A highly reliable liquid ejection head comprises a substrate made of silicon and having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, an ejection port forming member bonded to the first surface of the substrate and formed with an ejection port for ejecting liquid, and a bonded member configured to be bonded to the second surface of the substrate. A through flow path is formed in the substrate, which is configured to pass through the substrate and to supply liquid to the ejection port. A first protective film made of a metal oxide is formed on an inner surface of the through flow path, and a second protective film made of a silicon compound is formed on all of the second surface of the substrate.

Atomic-to-Nanoscale Matter Emission/Flow Regulation Devices, Systems and methods are set forth. An exemplary device can include a through-hole that has a top, and a nozzle configured to facilitate atomic-to-nanoscale matter emission/flow regulation formed in an etchable nozzle substrate. The nozzle can be configured at the smallest cross-section of the through-hole. A bottom can be formed in the nozzle substrate or selectively connected to the nozzle. Systems can include matter transportation/flow regulation columns, printing systems, etching systems and the like through which self-aligned nanodroplets or single-to-finite numbered ionic species/gas phase matter can flow under spontaneous or external excitation conditions (such as voltages) at atmospheric as well as regulated pressures.

A channel member includes a first substrate in which a channel is formed from a first surface, and a second substrate having a second surface facing the first surface, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded to each other with an adhesive between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the channel has a polygonal shape when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the first surface, wherein the channel includes a first portion on the first surface side and a second portion that communicates with the first portion, wherein an aperture area of the second portion is larger than an aperture area of the first portion when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the first surface, and wherein the adhesive is present on a step surface between the first portion and the second portion and at vertices of the polygonal shape.

A flow path member includes a first substrate, a second substrate, bonding adhesive, and recessed portions. The first substrate has a first surface formed with an opening of a flow path. The second substrate has a second surface facing the first surface. The bonding adhesive bonds the first and second surfaces together. The recessed portions are formed in at least one of the first surface of the first substrate and the second surface of the second substrate. Each recessed portion is a hole configured to take up excess bonding adhesive and, as a non-through hole, does not extend through the entire thickness of a substrate. Each of the recessed portions extends into the first substrate or the second substrate as a rectangular column or an elliptical column and, when a shape of each recessed portion is viewed from the direction orthogonal to the first surface, the shape is approximately isotropic.

In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing an aperture plate includes depositing a releasable seed layer above a substrate, applying a first patterned photolithography mask above the releasable seed layer, the first patterned photolithography mask having a negative pattern to a desired aperture pattern, electroplating a first material above the exposed portions of the releasable seed layer and defined by the first mask, applying a second photolithography mask above the first material, the second photolithography mask having a negative pattern to a first cavity, electroplating a second material above the exposed portions of the first material and defined by the second mask, removing both masks, and etching the releasable seed layer to release the first material and the second material. The first and second material form an aperture plate for use in aerosolizing a liquid. Other aperture plates and methods of producing aperture plates are described according to other embodiments.

A liquid ejection head of the present invention has: an element substrate in which a liquid ejection port is formed, the element substrate having an energy generating element that generates energy for ejecting the liquid from the ejection port, and a plurality of wiring pads lined up in a predetermined direction; a flexible wiring substrate having a plurality of leads lined up in the predetermined direction and overlaid on and connected to the plurality of wiring pads respectively, and a base film overlaid on the plurality of leads; and a sealant that seals a plurality of connection portions of the plurality of wiring pads and the plurality of leads. The base film has a plurality of covering portions that respectively cover an opposite side of the plurality of leads from the plurality of connection portions, and an opening or slit formed between the plurality of covering portions.

A substrate having a recessed portion, a diaphragm, and a piezoelectric actuator are provided, the diaphragm includes a first layer containing silicon as a constituent element, and a third layer disposed between the first layer and the piezoelectric actuator and containing zirconium as a constituent element, and a laminated side surface of the first layer and the third layer is covered with a moisture-resistant protective film containing at least one selected from the group made of oxide, nitride, metal, and diamond-like carbon.

Process for manufacturing a microfluidic device, wherein a sacrificial layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate; a carrying layer is formed on the sacrificial layer; the carrying layer is selectively removed to form at least one release opening extending through the carrying layer; a permeable layer of a permeable semiconductor material is formed in the at least one release opening; the sacrificial layer is selectively removed through the permeable layer to form a fluidic chamber; the at least one release opening is filled with non-permeable semiconductor filling material, forming a monolithic body having a membrane region; an actuator element is formed on the membrane region and a cap element is attached to the monolithic body and surrounds the actuator element.

A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head substrate is provided. The method includes forming a first substrate that includes a semiconductor element and a first wiring structure; forming a second substrate that includes a liquid discharge element and a second wiring structure; and bonding the first wiring structure and the second wiring structure such that the semiconductor element and the liquid discharge element are electrically connected to each other after the forming the first substrate and the second substrate.

In a substrate, a first flow channel opened in a first surface of a silicon base material having a crystal orientation of <110>, and a second flow channel opened in a second surface of the silicon base material opposite the first surface are formed to communicate with each other. The second flow channel has an opening width narrower than an opening width of the first flow channel, and a groove portion shallower than a depth of the second flow channel is formed close to the opening of the second flow channel in a region that is inside the opening of the first flow channel and outside the opening of the second flow channel in the second surface.