Performance of Plasma-enhanced Sputter-deposited Nickel-3 wt% Vanadium Alloy Mask Cathode Electrode for Electroforming Nickel Thin Film Nozzle Plate of Piezo Ink-jet Printer Head

概要

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A significant increase in the yield of electroformed nickel nozzle plates of piezo ink-jet printer heads was realized by (1) plasma-enhanced sputter deposition of a mckel-3 wt% vanadium alloy cathode electrode onto a Si (100) substrate wafer maintained at 650℃ (2) electroforming nickel nozzle plates on one side of a pre-patterned cathode electrode in a nickel sulfamate bath containing appropriate additives. The electroformed nozzle plates were easily peeled off from the cathode electrode while the cathode electrode adhered quite strongly to the Si (100) wafer substrate. The successful fabrication of the nozzle plates was attributed to (1) compressive stress induced by argon plasmas impinging upon the cathode, (2) improved adhesion of the cathode onto the Si (100) wafer substrate by probable formation at 650℃ of a nonmetallic compound, e.g., nickel silicide at the cathode/substrate wafer interface, and (3) proper selection and control of the most suitable electroforming condition which enabled linear correlation of current densities and compressive stress levels in the electroformed substrate wafers, thereby enabling a wider range of current densities for mass-production of nozzle plates.
社団法人応用物理学会の論文
2002-08-15