Micro-electromechanical liquid ejection device with a thermal actuator that undergoes rectilinear motion

• US 7,077,508 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• 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): JACKSON, JUANITA DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US11/298,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 218 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/44, 347/47, 347/54, 347 56- 59, 347 61- 65, 347/67, 60527-529
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• 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 2/17503 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: 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

A micro-electromechanical liquid ejecting device includes a substrate that defines a liquid inlet channel. A drive circuitry layer is positioned on the substrate. A nozzle chamber structure is positioned on the substrate. The nozzle chamber structure has sidewalls and a roof that define a nozzle chamber in liquid communication with the inlet channel. The roof wall defines a liquid ejection port in liquid communication with the nozzle chamber. A pivot member is positioned in one of the sidewalls and is pivotal with respect to the roof. A liquid ejecting member is fast internally with the pivot member and extends into the nozzle chamber such that displacement of the pivot member results in movement of the liquid ejecting member relative to the roof, thereby ejecting liquid from the liquid ejection port. A rectilinear actuator is connected to the drive circuitry, is configured for rectilinear movement on receipt of a drive signal and is connected to the pivot member to displace the pivot member and thus the liquid ejecting member.

Claims

1. A micro-electromechanical liquid ejecting device that comprises

a substrate that defines a liquid inlet channel;

a drive circuitry layer positioned on the substrate;

a nozzle chamber structure positioned on the substrate, the nozzle chamber structure having sidewalls and a roof that define a nozzle chamber in liquid communication with the inlet channel and the roof wall defining a liquid ejection port in liquid communication with the nozzle chamber;

a pivot member positioned in one of the sidewalls and pivotal with respect to the roof;

a liquid ejecting member fast internally with the pivot member and extending into the nozzle chamber such that displacement of the pivot member results in movement of the liquid ejecting member relative to the roof, thereby ejecting liquid from the liquid ejection port; and

a rectilinear actuator connected to the drive circuitry, configured for rectilinear movement on receipt of a drive signal and connected to the pivot member to displace the pivot member and thus the liquid ejecting member.

2. A micro-electromechanical liquid ejecting device as claimed in claim 1, in which the nozzle chamber structure is rectangular when viewed in plan, with a distal minor sidewall, an opposed proximal minor sidewall and a pair of opposed major sidewalls, the pivot member being positioned in one of the minor sidewalls.

3. A micro-electromechanical liquid ejecting device as claimed in claim 2, in which a pair of anchors extends from the substrate and the rectilinear actuator includes a resistive heating element having arms extending from respective anchors and connected to the drive circuitry layer via the anchors and a bridging portion interconnecting the arms and fast with the pivot member so that thermal expansion and contraction of the heating element results in reciprocal displacement of the pivot member and thus the liquid ejecting member.

4. A micro-electromechanical liquid ejecting device as claimed in claim 3, in which the liquid ejecting member is in the form of a rectangular paddle that extends from the proximal minor sidewall to the distal minor sidewall.

5. A micro-electromechanical liquid ejecting device as claimed in claim 4, in which the inlet channel opens into the nozzle chamber proximate the proximal minor sidewall and the liquid ejection port is positioned proximate the distal minor sidewall to reduce the effects of backflow.

6. A micro-electromechanical liquid ejecting device as claimed in claim 4, in which a length of the paddle is between twenty and sixty times greater than a distance between a point of attachment of the heater element to the pivot member and a pivot axis of the pivot member to amplify the displacement of the heater element.

7. A micro-electromechanical liquid ejecting device as claimed in claim 2, in which a length of the nozzle chamber structure is greater than three times a height of the nozzle chamber structure.