# US 2021/0276330 A1 · Liquid discharging head, liquid discharging apparatus, and method of manufacturing 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 2021/0276330 A1 - Document ID: US20210276330A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/192,490 - Filed: 2021-03-04 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-06 - Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation - Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation - Inventors: Motoki TAKABE; Noritaka MOCHIZUKI; Yoshihiro HOKARI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276330A1 ## CPC - B41J 2/14233: {of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm} - B41J 2/161: {of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm} - B41J 2/1623: {bonding and adhesion} - B41J 2/1628: {dry etching} - B41J 2/1629: {wet etching} - B41J 2/1632: {machining} - B41J 2/164: {thin film formation} - B41J 2/1642: {thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]} - B41J 2/1645: {thin film formation by spincoating} - B41J 2/1646: {thin film formation by sputtering} - H10N 30/706: {characterised by the underlying bases, e.g. substrates} - H10N 30/877: {Conductive materials} - B41J 2202/11: characterised by specific geometrical characteristics - H10N 30/074: by depositing piezoelectric or electrostrictive layers, e.g. aerosol or screen printing - H10N 30/082: by etching, e.g. lithography - H10N 30/2047: {Membrane type} - H10N 30/8554: {Lead-zirconium titanate [PZT] based} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A liquid discharging head includes a pressure chamber partitioning portion that includes a plurality of partitioning walls that partition a pressure chamber in which a pressure to discharge a liquid is applied to the liquid, a diaphragm that includes a wall surface that faces the pressure chamber. The pressure chamber is located between the partitioning walls in a second direction. The wall surface of the diaphragm includes a first portion at a first position, and a second portion. A position of the second portion in the first direction is on an opposite side in the first direction with respect to a position of the first portion in the first direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A liquid discharging head comprising: a pressure chamber partitioning portion that includes a plurality of partitioning walls that partition a pressure chamber in which a pressure to discharge a liquid is applied to the liquid; a diaphragm that includes a wall surface that faces the pressure chamber; and a piezoelectric substance, the pressure chamber partitioning portion, the diaphragm, and the piezoelectric substance being provided in order in a first direction, wherein the plurality of partitioning walls include a first partitioning wall and a second partitioning wall, the pressure chamber is located between the first partitioning wall and the second partitioning wall in a second direction that intersects the first direction, the wall surface of the diaphragm includes a first portion at a first position, in which a distance between the first position and the first partitioning wall in the second direction is equivalent to or smaller than a distance between the first position and the second partitioning wall in the second direction, and the wall surface of the diaphragm includes a second portion at a second position between the first position and the first partitioning wall in the second direction, and a position of the second portion in the first direction is on an opposite side in the first direction with respect to a position of the first portion in the first direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein when a thickness is a length in the first direction, a thickness of the diaphragm at the second position is larger than a thickness of the diaphragm at the first position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein when a thickness is a length in the first direction, a thickness of the diaphragm at the second position is smaller than a thickness of the diaphragm at the first position. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein the diaphragm includes, in order in the first direction, an elastic layer and an insulating layer, when a thickness is a length in the first direction, a thickness of the elastic layer at the second position is larger than a thickness of the elastic layer at the first position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The liquid discharging head according to claim 4, wherein a thickness of the insulating layer at the second position is substantially same as a thickness of the insulating layer at the first position. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The liquid discharging head according to claim 4, wherein a position of an end portion of the elastic layer in the first direction and at the second position is substantially same as a position of an end portion of the elastic layer in the first direction and at the first position. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The liquid discharging head according to claim 6, wherein the insulating layer includes a first-insulating-layer thickness portion at the first position and a second-insulating-layer thickness portion at the second position, a position of an end portion of the insulating layer in the first direction and at the second position is substantially same as a position of an end portion of the insulating layer in the first direction and at the first position, and a position of an end portion of the insulating layer on the opposite side in the first direction and at the second position is substantially same as a position of an end portion of the insulating layer on the opposite side in the first direction and at the first position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The liquid discharging head according to claim 4, wherein a position of an end portion of the elastic layer in the first direction and at the second position is on the opposite side in the first direction with respect to a position of an end portion of the elastic layer in the first direction and at the first position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The liquid discharging head according to claim 8, wherein a position of an end portion of the insulating layer in the first direction and at the second position is on the opposite side in the first direction with respect to a position of an end portion of the insulating layer in the first direction and at the first position, and a position of an end portion of the insulating layer on the opposite side in the first direction and at the second position is on the opposite side in the first direction with respect to a position of an end portion of the insulating layer on the opposite side in the first direction and at the first position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The liquid discharging head according to claim 4, wherein a main component of the elastic layer is silicon oxide, and a main component of the insulating layer is zirconium oxide. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric substance exists at the first position and does not exist at the second position. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric substance exists at both the first position and the second position. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The liquid discharging head according to claim 1, further comprising: a first electrode located between the diaphragm and the piezoelectric substance in the first direction; and a second electrode that is on a side opposite the first electrode with respect to the piezoelectric substance, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode exist at the first position, and either one of the first electrode and the second electrode does not exist at the second position. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The liquid discharging head according to claim 1, wherein the first position is positioned at a middle between the first partitioning wall and the second partitioning wall in the second direction, and the second position is a position corresponding to an edge portion of the pressure chamber in the second direction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The liquid discharging head according to claim 14, wherein the wall surface of the diaphragm further includes a third portion at a third position between the first position and the second partitioning wall in the second direction, and a position of the third portion in the first direction is on the opposite side in the first direction with respect to the first portion. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A liquid discharging apparatus comprising: a liquid discharging head according to claim 1; and a control portion that controls an operation of discharging the liquid from the liquid discharging head. ### Claim 17 A method of manufacturing a liquid discharging head including a pressure chamber partitioning portion that includes a plurality of partitioning walls that partition a pressure chamber in which a pressure to discharge a liquid is applied to the liquid, a diaphragm that includes a wall surface that faces the pressure chamber, and a piezoelectric substance, the pressure chamber partitioning portion, the diaphragm, and the piezoelectric substance being provided in order in a first direction, in which the plurality of partitioning walls include a first partitioning wall and a second partitioning wall, the pressure chamber is located between the first partitioning wall and the second partitioning wall in a second direction that intersects the first direction, and the wall surface of the diaphragm includes a first portion at a first position, in which a distance between the first position and the first partitioning wall in the second direction is equivalent to or smaller than a distance between the first position and the second partitioning wall in the second direction, and a second portion at a second position between the first position and the first partitioning wall in the second direction, the method of manufacturing comprising: an oxide film forming step that forms an oxide film on a surface of the substrate, in which the pressure chamber is formed, so that the oxide film, in the second direction, exists at the first position and does not exist at a position corresponding to the first partitioning wall; a thermal oxidation step that forms a thermal oxide layer, the thermal oxide layer being included in the diaphragm, by performing thermal oxidation on the surface of the substrate on which the oxide film is formed so that a position of the second portion in the first direction is positioned on an opposite side in the first direction with respect to a position of the first portion in the first direction; and a pressure chamber forming step that forms a pressure chamber while leaving behind the thermal oxide layer on the substrate on which the thermal oxide layer is formed. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of manufacturing according to claim 17, wherein the oxide film forming step includes, a pre-thermal oxidation step that forms the thermal oxide film by performing thermal oxidation on the surface of the substrate, and a thermal oxide film patterning step that forms the oxide film so that the oxide film, in the second direction, is removed at a position corresponding to the first partitioning wall and remains at the first position. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of manufacturing according to claim 17, wherein the wall surface of the diaphragm further includes a third portion at a third position between the first position and the second partitioning wall in the second direction, in the oxide film forming step, the oxide film is formed so that, in the second direction, the oxide film does not exist on the surface of the substrate at a position corresponding to the second partitioning wall, and in the thermal oxidation step, the thermal oxide layer is formed so that, in the second direction, the third portion is positioned on the opposite side in the first direction with respect to the first portion.