JPH02249652A - Method for manufacturing liquid jet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the mixing of dust in a liquid passage during a manufacturing process and to achieve the enhancement of yield and the reduction of manufacturing cost by using a process successively laminating a solid layer, the photosensitive material layer covering the solid layer and an emitting orifice plate to a substrate to irradiate said material layer with active energy rays and a process removing the solid layer and the uncured part corresponding to the pattern of the material layer to form the liquid passage. CONSTITUTION:A heating element composed of HfB2 is arranged on a silicon substrate 1 having a SiO2 thermal oxidation layer and a solid layer 4 is formed on the substrate by a photolithographic process. Subsequently, the active energy ray curable material layer 5 covering the solid layer 4 is formed to the substrate 1 while emitting orifices 8 are formed to a transparent resin plate composed of polyethylene phthalate and shield layers 7 are provided to the upper surface of said resin plate to obtain an emitting orifice plate 6. This plate 6 is aligned on the curable material layer 5 and pressed thereto to obtain a laminate. Next, the laminate is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from above on the side of the plate 6 and subsequently immersed in alkali and a solvent to dissolve and remove the solid layer 4 and the uncured part of the material layer 5 and, after washing and drying, the shield layers 7 are removed to obtain a liquid jet recording head.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a type of ejection in which the direction of supply of liquid to a portion corresponding to an ejection energy generating body in a liquid path is different from the direction of ejection of liquid from an ejection port. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head that includes an exit plate as a part of the structure.

[Prior Art] Various types of liquid jet recording heads are known that perform recording by ejecting liquid from ejection ports.

Broadly speaking, these types include two types in which the direction in which the liquid is supplied from the discharge energy generating body in the liquid path to the part where the energy for liquid discharge acts on the liquid is almost the same as the direction in which the liquid is discharged from the discharge port. There is a type in which the direction is different from, for example, 90°C.

As for the latter type of manufacturing method, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1986-
The following method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 123869 and the like is known.

First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), an energy application chamber 18, A common liquid chamber 11 of each energy application chamber is formed with a wall 16 of a predetermined shape using, for example, a photosensitive material.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the discharge port plate 6 having the discharge ports 8 for discharging liquid is aligned so that each discharge port is arranged corresponding to each energy application chamber.
It is bonded to the wall 16 with the adhesive 17, and the liquid jet recording head shown in the plan view of FIG. 5(C) is obtained.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional method as described above, the discharge port plate is bonded with an adhesive after the walls forming the energy acting part and the common liquid chamber are formed using a photosensitive material. Because of the process used, the following problems may occur.

l) Dirt, dust, etc. get mixed into the liquid path formed on the substrate and the common liquid chamber during the manufacturing process and tend to remain there, resulting in poor yield.

2) It is difficult to set the type of adhesive and application conditions when joining the discharge port plates, and in some cases, the discharge port may be blocked by the adhesive or the adhesive may flow into the liquid path or common liquid chamber.

3) In order to obtain a well-balanced bonding strength between the bonding surfaces of the substrate, the wall formed using a photosensitive resin, the adhesive layer, and the discharge port plate, the type of adhesive used is limited.

4) The joint surface of the discharge port plate with the wall on the substrate is required to have flatness necessary for good adhesion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head that solves the problems of the method that includes the step of bonding an ejection port plate to a wall forming a liquid path or the like using the above-mentioned adhesive.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head of the present invention includes:
a step of laminating in this order a solid layer for forming a liquid path, a photosensitive material layer provided to cover the solid layer, and an ejection port plate provided with an ejection port communicating with the liquid path; A step of irradiating the photosensitive material layer with active energy rays in a pattern; A step of removing the solid layer and an uncured portion of the photosensitive material layer corresponding to the pattern to form the liquid path: It is characterized by including.

According to the method of the present invention, since the portion that becomes the liquid path etc. is occupied by the solid layer, unlike the above-mentioned conventional method, dirt, dust, etc. do not enter or remain in the liquid path etc.

In addition, the substrate, the wall made of the cured layer,
A good and well-balanced bonding state of the discharge port plate can be obtained, and the various problems described above associated with the use of adhesives can be avoided.

An example of the method of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In the example below, the liquid path and the common liquid chamber are formed by the method of the present invention, but the common liquid chamber may be formed simultaneously as necessary, and the method of the present invention is used to form only the liquid path. You may also use

First, the ejection energy generating body 2 shown in FIG. 1(a) is arranged at a predetermined position, and a solid layer 4 occupying at least a portion that will become a liquid path is provided on a substrate 1 having a liquid supply port 3.

A cross-sectional view of the solid layer provided is shown in FIG. 1(b), and a plan view is shown in FIG. 2(a).

The substrate 1 constitutes a part (bottom) of the liquid path and the common liquid chamber, and also functions as a support during the formation of the solid layer 4 and the active energy ray-curable material layer described below. is selected depending on the desired design of the liquid jet recording head.

Discharge energy generating bodies that generate energy for discharging liquid include thermal energy generating bodies such as electrothermal converters that can generate thermal energy as discharge energy, and devices that generate pressure for discharging such as piezoelectric elements. etc. are available.

Although not shown in the drawings, the ejection energy generator is connected to a means for applying a signal instructing the generation of ejection energy, such as an electrode for applying an electrical signal. Further, various functional layers such as a protective layer may be provided as desired for the purpose of improving the durability of these ejection energy generating bodies.

The solid layer 4 is removed after passing through each process described below,
The removed portion becomes a liquid path and a common liquid chamber. Therefore, the arrangement of the solid layer 4 is determined depending on the desired shape and arrangement of the liquid path and the common liquid chamber.

Specific examples of materials and means used to construct such a solid layer 4 include those listed below.

■ Using a photosensitive dry film, a solid layer is formed according to a so-called dry film image forming process.

(2) A solvent-soluble polymer layer and a photoresist layer of a desired thickness are sequentially laminated on the substrate 1, and after patterning of the photoresist layer, the solvent-soluble polymer layer is selectively removed.

■Printing on resin.

As the photosensitive dry film mentioned in (2), both positive type and negative type can be used. In the case of a dry film or a negative type dry film, a negative type dry film which is photopolymerizable but can be dissolved or peeled off with methylene chloride or a strong alkali is suitable.

Specifically, as a positive dry film, for example, '
0ZATECR225J [trade name, Hoechstshahan■], etc., and as a negative dry film, rOZ
ATEc T Series J [Product name, Hoechst Javan■
], rPHOTEc PHT Series" [Product name, Hitachi Chemical ■], 'RISTON, [Product name, Du Bonn de Nemours Go], etc. are used.

Of course, in addition to these commercially available materials, there are also IM resin compositions that act positively, such as resin compositions mainly composed of naphquinone cyanide derivatives and novolac type phenolic resins, and resin compositions that act negatively, such as acrylic esters, as reactive groups. A composition mainly consisting of an acrylic oligomer, a thermoplastic polymer compound, and a sensitizer, or a composition consisting of a polythiol, a polyene compound, and a sensitizer, etc. can be similarly used.

As the solvent-soluble polymer listed in (2), any polymer compound can be used as long as it has a solvent that dissolves it and can be coated to form a film. The photoresist layer that can be used here is typically a positive liquid photoresist made of novolac type phenolic resin and naphthoquinone diazide, a negative liquid photoresist made of polyvinyl cinnamate, and a negative liquid photoresist made of cyclized rubber and bisazide. Examples include photoresists, negative photosensitive dry films, thermosetting and ultraviolet curing inks, and the like.

Materials for forming solid layers using the printing methods listed in (2) include, for example, flat plate inks used in evaporative drying, thermosetting, or ultraviolet curing drying methods;
Screen ink, transfer type resin, etc. are used.

Among the above-mentioned material groups, from the viewpoint of processing accuracy, ease of removal, workability, etc., it is preferable to use a photosensitive dry film, and among these, it is especially preferable to use a positive dry film. preferable. In other words, positive-tone photosensitive materials, for example, have better resolution than negative-tone photosensitive materials, have relief patterns with vertical and smooth sidewall surfaces, or can easily create Taber-shaped or inverted Taber-shaped cross-sectional shapes. This feature makes it ideal for forming liquid flow paths. It also has the advantage of being able to dissolve and remove the relief pattern with a developer or an organic solvent, making it preferable as the solid layer forming material in the present invention. In particular, for example, the positive photosensitive material using naphquinone diazide and novolac type phenol resin mentioned above can be completely dissolved in a weak alkaline aqueous solution or alcohol, so there is no damage to the ejection energy generating element, and the Removal during the process is also extremely rapid. Among such positive photosensitive materials, the dry film type is the most preferable material since it allows a thick film of 10 to 100 .mu.I to be obtained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(d) on the substrate 1 on which the solid layer 4 is formed, an active energy ray-curable material layer 5 is laminated to cover the solid layer 4.

As the active energy ray-curable material, any material that can cover the above-mentioned solid layer can be suitably used.
Since this material forms the walls of the liquid path and the common liquid chamber and serves as a structural material of the liquid jet recording head, it has excellent adhesiveness to the substrate 1, mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and corrosion resistance. It is preferable to select and use the following. Specific examples of such materials include liquid and active energy ray-curable materials such as ultraviolet curable and electron beam curable materials, including epoxy resins, acrylic resins, diglycoldialkyl carbonate resins, and unsaturated polyester resins. ,
Polyurethane resin, polyimide resin, melamine resin, phenol resin, urea resin, etc. are used. In particular, epoxy resins that can initiate cationic polymerization with light, acrylic oligomers with acrylic ester groups that can be radically polymerized, photoaddition polymerizable resins using polythiol and polyene, unsaturated cycloacetal resins, etc. It has a high polymerization rate and excellent physical properties, making it suitable as a structural material.

Examples of laminating methods for active energy ray-curable materials include a discharge device using a nozzle that matches the shape of the substrate, an applicator, a curtain coater, a roll coater, a spray coater,
A specific example is a method of laminating using a spin coater or the like.

In addition, when laminating a liquid hardenable material, it is preferable to do so after aerating the material while avoiding the inclusion of air bubbles.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(d), the discharge port plate 6 is bonded onto the active energy ray-curable material layer 5 of the substrate 1.

In this bonding operation, in order to make the active energy ray curable material layer have the required thickness, for example, a spacer is provided between the discharge port plate 6 and the substrate 1, a convex portion is provided at the end of the discharge port plate 6, etc. You may try to do something like this.

A blocking layer 7 is provided on the upper surface of the discharge port plate 6 to block active energy rays necessary for curing the active energy ray-curable material layer. The plan view of this state is shown in Figure 2 (b
).

The blocking layer 7 is provided at least at a position where a communicating portion between the discharge port 8 and the liquid path can be formed in a step described below. In addition, if it is necessary to reduce fluid resistance by increasing the capacity of the liquid path, the energy action chamber as a region corresponding to the ejection energy generating body formed in the liquid path, and the common liquid chamber, it is necessary to reduce the fluid resistance.
If a blocking layer is also provided on the necessary parts of the liquid path and the common liquid chamber as shown in d), the active energy ray-curable material layer at the position corresponding to the ceiling part of these can be removed in the process described below. ,
These capacities can be made larger than those defined by the solid layer 4.

The thickness of the discharge port plate may be selected depending on mechanical strength, desired discharge characteristics, etc., and is, for example, 1 μm to 100 μm.
0 of μ-degree can also be used.

The discharge port plate 6 can be constructed from a glass plate, a plastic film or sheet, a film or sheet made of a cured product of a photosensitive composition, a transparent ceramic plate, or the like.

The blocking layer 7 can be provided on the ejection port plate 6 at a desired position and shape by a patterning method using photolithography using various photosensitive compositions.

The barrier layer 7 is formed with a material chosen such that it can eventually be removed from the discharge plate 6.

The blocking layer 7 is made of, for example, the product name LAMINART.

(DYNAII: manufactured by HEM), 5R-1000G-
It can be formed by a method using a photolithography process using a negative photosensitive dry film such as 50 (manufactured by Hitachi Chemical). In this case, to remove the barrier layer, in the case of LANIMAR, immersion treatment in 2 to 5% alkaline solution is recommended for 5R-1000.
In the case of G-50, immersion treatment in a liquid such as methylene chloride can be used. Effective removal is possible with the combined use of ultrasound.

Alternatively, the blocking layer 7 may be formed by a method using a photolithography process using a positive photosensitive dry film such as 0ZATECR225 (trade name, manufactured by Hoechst Java). Note that by forming the blocking layer 7 from the same material as the solid layer 4, these can be removed using the same removal liquid. As the removing liquid in this case, a solvent such as alcohol or an alkali solution of 1% or more can be used.

After obtaining a laminate in which the substrate 1, the solid layer 4, the active energy ray-curable material layer 5, and the discharge port plate 6 are sequentially stacked, as shown in FIG. Active energy rays 9 are irradiated from.

By irradiating this active energy ray 9, the active energy ray curable material in the irradiated portion is cured, and the cured resin layer 10a is
, Job is formed, and the substrate!
The discharge port plate 6 is also joined to the discharge port plate 6.

As active energy rays, ultraviolet rays, electron beams, visible rays, etc. can be used, but ultraviolet rays and visible rays are preferable because the exposure is performed through the discharge plate 6, and ultraviolet rays are most suitable in terms of polymerization rate. There is. Sources of ultraviolet rays include high-pressure mercury lamps, ultra-high-pressure mercury lamps, halogen lamps, and xenon lamps.

A light source with high energy density such as a metal halide lamp or a carbon arc is preferably used. The more parallel the light rays from the light source, the less heat it generates, the more accurate the processing can be. If available, it is generally available.

Next, the solid layer 4 and the uncured active energy ray-curable material portion are removed from the laminate after the active energy ray irradiation, as shown in FIG. 1(f), and the liquid path 12 is removed.
and a liquid chamber 11 is formed.

The method for removing the solid layer 4 and the uncured active energy ray curable material portion is selected depending on the type of solid layer and active energy ray curable material used.

Specifically, a preferred method includes, for example, immersing the solid layer 4 and the uncured active energy ray-curable material in a removal liquid that dissolves, swells, or peels the solid layer 4 and the uncured active energy ray-curable material. At this time, it is also possible to use ultrasonic treatment, spraying, heating, stirring, digging, pressurized circulation, and other means for promoting removal, if necessary.

Examples of the above-mentioned removing liquid include halogen-containing hydrocarbons,
Ketones, esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers, alcohols, N-methylpyrrolidone, dimethylformamide,
It can be selected from phenol, water, water containing acid or alkali, etc. Note that a surfactant may be added to the removal liquid as necessary.

In the illustrated configuration, the laminate after the active energy ray irradiation treatment is immersed in a liquid that dissolves the solid layer 4, etc., and the solid layer 4 and uncured portions are removed from the discharge port 8 and the liquid supply port 3. By dissolving and removing it, the state shown in FIG. 2(C) can be obtained.

Note that the liquid supply port does not necessarily need to be provided on the substrate 1, and may be provided on other parts as necessary.
It is preferable to provide it at a position where the solid layer 4 and the like can be easily dissolved and removed.

In the example explained above, the blocking layer was provided on the upper surface of the discharge port plate, but as shown in FIG. 3(a), the blocking layer 7 was provided on the bottom surface of the discharge port plate 6, and as shown in FIG. 3(b), It may also be a laminate shown in .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, a discharge port 8 is provided with a portion 13 that blocks active energy rays formed in a necessary portion, and is filled with an active energy ray blocking material 14 so as to be ultimately removable. A plate 15 can also be used.

Note that the active energy ray blocking portion 13 can be formed by, for example, dispersing a colorant in a predetermined portion of a glass plate.

Furthermore, the active energy ray blocking material 14 is filled into the discharge port 8 by dissolving a light-shielding wax in a suitable solvent, injecting the solution into the discharge port 8, and then hardening the material by heating to evaporate the solvent. , or product name 0FPR80
A method of injecting a positive resist such as 0 (manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd.) into the discharge port 8 and evaporating the solvent by heat treatment can be used.

In the discharge port plate shown in FIG. 4, it is not necessarily necessary to fill the discharge ports 8 with the active energy ray blocking material 14. That is, if this material 14 is not used, the active energy ray-curable material at the bottom of the discharge port 8 will be cured, but when the uncured portion surrounding the hardened portion in a donut shape is removed, the hardening at the bottom of the discharge port 8 will be cured. It can also be easily removed by ultrasonic waves in the solution and pressurized circulation of the solution.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the discharge port 8 is filled with active energy ray blocking material 14 in the same manner as the example shown in FIG.
It is also possible to use an ejection port plate 19 in which a blocking layer 20 is provided on the lower surface of the ejection port plate 19 by patterning a layer of a light-shielding inorganic material such as aluminum or chromium using a photolithography process.

[Example] Example 1 A liquid jet recording head was manufactured according to the steps shown in FIGS. 1(a) to 1(f).

First, a SiO□ thermal oxidation layer (layer thickness 5μ11
) was placed on a silicon plate having a heating element (60 μl×60 μl) of HfB2 as the discharge energy generator 2.
x 1500 people, array pitch 125μ■) in Figure 1 (a
). Each heating element was connected to wiring for applying an ejection signal, and a protective layer (layer thickness: 1.0 .mu.m) of Sin was provided over these heating elements and wiring.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a solid layer 4 of a predetermined shape is
(layer thickness: 20 to 200 μm) was formed on a substrate by a method utilizing a photolithography process using a photosensitive dry film.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(C), an active energy ray-curable material layer 5 that is cured by ultraviolet rays is coated on the solid layer 4 by a method such as roll coating, dispenser, lamination, or spraying. Formed.

Next, a plate made of transparent resin such as glass or polyethylene terephthalate is placed on the discharge port 8 (inner diameter 40 μm, arrangement pitch 1).
25μff1), and furthermore, on the top surface, as shown in Fig. 1(b)
As shown in FIG. 2, a barrier layer (layer thickness: 20 to 200 μm) 7 was provided by the method described above to obtain a discharge port plate 6.

Note that the portion of the blocking layer 7 that covers the discharge port 8 has a diameter of 50 μl.
It has a circular shape concentric with the discharge port 8, and the part above the solid layer 4 is
Matched the shape of the common liquid chamber.

The discharge port plate 6 created in this way is shown in FIG.
), they were aligned on the active energy ray curable material layer 5 and laminated under pressure to obtain a laminate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(e), ultraviolet light (parallel light) was irradiated from above on the discharge port plate 6 side. The irradiation conditions are 1
00J/c intestine 2.

After irradiation, the laminate was soaked in alkali and solvent for 1 hour at room temperature.
The uncured portions of the solid layer 4 and the active energy curable material layer 5 are dissolved and removed from between the substrate 1 and the discharge port plate 6 for approximately 0 minutes, and after further cleaning and drying, the discharge port plate is further removed. The blocking layer 7 on the upper surface of the sample 6 was removed by the method described above to obtain a liquid jet recording head.

Note that it was more effective to remove the barrier layer 7 and then remove the solid layer and uncured material after the barrier layer was removed.

Further, depending on the combination of materials, it is possible to simultaneously remove the barrier layer 7, the solid layer 4, and the uncured material.

Example 2 A laminate shown in FIG. 4 was obtained in the same manner as in the steps shown in FIGS. 1(a) to 1(f) in Example 1, except that the discharge port plate 15 shown in FIG. 3 was used. In addition, the layer thickness of the blocking layer 7 is as follows:
Since the distance between the ejection port energy generator and the ejection port was determined, it was selected between 20 μl and 200 μl in consideration of the ejection characteristics.

Next, the laminate is immersed in the same manner as in Example 1, and the uncured portions of the blocking material 14, the solid layer 4, and the active energy ray-curable material layer are dissolved and removed from between the substrate 1 and the discharge port plate 15, After washing and drying, 5 liquid jet recording heads were obtained.

[Effect of the Invention J] According to the method of the present invention, at least the portion that will become the liquid path is occupied by a solid layer, so that dirt, dust, etc. are prevented from entering the liquid path etc. throughout the manufacturing process.

In addition, since no adhesive is used to join the discharge port plate,
Complicated operations caused by the use of adhesives are not required, and problems caused by the use of adhesives can also be avoided.

Furthermore, there are two joints in the recording head: between the substrate and the hardened layer that forms the walls of the liquid path, and between the hardened layer and the ejection port plate, compared to the conventional structure that uses an adhesive layer. This has made it easier to select materials to increase the strength of these joints.

Furthermore, when an adhesive is used for the bonding surface of the discharge port plate with the cured layer, strict flatness is not required.

Therefore, according to the method of the present invention, the overall yield in forming liquid channels etc. and bonding the discharge port plate is greatly improved.
Manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1(a) to 1(f) are process diagrams showing the main steps in an example of the method of the present invention, FIG. 2(a) is a plan view of the state shown in FIG. 1(b), and FIG. 2(b) is a plan view of the state shown in FIG. 1(d), FIG. 2(C) is a perspective view of the state shown in FIG. 1(f), and FIG.
Figures (a) and (b), Figures 4 and 6 are views showing how the blocking section is installed in other examples of the present invention, and Figures 5 (a) to 6.
(C) is a diagram showing steps in a conventional method. ■...Substrate 2...Discharge energy generator 3--Liquid supply port 4...Solid layer 5...Photosensitive material layer (active energy ray curable material layer) 6.15.19--Discharge Outlet plate 7.20 - one blocking layer 8 - discharge port 9 - active energy rays 10a, 10b, 16 = hardened layer (wall) 11 - common liquid chamber 12 - liquid path (energy action chamber) 13 - Blocking part 17 - Adhesive layer 14 - Blocking material 18 - Energy action chamber

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A solid layer for forming a liquid path, a photosensitive material layer provided to cover the solid layer, and a discharge port communicating with the liquid path are provided on the substrate. a step of laminating the discharge port plate in this order; a step of irradiating the photosensitive material layer with active energy rays in a pattern; a step of stacking the solid layer and the uncured portion of the photosensitive material layer corresponding to the pattern; A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head, comprising: removing the liquid to form the liquid path.