Fluid ejection device with micro-electromechanical fluid ejection actuators

• US 7,284,837 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• 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): Do; An H.
• Application Number:
  US11/231,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20060012271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/56, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14314 Structure of ink jet print heads with electrostatically actuated membrane
• 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 2/1626 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 2002/14443 : Nozzle guard
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• 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: G07F 7/08 : by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 : by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 : Card verification
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49083 : Heater type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 : Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 : Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 : Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49172 : by molding of insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 : Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

A fluid ejection device includes a substrate that defines a plurality of fluid inlets. A drive circuitry layer is positioned on the substrate. Elongate micro-electromechanical actuators are each fast at a first end to the substrate to be connected to the drive circuitry and are configured to be displaced away from and towards the substrate on receipt of an electrical pulse from the drive circuitry. An array of nozzle chamber structures is positioned on the substrate. Each defines a nozzle chamber in fluid communication with a respective fluid inlet and a fluid ejection port in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber. A plurality of fluid ejecting members is fast with respective second ends of the actuators. The nozzle chamber structures define slotted arrangements that are configured to permit the actuators to extend into the nozzle chambers to restrain movement of the fluid ejecting members along a substantially linear path.

Claims

1. A fluid ejection device that comprises

a substrate that defines a plurality of fluid inlets;

a drive circuitry layer positioned on the substrate;

a plurality of elongate micro-electromechanical actuators, each fast at a first end to the substrate to be connected to the drive circuitry and configured to be displaced away from and towards the substrate on receipt of an electrical pulse from the drive circuitry; and

an array of nozzle chamber structures positioned on the substrate, each being defined by first and second chamber parts which together define a nozzle chamber in fluid communication with the respective fluid inlets, the first chamber part having a fluid ejection port in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber,

wherein the first chamber parts are fast with respective second ends of the actuators so as to be displaced relative to the second chamber parts to cause ejection of the fluid from the fluid ejection parts.

2. A fluid ejection device as claimed in claim 1 in which each actuator includes an actuating portion and an actuator arm extending from the actuating portion, the actuating portion being interposed between the substrate and the actuator arm.

3. A fluid ejection device as claimed in claim 2, in which each actuating portion includes a first electrically conducting layer, a structural layer and a second electrically conducting layer, with the structural layer interposed between the electrically conducting layers, the first electrically conducting layer defining a heating circuit connected to the drive circuitry.

4. A fluid ejection device as claimed in claim 3, in which each heating circuit is interposed between the substrate and the structural layer such that on heating and subsequent expansion of the heating circuit, the actuating portion undergoes differential thermal expansion and is displaced away from the substrate in an arcuate manner.

5. A fluid ejection device as claimed in claim 1, in which a nozzle rim is positioned about each fluid ejection port.

6. A fluid ejection device as claimed in claim 1, in which each nozzle chamber structure is configured so that a tortuous fluid path is defined between the first and second chamber parts to inhibit the egress of fluid from the associated nozzle chamber.