Method of manufacture of a thermally actuated slotted chamber wall ink jet printer

• US 6,245,246 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• 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:
  US09/112,817
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 216/27, 438/21, 347/54, 347/59
• US Class Current: 216/27
• 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 2/1639 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

A method of manufacturing a thermally actuated slotted chamber wall ink jet print head is disclosed wherein an array of nozzles are formed on a substrate utilising planar monolithic deposition, lithographic and etching processes. Multiple ink jet heads are preferably formed simultaneously on a single planar substrate. The substrate can be a silicon wafer. The print heads are preferably formed utilising standard vlsi/ulsi processing. Integrated drive electronics are preferably formed on the same substrate. The integrated drive electronics can comprise a CMOS process. Ink can be ejected from the substrate substantially normal to the substrate.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead which includes:

providing a substrate;

depositing a first sacrificial layer on the substrate;

etching said first sacrificial layer to define a nozzle chamber wall;

depositing and etching permanent layers to form a vane and a thermally actuated actuator;

depositing and etching further sacrificial and permanent layers to form a nozzle chamber and nozzle, wherein the vane is in the nozzle chamber and is displaceable transversely to a direction of ink ejection from the nozzle and the thermally actuated actuator is arranged externally of the nozzle chamber and is connected to the vane via a bridging portion extending through a slot in a side wall of the nozzle chamber with displacement of the vane by the actuator effecting ink ejection from the nozzle; and

etching the sacrificial layers to free the actuator and clear the nozzle chamber, thereby forming said printhead.

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 manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 which includes forming the actuator as a bifurcated arm, each limb of the arm being connected to electrical circuitry for effecting resistive heating of the arms.

8. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 7 which includes forming one limb of the arm thicker than the other limb to effect bending of the arm upon heating of the arm.