Metal working – Piezoelectric device making
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-15
2002-12-24
Maust, Timothy L. (Department: 3751)
Metal working
Piezoelectric device making
C029S890100, C216S027000, C347S068000, C430S326000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06497019
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer head and particularly to a manufacturing method of an ink jet printer head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ink jet printer head is generally formed by sequential accumulation of nozzle plate
222
where nozzle
223
has been formed, reserver plate
221
where reserver
220
is formed, channel plate
219
where flow channel
218
is formed, restrictor plate
217
where restrictor
216
is formed, chamber plate
215
forming a chamber
214
, and actuator composed of three parts of upper electrode
210
, piezoelectric substance
211
and lower electrode
212
as in FIG.
1
.
Ink flowpath is formed in ink jet printer head by the above formation of such as nozzle
223
, reserver
220
, flow channel
218
, restrictor
216
, chamber
214
of mutually different sizes and shapes.
Ink supplied from ink canister (not shown in figure) is reserved in reserver
220
after which it flows into chamber
214
through flow channel
218
whence the reserver
220
formed between flow channel
218
and chamber
214
maintains ink flow speed into chamber
214
to a constant state.
Piezoelectric substance
211
is actuated if voltage is applied at upper electrode
210
and lower electrode
212
of actuator formed upon chamber
214
; by which piezoelectric substance
211
actuation the chamber
214
volume momentarily decreases while chamber
214
ink is ejected through nozzle
223
formed at nozzle plate
222
onto material on which to be written. Printing is carried out by this ink jet.
Until now to manufacture an ink jet printer head as described above, use has been made of method of assembling after separately making a nozzle plate where nozzle is formed, a reserver plate where reserver is formed, a channel plate where channel is formed, a restrictor plate where restrictor is formed and a chamber plate where chamber is formed.
In this method, each plate comprising the ink jet printer head as above is manufactured by each separate process, and photoresist is coated on each of these separately manufactured plates which are then exposed to light, after which the guide holes are formed for assembling, by way of micro-patterning utilizing a micro-punching or a lithography process, then these plates are piled one upon another. Guide holes are fastened by screw etc. to fix the plates which are then thermally treated so that they are bonded together to finish the ink jet printer head.
In this traditional method, there is problem that yield percentage is low because there is large possibility to generate assembly tolerance error owing to inaccurate congruence of the guide hole positions and the plate sizes when assembling. And there is demerit of production cost rise because such photoresist should be used as is excellent in adhesion and low in reactivity with ink, which photoresist is to be coated before bonding the plates together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Purpose of the present invention to solve the above problems is to provide a manufacturing method of ink jet printer head by forming the parts in a bundle using electrochemical process.
This invention to achieve the above purpose relates to a manufacturing method of an ink jet printer head comprising steps of providing a substrate; forming a first photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a crater layer under the substrate; leaving the first photoresist only at crater part by patterning, exposing to light and etching the first photoresist layer; forming the crater layer under the substrate by plating process; forming a second photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a nozzle plate under the crater layer; leaving the second photoresist only at nozzle part by patterning, exposing to light and etching the second photoresist layer; forming the nozzle plate under the crater layer by plating process; forming a third photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a channel plate under the nozzle plate; leaving the third photoresist only at channel part by patterning, exposing to light and etching the third photoresist layer; forming the channel plate under the nozzle plate by plating process; forming a fourth photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a reserver plate under the channel plate; leaving the fourth photoresist only at reserver part by patterning, exposing to light and etching the fourth photoresist layer; forming the reserver plate under the channel plate by plating process; forming a fifth photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a restrictor plate under the reserver plate; leaving the fifth photoresist only at restrictor part by patterning, exposing and etching the fifth photoresist layer; forming the restrictor plate under the reserver plate by plating process; forming a sixth photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a chamber plate under the restrictor plate; leaving the sixth photoresist only at chamber part by patterning, exposing and etching the sixth photoresist layer; forming the chamber plate under the restrictor plate by plating process; forming a vibration plate under the chamber plate by plating process; removing the substrate; removing all photoresist remaining; forming a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film to actuate when electrified upon the vibration plate; and forming an upper electrode upon the piezoelectric/electrostrictive film.
And this invention relates to a manufacturing method of an ink jet printer head comprising steps of providing a substrate made of piezoelectric/electrostrictive material; forming a vibration plate by plating under the substrate; forming a sixth photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a chamber plate under the vibration plate; leaving the sixth photoresist only at chamber part by patterning, exposing and etching the sixth photoresist layer; forming the chamber plate by plating under the vibration plate; forming a fifth photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a restrictor plate under the chamber plate; leaving the fifth photoresist only at restrictor part by patterning, exposing and etching the fifth photoresist layer; forming the restrictor plate by plating under the chamber plate; forming a fourth photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a reserver plate under the restrictor plate; leaving the fourth photoresist only at reserver part by patterning, exposing to light and etching the fourth photoresist layer; forming the reserver plate by plating under the restrictor plate; forming a third photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a channel plate under the reserver plate; leaving the third photoresist only at channel part by patterning, exposing to light and etching the third photoresist layer; forming the channel plate by plating under the reserver plate; forming a second photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a nozzle plate under the channel plate; leaving the second photoresist only at nozzle part by patterning, exposing to light and etching the second photoresist layer; forming the nozzle plate by plating under the channel plate; forming a first photoresist layer by coating photoresist in the thickness of a crater layer under the nozzle plate; leaving the first photoresist only at crater part by patterning, exposing to light and etching the first photoresist layer; forming the crater layer by plating under the nozzle plate; removing all photoresist remaining; forming a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film by lapping, patterning and etching the substrate; and forming an upper electrode upon the piezoelectric/electrostrictive film.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5802686 (1998-09-01), Shimada et al.
patent: 6334244 (2002-01-01), Hashizume
patent: 5-155027 (1993-06-01), None
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patent: 8-238759 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 9-272996 (1997-10-01), None
patent: 11-028820 (1999-02-01), None
patent: 11-227196 (1999-08-01), None
patent: 11-277754
deVore Peter
Ladas & Parry
Maust Timothy L.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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