Single bend actuator cupped paddle inkjet printing device

• US 6,312,615 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• 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:
  US09/113,098
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 216/27, 347/54-62
• 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 2/1626 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: 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 printing nozzle arrangement includes an ink chamber having an ink ejection nozzle in one wall thereof for the ejection of ink from the ink chamber. A moveable paddle vane is located within the ink chamber, the paddle vane including a concave surface in the area adjacent the ink ejection nozzle. An actuator is adapted to move the paddle vane so as to cause ink within the ink chamber to be ejected from the ink ejection nozzle. A method of manufacture of such an ink jet nozzle arrangement comprises the steps of forming an etched pit in the wafer and depositing and etching a series of layers on the wafer so as to form at least one inkjet nozzle arrangement, the layers including at least one paddle vane formation layer being deposited over portions of the etched pit resulting in the formation of the concave surface of the paddle vane.

Claims

1. A method of manufacture of an ink jet printing nozzle arrangement on a wafer, said arrangement including:

an ink chamber having an ink ejection nozzle in one wall thereof for the ejection of ink from said ink chamber;

a moveable paddle vane located within said ink chamber, said paddle vane including a concave surface in the area adjacent said ink ejection nozzle; and

an actuator means adapted to move said paddle vane so as to cause ink within said ink chamber to be ejected from said ink ejection nozzle;

said method comprising the steps of;

forming an etched pit in said wafer; and

depositing and etching a series of layers on said wafer so as to form at least one ink jet nozzle arrangement, said layers including at least one paddle vane formation layer being deposited over portions of said etched pit resulting in the formation of said concave surface of said paddle vane.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said paddle vane formation layer is deposited on a sacrificial layer deposited before said paddle vane formation layer, said sacrificial layer forming a concave surface profile as a result of deposition over said etched pit.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the maximum thickness of any one of said deposited layers is 6 microns.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said series of layers are each of a low thickness outside of said etched pit so as to cause minimal thermal stress on said wafer layer.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said actuator means is initially constructed on a sacrificial layer which is subsequently etched away, such that when said sacrificial layer is etched away, said paddle vane is moved by said actuator means from a constrained position having said paddle vane close to said ink ejection nozzle to a quiescent position having said paddle vane positioned further away from said ink ejection nozzle.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 further including the step of depositing corrosion barriers over portions of said arrangement so as to reduce corrosion effects.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wafer comprises a double sided polished CMOS wafer.

8. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein at least the step of etching the sacrificial layer away is also used to simultaneously separate said wafer into separate printheads.