Method of manufacture of a reverse spring lever ink jet printer

• US 6,214,244 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): ALANKO, ANITA KAREN
• Application Number:
  US09/112,828
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 216/2, 216/27, 438/21, 347/53, 347/54, 347/59, 298/900.9, 251/129.06, 251/129.15
• US Class Current: 216/27
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14314 Structure of ink jet print heads with electrostatically actuated membrane
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• 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 2/1639 sacrificial molding
• 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: 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 manufacturing an ink jet printhead, the method including providing a semiconductor wafer having an electrical circuitry layer and a buried epitaxial layer formed thereon. A plurality of ink chamber cavities are etched in the wafer. Fixed magnetic plates are formed on the electrical circuitry layer. Conductive coils are formed on an insulating layer and are conductively interconnected to respective fixed magnetic plates. Moveable magnetic plates, respective lever arms extending from the moveable magnetic plates, respective pistons on ends of the lever arms and respective fulcrums and torsional springs intermediate the moveable magnetic plates and the pistons are formed in a sacrificial layer that is deposited and then etched. Ink ejection nozzles are etched through the epitaxial layer to communicate with respective nozzle chamber cavities.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead that includes a series of nozzle chambers, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a semiconductor wafer having an electrical circuitry layer and a buried epitaxial layer formed thereon;

(b) etching a plurality of ink chamber cavities in the semiconductor wafer and stopping the etching at substantially the epitaxial layer;

(c) depositing a first layer having a high saturation flux density on the electrical circuitry layer and etching the first layer to define fixed magnetic plates;

(d) depositing an insulating layer on the first layer and the electrical circuitry layer, and etching a vias for a subsequent conductive layer;

(e) depositing a conductive layer on the insulating layer and etching the conductive layer to form conductive coils conductively interconnected to the first layer;

(f) depositing a sacrificial material layer in the region of the first magnetic plates and the coils, and etching the sacrificial material layer to define apertures for a deposition of a second layer;

(g) depositing a second layer having a high saturation flux density and etching the second layer to form moveable magnetic plates, respective lever arms extending from the second magnetic plates, respective pistons on ends of the lever arms, respective fulcrums intermediate the second magnetic plates and the pistons and torsional springs at each fulcrum;

(h) etching a back of the wafer to the epitaxial layer;

(i) etching an ink ejection nozzle through the epitaxial layer so that the nozzle communicates with respective nozzle chamber cavities; and

(j) etching away any remaining sacrificial layers.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises etching cavities in the sacrificial layer to accommodate the torsional springs and forming a series of the torsional springs in the cavities to be connected with the lever arms for resiliently biasing the moveable magnetic plates into a spaced position with respect to the fixed magnetic plates.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 which includes forming the conductive layer substantially of copper.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 further including the step of depositing corrosion barriers over portions of the wafer to reduce corrosion effects.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 which includes etching vias so as to allow for electrical interconnection between portions of the layers.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 which includes depositing the second layer of substantially a cobalt nickel iron alloy.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 a double sided, polished CMOS wafer.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 which includes separating the wafer into printhead chips.