Method of manufacture of a radial back-curling thermoelastic ink jet printer

• US 6,171,875 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Booth, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): LATTIN, CHRISTOPHER W
• Application Number:
  US09/112,831
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 347/1, 347/20, 347/56, 347/9, 347/29, 347/32, 347/44, 347/47, 347/27, 347/57, 347/68, 347/55, 438/21, 216/27
• US Class Current: 438/21
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1629 wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1643 thin film formation by plating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1645 thin film formation by spincoating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1646 thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14346 Ejection by pressure produced by thermal deformation of ink chamber, e.g. buckling
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/15 Moving nozzle or nozzle plate
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 : 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 : using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

A method of manufacture of an ink jet print head arrangement including a series of nozzle chambers is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: (a) utilizing an initial semiconductor wafer having an electrical circuitry layer formed thereon; (b) etching the circuitry layer to define a nozzle cavity area; (c) depositing and etching a first material layer, the first material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion, the etching including etching for vias through the first material layer for electrical interconnection of subsequently deposited layers with the circuitry layer; (d) depositing and etching a conductive material layer on the first material layer, the etching resulting in the conductive material layer forming a heater pattern; (e) depositing and etching a second material layer, the second material layer having a high coefficient of thermal expansion, the etching defining a nozzle chamber rim and a rim at the edge of the nozzle chamber; (f) etching the wafer to define the nozzle chamber; (g) etching an ink supply channel through the wafer in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber. The step (f) can comprise performing a crystallographic etch of the wafer utilizing slots created as a result of etching the second material layer.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an Ink Jet printhead which includes:

providing a substrate;

depositing a doped layer on the substrate and etching said layer to create an array of nozzles on the substrate with a nozzle chamber in communication with each nozzle; and

utilizing planar monolithic deposition, lithographic and etching processes to create a paddle arranged in each nozzle chamber, each paddle comprising a thermal bend actuator and the thermal bend actuator comprising a plurality of thermal bend devices extending radially outwardly in a cantilevered manner from a rim of the nozzle and being arranged to bend away from a direction of ink drop ejection upon actuation of the bend devices.

2. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein multiple ink jet printheads are formed simultaneously on the substrate.

3. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein said substrate is a silicon wafer.

4. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein integrated drive electronics are formed on the same substrate.

5. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 4 wherein said integrated drive electronics are formed using a CMOS fabrication process.

6. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein ink is ejected from said substrate normal to said substrate.

7. A method of manufacture of an ink jet printhead arrangement including a series of nozzle chambers, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) utilising an initial semiconductor wafer having an electrical circuitry layer formed thereon;

(b) etching said electrical circuitry layer to define a nozzle cavity area;

(c) depositing and etching a first material layer, said first material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion, said etching including etching for vias through said first material layer for electrical interconnection of subsequently deposited layers with said circuitry layer;

(d) depositing and etching a conductive material layer on said first material layer, said etching resulting in said conductive material layer forming a heater pattern;

(e) depositing and etching a second material layer, said second material layer having a high coefficient of thermal expansion, said etching defining a nozzle rim and a rim at the edge of said nozzle chamber;

(f) etching said wafer to define said nozzle chamber and to define a thermal bend actuator extending radially outwardly in a cantilevered manner from the nozzle rim to be displaceable away from a direction of ejection of ink upon actuation of the bend devices; and

(g) etching an ink supply chamber through said wafer in fluid communication with said nozzle chamber.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said step (f) comprises performing a crystallographic etch of said wafer utilizing slots created as a result of etching said second material layer.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said crystallographic etch forms a nozzle chamber having an inverted square pyramid shape.

10. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said step (g) comprises a through wafer etch from a back surface of said wafer.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said first material layer or said second material layer comprises substantially polytetrafluroethylene.

12. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said conductive material layer comprises substantially gold, copper or aluminum.

13. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein step (g) is also utilized to simultaneously separate said wafer into separate printheads.