Method of manufacture of a PTFE surface shooting shuttered oscillating pressure ink jet printer

• US 6,290,862 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• 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): Gulakowski, Randy
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALANKO, ANITA KAREN
• Application Number:
  US09/113,120
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 216/2, 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 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1626 etching
• 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: 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 includes providing a substrate. A doped layer is deposited on the substrate and is etched to create an array of nozzles on the substrate with a nozzle chamber in communication with each nozzle. Planar monolithic deposition, lithographic and etching processes are used to form a shutter for openably closing each nozzle chamber and a coiled, thermally responsive actuator to which the shutter is connected for displacing the shutter to open and close the nozzle on demand for controlling ejection of ink from the nozzle.

Claims

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

providing a substrate;

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

depositing a sacrificial layer on the substrate;

depositing permanent layers on the sacrificial layer;

etching said permanent layers to form a shutter and a coiled, thermally responsive actuator to which the shutter is connected for displacing the shutter to open and close a nozzle opening of the nozzle on demand for controlling ejection of ink from the nozzle; and

removing said sacrificial layer, 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 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) providing an initial semiconductor wafer having an electrical circuitry layer formed thereon;

(b) etching a nozzle inlet hole in said electrical circuitry layer;

(c) depositing and etching a first sacrificial material layer over said electrical circuitry layer including filling said nozzle inlet hole, said etching including etching an actuator anchor area in said sacrificial material layer;

(d) depositing and etching a first expansion material layer of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion, said etching including etching predetermined vias in said first expansion material layer;

(e) depositing and etching a conductive layer on said first expansion material layer, said conductive layer being conductively connected to said electrical circuitry layer via said vias;

(f) depositing and etching a second expansion material layer of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion, said etching including forming a moveable shutter and a coiled, thermally responsive actuator from the combination of said first and second expansion material layers and said conductive layer, the actuator being operable to displace the shutter on demand to control the ejection of ink, in use, from a subsequently formed nozzle ejection aperture;

(g) depositing and etching a second sacrificial material layer, said etching forming a nozzle chamber mould;

(h) depositing and etching an inert material layer over said second sacrificial material layer so as to form a nozzle chamber around said moveable shutter and actuator, said etching including etching said nozzle ejection aperture in said inert material layer;

(i) etching an ink supply channel through said wafer; and

(j) etching away said sacrificial layers.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said step (h) includes etching a series of small holes in said inert material layer.

9. A method as claimed in claims 7 wherein said first and second expansion material layers comprise substantially polytetrafluoroethylene.

10. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said inert material layer comprises substantially silicon nitride.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said ink supply channel is formed by etching a channel from the back surface of said wafer.

12. A method as claimed in claim 7 further including the step of depositing corrosion barriers over portions of said arrangement so as to reduce corrosion effects.

13. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said wafer comprises a double sided polished CMOS wafer.

14. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein at least step (j) is also utilized to simultaneously separate said wafer into separate printheads.