High-density inkjet nozzle array for an inkjet printhead

• US 6,425,651 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US09/966,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20020060714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/40, 347/44, 347/47, 347/54
• US Class Current: 347/40
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/145 Arrangement thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1626 etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1639 sacrificial molding
• 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 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• 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 inkjet printhead includes at least one support structure. A plurality of nozzle arrangements are positioned on the, or each, support structure. Each nozzle arrangement includes a nozzle chamber defining structure that is positioned on the substrate and that defines a nozzle chamber. The nozzle chamber defining structure includes a roof that defines an ink ejection port that is in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber. All the nozzle arrangements are positioned in an aligned, side-by-side manner on the, or each, support structure so that the ink ejection ports of the nozzle arrangements are positioned substantially rectilinearly along a length of the, or each, support structure. The nozzle arrangements are each dimensioned so that a distance between consecutive ink ejection ports is less than, or equal to, 42 microns.

Claims

1. An inkjet printhead that comprises

at least one support structure;

and

a plurality of nozzle arrangements that are positioned on the, or each, support structure, each nozzle arrangement including a nozzle chamber defining structure that is positioned on the substrate and that defines a nozzle chamber, the nozzle chamber defining structure including a roof that defines an ink ejection port that is in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber, wherein

all the nozzle arrangements are positioned in an aligned, side-by-side manner on the, or each, support structure so that the ink ejection ports of the nozzle arrangements are positioned substantially rectilinearly along a length of the, or each, support structure and the nozzle arrangements are each dimensioned so that a distance between consecutive ink ejection ports is less than or equal to 42 microns.

2. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 1, which includes at least one printhead chip that incorporates a wafer substrate that defines the, or each, support structure, the nozzle arrangements being a product of an integrated circuit fabrication technique carried out on the wafer substrate.

3. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 2, in which each nozzle arrangement is in the form of a micro electro-mechanical structure.

4. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 3, in which the nozzle arrangements are each dimensioned so that a distance between consecutive ink ejection ports is less than or equal to 32 microns.

5. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 4, in which the nozzle arrangements are each dimensioned so that a distance between consecutive ink ejection ports is less than or equal to 22 microns.

6. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 5, in which each nozzle arrangement is generally rectangular when viewed in plan, having a width that is less than or equal to 22 microns and a length that is less than or equal to 65 microns, each nozzle arrangement having a proximal end, a distal end and a pair of opposed sides.

7. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 6, in which each nozzle chamber defining structure is in the form of an active ink ejection member having sidewalls and defining the roof, the active ink ejection member being displaceable towards and away from the substrate so that a subsequent fluctuation in ink pressure within the nozzle chamber results in the ejection of ink from the ink ejection port.

8. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 7, in which each nozzle arrangement includes an actuator that is connected to the active ink ejection member to displace the active ink ejection member towards and away from the substrate.

9. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 8, in which the actuator is in the form of a thermal bend actuator and each nozzle arrangement includes at least one anchor formation that is fast with the wafer substrate to extend from the wafer substrate, the thermal bend actuator being fixed to the, or each, anchor formation at a position spaced from the wafer substrate and connected to a CMOS layer on the wafer substrate with one or more anchor formations to receive electrical pulses from the CMOS layer.

10. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 9, in which each nozzle arrangement includes two or more anchor formations that are spaced from each other along a length of the nozzle arrangement to accommodate a width of the nozzle arrangement.

11. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 10, in which the thermal bend actuator includes an actuating arm that is connected between the anchor formations and the active ink ejection member, the actuating arm being defined by an active portion and a passive portion, the active portion defining an electrical heating circuit that is connected to the CMOS layer and the actuating arm including a bridging portion that interconnects the active and passive portions, the passive portions being positioned closer to the substrate than the active portions, the actuator arm being of a material that has a coefficient of thermal expansion which is such that, upon heating and subsequent cooling the material is capable of expansion and contraction to an extent sufficient to do work on a MEMS scale, so that, when the active portion is heated more than the passive portion, resultant differential expansion of the actuating arm causes the actuating arm to bend towards the substrate, thereby driving the active ink ejection member towards the substrate and when the active portion cools, resultant contraction of the active portion causes the actuating arm to return to a quiescent condition, thereby driving the active ink ejection member away from the substrate.

12. An ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 11, in which each nozzle arrangement includes a pair of passive anchor formations and a pair of active anchor formations, the pair of active anchor formations being positioned adjacent the proximal end of the nozzle arrangement and the pair of passive anchor formations being interposed between the active anchor formations and the active ink ejection member.

13. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 12, in which the pair of passive anchor formations and the pair of active anchor formations are positioned so that one passive anchor formation is aligned with a respective active anchor formation longitudinally with respect to the sides of the nozzle arrangement.

14. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 8, in which a plurality of ink inlet channels are defined through the substrate, each ink inlet channel opening into a corresponding nozzle chamber.

15. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 14, in which the sidewalls and roof of each nozzle chamber defining structure are such that a length of the nozzle chamber is at least three times a height of the nozzle chamber.

16. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 15, in which the actuator of each nozzle arrangement is connected to the active ink ejection member at a proximal end of the nozzle chamber, with the ink inlet channel being positioned adjacent a proximal end of the nozzle chamber and the ink ejection port being positioned adjacent a distal end of the nozzle chamber.

17. A printhead chip for an inkjet printhead, the printhead chip comprising

a wafer substrate;

and

a plurality of nozzle arrangements that are positioned on the wafer substrate, each nozzle arrangement including a nozzle chamber defining structure that is positioned on the substrate and that defines a nozzle chamber, the nozzle chamber defining structure including a roof that defines an ink ejection port that is in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber, wherein

all the nozzle arrangements are positioned in an aligned, side-by-side manner on the wafer substrate so that the ink ejection ports of the nozzle arrangements are positioned substantially rectilinearly along a length of the wafer substrate and the nozzle arrangements are each dimensioned so that a distance between consecutive ink ejection ports is less than or equal to 32 microns.