An object is to improve the structural reliability of a liquid ejection head. To achieve this, a liquid ejection head includes a first substrate having ejection ports, liquid chambers, and energy generation elements, and a second substrate joined to a second surface of the first substrate situated opposite to its first surface. The first substrate includes projecting areas projecting from end portions of the second substrate in a planar direction perpendicular to a first-axis direction (z-axis direction). Terminals to be electrically connected to the energy generation elements are provided at the second surfaces of the projecting areas. A support member 401 is joined to the first surface of the first substrate, has an opening at a position opposed to where the ejection ports are formed, and is fixed to the frame.

There are provided an inkjet head, an inkjet image forming apparatus, a nozzle plate manufacturing method, and an inkjet head manufacturing method capable of improving durability against wiping on an ink discharge surface. The inkjet head includes a nozzle substrate including nozzle holes from which ink is discharged. The nozzle substrate has an irregularity structure formed on an ink discharge surface such that neither ink particles contained in the ink nor a wiping member that wipes the ink discharge surface get caught by the irregularity structure.

There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a head having a nozzle surface and a nozzle opened in the nozzle surface; a cap configured to make contact with the nozzle surface at a covering position and configured to be separated away from the nozzle surface at a retreating position; a liquid channel configured to communicate an internal space of the cap and outside of the cap to each other; a lid member configured to make contact with the cap located at the retreating position so as to seal the internal space of the cap; and a heater which is positioned above the cap located at the retreating position. The lid member is positioned between the heater and the cap in an up-down direction in a state that the lid member seals the internal space of the cap.

A wafer structure is disclosed and includes a chip substrate and at least one inkjet chip having plural ink-drip generators. Each ink-drop generator includes a thermal-barrier layer, a resistance heating layer and a protective layer. The thermal-barrier layer is formed on the chip substrate, the resistance heating layer is formed on the thermal-barrier layer, a part of the protective layer is formed on the resistance heating layer, and the barrier layer is formed on the protective layer. The ink-supply chamber has a bottom in communication with the protective layer, and a top in communication with the nozzle. The thermal-barrier layer has a thickness of 500˜5000 angstroms, the protective layer has a thickness of 150˜3500 angstroms, the resistance heating layer has a thickness of 100˜500 angstroms, the resistance heating layer has a length of 5˜30 microns, and the resistance heating layer has a width of 5˜10 microns.

A liquid ejection head includes a recording element substrate, a flow path member having a common supply flow path and a common collection flow path through which a liquid having a temperature higher than a temperature of the common supply flow path flows, and a support member supporting the flow path member. The common supply flow path and the common collection flow path are formed to extend along a longitudinal direction of the flow path member and be arranged side by side with each other in a lateral direction of the flow path member. The positions of the flow path member in the longitudinal direction and in the lateral direction are defined at a center portion in the longitudinal direction, and at a side surface located on the common supply flow path side in the lateral direction, among side surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction, respectively.

An element substrate used in a liquid discharge head that discharges liquid to a recording material includes a substrate, an energy generating element that generates energy used to discharge the liquid, circuit wiring that has an electrode portion for external electrical connection and that drives the energy generating element, and that is implemented on the substrate, a first protective film layer that has an opening portion for exposing the electrode portion and that covers the circuit wiring, an electroplating ground layer formed on the electrode portion, and an electroplated bump layer made of a metal material formed on the electroplating ground layer. A bent portion is formed in the first protective film layer by the first protective film layer covering a protruding portion that the circuit wiring has. A second protective film layer is formed on the first protective film layer and covers the bent portion.

A liquid ejection head that can suppress variation in the circulation flow rate or the pressure of the liquid among a plurality of pressure chambers and suppress a difference in temperature distribution between adjacent element substrates to suppress image unevenness includes a plurality of ejection modules including an element substrate in which a plurality of ejection orifices that eject a liquid are aligned in an array. In one ejection module of the ejection modules adjacent to each other, the liquid is supplied from one side of an ejection orifice array, and the liquid is collected from the other side of the ejection orifice array, and in the other ejection module of the ejection modules adjacent to each other, the liquid is supplied from the other side, and the liquid is collected from the one side.

A wafer structure is disclosed and includes a chip substrate and a plurality of inkjet chips. The chip substrate is a silicon substrate which is fabricated by a semiconductor process. The plurality of inkjet chips include at least one first inkjet chip and at least one second inkjet chip. The plurality of inkjet chips are directly formed on the chip substrate by the semiconductor process, respectively, and diced into the at least one first inkjet chip and the at least one second inkjet chip, to be implemented for inkjet printing. Each of the first inkjet chip and the second inkjet chip includes a plurality of ink-drop generators produced by the semiconductor process and formed on the chip substrate. Each ink-drop generator includes a barrier layer, an ink-supply chamber and a nozzle. The ink-supply chamber and the nozzle are integrally formed in the barrier layer.

A liquid ejection head 2 in the present disclosure is provided with a first channel member 4 including a first surface 4-1, a plurality of ejection ports in the first surface, a plurality of pressurizing chambers which are individually communicated with the plurality of ejection ports, and a second surface 4-2 on the opposite side to the first surface 4-1; with a pressurizing member on the second surface 4-2; and with a second channel member 6 including a third surface 6-3, a fourth surface 6-4 on the opposite side to the third surface 6-3, a raised part 6e which protrudes from the fourth surface, and a first through hole 6a in the raised part 6e. The second channel member 6 is provided on a region in the second surface 4-2 of the first channel member 4, in which the pressurizing member is not arranged. When viewed on a plane, an outer circumference 7a of the raised part is located on inner side from an outer circumference 7b of the fourth surface 6-4.

A liquid ejecting head has a laminated flow path member on which a supply flow path for individually supplying a plurality of liquids to an element substrate and a collection flow path for individually collecting the liquids are formed. The supply flow path includes first and second common supply flow paths for horizontally leading first and second liquids to positions corresponding to a plurality of element substrates. The first and second common supply flow paths are formed in the same layer of the laminated flow path member. The collection flow path includes a first common collection flow path for horizontally collecting the first liquid and a second common collection flow path for horizontally collecting the second liquid from positions corresponding to the plurality of element substrates. The first and second common collection flow paths are formed in the same layer of the laminated flow path member.