JPH0712706B2 - Method for manufacturing electrostatic latent image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device that modulates an ion current to form an electrostatic latent image on a dielectric.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, the principle of electrostatic recording using an ion stream will be described with reference to FIG. 8. Ions generated in the electrostatic recording head 11 form an electrostatic latent image 13 on the recording medium on the surface of the rotating drum 12, A developer such as toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image 13 by the developing device 14 to form a toner image 15, and the toner image 15 is transferred to the recording sheet 17 at the transfer section 16 to perform electrostatic recording. . Then, after the charge of the recording medium is removed by the charge removing unit 18, the remaining developer is removed by the toner removing unit 19 to prepare for the next recording.

Conventionally, as the ion flow generation method in the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus, the pin-shaped electrodes are arranged in a line and brought into contact with the dielectric,
A direct electrostatic recording method is known in which a direct discharge is generated between the dielectric and the dielectric, but the gap between the electrode and the dielectric must be maintained with high accuracy, and the discharge cannot be stabilized. There was a defect that the electrodes were worn out.

Various indirect electrostatic recording methods are known to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks. For example, FIG. 9 shows a system proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-101863, in which a corona ion generator 11 is used.
Has a corona wire 21 built in a shield 20, and a common electrode 22 is provided below the ion generator 11 with an insulating layer 23 interposed therebetween.
a and a control electrode 22b are provided, and ions generated in the ion generator 11 are led out from the ion passage hole 24 to charge the dielectric 25 in accordance with the electric field strength between the common electrode 22a and the control electrode 22b. Is.

FIG. 10 shows a method proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 132571/1983, in which the discharge electrodes 27a and 27b are formed on one surface of the insulating substrate 26.
Are arranged to face each other, and an accelerating electrode 28 is provided on the other surface of the insulating substrate 26, and voltage pulses having different polarities are applied between the discharge electrodes 27a and 27b, thereby causing discharge to generate positive and negative. Are generated, the ions are derived in response to a voltage pulse to the acceleration electrode 28, and the dielectric 25 is charged with positive or negative ions.

Further, FIG. 11 shows a method proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,257, in which a drive electrode 31 and a control electrode are sandwiched with a dielectric material 30 in between.
32 is formed, and further, the common electrode 34 is formed via the insulating layer 33. The drive electrode 31 and the control electrode 32 are arranged in a matrix so that the directions thereof are different from each other, and the insulating layer 33 and the common electrode 34 are provided with a plurality of openings 35 and 36 corresponding to the matrix. And a plurality of drive electrodes
By selectively applying an AC voltage between the control electrode 32 and the control electrode 32, positive and negative ions are generated in the vicinity of the control electrode 32 corresponding to the selected portion of the matrix, and between the control electrode 32 and the common electrode 34. Positive or negative ions depending on the polarity of the bias voltage are extracted from the openings 35 and 36 to perform electrostatic recording.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in the method of discharging with the wire shown in FIG. 9 described above, since the ions generated by the corona discharge are far to the opening area, they are almost absorbed by the shield 20, and the ions passing through the aperture electrodes 22a and 22b are absorbed. There is a problem that the flow is small and the utilization efficiency of ions is poor.

Further, in the method of discharging by the electrode shown in FIG. 10, since the electrode is exposed, it is easy to leak, and because the electrode is directly discharged, the electrode is easily damaged, and the number of electrodes is large. There is a problem that it is difficult to achieve high density or wiring.

Further, in the example in FIG. 11, although the above-mentioned problems are relatively small, matrix driving is indispensable,
When a latent image is formed on one line, data rearrangement and alignment are required, and it is difficult to increase the speed.
As a result, there is a problem that a complicated control circuit is required and the device becomes large.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the applicant has a group of electrodes arranged independently of each other on a base body, and a common electrode opposed to the group of electrodes with an insulating layer interposed therebetween. We have separately applied for an electrostatic latent image forming device having an opening in the insulating layer, and this makes it possible to achieve high ion utilization efficiency, stable discharge, high speed and high density. There is.

However, in the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus, high precision is required for the positional accuracy of the opening, the discharge region and the independent electrode, and even when the common electrode or the insulating layer in which the opening is formed in advance is bonded together. High-precision alignment is required, and there is a problem in that the adhesive may stick out and block the opening during bonding.

The present invention solves this problem and does not require highly precise alignment between the electrode and the opening, and is capable of reliably forming the opening. The purpose is to provide.

[Means for solving problems]

Therefore, the method of manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus of the present invention has a group of electrodes arranged independently of each other on the substrate, and a common electrode facing the group of electrodes with an insulating layer interposed therebetween,
In an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus having an opening in the common electrode and an insulating layer, an independent electrode group is formed on a base, and the electrode group and the base are covered with an insulating layer, and then common on the insulating layer. It is characterized in that an electrode layer is formed, and then a perforation step is performed to form the opening.

[Action]

In the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG.
(A) As shown in the figure, the electrode layer 2 is formed on the substrate 1,
Next, a resist layer is applied (b), exposed with a photomask having a desired pattern (c), the resist layer in the exposed portion is removed (d), and then etching is performed to form independent electrodes 2a, 2b, Are formed (e), then the insulating layer 3 is formed (f), then the common electrode layer 4 is formed on the insulating layer 3 (g), and a resist layer is further applied on this (g). h), exposing with a mask (i), removing unnecessary resist material (j), and then performing an etching process to perforate the common electrode layer 4 and the insulating layer 3 to form an opening 5 (k). ), And finally, the resist material is removed to obtain an electrostatic latent image forming device.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First
1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electrode portion in FIG. 1,
3 and 4 are sectional views showing another embodiment of the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 5 is one embodiment of the method for manufacturing the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIGS. 6 and 7 are views for explaining another embodiment of the method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a substrate, 2 is an electrode layer, 2a to 2d are electrodes, 3 is an insulating layer, 4 is a common electrode, 5 is an opening, 6 is a base layer, 7 is a dielectric layer, 8 and 9 are DC power supplies, 10 Indicates an AC power supply.

In FIG. 1, electrodes 2a independent from each other are formed on the substrate 1.
2b, 2c, 2d, ... Are arranged in parallel, and the electrodes 2a to 2d
Is covered with an insulating layer 3, a common electrode 4 is arranged on the insulating layer 3, and an opening 5 is formed in the common electrode 4 so as to face each other between the electrodes 2a to 2d. There is. Also,
A dielectric layer 7 is formed on the base layer 6, the dielectric layer 7 is disposed to face the common electrode 4, and the base layer 6 is formed.
Is grounded. On the other hand, a bias voltage is applied to the common electrode 4 from the DC power source 8 and, for example, the electrode 2a
A DC voltage is applied to the electrode 2b by the DC power supply 9, and an AC voltage multiplied by the DC voltage is applied to the electrode 2b by the AC power supply 10.

FIG. 3 shows another example of the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus.
In the drawing (a), of the adjacent electrodes 2a to 2d, every other electrode is covered with the insulating layer 3, and the other electrodes omit the insulating layer in the portion facing the adjacent electrode. In the diagram (b), the insulating layer is coated only on one side of the adjacent electrodes 2a to 2d, and the electrodes are exposed on the other side. In any case, one of the adjacent electrodes
It suffices if at least one of the sets is insulation-coated.

FIG. 4 shows still another example, in which a portion near the electrode 2b is covered with an insulating layer 3a having excellent ion resistance and ozone resistance, and a common insulating layer 3b is provided between the electrode 2b and the common electrode 4. That is, by separately using the function as the insulating layer, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The operation of the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus having the above structure will be described. In the voltage application state of FIG. 1, an alternating electric field is formed in the discharge region A between the electrodes 2a and 2b, and air breakdown or A creeping discharge is generated and ions are generated. The generated ions are discharged from the discharge region A to the outside through the opening 5 of the common electrode 4 by the electric field formed between the electrodes 2a and 2b independent of the common electrode 4, and the extracted ions are collected. Is accelerated by an electric field formed between the dielectric layer 7 and the base layer 6 and reaches the surface of the dielectric layer 7 to form an electrostatic latent image.

According to the above-mentioned electrostatic latent image forming apparatus, since the discharge is performed between the electrodes through the insulating layer, the utilization efficiency of the ions is high, and abnormal discharge such as leakage between the electrodes is prevented, and stable discharge is obtained. You can Further, it is not necessary to form a matrix for printing, and one-line printing can be performed at a high speed. Further, since the electrode groups are arranged in parallel, the manufacturing is simple, the number of electrodes is small, the wiring is easy, and the density can be increased. further,
Compared to the direct electrostatic recording method, there is no need to maintain a narrow gap between the electrode and the dielectric, and there is less wear of the electrode.

Next, the manufacturing method of the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 5. First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the electrode layer 2 is formed on the substrate 1. This may be done by sticking a conductor foil or by a method such as screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering or the like. Next, a resist layer is applied (b), exposed with a photomask having a desired pattern (c), and then the resist layer in the exposed portion is removed (d). In this example, a positive type is shown, but a negative type may be used. Then, etching is performed to form the independent electrodes 2a, 2b, ... (E), and then the insulating layer 3 is formed (F). This may be formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering or the like, but a material that can withstand discharge, such as alumina or an inorganic material, is selected and formed. Next, the common electrode layer 4 is formed on the insulating layer 3 in the same manner as described above (g), and a resist layer is further applied on this (h), and exposure is performed with a mask (i). The resist material is removed (j). Then, an etching process is performed to perforate the common electrode layer 4 and the insulating layer 3 to form an opening 5 (k). In this etching process, the common electrode layer 4
It is desirable to separately perform the etching of 1 and the etching of the insulating layer 3 by changing the etching solution. Finally, the resist material is removed to obtain an electrostatic latent image forming device.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, (j) of FIG.
The steps up to are the same, and thereafter, only the common electrode 4 is etched (a), and then the common electrode 4 is used as a resist to etch the insulating layer 3 to form the opening 5 (b). .

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
An electrode is formed on the substrate 1 by the steps (a) to (g) of FIG.
After forming 2a, 2b, the insulating layer 3 and the common electrode 4 (a), a desired opening 5 is perforated by laser light (b),
(C) An electrostatic latent image forming device as shown in the figure is obtained.

In the above manufacturing method, an electrostatic latent image forming device in which both sides of the electrodes 2a and 2b are insulation-coated is manufactured,
You may make it form the insulating coating of the electrode as shown in FIG. Further, the electrostatic latent image forming device shown in FIG. 4 can be manufactured by the same manufacturing method.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, an independent electrode group is formed on a substrate, the electrode group and the substrate are covered with an insulating layer, and then a common electrode layer is formed on the insulating layer. Since the common electrode and the opening of the insulating layer are perforated almost at the same time, the alignment of the electrode and the opening can be performed with high accuracy, and since the opening of the opening is not blocked by the protruding adhesive,
The opening can be surely formed.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electrode portion in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus applied, FIG. 5 is a view for explaining one embodiment of the method for manufacturing the electrostatic latent image forming apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of the method for manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the electrostatic latent image forming device, and FIG. ,
10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining a conventional electrostatic latent image forming device. 1 ... Substrate, 2 ... Electrode layer, 2a-2d ... Electrode, 3 ... Insulating layer, 4 ... Common electrode, 5 ... Opening, 6 ... Base layer, 7 ...
… Dielectric layer, 8, 9… DC power supply, 10… AC power supply.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A static electrode having an electrode group arranged independently of each other on a substrate, a common electrode facing the electrode group with an insulating layer interposed therebetween, and having an opening in the common electrode and the insulating layer. In the latent electrostatic image forming apparatus, an independent electrode group is formed on a substrate, the electrode group and the substrate are covered with an insulating layer, a common electrode layer is formed on the insulating layer, and then a perforation step is performed. And forming the opening by using the above method. 2. The method of manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the independent electrode group is formed by etching. 3. The method of manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the punching step is performed by etching. 4. The method of manufacturing an electrostatic latent image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the perforation step is perforation with a laser beam.