Ink jet printhead with moveable shutters

• US 6,945,630 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• 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): Meier, Stephen D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US10/307,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20030095164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/40, 347/44, 347/47, 347/48, 347 54- 56, 347/61, 347/63, 347/65, 347/68
• 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 2/1623 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 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• 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 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• 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 19/073 : Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• 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 1/2112 : using still video cameras
• 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 ink jet printhead chip that is the product of an integrated circuit fabrication technique includes a wafer substrate having a front surface and a rear surface. A plurality of ink passages are defined through the wafer substrate, so that each ink passage defines an inlet at a rear surface of the wafer substrate and an outlet at a front surface of the wafer substrate. Each ink passage is in fluid communication with an ink supply at the rear surface of the wafer substrate. A plurality of actuators are positioned on the rear surface of the wafer substrate and are operatively arranged with respect to the ink passages to generate an ink flow through each passage, from the rear surface to the front surface, when activated.

Claims

1. An ink jet printhead chip including:

a wafer substrate having a front surface and a rear surface, a plurality of ink passages being defined through the wafer substrate, so that each ink passage defines an inlet at the rear surface of the wafer substrate and an outlet at the front surface of the wafer substrate, each ink passage being in fluid communication with an ink supply at the rear surface of the wafer substrate;

at least one closure member associated with each of the ink passages, the at least one closure member being positioned on or adjacent to the rear surface of the substrate and being displaceable between open and closed positions to control a flow of ink through each passage; and

at least one actuator associated with each closure member and operatively engaged with the respective closure member to displace the respective closure member between the open and closed positions, when activated.

2. The ink jet printhead chip of claim 1 wherein the rear surface is substantially planar and each closure member is constrained to move between the open and closed positions in a plane parallel to the rear surface.

3. The ink jet printhead of claim 1 wherein each closure member is constrained to move between the open and closed position along a linear path.

4. The ink jet printhead chip of claim 1 wherein each actuator engages the respective closure member via a gear train.

5. The ink jet printhead of claim 4 wherein the gear train includes at least one rotating gear wheel and a linear gear.

6. An ink jet printhead chip as claimed in claim 1, in which a drive circuitry layer is positioned on the rear surface of the wafer substrate and is electrically connected to the actuators, so that the actuators can be activated by a signal received from the drive circuitry layer.

7. An ink jet printhead chip as claimed in claim 1, in which said each ink passage defines a nozzle chamber in the wafer substrate.

8. An ink jet printhead chip as claimed in claim 7, in which an etch stop layer is positioned on the front surface et the wafer substrate to provide an etch stop for etching of the wafer substrate to define the nozzle chambers so that the etch stop layer defines a roof wall of each nozzle chamber, an ink ejection port being defined in each roof wall as a result of an etching process carried out on the roof wall so that the ink ejection port defines the outlet of the ink passage.

9. An ink jet printhead chip as claimed in claim 1, in which each closure member defines an ink displacement member that is operatively positioned with respect to the inlet of its respective ink passage and is displaceable between pre-operative and post-operative positions to direct ink from the inlet of the ink passage to the outlet, so that ink is ejected from the outlet, and each actuator includes an actuating mechanism to move the ink displacement member between the pre-operative and post-operative positions.

10. An ink jet printhead chip as claimed in claim 1, in which the wafer substrate defines a plurality of ink channels forming part of respective ink passages.