Liquid Ejecting Head With Differential Piezoelectric Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing piezoelectric-type liquid ejecting heads, such as those in JP-A-2013-256137, achieve only a doubling of displacement per unit voltage when thin-film piezoelectric bodies are stacked in layers, limiting further improvements in ejection characteristics and cost reduction.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting head design with specific orientation ratios of thin-film piezoelectric bodies and common electrodes, where the second thin-film piezoelectric body has a lower orientation ratio in the (100) or (110) plane compared to the first, and a voltage application circuit for applying reference and drive voltages, enhances ejection performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If thin-film piezoelectric bodies are stacked in layers, then displacement amount per unit voltage is doubled, but ejection characteristics cannot be further improved and cost reduction is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the crystal orientation characteristics between the first and second thin-film piezoelectric bodies. The first piezoelectric body has a (100) plane orientation degree of 50% or more, while the second piezoelectric body has a (100) plane orientation degree of less than 50%, creating locally optimized properties to enhance overall ejection performance beyond simple stacking
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the crystal orientation parameters of the piezoelectric bodies to achieve superior performance. Specifically, it controls the (100) plane orientation degree of the first piezoelectric body at ≥50% and the second at <50%, while managing the (111) plane orientation degree of the second body at ≤40%, thereby optimizing the piezoelectric response and displacement characteristics
2Ease of operation
If thin-film piezoelectric bodies are stacked in layers, then ejection characteristics improve with same voltage, but cost reduction through voltage replacement is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent differentiates the orientation properties of the two piezoelectric body layers to achieve enhanced ejection characteristics, allowing the system to maintain high performance with lower voltage requirements, thereby enabling cost reduction through voltage replacement while preserving improved ejection performance
3Power
If crystal orientation is optimized for (100) plane, then piezoelectric response increases, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different orientation targets to different layers: the first piezoelectric body is optimized for (100) plane orientation (≥50%), while the second piezoelectric body uses a combination of (100) and (111) orientations (<50% and ≤40% respectively). This differentiated approach achieves strong piezoelectric response while managing manufacturing precision requirements through varied, not uniformly extreme, orientation specifications
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
The design achieves improved ejection characteristics and cost-effectiveness by optimizing the orientation and voltage application of thin-film piezoelectric bodies, resulting in enhanced ejection performance and reduced operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
A piezoelectric-type ink-jet printer is known as such a liquid ejecting apparatus. A piezoelectric method uses piezoelectric elements configured to cause a diaphragm constituting a part of wall surfaces of pressure compartments to vibrate.
Implementation Method 2
a first thin-film piezoelectric body; an individual electrode which is provided individually for each of the plurality of pressure compartments and to which a drive voltage is applied
Data Source
AI summary
wherein the pressure compartment substrate, the diaphragm, the first common electrode, the first thin-film piezoelectric body, the individual electrode, the second thin-film piezoelectric body, and the second common electrode are stacked in this order from a lower side toward an upper side, and a first ratio, which is a ratio of a degree of orientation in a (100) plane to a degree of orientation in a (111) plane, of the second thin-film piezoelectric body is less than the first ratio of the first thin-film piezoelectric body.