Patent ID: 8373732

Claim:
A liquid droplet flight device, comprising: liquid droplet discharge means; and an opposing electrode arranged facing the liquid droplet discharge means with a space therebetween, wherein the liquid droplet discharge means includes a liquid retaining section having a slit-shaped liquid holding section that is formed at a bottom thereof so as to hold a liquid configured to fly, and flight means that causes the liquid held in the liquid holding section to fly, the flight means includes a needle-shaped flight electrode extending beyond an outermost surface of the liquid holding section nearest to a discharge point, a first insulating film arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the flight electrode, an electro-wetting (EW) drive electrode arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the first insulating film, a second insulating film that covers an outer circumferential surface of the EW drive electrode, a water-repellent film arranged on an outer circumferential surface of the second insulating film, electric field generating means for generating an electric field between the flight electrode and the opposing electrode, and flight control means for moving the liquid of the liquid holding section to the electric field generated by the flight electrode of the electric field generating means using an electrowetting phenomenon by applying a voltage between the EW drive electrode and the liquid inside the liquid retaining section, a leading edge portion of the flight means is arranged so as to protrude from the liquid holding section, and a low voltage is applied between the EW drive electrode and the liquid inside the liquid retaining section by the flight control means, while a high voltage is applied between the flight electrode and the opposing electrode by the electric field generating means in order to cause a liquid droplet to fly onto a medium arranged between the liquid droplet discharge means and the opposing electrode.