Inkjet Head Channel Groove Plating Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing methods for ink jet heads face challenges in forming electrodes without forming lumps or precipitation issues in channel grooves, particularly when using electroless plating, which can lead to short circuits and breakage of wafers due to uneven washing liquid flow and different channel groove shapes.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method where both ejection and non-ejection channel grooves are formed with a raise-and-cut shape, and the plating step is performed before forming the electrode clearance groove, ensuring uniform washing liquid flow and preventing lumps or precipitation issues by maintaining similar shapes for both grooves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If electroless plating is performed after electrode clearance groove working, then electrode formation is enabled in deeper grooves, but washing liquid flow becomes uneven causing lumps or precipitation issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs electroless plating before electrode clearance groove working, rather than after. This preliminary action ensures that the plating process occurs when channel grooves have uniform shapes, allowing washing liquid to flow evenly and preventing lumps or precipitation issues that would occur if plating were performed after groove differentiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains homogeneity by performing plating before creating the differentiated groove shapes. At the plating stage, all channel grooves (both ejection and non-ejection) have the same raise-and-cut shape, ensuring uniform washing liquid flow and consistent catalyst distribution across all grooves, which prevents localized precipitation defects.
2Reliability
If ejection channel groove has raise-and-cut shape and non-ejection channel groove has cut-off shape, then electrode clearance is improved, but washing liquid flow uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the plating action before the groove shape differentiation action. By raising the individual electrodes on non-ejection channels after plating (rather than before), the invention ensures that plating occurs when all grooves have uniform raise-and-cut shapes, maintaining washing liquid flow uniformity while still achieving the electrode clearance function afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the manufacturing process into distinct stages: first forming all grooves with uniform raise-and-cut shapes for plating, then separately raising individual electrodes on non-ejection channels to create the electrode clearance function. This segmentation allows each process to optimize for its specific requirement without compromising the other.
3Power
If channel groove depth is increased for sufficient electrode power, then electrode driving capability is improved, but oblique vapor deposition effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces oblique vapor deposition with electroless plating for electrode formation. Electroless plating can effectively fill deeper channel grooves without the shadowing effect that limits vapor deposition, enabling sufficient electrode driving power in deeper grooves while maintaining uniform electrode formation quality through chemical deposition rather than physical vapor deposition.
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 method effectively suppresses the formation of lumps and prevents wafer breakage by ensuring uniform plating and electrode formation, improving the reliability and yield of ink jet head manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
a plating step of forming a plating film by performing catalyst impartation, washing, and plating on the actuator plate on which cutting is performed in the channel groove forming step
Data Source
AI summary
A discharge channel and a non-discharge channel are formed to have a similar shape, that is, to include extension portions and raise-and-cut portions continuing from end portions of both the extension portions, respectively. Then, imparting of a catalyst, washing of an unnecessary catalyst, plating, and the like are performed on a target surface, as a plating step. In an embodiment, an electrode clearance groove is formed after the plating step. Since channel grooves for the discharge channel and the non-discharge channel have a similar shape, it is possible to cause a water flow to uniformly flow in the channels when washing is performed, and thus to avoid an occurrence of a situation in which a lump is formed in the channel groove by plating.