Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Satoshi Mizukami

Yoshikazu Akiyama

Takahiko Kuroda

Masaru Shinkai

Naoya Kondo

Masaki Kato

Toshiaki Masuda

Kanshi Abe

Masahiro Ishimori

Tohru Yashiro

Masahiro Hayashi

Yuki Nakamura

Fumiya Ohmi

Yoshihiko Hotta

Takeshi Sano

Kiyoshi Yamaguchi

Osamu Machida

Takakazu Kihira

Keiji Ueda

Ippei Matsumoto

A liquid discharge head is provided that is used in a liquid discharge device. The liquid discharge head includes a flow path forming member that forms a liquid flow path, and a surface treatment film formed on a surface of the flow path forming member. An amount of carbon contained in the surface treatment film is 15 atomic % to 30 atomic %.

Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, liquid discharge apparatus

A piezoelectric element includes an upper electrode, a lower electrode, and a piezoelectric body disposed between the upper electrode and the lower electrode. The piezoelectic body contains lead zirconate titanate. The piezoelectric element also includes a seed layer containing lead disposed between the lower electrode and the piezoelectric body. The seed layer has an amorphous structure at least over an entire surface layer portion on the piezoelectric body side.

An electromechanical transducer includes an electromechanical transducer film of laminated layers including a perovskite-type complex oxide represented by a general formula of ABO; and a pair of electrodes opposed to each other with the electromechanical transducer film interposed between the pair of electrodes. In the general formula of ABO, A includes Pb and B includes Zr and Ti. A variable ratio &#x394;Pb of Pb, determined by Pb(max)&#x2212;Pb(min), is 6% or less and a variable ratio &#x394;Zr of Zr, determined by Zr(max)&#x2212;Zr(min), is 9% or less, where an atomic weight ratio of Pb in the electromechanical transducer film is denoted by Pb/B, an atomic weight ratio of Zr in the electromechanical transducer film is denoted by Zr/B, a maximum value and a minimum value of the atomic weight ratio of Pb in a film thickness direction of the electromechanical transducer film are denoted by Pb(max) and Pb(min), respectively, and a maximum value and a minimum value of the atomic weight ratio of Zr in the film thickness direction of the electromechanical transducer film are denoted by Zr(max) and Zr(min), respectively.

Electromechanical transducer, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge apparatus, and method for manufacturing electromechanical transducer

A liquid discharge head includes a channel forming member made of silicon, the channel forming member including a plurality of liquid channels, a natural oxide film having a film thickness of 2 nm or more on an outermost surface of the plurality of liquid channels of the channel forming member, and a surface treatment film on the natural oxide film to contact the natural oxide film. Each of a carbon content and a fluorine content in an interface between the natural oxide film and the surface treatment film is 5 atomic % or less.

Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, liquid discharge apparatus, method for manufacturing liquid discharge head

A liquid discharge head includes a head substrate and a surface treatment film on a surface of the head substrate. The surface treatment film is an oxide film containing Si. The oxide film contains a transition metal to form a passive film. A content of Si in a vicinity of an interface of the surface treatment film with the head substrate is higher than a content of Si in an inside of the surface treatment film and is 20 at % or more.

Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, and liquid discharge apparatus

An actuator includes a diaphragm, a lower electrode on the diaphragm, an electromechanical transducer film on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode on the electromechanical transducer film. The diaphragm includes a first silicon oxide film having a thickness of 0.5 &#x3bc;m or more, a silicon layer on the first silicon oxide film, a thickness of which is 3 &#x3bc;m or more, and a second silicon oxide film on the silicon layer, a thickness of which is 0.5 &#x3bc;m or more. A volume resistivity of the silicon layer is 10&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm or more and 10&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm or less.

Actuator, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, and liquid discharge apparatus

An electromechanical transducer element including a lower electrode, an electromechanical transducer film and an upper electrode formed on the electromechanical transducer film.

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

A liquid discharge head includes a plurality of nozzles from which a liquid is discharged, a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the plurality of nozzles, respectively, a substrate in which the plurality of pressure chamber is arranged in a predetermined direction, a diaphragm provided on a first side of the substrate opposite a second side of the substrate facing the plurality of nozzles, the diaphragm forming walls of the plurality of pressure chambers, and a plurality of electromechanical transducer elements provided on the diaphragm corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers, respectively. A groove is formed in the substrate on an end side of the plurality of pressure chambers in the predetermined direction, and the groove includes an opening that opens toward a direction opposite to the diaphragm.

An electromechanical-transducing electronic component includes at least one element array of electromechanical transducer elements. A piezoelectric material of each transducer element is made of a composite oxide having a perovskite structure preferentially oriented to at least one of (100) and (001) planes and has a drop of diffraction intensity in a rocking curve corresponding to at least one of (200) and (002) planes measured at a position (2&#x3b8;=&#x3b8;max) of a diffraction peak intensity P where the diffraction intensity is largest in a diffraction intensity peak corresponding to the at least one of the (200) and (002) planes out of diffraction intensity peaks measured by an X-ray diffraction &#x3b8;-2&#x3b8; method. &#x394;P/Pis 20% or less where Prepresents an average of the intensity P in the element array in the piezoelectric material of each transducer element and &#x394;P represents a maximum difference of the intensity P in the array.

Electromechanical-transducing electronic component, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, and liquid discharge apparatus

An electromechanical transducer element includes a lower electrode, an electromechanical transducer film of a piezoelectric material, and an upper electrode which are laminated. A diffraction intensity peak profile of the film obtained by measurement in which a tilt angle is changed in a position where diffraction intensity of a peak profile corresponding to a {200} plane among peak profiles of the film obtained by measurement according to an X-ray diffraction &#x3b8;-2&#x3b8; method is the maximum can be separated into three peak profiles. When peak intensities of the peak profiles are set to peak1, peak2, and peak3 and half-value widths of the peak profiles are set to &#x3c3;1, &#x3c3;2, and &#x3c3;3, a weighted average FWHMstd(&#x3c7;) of the peak intensities using the half-value widths as weights (=(&#x3c3;1&#xd7;peak1+&#x3c3;2&#xd7;peak2+&#x3c3;3&#xd7;peak3)/(peak1+peak2+peak3)) is equal to or less than 12&#xb0;.

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

An electro-mechanical transduction element includes a lower electrode formed above a substrate; an electro-mechanical transduction film which is formed on the lower electrode and includes a perovskite-type crystal containing lead zirconate titanate (PZT); and an upper electrode formed on the electro-mechanical transduction film, wherein, in a state where the electro-mechanical transduction film is not bound by the substrate, a peak position of X-ray diffraction caused by a plane (200) of the electro-mechanical transduction film is 2&#x3b8;=44.45&#xb0; or greater and 44.75&#xb0; or smaller, and a peak of diffraction caused by the plane (200) or a plane (400) of the electro-mechanical transduction film has an asymmetry property.

Electro-mechanical transduction element, manufacturing method of manufacturing electro-mechanical transduction element, droplet discharge head, and droplet discharge device

A liquid discharge head includes a nozzle plate, a substrate, a diaphragm, and a piezoelectric element. The nozzle plate includes a nozzle from which liquid is discharged. The substrate is disposed on the nozzle plate and includes a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle. The diaphragm is disposed on a first side of the substrate opposite a second side of the substrate on which the nozzle plate is disposed, the diaphragm constituting one wall of the pressure chamber. The piezoelectric element is disposed on the diaphragm to deform the diaphragm to discharge liquid in the pressure chamber from the nozzle. The piezoelectric element includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric film, and a second electrode. The first electrode is disposed on the diaphragm. The piezoelectric film is disposed on the first electrode.

An electromechanical transducer element includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and deformable with a voltage applied in accordance with a drive signal. The piezoelectric material is made of a composite oxide having a perovskite structure preferentially oriented in at least one of a (100) plane and a (001) plane. A drop in diffraction intensity is included in a rocking curve corresponding to at least one of a (200) plane and a (002) plane measured at a position of 2&#x3b8; where the diffraction intensity is largest at a peak of diffraction intensity corresponding to the (200) plane out of peaks of diffraction intensity measured by an X-ray diffraction &#x3b8;-2&#x3b8; method.

An electromechanical transducer element includes an electromechanical transducer film formed of PZT, wherein Ti/(Zr+Ti) in the electromechanical transducer film is greater than or equal to 45% and less than or equal to 55%, and wherein, when a total of peak intensity values obtained by &#x3b8;-2&#x3b8; measurement is set to be 1, for an orientation ratio of a (100) plane orientation calculated based on a ratio of the peak intensity value of each orientation, &#x394;&#x3c1;(100) is less than or equal to 5%, wherein &#x394;&#x3c1;(100) is a gradient with respect to the (100) plane orientation in an array direction, and the ratio of each peak intensity value of each orientation is represented by &#x3c1;(hkl)=I(hkl)/&#x3a3;I(hkl), where &#x3c1;(hkl) is a degree of orientation in an (hkl) plane orientation, I(hkl) is the peak intensity value of the orientation, and &#x3a3;I(hkl) is the total of the peak intensity values.

Electromechanical transducer element, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, method for producing electromechanical transducer film, and method for producing liquid discharge head

A PZT-film laminated structure includes a substrate, a lower electrode on the substrate, an orientation control layer on the lower electrode, a PZT layer on the orientation control layer, and an upper electrode on the PZT layer. The PZT layer has a (100) or (001) main orientation in which a peak intensity of PZT (100) or (001) is 90% or greater relative to a peak intensity of all PZT peaks in an X-ray diffraction measurement. A ratio of a total value of a secondary ion intensity of Cl relative to a total value of a secondary ion intensity of Ti in the PZT layer is equal to or smaller than 0.03 when the secondary ion intensity of Cl and the secondary ion intensity of Ti in the PZT layer are measured in a direction of thickness of the PZT layer with a magnetic-field secondary ion mass spectrometry.

PZT-film laminated structure, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, liquid discharge apparatus, and method of making PZT-film laminated structure

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Kanagawa, Japan

Satoshi Mizukami