown in FIG. 1C, nickel plating 7 was applied. Next, as shown in FIG. 1D, the dry film photoresist 17 was removed to form an ink passage wall 6 made of Ni plating of 25 μm square. The member in which the groove for the liquid flow path is formed on the substrate 1 by the ink passage wall (Ni plating) 6 corresponds to the member having the groove in the present invention.

Separately, Pyrex glass (Corning, trade name: 774) having a thickness of 1 mm is used as the top plate 8.
0) was prepared. This glass top plate 8 was laminated on the ink passage wall 6, and a DC power supply 10 was connected to the glass top plate 8 and the anti-cavitation film 5 as shown in FIG. in the air,
At 380 ° C., a voltage of 800 V was applied with the glass top plate 8 on the negative electrode side and the anti-cavitation film 5 on the positive electrode side. By this voltage application, an electrostatic attraction was generated between the space charge layer generated by the movable ions in the glass top plate 8 and the metal surface, and the surface of the glass top plate 8 and the surface of the nickel plating 7 were anodically bonded.

After the liquid flow path was formed as described above, a liquid jet recording head was obtained through a conventionally known head manufacturing process. This recording head has a sufficiently high bonding strength between the glass top plate 8 and the ink passage wall (Ni plating) 6, the liquid flow path and the shape of the discharge port are uniform, and the recording of good print quality is possible. Met.

[0015] Note that in this Reference Example 1, using a nickel plating 7 for ink passage wall 6, if it is the anti-cavitation film 5 using Ta, the invention of using other metal is not limited thereto Is also effective.

[0016] <Reference Example 2> FIG. 2 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid body jet recording head. The ink passage wall 6 made of a semiconductor (polycrystalline Si) is formed by forming and patterning polycrystalline Si on the anti-cavitation film 5 by using the P-CVD method to form the ink passage wall 6 in the reference example 2. Formed. Except for this, a liquid jet recording head was obtained in the same steps as in Reference Example 1 (with the same anodic bonding conditions), and good results were similarly obtained.

[0017] <Reference Example 3> FIG. 3 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid body jet recording head. In Reference Example 3, first, a silicon substrate 1 as a semiconductor was prepared, and a groove for a liquid flow path was formed by anisotropic etching. A glass top plate 8 similar to that of Reference Example 1 was laminated on the groove side, and a DC power supply 1 was connected between the glass top plate 8 and the silicon substrate 1 as shown in FIG.
0 was connected. At 380 ° C. in the air, a voltage of 800 V was applied with the glass top plate 8 on the negative electrode side and the silicon substrate 1 on the positive electrode side. By this voltage application, the glass top plate 8 and the silicon substrate 1 were anodic-bonded. In Reference Example 3,
Since there is no insulating layer such as the SiO ₂ layer 13 as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 15, the bonding strength of the anodic bonding is superior to that of the conventional example (FIG. 15).

After forming the liquid flow path as described above, a liquid jet recording head was obtained through a conventionally known head manufacturing process, and similarly good results were obtained.

[0019] <Reference Example 4> FIG. 4 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid body jet recording head. In Reference Example 4, first, a groove for a liquid flow path is formed on the silicon substrate 1 by anisotropic etching, and then. The surface on the groove side is Ta
The film 14 was sputtered. A glass top plate 8 similar to that of Reference Example 1 was laminated thereon, and a DC power supply 10 was connected to the glass top plate 8 and the base 1 as shown in FIG. At 380 ° C in air
The glass top plate 8 is on the negative electrode side, the silicon substrate 1 is on the positive electrode side,
A voltage of 800 V was applied. By this voltage application, the glass top plate 8 and the silicon substrate 1 were anodic-bonded.

After forming the liquid flow path as described above, a liquid jet recording head was obtained through a conventionally known head manufacturing process, and similarly good results were obtained.

[0021] Although connecting the silicon substrate 1 in this reference example 4 to the positive side of the power source 10, the present invention is not limited to this but is effective when connected to the Ta film 14. When connected to the Ta film 14, any material can be used for the base 1, and an insulator such as glass may be used. In place of the Ta film 14, another conductive material, for example, a metal other than Ta, or a semiconductor such as polycrystalline silicon may be used.

[0022] The <Reference Example 5> FIG. 5 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid body jet recording head. In Reference Example 5, first,
On the silicon substrate 1 in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, the anti-cavitation film 5 made of a protective film 4, Ta consisting of the electrode material 3, SiO ₂ composed of the heat generating element 2, Al made of HfB ₂
Were sequentially formed. Next, the surface is treated with a silane coupling agent 11, and unlike in Reference Example 1, a dry film photoresist having heat resistance is used (to prepare for a high-temperature post-process), and is laminated and patterned. did. Further, a Ta film 14 is further formed thereon as an inner wall metal layer.
Thickness of 2,000 angstroms, T of 25 μm square
a An ink passage wall 6 made of a coated photoresist was formed. Thereafter, the glass top plate 8 was anodically bonded under the same conditions as in Reference Example 1 to obtain a liquid jet recording head. Good results were similarly obtained.

[0023] <Reference Example 6> FIG. 6 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid body jet recording head. In Reference Example 6, first,
On the silicon substrate 1 in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, the anti-cavitation film 5 made of a protective film 4, Ta consisting of the electrode material 3, SiO ₂ composed of the heat generating element 2, Al made of HfB ₂
Were sequentially formed. Next, unlike Example 1, a 25 μm Pyrex glass film was formed on the anti-cavitation film 5 and patterned to form an ink passage wall 6 of 25 μm square Pyrex glass.

Separately, a glass top plate 8 similar to that in Reference Example 1 was prepared, and a transparent conductive film (ITO film) 15 was added thereto.
000 angstrom thick sputter. This was laminated on the ink passage wall 6, and a DC power supply 10 was connected to the ITO film 15 and the anti-cavitation film 5 as shown in FIG. At 380 ° C. in the air, the ITO film 15 was set to the positive electrode side and the anti-cavitation film 5 was set to the negative electrode side, and a voltage of 70 V was applied to perform anodic bonding. In this anodic bonding, since the ink passage wall 6 made of Pyrex glass is as thin as 25 μm, a low applied voltage of 70 V is sufficient.

After forming the liquid flow path as described above, a liquid jet recording head was obtained through a conventionally known head manufacturing process, and similar good results were obtained.

Although the ITO film 15 is formed on the top plate 8 in the reference example 6, the present invention is not limited to this.
It is also effective to use a metal film instead of the film 15.

Next, Examples 7-1 using low melting point glass
2 will be described.

Embodiment 7 FIG. 7 is a schematic partial sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a liquid flow path of a liquid jet recording head of the present invention. In Example 7, first, on a silicon substrate 1 in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, H
Heating element 2 made of fB ₂ , electrode material 3 made of Al, S
A protective film 4 made of iO _{2, a} cavitation resistant film 5 made of Ta, and an ink passage wall 6 made of Ni plating of 25 μm square were formed in this order.

Separately from this, 1 mm thick glass (commercial name: 7059) was prepared as the top plate 8. First, an ITO film 15 was formed on this glass top plate 8 by RF sputtering to a thickness of 1000 Å.
Further, a low-melting glass layer 16 is further formed thereon by an R atmosphere in an oxygen atmosphere.
A 2 μm thick film was formed by low-melting glass (trade name: 7570) manufactured by Iwaki Glass Co., Ltd. by the F sputtering method.

The glass top plate 8 having the low-melting glass layer 16 is laminated on the ink passage wall 6, as shown in FIG.
DC power supply 10 is connected to TO film 15 and anti-cavitation film 5.
Connected. In the air, a voltage of 70 V was applied at 100 ° C. with the ITO film 15 on the negative electrode side and the anti-cavitation film 5 on the positive electrode side. By applying this voltage, the low-melting glass layer 1
Electrostatic attraction was generated between the space charge layer on the 6 side and the metal surface, and the interface was brought into contact by this electrostatic attraction, leading to chemical bonding and anodic bonding. In the seventh embodiment, since low-melting glass with low viscosity is used, atoms of the glass layer 16 can easily move, and bonding can be performed at a low temperature. The reason why the applied voltage can be lower than that in Reference Examples 1 to 5 is that the same electric field strength can be obtained even when the glass layer is low because the glass layer is thin.

After the liquid flow path was formed as described above, a liquid jet recording head was obtained through a conventionally known head manufacturing process, and similar good results were obtained.

In the seventh embodiment, nickel plating is used for bonding on the ink passage wall 6 side, and Ta is used for the anti-cavitation film 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other metals may be used. It is also effective in the case. Although the ITO film 15 was used as the conductive layer, the present invention is not limited to this.
The metal may be used thin enough to transmit light.

Embodiment 8 FIG. 8 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid jet recording head of the present invention. In the eighth embodiment, the IT
An O film 15 and a low-melting glass layer 16 are formed, and in anodic bonding, the negative electrode side of the power supply is connected to the ITO film 15 and the applied voltage is
A liquid jet recording head was obtained in the same manner as in Reference Example 2 except that V was set. Good results were obtained for this recording head as well.

Embodiment 9 FIG. 9 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid jet recording head of the present invention. In the ninth embodiment, the IT
An O film 15 and a low-melting glass layer 16 are formed, and in anodic bonding, the negative electrode side of the power supply is connected to the ITO film 15 and the applied voltage is
A liquid jet recording head was obtained in the same manner as in Reference Example 3, except that V was set. Good results were obtained for this recording head as well.

Embodiment 10 FIG. 10 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid jet recording head of the present invention. Example 1
At 0, an ITO film 15 and a low-melting glass layer 16 were formed on a glass top plate 8 in the same manner as in Example 7, and in anodic bonding, the negative electrode side of the power supply was connected to the ITO film 15 and the applied voltage was reduced to 70 V. A liquid jet recording head was obtained in the same manner as in Reference Example 4 except for performing the above. Good results were obtained for this recording head as well.

In the tenth embodiment, the silicon substrate 1
Is connected to the positive electrode side of the power supply 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also effective when connected to the Ta film 14. Ta
When connected to the film 14, any material can be used for the substrate 1, and an insulating material such as glass may be used. In place of the Ta film 14, another conductive material, for example, Ta
Other metals and semiconductors such as polycrystalline silicon may be used. The top plate 8 may be an insulator other than glass, for example, a resin.

Embodiment 11 FIG. 11 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid jet recording head of the present invention. Example 1
In Example 1, an ITO film 15 and a low-melting glass layer 16 were formed on a glass top plate 8 in the same manner as in Example 7. In anodic bonding, the negative electrode side of the power supply was connected to the ITO film 15, and the applied voltage was reduced to 70V. A liquid jet recording head was obtained in the same manner as in Reference Example 5 except for performing the above. Good results were obtained for this recording head as well.

Embodiment 12 FIG. 12 is a schematic partial sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the liquid flow path of the liquid jet recording head of the present invention. Example 1
In No. 2, the same procedure as in Reference Example 5 was performed up to the ink passage wall 6 made of Ta-coated photoresist. Next, a low-melting glass similar to that of Example 7 was laminated on the ink passage wall 6 by RF sputtering in an oxygen atmosphere to form a low-melting glass layer 16.

On the other hand, in the same manner as in the seventh embodiment,
An ITO film 15 was formed thereon. The glass top plate 8 having the ITO film 15 is laminated on the ink passage wall 6, and FIG.
As shown in the figure, a DC power supply 10 was connected to the ITO film 15 and the anti-cavitation film 5. ITO at 100 ° C in air
After applying a voltage of 70 V and applying anodic bonding with the film 15 on the positive electrode side and the cavitation-resistant film 5 on the negative electrode side, a liquid jet recording head was obtained through a conventionally known head manufacturing process, and the same good results were obtained. Was done.

As described above, specific Reference Examples 1 to 6 and Embodiment 7
Although -12 have been described, the present invention is not limited to these, and other examples will be described below.

[0041]

In Reference Examples 1 to 6 and Examples 7 to 12, metal (nickel, T
a), an ITO film, polycrystalline silicon, or the like was used, but the invention is not limited to these, and other metals, transparent conductive films, or semiconductors that can perform anodic bonding well may be used. Specifically, those having an electric resistance of 100Ω / □ or less are suitable.

[0043] Also in Reference Examples 1-6 and Examples 7-12, as the glass material of the bonding surface, conventional commercial glass (ginseng
Remarks Example 1-6) or using the low-melting glass (Example 7-12). When low-melting-point glass is used, as shown in Examples 7 to 12, there is an advantage that the atoms in the glass are easily moved because the viscosity of the glass is small, and the temperature at the time of anodic bonding may be low. The low-melting glass layer 16 has a thickness of 1 to 5 μm.
Since it is only necessary to use a thin layer, it has an advantage that bonding can be performed even at a low voltage.

The two members themselves for forming the flow path may be made of glass or a conductive material, or the surface (at least the joint surface) of the members may be made of a glass or conductive material by vacuum deposition or coating. The film may be formed by a method.

In Reference Examples 1 to 6 and Examples 7 to 12, the applied voltage during anodic bonding was 800 V ( Reference Examples 1 to 6).
Alternatively, the voltage is set to 70 V (Examples 7 to 12), but is not limited to this range, and may be set appropriately within a range in which good bonding is performed according to various conditions. The other conditions for anodic bonding are as follows: a conductive material is made positive and an electric field of about 10 ³ to 10 ⁶ V / cm is applied to glass in accordance with a conventionally-known anodic bonding method by applying a voltage from a DC power supply. Good.

Further, the filler may be filled in the groove of the member before the anodic bonding, or the filler may be filled in the liquid flow path after the anodic bonding so that the post-process can be performed well.

The length of the liquid flow path (or nozzle length) of the liquid jet recording head must be uniform in order to influence the ejection characteristics. Therefore, a process is generally performed in which a cutting mark is provided in the discharge port and cutting is performed using the mark as a mark. In order to easily perform this cutting step, it is desirable to use a transparent top plate 8. Further, if this is transparent, it is advantageous because dust and ink discharge status in the discharge port can be grasped. From this point, it is desirable to use a material such as glass, the ITO film 15, and a metal thin enough to transmit light on the top plate 8 side.

Further, since the recording head of the present invention employs anodic bonding as described above, it does not have an adhesive layer at a bonding portion.

The present invention provides an excellent effect in a recording head and a recording apparatus of an ink jet recording system in which flying droplets are formed by utilizing thermal energy and recording is performed, particularly among the ink jet recording systems. It is.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
No. 796, and the present invention is preferably performed using these basic principles. This recording method can be applied to both so-called on-demand type and continuous type.

The recording method will be described briefly. An electrothermal transducer disposed in correspondence with a sheet or a liquid path holding a liquid (ink) and a liquid (ink) corresponding to recording information. Heat energy is generated by applying at least one drive signal for providing a rapid temperature rise that exceeds the nucleate boiling phenomenon and causes a film boiling phenomenon, thereby causing film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head. . As described above, since bubbles corresponding to the drive signal applied to the electrothermal converter from the liquid (ink) can be formed one-to-one, it is particularly effective for an on-demand type recording method. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge hole by the growth and shrinkage of the bubble,
Form at least one drop. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. Examples of the drive signal in the form of a pulse include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345.
No. 262 are suitable. If the conditions described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

The configuration of the recording head is a combination of a discharge hole, a liquid flow path, and an electrothermal converter (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications.
In addition, the present invention also includes those having a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bent region as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600.

In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge hole of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, or absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective in a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration in which the opening to be made corresponds to the discharge section.

Further, as a recording head in which the present invention is effectively used, there is a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record.
The full line head may be a full line configuration by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification, or may be a single full line recording head formed integrally.

In addition, the print head is exchangeable with a print head of the chip type, which is electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus and can supply ink from the main body of the apparatus, or is integrated with the print head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head provided in a fixed manner is used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the recording apparatus of the present invention, since the recording apparatus of the present invention can be further stabilized. More specifically, preheating of the recording head by capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof. Means and means for performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection other than printing are also effective for performing stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the mode for recording only the mainstream color such as black, but may be either a mode in which the recording head is integrally formed or a mode in which a plurality of recording heads are combined. However, the present invention is also very effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of multiple colors of different colors or full color by mixing colors.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, liquid ink is used. However, in the present invention, ink which is solid at room temperature or ink which is softened at room temperature is used. Can be used. In general, in the above-described ink jet device, the temperature of the ink itself is adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. It is sufficient if the ink is in a liquid state.

In addition, an excessive temperature rise of the head and the ink due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using the energy of the state change from the solid state of the ink to the liquid state, or the purpose is to prevent the evaporation of the ink. Alternatively, an ink that solidifies in a standing state may be used. In any case, the ink is liquefied for the first time by the application of heat energy, such as one in which the ink is liquefied and ejected as an ink liquid by application of the heat energy according to the recording signal, or one which starts to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The use of an ink having the following properties is also applicable to the present invention.

Such an ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-568.
No. 47 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 60-71260, while being held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portions or through holes of the porous sheet, so as to face the electrothermal converter. It is good also as a form.

In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

FIG. 13 is an external perspective view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus (IJRA) in which the recording head obtained according to the present invention is mounted as an ink jet head cartridge (IJC).

In the drawing, reference numeral 120 denotes an ink jet head cartridge having a nozzle group for discharging ink while facing a recording surface of a recording sheet sent on a platen 124.
(IJC). 116 is a carriage H holding the IJC120
C, which is connected to a part of a driving belt 118 for transmitting the driving force of a driving motor 117, and is slidable with two guide shafts 119A and 119B arranged in parallel with each other, whereby the IJC 120 Reciprocal movement over the entire width of the recording paper is enabled.

Reference numeral 126 denotes a head recovery device, which is provided at one end of the movement path of the IJC 120, for example, at a position facing the home position. The head recovery device 126 is operated by the driving force of the motor 122 via the transmission mechanism 123, and the IJC 12
Perform zero capping. In connection with the capping of the IJC 120 by the cap portion 126A of the head recovery device 126, ink suction by an appropriate suction device provided in the head recovery device 126 or an appropriate pressurizing device provided in the ink supply path to the IJC 120 , And discharge recovery processing such as removing thickened ink in the nozzles by forcibly discharging the ink from the discharge port. In addition, IJC
Is protected.

Reference numeral 130 denotes a blade as a wiping member which is disposed on the side of the head recovery device 126 and is made of silicone rubber. The blade 131 is a blade holding member 13
1A, held in cantilever form, and the head recovery device 126
Similarly to the above, it is operated by the motor 122 and the transmission mechanism 123 to enable engagement with the discharge surface of the IJC 120. As a result, at an appropriate timing in the recording operation of the IJC 120,
Alternatively, after the ejection recovery processing using the head recovery device 126, the blade 131 is protruded into the movement path of the IJC 120,
With the movement operation of the IJC 120, dew, wet or dust on the discharge surface of the IJC 120 is wiped.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, one of the joining surfaces of the flow path forming members to be joined is made of glass and the other is made of a conductive material, so that anodic joining can be performed well. The bonding strength between the members constituting the liquid flow path is sufficiently strong, the liquid flow path and the discharge port have a uniform shape, the transparent top plate can be used, and the ink discharge amount is excellent without variation. This is a liquid jet recording head capable of high quality printing.

The method of manufacturing a recording head according to the present invention
The above-described recording head can be easily manufactured with a wide selection range of the base material.

Furthermore, if a low-melting-point glass of a thin film is used as the glass material for the bonding surface, anodic bonding can be performed at a low temperature of about 100 ° C., and if a thin film is used for the glass layer, bonding at a low voltage of about 70 V is possible. Becomes

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a process chart showing an example of manufacturing a liquid flow channel in Reference Example 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel in Reference Example 2.

FIG. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow path in Reference Example 3.

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel in Reference Example 4.

FIG. 5 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel in Reference Example 5.

FIG. 6 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel in Reference Example 6.

FIG. 7 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel according to a seventh embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel according to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel according to a ninth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel according to a tenth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow path according to an eleventh embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid flow channel according to a twelfth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a liquid flow path of a conventional liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 15 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration of a liquid flow path of a conventional liquid jet recording head.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base 2 Heating element 3 Electrode material 4 Protective film 5 Anti-cavitation film 6 Ink passage wall 7 Nickel plating 8 Top plate 9 Discharge port 10 DC power supply 11 Silane coupling agent 12 Liquid resist 13 SiO ₂ layer 14 Ta film 15 ITO film 16 Low melting glass layer 17 Dry film photoresist 116 Carriage 117 Driving motor 118 Driving belt 119A, 119B Guide shaft 120 Inkjet head cartridge 122 Cleaning motor 123 Transmission mechanism 124 Platen 126 Cap member 130 Blade 130A Blade holding member

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hisashi Yamamoto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yukio Kawajiri 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside (72) Inventor Takumi Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Makoto Shibata 3-30-2, Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 56) References JP-A-3-224740 (JP, A) JP-A-2-129528 (JP, A) JP-A-61-35967 (JP, A) JP-A-54-146633 (JP, A) JP-A-2-80252 (JP, A) JP-A-3-211058 (JP, A) JP-A-60-264256 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2 / 05 B41J 2/16

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A liquid flow path formed by joining a member having a groove and a member having a flat surface, wherein the member having the groove has an electrothermal converter for discharging liquid to the bottom of the groove. In the provided liquid jet recording head, the joining surface of one of the member having the groove and the member having the flat surface is formed of a low melting point glass thin film having a melting point of 100 ° C. or less via a conductive layer , A liquid jet recording head, wherein the joining surface of the other member is made of a conductive material. 2. The liquid jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive layer is not provided at a joint between the member having the groove and the member having the flat surface. 3. The low melting point glass thin film having a thickness of 1 to 5 μm.
2. The liquid jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein: 4. A liquid flow path formed by joining a member having a groove and a member having a flat surface, wherein the member having the groove has an electrothermal converter for discharging liquid to the bottom of the groove. In the method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head provided, a joining surface of one of the member having the groove and the member having the flat surface is formed of a low melting point glass thin film having a melting point of 100 ° C. or less via a conductive layer. A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head, comprising the steps of: forming a bonding surface of another member with a conductive material, and bonding the low-melting glass and the conductive material by anodic bonding. 5. A low melting point glass thin film having a thickness of 1 to 5 μm.
5. The liquid jet recording head according to claim 4, wherein: 6. A liquid jet recording apparatus comprising at least the recording head according to claim 1, and a member for mounting the recording head.