Method of manufacture of a linear stepper actuator ink jet printer

• US 6,299,786 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 10/09/2001
• 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): Ahmed, Shamim
• Application Number:
  US09/113,129
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 216/27, 347/53, 347/54
• 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: B41J 2002/14346 Ejection by pressure produced by thermal deformation of ink chamber, e.g. buckling
• 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 plunger arranged reciprocally within each nozzle chamber to be displaceable towards and away from the nozzle to effect ink ejection and nozzle chamber refill, respectively, and an actuator arranged externally of the nozzle chamber to effect reciprocation of the plunger.

Claims

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

providing a substrate;

depositing a plurality of sacrificial and permanent layers on the substrate and etching said layers to create an actuator on the substrate;

depositing a further permanent layer on the substrate and etching said further permanent layer to form a plunger;

depositing a further sacrificial layer about said plunger and depositing yet a further permanent layer on said further sacrificial layer to form a nozzle chamber defining portion;

etching said yet further permanent layer to form a nozzle;

etching said further sacrificial layer to free the plunger and to form the nozzle chamber with the plunger being arranged reciprocally within said nozzle chamber to be displaceable towards and away from the nozzle to effect ink ejection and nozzle chamber refill, respectively, and the actuator being arranged externally of said nozzle chamber to effect reciprocation of the plunger.

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 manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 in which the plunger is magnetically responsive and in which the method includes forming the actuator as a series of electromagnets which are sequentially activated to cause stepwise displacement of the plunger, in use.

8. A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 which includes rendering a head of the plunger hydrophobic.

9. 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) depositing and etching a first sacrificial layer forming a lower electrical coil mould;

(c) depositing and etching a first conductive material layer including a lower electrical coil portion interconnected with said electrical circuitry layer;

(d) depositing and etching an inert material layer over said first conductive material layer, said inert material layer including predetermined vias for interconnection of said first conductive material layer with subsequently deposited layers;

(e) depositing and etching a second sacrificial layer including etching a mould for a fixed magnetic pole, a series of moving poles, horizontal guides and a core pusher rod;

(f) depositing and etching a saturation flux material layer to form said fixed magnetic pole, said series of moving poles, said horizontal guides and said core pusher rod;

(g) depositing and etching a second inert material layer over said saturation flux material including etching predetermined vias for interconnection of lower layers with subsequent layers;

(h) depositing and etching a second conductive material layer including a side electrical coil portion interconnected with said first conductive material layer;

(i) depositing and etching a third conductive material layer including a top electrical coil portion interconnected with said side conductive material layer;

(j) depositing and etching a hydrophobic material layer to form a plunger element surrounding said core pusher rod;

(k) depositing and etching a third sacrificial material layer to form a nozzle chamber mould;

(l) depositing and etching a third layer of inert material around said plunger element to form a nozzle chamber;

(m) etching an ink supply channel to said nozzle chamber; and

(n) etching away said sacrificial layers.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said conductive layers comprise substantially copper.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said inert layers comprise substantially silicon nitride.

12. A method as claimed in claim 9 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 9 wherein said hydrophobic layer comprises substantially polytetrafluoroethylene.

14. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said step (m) comprises etching an ink supply channel through said wafer.

15. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said wafer comprises a double sided polished CMOS wafer.

16. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein at least step (n) is also utilised to simultaneously separate said wafer into separate printheads.