Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tohoku University

Akira Shimofuku

Osamu Machida

Atsushi Takeuchi

Yoshikazu Akiyama

Ryo Tashiro

Yasuhiro Watanabe

Keiji Ueda

Ryoh Tashiro

Eiichi Ohta

Takakazu Kihira

Yuki Nakamura

Katsuyuki Yamada

Makoto Harigaya

Nobuaki Onagi

Kazunori Ito

Hajime Yuzurihara

Eiko Hibino

Hiroko Ohkura

Takashi Shibaguchi

Shinya Narumi

Noriyuki Iwata

Keishi Miwa

Katsuhiko Tani

Xianfeng Chen

Masahiro Ishimori

Kenichi Ogata

Takuma Hirabayashi

Shuya Abe

Akira Watanabe

A piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric element substrate including a diaphragm, multiple piezoelectric elements each including: a first electrode on the diaphragm, a piezoelectric layer on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the piezoelectric layer, a metal wiring layer on the second electrode, the metal wiring layer including wiring patterns coupled to the multiple piezoelectric elements, and a subframe bonded to a bonding region of the piezoelectric element substrate via adhesive, wherein the subframe has a recess facing the wiring patterns in the bonding region.

Piezoelectric actuator, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, and liquid discharge apparatus

A piezoelectric element substrate is provided. The piezoelectric element substrate includes: a substrate member; a plurality of piezoelectric elements on the substrate member; a plurality of wiring patterns on one side of the substrate member on which the plurality of piezoelectric elements is disposed; and a bonding pattern in a region different from the wiring patterns on the one side of the substrate member. Each of the piezoelectric elements includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric body, and a second electrode. The wiring patterns are connected to the corresponding piezoelectric elements. The bonding pattern is to be bonded to another substrate directly or via an insulating film, and is made of a metal layer having a plurality of slots.

Piezoelectric element substrate, bonded substrate, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge unit, and liquid discharge apparatus

An electromechanical transducer element includes a first electrode on a substrate, an electromechanical transducer film on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the electromechanical transducer film. The electromechanical transducer film includes a thin line pattern. The thin line pattern includes a plurality of thin lines that are spaced away from each other.

Electromechanical transducer element, method of producing the element, liquid discharge head incorporating the element, and liquid discharge apparatus incorporating the head

A functional ink that includes a precursor sol-gel solution and a solvent is provided. The precursor sol-gel solution is used for forming an oxide dielectric film having a perovskite structure represented by a general formula ABO, and has been subjected to a partial hydrolysis process in which a viscosity change resulting from the partial hydrolysis process is controlled to be less than or equal to 50%, and water contained in the precursor sol-gel solution is controlled to be greater than or equal to 0.50 times and less than or equal to 10 times by molar ratio with respect to a B site atom contained in the precursor sol-gel solution. The functional ink has a metal oxide concentration and a viscosity that renders the functional ink suitable for being discharged from a nozzle of a liquid droplet discharge apparatus included in a thin film fabrication apparatus.

Precursor sol-gel solution, electromechanical transducer element, liquid droplet discharge head, and inkjet recording apparatus

A PZT precursor solution is used for forming a PZT film by a sol-gel method. The PZT precursor solution includes a solvent; a component that forms a crystal of PZT by crystallization, the component being dissolved in the solvent; and an element that inhibits crystal growth of PZT, the element being dissolved in the solvent.

PZT precursor solution, method for producing PZT precursor solution, method for producing PZT film, method for producing electromechanical transducer element, and method for producing liquid discharge head

Disclosed is a method of fabricating an electromechanical transducer film. The method includes treating a surface of a first electrode to be liquid-repellent, the first electrode being formed on one surface of a substrate, irradiating the surface of the first liquid-repellent electrode with an energy ray while moving an irradiation position in accordance with a shape of the electromechanical transducer film to be formed and a shape of an alignment mark to be formed, and forming the alignment mark by applying an application liquid to an area including a portion irradiated with the energy ray in accordance with the shape of the alignment mark in the irradiating step, the application liquid being applied by an inkjet method.

Fabrication method of electromechanical transducer film, electromechanical transducer element, liquid ejection head, and inkjet recording apparatus

An electro-mechanical transducer element is disclosed. The electro-mechanical transducer element includes a first electrode formed on a substrate; an electro-mechanical transducer film formed on at least a part of the first electrode; and a second electrode formed on at least a part of the electro-mechanical transducer film. In at least one cross section of the electro-mechanical transducer film, a film thickness distribution shape is convex to the second electrode side.

Electro-mechanical transducer element, liquid droplet ejecting head, image forming apparatus, and electro-mechanical transducer element manufacturing method

A method of fabricating an electromechanical transducer film includes applying a precursor solution on a support substrate, heating the substrate at a first temperature to form a ceramic thin-film in amorphous state, applying a sol-gel solution onto the ceramic thin-film, and heating the ceramic thin-film at a second temperature to form an electromechanical transducer thin-film in amorphous state. The method further includes heating the ceramic and transducer thin-films at a third temperature to thermally decompose an organic substance in the sol-gel solution and form a unitary thin-film, processing the unitary thin-film to form a patterned unitary thin-film, modifying an area on which the patterned film is not formed, discharging the sol-gel solution onto a surface of the patterned film by a liquid discharge head to apply the sol-gel solution to the surface of the patterned film, and heating the patterned film at a fourth temperature to crystallize the patterned film.

Fabrication method of electromechanical transducer film, fabrication method of electromechanical transducer element, electromechanical transducer element, liquid ejection head, and image forming apparatus

A method of manufacturing a metal oxide film is disclosed. The method includes the steps of soaking a substrate on which the metal oxide film is formed in a precursor solution for forming the metal oxide film; and irradiating and scanning a light, the light being collected at an interface between the substrate and the precursor solution, wherein the light is transmitted through the precursor solution, and the metal oxide film is formed on the substrate.

Manufacturing method of and manufacturing apparatus for metal oxide film

A method of making a liquid discharge head which includes a nozzle to discharge liquid, a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle, a pressure chamber substrate to form surfaces of the pressure chamber, and a piezoelectric actuator to apply pressure to liquid in the pressure chamber having a lower electrode, a ferroelectric film, and an upper electrode, includes a silicon wafer supplying process, a position adjustment process, a surface treatment process to reform a surface of the lower electrode, a liquid applying process to apply ferroelectric precursor on the lower electrode by an inkjet method, a heating process to heat the ferroelectric precursor film, and a cooling process. A series of processes from the position adjustment process to the cooling process is iterated to form a ferroelectric film having a predetermined thickness. The series of processes is performed with certain waiting times inserted between key processes.

Method of making liquid discharge head, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge apparatus having liquid discharge head, and manufacturing apparatus of liquid discharge head

Disclosed is an electromechanical transducer film forming method including a surface modification process; an application process; and processes of drying, thermally decomposing, and crystallizing sol-gel solution applied to a portion of a surface of a first electrode. An electromechanical transducer film is formed on a desired pattern area on the surface of the first electrode by repeating the above processes. In the application process, each of dots of the sol-gel solution applied by the inkjet method drops onto both a first area inside the desired pattern area and a second area outside the desired pattern area. The first area is a hydrophilic area on the surface of the first electrode, and the second area is a hydrophobic area on the surface of the first electrode. The hydrophilic area and the hydrophobic area have been modified by the surface modification process.

Method of forming electromechanical transducer film, electromechanical transducer film, electromechanical transducer element, and liquid discharge head

An actuator includes a base member and an electro-mechanical transducer element including a first electrode, an electro-mechanical transducer film, and a second electrode. Further, the base member includes a thin wall part having a concave shape, the electro-mechanical transducer film is formed in a manner such that a film thickness of the electro-mechanical transducer film is gradually reduced from a center part of the electro-mechanical transducer film to both end parts of the electro-mechanical transducer film in at least one direction crossing a film thickness direction of the electro-mechanical transducer film.

Actuator, method of manufacturing the actuator, and liquid droplet ejecting head, liquid droplet ejecting apparatus, and image forming apparatus having the actuator

Disclosed is an electromechanical transducer element including a first electrode disposed on a substrate; an electromechanical transducer film disposed on a first portion of the first electrode; and a second electrode disposed on a second portion of the electromechanical transducer film, wherein an actuator portion formed by laminating the substrate, the first electrode, the electromechanical transducer film, and the second electrode has a stiffness such that, in a cross section of the actuator portion, the stiffness gradually increases from an end portion of the actuator portion to a center portion of the actuator portion.

Electromechanical transducer element, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, and image forming apparatus

A thin film forming apparatus which automatically forms, on an electrode layer formed on a substrate, a functional thin film which is crystallized from a precursor layer is disclosed, including a water-repellant film forming unit which forms, on a region other than a region on which is to be formed the functional thin film on the electrode layer, a water-repellant film which includes a self-assembled monolayer; an inkjet coating unit which coats, on the region on which is to be formed the functional thin film on the electrode layer, the precursor layer by an inkjet method; and a controller which controls, to within a predetermined time, a time from forming the water-repellant film with the water-repellant film forming unit to coating the precursor layer with the inkjet coating unit.

Thin film forming apparatus, thin film forming method, electro-mechanical transducer element, liquid ejecting head, and inkjet recording apparatus

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an electromechanical transducer element including a first process of hydrophobizing a first area of an electrode by forming a self-assembled monolayer film; a second process of applying a sol-gel solution onto a predetermined second area of the electrode so as to produce a complex oxide; a third process of producing the complex oxide by calcining the electrode; a fourth process of acid-washing the electrode on which the complex oxide has been produced; a fifth process of hydrophobizing the first area of the acid-washed electrode by forming the self-assembled monolayer film; a sixth process of applying the sol-gel solution onto the predetermined second area; and a seventh process of producing the complex oxide by calcining the electrode.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Akira Shimofuku