| CPC B41J 2/3352 (2013.01) [B41J 2/3351 (2013.01); B41J 2/33515 (2013.01); B41J 2/33525 (2013.01); B41J 2/3353 (2013.01); B41J 2/33535 (2013.01); B41J 2/3354 (2013.01); B41J 2/33545 (2013.01); B41J 2/3355 (2013.01); B41J 2/3357 (2013.01); B41J 2/3359 (2013.01); B41J 2/34 (2013.01); B41J 2/345 (2013.01)] | 24 Claims |
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1. A thermal print head comprising:
a substrate made of a single crystal semiconductor and including an obverse surface facing in one sense of a thickness direction;
a resistive layer supported by the substrate and including a plurality of heat generating parts arranged side by side in a main scanning direction;
a wiring layer supported by the substrate and forming a conductive path to the plurality of heat generating parts;
an insulating layer supported by the substrate; and
a protective layer covering the resistive layer and the wiring layer,
wherein the wiring layer includes a conductive part and a heat generating sub-part for each of the plurality of heat generating parts, the conductive part having a lower resistance value per unit length in a sub-scanning direction than the heat generating part, the heat generating sub-part having a resistance value per unit length in the sub-scanning direction that falls between the respective resistance values of the heat generating part and the conductive part,
the substrate includes a ridge raised from the obverse surface and extending in the main scanning direction,
the heat generating part, the heat generating sub-part and the conductive part are disposed on the ridge,
the heat generating sub-part is located between the heat generating part and the conductive part in the sub-scanning direction,
the ridge includes a top part that is most distant from the obverse surface, an upstream-side first slope connected to the top part on an upstream side in the sub-scanning direction, a downstream-side first slope connected to the top part on a downstream side in the sub-scanning direction, and a downstream-side second slope connected to the downstream-side first slope on an opposite side from the top part in the sub-scanning direction,
the upstream-side first slope and the downstream-side first slope are inclined to the obverse surface at a first inclination angle,
the heat generating part extends from the downstream-side first slope to the top part, and
the insulating layer is in contact with the protective layer above the downstream-side second slope.
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19. A method for manufacturing a thermal print head, comprising:
a substrate preparing step of preparing a substrate made of a single crystal semiconductor;
a substrate processing step of processing the substrate to form an obverse surface facing in one sense of a thickness direction and a ridge that is raised from the obverse surface and extends in a main scanning direction;
a resistive layer forming step of forming a resistive layer that is supported by the substrate and includes a plurality of heat generating parts arranged side by side in the main scanning direction;
an insulating layer preparing step of preparing an insulating layer supported by the substrate;
a wiring layer forming step of forming a wiring layer that is supported by the substrate and forms a conductive path to the plurality of heat generating parts; and
a protective layer preparing step of preparing a protective layer covering the resistive layer and the wiring layer,
wherein the wiring layer includes a conductive part and a heat generating sub-part for each of the plurality of heat generating parts, the conductive part having a lower resistance value per unit length in a sub-scanning direction than the heat generating part, the heat generating sub-part having a resistance value per unit length in the sub-scanning direction that falls between the respective resistance values of the heat generating part and the conductive part,
the heat generating part, the heat generating sub-part and the conductive part are formed on the ridge,
the heat generating sub-part is located between the heat generating part and the conductive part in the sub-scanning direction,
the ridge includes a top part that is most distant from the obverse surface, an upstream-side first slope connected to the top part on an upstream side in the sub-scanning direction, a downstream-side first slope connected to the top part on a downstream side in the sub-scanning direction, and a downstream-side second slope connected to the a downstream-side first slope on an opposite side from the top part in the sub-scanning direction,
the upstream-side first slope and the downstream-side first slope are inclined to the obverse surface at a first inclination angle,
the heat generating part extends from the downstream-side first slope to the top part, and
the insulating layer is in contact with the protective layer on the downstream-side second slope.
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23. A thermal print head comprising:
a substrate made of a single crystal semiconductor and including an obverse surface facing in one sense of a thickness direction;
an insulating layer supported by the substrate;
a resistive layer supported by the substrate and including a plurality of heat generating parts arranged side by side in a main scanning direction; and
a wiring layer supported by the substrate and forming a conductive path to the plurality of heat generating parts,
wherein the substrate includes a ridge raised from the obverse surface and extending in the main scanning direction,
the wiring layer includes a conductive part and a heat generating sub-part for each of the plurality of heat generating parts, the conductive part having a lower resistance value per unit length in a sub-scanning direction than the heat generating part, the heat generating sub-part having a resistance value per unit length in the sub-scanning direction that falls between the respective resistance values of the heat generating part and the conductive part,
the wiring part includes a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer,
the conductive part is formed by a part where the first conductive layer is in contact with the insulating layer,
the heat generating sub-part is formed by a part where the second conductive layer is in contact with the insulating layer,
the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer partially overlap with each other as viewed in the thickness direction,
the entire first conductive layer overlaps with the ridge as viewed in the thickness direction,
the heat generating part, the heat generating sub-part and the conductive part are disposed on the ridge, and
the heat generating sub-part is located between the heat generating part and the conductive part in the sub-scanning direction.
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