Method for manufacturing a micro-electromechanical nozzle arrangement on a substrate with an integrated drive circutry layer

• US 7,284,326 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, McAvoy, Gregory John
• Primary Examiner(s): Tugbang; A. Dexter
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAI V
• Application Number:
  US11/583,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20070034597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 298/901, 298/30, 298/31, 298/32, 298/35, 298/46, 298/47, 347/47, 347/56, 347/29, 347/32, 347/44, 347/55, 347/57, 347/68, 216/27, 438/21
• US Class Current: 29/890.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16 Production of nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• 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 2/1648 Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• 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 2002/14475 characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/15 Moving nozzle or nozzle plate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 : Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 : Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 : Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49156 : with selective destruction of conductive paths
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 : Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a micro-electromechanical printer nozzle arrangement on a substrate having a layer of integrated drive circuitry includes etching a nozzle region through the layer of integrated drive circuitry up to the substrate. Electrical contact regions are etched about the nozzle region. Metal and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layers are deposited and etched on the layer of integrated drive circuitry so that the metal layer defines heater elements in electrical contact with the drive circuitry and embedded in PTFE structures disposed about the nozzle region. A nozzle chamber is etched in the substrate such that the nozzle chamber is in fluid communication with the nozzle region. The substrate is back-etched to define an ink channel in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a micro-electromechanical printer nozzle arrangement on a substrate having a layer of integrated drive circuitry, the method comprising the steps of:

etching a nozzle region through the layer of integrated drive circuitry up to the substrate;

etching electrical contact regions about the nozzle region;

depositing and etching metal and hydrophobic polymer layers on the layer of integrated drive circuitry so that the metal layer defines heater elements in electrical contact with the drive circuitry and embedded in a hydrophobic polymer structure disposed about the nozzle region;

etching a nozzle chamber in the substrate such that the nozzle chamber is in fluid communication with the nozzle region; and

back-etching the substrate to define an ink channel in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber so that the ink channel is positioned at an apex of the nozzle chamber.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the step of depositing and etching the metal and hydrophobic polymer layers includes the step of etching the hydrophobic polymer layers to define:

a plurality of radially extending bridging portions which terminate in a common rim that defines an ink ejection port at the nozzle region, and

a plurality of actuators, defined by respective heater elements embedded in respective hydrophobic polymer structures, which are interposed between respective pairs of adjacent bridging portions and each terminate in a free end proximal to the rim.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, in which the step of depositing and etching the metal and hydrophobic polymer layers includes the steps of:

depositing a first hydrophobic polymer layer on the layer of integrated circuitry;

etching the first hydrophobic polymer layer to define via in register with the electrical contact regions;

depositing the metal layer to be in electrical contact with the via;

etching the metal layer to define the heater elements; and

depositing a second hydrophobic polymer layer on the metal layer.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, in which the step of etching the metal layer is carried out so that the heater elements each have a serpentine configuration.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, in which the step of:

etching the substrate to define the nozzle chamber is carried out so that the rim, bridging portions and actuators are superposed with respect to the nozzle chamber.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the step of etching the nozzle chamber is performed as a crystallographic etch.