JP2000006398A - Ink jet recording head, method of manufacturing the same, and ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording head, a method of manufacturing the same, and an ink jet recording apparatus which improve the deformation amount and durability of a diaphragm. SOLUTION: A vibration plate including an elastic film 50 constituting a part of a pressure generating chamber 12 communicating with a nozzle opening, a lower electrode 60 provided on the elastic film 50, and a piezoelectric member formed on the vibration plate An ink jet type recording head comprising a body layer 70 and a piezoelectric vibrator 300 comprising an upper electrode 80 formed on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 70, and a piezoelectric active portion 320 formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber 12. In the vibration plate, a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion 320 is formed as a concave portion 61 having a smaller thickness than other portions, so that the thickness of the piezoelectric layer 70 is increased, and the deformation amount of the vibration plate and The durability is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pressure generating chamber which is in communication with a nozzle opening for ejecting ink droplets, which is constituted by an elastic film. The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head for ejecting ink droplets by displacement of a layer, a method for manufacturing the same, and an ink jet recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A part of a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening for discharging ink droplets is formed of an elastic film, and this elastic film is deformed by a piezoelectric vibrator to pressurize ink in the pressure generating chamber to open the nozzle opening. There are two types of ink-jet recording heads that eject ink droplets from a piezoelectric vibrator, one that uses a longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator that expands and contracts in the axial direction of the piezoelectric vibrator, and another that uses a flexural vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator. Has been put to practical use.

In the former method, the volume of the pressure generating chamber can be changed by bringing the end face of the piezoelectric vibrator into contact with an elastic film, so that a head suitable for high-density printing can be manufactured. A complicated process of cutting the piezoelectric vibrators into a comb-tooth shape in accordance with the arrangement pitch of the nozzle openings, and a work of positioning and fixing the separated piezoelectric vibrators in the pressure generating chambers, which complicates the manufacturing process. There is.

On the other hand, in the latter, a piezoelectric vibrator can be formed on an elastic film by a relatively simple process of sticking a green sheet of a piezoelectric material according to the shape of the pressure generating chamber and firing the green sheet. However, due to the use of flexural vibration, a certain area is required, and there is a problem that high-density arrangement is difficult.

On the other hand, in order to solve the latter disadvantage of the recording head, a uniform piezoelectric material layer is formed over the entire surface of the elastic film by a film forming technique as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-286131. A proposal has been made in which this piezoelectric material layer is cut into a shape corresponding to the pressure generating chambers by lithography, and a piezoelectric vibrator is formed so as to be independent for each pressure generating chamber.

According to this, the work of attaching the piezoelectric vibrator to the elastic film becomes unnecessary, and the precision of the lithography method is eliminated.
In addition to the fact that the piezoelectric vibrator can be manufactured by a simple and simple method, there is an advantage that the thickness of the piezoelectric vibrator can be reduced and high-speed driving can be performed. In this case, the piezoelectric vibrator corresponding to each pressure generating chamber can be driven by providing at least only the upper electrode for each pressure generating chamber while the piezoelectric material layer is provided on the entire surface of the elastic film.

[0007]

However, in the above-described manufacturing method using the thin film technology and the lithography method,
A pressure generating chamber is formed after patterning the thin film. At this time, the internal stress of the piezoelectric layer is relaxed, and the elastic film is bent toward the pressure generating chamber due to the internal stress of the lower electrode. It remains as the initial deformation of the elastic film. Therefore, there is a problem that the amount of deformation of the elastic film due to driving of the piezoelectric vibrator is substantially reduced, and a problem that durability of the elastic film is reduced.

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording head, a method of manufacturing the same, and an ink jet recording apparatus in which the deformation amount and durability of the elastic film are improved.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, an elastic film constituting a part of a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening and a lower member provided on the elastic film are provided. An ink-jet type comprising an electrode, a piezoelectric layer formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the surface of the piezoelectric layer, wherein a piezoelectric active portion is formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber. In the recording head, the diaphragm including the elastic film and the lower electrode has a concave portion having a thickness smaller than that of the other portion in a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion. .

In the first aspect, the portion of the diaphragm facing the piezoelectric active portion is formed as a recess, so that the thickness of the piezoelectric layer is increased and the initial deformation of the diaphragm is reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording head according to the first aspect, the concave portion of the diaphragm is formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber. .

In the second aspect, the stress applied to the diaphragm in the region facing the longitudinal end of the pressure generating chamber is reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the concave portion of the diaphragm is formed by removing a part of the lower electrode. In the head.

In the third aspect, since the thickness of the lower electrode corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion is reduced, the amount of initial deformation of the diaphragm due to residual stress is reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the piezoelectric body active portion is formed by only the upper electrode or a part in the thickness direction of the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer. And an ink jet recording head characterized by being formed by patterning.

In the fourth aspect, since the piezoelectric film is not removed, the amount of initial deformation of the elastic film due to residual stress is suppressed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the diaphragm further has a second elastic film on the lower electrode, and the concave portion of the diaphragm is And an ink jet recording head formed by removing at least the second elastic film at a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion.

According to the fifth aspect, the concave portion is easily formed without requiring a step of removing a part of the lower electrode.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording head according to the fifth aspect, wherein the second elastic film is formed of a material having a compressive stress.

In the sixth aspect, the stress relaxation of the diaphragm during the formation of the pressure generating chamber is reduced by the compressive stress of the second elastic film.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, an insulating layer is formed on an upper surface of the piezoelectric active portion, and a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric active portion. A contact portion serving as a connection portion between the lead electrode and the piezoelectric active portion is formed in a contact hole formed in the insulator layer.

In the seventh aspect, the piezoelectric vibrator and the lead electrode are connected in the contact hole in a region facing the pressure generating chamber.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, at least one longitudinal end of the piezoelectric active portion is extended to a portion facing the side wall of the pressure generating chamber, In the ink jet recording head, the contact portion is formed in a region facing the side wall.

In the eighth aspect, the piezoelectric vibrator and the lead electrode are connected in the contact hole in a region facing the peripheral wall of the pressure generating chamber.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elastic film constituting a part of a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening, a lower electrode provided on the elastic film, and a lower electrode formed on the lower electrode. Comprising a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode formed on the surface of the piezoelectric layer,
In an ink jet recording head in which a piezoelectric active portion is formed in a region opposed to the pressure generating chamber, the elastic film constituting at least a part of the vibration plate has a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion more than other portions. And an ink jet recording head characterized by having a concave portion having a small thickness.

According to the ninth aspect, the portion of the elastic film facing the piezoelectric active portion is formed as a recess, so that the thickness of the piezoelectric layer is increased and the initial deflection of the elastic film is reduced.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect, the elastic film includes a compressed film having a compressive stress, and the concave portion is formed in the compressed film. In the head.

In the tenth aspect, the compression stress of the compression film is released when the pressure generating chamber is formed, and the initial deflection of the elastic film is reduced.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the ninth or tenth aspect, the elastic film has a tensile film having a tensile stress on a compressive film having a compressive stress, and the concave portion has the tensile strength. An ink jet recording head is formed on a film and a compression film.

In the eleventh aspect, the lower layer of the diaphragm has a compressive stress and the upper layer has a tensile stress, so that the initial deflection is further reduced.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording head according to the ninth or tenth aspect, wherein the elastic film comprises only a compression film having a compression stress.

In the twelfth aspect, the compression stress of the compression film is released when the pressure generating chamber is formed, and the initial deflection of the elastic film is reduced.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording head according to any one of the ninth to twelfth aspects, wherein the compression film comprises a metal oxide film.

In the thirteenth aspect, the durability of the elastic film is improved.

A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording head according to any one of the ninth to thirteenth aspects, wherein the lower electrode is patterned in the recess.

In the fourteenth aspect, since the lower electrode corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion is provided in the recess and the side is not exposed, the withstand voltage is improved.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the fourteenth aspect, the lower electrode extends from at least one longitudinal end of a region facing the pressure generating chamber to the outside thereof. And an ink jet recording head.

In the fifteenth aspect, it is possible to connect to an external wiring via the lower electrode extending outward.

The sixteenth aspect of the present invention is directed to the fourteenth or fifteenth aspect.
In the above aspect, the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer may extend from at least one end in the longitudinal direction of a region facing the pressure generating chamber to the outside thereof.

In the sixteenth aspect, it is possible to connect to the external wiring via the upper electrode extending outward.

The seventeenth aspect of the present invention is directed to the fifteenth or sixteenth aspect.
In the above aspect, the extending direction of the lower electrode may be different from the extending direction of the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer.

According to the seventeenth aspect, the upper electrode and the lower electrode can be easily connected to the external wiring.

An eighteenth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording head according to the seventeenth aspect, wherein one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode is a common electrode.

In the eighteenth aspect, connection with external wiring can be easily performed.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighteenth aspects, the pressure generation chamber is formed in a silicon single crystal substrate by anisotropic etching, and each layer of the piezoelectric active portion is formed. An ink jet recording head is formed by a film and a lithography method.

In the nineteenth aspect, an ink jet recording head having high-density nozzle openings can be manufactured relatively easily in a large quantity.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink jet recording head according to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects.

According to the twentieth aspect, it is possible to realize an ink jet recording apparatus having improved head durability.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode layer are sequentially formed on a vibrating plate provided on at least one surface of a substrate having a pressure generating chamber and comprising at least an elastic film and a lower electrode layer. In a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head in which a piezoelectric active portion is formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber by stacking and patterning each layer, at least the elastic film and the lower electrode layer are sequentially stacked on the substrate. Forming the vibrating plate, forming a concave portion having a thickness smaller than other portions in a portion of the vibrating plate corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion, and forming the piezoelectric member on the vibrating plate. Sequentially stacking a layer and the upper electrode, and patterning the upper electrode or at least a part of the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer to form the piezoelectric active portion on the recess. In the manufacturing method of the ink jet recording head characterized in that it comprises a-up.

In the twenty-first aspect, the piezoelectric layer is formed thick by providing a concave portion in a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion of the diaphragm.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-first aspect, the concave portion of the diaphragm is formed by removing a part of the lower electrode layer by patterning. In the method of manufacturing the head.

In the twenty-second aspect, a recess is formed in the diaphragm by removing a part of the lower electrode.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-first aspect, the step of forming the diaphragm includes a step of further laminating a second elastic film on the lower electrode layer,
The concave portion of the vibration plate is formed by removing the second elastic film by patterning, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head.

In the twenty-third aspect, a concave portion is formed in the diaphragm by removing the second elastic film.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode layer are sequentially formed on a vibration plate provided on at least one surface of a substrate having a pressure generating chamber and comprising an elastic film and a lower electrode layer. In a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head in which a piezoelectric active portion is formed in a region opposed to the pressure generating chamber by stacking and patterning each layer, another portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion is provided on the substrate. Forming the elastic film having a concave portion thinner than a portion, forming the lower electrode on the elastic film and patterning the concave portion in the concave portion, on the elastic film and the lower electrode, Sequentially stacking the piezoelectric layer and the upper electrode, and patterning the upper electrode or at least a part of the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer to form the piezoelectric active portion on the recess. In a method for manufacturing the ink jet recording head is characterized in that a step of forming.

In the twenty-fourth aspect, the piezoelectric layer is formed thick by providing a concave portion in the portion of the elastic film corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-fourth aspect, the elastic film is formed by forming a zirconium film, patterning the concave portion, and then oxidizing the zirconium film. And a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head.

In the twenty-fifth aspect, an elastic film made of zirconium oxide having a concave portion can be formed by patterning and oxidizing a zirconium film which is easier to pattern than zirconium oxide.

[0059]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail based on embodiments.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an ink jet recording head according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view and a cross section of one of the pressure generating chambers in the longitudinal direction. It is a figure showing a structure.

As shown in the drawing, the flow path forming substrate 10 is formed of a silicon single crystal substrate having a plane orientation (110) in this embodiment. As the flow path forming substrate 10, usually 150 to 3
A thickness of about 00 μm is used.
Those having a thickness of about 0 to 280 μm, more preferably about 220 μm are suitable. This is because the arrangement density can be increased while maintaining the rigidity of the partition wall between the adjacent pressure generating chambers.

One surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 is an opening surface, and the other surface is formed with a 0.1 to 2 μm-thick elastic film 50 made of silicon dioxide previously formed by thermal oxidation.

On the other hand, the opening surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 is anisotropically etched on a silicon single crystal substrate,
A nozzle opening 11 and a pressure generating chamber 12 are formed.

Here, in the anisotropic etching, when the silicon single crystal substrate is immersed in an alkaline solution such as KOH, it is gradually eroded and the first (111) plane perpendicular to the (110) plane and the first (111) plane A second (1) which forms an angle of about 70 degrees with the (111) plane and forms an angle of about 35 degrees with the (110) plane.
11) plane, and the etching rate of the (111) plane is about 1/1 compared to the etching rate of the (110) plane.
This is performed using the property of being 80.
By such anisotropic etching, two first (11
Precision processing can be performed based on depth processing of a parallelogram formed by the 1) plane and two oblique second (111) planes, and the pressure generating chambers 12 can be arranged at high density. it can.

In this embodiment, the long side of each pressure generating chamber 12 is formed by the first (111) plane, and the short side is formed by the second (111) plane. The pressure generating chamber 12 is provided on the flow path forming substrate 1.
It is formed by etching until it reaches the elastic film 50 almost through 0. The amount of the elastic film 50 that is attacked by the alkaline solution for etching the silicon single crystal substrate is extremely small.

On the other hand, each nozzle opening 11 communicating with one end of each pressure generating chamber 12 is formed narrower and shallower than the pressure generating chamber 12. That is, the nozzle opening 11 is formed by partially etching (half-etching) the silicon single crystal substrate in the thickness direction. In addition,
Half etching is performed by adjusting the etching time.

Here, the size of the pressure generating chamber 12 for applying the ink droplet ejection pressure to the ink and the size of the nozzle opening 11 for ejecting the ink droplet depend on the amount of the ejected ink droplet, the ejection speed, and the ejection frequency. Optimized. For example,
When recording 360 ink droplets per inch, the nozzle openings 11 need to be formed with a groove width of several tens of μm with high accuracy.

Further, each pressure generating chamber 12 and a common ink chamber 31 described later are connected to each pressure generating chamber 1 of the sealing plate 20 described later.
The ink is supplied from a common ink chamber 31 through the ink supply communication port 21 formed at a position corresponding to one end of the pressure generation chamber 12. Distributed to

The sealing plate 20 is provided with an ink supply communication port 21 corresponding to each of the pressure generating chambers 12 and has a thickness of, for example, 0.1 to 1 mm and a linear expansion coefficient of 300 ° C. or less. , For example, 2.5-4.5 [× 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C.]. In addition, the ink supply communication port 21
Each of the pressure generating chambers 1 is, as shown in FIGS.
It may be one slit hole 21A crossing the vicinity of the second ink supply side end or a plurality of slit holes 21B. The sealing plate 20 is provided on one side with the flow path forming substrate 10.
, And also serves as a reinforcing plate for protecting the silicon single crystal substrate from impacts and external forces. Also, sealing plate 2
0 forms one wall surface of the common ink chamber 31 on the other surface.

The common ink chamber forming substrate 30 forms the peripheral wall of the common ink chamber 31, and is formed by punching a stainless steel plate having an appropriate thickness according to the number of nozzles and the ink droplet ejection frequency. . In the present embodiment, the thickness of the common ink chamber forming substrate 30 is 0.2 mm.

The ink chamber side plate 40 is formed of a stainless steel substrate, and one surface of the ink chamber side plate 40 constitutes one wall surface of the common ink chamber 31. In the ink chamber side plate 40, a thin wall 41 is formed by forming a concave portion 40a by half etching on a part of the other surface, and an ink introduction port 42 for receiving ink supply from the outside is punched and formed. ing. The thin wall 41 is for absorbing pressure generated at the time of ink droplet ejection toward the side opposite to the nozzle opening 11, and is unnecessary for the other pressure generating chambers 12 via the common ink chamber 31. Prevents positive or negative pressure from being applied.
In the present embodiment, the ink chamber side plate 40 is made 0.2 mm in consideration of rigidity required at the time of connection between the ink introduction port 42 and an external ink supply means, and a part of the thickness is 0.02 mm.
The thickness of the ink chamber side plate 40 may be 0.02 mm from the beginning in order to omit the formation of the thin wall 41 by half etching.

On the other hand, on the elastic film 50 on the side opposite to the opening surface of the flow path forming substrate 10, a thickness of, for example, about 0.5 μm
A lower electrode film 60, a piezoelectric film 70 having a thickness of, for example, about 1 μm, and an upper electrode film 80 having a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 μm are formed by lamination in a process to be described later. (Piezoelectric element) 300 is constituted. Here, the piezoelectric vibrator 300 refers to a portion including the lower electrode film 60, the piezoelectric film 70, and the upper electrode film 80. Generally, the piezoelectric vibrator 30
0 is used as a common electrode, and the other electrode and the piezoelectric film 70 are patterned for each pressure generating chamber 12. Here, a portion which is constituted by one of the patterned electrodes and the piezoelectric film 70 and in which a piezoelectric strain is generated by applying a voltage to both electrodes is referred to as a piezoelectric active portion 320. In the present embodiment, the lower electrode film 60 is used as a common electrode of the piezoelectric vibrator 300, and the upper electrode film 80 is used as an individual electrode of the piezoelectric vibrator 300. Absent. In any case, the piezoelectric active portion is formed for each pressure generating chamber. In the example described above, the elastic film 50 and the lower electrode film 60 function as a diaphragm, but the lower electrode film may also serve as the elastic film.

In this embodiment, as described later,
By removing a part of the lower electrode film 60 corresponding to the piezoelectric active part to form a concave portion, the thickness of the diaphragm at the part corresponding to the piezoelectric active part is reduced, and the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed. An attempt is made to prevent a reduction in the amount of deformation of the diaphragm due to initial deformation or the like that occurs during formation.

Here, a process for forming the piezoelectric film 70 and the like on the flow path forming substrate 10 made of a silicon single crystal substrate will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4A, first, a wafer of a silicon single crystal substrate serving as a flow path forming substrate 10 is
Thermal oxidation is performed in a diffusion furnace at 0 ° C. to form an elastic film 50 made of silicon dioxide.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a lower electrode film 60 is formed by sputtering. Pt or the like is preferable as the material of the lower electrode film 60. This is because a piezoelectric film 70 to be described later, which is formed by sputtering or a sol-gel method, has a thickness of 600 to 100
This is because it is necessary to perform crystallization by firing at a temperature of about 0 ° C. That is, the material of the lower electrode film 60 must be able to maintain conductivity at such a high temperature and in an oxidizing atmosphere. In particular, when PZT is used for the piezoelectric film 70, the conductivity of the material by diffusion of PbO is increased. It is desirable that there is little change in sex, and Pt is preferred for these reasons.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, a portion of the lower electrode film 60 corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion formed in the following steps is patterned so as to be thicker than the other portions. A recess 61 having a small thickness is formed. The thickness of the lower electrode film 60 at the portion of the concave portion 61 is preferably not more than half of the thickness of the elastic film 50, and for example, was 0.2 μm in the present embodiment.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, a piezoelectric film 70 is formed. In this embodiment, a so-called sol in which a metal organic substance is dissolved and dispersed in a solvent is applied, dried, and gelled,
Further, the film was formed using a so-called sol-gel method in which a piezoelectric film 70 made of a metal oxide was obtained by firing at a high temperature. As a material for the piezoelectric film 70, a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) -based material is suitable when used in an ink jet recording head. The piezoelectric film 70
The film forming method is not particularly limited, and may be formed by, for example, a sputtering method.

Further, a method of forming a precursor film of PZT by a sol-gel method or a sputtering method and then growing the crystal at a low temperature by a high-pressure treatment in an alkaline aqueous solution may be used.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4E, an upper electrode film 80 is formed. The upper electrode film 80 only needs to be a material having high conductivity, and many metals such as Al, Au, Ni, and Pt, and a conductive oxide can be used. In the present embodiment, P
t is formed by sputtering.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The piezoelectric film 70 and the upper electrode film 80 are patterned.

First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the lower electrode film 60, the piezoelectric film 70, and the upper electrode film 80 are etched together to pattern the entire pattern of the lower electrode film 60. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, only the piezoelectric film 70 and the upper electrode film 80 are etched to form the piezoelectric active portion 32.
0 patterning is performed. As a result, the piezoelectric active portion 320 is formed in a portion corresponding to the concave portion 61 of the lower electrode film 60.

As described above, after forming the entire pattern of the lower electrode film 60, the patterning is completed by patterning the piezoelectric active portion 320.

As described above, after patterning the lower electrode film 60 and the like, preferably, at least the periphery of the upper surface of each upper electrode film 80, and the piezoelectric film 70 and the lower electrode film 60 are preferably formed.
Is formed so as to cover the side surfaces of the substrate (see FIG. 1).

Then, each piezoelectric active portion 3 of the insulator layer 90
A contact hole 90a that exposes a part of the upper electrode film 80 for connecting to a lead electrode 100 described later is formed in a part of the part that covers the upper surface of the part corresponding to one end of 20. One end is connected to each upper electrode film 80 via the contact hole 90a, and the other end is formed with a lead electrode 100 extending to the connection terminal portion. The lead electrode 100 is formed so as to be as narrow as possible so as to reliably supply a drive signal to the upper electrode film 80.

FIG. 6 shows a process of forming such an insulator layer.
Shown in

First, as shown in FIG. 6A, an insulator layer 90 is formed so as to cover the periphery of the upper electrode film 80, the side surfaces of the piezoelectric film 70 and the lower electrode film 60. This insulator layer 9
In this embodiment, a negative photosensitive polyimide is used as the material No. 0.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, by patterning the insulator layer 90, each of the pressure generating chambers 12 is formed.
A contact hole 90a is formed in a portion corresponding to the vicinity of the end on the ink supply side. This contact hole 90a
Is for connecting the lead electrode 100 and the upper electrode film 80.

The above is the film forming process. After forming the film in this manner, as shown in FIG. 6C, the silicon single crystal substrate is subjected to anisotropic etching with the above-described alkali solution to form the pressure generating chamber 12 and the like. In addition,
In the series of film formation and anisotropic etching described above, a number of chips are simultaneously formed on one wafer, and after completion of the process, each of the flow path forming substrates 10 having one chip size as shown in FIG. To divide. Further, the divided flow path forming substrate 10 is sequentially adhered and integrated with the sealing plate 20, the common ink chamber forming substrate 30, and the ink chamber side plate 40 to form an ink jet recording head.

The ink jet head thus configured takes in ink from an ink inlet 42 connected to an external ink supply means (not shown), fills the interior from the common ink chamber 31 to the nozzle opening 11 with ink, and
In accordance with a recording signal from an external drive circuit (not shown), a voltage is applied between the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode film 80 via the lead electrode 100, and the elastic film 50, the lower electrode film 60, and the piezoelectric film 70 The pressure generating chamber 1 is deformed by bending.
The pressure in 2 increases, and ink droplets are ejected from nozzle opening 11.

FIG. 7 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing a main part of such an ink jet recording head of this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, in this embodiment, the piezoelectric active portion 320 including the piezoelectric film 70 and the upper electrode film 80 is provided in a region facing the pressure generating chamber 12. Have been. The upper electrode film 80 and the lead electrode 100 are connected to the vicinity of the longitudinal end of the piezoelectric active portion 320 via the contact hole 90a of the insulator layer 90 provided on the piezoelectric active portion 320. ing.

A portion of the diaphragm corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion 320 is provided with a concave portion 61 having a thickness smaller than that of the other portions of the diaphragm by removing a part of the lower electrode film 60. . The concave portion 61 may be formed only in the region facing the piezoelectric active portion 320 in the region facing the pressure generating chamber 12. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the pressure generating chamber 1
Since the concave portion 61 is not formed near the longitudinal end of the pressure generating chamber 2, the diaphragm is prevented from being broken near the longitudinal end of the pressure generating chamber 12 due to the driving of the piezoelectric active portion, and the durability is improved. I do. However, the recess 61 is provided in the pressure generating chamber 12.
May be provided up to or beyond the end of the region opposed to.

Further, the piezoelectric film 70 on the concave portion 61
It is thicker than usual, for example, 1.2 μm in this embodiment. However, the concave portion 61 has the lower electrode film 6
Since the piezoelectric active portion 320 is formed by removing a part of 0, the entire piezoelectric active portion 320 is formed with the same thickness as the conventional one.

As described above, by providing the concave portion 61 in the diaphragm corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion 320, the piezoelectric film 7 can be formed without increasing the overall thickness of the piezoelectric active portion 320.
0 can be formed thicker. Therefore, when the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed, the amount of relaxation of the internal stress of the piezoelectric film 70 is reduced, whereby the initial deformation of the diaphragm is suppressed, and the amount of deformation of the diaphragm due to the driving of the piezoelectric active unit 320 is reduced. Can be substantially improved. Further, the piezoelectric film 7
The withstand voltage of 0 is improved, and the durability can be improved.

Further, since the concave portion 61 is formed by removing a part of the lower electrode film 60, the piezoelectric active portion 320 can be easily formed by the same method as the conventional one.

In the present embodiment, the piezoelectric films 70 are individually provided corresponding to the respective pressure generating chambers 12 and the piezoelectric active portions 3 are provided.
20 was formed, but is not limited to this. For example, FIG.
As shown in (a), the piezoelectric film may be provided on the whole, and only the upper electrode film 80 may be provided individually so as to correspond to each pressure generating chamber 12. In this case, the patterning of the upper electrode film 80 may remove a part of the piezoelectric film 70 in the thickness direction. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. May be positively patterned to a part in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric film.

In the present embodiment, the contact hole 90a is provided at a position facing the pressure generating chamber 12, but for example, as shown in FIG.
0 and the upper electrode film 80 are extended to the peripheral wall of the pressure generating chamber 12, and a contact hole 90 is provided at a position facing the peripheral wall.
a (not shown) may be provided. Also in this case,
The concave portion 61 of the vibration plate may be formed only in the region facing the piezoelectric body active portion 320 in the region facing the pressure generating chamber 12.
It is preferred that 1 is not formed. Further, as described above, the concave portion 61 may be provided up to the end of the region facing the pressure generating chamber 12 or beyond the region.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a main part of an ink jet recording head according to Embodiment 2.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a second elastic film 65 is further provided on the lower electrode film 60, and the second elastic film 65 is vibrated by the elastic film 50, the lower electrode film 60, and the second elastic film 65. The basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment except that a concave portion 61 is formed in the diaphragm by forming a plate and removing the second elastic film 65 in a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion 320.

The second elastic film 6 constituting the uppermost layer of the diaphragm
As the material of 5, it is preferable to use, for example, a material having a stress in the compression direction such as a silicon oxide film. Also,
In the present embodiment, the diaphragm is composed of three layers, but the lower electrode film 60 is formed to be thinner than usual, for example, to have the same thickness as the lower electrode film 60 of the concave portion 61 of the first embodiment. This suppresses an increase in the film thickness of the entire diaphragm.

The head according to this embodiment is manufactured, for example, by the following steps.

First, as shown in FIG. 10A, the elastic film 50 and the lower electrode film 60 are sequentially formed on the flow path forming substrate 10 as in the first embodiment. At this time, in order not to increase the thickness of the entire diaphragm as described above, it is preferable that the lower electrode film 60 be formed thinner than usual, for example, to have a thickness of about 0.2 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, a second elastic film 65 is formed on the lower electrode film 60, and a portion of the second elastic film 65 corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion 320 is formed. Is removed by etching or the like.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10C, a piezoelectric film 70 and an upper electrode film 80 are sequentially formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and as shown in FIG. By patterning the upper electrode film 80 and the like, the piezoelectric active portion 320 is formed.

In the configuration of the present embodiment as described above, the concave portion 61 is formed in the portion of the diaphragm corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion 320, so that the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed similarly to the first embodiment. The amount of displacement of the piezoelectric film 70 and the amount of deflection of the diaphragm can be reduced. Further, in the present embodiment, the diaphragm is constituted by three layers, and the uppermost second elastic film 65 is constituted by a material having a compressive stress. Therefore, the amount of deflection of the diaphragm can be further reduced. it can. Therefore, the amount of displacement of the diaphragm by driving the piezoelectric active portion can be substantially improved, and the durability can be improved.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an ink jet recording head according to Embodiment 3.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a part of the elastic film 50 corresponding to the pressure generating chamber 12 is removed to form a concave portion 61, and the lower electrode film 60 is formed on the elastic film 50. This embodiment is the same as Embodiment 1 except that it is formed in the same manner.

With such a configuration, the piezoelectric film 70 can be formed thick without increasing the thickness of the entire piezoelectric active portion 320. Therefore, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 12 is a sectional view and a plan view of a main part of an ink jet recording head according to Embodiment 4.

This embodiment is an example in which a compression film 66 having a compressive stress is further provided on the elastic film 50, and a concave portion 61A is formed in the compression film 66.

As shown in FIG. 12A, a compression film 66 having a compression stress and made of a metal oxide film such as zirconium dioxide is formed on the elastic film 50. The concave portion 61A is formed by removing a part of the compressed film 66 in the thickness direction at the portion to be formed. The basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the lower electrode film 60 is patterned only in the concave portion 61A.
Is the same as

As described above, in the present embodiment, the lower electrode film 6
Since 0 is patterned only in the recess 61A,
The diaphragm includes an elastic film 50 and a compression film 66 having a compression stress.
It is composed of Further, as described above, the elastic film 50 also
Since the diaphragm is made of a silicon oxide film and has a compressive stress, the diaphragm is composed of only a film having a compressive stress.
A concave portion 61A is formed in a portion of the compression film 66 corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion 320, and the film thickness is reduced.
Therefore, when the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed, the tensile stress of the piezoelectric film 70 is released and the force in the contraction direction is reduced.
The thickness of the diaphragm corresponding to the piezoelectric active part 320 is small, and even if the compressive stress is released, the force in the tensile direction is small. The amount of deformation of the diaphragm during driving can be improved. Further, since the lower electrode film 60 is patterned only in the recess 61A and is not exposed to the outside, the insulation durability can be improved.

In the present embodiment, each piezoelectric active part 3
Since the lower electrode film 60 serving as one of the electrodes 20 is patterned in the recess 61A, as shown in FIG. 12B, it extends from one end in the longitudinal direction onto the peripheral wall of the pressure generating chamber 12, and The lower electrode film 60 extending from each of the piezoelectric active portions 320 is connected on the peripheral wall to form a common electrode, and is connected to an external wiring near the end (not shown).

The upper electrode film 80 serving as the electrode on the other side
Is extended on the peripheral wall from one end in the longitudinal direction of each pressure generating chamber 12, in this embodiment, the end opposite to the extending direction of the lower electrode film 60, and is not shown for each piezoelectric active part 320. Are connected to external wiring via the upper electrode film 80.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the lower electrode film 6
0 and the upper electrode film 80 extend on the peripheral wall in the opposite direction from the longitudinal end, so that the wiring can be drawn out without using the insulator layer and the contact hole, and the displacement efficiency and durability can be improved. In addition, the driving unit of the piezoelectric vibrator can be provided in the pressure generating chamber without providing a contact hole.

The method of forming the compressed film 66 of the present embodiment is not particularly limited. For example, in the present embodiment, first, a zirconium layer is formed on the elastic film 50 by sputtering, and then, The recess 61A was patterned in the zirconium layer. Then, the recess 61
About 1150 ° C.
By performing a thermal oxidation treatment in oxygen in a diffusion furnace described above, a compressed film 66 made of zirconium dioxide having a compressive stress was obtained. Here, since zirconium is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the phase transition temperature when being oxidized, the zirconium undergoes a phase transition upon cooling to become a monoclinic system, and becomes zirconium oxide having a compressive stress. The recess 6 can be formed by such a method.
The patterning of 1A may be performed on a zirconium layer having a low hardness before oxidation, and can be easily formed.

In this embodiment, the diaphragm is made of the elastic film 5.
However, the pressure generating chamber 12 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, after the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed, the pressure generating chamber 12 is etched from the pressure generating chamber 12 side. Alternatively, the elastic film 50 in the region opposed to the above may be removed. This reduces the thickness of the diaphragm, thereby improving the deformation efficiency of the diaphragm. In this case, since the diaphragm is constituted by the compression film 66 substantially made of a metal oxide film, sufficient strength against deformation can be maintained.

The elastic film 5 made of a silicon dioxide film
The compression film 66 made of zirconium dioxide may be provided directly on the flow path forming substrate 10 without providing 0.

Also, in this embodiment, the first embodiment
Similarly to the above, it goes without saying that the piezoelectric layer 70 may be provided on the whole or may be positively patterned to a part in the thickness direction.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 14 is a sectional view of an ink jet recording head according to Embodiment 5.

This embodiment is an example in which the uppermost layer of the diaphragm is formed of a film having a tensile stress. As shown in FIG.
Embodiment 4 except that the tensile film 67 is formed of a metal such as t.
Is the same as

With such a configuration, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.
When the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed, the tensile stress is released as a force in the tensile direction when the pressure generating chamber 12 is formed, and the force for pulling the diaphragm upward is formed. Therefore, the initial deflection amount of the diaphragm can be further reduced.

The tensile film 67 may be the lower electrode film 60 formed continuously from the recess 61A.
The lower electrode film 60 is preferably not exposed to the outside as described above, and is preferably patterned separately from the lower electrode film 60.

(Other Embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the basic configuration of the ink jet recording head is not limited to the above.

For example, in addition to the sealing plate 20 described above, the common ink chamber forming plate 30 may be made of glass ceramic, and the thin film 41 may be made of glass ceramic as a separate member. Changes are free.

In the above-described embodiment, the nozzle openings are formed on the end surface of the flow path forming substrate 10. However, the nozzle openings may be formed to project in a direction perpendicular to the surface.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment configured as described above, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the flow path. In this embodiment, the nozzle openings 11 are drilled in the nozzle substrate 120 opposite to the piezoelectric vibrator, and these nozzle openings 11
A nozzle communication port 22 for communicating the pressure generating chamber 12 with the pressure generating chamber 12 is provided so as to penetrate the sealing plate 20, the common ink chamber forming plate 30, the thin plate 41A, and the ink chamber side plate 40A.

The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that
A is basically the same as the above-described embodiment except that the ink chamber side plate 40A and the ink chamber side plate 40A are separate members, and the opening is formed in the ink chamber side plate 40. Is omitted.

Here, also in this embodiment, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the amount of deformation and durability of the diaphragm is improved by providing a concave portion in the diaphragm and increasing the thickness of the piezoelectric film. be able to.

Of course, the present invention can be similarly applied to an ink jet recording head of a type in which a common ink chamber is formed in a flow path forming substrate.

In each of the embodiments described above, a thin-film type ink jet recording head which can be manufactured by applying a film forming and lithography process is described as an example.
Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a piezoelectric film is formed by laminating substrates to form a pressure generating chamber, or a piezoelectric film is formed by attaching a green sheet or by screen printing, or a piezoelectric film formed by crystal growth. The present invention can be applied to ink jet recording heads having various structures, such as those that form a recording medium.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which an elastic film is provided separately from the lower electrode film as the diaphragm, but the lower electrode film may also serve as the elastic film.

Further, the example in which the insulator layer is provided between the piezoelectric vibrator and the lead electrode has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The conductive film may be thermally welded, and the anisotropic conductive film may be connected to the lead electrode, or may be connected using various bonding techniques such as wire bonding.

As described above, the present invention can be applied to ink-jet recording heads having various structures, as long as the gist of the present invention is not contradicted.

The ink jet recording head of each of the embodiments constitutes a part of a recording head unit having an ink flow path communicating with an ink cartridge and the like, and is mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of the ink jet recording apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 17, recording head units 1A and 1B having an ink jet recording head are
Cartridges 2A and 2B constituting ink supply means are detachably provided. A carriage 3 on which the recording head units 1A and 1B are mounted is provided on a carriage shaft 5 attached to the apparatus main body 4 so as to be movable in the axial direction. I have. The recording head units 1A and 1B are, for example,
Each of them ejects a black ink composition and a color ink composition.

Then, the driving force of the driving motor 6 is transmitted to the carriage 3 via a plurality of gears and a timing belt 7 (not shown), so that the carriage 3 on which the recording head units 1A and 1B are mounted moves along the carriage shaft 5. Moved. On the other hand, the apparatus main body 4 is provided with a platen 8 along the carriage shaft 5, and a recording sheet S, which is a recording medium such as paper fed by a paper feed roller (not shown), is wound around the platen 8. It is designed to be transported.

[0139]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Forming a recess in the diaphragm in the area corresponding to the piezoelectric active part,
By increasing the thickness of the piezoelectric film, it is possible to reduce the amount of relaxation of the stress of the piezoelectric film that occurs when the pressure generating chamber is formed, and to suppress the amount of flexure of the diaphragm. Therefore, the amount of deformation of the diaphragm and the durability can be improved by driving the piezoelectric active portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink jet recording head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the inkjet recording head according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the same.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a modification of the sealing plate of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a thin film manufacturing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a thin film manufacturing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a thin film manufacturing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of the inkjet recording head according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of an ink jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a thin film manufacturing process according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of an ink jet recording head according to a third embodiment of the invention.

12A and 12B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view illustrating a main part of an inkjet recording head according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a modified example of the ink jet recording head according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an ink jet recording head according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of an ink jet recording head according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing an ink jet recording head according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 flow path forming substrate 11 nozzle opening 12 pressure generating chamber 50 elastic film 60 lower electrode film 61, 61A recess 65 second elastic film 66 compressed film 67 tensile film 70 piezoelectric film 80 upper electrode film 90 insulator layer 100 lead electrode 300 Piezoelectric vibrator 320 Piezoelectric active part

Claims (25)

[Claims] An elastic film forming a part of a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening; a lower electrode provided on the elastic film; a piezoelectric layer formed on the lower electrode; An ink jet recording head comprising an upper electrode formed on the surface of the body layer, and a piezoelectric active portion formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber, wherein the diaphragm including the elastic film and the lower electrode comprises: An ink jet recording head comprising a concave portion having a thickness smaller than other portions in a portion corresponding to a piezoelectric active portion. 2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recess of the diaphragm is formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber. 3. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion of the diaphragm is formed by removing a part of the lower electrode. 4. The piezoelectric active portion according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric active portion is formed by patterning only the upper electrode or a part of the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer in a thickness direction. An ink jet recording head. 5. The diaphragm according to claim 1, wherein the diaphragm further has a second elastic film on the lower electrode,
The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion of the diaphragm is formed by removing at least the second elastic film at a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion. 6. The ink jet recording head according to claim 5, wherein the second elastic film is formed of a material having a compressive stress. 7. The piezoelectric active element according to claim 1, wherein an insulating layer is formed on an upper surface of the piezoelectric active part, and a lead electrode for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric active part and the piezoelectric active part. An ink jet recording head, wherein a contact part serving as a connection part with the part is formed in a contact hole formed in the insulator layer. 8. The piezoelectric element according to claim 1, wherein at least one longitudinal end of the piezoelectric active portion extends to a portion facing a side wall of the pressure generating chamber, and the contact portion faces the side wall. An ink jet recording head, which is formed in a region to be formed. 9. An elastic film constituting a part of a pressure generating chamber communicating with a nozzle opening; a lower electrode provided on the elastic film; a piezoelectric layer formed on the lower electrode; An upper electrode formed on the surface of the body layer, and an ink jet recording head in which a piezoelectric active portion is formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber, wherein the elastic film constituting at least a part of the diaphragm is: An ink jet recording head, characterized in that a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion has a concave portion thinner than other portions. 10. The ink jet recording head according to claim 9, wherein said elastic film includes a compression film having a compressive stress, and wherein said concave portion is formed in said compression film. 11. The elastic film according to claim 9, wherein the elastic film has a tensile film having a tensile stress on a compressive film having a compressive stress, and the concave portion is formed in the tensile film and the compressive film. An ink jet recording head. 12. The ink jet recording head according to claim 9, wherein the elastic film is formed only of a compression film having a compression stress. 13. An ink jet recording head according to claim 9, wherein said compression film is made of a metal oxide film. 14. The ink jet recording head according to claim 9, wherein the lower electrode is patterned in the concave portion. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the lower electrode comprises:
An ink jet recording head extending from at least one longitudinal end of a region facing the pressure generating chamber to the outside thereof. 16. The device according to claim 14, wherein the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer extend outward from at least one longitudinal end of a region facing the pressure generating chamber. Inkjet recording head. 17. The ink jet recording head according to claim 15, wherein an extending direction of the lower electrode is different from an extending direction of the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer. 18. An ink jet recording head according to claim 17, wherein one of said lower electrode and said upper electrode is a common electrode. 19. The pressure generating chamber according to claim 1, wherein the pressure generating chamber is formed on a silicon single crystal substrate by anisotropic etching, and each layer of the piezoelectric active portion is formed by film formation and lithography. An ink jet recording head, comprising: 20. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising the ink jet recording head according to claim 1. 21. A piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode layer are sequentially laminated on a vibration plate comprising at least an elastic film and a lower electrode layer provided on one surface of a substrate having a pressure generating chamber, and each layer is patterned. In the method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head in which a piezoelectric active portion is formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber, at least the elastic film and the lower electrode layer are sequentially laminated on the substrate to form the vibration plate Performing a step of forming a concave portion having a thickness smaller than other portions in a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric body active portion of the diaphragm, and forming the piezoelectric layer and the upper electrode on the diaphragm. Laminating sequentially, and patterning at least a part of the upper electrode or the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer to form the piezoelectric active portion on the concave portion. Method of manufacturing the ink jet recording head is characterized. 22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the concave portion of the diaphragm is formed by removing a part of the lower electrode layer by patterning. 23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step of forming the diaphragm further includes a step of laminating a second elastic film on the lower electrode layer, wherein the concave portion of the diaphragm includes the second elastic film. A method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head, wherein the method is formed by removing a film by patterning. 24. A piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode layer are successively laminated on a vibration plate comprising at least an elastic film and a lower electrode layer provided on one surface of a substrate having a pressure generating chamber, and each layer is patterned. In the method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head in which a piezoelectric active portion is formed in a region facing the pressure generating chamber, a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric active portion on the substrate is thinner than other portions. Forming the elastic film having a concave portion, forming the lower electrode on the elastic film and patterning in the concave portion, and forming the piezoelectric layer on the elastic film and the lower electrode; Sequentially stacking an upper electrode, and patterning at least a part of the upper electrode or the upper electrode and the piezoelectric layer to form the piezoelectric active portion on the recess. Method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head characterized in that it comprises. 25. The ink jet recording head according to claim 24, wherein the elastic film is formed by forming a zirconium film, patterning the concave portion, and then oxidizing the zirconium film. Manufacturing method.