INK-JET PRINTHEAD AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090195604A1
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sicpa Holding SA
• Original Assignee: Telecom Italia S.p.A.
• Inventors: Manini, Enrico, Peaquin, Fabio, Pasqua, Claudio, Arvat, Giancarlo, Tori, Silvano
• Granted Patent: US 8,128,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/44
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16 Production of nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for manufacturing an ink-jet printhead comprising the steps of providing a print head wafer comprising a plurality of print head dice, each print head die comprising a nozzle plate bonded to a barrier layer formed on a substrate, wherein said plurality of print head dice are arranged on the substrate so as to define at least one first dividing channel comprising at least one first channel portion, said at least one first channel portion having a bottom portion comprised between the lateral sides of said barrier layer of at least two adjacent print head dice and an upper portion comprised between the lateral sides of said nozzle plate of said at least two adjacent print head dice, and applying an adhesive composition in an amount able to substantially fill the whole length of said at least one first channel portion.

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing an ink-jet print head comprising the steps of

providing a print head wafer comprising a plurality of print head dice, each print head die comprising a nozzle plate bonded to a barrier layer formed on a substrate, wherein said plurality of print head dice are arranged on the substrate so as to define at least one first dividing channel comprising at least one first channel portion, said at least one first channel portion having a bottom portion comprised between the lateral sides of said barrier layer of at least two adjacent print head dice and an upper portion comprised between the lateral sides (200) of said nozzle plate (120) of said at least two adjacent print head dice, and

applying an adhesive composition (170) in an amount able to substantially fill the whole length of said at least one first channel portions.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of print head dice are arranged on the substrate so as to define at least one second dividing channel, comprising at least one second channel portion, said at least one second channel portion having a bottom portion comprised between the lateral sides of said barrier layer of at least two adjacent print head dice and an upper portion comprised between the lateral sides of said nozzle plate of said at least two adjacent print head dice.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein said plurality of print head dice are arranged on the substrate so as to define a plurality of first dividing channels and a plurality of second dividing channels.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein said plurality of first dividing channels is substantially parallel to each other and said plurality of second diving channels is substantially parallel to each other.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein said plurality of first dividing channels and said second plurality of dividing channels are substantially perpendicular to each other.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein said first and second plurality of dividing channels define a plurality of regions of intersections.

7. The process according to claim 3, wherein said adhesive composition is applied in an amount able to substantially fill the whole length of said first plurality of dividing channels and less than 30% of the whole length of said second plurality of dividing channels.

8. The process according to claim 3, wherein said adhesive composition is applied in an amount able to substantially fill the whole length of said first plurality of dividing channels and less than 20% of the whole length of said second plurality of dividing channels.

31. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition is applied in an amount able to substantially fill the meatus between the lateral sides of said nozzle plate and the upper surface of said barrier layer.

32. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition is applied in an amount able to fill said bottom portion and at least 10% of the volume of said upper portion of said at least one first dividing channels.

33. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition is applied in an amount able to fill said bottom portion and at least 40% of the volume of said upper portion of said at least one first dividing channels.

34. The process according to claim 2, wherein said adhesive composition is applied in an amount able to fill said bottom portion of said at least one second dividing channels.

35. The process according to claim 6, wherein said adhesive composition is applied in an amount able to fill said plurality of regions of intersection.

36. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition has a viscosity lower than 50,000 cp at 25°

C.

37. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition has a viscosity lower than 20,000 cp at 25°

C.

38. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition has a pot life higher than 6 hours at 40°

C.

39. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition has a pot life higher than 12 hours at 40°

C.

40. The process according to claim 1, wherein during the deposition of said adhesive composition said print head wafer is maintained at a temperature ranging from 40°

to 80°

C.

41. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition is selected from the group consisting of mono-component and bi-component adhesive compositions.

42. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition is selected from the group consisting of self-curing, heat curable and radiation curable adhesive compositions.

43. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition is selected from the group consisting of heat curable and radiation curable epoxy adhesive compositions.

44. The process according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive composition is heat curable and further comprising a step of curing by heat at a temperature of from 50°

to 150°

for a period of time of from 1 to 60 minutes.

9-30. -30. (canceled)

45. A print head die comprising a nozzle plate bonded to a barrier layer formed on a silicon substrate, wherein said nozzle plate comprises four lateral sides and said barrier layer comprises four lateral sides, and wherein a strip of adhesive composition bonds at least two opposite lateral sides of said nozzle plate and at least two opposite lateral sides of said barrier layer to said silicon substrate.

46. The print head die of claim 45, wherein at least two opposite lateral sides of said nozzle plate and the surface of said barrier layer define a meatus, and wherein said strip of adhesive composition fills said meatus.

47. The print head die of claim 45, wherein said four lateral sides of said nozzle plate and the surface of said barrier layer define a meatus, and wherein said strip of adhesive composition fills said meatus.