# US 12,594,763 B2 · Method of manufacturing liquid discharging head, method of manufacturing nozzle substrate, and liquid discharging head > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,594,763 B2 - Document ID: US12594763B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/617,705 - Filed: 2024-03-27 - Published: 2024-10-03 - Granted: 2026-04-07 - Earliest claimed: 2023-03-28 - Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation - Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation - Inventors: Shinichi Yotsuya; Masahiro Fujii; Koji Kitahara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12594763B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/162: {Manufacturing of the nozzle plates} - B41J 2/1628: {dry etching} - B41J 2/1433: {Structure of nozzle plates} - B41J 2/1629: {wet etching} - B41J 2/1631: {photolithography} - B41J 2/164: {thin film formation} - B41J 2/1642: {thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]} - B41J 2/1646: {thin film formation by sputtering} - B41J 2002/14475: {characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract A method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head includes a pressure chamber substrate that includes a pressure chamber and a nozzle substrate that includes a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber and is formed of a semiconductor substrate, the method including a first step in which, in a state where a metal film is formed on the nozzle substrate in a first portion corresponding to the nozzle of a first surface which is a surface of the nozzle substrate on a pressure chamber substrate side, and the metal film is not formed on the nozzle substrate in a second portion not corresponding to the nozzle of the first surface, the nozzle is formed by carrying out metal assist chemical etching. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head including a pressure chamber substrate that includes a pressure chamber and a nozzle substrate that includes a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber and is formed of a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising: a first step in which, in a state where a metal film is formed on the nozzle substrate in a first portion corresponding to the nozzle of a first surface which is a surface of the nozzle substrate on a pressure chamber substrate side, and the metal film is not formed on the nozzle substrate in a second portion not corresponding to the nozzle of the first surface, the nozzle is formed by carrying out metal assist chemical etching. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein the first step includes forming a resist layer on the first surface, patterning the resist layer to be opened at the first portion and not to be opened at the second portion after forming the resist layer, and forming the metal film on the first surface after patterning the resist layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 2, wherein an oxide film is formed on the first surface before forming the resist layer, the resist layer is formed on the oxide film, and after patterning the resist layer and before forming the metal film, a portion of the oxide film on the first portion is opened by etching the oxide film. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 3, wherein a gap is formed between the first surface and the resist layer by etching the oxide film. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 2, wherein in the first step, the metal film is formed on the first surface and then the resist layer is removed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein in the first step, the metal assist chemical etching is carried out using a solution including hydrogen fluoride and an oxidizing agent. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 6, wherein in the first step, a tapered angle of the nozzle is adjusted according to a ratio of the hydrogen fluoride and the oxidizing agent. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 6, wherein the oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide water. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 8, wherein in the first step, when a molar concentration of the hydrogen fluoride is denoted as [HF] and a molar concentration of the oxidizing agent is denoted as [H2O2], 0.47≤[HF]/([HF]+[H2O2])≤0.78 is satisfied. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 8, wherein in the first step, 0.56≤[HF]/([HF]+[H2O2])≤0.71 is satisfied. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 8, wherein in the first step, as the metal assist chemical etching, a first metal assist chemical etching and a second metal assist chemical etching after the first metal assist chemical etching are carried out, when a molar concentration of the hydrogen fluoride is set to [HF] and a molar concentration of the oxidizing agent is denoted as [H2O2], [HF]/([HF]+[H2O2]) is larger when the first metal assist chemical etching is carried out than when the second metal assist chemical etching is carried out. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 6, wherein in the first step, as the metal assist chemical etching, a first metal assist chemical etching and a second metal assist chemical etching after the first metal assist chemical etching are carried out, and when the first metal assist chemical etching is carried out, an electric field is not applied to the solution, and when the second metal assist chemical etching is carried out, an electric field is applied to the solution. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein the metal film is made of gold. ### Claim 14 A method of manufacturing a nozzle substrate including a nozzle and formed of a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising: a first step in which, in a state where in a first portion corresponding to the nozzle of a first surface of the nozzle substrate, a metal film is formed on the nozzle substrate, and in a second portion not corresponding to the nozzle of the first surface, the metal film is not formed on the nozzle substrate, the nozzle is formed by carrying out metal assist chemical etching.