Liquid Discharge Head Frame Substrate Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid discharge heads face challenges in preventing damage from external contacts during assembly and manufacturing, leading to reduced yield rates due to the susceptibility of substrates with critical components to chips, scratches, and cracks.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a frame substrate made of silicon with a larger area than the liquid chamber and nozzle substrates, acting as a damper to dissipate energy and reduce impact, while maintaining the substrates' sizes in a lamination direction to minimize exposure and contact with external components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If substrates are made with critical components for liquid discharging, then liquid discharging performance is improved, but susceptibility to damage from external contacts increases
Solution Approach 1:
A frame substrate is introduced as an intermediary protective element between the critical substrates (liquid chamber substrate and nozzle substrate) and external environment. The frame substrate has a larger area than the critical substrates and extends beyond their perimeters, creating a protective barrier that absorbs external contacts, chips, scratches, and cracks before they reach the critical components.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If substrate area is reduced to minimize exposure, then contact with external components is reduced, but structural support and protection are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The frame substrate is designed with asymmetric area distribution relative to the critical substrates. Specifically, the frame substrate has a larger area that extends beyond the perimeters of both the liquid chamber substrate and nozzle substrate in plan view. This asymmetric configuration provides enhanced protective coverage while maintaining structural integrity, as the frame substrate's larger footprint creates a buffer zone without unnecessarily increasing the overall device size.
3Manufacturing precision
If substrates are joined in lamination direction with precise alignment, then liquid discharging performance is maintained, but risk of damage during assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame substrate is configured beforehand to provide cushioning protection during the assembly process. By having the frame substrate extend beyond the perimeters of the critical substrates in all directions, it creates a protective buffer zone that absorbs accidental contacts, drops, or misalignments that may occur during assembly, thereby protecting the more vulnerable liquid chamber substrate and nozzle substrate from damage.
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 configuration effectively reduces the risk of damage to critical substrates, enhancing the yield rate by protecting them from external contacts and maintaining liquid discharging performance.
Implementation Method 1
The damper is disposed on the second face of the chamber substrate in the lamination direction... acting as a damper to dissipate energy and reduce impact
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge head includes a chamber substrate, a nozzle substrate, a damper, and a frame substrate. The chamber substrate includes a pressure chamber and a pressure generator to change a volume of the pressure chamber. The chamber substrate has a first face and a second face opposite to the first face. The nozzle substrate is disposed on the first face in a lamination direction. The nozzle substrate has a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber. The damper is disposed on the second face in the lamination direction. The frame substrate is disposed over the damper in the lamination direction. The chamber substrate has a first area in an in-plane direction of the chamber substrate. The nozzle substrate has a second area smaller than the first area in the in-plane direction. The frame substrate has a third area larger than the first area in the in-plane direction.