Inkjet printhead substrate with crosstalk damping

• US 6,899,416 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, HUAN HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/841,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20040263577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/68, 347/70, 347/71
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/044 Cassettes or cartridges containing continuous copy material, tape, for setting into printing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04506 aiming at correcting manufacturing tolerances
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04553 detecting ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04565 detecting heater resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0457 Power supply level being detected or varied
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04571 detecting viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04573 Timing; Delays
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04585 controlling heads based on thermal bent actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04588 using a specific waveform
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04596 Non-ejecting pulses
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• 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 2/1631 : photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 : machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1634 : laser 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 2/1646 : thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 : Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 : Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17563 : Ink filters
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14362 : Assembling elements of heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14419 : Manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 : Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/19 : Assembling head units
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 : Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

An inkjet printhead with a substrate supporting an array of ink ejection nozzles on a first side, each ink ejection nozzle having a chamber for storing ink to be ejected, the chamber having an ink inlet and a nozzle aperture, and a thermal bend actuator for ejecting ink from the chamber through the nozzle aperture. The substrate defines an ink feed channel for each of the ink ejection nozzles respectively, each of the ink feed channels is at least 50 microns long and extends from the ink inlet of the corresponding ink ejection nozzle, towards a second side of the wafer opposing the first side.

Feeding ink to the chamber from the opposing side of the wafer through relatively long feed channels practically eliminates, or at least dampens, any fluidic effects on adjacent nozzles. The thermal bend actuators are low power actuators that do not generate enough heat to cause significant thermal crosstalk or structural movement to cause structural crosstalk.

Claims

1. An inkiet printhead comprising:

a substrate with a first side supporting an array of ink ejection nozzles, each ink ejection nozzle comprising;

a chamber for storing ink to be ejected, the chamber having an ink inlet and a nozzle aperture;

a thermal bend actuator for ejecting ink from the chamber through the nozzle aperture; and

,

the substrate defines an ink feed channel for each of the ink ejection nozzles respectively, each of the ink feed channels extending from the ink inlet of the corresponding ink ejection nozzle, towards a second side of the substrate opposing the first side, in order to establish a fluid connection between the ink inlet and an ink supply;

wherein,

each of the ink feed channels is at least 50 microns long.

2. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein each of the ink feed channels is at least 200 microns long.

3. An inkiet printhead according to claim 1 wherein each of the ink feed channels is approximately 300 microns long.

4. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the may of nozzles is pagewidth and self cooling such that heat generated by the thermal bend actuator during normal operating mode is removed by the ejected ink drops.