Silicon Substrate Liquid Supply Port Dry Etching Tilt Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method of forming independent liquid supply ports in substrates for liquid ejection heads through dry etching often results in tilt, leading to deviations in the opening position and increased chip size, which lowers reliability and productivity.
Innovation Solution
A process involving sequential steps of forming an etching protection film, removing the bottom portion of the film, and etching the silicon substrate, where the sheath formed during film removal is thicker than during etching, using the Bosch process to ensure vertical ion incidence and prevent tilt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If dry etching is used to form independent liquid supply ports in the bottom of common liquid supply ports, then chip size can be made smaller, but tilt occurs causing opening position deviation and reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention forms a protective film on the inner surface of the common liquid supply port before forming the independent liquid supply port. This preliminary protective action prevents tilt during the subsequent etching process, ensuring accurate opening positions while maintaining small chip size.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective film acts as an intermediary element between the etching process and the common liquid supply port. It mediates the etching process to prevent tilt and ensure vertical formation of independent liquid supply ports, thereby maintaining opening position accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If dry etching is used to form vertical liquid supply ports, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity decreases due to complex sequential processes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines the protective film formation and etching processes into a single integrated dry etching sequence. The protective film is formed and etching is performed in one continuous process, maintaining verticality while improving productivity compared to separate sequential processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses periodic alternating etching and protective film formation steps within the dry etching process. This periodic action maintains verticality through controlled protection and etching cycles, achieving both precision and efficiency.
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 inhibits tilt occurrence, maintaining productivity while ensuring the liquid supply ports are perpendicular to the substrate, thus enhancing reliability and preventing chip size increases.
Implementation Method 1
a step of forming a liquid supply port passing through a silicon substrate by dry etching
Implementation Method 2
wherein a sheath formed in the step (2) is thicker than a sheath formed in the step (3)
Data Source
AI summary
A process for producing a substrate for a liquid ejection head, including a step of forming a liquid supply port passing through a silicon substrate by dry etching, the step being a step of sequentially repeating the steps of (1) forming an etching protection film on the silicon substrate, (2) removing a bottom portion of the etching protection film, and (3) etching the silicon substrate, wherein a sheath formed in the step (2) is thicker than a sheath formed in the step (3).