Method for producing nozzle substrate, method for producing droplet-discharging head, head for discharging droplets, and apparatus for discharging droplets

Abstract

The present invention includes a step of forming concave portions to be nozzle openings by an etching process on a substrate to be processed, a step of bonding a first support substrate to a surface of the concave-portion-formed process side, a step of subjecting the processed substrate to a thinning process from a surface of an opposite side of a surface bonded to the first support substrate so as to have a desired thickness, thereby opening an end of the concave portion, a step of bonding a second support substrate to a surface of the concave-portion-opened side, a step of separating the first support substrate from the processed substrate and bonding a third support substrate to the separated surface of the processed substrate, and a step of separating the second support substrate from the processed substrate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic constitution of an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the inkjet head showing a schematic constitution of the right half of FIG. 1 in an assembly state;

FIG. 3 is an upper surface view of the inkjet head of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4A to 4E are sectional views of a nozzle substrate in production steps showing an example of the method for producing a nozzle substrate;

FIGS. 5F to 5J are sectional views in production steps following FIGS. 4A to 4E;

FIGS. 6K to 6O are sectional views in production steps following FIGS. 5F to 5J;

FIGS. 7P and 7Q are sectional views in production steps following FIGS. 6K to 6O;

FIGS. 8R and 8S are a back surface view of the nozzle substrate and an upper surface view of a first support substrate;

FIG. 9T is a side view of an alignment jig for positioning, showing the nozzle substrate and a cavity substrate in a step of bonding;

FIGS. 10U and 10V are section views showing a bonding state of the nozzle substrate and the cavity substrate and a separated state of a second support substrate;

FIG. 11 is a back surface view of the nozzle substrate on which a peripheral groove including a chip outside groove;

FIGS. 12A to 12D are sectional views showing steps of producing an electrode substrate;

FIGS. 13E to 13H are sectional views of the cavity substrate and the electrode substrate in production steps showing a method for producing;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of an inkjet head showing another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 15K to 15O are sectional views of a nozzle substrate in production steps showing another example of a method for producing nozzle substrate;

FIGS. 16P to 16S are sectional views in production steps following FIGS. 15K to 15O; and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer using the inkjet head according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for producing a nozzle substrate comprising: a step of forming, by an etching process, a plurality of concave portions to be nozzle openings for discharging droplets, on a substrate to be processed;a step of bonding a first support substrate to a surface of a process side of the processed substrate on which the concave portions are formed;a step of subjecting the processed substrate to a thinning process from a surface opposite to a surface bonded to the first support substrate, so that the substrate has a desired thickness thereby opening an end of each of the concave portions;a step of bonding a second support substrate to a surface of the opened side on which the end of each of the concave portions is opened;a step of separating the first support substrate from the processed substrate and bonding a third support substrate to the separated surface of the substrate processed; anda step of separating the second support substrate from the substrate processed.

2. A method for producing a nozzle substrate comprising: a step of forming, by an etching process, a plurality of concave portions to be nozzle openings for discharging droplets and a peripheral groove, on a substrate to be processed;a step of bonding a first support substrate to a surface of a process side of the processed substrate on which the concave portions and the peripheral groove are formed;a step of subjecting the processed substrate to a thinning process from a surface an opposite to a surface bonded to the first support substrate, so that the substrate has a desired thickness thereby opening an end of each of the concave portions and the peripheral groove;a step of bonding a second support substrate to a surface of the opened side on which the end of each of the concave portions and the peripheral groove is opened;a step of separating the first support substrate from the substrate processed and bonding a third support substrate to the separated surface of the processed substrate; anda step of separating the second support substrate from the substrate processed.

3. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 2, wherein the peripheral groove is formed in a peripheral part of the processed substrate so as to surround the entirety of a head-forming region on which a plurality of head chips are formed.

4. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 3, wherein the peripheral groove includes a chip outside groove formed along a periphery of each of the individual head chips.

5. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 3, wherein the peripheral groove is formed outside an alignment opening formed in the processed substrate.

6. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and the second substrates is bonded to the processed substrate through a double-sided adhesive sheet.

7. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 6, wherein the double-sided adhesive sheet has a self-separation layer whose adhesive force is lowered by applying ultraviolet light or heat to an adhesive surface thereof.

8. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 7, wherein the double-sided adhesive sheet has the self-separation layer on one surface thereof, and the processed substrate is attached to a side of the adhesive surface having the self-separation layer.

9. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 7, wherein the double-sided adhesive sheet has the self-separation layer on both surfaces thereof, and the processed substrate and each of the first and the second support substrates are attached to the adhesive surfaces having the self-separation layers.

10. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 6, wherein the processed substrate and each of the first and the second support substrates are bonded through the double-sided adhesive sheet under a reduced pressure environment.

11. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 1, wherein the processed substrate and each of the first and the second support substrates are bonded through a resin layer in vacuum.

12. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 11, wherein the resin layer adheres to the processed substrate, and adheres to each of the first and the second support substrates through a separation layer made of a material allowing segregation of the separation layer by irradiation of light.

13. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 6, wherein when the first support substrate is separated from the processed substrate, in the case in which an adhesive resin is left in each of the nozzle openings, the remaining adhesive resin is removed by performing a plasma treatment.

14. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according claim 1, wherein each of the nozzle openings is formed to have two stages of a jet orifice portion for discharging droplets and a feed port portion having a concentric shape with that of the jet orifice portion and a diameter larger than that of the jet orifice portion.

15. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 1, wherein each of the nozzle openings is formed by anisotropic dry etching with ICP electric discharge.

16. The method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 15, wherein the anisotropic dry etching is performed by using C4F8 and SF6 as an etching gas.

17. A method for producing a droplet-discharging head, wherein in the method for producing a nozzle substrate according to claim 1, the third support substrate, to which the processed substrate is bonded, is a silicon substrate in order to form a cavity substrate having a flow pathway in communication with the nozzle opening or a reservoir substrate in which a flow pathway in communication with the nozzle opening is previously formed.

18. A head for discharging droplets, produced by a method comprising: a step of forming, by an etching process, a plurality of concave portions to be nozzle openings for discharging droplets, on a substrate to be processed;a step of bonding a first support substrate to a surface of a process side of the processed substrate on which the concave portions are formed;a step of subjecting the processed substrate to a thinning process from a surface of an opposite side of a surface bonded to the first support substrate, so that the substrate has a desired thickness thereby opening an end of each of the concave portions;a step of bonding a second support substrate to a surface of the opened side on which the end of each of the concave portions is opened;a step of separating the first support substrate from the processed substrate and bonding a third support substrate to the separated surface of the processed substrate; anda step of separating the second support substrate from the processed substrate.

19. A head for discharging droplets, produced by a method comprising: a step of forming, by an etching process, a plurality of concave portions to be nozzle openings for discharging droplets and a peripheral groove, on a substrate to be processed;a step of bonding a first support substrate to a surface of a process side of the processed substrate on which the concave portions and the peripheral groove are formed;a step of subjecting the processed substrate to a thinning process from a surface of an opposite side of a surface bonded to the first support substrate, so that the substrate has a desired thickness thereby opening an end of each of the concave portions and the peripheral groove;a step of bonding a second support substrate to a surface of the opened side on which the end of each of the concave portions and the peripheral groove is opened;a step of separating the first support substrate from the processed substrate and bonding a third support substrate to the separated surface of the processed substrate; anda step of separating the second support substrate from the processed substrate.

20. An apparatus for discharging droplets, to which the head for discharging droplets according to claim 18 is applied.