JP5305017B2 - Liquid ejecting head, liquid ejecting apparatus, and actuator device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head, a liquid ejecting apparatus, and an actuator device, and is particularly useful when applied to a case where an upper electrode of a piezoelectric element is a common electrode.

  As an ink jet recording head that is a typical example of a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid droplets, for example, a flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber is formed, a lower electrode provided on one side of the flow path forming substrate, a piezoelectric There is a piezoelectric element including a body layer and an upper electrode, and an ink droplet is ejected from a nozzle by applying pressure to the pressure generating chamber by displacement of the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element employed in such an ink jet recording head has a problem that it is easily destroyed due to an external environment such as moisture. In order to solve this problem, for example, there is a configuration in which the outer peripheral surface of a piezoelectric layer is covered with an upper electrode film (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-88441 A

  As described in Patent Document 1, by covering the piezoelectric layer with the upper electrode film, it is possible to suppress the destruction of the piezoelectric layer due to moisture, but the diaphragm is formed on the flow path forming substrate. When the lower electrode is patterned through the electrode and a piezoelectric layer is formed on the lower electrode by a spin coating method or the like, the thickness of the piezoelectric layer is opposite to one end of the lower electrode in the longitudinal direction. It becomes slightly thin between the longitudinal ends of the piezoelectric layer. This is because the lower electrode film is not formed in this portion. As a result, the rigidity of the corresponding portion of the piezoelectric layer is lowered, and the piezoelectric layer is caused by stress concentration at a position facing one end of the lower electrode in the longitudinal direction and a position facing one end of the pressure generating chamber. It may be damaged.

  In addition, when the upper electrode film is formed after patterning the piezoelectric layer, the adhesion of the upper electrode film to the piezoelectric layer is poor and peeling may occur at the boundary between the two.

  Such a problem exists not only in the ink jet recording head but also in a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid other than ink.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. In the case where the upper electrode is a common electrode, the rigidity of the piezoelectric layer is improved, and at the same time, the adhesion between the piezoelectric layer and the upper electrode film is improved. It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejecting head, a liquid ejecting apparatus, and an actuator device that can be secured well.

  An aspect of the present invention that solves the above-described problems includes a flow path forming substrate in which a plurality of pressure generation chambers communicating with nozzles that discharge droplets are arranged in parallel, and a lower electrode provided on one surface side of the flow path forming substrate. A piezoelectric element comprising a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode, wherein the lower electrode is provided independently corresponding to the pressure generating chamber to constitute an individual electrode of the piezoelectric element, while the upper electrode is The pressure generating chambers are continuously provided in the parallel arrangement direction to form a common electrode of the piezoelectric element, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric layer is outside the one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the lower electrode In addition, at least one end portion of the piezoelectric layer is provided with an individual portion corresponding to each lower electrode, and an end in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber that is integrally connected to each individual portion. The width is gradually increased toward the part And width portion, a liquid-jet head characterized by having a common portion of the piezoelectric layer of the piezoelectric element are integrated adjacent at the arrangement direction are integrally connected to each widening section.

  According to this aspect, since the rigidity of the piezoelectric layer can be increased in the widened portion, even if stress concentration occurs in a part of the widened portion due to the displacement of the piezoelectric element, damage to this portion is effectively avoided. be able to. In addition, when the piezoelectric layer is formed by etching, there is a problem in that the upper electrode is poorly attached and easily peeled off, and such peeling becomes remarkable when the piezoelectric layer is etched finely. On the other hand, according to this aspect, a certain amount of width can be ensured in the widened portion, and the adhesiveness of the upper electrode can be improved because etching is not required in the common portion. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the upper electrode from being peeled off, and to contribute to the improvement of the reliability of the liquid jet head.

  Here, it is desirable that the width of the widened portion at the boundary between the widened portion and the common portion is larger than the width of the pressure generating chamber. In this case, the rigidity at the widened portion can be improved satisfactorily. Further, it is preferable that the boundary between the widened portion and the common portion is located inside one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber. In this case, it is possible to effectively prevent the piezoelectric layer from being broken at the end of the pressure generating chamber where a large stress is concentrated. Moreover, it is preferable that the boundary between the individual portion and the widened portion is configured to be inside the end portion of the lower electrode with respect to the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber. In this case, it is possible to effectively prevent the piezoelectric layer from being broken at the end portion of the lower electrode where a large stress is concentrated.

  Another aspect of the invention is a liquid ejecting apparatus including the liquid ejecting head as described above.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to realize a liquid ejecting apparatus having a stable performance over a long period of time by a highly reliable liquid ejecting head that can favorably avoid breakage in the piezoelectric element and peeling of the upper electrode.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a piezoelectric element including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode is provided, and the lower electrode is provided independently corresponding to the pressure generating chamber, and the individual electrode of the piezoelectric element is provided. The upper electrode is continuously provided across the parallel direction of the pressure generating chambers to form a common electrode of the piezoelectric element, and one end of the piezoelectric layer in the longitudinal direction is the lower An individual portion that is outside the one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the electrode and that is provided at least on the one end portion side of the piezoelectric layer so as to correspond to each lower electrode, and is integrally connected to each individual portion. And a widened portion whose width is gradually increased toward an end portion in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber, and a piezoelectric layer of a piezoelectric element that is integrally connected to each widened portion and that is adjacent in the juxtaposed direction. And having a common part In the actuator device.

  According to this aspect, since the rigidity of the piezoelectric layer can be increased in the widened portion, even if stress concentration occurs in a part of the widened portion due to the displacement of the piezoelectric element, damage to this portion is effectively avoided. In addition, a certain amount of width can be ensured in the widened portion, and further, the adhesiveness of the upper electrode can be improved since etching is not required in the common portion. As a result, it is possible to guarantee a stable actuator operation over a long period of time.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a recording head according to an embodiment of the invention. 2A and 2B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a recording head according to an embodiment of the invention. It is an enlarged view which shows the detailed structure of the piezoelectric element which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a recording head according to an embodiment of the invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording head that is a liquid ejecting head according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. is there.

  As shown in the figure, the flow path forming substrate 10 is a silicon single crystal substrate having a crystal plane orientation of (110) in this embodiment, and an elastic film 50 made of an oxide film is formed on one surface thereof. In the flow path forming substrate 10, a plurality of pressure generating chambers 12 partitioned by the partition wall 11 and having one surface formed of the elastic film 50 are juxtaposed in the width direction.

  The flow path forming substrate 10 is provided with an ink supply path 13 and a communication path 14 which are partitioned by a partition wall 11 and communicate with each pressure generation chamber 12 on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generation chamber 12. A communication portion 15 that communicates with each communication path 14 is provided outside the communication path 14. The communication portion 15 communicates with a reservoir portion 32 of the bonding substrate 30 described later, and constitutes a part of the reservoir 100 serving as a common ink chamber (liquid chamber) for each pressure generating chamber 12.

  Here, the ink supply path 13 is formed to have a narrower cross-sectional area than the pressure generation chamber 12, and the flow path resistance of the ink flowing into the pressure generation chamber 12 from the communication portion 15 is kept constant. . For example, the ink supply path 13 is formed with a width smaller than the width of the pressure generation chamber 12 by narrowing the flow path on the pressure generation chamber 12 side between the reservoir 100 and each pressure generation chamber 12 in the width direction. . In this embodiment, the ink supply path is formed by narrowing the width of the flow path from one side. However, the ink supply path may be formed by narrowing the width of the flow path from both sides. Further, the ink supply path may be formed by narrowing from the thickness direction instead of narrowing the width of the flow path. Each communication passage 14 is formed by extending the partition walls 11 on both sides in the width direction of the pressure generating chamber 12 toward the communication portion 15 to partition the space between the ink supply path 13 and the communication portion 15. Yes.

  In this embodiment, a silicon single crystal substrate is used as a material for the flow path forming substrate 10, but of course, the material is not limited to this, and for example, glass ceramics, stainless steel, or the like may be used.

  On the opening surface side of the flow path forming substrate 10, a nozzle plate 20 having a nozzle 21 communicating with the vicinity of the end portion of each pressure generating chamber 12 on the side opposite to the ink supply path 13 is provided with an adhesive or heat welding. It is fixed by a film or the like. The nozzle plate 20 is made of, for example, glass ceramics, a silicon single crystal substrate, stainless steel, or the like.

  On the other hand, the elastic film 50 is formed on the side opposite to the opening surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 as described above, and an oxide film made of a material different from the elastic film 50 is formed on the elastic film 50. An insulating film 55 is formed. On the insulator film 55, a piezoelectric element 300 including a lower electrode film 60, a piezoelectric layer 70, and an upper electrode film 80 is formed. The piezoelectric element 300 includes at least a portion having the piezoelectric layer 70 as well as a portion having the lower electrode film 60, the piezoelectric layer 70 and the upper electrode film 80.

  In addition, here, the piezoelectric element 300 and a vibration plate that is displaced by driving the piezoelectric element 300 are collectively referred to as an actuator. In the above-described example, the elastic film 50, the insulator film 55, and the lower electrode film 60 function as a diaphragm. However, the elastic film 50 and the insulator film 55 are not provided, and only the lower electrode film 60 is left. The electrode film 60 may be a diaphragm. Further, the piezoelectric element 300 itself may substantially serve as a diaphragm.

  On the flow path forming substrate 10, a bonding substrate 30 having a piezoelectric element holding portion 31 that becomes a space that does not hinder the driving of the piezoelectric element 300 is bonded by an adhesive 35. The piezoelectric element holding unit 31 is configured to be able to suppress the intrusion of air into the piezoelectric element holding unit 31. That is, the piezoelectric element holding part 31 does not necessarily need to be sealed as long as the intrusion of the atmosphere can be suppressed. And since the piezoelectric element 300 is formed in such a piezoelectric element holding | maintenance part 31, it is protected in the state which hardly receives the influence of an external environment.

  Here, the structure of the piezoelectric element 300 according to the present embodiment will be further described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower electrode film 60 constituting the piezoelectric element 300 is provided with a width narrower than the width of the pressure generation chamber 12 for each region facing each pressure generation chamber 12. Individual electrodes are configured. In addition, on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 300 (right end side in FIG. 2; the same applies hereinafter), the end of the lower electrode film 60 is located in the pressure generating chamber 12, and the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 300 is On the other end side in the direction (left end side in FIG. 2; the same applies hereinafter), the lower electrode film 60 is extended to the outside of the end of the pressure generating chamber 12.

  The piezoelectric layer 70 is provided with a width wider than the width of the lower electrode film 60 and narrower than the width of the pressure generating chamber 12. Further, on one end portion side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric layer 70, an individual portion 70A provided corresponding to each lower electrode film 60 and a longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber 12 integrally connected to each individual portion 70A. 3 of the widened portion 70B whose width is gradually increased toward the one end portion and the common portion 70C integrally connected to each widened portion 70B and in which the adjacent segments in the juxtaposed direction of the pressure generating chambers 12 are integrated. It consists of two parts. As described above, in the present embodiment, the widened portion 70B and the common portion 70C are formed to improve the rigidity and prevent the upper electrode film 80 from being peeled off.

  The relationship between the individual portion 70A, the widened portion 70B and the common portion 70C as described above and other portions will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3A and 3B are enlarged views for explaining the structure of the piezoelectric element 300 in more detail. FIG. 3A is a longitudinal sectional view of the piezoelectric element 300 and its vicinity, and FIG. 3B is a plan view of the portion of the piezoelectric element 300. (The upper electrode film 80 is omitted). As shown in both figures, the individual portion 70A, the widened portion 70B, and the common portion 70C are arranged at one end in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric layer 70 (portion indicated by a halftone dot in FIG. 3B) as described above. Although formed, in this embodiment, the boundary B1 between the individual portion 70A and the widened portion 70B is configured to be inside the one end portion 60A in the longitudinal direction of the lower electrode film 60, and is common to the widened portion 70B. The boundary B <b> 2 with the portion 70 </ b> C is configured to be inside the one end portion 12 </ b> A in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber 12. Further, the width W-PZT1 of the widened portion 70B at the boundary B2 between the widened portion 70B and the common portion 70C is larger than the width W-CAV of the pressure generating chamber 12, and the lower electrode film 60 of the widened portion 70B. The width W-PZT2 of the widened portion 70B at a position corresponding to the one end portion 60A is configured to be larger than the width W-PZT3 of the individual portion 70A. The widened portion 70B in the present embodiment has a curved shape as shown in FIG. 3B, but is not limited thereto. There is no further limitation as long as the width gradually increases toward the common portion 70C. For example, the boundary B1 with the individual unit 70A and the boundary B2 with the common unit 70C may be connected by a straight line.

  According to such a structure, the portion is effectively provided between the one end portion 60A of the lower electrode film 60 and the one end portion 12A of the pressure generating chamber 12 whose rigidity is reduced by the lower electrode film 60 not being formed in the prior art. The rigidity of can be improved. In particular, it has large rigidity at positions corresponding to the one end portion 12A of the pressure generating chamber 12 and the one end portion 60A of the lower electrode film 60 where stress is concentrated. Furthermore, the widened portion 70B can secure a certain width, and the common portion 70C does not require etching, so that the adhesion of the upper electrode film 80 can be improved.

  As clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric layer 70 in the present embodiment extends to the outside of the end of the pressure generation chamber 12 and faces the pressure generation chamber 12. The upper electrode film 60 is provided so as to completely cover the upper surface and the end surface of the lower electrode film 60 in the region to be processed. Therefore, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the end portion of the lower electrode film 60 located in the pressure generation chamber 12 on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 300 is completely covered with the piezoelectric layer 70.

  On the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 300, the piezoelectric layer 70 extends to the bonding region 200 of the flow path forming substrate 10 to which the peripheral edge of the piezoelectric element holding portion 31 of the bonding substrate 30 is bonded. In particular, it is preferable to extend to the outside of the adhesion region 200. In addition, a lower electrode film 60 is further extended outside the piezoelectric layer 70 extending to the adhesion region 200 in this way, and, for example, gold (Au) is provided at the end of the lower electrode film 60. A terminal portion 95 to which a connection electrode (not shown) made of a bonding wire or the like is connected is formed. That is, the lower electrode film 60 and the mounting electrode 90 are connected not in the piezoelectric element holding portion 31 but in the adhesion region 200 or outside the adhesion region 200. A voltage is selectively applied to each piezoelectric element 300 via the terminal portion 95 (mounting electrode 90).

  The upper electrode film 80 is continuously formed in a region facing the plurality of pressure generation chambers 12, and the end of the upper electrode film 80 is outside the pressure generation chamber 12 on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 300. On the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 300, the end portion of the upper electrode film 80 is located in a region facing the pressure generating chamber 12. At the same time, the upper electrode film 80 covers the upper surface of the piezoelectric layer 70 in the region facing the pressure generating chamber 12 and the side surface (end surface) of the piezoelectric layer 70 in the direction in which the piezoelectric elements 300 are arranged in parallel.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4 which is a BB ′ cross section of FIG. 2A, the width of the piezoelectric layer 70 is a trapezoid that is wider toward the lower electrode film 60 side, and the side surface of the piezoelectric layer 70 is The upper electrode film 80 covers the side surface of the piezoelectric layer 70 in a region facing the pressure generation chamber 12 as an inclined surface. In the present embodiment, the side surface of the piezoelectric layer 70 on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 300 is also covered with the upper electrode film 80.

  Further, such an upper electrode film 80 is substantially provided only in the piezoelectric element holding portion 31. Actually, the upper electrode film 80 is formed only in the piezoelectric element holding part 31, but the mounting electrode 91 connected to the upper electrode film 80 extends to the outside of the piezoelectric element holding part 31, and As in the case of the electrode film 60, the tip end portion of the mounting electrode 91 is a terminal portion 95 connected to a connection wiring (not shown). That is, the upper electrode film 80 is formed in the piezoelectric element holding portion 31 except for the terminal portion 95.

  In such a configuration, the lower electrode film 60 is exposed only outside the piezoelectric element holding portion 31, while the upper electrode film 80 is exposed only inside the piezoelectric element holding portion 31. An adhesive 35 for bonding the bonding substrate 30 and the flow path forming substrate 10 exists between the exposed portion of the upper electrode film 80. Therefore, the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode film 80 are insulated from each other by the adhesive 35, and the piezoelectric element 300 is prevented from being destroyed due to the dielectric breakdown generated between the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode film 80. Can do.

  Since the adhesive 35 that bonds the bonding substrate 30 and the flow path forming substrate 10 serves to insulate the upper electrode film 80 and the lower electrode film 60 in this way, it is preferable to use an insulating adhesive. . Thereby, the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode film 80 can be more reliably insulated.

  In addition, since the upper electrode film 80 is provided so as to cover the surface of the piezoelectric layer 70, it is possible to prevent moisture (humidity) from penetrating into the piezoelectric layer 70 without separately providing a protective film. . Since a protective film is not required, the manufacturing cost is greatly reduced, the destruction of the piezoelectric element 300 (piezoelectric layer 70) due to moisture (humidity) can be prevented, and the durability of the piezoelectric element 300 is improved. Can do.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the end portion of the upper electrode film 80 on the one end side in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric element 300 is located in a region facing the pressure generation chamber 12, A driving unit is provided in a region facing the pressure generating chamber 12. That is, in the piezoelectric element 300, a portion between the end portion of the lower electrode film 60 and the end portion of the upper electrode film 80 located in the pressure generating chamber 12 is a substantial driving unit. For this reason, even if the piezoelectric element 300 is driven, the vibration plate (the elastic film 50 and the insulator film 55) in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber 12 is not greatly deformed. It is possible to prevent cracks from occurring.

  The bonding substrate 30 is provided with a reservoir portion 32 in a region corresponding to the communication portion 15 of the flow path forming substrate 10. In this embodiment, the reservoir portion 32 is provided along the parallel direction of the pressure generating chambers 12 through the bonding substrate 30 in the thickness direction. As described above, the communication portion of the flow path forming substrate 10 is provided. The reservoir 100 is connected to the pressure generation chamber 12 and serves as a common ink chamber for the pressure generation chambers 12.

  Further, a through hole 33 that penetrates the bonding substrate 30 in the thickness direction is provided in a region of the bonding substrate 30 on the opposite side of the piezoelectric element holding portion 31 from the reservoir portion 32, and the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode described above are provided. A terminal portion 95 of the film 80 is formed in the through hole 33. Although not shown, the terminal portions 95 of the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode film 80 are connected to a driving IC or the like for driving the piezoelectric element 300 by connection wiring extending in the through hole 33.

  In addition, examples of the material of the bonding substrate 30 include glass, ceramic material, metal, resin, and the like, but it is more preferable that the bonding substrate 30 is formed of substantially the same material as the thermal expansion coefficient of the flow path forming substrate 10. In this embodiment, the silicon single crystal substrate made of the same material as the flow path forming substrate 10 is used.

  A compliance substrate 40 including a sealing film 41 and a fixing plate 42 is further bonded onto the bonding substrate 30. The sealing film 41 is made of a material having low rigidity and flexibility, and one surface of the reservoir portion 32 is sealed by the sealing film 41. The fixed plate 42 is formed of a hard material such as metal. Since the region of the fixing plate 42 facing the reservoir 100 is an opening 43 that is completely removed in the thickness direction, one surface of the reservoir 100 is sealed only with a flexible sealing film 41. Has been.

  In such an ink jet recording head of the present embodiment, ink is taken in from an external ink supply means (not shown), filled with ink from the reservoir 100 to the nozzle 21, and then in accordance with a recording signal from a driving IC (not shown). By applying a voltage to each piezoelectric element 300 corresponding to the pressure generation chamber 12 to bend and deform the piezoelectric element 300, the pressure in each pressure generation chamber 12 increases and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 21.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above of course. It is included in the scope of the present invention if the individual portion 70A, the widened portion 70B, and the common portion 70C are formed at least on the one end side. For example, it is not necessary to limit the position of the boundary B1 between the individual part 70A and the widened part 70B and the position of the boundary B2 between the widened part 70B and the common part 70C to the position of the above embodiment. However, when the positions of the boundaries B1 and B2 are limited as in the above embodiment, the rigidity at the one end portion 60A of the lower electrode film 60 and the one end portion 12A of the pressure generating chamber 12 where stress is most concentrated can be increased. The most effective prevention of damage to the piezoelectric layer 70 can be achieved. Further, the width W-PZT1 of the widened portion 70B at the boundary B2 between the widened portion 70B and the common portion 70C is configured to be larger than the width W-CAV of the pressure generating chamber 12, thereby increasing the rigidity of the widened portion. However, such a configuration is not essential.

  Further, the widened portion 70B and the common portion 70C may be formed not only at the one end portion but also at the other end portion side. Also in this case, an improvement in rigidity at the widened portion 70B and the common portion 70C and an anti-peeling function of the upper electrode film 80 can be expected. However, since the lower electrode film 60 exists under the piezoelectric layer 70 on the other end side, the rigidity improvement effect is not as remarkable as that on the one end side.

  In the present embodiment, a part of the bonding substrate 30 is formed between the lower electrode film 60 exposed only outside the piezoelectric element holding portion 31 and the upper electrode film 80 exposed only inside the piezoelectric element holding portion 31. Bonding to the surface of the piezoelectric layer 70 via the adhesive 35, and isolating the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode film 80 with the piezoelectric layer 70 and the adhesive 35 to achieve electrical insulation between them. However, such an insulating structure is not necessarily employed in the basic structure of the present invention. Although the insulation between the lower electrode film 60 and the upper electrode film 80 is inferior, of course, a structure in which a part of the bonding substrate 30 is bonded onto the lower electrode film 60 may be used.

  The ink jet recording head of the embodiment described above constitutes a part of a recording head unit including an ink flow path communicating with an ink cartridge or the like, and is mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of the ink jet recording apparatus. As shown in FIG. 5, in the recording head units 1A and 1B having the ink jet recording head, cartridges 2A and 2B constituting ink supply means are detachably provided, and 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 body 4 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The recording head units 1A and 1B, for example, are configured to eject a black ink composition and a color ink composition, respectively. 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 is moved along the carriage shaft 5. The 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 not-shown paper feed roller, is conveyed on the platen 8. It is like that.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus in which the ink jet recording head is mounted on the carriage and moves in the main scanning direction is exemplified. However, the present invention is also applicable to other types of ink jet recording apparatuses. be able to. For example, the present invention is also applied to a so-called line type ink jet recording apparatus that has a plurality of fixed ink jet recording heads and performs printing only by moving a recording sheet S such as paper in the sub-scanning direction. Can do.

  In the above-described embodiments, the ink jet recording head and the ink jet recording apparatus have been described as examples of the liquid ejecting head and the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention. However, the basic configurations of the liquid ejecting head and the liquid ejecting apparatus are as described above. It is not limited. The present invention covers a wide range of liquid ejecting heads and liquid ejecting apparatuses that include a liquid ejecting head, and can be applied to a device that ejects liquid other than ink. Other liquid ejecting heads include, for example, various recording heads used in image recording apparatuses such as printers, color material ejecting heads used in the manufacture of color filters such as liquid crystal displays, organic EL displays, and FEDs (field emission displays). Examples thereof include an electrode material ejection head used for electrode formation, a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and the like.

10 flow path forming substrate, 12 pressure generating chamber, 20 nozzle plate, 21 nozzle, 30 bonding substrate, 50 elastic film, 55 insulator film, 60 lower electrode film, 70 piezoelectric layer, 70A individual part, 70B widening part, 70C Common part, 80 upper electrode film, 100 reservoir, 300 piezoelectric element

Claims (6)

A flow path forming substrate in which a plurality of pressure generating chambers communicating with nozzles for discharging droplets are arranged in parallel; a piezoelectric element including a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode provided on one surface side of the flow path forming substrate; Comprising
The lower electrode is provided independently corresponding to the pressure generating chamber to constitute an individual electrode of the piezoelectric element, while the upper electrode is continuously provided in the parallel direction of the pressure generating chamber. Constituting a common electrode of the piezoelectric element;
Furthermore, one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric layer is located outside the one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the lower electrode, and at least one end portion side of the piezoelectric layer is provided corresponding to each lower electrode. The individual parts formed, the widened part integrally connected to each individual part and gradually increasing in width toward the end in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber, and the parallelly connected to each widened part. A liquid ejecting head comprising: a common portion in which piezoelectric layers of piezoelectric elements adjacent in a direction are integrated. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1,
The liquid ejecting head, wherein a width of the widened portion at a boundary between the widened portion and the common portion is configured to be larger than a width of the pressure generating chamber. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1 or 2,
A liquid ejecting head, wherein a boundary between the widened portion and the common portion is located inside an end portion in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber. The liquid ejecting head according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein a boundary between the individual portion and the widened portion is located inside an end portion of the lower electrode with respect to a longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber.   A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising the liquid ejecting head according to claim 1. Comprising a piezoelectric element comprising a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode;
The lower electrode is provided independently corresponding to the pressure generating chamber to constitute an individual electrode of the piezoelectric element, while the upper electrode is continuously provided in the parallel direction of the pressure generating chamber. Constituting a common electrode of the piezoelectric element;
Furthermore, one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric layer is located outside the one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the lower electrode, and at least one end portion side of the piezoelectric layer is provided corresponding to each lower electrode. The individual parts formed, the widened part integrally connected to each individual part and gradually increasing in width toward the end in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber, and the parallelly connected to each widened part. An actuator device comprising: a common portion in which piezoelectric layers of piezoelectric elements adjacent in a direction are integrated.

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