Thermally actuated ink jet printing mechanism having a series of thermal actuator units

• US 6,746,105 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US10/160,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20030090542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/44, 347/48, 347/54, 347/56, 347/68, 347/61, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1601 Production of bubble jet print heads B41J2/1606, B41J2/162 take precedence
• 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 2/1637 molding
• 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 2/17513 Inner structure
• 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: B41J 2002/14435 : Moving nozzle made of thermal bend detached actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 : in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 : Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 : Authenticate client device independently of the user
• 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 1/2154 : the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• 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 nozzle arrangement includes a nozzle chamber having an fluid ejection nozzle in one surface of the chamber; a paddle vane located within the chamber, the paddle vane being adapted to be actuated by an actuator device for the ejection of fluid out of the chamber via the fluid ejection nozzle; and a thermal actuator device located externally of the nozzle chamber and attached to the paddle vane the thermal actuator device including a plurality of separate spaced apart elongated thermal actuator units. The thermal actuator units are constructed from multiple layers utilizing a single mask to etch the multiple layers.

Claims

1. An inkjet nozzle arrangement comprising:

a nozzle chamber having a fluid ejection port defined in one surface of the chamber;

a paddle vane located within the chamber, the paddle vane being adapted to be actuated by a thermal actuator for the ejection of fluid out of the chamber via the fluid ejection port;

a thermal actuator located externally of the nozzle chamber and attached to the paddle vane, wherein the thermal actuator includes a plurality of separate spaced apart elongate thermal actuator units wherein the thermal actuator units are constructed from multiple layers utilizing a single mask to etch the multiple layers.

2. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thermal actuator units are interconnected at a first end to a substrate and at a second end to a rigid strut member, and wherein the rigid strut member is connected to a lever arm having one end attached to the paddle vane.

3. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thermal actuator units operate upon conductive heating along a conductive trace, the conductive heating including generation of a substantial portion of the heat in an area adjacent the first end of each thermal actuator unit.

4. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 3 wherein said conductive heating includes a thinned cross-section adjacent said first end.

5. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thermal actuator units comprise conductive heating layers which, in turn, comprise substantially either a copper nickel alloy or titanium nitride.

6. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the paddle vane is constructed from a similar conductive material to portions of the thermal actuator units and is conductively insulated from the thermal actuator units.

7. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said nozzle chamber includes an actuator access port in a second surface of said chamber.

8. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 7 wherein said access port comprises a slot in a corner of said chamber and said actuator is able to move in an arc through said slot.

9. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 8 wherein said actuator includes an end portion which mates substantially with a wall of said chamber at substantially right angles to said paddle vane.

10. An ink jet nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said paddle vane includes a depressed portion substantially opposite said fluid ejection port.