High Young's modulus thermoelastic ink jet printing mechanism

• US 6,234,609 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• 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): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US09/112,755
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 347/44, 347/54, 347/94, 347/20, 347/47
• US Class Current: 347/54
• 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 2/1639 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: 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

An ink jet nozzle arrangement includes a nozzle chamber interconnected to an ink supply and having an ink ejection port in one wall thereof. An ejection paddle is provided for the ejection of ink from the ink ejection port. The thermal actuator comprises materials having a high young'"'"'s modulus which produce a bending motion upon heating thereby causing the ejection paddle to eject ink from the ink ejection port.

Claims

1. A nozzle arrangement for an ink jet printhead, the nozzle arrangement comprising:

nozzle chamber walls that define a nozzle chamber, the nozzle chamber being interconnected to an ink supply and an ink ejection port defined in one of the nozzle chamber walls;

an ejection paddle for ejection ink from said ink ejection port;

a thermal actuator mechanism comprising materials having a high young'"'"'s modulus attached to the ejection paddle for actuating the ejection paddle and causing ink to be ejected;

wherein the thermal actuator and the ejection paddle are pivotally mounted with respect to one of the nozzle chamber walls and positioned so that pivotal movement of the thermal actuator away from the ink ejection port results in pivotal movement of the ejection paddle towards the ink ejection port causing ink to be ejected from the ejection port, with the extent of movement of the election paddle being greater than an extent of movement of the thermal actuator.

2. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator mechanism is of a generally horseshoe shaped form.

3. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the election paddle and thermal actuator extend through the nozzle chamber wall to be pivotal with respect thereto, the nozzle chamber wall comprising a thinned membrane.

4. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thermal actuator operates in an ambient atmosphere.

5. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nozzle chamber is constructed on a silicon wafer and the ink is supplied through the silicon wafer.

6. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thermal actuator is constructed from a thin conductive portion and a substantially thicker non conductive portion.

7. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 6 wherein the thin conductive portion comprises substantially titanium diboride.

8. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 6 wherein the thicker portion comprises substantially glass.

9. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of the nozzle chamber walls has a number of small sacrificial etchant holes defined therein for utilization in construction of the arrangement, the holes being of sufficiently small diameter so as to prevent ink to be ejected therefrom.

10. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 which is constructed using micro electro mechanical systems techniques including a sacrificial etch and the ejection paddle is released in the sacrificial etch to be in a prefiring position.