JPH0577429A - Manufacture for ink-jet head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To manufacture easily a high-function ink-jet head, by a method wherein a slope is formed easily on a boundary part between a shallow groove part and deep groove part of an ink flow path by only an etching process. CONSTITUTION:The first resist 2 is formed on the top of a base plate 1, and only spheres of deep groove parts A, B having unevenness are etched on a boundary part D between the top of the base plate 1 and a part which is to become a shallow groove part. Then the second time etching is performed and the shallow groove parts are etched along with the deep groove parts A, B. At this time, in a part of the boundary part where it has unevenness, etching is advanced from both sides of a protrusionlike part projected toward the deep groove parts A, B and the more the tip part becomes small the more a quantity of etching becomes much. Consequently, the tip part of the protruding part is corroded to such an exteent as to coincide with a groove surfaces of the deep groove parts A, B, the foundation of the protruding part becomes a state where it is corroded to such an extent as to become a little lower than corrosion of the shallow groove part and a slope is formed. Ink flow paths communicated with each other through the gentle slope where the deep groove parts A, B and shallow groove part are formed in the boundary part D are formed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an ink jet head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an ink jet head has a basic structure in which an ink flow path is formed on an upper surface of a glass substrate, a vibration plate is attached to the ink flow path, and a piezoelectric element is mounted at a predetermined position on the vibration plate. I am trying. The ink flow path is formed by forming a photoresist layer on the upper surface of the substrate, removing the resist layer in the area that should become the ink flow path by exposure and development, and etching that portion. Since the depth of the bottom surface of the ink flow path is different from that of the pressure chamber and the nozzle, the deep groove portion and the shallow groove portion are etched twice.

[0003]

However, in the case where the etching is performed twice as in the prior art, a step is formed at the boundary between the portions having different depths of the ink flow path. Due to this step, the flow path resistance increases, hindering the flow of ink from the pressure chamber toward the ink flow path on the nozzle side,
When the volume of the pressure chamber becomes large after ink ejection, it may cause bubbles to be drawn into the pressure chamber from the tip of the nozzle and accumulate at the boundary to block the next ink ejection or cause purging failure. Is becoming In order to avoid such an obstacle of ink ejection, it is necessary to form the boundary smoothly. As a method for forming such a boundary portion on the inclined surface, there are a sand blast method, honing, polishing, and the like, but all of them require a troublesome step different from etching, which increases the manufacturing cost of the inkjet head. It is the cause.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily manufacture a high-performance ink jet head by providing an inclined surface at the boundary of ink flow paths and the like.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet head of the present invention, a first resist is formed on the upper surface of a substrate in a shape excluding a deep groove portion of an ink flow path. , The first resist is formed, the deep groove is etched for the first time, the first resist is removed, and then the second resist is formed in a shape excluding the shallow groove along with the deep groove of the ink flow path. Then, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet head, in which the second resist is formed and a second etching is performed to engrave an ink flow path having a deep groove portion and a shallow groove portion, the first resist is It is formed so as to have an uneven shape at the boundary with the shallow groove.

[0006]

In the first etching, the first resist is formed in a shape having irregularities at the boundary between the deep groove portion and the shallow groove portion. Is gradually different, and an inclined surface is formed in which the tip end side of the unevenness is deepened.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As the substrate 1 to be etched, a flat glass plate having a thickness of 1 to 5 mm cut into a predetermined shape is used. First, the deep groove portions A and B of the ink channel are formed on the upper surface of the substrate 1 as follows. Regions are formed by etching.

(A) As shown in FIG. 1, a first resist 2 is formed by uniformly coating a photoresist on the upper surface of a substrate 1 by a rotating method.

(B) Next, the upper surface of the first resist 2 formed on the substrate 1 is exposed by using an irradiation device of ultraviolet rays or the like, and as shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. A pattern such as a flow path is formed. In this case, a mask having a predetermined shape is used for the pressure chambers, which are the deep groove portions A and B, and the portions that should be ink reservoirs, and only the region C excluding the regions that should be the deep groove portions A and B is exposed, and the region C Causes chemical changes due to light.
The above mask has a boundary portion D between the deep groove portions A and B and the shallow groove portion.
In addition, the convex portion has a deep groove portion A,
It is projected toward B.

(C) Next, the resist is removed from the unexposed portions, that is, the portions to be deep groove portions A and B, by development, and as shown in FIG. 2, unevenness is formed at the boundary with the portions to be shallow groove portions. The upper surface of the substrate 1 is exposed only in the deep groove portions A and B.

(D) Next, the regions to be the deep groove portions A and B are etched with a hydrofluoric acid mixed solution. At this time, the uneven portion of the boundary portion D covered by the first resist 2 is slightly shaved by side etching from both sides of the convex portion protruding toward the deep groove portions A and B.

(E) As shown in FIG. 3, when the first resist 2 is removed, a deep groove portion of the ink flow path 3 to be the ink reservoir 3a and the pressurizing chamber 3b is carved on the upper surface of the substrate 1. .. (F) The second resist 4 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 1 in which the deep groove portions A and B are formed, in the same manner as in the case of the first etching.

(G) As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 4, a mask is applied to the entire area E of the portion to be the ink flow path 3, and the area F excluding this area E is subjected to the first etching. By the same procedure, exposure and development are performed to remove the second resist 4 formed in the area of the ink flow path 3 as shown in FIG.

(H) Next, the ink channel 3 is formed by performing the second etching. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the shallow groove portions G and H are carved by the second etching, and the deep groove portions A and B are also etched again to have a depth obtained by the second etching. In the course of the next etching, the etching liquid strongly collides with the shallow groove portions G and H and the boundary portion D, so that the shallow groove portions G and H are etched to a desired depth to form the communication channels 3g and 3h, and The etching amount at the boundary portion D also increases, and a gentle inclined surface 3d is formed. That is, in the boundary portion, the tip portion protruding toward the deep groove portion is more likely to be etched, carved so as to be scooped, and the inclined surface 3d is gradually shallowed from the narrow tip portion to the wide root portion. It is formed. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the ink flow path 3 extends from the ink reservoir 3a to the communication flow path 3g,
Communicating with the nozzle 5 via the pressurizing chamber 3b and the connecting flow path 3h,
The boundary portion between the deep groove portions A and B and the shallow groove portions G and H communicates with each other as a gently continuous inclined surface 3d.

As shown in FIG. 9, the vibrating plate 6 is attached to the upper surface of the finished substrate 1, and the piezoelectric elements 7 ... Are respectively placed on the upper surface of the vibrating plate facing the pressurizing chamber 3b. Mounting. When the piezoelectric element 7 is made conductive by a transparent electrode (not shown) on the vibration plate, the ink jet head is completed.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the unevenness for forming the inclined surface at the boundary is formed for one boundary, but this is shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the boundary portions D1 and D2 are provided with two irregularities per boundary portion,
Alternatively, two or more may be provided in parallel. By making the unevenness finer, it is possible to form a smoother inclined surface.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Only the etching process makes it possible to easily form the deep groove part, the shallow groove part, and the inclined surface of the boundary between them, and no other process such as polishing is required. Therefore, the manufacturing process is shortened, and the inkjet head having a high ejection function can be manufactured at low cost. Can be manufactured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a region to be exposed for performing a first etching in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a resist in a region to be a deep groove portion is removed by exposure and development described above.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where a deep groove portion is formed by the first etching.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a region to be exposed for performing a second etching.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a resist in a region to be an ink flow path is removed by exposure and development described above.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a state in which the entire ink flow path is communicated with each other by the second etching and an inclined surface is formed at the boundary between the deep groove portion and the shallow groove portion.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a deep groove portion, a shallow groove portion, and a boundary portion thereof as above.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which an inkjet head is assembled using the substrate according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view showing a boundary portion formed in a shape having a plurality of irregularities in another embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged plan view showing a boundary portion formed in a shape having a plurality of irregularities in yet another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Substrate 2 First Resist 3 Ink Channel 4 Second Resist A, B Deep Groove D, D1, D2 Boundary G, H Shallow Groove

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first resist is formed on an upper surface of a substrate in a shape excluding a deep groove portion of an ink flow path, and the deep groove portion is subjected to a first etching in a state where the first resist is formed, After removing the first resist, a second resist is formed in a shape excluding the shallow groove portion together with the deep groove portion of the ink flow path, and a second etching is performed with the second resist formed. In the method of manufacturing an ink jet head in which the ink channel having the deep groove portion and the shallow groove portion is engraved, the first resist has a shape having irregularities at a boundary portion between the deep groove portion and the shallow groove portion. A method for manufacturing an inkjet head, comprising: