Abstract: A method of producing a micro structure on a substrate which has a support portion and a plate-like portion supported thereby at a distance from the substrate, comprising the steps of forming a spacer layer consisting of an insulating material on a substrate having an electrically conductive layer formed on its surface, forming a latent image layer consisting of an electrically conductive material on the spacer layer at a site where the plate-like portion of an intended structure is to be formed, producing an aperture, where a part of the electrically conductive layer is exposed, on the spacer layer at a site where the supporting portion of an intended structure is to be formed, forming a structure layer consisting of plating film inside of the aperture and on the latent image layer by electroplating the electrically conductive layer as a cathode, and removing the spacer layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing ink jet recording heads includes the steps of forming a film of a first inorganic material in the form of ink flow path pattern using a soluble first inorganic material on the substrate having ink-discharge, pressure-generating elements formed thereon, forming a film of a second inorganic material becoming ink flow walls on the film of the first inorganic material using the second inorganic material, forming ink-discharge openings on the film of the second inorganic material above the ink-discharge, pressure-generating elements, and eluting the film of the first inorganic material.

Abstract: There is disclosed a substrate for use in an ink jet recording head, comprising on a base member an insulating film comprising an insulating material, a bubble-generating heater for generating heat required for bubble generation in ink, and a preheating heater for generating heat to be applied to a recording head for effecting recording on a recording medium, wherein the preheating heater is provided in a layer lower than that of the bubble-generating heater with interposition of the insulating film.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head by combining each of the processes to fabricate a heater board comprises (I) the first step of patterning a resistive layer on a substrate, (II) the second step of laminating a first protection layer and patterning the protection layer to form a groove by removing an area for wiring electrode layers to be formed later, (III) the third step of laminating a layer formed by material for use of the wiring electrode layers, (IV) the forth step of continuously giving heat treatment to the surface of the substrate, while the surface is not allowed to be exposed to the air outside, to enable the layer formed by the material of the wiring electrode layers to flow into only the groove on the first protection layer provided in the first step, and making the surface flat, as a result of which, a pair of electrode layers are formed to enable the resistive layer between them to be constituted as the heat generating unit and (V) the fifth step of forming a second protecti

Abstract: Upon executing printing by latching an input digital image signal temporarily stored in a shift register (502) by a latch circuit (501), and energizing and driving a heater (401) using a power transistor (410) using an nMOSFET on the basis of the latched image signal, a voltage converter (111) boosts a voltage representing the ON state of the latched digital signal, and applies the boosted voltage to the power transistor (410).

Abstract: A substrate, for use in a liquid discharge head for discharging liquid by applying thermal energy thereto, is provided with a heat generating member for applying the thermal energy to the liquid and a movable member so positioned as to be opposed to the heat generating member, to be fixed at the upstream side in the flowing direction of the liquid and to have a free end at the downstream end. Two wiring layers for applying a voltage to the heat generating member are provided in a superposed manner with an interlayer insulation layer therebetween and are mutually connected electrically via a through-hole. The through-hole is provided in a position different from the boundary between a fixing portion and a movable portion of the movable member.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head having a plurality of ejection outlets for ejecting liquid; a first substrate and a second substrate for constituting a plurality of liquid flow paths in fluid communication with the ejection outlets, respectively when combined with each other; a plurality of energy conversion elements disposed in the liquid flow paths, respectively to convert electrical energy to ejection energy for the liquid in the liquid flow paths; a plurality of elements or electric circuits having different functions for controlling driving conditions of the energy conversion elements; wherein the elements and electric circuits are provided either on the first substrate or the second substrate, depending on their functions.

Abstract: A substrate having plural recording elements and electrical leads for supplying electric signals to the recording elements includes electrical contacts for external electrical connection for reception of image signals used for driving the recording elements; and a processing circuit for converting signals which are serially supplied to the connecting contact to parallel signals to be applied to the recording elements.

Abstract: A method of producing an ink jet head valve for an ink jet head having a discharge port for discharging ink, an ink flow path communicated with said discharge port and an electrothermal converting member used as an energy generating means for discharging ink into said ink flow path, comprises the step of producing said ink jet head valve by a metal CVD process.

Abstract: A printhead compatible with various printers, e.g. a printer having low print density or a printer having high print density, enables printing in the best capability of the printer. The printhead comprises: a determination circuit 24 which determines a type of a printer incorporating the printhead, and switches SW1 and SW2 which select a method of driving the printhead according to in the printer, on the basis of the determination result by the determination circuit 24. When the printhead is installed in the printer capable of printing at 360 dpi, four print dots printed at 720 dpi substantially express one dot printed at 360 dpi. Meanwhile, when the printhead is installed in the printer capable of printing at 720 dpi, one print dot expresses one dot printed at 720 dpi.

Abstract: A liquid discharging head has at least a discharge port for discharging liquid therefrom, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port to supply the liquid to the discharge port, a substrate provided with a heating member for creating a bubble in the liquid filling the liquid flow path, and a movable member having a movable portion having its free end at the discharge port side and provided at a location facing the heating member of the substrate with a gap with respect to the substrate, a supported and fixed portion supported on and fixed to the substrate, and a supporting portion provided near the supported and fixed portion of the movable portion. The free end of the movable member is displaced toward the discharge port side about the fulcrum portion of the movable member by pressure produced by the bubble being created to thereby discharge the liquid from the discharge port.

Abstract: Provided are a recording head, recording apparatus, recording method, and recording head which are cartridge using the recording head, capable of correcting the offset of recording dot position in the direction of movement of the recording head, with a simple structure. A plurality of columns of image data corresponding to the plurality of recording devices relating to recording is held and image data corresponding to the column to be recorded is selected from this held image data and recording is thus performed, so that the driving column and recording column can be changed for each nozzle. Consequently, positional offset of dots can be adjusted for each nozzle.

Abstract: A printhead, constructed with a plurality of common-type element substrates which sandwich a connecting board, which performs printing by utilizing a common-type control signal. The element substrate integrates: a plurality of heaters 101 which are arrayed in one line, power transistors 102, a shift register 104, a latch circuit 117, an AND circuit 119, terminals 114 to 116 for inputting block-selection signals, a terminal 120 for inputting an inverse instruction signal which instructs to invert the block selection signal, a block inverter 121 for inverting the block-selection signal in accordance with the inverse instruction signal, and a 3 to 8 decoder 118 for selecting one of a plurality of blocks. By utilizing a printhead where at least two of the element substrate are arranged opposite to each other, and where plural arrays of printing elements are formed, printing is performed by dividing a plurality of printing elements into a plurality of blocks and time-divisionally driving each block.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a liquid discharge head comprising a discharge port for discharging liquid, a liquid flow path provided with a bubble generation means for generating bubbles in liquid and communicated with the discharge port, and a movable member provided facing said bubble generation means in said liquid flow path and having a free end on a downstream side toward the discharge port, a first surface provided with the bubble generation means being continued to at least one second surface of the side wall surface of said liquid flow path and the front end surface having the opening of the discharge port with a curved surface, the first surface being one of surfaces forming the liquid flow path.

Abstract: A substrate is formed for use of an ink jet recording head provided with a plurality in heat generating members for generating thermal energy to be utilized for discharging ink, an interlayer film arranged for the lower layer of each of said heat generating members, and a protection layer for protecting said heat generating member. Each of the heat generating members of the substrate is structured by metal and insulator, and at the same time, the rate of metal content in the vicinity of the interfaces of the heat generating member becomes smaller than that in the center of the heat generating member in the film thickness direction thereof. With the structure of such member thus arranged, it is made possible to prevent or suppress interlayer peelings and cracks from taking place in each of the heat generating resistive layers where temperature changes are made intensely due to thermal cycle.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording head comprises a plurality of liquid flow paths having discharge openings for discharging an ink, and a plurality of thermoelectric transducers provided for each liquid flow path in order to discharge the ink, wherein, a frontward thermoelectric transducer located on the discharge opening side is so provided that, when the ink is discharged by the frontward thermoelectric transducer alone, a value of (discharge velocity v/discharge quantity Vd) with respect to a distance OH extending from an end of its discharge opening side to the discharge opening is at a distance OH of the first region in a regional classification into a first region in which the value of v/Vd increases with a decrease in the distance OH and a second region in which it comes to be substantially constant with an increase in the distance OH.

Abstract: A liquid jet element substrate having a plurality of ejection energy generating elements for generating ejection energy for ejecting liquid, arranged in an array in a direction at predetermined intervals, wherein an interval between the ejection energy generating element at an end, in the direction of the array, and the ejection energy generating element adjacent thereto is smaller than an interval between adjacent central ejection energy generating elements.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a liquid ejection portion having an ejection outlet for ejecting ink; and a recording head having a substrate on which are provided an electrothermal transducer for generating heat for the ejection of ink supplied to the ejection portion, at least one functional device electrically connected to the electrothermal transducer, and a laminate. The structure of at least a part of the laminate is identical with the structure of the functional devices and the laminate is useable as a reserve functional device. Such construction of the recording head makes it possible to change the function thereof easily, and, can be copied flexibly with change of design. A portion of the functional device can be formed in a U shape.

Abstract: A method for producing a substrate for an ink jet recording head comprises preparing a substrate with plural heat generating resistors for applying heat to the ink, plural wirings electrically connected thereto, and plural heat generating areas formed by the heat generating resistors exposed from the wirings, coating the heat generating resistors and the wirings on the substrate with a first insulating protective film, removing the first insulating protective film by wet etching in portions on the heat generating areas, and coating thus etched first insulating protective film with a second insulating protective film, wherein the etched portion of the first insulating protective film, in the longitudinal direction of the heat generating area, is positioned inside from the end of the heat generating area, by at least 1/2 of the thickness of the first and second insulating protective films covering the wirings.

Abstract: A head for an ink jet recording apparatus including: an electro-thermal transducer for generating thermal energy for use to discharge ink; and a circuit portion electrically connected to the electro-thermal transducer, wherein the circuit portion has a first conductive layer, an insulating layer disposed on the first conductive layer, and a second conductive layer disposed on the insulating layer, and an opening portion of the insulating layer is filled with a conductor formed by a selective deposition method so that the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are connected to each other.