Etching a substrate: processes – Forming or treating thermal ink jet article
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-01
2002-12-10
Gulakowski, Randy (Department: 1746)
Etching a substrate: processes
Forming or treating thermal ink jet article
C216S017000, C216S067000, C347S009000, C347S020000, C347S084000, C347S092000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06491834
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head used for a printer, a video printer, or the like serving as the output terminal for a copying machine, a facsimile equipment, a word processor, or a host computer, among some others. The invention also relates to a liquid discharge head manufactured by such method of manufacture, and a head cartridge, as well as to a liquid discharge recording apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head provided with an elemental substrate having the electrothermal transducing elements formed thereon to generate thermal energy which is utilized for discharging liquid, a liquid discharge head manufactured by such method of manufacture, a head cartridge, and a liquid discharge recording head as well. In other words, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head which is used for recording by discharging ink or other recording liquid from the discharge ports (orifices) as flying droplets which adhere to a recording medium. The invention also relates to a liquid discharge head manufactured by such method of manufacture, and a head cartridge, as well as to a liquid discharge recording apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
There has been known the ink jet recording method, that is, the so-called bubble jet recording method, in which heat or some other energy is applied to ink to change the states thereof with abrupt voluminal changes to follow, and ink is discharged from each of the discharge ports by the acting force based upon this change of states of ink, and then, ink is caused to adhere to a recording medium for the image formation. Here, as disclosed in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129, the recording apparatus that uses this bubble jet recording method is generally provided with the discharge ports through which ink is discharged; the ink flow paths communicated with the discharge ports; and the electrothermal transducing elements serving as energy generating means for discharging ink.
In accordance with such method, it is possible to record images in high quality at high speed, and in a lesser amount of noises, and at the same time, it is possible to arrange the discharge ports for discharging ink in high density. Therefore, among many advantages, images can be formed in high resolution with a smaller apparatus, and also, color images can be also obtained as the excellent advantage of the method. In recent years, the bubble jet recording method has been widely utilized for a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile equipment, and many other office equipment. This method begins to be utilized even for a textile printing system and others for industrial use because of such advantages described above.
Meanwhile, along with the wider utilization of the bubble jet technologies and techniques for products in many fields, the various demands have been made more increasingly more in recent years as given below.
For example, the optimization of heat generating elements may be cited as the one that requires further studies on the enhancement of the energy efficiency, such as the adjustment of the thickness of the protection film provided for each of the heat generating elements. This technique is considered effective with respect to the improvement of the transfer efficiency of the generated heat to liquid.
Also, to obtain images in high quality, there has been proposed the driving condition that may implement the liquid discharge method which makes ink discharges at higher speeds with excellent ink discharges by the stable creation of bubbles. Also, from the viewpoint of the higher recording, there has been proposed an improved configuration of liquid flow paths for the provision of a liquid discharge head having the higher refilling speed of liquid to compensate for the amount of liquid that has been discharged.
Further, returning to the principle of liquid discharges, ardent studies have been made to provide a new liquid discharge method as disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-201966 and some others for the provision of heads and others by the utilization of bubbling, which has never been obtainable by the application of the conventional art.
Here, with reference to
FIGS. 18A
to
18
D to
FIG. 20
, the description will be made of the conventional liquid discharge method disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-201966 and others, and also, of the head that uses such method.
FIGS. 18A
to
18
D are views which illustrate the discharge principle of the conventional liquid discharge head.
FIGS. 18A
to
18
D are cross-sectional view thereof, taken in the liquid flow path direction, respectively. Also,
FIG. 19
is a partially broken perspective view which shows the liquid discharge head represented in
FIGS. 18A
to
18
D.
FIG. 20
is a cross-sectional view which shows the variational example of the liquid jet head represented in
FIGS. 18A
to
18
D. The liquid discharge heads shown in
FIGS. 18A
to
18
D and
FIG. 20
represent the most fundamental structure for the provision of the enhanced discharge power and discharge efficiency by the control of the propagating direction of the pressure exerted by bubbling, as well as the direction of bubble development for the liquid discharges.
The terms “upstream” and “downstream” used for the following description are related to the flow direction of liquid toward the discharge ports from the supply source of the liquid through the bubble generating areas, and these terms are also meant to indicate the structural direction thereof.
Also, the term “downstream side” related to the bubble itself means the discharge port side of the bubble that mainly acts directly upon the liquid droplet discharge. More specifically, with respect to the center of the bubble, this means the downstream side related to the aforesaid flow direction or the aforesaid structural direction or it means the bubble which is created on the area on the downstream side of the area center of the heat generating element. (Likewise, the term “upstream side” related to the bubble itself means the upstream side in the aforesaid flow direction or the aforesaid structural direction with respect to the center of the bubble or this means the bubble created on the area on the upstream side of the area center of the heat generating element.)
Also, the term “comb teeth” is meant to indicate the configuration of a movable member where the front of its free end is released with the supporting point of the movable member being a common member.
For the liquid discharge head shown in
FIGS. 18A
to
18
D, the heat generating element
102
that activates thermal energy on liquid as discharge energy generating element for discharge liquid is provided for the elemental substrate
101
. On the elemental substrate
101
, the liquid flow path
103
is arranged corresponding to the heat generating element
102
. The liquid flow path
103
is communicated with the discharge port
104
, and at the same time, communicated with the common liquid chamber
105
that supplies liquid to a plurality of liquid flow paths
103
, which receives liquid in an amount equivalent to that of liquid having been discharged from the discharge port
104
, respectively.
On the portion of the elemental substrate
101
that corresponds to the liquid flow path
103
, the plate type movable member
106
is arranged in a cantilever fashion with its plane portion that faces the heat generating element
102
. The movable member
106
is formed by an elastic metal material or the like. One end of the movable member
106
is fixed to the pedestal
107
formed by patterning the photosensitive resin on the walls of the liquid flow path
103
or on the elemental substrate
101
. In this manner, the movable member
106
is supported by the pedestal
107
to constitute the fulcrum
108
of the movable member
106
.
Also, with the mova
Imanaka Yoshiyuki
Kashino Toshio
Kubota Masahiko
Mochizuki Muga
Ozaki Teruo
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Gulakowski Randy
Smetana J
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