Nozzle arrangement with an ink ejecting displaceable roof structure

• US 7,278,712 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2007
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• 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): JACKSON, JUANITA DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US11/653,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/44, 347/47, 347/54, 347/56, 347 61- 65, 347/67, 60527-529
• 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 1/1626 : with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 nozzle arrangement is provided for an inkjet printhead. The nozzle arrangement includes a wafer substrate assembly defining an ink inlet channel and a first wall surrounding the ink inlet channel. A thermal actuator includes an anchor extending from the wafer substrate assembly outside of the confines of the first wall, and thermal actuator arms extending from the anchor. A roof structure is operatively mounted to terminate the actuator arms and covers the first wall. The roof structure defines a second wall surrounding the first wall so that the wafer substrate assembly and the roof structure together define a nozzle chamber in which ink from the ink inlet channel can be supplied. The roof structure further defines a rim through which ink in the nozzle chamber can be ejected. Upon thermal actuation of the actuator, the actuator moves the roof structure with respect to the wafer substrate assembly to thereby eject ink in the nozzle chamber through the rim.

Claims

1. A nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead, the nozzle arrangement comprising:

a wafer substrate assembly defining an ink inlet channel and a first wall surrounding the ink inlet channel;

a thermal actuator comprising an anchor extending from the wafer substrate assembly outside of the confines of the first wall, and thermal actuator arms extending from the anchor; and

a roof structure operatively mounted to terminate the actuator arms and which covers the first wall, the roof structure defining a second wall surrounding the first wall so that the wafer substrate assembly and the roof structure together define a nozzle chamber in which ink from the ink inlet channel can be supplied, the roof structure further defining a rim through which ink in the nozzle chamber can be ejected so that, upon thermal actuation of the actuator, the actuator moves the roof structure with respect to the wafer substrate assembly to eject ink in the nozzle chamber through the rim.

2. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the roof structure comprises a planar roof member from which the second wall depends, the roof member defining the rim and being arranged so that the rim is out of alignment with the ink inlet channel.

3. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the anchor comprises a pair of spaced active anchor portions and a pair of spaced passive anchor portions.

4. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the thermal actuator arms comprise a pair of active actuator arms connected to the active anchor portions and a pair of passive actuator arms connected to the passive anchor portions.

5. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the wafer substrate assembly comprises a silicon wafer substrate and CMOS micro-processing circuitry positioned on the silicon wafer substrate and electrically coupled to the pair of spaced active anchor portions.

6. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wafer substrate assembly comprises a silicon dioxide layer positioned on a wafer substrate.

7. A nozzle arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the wafer substrate assembly further comprises an ink passivation layer in the form of a layer of silicon nitride on the silicon dioxide layer.

8. A printhead comprising a two dimensional array of nozzle arrangements as claimed in claim 1.