JP2009196240A - Liquid injection head and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid ejecting head in which two nozzle arrays are arranged close to each other and a printer having the liquid ejecting head are provided.
A liquid jet head according to the present invention includes a diaphragm, a piezoelectric element provided above the diaphragm, and a plurality of pressure chambers provided below the diaphragm. And a separator substrate 50. The separator substrate 50 is sandwiched between a pair of drive units 40 facing each other with the side wall member 30 side inward. Each pressure chamber 32 has a first opening 34 for supplying a liquid to the pressure chamber 32 and a second opening 36 for discharging the liquid from the pressure chamber 32.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head and a printer.

  The liquid ejecting head is used for forming a pattern on a semiconductor device in addition to printing. Such an apparatus has a mechanism for ejecting liquid from a nozzle at a target position while changing a relative position between the medium and the liquid ejecting head. One of the performances required for the liquid ejecting head is the accuracy of the application position when the liquid is applied to the medium. In order to apply a liquid to a medium with high positional accuracy, a precise operation mechanism and assembly accuracy are required. Such an apparatus is generally provided with a liquid ejecting head having a plurality of rows of arranged nozzles for speeding up.

If such a plurality of nozzle rows are arranged close to each other, the accuracy required for the operation mechanism and assembly can be relaxed. For this reason, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-234218 discloses an ink jet recording head in which nozzle rows are arranged close to each other. However, even if the head of this publication can bring two nozzle rows close to each other, the arrangement of the pressure generating chambers and the like is planar, and it is difficult to bring three or more nozzle rows close to each other.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-234218

  One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting head in which two nozzle rows are arranged close to each other, and a printer having the liquid ejecting head.

A liquid ejecting head according to the present invention includes:
A diaphragm,
A piezoelectric element provided above the diaphragm;
A plurality of side wall members provided below the diaphragm for partitioning a plurality of pressure chambers;
A drive unit having
A separator substrate;
Have
The separator substrate is sandwiched between a pair of the drive units facing each other with the side wall member side inward,
Each of the pressure chambers has a first opening for supplying a liquid to the pressure chamber, and a second opening for discharging the liquid from the pressure chamber.

  In such a liquid ejecting head, the rows of liquid ejecting nozzles are arranged close to each other, and positional deviation when applying liquid can be suppressed.

  In the present invention, when a specific B member (hereinafter referred to as “B member”) provided above a specific A member (hereinafter referred to as “A member”) is referred to as “B” directly on the A member. It means that the case where the member is provided and the case where the B member is provided on the A member via another member are included.

In the liquid jet head according to the present invention,
The opening area of the second opening of each pressure chamber can be made smaller than the cross-sectional area of the pressure chamber.

In the liquid jet head according to the present invention,
Liquid can be ejected from one of the two openings of the pressure chamber.

In the liquid jet head according to the present invention,
Furthermore, it has a nozzle plate provided orthogonal to the separator substrate,
The nozzle plate has a plurality of nozzle holes communicating with the second opening of each pressure chamber,
The liquid can be discharged through the nozzle hole.

In the liquid jet head according to the present invention,
The discharge direction of the liquid may be a direction orthogonal to the direction of displacement of the diaphragm.

In the liquid jet head according to the present invention,
The second opening of one of the drive units and the second opening of the other drive unit may be arranged symmetrically with respect to the separator substrate.

In the liquid jet head according to the present invention,
The second opening of one of the drive units and the second opening of the other drive unit may be arranged offset from each other with the separator substrate interposed therebetween.

In the liquid jet head according to the present invention,
Furthermore, a sealing plate can be provided on the piezoelectric element side of the drive unit so as to cover the piezoelectric element through a space.

  The line type liquid jet head according to the present invention includes a plurality of liquid jet heads having the above-described sealing plate.

  In such a line-type liquid ejecting head, the plurality of nozzle rows of the plurality of liquid ejecting heads are arranged close to each other, and therefore, it is possible to suppress positional deviation when applying the liquid.

  The printer according to the present invention includes any one of the liquid ejecting heads described above.

  Since such a printer has a liquid ejecting head in which two nozzle rows are arranged close to each other, it is possible to suppress positional deviation when applying a liquid.

  A line type printer according to the present invention includes the above-described line type liquid ejecting head.

  Such a line-type printer has a liquid ejecting head in which a plurality of nozzle rows are arranged in close proximity to each other, so that it is possible to suppress misalignment when applying liquid.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiment demonstrates the example of this invention.

1. 1. First embodiment 1.1. Liquid Ejecting Head FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a liquid ejecting head 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the liquid jet head 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the liquid jet head 100 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 corresponds to a cross section taken along line AA shown in FIG. FIG. 3 corresponds to a cross section taken along line BB shown in FIG.

  The liquid jet head according to the present embodiment includes a diaphragm 10, a piezoelectric element 20 provided above the diaphragm 10, and a plurality of side walls provided below the diaphragm 10 to partition a plurality of pressure chambers 32. And a separator substrate 50. The separator substrate 50 is sandwiched between a pair of drive units 40 facing each other with the side wall member 30 side inward. Has a first opening 34 for supplying a liquid to the pressure chamber 32 and a second opening 36 for discharging the liquid from the pressure chamber 32.

  The drive unit 40 includes at least the diaphragm 10, the piezoelectric element 20, and the side wall member 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the diaphragm 10 is a plate-like member having elasticity for causing flexural vibration. The diaphragm 10 may have a structure in which a plurality of layers are stacked. The diaphragm 10 has a function of being deformed by the operation of the piezoelectric element 20 and changing the volume of the pressure chamber 32. The material of the diaphragm 10 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable to use a substance having an appropriate mechanical strength. When formed with a material having no strength, the liquid jet head 100 may not be driven at a high drive frequency. If a material that is too hard is used, the amount of deflection of the vibration plate 10 when the head is driven may be reduced, and the droplets of liquid that can be ejected may be reduced. The thickness of the diaphragm 10 is optimally selected so that the characteristics of the diaphragm 10 such as Young's modulus, the deformability of the piezoelectric element 20, and the volume change amount of the pressure chamber 32 can satisfy the requirements. As a material of the diaphragm 10, for example, zirconium oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxide, or aluminum oxide is preferable.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 20 are provided above the diaphragm 10 corresponding to the pressure chambers 32. The piezoelectric element 20 is configured by laminating a lower electrode 22, a piezoelectric layer 24, and an upper electrode 26.

  The lower electrode 22 is formed above the diaphragm 10. The thickness of the lower electrode 22 is arbitrary as long as the deformation of the piezoelectric layer 24 can be transmitted to the diaphragm 10. The thickness of the lower electrode 22 can be set to, for example, 20 nm to 400 nm. The lower electrode 22 is paired with the upper electrode 26 and functions as one electrode of the piezoelectric element 20 with the piezoelectric layer 24 interposed therebetween. The lower electrode 22 is formed so as to be electrically connected from the outside. The lower electrode 22 may be used as a common electrode for the plurality of piezoelectric elements 20. The material of the lower electrode 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material. As the material of the lower electrode 22, various metals such as nickel, iridium and platinum, conductive oxides thereof (for example, iridium oxide, etc.), composite oxides of strontium and ruthenium, and the like can be used. Further, the lower electrode 22 may be a single layer of the exemplified materials or a structure in which a plurality of materials are stacked.

  The piezoelectric layer 24 is formed on the lower electrode 22. The thickness of the piezoelectric layer 24 can be set to 300 nm to 1500 nm in order to ensure mechanical reliability. The piezoelectric layer 24 has a function of expanding and contracting when an electric field is applied by the lower electrode 22 and the upper electrode 26, thereby vibrating the diaphragm 10. A piezoelectric material is used for the piezoelectric layer 24. The material of the piezoelectric layer 24 can be, for example, an oxide containing lead, zirconium, and titanium as constituent elements. The material of the piezoelectric layer 24 may further contain an additive such as niobium. As a material of the piezoelectric layer 24, lead zirconate titanate can be suitably used because of its excellent piezoelectric performance.

  The upper electrode 26 is formed on the piezoelectric layer 24. The thickness of the upper electrode 26 is not limited as long as it does not adversely affect the operation of the piezoelectric element 20. The thickness of the upper electrode 26 can be set to, for example, 10 nm to 400 nm. The upper electrode 26 is paired with the lower electrode 22 and functions as one electrode of the piezoelectric element 20 with the piezoelectric layer 24 interposed therebetween. The lower electrode 22 is formed so as to be electrically connected from the outside. The material of the upper electrode 26 is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material. The material of the upper electrode 26 can be the same as that of the lower electrode 22.

  The side wall member 30 is provided below the diaphragm 10. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of side wall members 30 are provided to partition a plurality of pressure chambers 32. The side wall member 30 becomes a side wall of the pressure chamber 32. The upper surface and the lower surface of the side wall member 30 are parallel to each other. In the illustrated example, eleven pressure chambers are formed by twelve side wall members 30, but the number of side wall members 30 and the number of pressure chambers 32 are arbitrary. The side wall member 30 is formed to have a first opening 34 for introducing a liquid into each pressure chamber 32 and a second opening 36 for discharging the liquid from each pressure chamber 32. The material of the side wall member 30 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use silicon that can obtain high processing accuracy by anisotropic wet etching using potassium hydroxide (KOH).

  The separator substrate 50 is a plate-like member that is sandwiched between the pair of drive units 40. The separator substrate 50 is sandwiched between a pair of drive units 40 facing each other with the side wall member 30 side inside. A plurality of pressure chambers 32 are formed on both surfaces of the separator substrate 50 by the separator substrate 50 and the pair of drive units 40 arranged in this way. The separator substrate 50 constitutes a wall surface facing the diaphragm 10 side of the pressure chamber 32. The thickness of the separator substrate 50 is arbitrary as long as the strength is such that the liquid jet head 100 does not deform. However, in order to reduce the space between the nozzle rows, it is desirable to reduce the thickness within a range in which restrictions on assembly, processing, and strength can be avoided. The thickness of the separator substrate 50 can be, for example, 10 μm to 1000 μm. As the material of the separator substrate 50, any material such as metal, resin, or semiconductor can be used in consideration of thickness and strength. Further, when a material having a linear expansion coefficient close to that of the side wall member 30 is selected as the material of the separator substrate 50, the deformation of the liquid ejecting head 100 can be suppressed. For example, when the side wall member 30 is made of silicon, if the material of the separator substrate 50 is silicon, these members are heated at the time of bonding and bonding of the side wall member 30 and the separator substrate 50 and the subsequent assembly process. Even in this case, because of the same thermal expansion coefficient, it is possible to avoid breakage due to thermal stress accompanying the difference in linear expansion coefficient between members.

  The pressure chamber 32 has a first opening 34 and a second opening 36. The pressure chamber 32 is a space surrounded by the diaphragm 10, the side wall member 30, and the separator substrate 50. Liquid is supplied to the pressure chamber 30 from the first opening 34. The liquid introduced into the pressure chamber 32 is discharged through the second opening 36 of the pressure chamber 32. The volume of the pressure chamber 32 changes due to the deformation of the diaphragm 10. If the volume of the pressure chamber 32 increases, the pressure inside the pressure chamber 32 decreases, and the liquid is introduced into the pressure chamber 32 from the first opening 34. If the volume of the pressure chamber 32 filled with the liquid decreases, the pressure inside the pressure chamber 32 increases, and the liquid is discharged from the second opening 36. As described above, the liquid can flow through the pressure chamber 32 in accordance with the operation of the diaphragm 10.

  The first opening 34 is formed to supply liquid to the pressure chamber 32. The first opening 34 may be provided in alignment with one side of the liquid ejecting head 100 in a plan view as in the example of FIG. The opening area of the first opening 34 (the area of the opening when the liquid ejecting head 100 is viewed from the outside) can be formed smaller than the cross-sectional area of the pressure chamber 32 as illustrated in FIG. . If the opening area of the first opening 34 is reduced, the liquid introduction path to the pressure chamber 32 is narrowed. In this way, the flow state of the liquid filled in the pressure chamber 32 from the first opening 34 can be controlled. The first opening 34 may be connected to a liquid reservoir (not shown), for example. The plurality of first openings 34 can be connected to the same or different reservoirs.

  The second opening 36 is provided for discharging the liquid filled in the pressure chamber 32. The second opening 36 can be provided in alignment with one side of the liquid ejecting head 100 in a plan view as in the example of FIG. The second opening 36 opens in a direction orthogonal to the displacement direction of the diaphragm 10. Therefore, the direction in which the liquid is discharged from the pressure chamber 32 is a direction orthogonal to the displacement direction of the diaphragm 10. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the opening area of the second opening 36 is formed smaller than the cross-sectional area of the pressure chamber 32. Therefore, the path through which the liquid is discharged from the pressure chamber 32 has a narrowed shape. Thereby, the 2nd opening part 36 can function as a nozzle which injects a liquid. The plurality of second openings 36 are aligned along the separator substrate 50. Since the second opening 36 can function as a nozzle, in the liquid jet head 100, two nozzle rows are arranged in parallel with the separator substrate 50 interposed therebetween. In the row of two second openings 36 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a nozzle row) formed in the liquid jet head 100, the second openings 36 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the separator substrate 50. (See FIG. 5). Further, in the row of the two second openings 36 formed in the liquid ejecting head 100, the second openings 36 can be arranged so as to be shifted from each other with the separator substrate 50 interposed therebetween (see FIG. 7).

  In the liquid ejecting head 100 as described above, the rows of the second openings 36 for discharging the liquid are arranged close to each other with the separator substrate 50 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the interval between the rows of the second openings 36 is small. The liquid ejecting head 100 according to the present embodiment changes the relative position of the medium to which the liquid is applied and the liquid ejecting head 100 in a direction intersecting the row of the second openings 36, while changing the second position to the target position of the medium. The positional accuracy when applying the liquid from the opening 36 is increased. That is, according to the liquid jet head 100 of the present embodiment, after the liquid from the second opening 36 on one side of the separator substrate 50 is applied to the target position of the medium, the second side on the other side is applied to the same position. When the relative position of the medium and the liquid ejecting head 100 is changed so that the opening 36 reaches, the position where the latter second opening 36 reaches is prevented from deviating from the target position due to insufficient mechanical accuracy. can do. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the mechanical accuracy and assembly accuracy required for at least one of the liquid ejecting head 100 and the medium moving mechanism. In addition, the liquid ejecting head 100 according to the present embodiment changes the relative position of the medium to which the liquid is applied and the liquid ejecting head 100 in the direction intersecting the row of the second openings 36, while changing the relative position of each medium to the target position of the medium. When the liquid from the second opening 36 is applied, after the liquid from the second opening 36 on one side of the separator substrate 50 is applied, the second opening 36 on the other side reaches the same position. Can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the position where the latter second opening 36 arrives from deviating from the target position due to deformation or the like of the medium that occurs after the former liquid is applied.

  Further, the two second openings 36 of the liquid ejecting head 100 can discharge the same liquid. In this way, the liquid ejecting head 100 can apply the liquid to the medium at a high density, and can obtain a high-resolution or high-concentration application result. Further, the rows of the two second openings 36 of the liquid ejecting head 100 may eject different liquids. For example, when the liquid ejecting head 100 is used as an ink jet head, a dark color liquid is ejected from one row of the second openings 36 and a light color liquid is ejected from the other row of the second openings 36. be able to. In this way, it is possible to obtain a coating result with good color expressiveness.

  The liquid jet head according to this embodiment can be applied to apply various liquids to various media. Examples of the liquid that can be applied by the liquid jet head according to the present embodiment include various inks, various metal precursors, various dielectric precursors, and the like. Examples of the medium that can be applied using the liquid jet head according to the present embodiment include paper, a silicon wafer, and a semiconductor device.

1.2. Modification FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a liquid jet head 200 according to a modification of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the liquid ejecting head 200. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a liquid jet head 300 according to another modification. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a liquid jet head 400 according to another modification. FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a liquid jet head 500 according to another modification.

  The liquid ejecting head according to the present embodiment can be modified in many ways. In the following description, members substantially the same as those of the liquid ejecting head 100 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The liquid ejecting head 200 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 is an example in which a pair of sealing plates 60 are provided on the liquid ejecting head 100 described above. As illustrated, the sealing plate 60 is provided on the piezoelectric element 20 side of the drive unit 40 so as to cover the piezoelectric element 20 via a space. The sealing plate 60 does not contact the piezoelectric element 20. The sealing plate 60 may cover the plurality of piezoelectric elements 30 or may be provided so as to cover each piezoelectric element 20 one by one. Further, the sealing plate 60 may be provided with pillars (not shown) for preventing contact with the piezoelectric element 20. For example, the sealing plate 60 has a function of securing a space for driving the piezoelectric element 20 and the vibration plate 10 when the liquid jet heads 100 are stacked. Further, the sealing plate 60 may have a function of keeping the inner space 22 airtight. Further, the space formed by the sealing plate 60 may be in a reduced pressure state. Thereby, since the piezoelectric element 20 can be prevented from coming into contact with the atmosphere by the sealing plate 60, for example, deterioration of the piezoelectric layer 24 can be suppressed. In addition, by including the sealing plate 60, the piezoelectric element 20 is mechanically protected, and the liquid ejecting head 200 can be easily handled. The thickness of the sealing plate 60 is not limited as long as it has mechanical strength. The material of the sealing plate 60 can be, for example, a resin such as polyimide, an inorganic material such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, or aluminum oxide.

  In the liquid jet head 200 having such a sealing plate 60, the piezoelectric element 20 is not exposed to the outside. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is easy to stack the liquid jet heads 200 in the thickness direction. The liquid ejecting head 300 illustrated in FIG. 6 includes a plurality of liquid ejecting heads 200, and the liquid ejecting heads 200 are stacked so that the sealing plates 60 overlap each other. Such a laminated structure is possible because the longitudinal direction of the pressure chamber 32 (the depth direction in FIG. 6) coincides with the liquid discharge direction. Accordingly, when a plurality of liquid ejecting heads 200 are stacked, it is possible to reduce the interval between the nozzle array included in the specific liquid ejecting head 200 and the nozzle array included in the other liquid ejecting head 200. Therefore, the liquid ejecting head 400 can apply the liquid to the medium with higher density and higher accuracy.

  In the liquid jet head 200 shown in FIG. 5, the second openings 36 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the separator substrate 50. On the other hand, in the liquid jet head 400 shown in FIG. 7, the second openings 36 are arranged so as to be shifted from each other with the separator substrate 50 interposed therebetween. In the liquid jet head 400, the row of the second openings 36 formed on one surface side of the separator substrate 50 is shifted in the pitch direction from the row of the second openings 36 formed on the other surface side. Has been placed.

  When the second openings 36 are displaced from each other in the pitch direction as in the liquid ejecting head 400 shown in FIG. 7, the second openings 36 belong to one row of the second openings 36 when viewed from the normal direction of the separator substrate 50. Between the two 2nd opening parts 36, it arrange | positions so that the other 2nd opening part 36 may be supplemented. With this arrangement, when the liquid ejecting head 400 is moved in the direction perpendicular to the separator substrate 50 to apply the liquid to the medium, the distance between the second openings 36 on one surface of the separator substrate 50 is set. The liquid can be applied to the medium at smaller intervals. That is, the liquid ejecting head 400 can apply the liquid to the medium with a resolution (application density) higher than the resolution (density in the arrangement direction of the second openings 36) of the second opening 36 on one side of the separator substrate 50. it can.

  In addition, as in the liquid jet head 200 illustrated in FIG. 5, when the second openings 36 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the separator substrate 50, for example, the second openings on both sides of the separator substrate 50 are arranged. If different types of liquids are discharged from the openings 36, the liquids can be applied to the medium with high resolution, and the two types of liquids can be applied with high positional accuracy in one scan. Further, when the liquid ejecting head 200 is used as an ink jet head, if the two types of liquids are inks of similar colors, for example, it is possible to enhance the expressiveness of the color applied to the medium (paper or the like).

  A liquid ejecting head 500 illustrated in FIG. 8 is obtained by providing the above-described liquid ejecting head 300 with a nozzle plate 70. The nozzle plate 70 is provided orthogonal to the separator substrate 50. The nozzle plate 70 has a plurality of nozzle holes 72 so as to correspond to the second openings 36. The nozzle hole 72 is formed so that the center line coincides with the normal direction of the nozzle plate 70. Further, the position where the nozzle hole 72 is formed is arbitrary as long as the nozzle hole 72 can be continued to the pressure chamber 32 via the second opening 36. The material of the nozzle plate 70 is not limited, and for example, silicon, stainless steel, or the like can be suitably used. Since the liquid ejecting head 400 includes the nozzle plate 70, for example, the flight accuracy of the liquid to be discharged can be improved.

1.3. Manufacturing Method of Liquid Ejecting Head A manufacturing method of the liquid ejecting head 100 will be described below as an example of the manufacturing method of the liquid ejecting head of the present embodiment.

  First, a silicon substrate to be the side wall member 30 is prepared. The diaphragm 10 is formed above the silicon substrate. The vibration plate 10 can be formed by a thermal oxide film formed by thermal oxidation of a silicon substrate, a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, or the like. Next, the lower electrode 22 is formed above the diaphragm 10. The lower electrode 22 can be formed by patterning a film formed by a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, a CVD method, a spin coating method, or the like by a photolithography method or the like. Next, the piezoelectric layer 24 is formed above the lower electrode 22. The piezoelectric layer 24 can be formed by patterning a film formed by a sputtering method, a CVD method, a spin coating method, or the like by a photolithography method or the like. Next, the upper electrode 26 is formed. The upper electrode 26 can be formed by patterning a film formed by a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, a CVD method, a spin coating method, or the like by a photolithography method or the like. Next, the pressure chamber 32 and the side wall member 30 are formed by etching the silicon substrate from below the diaphragm 10 by a photolithography method or the like. The drive unit 40 can be manufactured through the above steps. When it is desired to provide the sealing plate 60, for example, the sealing plate 60 can be bonded and provided using an appropriate alignment means before the silicon substrate is etched.

  Next, the separator substrate 50 is prepared. The drive unit 40 described above is bonded to both surfaces of the separator substrate 50 by using appropriate positioning means so that the silicon substrate side is in contact with the separator substrate 50. In this way, the liquid jet head 100 is manufactured. Further, when the nozzle plate 70 is provided, for example, the nozzle plate 70 in which the nozzle holes 72 are formed in advance on the surface of the liquid ejecting head 100 where the second opening 36 is formed by using appropriate positioning means. It can be provided by bonding.

1.4. Printer Next, a printer having the liquid ejecting head of the present embodiment will be described. Here, a case where the printer according to the present embodiment is an inkjet printer will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view schematically showing the printer 1000 according to the present embodiment. The printer 1000 includes a head unit 630, a driving unit 610, and a control unit 660. In addition, the printer 8000 includes an apparatus main body 620, a paper feeding unit 650, a tray 621 for installing a medium P (recording paper), a discharge port 622 for discharging the medium P, and an operation disposed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 620. A panel 670.

  The head unit 630 includes an ink jet recording head (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “head”) including the liquid ejecting heads of the present embodiment (for example, the liquid ejecting heads 100 to 500). The head unit 630 further includes an ink cartridge 631 that supplies ink to the head, and a transport unit (carriage) 632 on which the head and the ink cartridge 631 are mounted.

  The drive unit 610 can reciprocate the head unit 630. The drive unit 610 includes a carriage motor 641 serving as a drive source for the head unit 630 and a reciprocating mechanism 642 that reciprocates the head unit 630 in response to the rotation of the carriage motor 641. The liquid ejecting head (reference numerals 100 to 500 in the drawing) is attached to the head unit 630 so that the reciprocating direction of the head unit 630 and the normal direction of the separator substrate 50 of the head coincide.

  The reciprocating mechanism 642 includes a carriage guide shaft 644 supported at both ends by a frame (not shown), and a timing belt 643 extending in parallel with the carriage guide shaft 644. The carriage guide shaft 644 supports the carriage 632 while allowing the carriage 632 to freely reciprocate. Further, the carriage 632 is fixed to a part of the timing belt 643. When the timing belt 643 is caused to travel by the operation of the carriage motor 641, the head unit 630 is reciprocated by being guided by the carriage guide shaft 644. During this reciprocation, ink is appropriately discharged from the head and printing on the medium P is performed.

  The control unit 660 can control the head unit 630, the drive unit 610, and the paper feed unit 650.

  The paper feed unit 650 can feed the medium P from the tray 621 to the head unit 630 side. The paper feed unit 650 includes a paper feed motor 651 serving as a driving source thereof, and a paper feed roller 652 that rotates by the operation of the paper feed motor 651. The paper feed roller 652 includes a driven roller 652a and a drive roller 652b that are vertically opposed to each other across the feeding path of the medium P. The drive roller 652b is connected to the paper feed motor 651. When the paper feeding unit 650 is driven by the control unit 660, the medium P is sent so as to pass below the head unit 630.

  The head unit 630, the drive unit 610, the control unit 660, and the paper feed unit 650 are provided inside the apparatus main body 620.

  In the above-described example, the case where the printer 1000 is an ink jet printer has been described. However, the printer of this embodiment can also be used as an industrial liquid droplet ejection apparatus. As the liquid (liquid material) discharged in this case, various functional materials adjusted to an appropriate viscosity with a solvent or a dispersion medium can be used.

  Since the printer 1000 of the present embodiment has the liquid jet head of the present embodiment at the recording head portion, the application accuracy of droplets to a printing target is excellent. That is, since the positional deviation of the droplets is suppressed during printing, the accuracy of the coating position is high in the printed product. In addition to this, when the second opening 36 is shifted as in the liquid jet head 300 described above, the printer 1000 according to the present embodiment prints when ink is printed on a medium such as paper. The resulting resolution can be increased.

2. Second Embodiment 2.1. Line-type liquid ejecting head The line-type liquid ejecting head according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of liquid ejecting heads according to the first embodiment having the sealing plate 60. The liquid jet head according to the first embodiment having the sealing plate 60 is as described above, and a detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing the line type liquid jet head 600 according to the present embodiment. The line type liquid ejecting head 600 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of liquid ejecting heads 400 according to the first embodiment. In the line-type liquid ejecting head 600 in FIG. 10, the plurality of liquid ejecting heads 400 are arranged in a staggered pattern along the direction of the second opening 36. The second openings 36 of each liquid ejecting head 400 are arranged so as to be continuous with each other in the column direction.

  In the example of the line-type liquid ejecting head 600 in FIG. 10, four liquid ejecting heads 400 are arranged so that the liquid discharge directions are aligned, and the respective rows of the second openings 36 are adjacent to each other. The openings 36 are arranged in a staggered pattern along the direction in which the rows of the openings 36 extend. Such a staggered arrangement may have an overlapping region between the liquid ejecting heads 400. The line-type liquid ejecting head 600 can apply liquid to an area four times that of a single liquid ejecting head 400. Accordingly, when the relative position between the line type liquid ejecting head 600 and the medium is changed, the operation required for moving the line type liquid ejecting head 600 or the medium can be reduced. Further, for example, when the liquid is applied by sequential scanning (raster scanning), the number of scanning (scanning) can be reduced.

  The number of liquid ejecting heads 400 included in the line type liquid ejecting head 600 of the present embodiment is arbitrary. Therefore, for example, if the number of the liquid ejecting heads 400 is increased so that the length in the continuous direction of the second opening 36 of the line type liquid ejecting head 600 is larger than the width of the medium, the medium and the line type The liquid can be applied to the target position of the medium only by scanning one of the liquid ejecting heads 600 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the second opening 36 continues. Therefore, according to such a line-type liquid ejecting head 600, a raster scan is unnecessary, and a mechanism, a control device, and the like for the raster scan can be omitted.

  The line-type liquid ejecting head 600 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of liquid ejecting heads 400 having the sealing plate according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same effect as that of the liquid jet head 400 of the first embodiment can be achieved, and the liquid can be applied to a large area medium with high positional accuracy and at high speed.

2.2. Line Type Printer Next, a line type printer 2000 having the line type liquid ejecting head 600 of this embodiment will be described. Here, a case where the line type printer 2000 is an ink jet printer will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing a line type printer 2000 according to the present embodiment. The line type printer 2000 includes a head unit 630 and a control unit 660. The line type printer 2000 does not have the drive unit 610 in the printer 1000 of the first embodiment. Further, the line type printer 2000 is disposed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 620, the apparatus main body 620, the paper feed unit 650, the tray 621 for installing the medium P (recording paper), the discharge port 622 for discharging the medium P. An operation panel 670. Since members other than the head unit 630 of the line type printer 2000 are the same as those of the printer 1000, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The head unit 630 includes an ink jet recording head (hereinafter also simply referred to as “head”) configured from the above-described line type liquid jet head 600 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the line type liquid ejecting head 600 has a size in the direction in which the row of the second openings 36 that is larger than the width of the medium P extends. The head unit 630 further includes an ink cartridge 631 that supplies ink to the head.

  The line-type liquid ejecting head 500 is attached to the head unit 630 so that the moving direction of the medium P coincides with the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the row of the second openings 36 of the head extends. Yes.

  The control unit 660 drives the paper feed unit 650 to apply ink to a desired position on the medium P while changing the relative position between the line-type liquid ejecting head 600 and the medium P, and printing on the medium P is performed. Done.

  In the above-described example, the case where the line printer 2000 is an ink jet printer has been described. However, the line printer according to the present embodiment can also be used as an industrial liquid droplet ejection apparatus. As the liquid (liquid material) discharged in this case, various functional materials adjusted to an appropriate viscosity with a solvent or a dispersion medium can be used.

  Since the line type printer 2000 of the present embodiment has the line type liquid jet head 600 at the recording head portion, the coating accuracy of droplets on a printing target is excellent. That is, since the positional deviation of the droplets is suppressed during printing, the accuracy of the coating position is high in the printed product.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. For example, the present invention includes configurations that are substantially the same as the configurations described in the embodiments (for example, configurations that have the same functions, methods, and results, or configurations that have the same purposes and effects). In addition, the invention includes a configuration in which a non-essential part of the configuration described in the embodiment is replaced. In addition, the present invention includes a configuration that achieves the same effect as the configuration described in the embodiment or a configuration that can achieve the same object. In addition, the invention includes a configuration in which a known technique is added to the configuration described in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the liquid ejecting head 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the liquid ejecting head according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the liquid ejecting head according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a liquid ejecting head 200 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a liquid ejecting head 200 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a liquid ejecting head 300 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a liquid ejecting head according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a liquid ejecting head 500 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the printer 1000 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a line type liquid jet head 600 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the line type printer 2000 of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 Diaphragm, 20 Piezoelectric element, 22 Lower electrode, 24 Piezoelectric layer, 26 Upper electrode,
30 side wall member, 32 pressure chamber, 34 1st opening part, 36 2nd opening part,
40 drive unit, 50 separator substrate, 60 sealing plate, 70 nozzle plate,
72 nozzle holes, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 liquid jet heads,
600 line-type liquid jet head, 610 drive unit, 620 device main body,
621 tray, 622 discharge port, 630 head unit,
631 Ink cartridge, 632 carriage, 641 carriage motor,
642 reciprocating mechanism, 643 timing belt, 644 carriage guide shaft,
650 paper feed unit, 651 paper feed motor, 652 paper feed roller, 660 control unit,
670 Operation panel, 1000 printer, 2000 line printer

Claims (10)

A diaphragm,
A piezoelectric element provided above the diaphragm;
A plurality of side wall members provided below the diaphragm for partitioning a plurality of pressure chambers;
A drive unit having
A separator substrate;
Have
The separator substrate is sandwiched between a pair of the drive units facing each other with the side wall member side inward,
Each of the pressure chambers has a first opening for supplying a liquid to the pressure chamber, and a second opening for discharging the liquid from the pressure chamber. In claim 1,
The liquid ejecting head, wherein an opening area of the second opening of each pressure chamber is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the pressure chamber. In claim 1 or claim 2,
Furthermore, it has a nozzle plate provided orthogonal to the separator substrate,
The nozzle plate has a plurality of nozzle holes communicating with the second opening of each pressure chamber,
The liquid ejecting head, wherein the liquid is discharged through the nozzle hole. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The liquid ejecting head is a direction in which the liquid is discharged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the diaphragm. In any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4,
The liquid jet head in which the second opening of one of the drive units and the second opening of the other drive unit are arranged symmetrically with respect to the separator substrate. In any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4,
The liquid ejection head, wherein the second opening of one of the drive units and the second opening of the other drive unit are arranged to be shifted from each other with the separator substrate interposed therebetween. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6,
And a sealing plate provided on the piezoelectric element side of the drive unit so as to cover the piezoelectric element through a space.   A line type liquid ejecting head having a plurality of liquid ejecting heads according to claim 7.   A printer comprising the liquid ejecting head according to claim 1.   A line type printer having the line type liquid jet head according to claim 8.

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