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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969651-B2
Application number	US-201715695769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2017
Priority date	Apr 23, 2014
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

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 3 , 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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A functional ink comprising:
a precursor sol-gel solution used for forming an oxide dielectric film having a perovskite structure represented by a general formula ABO 3 ; and
a solvent,
wherein the precursor sol-gel solution 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, and
wherein 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.

2. The functional ink as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
an A site atom corresponding to lead (Pb) and the B site atom corresponding to at least one of zirconium (Zr) and titanium (Ti).

3. The functional ink as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a concentration of solids dispersed in the functional ink is 0.25 mol/liter.

4. An electromechanical transducer film used in an inkjet head, the electromechanical transducer film being fabricated by a cycle of processes using the functional ink as claimed in claim 1 .

5. The electromechanical transducer film as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the cycle of processes includes
a self-assembled monolayer formation process;
an ink application process;
a heat treatment process; and
a crystallization process, wherein the above processes are repeated a plurality of times.

Assignees

• Takeuchi Atsushi
• Machida Osamu
• Shimofuku Akira
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takeuchi Atsushi
• Machida Osamu
• Shimofuku Akira

Classifications

• F04B19/006

  Micropumps (F04B43/043 and F04B43/095 take precedence) · CPC title

• C04B35/472 Primary

  based on lead titanates · CPC title

• C23C18/1254

  Sol or sol-gel processing · CPC title

• G02B26/0858

  the reflecting means being moved or deformed by piezoelectric means · CPC title

• C23C18/1283

  Control of temperature, e.g. gradual temperature increase, modulation of temperature · CPC title