Method for inspecting a liquid ejection recording head, apparatus for inspecting a liquid ejection head, and liquid ejection element substrate.

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of inspecting discharge energy of liquid without discharging liquid from a liquid discharge head without changing electrical wiring of a discharge element substrate in a liquid discharge head.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge head being an inspection object of discharge energy includes a discharge element substrate. The discharge element substrate comprises: a substrate; a heating part which has an electrothermal conversion body of the substrate; a protection film which covers the electrothermal conversion body; and an organic layer which covers the electrothermal conversion body and the protection film. An inspection method executes: a first step of obtaining as a first measurement result an electric resistance value of the electrothermal conversion body with respect to the liquid discharge head; a second step of obtaining as a second measurement result the film thickness of a film thickness measurement unit 501 from which the protection film appears on the discharge element substrate; and a third step of acquiring information on discharge energy required for discharging liquid from a discharge port 400 on the basis of the first measurement result and the second measurement result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for inspecting a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid from ejection ports, an inspection apparatus, and a ejection element substrate.

Background Art

[0002] As a typical ink ejection method in a recording head mounted on an inkjet recording apparatus, a method is known in which ink is heated by an electrothermal transducer and droplets are ejected by the action of film boiling. In such an inkjet recording head, in the manufacturing process, it is necessary to measure the heat generation characteristics of the electrothermal transducer and set the drive voltage applied to the electrothermal transducer.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for setting ejection energy as a method for setting ejection energy for ejecting liquid, in which an inspection pattern is recorded while gradually changing at least one of the voltage value and the application time of the drive voltage, and the ejection energy is set based on the recorded inspection pattern.

[0004] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for calculating a drive voltage based on estimating the film thickness of a protective film by measuring the capacitance by utilizing that the protective film for protecting the electrothermal transducer is sandwiched between films having different physical properties, and based on the estimated film thickness and the electrical resistance of the electrothermal transducer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to actually eject ink when setting the drive voltage in the manufacturing process. Therefore, the manufacturing process requires steps to supply ink to the ejection port (nozzle) and to clean the ejection port surface after ink ejection. In contrast, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 makes it possible to determine the drive voltage required for liquid ejection without ejecting ink. However, since the thickness of the protective film is estimated by measuring capacitance, it is necessary to lay dedicated wiring and measuring electrodes for capacitance measurement on the substrate, which are not required for actual ink ejection.

[0007] This disclosure aims to provide a technology that allows for the inspection of liquid discharge energy without discharging liquid, and without modifying the electrical wiring of the discharge element substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This disclosure relates to a liquid discharge head having a discharge element substrate comprising a substrate, a heating element having an electrothermal converter provided on a first surface of the substrate, a protective film covering the electrothermal converter, and an organic layer covering the electrothermal converter and the protective film, wherein the liquid in a channel formed between the organic layer and the protective film is discharged from a discharge port formed in the organic layer by heat generated in the heating element, the method comprising: a first step of determining the electrical resistance value of the electrothermal converter as a first measurement result; a second step of determining the film thickness of the protective film at a film thickness measurement section where the protective film is exposed on the discharge element substrate as a second measurement result; and a third step of obtaining information on the discharge energy required to discharge the liquid from the discharge port based on the first and second measurement results. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this disclosure, it becomes possible to inspect the liquid discharge energy without discharging liquid, without changing the electrical wiring of the discharge element substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a liquid discharge head inspection device. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the liquid dispensing head configuration. [Figure 3] This figure shows a wafer used to manufacture the ejection element substrate for a liquid ejection head. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged plan view showing the discharge element substrate in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the shape of the electrothermal conversion section provided on the discharge element substrate shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This figure shows the cross-sectional structure of the film thickness monitor section shown in Figure 4. [Figure 7] This figure shows the ejection element substrate in the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in these embodiments are essential to the solution of the present invention. Furthermore, while the liquid ejection head described in the embodiments is described using an inkjet recording head mounted on an inkjet recording device as a liquid ejection device as an example, the liquid ejection head of this disclosure is not limited to an inkjet recording head used for image formation. It is also applicable to industrial liquid ejection heads that eject liquids other than ink to manufacture products.

[0012] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus 100 for inspecting the discharge energy of a liquid discharge head in the first embodiment of this disclosure and the second embodiment described later. As shown in Figure 1, the inspection apparatus 100 in this embodiment includes a chip number measuring machine 101, a film thickness measuring machine 103, a resistance value measuring machine 102, a calculation unit 104, and a discharge energy information writing device 105, etc. The chip number measuring machine (position acquisition means) 101 acquires the positions on the wafer 401 of a plurality of discharge element substrates 301 formed by cutting and separating the wafer 401 shown in Figure 2. This acquisition of positions on the wafer 401 is performed by the chip number measuring machine 101 reading the chip number (substrate identification number) engraved on the surface of the discharge element substrate 301.

[0013] The film thickness measuring instrument (film thickness measuring means) 103 is a measuring instrument that optically measures the thickness of the protective film forming on the surface of the wafer 401, and in this embodiment a spectroscopic film thickness measuring instrument is used. The film thickness measuring instrument 103 measures the substrate identification number measured by the chip number measuring instrument 101, Discharge element From among the multiple film thickness measurement areas formed on the substrate 301, described later, select the film thickness measurement area to be measured, and the film thickness measurement The thickness of the protective film is measured in the area. The thickness measurement area and the protective film will be described later. The resistance value measuring device (resistance value measuring means) 102 is a measuring device that measures the electrical resistance of the electrical heat conversion part (heat generating part), which will be described later, formed on the electrical heat conversion substrate (also called the discharge element substrate) 301.

[0014] The calculation device (acquisition means) 104 calculates information on the electrical energy (discharge energy) required to discharge the liquid, based on the resistance value data showing the electrical resistance value measured by the resistance value measuring device 102 and the film thickness data showing the film thickness value measured by the film thickness measuring device 103. 104 For example, it is possible to use a well-known computer form factor such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. Energy information writing device 105It is a device that registers the calculation result of the ejection energy information calculated by the arithmetic unit 104 in the storage unit provided in the liquid ejection head 106.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the liquid ejection head 106 that can be inspected by the above inspection device. The liquid ejection head 106 is a thermal liquid ejection head that converts electrical energy into heat to heat and foam the liquid, and can eject the liquid from the ejection port by the pressure during foaming. The liquid ejection head of the present embodiment constitutes a recording head used in an inkjet recording device that ejects ink as a liquid to perform recording. This liquid ejection head 106 includes a discharge element substrate 301 including a discharge port for discharging the liquid and an electrothermal converter (not shown) that generates heat for heating the liquid and discharging the liquid from the discharge port. Note that the liquid ejection head 106 shown in FIG. 2 is in the form of a cartridge including a liquid storage portion (ink tank) that holds the liquid supplied to the discharge element substrate 301 in a housing that supports the discharge element substrate 301.

[0016] A tape-shaped electrical wiring member 303 is electrically connected to the discharge element substrate 301, and the electrical wiring member 303 is provided with a connection terminal 302 for supplying an electrical signal, electric power, etc. for discharging the liquid. By applying a predetermined voltage to the connection terminal 302, applying a voltage to the discharge element substrate 301 via the electrical wiring member 303, and measuring the current value flowing through the heating resistor (electrothermal converter) 205 (FIG. 5) described later, the resistance value of the heating resistor 205 can be obtained.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a wafer 401 for manufacturing the discharge element substrate 301 of the liquid ejection head 106. The discharge element substrate 301 provided in the liquid ejection head 106 is formed by being cut and separated from a wafer 401 having a predetermined laminated structure. The plurality of rectangular regions described in the wafer 401 shown in FIG. 3 are substrate forming regions corresponding to one discharge element substrate 301. The discharge element substrate 301 provided in the liquid ejection head is manufactured by cutting and separating each substrate forming region from the wafer 401. Note that in FIG. 3, the symbol 402a~402fshows the substrate formation regions set at two positions on the wafer 401. In the manufacturing process before the ejection element substrate 301 is cut and separated from the wafer 401, each substrate formation region is assigned an identification number corresponding to its position on the wafer 401. 6

[0018] The wafer 401 is composed of a plurality of layers for forming the ejection element substrate 301, and the heat generating portion that generates heat is covered with a protective film having insulation properties. This protective film tends to be thicker at the central portion than at the outer peripheral portion due to its manufacturing method. That is, the protective films of the substrate formation regions at the positions 402a to 402d in FIG. 3 are thinner than the protective film of the substrate formation region 403 at the central position of the wafer 401. thin Therefore, the ejection element substrate 301 formed by the formation regions located at 402a and 402c has a film thickness change in its long side direction, and the ejection element substrate 301 formed by the rectangular regions located at 402b and 402d has a film thickness change in its short side direction.

[0019] Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the ejection element substrate 301 in the first embodiment. The ejection element substrate 301 shown in Figure 4 was formed by cutting and separating it from the wafer 401 shown in Figure 3, and corresponds to one of the multiple substrate formation regions shown in Figure 3. The ejection element substrate 301 shown in Figure 4 has multiple ejection ports 400 formed therein for ejecting liquid. The ejection element substrate 301 in this example is capable of ejecting three types of ink as the liquid to be ejected, and depending on the color of the ink to be ejected, ejection port groups 502 (502C, 502M, 502Y) consisting of multiple ejection ports 400 are formed. The ejection port group 502C consists of multiple ejection ports 400 for ejecting cyan ink, the ejection port group 502M consists of multiple ejection ports 400 for ejecting magenta ink, and the ejection port group 502Y consists of multiple ejection ports 400 for ejecting yellow ink. Each of the discharge port groups 502C, 502M, and 502Y is formed within discharge port formation regions 512C, 512M, and 512Y, respectively, which are surrounded by rectangular frame-shaped grooves 521 formed on the discharge element substrate 301. In addition, a film thickness monitor section 501 is provided in the outer peripheral region 520 located outside each of the discharge port formation regions 512C, 512M, and 512Y.

[0020] The film thickness monitor section 501 is a part for measuring the thickness of the protective layer covering the electrothermal conversion section of the ejection element substrate 301 using the aforementioned film thickness measuring device 103, and is a part from which the organic layer formed on the outermost surface of the ejection element substrate 301 has been removed. In this embodiment, there are six locations in the outer peripheral region 520 of the ejection element substrate 301. to The film thickness monitoring sections 501a to 501f are formed. The film thickness monitoring sections 501a to 501c are formed in three locations along one long side of the rectangular ejection element substrate 301, and 501d to 501f are formed along the ejection element substrate 301 The other longer side It is formed in three locations along this line. Note that the x and y directions in the ejection element substrate 301 coincide with the x and y directions in the wafer 401 in Figure 3.

[0021] Figure 5 shows an example of the shape of the electrothermal conversion unit 201 provided on the discharge element substrate 301 shown in Figure 4, where Figure 5(a) is a plan view and Figure 5(b) is a cross-section along the line Vb-Vb in Figure 5(b).

[0022] The electric heat conversion unit 201 has a structure in which a heat-generating resistor 205 provided on the first surface 220a of a substrate 220 made of a silicon substrate or the like, a wiring section 204 electrically connected to the heat-generating resistor 205, and a protective film 203 covering the heat-generating resistor 205 and the wiring section 204 are sequentially laminated. The heat-generating resistor 205 has a region 205a that is in direct contact with the protective film 203 at a notch formed in a part of the wiring section 204. This region 205a of the heat-generating resistor 205 that is in direct contact with the protective film 203 is a heat-generating section that generates heat for heating the liquid. The protective film 203 of the electric heat conversion unit 201 is covered by an organic layer 210 that forms the outermost surface of the discharge element substrate 301. A flow channel 411 for supplying liquid is formed between the organic layer 210 and the protective film 203, and an outlet 400 for discharging the liquid supplied from the flow channel is formed in the organic layer 210. The discharge port 400 is formed in a position opposite to the heating element 205a of the heating resistor 205.

[0023] When discharging the liquid supplied into the flow path 411 from the discharge port 400, current is supplied to the heating resistor 205 via the wiring section 204, causing the heating section 205a to raise the temperature of the surface of the protective film 203. As a result, bubbles are generated in the liquid (ink) in contact with the surface of the protective film 203 due to film boiling, and the pressure generated by these bubbles causes the liquid to be discharged from the discharge port 400.

[0024] The electrical energy required to discharge the liquid (discharge energy) largely depends on the resistance value of the heating resistor 205 and the thickness of the protective film 203. In other words, when a constant voltage is supplied from the recording device, a high resistance value of the heating resistor 205 reduces the current value. Therefore, if the resistance value of the heating resistor 205 is high, it is necessary to increase the time for which the voltage is applied to the heating resistor 205 from the recording device, or to increase the voltage applied to the heating resistor 205.

[0025] Also, protective film 203 If the heat-generating resistor is thick, the distance from the heat-generating resistor 205 to the ink to be ejected increases, requiring greater ejection energy to eject the liquid. Other variations that may occur during the manufacturing process are also strictly related to variations in ejection energy, but these variations are related to the heat-generating resistor. 205 Resistance value and protective film 203 thick difference In comparison, its effect is negligible. Therefore, by measuring the resistance value of the heating resistor and the thickness of the protective film 203, information on the discharge energy required to generate the heat necessary to discharge the liquid can be obtained. In this embodiment, in order to measure the thickness of the protective film 203 with high accuracy, the film thickness of the protective film 203 is measured in the film thickness monitor section (film thickness measurement section) 501 shown in Figure 4 using the film thickness measuring instrument 103 of the inspection device 100.

[0026] Figure 6 shows the cross-sectional structure of the film thickness monitoring unit 501 shown in Figure 4, and here, as an example, the cross-section of the film thickness monitoring unit 501 shown in Figure 4 along the line VI-VI is shown. As shown in Figure 6, the film thickness monitoring unit 501 has heat storage layers 231 to 233 formed on a substrate (not shown), such as a silicon substrate, and the surface of the heat storage layer 231 is covered with a protective film 203. This protective film 203 is the same as the protective film 203 shown in Figure 5. However, the protective film 203 in this film thickness monitoring unit 501 is not covered by the organic layer 210 that forms the discharge port 400 and the flow path 411, and is exposed on the surface side of the discharge element substrate 301. Therefore, the film thickness of the protective film 203 can be measured with high accuracy by the film thickness measuring instrument 103.

[0027] Incidentally, the thickness of the protective film 203, which should be measured to estimate the ink ejection energy, is preferably measured directly below the ejection port 400. However, since the spot diameter of the spectrophotometer, which is a film thickness measuring instrument, is larger than that of the ink ejection port, measurement using the ejection port 400 is difficult. For this reason, the monitoring section for measuring the film thickness must be a location that does not affect the electrothermal conversion section 201, the wiring section 204, and the flow path 411 formed for ejecting liquid, and where the protective film 203 is exposed at the top. Therefore, in this embodiment, a film thickness monitoring section 501 where the protective film 203 is exposed is formed in the outer peripheral region 520 of the ejection element substrate where the electrothermal conversion section 201 and the wiring section 204 do not exist, and the protective film 203 is measured in this film thickness monitoring section 501. The range in which the organic layer 210 is removed to form the film thickness monitoring section 501 must be greater than or equal to the spot diameter of the spectrophotometer. For this reason, in this embodiment, the film thickness monitoring section 501 is a rectangle with a short side of about 15 μm.

[0028] In the discharge element substrate 301 of the liquid discharge head 106 configured as described above, the discharge energy for discharging liquid from the discharge port 400 can be set using the inspection device 100 shown in Figure 1.

[0029] First, the inspection device 100 determines from which position on the wafer 401 shown in Figure 3 the ejection element substrate 301, which is provided on the liquid ejection head 106, was cut and separated. This determination is made by the chip number measuring machine 101 acquiring the identification number engraved on the ejection element substrate 301. As mentioned above, in the manufacturing process before the ejection element substrate 301 is cut and separated from the wafer 401, an identification number corresponding to the position of that region on the wafer 401 is engraved on the substrate formation region corresponding to each ejection element substrate 301. Based on the identification number acquired by the chip number measuring machine 101, the film thickness measuring machine 103 selects the film thickness monitoring section to be used for film thickness measurement from among the six film thickness monitoring sections 501a to 501f formed on the ejection element substrate 301. In this embodiment, two film thickness monitoring sections are selected as the measurement targets for film thickness measurement: the first film thickness measuring section located in the part of the ejection element substrate 301 with the smallest film thickness, and the second film thickness measuring section with the largest film thickness.

[0030] For example, in the wafer 401 shown in Figure 3, the ejection element substrate 301 formed by cutting and separating the substrate formation region 402a has a film thickness that changes in the long side direction (y direction). Therefore, among the six film thickness monitor sections 501a to 501f formed on each ejection element substrate 301, the film thickness is the most... thin The film thickness monitor section 501a and the film thickness that is thick The film thickness monitor unit 501c is selected as the measurement target, and the film thickness of each is measured. Then, the film thickness monitor unit 501a and the film thickness monitor unit 501c The average of each measurement value is used as the film thickness data (second measurement result). This allows for obtaining film thickness data with minimal error. Similarly, film thickness data is obtained for the substrate formation region 402c.

[0031] Furthermore, the film thickness of the ejection element substrate 301 formed by cutting and separating the substrate formation regions 402b and 402d shown in Figure 3 changes in the short-side direction (x-direction). For this reason, the film thickness of the film thickness monitor sections 501b and 501e shown in Figure 4 is measured, and the average of these measured values ​​is taken as the film thickness data (first measurement result). Also, the film thickness of the ejection element substrate 301 formed by cutting and separating the substrate formation regions 402e and 402f shown in Figure 3 changes in the diagonal direction of the ejection element substrate 301. For this reason, for the substrate formation regions 402e and 402f, the film thickness of the film thickness monitor sections 501a and 501f located at diagonal positions is measured, and the average of these measured values ​​is taken as the film thickness data (second measurement result). In this way, by performing film thickness measurement with a variable film thickness monitor section based on the trend of film thickness change of the ejection element substrate 301, it becomes possible to obtain film thickness data with high accuracy.

[0032] The film thickness data and the resistance value data of the heating element 205a (first measurement result) obtained as described above are input to the calculation unit 104. The calculation unit 104 calculates the information of the ejection energy required to eject the liquid based on the input film thickness data and resistance value data, and sends the calculated ejection energy information to the ejection energy information writing device 105. The ejection energy information writing device 105 writes the ejection energy information calculated by the calculation unit 104 to the non-volatile memory provided in the liquid ejection head 106, which is the object of inspection. The ejection energy information written to this non-volatile memory becomes the individual information of the liquid ejection head 106. When the liquid ejection head 106 is mounted on a liquid ejection device (inkjet recording device), the liquid ejection device reads the ejection energy information written to the non-volatile memory of the liquid ejection head 106. If the read ejection energy is smaller than the currently set ejection energy, the device controls at least one of the drive voltage and the application time of the drive voltage to generate the ejection energy read from the liquid ejection head 106. This makes it possible to properly dispense droplets from the liquid dispensing head 106.

[0033] As described above, in this embodiment, by directly measuring the resistance value of the electrothermal conversion section and the protective film thickness, it becomes possible to accurately measure the discharge energy in a short time without actually discharging the liquid. That is, since it is not necessary to actually discharge the liquid, the process of supplying liquid to the discharge port and the process of cleaning the nozzle surface after discharging the liquid are eliminated, making it possible to measure the discharge energy in a short time. In addition, since the manufacturing process of the liquid discharge head is simplified, it becomes possible to miniaturize the equipment and apparatus for manufacturing the liquid discharge head. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since dedicated wiring and measuring electrodes for measuring the film thickness are not required for the discharge element substrate 301, it is possible to suppress an increase in the manufacturing cost of the discharge element substrate 301.

[0034] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 7. In the first embodiment described above, a film thickness monitoring section 501 was formed in the outer peripheral region 520 of the discharge element substrate 301, but in the second embodiment, the film thickness monitoring section 601 (601a to 601d) is formed in the discharge port forming region 612 ( 612C and 612Y It is formed within ).

[0035] Figure 7 shows the ejection element substrate 301A in the second embodiment, where Figure 7(a) is a plan view and Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIIb-VIIb in Figure 7(a).

[0036] The discharge element substrate 301A of this embodiment, shown in Figure 7(a), has a layer structure similar to that of the discharge element substrate of the first embodiment. However, the discharge element substrate 301A of this embodiment has discharge ports 400A (hereinafter referred to as dummy discharge ports) that are not used for discharging liquid when installed in a liquid discharging device, provided at the ends of each of the discharge port groups 602C, 602M, and 602Y. Although the dummy discharge ports 400A are not used for discharging, the layer structure within the discharge element substrate 301A corresponding to the dummy discharge ports 400A is the same as that of the discharge ports 400 used for actual discharging.

[0037] In an ejection element substrate 301A equipped with such a dummy ejection port 400A, a film thickness monitor section 601 (601a to 601d) is positioned in close proximity to the dummy ejection port 400A within the ejection port formation region of the ejection element substrate 301A. However, the film thickness monitor section 601 teeth It is necessary to position it in a location that does not affect other outlets or flow paths used for liquid discharge. 601 As shown in Figure 7(b), the heat-generating resistor 205, the wiring section 204, and the protective film 203 are sequentially stacked, having a layer structure similar to the layer structure in the section facing the dummy discharge port 400A. However, the organic layer 210 is not formed in the film thickness monitor section 601, and the protective film 203 is exposed in this area. The film thickness measuring instrument 103 acquires film thickness data of the protective film 203 from this film thickness monitor section 601 (601a to 601d), similar to the first embodiment. Furthermore, the film thickness measuring instrument 100 The resistance value data of the heating element 205a is acquired using the resistance value measuring device 102, and the discharge energy required for liquid discharge is calculated based on the resistance value data and film thickness data.

[0038] As described above, according to this embodiment, the film thickness monitor unit 601 is set in a portion having the same layer structure as the layer structure located opposite the discharge port 400 and the dummy discharge port 400A, and the film thickness of the protective film 203 is measured by an inspection device 100 consisting of a spectroscopic film thickness measuring instrument. Therefore, it is expected that the film thickness of the protective film 203 can be brought closer to the true value. Furthermore, the film thickness monitor unit 601 is set in a dummy discharge port that is not used for discharge. 400A Because it is positioned in close proximity to the nozzle, the formation of the film thickness monitor 601 does not affect the discharge port 400 that actually dispenses the liquid.

[0039] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a rectangular thick film monitor section was formed. However, the film thickness monitor section can also be formed in a shape other than a rectangle. For example, it may be a square with sides of about 15 μm, or a circle with a diameter of about 15 μm.

[0040] Furthermore, this disclosure includes the following methods and configurations.

[0041] (Method 1) A method for inspecting a liquid discharge head comprising a discharge element substrate having a substrate, a heating element having an electrothermal converter provided on the first surface of the substrate, a protective film covering the electrothermal converter, and an organic layer covering the electrothermal converter and the protective film, wherein the heat generated in the heating element allows the liquid in a channel formed between the organic layer and the protective film to be discharged from a discharge port formed in the organic layer, A first step is to determine the electrical resistance value of the aforementioned electric heat converter as a first measurement result, A second step of determining the thickness of the protective film in the film thickness measurement section where the protective film is exposed on the ejection element substrate as a second measurement result, A method for inspecting a liquid discharge head, comprising a third step of acquiring information on the discharge energy required to discharge liquid from the discharge port based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result.

[0042] (Method 2) The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to Method 1, characterized in that the film thickness measurement section is formed by a region of the discharge element substrate where no organic layer is formed.

[0043] (Method 3) The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to method 1 or 2, characterized in that the film thickness measuring section is formed on the outer periphery of the discharge element substrate, located outside the discharge port forming region where a group of discharge ports consisting of a plurality of discharge ports is formed.

[0044] (Method 4) The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to method 1 or 2, characterized in that the film thickness measuring section is formed in a discharge port forming region on the discharge element substrate in which a group of discharge ports consisting of a plurality of discharge ports is formed.

[0045] (Method 5) The discharge port located at the end of the group of discharge ports is a dummy discharge port that does not discharge. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to method 4, characterized in that the film thickness measuring unit is positioned in close proximity to the dummy discharge port.

[0046] (Method 6) The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to any one of methods 1 to 5, characterized in that the film thickness measuring section is formed at multiple different locations on the discharge element substrate.

[0047] (Method 7) The ejection element substrate is formed by cutting and separating a plurality of substrate formation regions set on a wafer having the substrate, the heating element, and the protective film. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to method 6, characterized in that the protective film on the wafer has a tendency for the film thickness to decrease from the center of the wafer to the edges.

[0048] (Method 8) The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to Method 7, characterized in that the second step involves selecting from among a plurality of film thickness measuring units a first film thickness measuring unit and a second film thickness measuring unit in which the film thickness of the protective film is greater than that of the first film thickness measuring unit, according to the trend of the change in the film thickness of the protective film, and determining the first measurement result based on the film thickness of the protective film in the selected first film thickness measuring unit and second film thickness measuring unit, respectively.

[0049] (Method 9) The liquid discharge head inspection method according to Method 8, characterized in that the first measurement result is the average value of the thickness of the protective film in the first thickness measurement unit and the second thickness measurement unit, respectively, obtained as the first measurement result.

[0050] (Composition 10) An inspection device for a liquid discharge head comprising a discharge element substrate having a substrate, a heating element having an electrothermal converter provided on the first surface of the substrate, a protective film covering the electrothermal converter, and an organic layer covering the electrothermal converter and the protective film, wherein the heat generated in the heating element allows the liquid in the channel formed between the organic layer and the protective film to be discharged from a discharge port formed in the organic layer, A resistance value measuring means for determining the electrical resistance value of the aforementioned electric heat converter as a first measurement result, A film thickness measuring means for determining the film thickness of the film thickness measurement section where the protective film is exposed in the ejection element substrate as a second measurement result, An inspection device for a liquid discharge head, comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring information on the discharge energy required to discharge the liquid from the discharge port based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result.

[0051] (Composition 11) The film thickness measuring section is provided at multiple different locations on the ejection element substrate. The ejection element substrate is formed by cutting and separating a plurality of substrate formation regions set on a wafer having the substrate, the heating element, and the protective film. The system further includes position acquisition means for acquiring the position of the ejection element substrate before it is cut and separated from the wafer, The liquid discharge head inspection apparatus according to configuration 10, characterized in that the film thickness measuring means selects a film thickness measuring unit to be used for measuring the film thickness of the protective film from among a plurality of film thickness measuring units based on the position acquired by the position acquisition means, and measures the film thickness of the protective film at the selected film thickness measuring unit.

[0052] (Composition 12) circuit board and A heating element having an electrothermal converter provided on the first surface of the substrate, The system comprises a protective film covering the electrothermal converter, and an organic layer covering the electrothermal converter and the protective film. A discharge element substrate capable of discharging liquid in a channel formed between the organic layer and the protective film from a discharge port formed in the organic layer by heat generated in the heat-generating section, The ejection element substrate is characterized by having a film thickness measuring section in which the organic layer is removed so that the protective film is exposed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 100 Inspection device 106 Liquid dispensing head 203 Protective film 205 Heat-generating resistor 205a Heat-generating section 210 Organic layer 220 circuit boards 301 Discharge element substrate 400 outlet 411 Channel 501 Film Thickness Monitor Section

Claims

1. A method for inspecting a liquid discharge head comprising a discharge element substrate having a substrate, a heating element having an electrothermal converter provided on the first surface of the substrate, a protective film covering the electrothermal converter, and an organic layer covering the electrothermal converter and the protective film, wherein the heat generated in the heating element allows the liquid in a channel formed between the organic layer and the protective film to be discharged from a discharge port formed in the organic layer, A first step is to determine the electrical resistance value of the aforementioned electric heat converter as a first measurement result, A second step of determining the thickness of the protective film in the film thickness measurement section where the protective film is exposed on the ejection element substrate as a second measurement result, A method for inspecting a liquid discharge head, comprising a third step of acquiring information on the discharge energy required to discharge liquid from the discharge port based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result.

2. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, characterized in that the film thickness measurement section is formed by a region of the discharge element substrate where no organic layer is formed.

3. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the film thickness measuring section is formed on the outer periphery of the discharge element substrate, located outside the discharge port forming region where a group of discharge ports consisting of a plurality of discharge ports is formed.

4. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the film thickness measuring section is formed in a discharge port forming region on the discharge element substrate in which a group of discharge ports consisting of a plurality of discharge ports is formed.

5. The discharge port located at the end of the group of discharge ports is a dummy discharge port that does not discharge. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to claim 4, characterized in that the film thickness measuring unit is positioned in close proximity to the dummy discharge port.

6. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, characterized in that the film thickness measuring section is formed at multiple different positions on the discharge element substrate.

7. The ejection element substrate is formed by cutting and separating a plurality of substrate formation regions set on a wafer having the substrate, the heating element, and the protective film. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to claim 6, characterized in that the protective film on the wafer has a tendency for its thickness to decrease from the center of the wafer to the edges.

8. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to claim 7, characterized in that the second measurement result is obtained by selecting a first film thickness measurement unit and a second film thickness measurement unit in which the film thickness of the protective film is greater than that of the first film thickness measurement unit from among a plurality of film thickness measurement units, according to the trend of the change in the film thickness of the protective film, and based on the film thickness of the protective film in the selected first film thickness measurement unit and second film thickness measurement unit, respectively.

9. The method for inspecting a liquid discharge head according to claim 8, characterized in that the second measurement result is obtained as the average value of the thickness of the protective film in the first thickness measurement unit and the second thickness measurement unit, respectively.

10. An inspection device for a liquid discharge head comprising a discharge element substrate having a substrate, a heating element having an electrothermal converter provided on the first surface of the substrate, a protective film covering the electrothermal converter, and an organic layer covering the electrothermal converter and the protective film, wherein the heat generated in the heating element allows the liquid in the channel formed between the organic layer and the protective film to be discharged from a discharge port formed in the organic layer, A resistance value measuring means for determining the electrical resistance value of the aforementioned electric heat converter as a first measurement result, A film thickness measuring means for determining the film thickness of the film thickness measurement section where the protective film is exposed in the ejection element substrate as a second measurement result, An inspection device for a liquid discharge head, comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring information on the discharge energy required to discharge the liquid from the discharge port based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result.

11. The film thickness measuring section is provided at multiple different locations on the ejection element substrate. The ejection element substrate is formed by cutting and separating a plurality of substrate formation regions set on a wafer having the substrate, the heating element, and the protective film. The system further includes position acquisition means for acquiring the position of the ejection element substrate before it is cut and separated from the wafer, The liquid discharge head inspection apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the film thickness measuring means selects a film thickness measuring unit to be used for measuring the film thickness of the protective film from among a plurality of film thickness measuring units based on the position acquired by the position acquisition means, and measures the film thickness of the protective film at the selected film thickness measuring unit.

12. circuit board and A heating element having an electrothermal converter provided on the first surface of the substrate, The system comprises a protective film covering the electrothermal converter, and an organic layer covering the electrothermal converter and the protective film. A discharge element substrate capable of discharging liquid in a channel formed between the organic layer and the protective film from a discharge port formed in the organic layer by heat generated in the heat-generating section, The ejection element substrate is characterized by having a film thickness measuring section in which the organic layer is removed so that the protective film is exposed.

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