Tdk Corporation

Tsukimi Endo

Masatoshi Nakayama

Masahiro Nakano

A method of producing a wear-resistant protective film for a thermal head comprises depositing a wear-resistant protective film by sputtering on a thermal head which includes a substrate, and a heat-developing layer and a pair of electrodes formed on either the substrate or a heat-regenerative layer formed thereon. A layer of the wear resistant protective film is formed under a RF larger bias and another layer without a bias or with a smaller bias. Good step coverage is obtained by the RF sputter layer of the wear-resistant and the protective film prevents the intrusion of water that can cause cracking, and the layer formed under no or smaller bias reduces internal stresses and inhibits the development of cracks due to internal stresses as well as the cracking by RF sputtering.

Thermal head having wear-resistant protective film

Method of producing protected thermal head

A wear-resistant protective film for thermal printing heads comprising Si, O, and N as principal constituent elements, contains additionally at least one alkaline earth metal selected from the group consisting of Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra. Preferably, the film has a composition SiM.sub.x O.sub.y N.sub.z in which M stands for an alkaline earth metal, x is 0.01-0.5, y is 0.1-2.0, and z is 0.2-1.8.

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Chuo-ku, Japan

Tsukimi Endo