Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-13
2003-09-16
Nguyen, Thinh (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S058000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06619785
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an electrode connecting method, a narrow-pitch connector with terminals connected by this connecting method, a pitch converter, a micro-machine, a piezoelectric actuator, an electrostatic actuator, an ink jet head, an ink jet printer, a liquid crystal device, and electronic equipment.
BACKGROUND ART
Recently, electronic equipment has been developed remarkably, and the degree of integration per unit area has been enhanced as the electronic equipment has been made smaller in size, lighter in weight and larger in capacity. In the present circumstances, however, the technical advance of peripheral portions of the electronic equipment lags behind relatively, and there is no proposal particularly to make terminal electrodes of a connection portion finer.
Connecting subjects such as printer heads (hereinafter referred to as “printer engine portions”) having piezoelectric elements for blasting ink by the vibration of the piezoelectric elements, LCD cells of liquid crystal devices, or the like, have been made finer year by year, so that the interval between terminal electrodes has become narrower correspondingly. To connect a driving circuit to such a connecting subject, a connector constituted by a flexible substrate is hitherto attached to convert the pitch of a wiring pattern so as to make a connection with the driving circuit.
This connection will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 17
is a main portion enlarged view of a connecting subject and a connector constituted by a flexible substrate. As shown in
FIG. 17
, in a connecting subject
1
such as a printer engine portion, an LCD cell of a liquid crystal device, or the like, a plurality of wirings
2
connected with elements are drawn around on the surface of the connecting subject
1
, and terminal electrodes
3
are formed in end portions of the connecting subject
1
.
On the other hand, a connector
4
for making a connection with the connecting subject
1
is formed of a flexible substrate the material of which is composed of polyimide. Terminal electrodes
5
which can be put on the terminal electrodes
3
respectively formed in the end portions of the connecting subject
1
are formed at one end of this substrate while terminal electrodes
6
which are wider than the terminal electrodes
5
and which are disposed at larger intervals than the terminal electrodes
5
are formed in the end portion opposite to the terminal electrodes
5
. Wirings
6
A are provided to connect the terminal electrodes
5
with the terminal electrodes
6
so that the width and intervals are changed on the way where the wirings
6
A are drawn around.
FIG. 18
is an explanatory view showing the process of connecting the connecting subject
1
with the connector
4
. As shown in
FIG. 18
, in the case where the aforementioned connecting subject
1
and the aforementioned connector
4
are connected with each other, the connecting subject
1
is first disposed on a bonding stage
7
so that the terminal electrodes
3
are located on the upper surface side. Next, positioning is performed between the terminal electrodes
5
provided on the connector
4
and the aforementioned terminal electrodes
3
so that both the terminal electrodes are put on top of each other. Incidentally, a bonding agent containing electrically conductive particles are applied between the terminal electrodes
3
and the terminal electrodes
5
so that both the terminal electrodes are made electrically conductive with each other through the electrically conductive particles.
Here, a bonding tool
8
which can move up and down is provided above the position where both the electrodes are put on top of each other, that is, above the terminal electrodes
5
in the connector
4
. Incidentally, the bonding tool
8
includes a heater
9
so that a front end portion of the bonding tool
8
can be heated by operating this heater
9
.
By moving down the bonding tool
8
configured thus, both the electrodes are connected with each other while not only is it intended to bring both the electrodes into close contact with the electrically conductive particles but also it is intended to shorten the time to dry the bonding agent by heating. Incidentally, when both the electrodes are connected with each other, the bonding agent containing electrically conductive particles is not always required. Both the electrodes may be welded or metal-bonded by applying pressure and heat to the electrodes which are put on top of each other without any bonding agent therebetween.
Incidentally, although a printer head (printer engine portion) using a piezoelectric element or an LCD cell of a liquid crystal device was described here by way of example, bonding may be performed by a similar technique also in a micro-machine in which a fine moving mechanism portion is formed on a substrate and a wiring for transferring energy (for applying a voltage) to this moving mechanism portion is extracted, a piezoelectric actuator using a piezoelectric element, an electrostatic actuator using an electrostatic vibrator, a printer head using an electrostatic actuator, a printer using such an actuator, and electronic equipment mounted with such apparatus.
However, in the connector or the electrode connecting method described above, there have been technical problems as follows.
FIGS.
19
(
a
) and (
b
) show sectional views respectively taken on line C—C in
FIG. 18
, in which a interval
10
between the terminal electrodes
3
is made narrower correspondingly to the fact that the connecting subject
1
such as a printer engine portion, an LCD cell of a liquid crystal device, or the like, has been made finer year by year as described above. As a result, if the material composing the connecting subject
1
(mainly silicon) and the material composing the connector
4
(mainly polyimide) are different in thermal expansion coefficient, the thermal expansion of the connector
4
becomes larger due to the influence of the heater
9
included in the bonding tool
8
when the bonding tool
8
is made close to the connecting subject
1
and the connector
4
in order to bond them. As a result, as shown in FIG.
19
(
b
), the terminal electrodes
5
are displaced relatively to the terminal connectors
3
respectively. Thus, there has been a fear that there arises a problem such as increase in resistance value or failure in bonding between both the terminals, or short-circuit with adjacent terminals. Incidentally, according to various investigations made by the present inventor, it was confirmed that there was a limit of a wiring pitch near 60 &mgr;m in a connector made of polyimide material.
On the other hand, in the electrode connecting method, heating when both the terminals are connected with each other is performed by the heater
9
included in the bonding tool
8
. However, if heating is performed by the heater
9
, the temperature of the connector
4
becomes higher than that of the connecting subject
1
so that there arises a temperature difference between the connecting subject
1
and the connector
4
. If the thermal expansion coefficient of the material composing the connector
4
is larger than that of the material composing the connecting subject
1
, the deviation of the terminal electrodes
5
from the terminal electrodes
3
when both the terminal electrodes are connected with each other increases still more. According to various investigations made by the present inventor, it was confirmed that the temperature was in a range of from 360° C. to 400° C. at a position a, in a range of from 180° C. to 230° C. at a position b, and about 160° C. at a position c.
Incidentally, in an actuator, or the like, manufactured by use of a micro-machine or micro-machining technique, the area of wiring terminals increases in comparison with a moving mechanism portion or an actuator portion because the actuator is connected with an external board by a method of flexible-substrate or wire bonding, wire cable soldering, or the like. In order to form such a moving mecha
Nguyen Thinh
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Seiko Epson Corporation
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