Anti-Reflective Layer for Liquid Ejection Head Photolithography
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing liquid ejection heads using photolithography often fail to form channels and ejection openings in desired shapes due to light reflection from substrate depressions, leading to inaccurate hole formation in photosensitive resin layers.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a layer with a reflectance of 40% or less is applied on the substrate surface to reduce light reflection, allowing for precise formation of holes in the photosensitive resin layer by irradiating specific regions and using a developing solution to create the desired structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If photolithography is used to form holes in photosensitive resin layer, then manufacturing process is established, but light reflection from substrate depressions causes inaccurate hole formation
Solution Approach 1:
A black chromium layer is introduced as an intermediary between the substrate and the photosensitive resin layer. This intermediate layer absorbs incident light and prevents reflection from the substrate depression, thereby eliminating the harmful light reflection effect while enabling accurate hole formation through photolithography.
Solution Approach 2:
The black chromium layer is applied in advance before forming the photosensitive resin layer, creating a preliminary anti-reflective structure. This preliminary action prevents the harmful reflection effect from occurring during subsequent photolithography processing, ensuring accurate hole formation from the outset.
2Manufacturing precision
If standard photolithography process is used, then manufacturing process is simple, but shape consistency of structures is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The black chromium layer serves as an intermediary that improves shape consistency by eliminating light reflection artifacts. While this adds a layer to the structure, it maintains the simplicity of the photolithography process itself, achieving better shape consistency without fundamentally complicating the manufacturing approach.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the formation of holes with high accuracy, improving the precision and shape consistency of structures like liquid ejection heads, applicable to both MEMS and semiconductor device processing.
Implementation Method 1
the provided layer has a reflectance of 40% or less with respect to the light
Implementation Method 2
a photosensitive resin film is attached on a substrate including a fine depressed portion and is exposed and developed to form a structure on the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a structure including a substrate and a photosensitive resin layer provided on the substrate includes irradiating a region of the photosensitive resin layer with light in a state where a layer is provided on a surface of the substrate, the region being located above a space surrounded by the substrate and the photosensitive resin layer, and the surface facing the space, and removing a portion of the photosensitive resin layer located above the space to form a hole, wherein the provided layer has a reflectance of 40% or less with respect to the light.