Inkjet printhead with hollow drop ejection chamber formed partly of actuator material

• US 7,416,280 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• 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:
  US10/407,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20030210300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/44, 347/47, 347/48, 347/54, 347/56, 347/61, 347/68, 347/65, 216/27
• 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

An inkjet drop ejection apparatus with a chamber, an actuator, and a nozzle, where drops of ink are ejected through the nozzle, and where the chamber comprises a hollow structure formed on a semiconductor substrate. The chamber is partly formed of the same material as the actuator, simplifying the fabrication process.

Claims

1. An inkjet drop ejection apparatus for ejecting drops of ink during a printing process, the inkjet drop ejection apparatus comprising:

a chamber for holding ink;

a nozzle;

an actuator having an ink engaging surface for moving towards the nozzle to impart enough kinetic energy to the ink such that a drop of ink ejects through the nozzle, and subsequently moves away from the nozzle as the chamber refills with ink during the printing process, the ink engaging surface being formed from the same material as at least one internal surface of the chamber, and,

a semiconductor substrate for supporting the chamber, the nozzle and the actuator, wherein,

the actuator is connected to the chamber in the same plane of deposition as said at least one internal surface of the chamber.

2. An inkjet drop election apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the semiconductor substrate has an ink ejection side incorporating the nozzle and an ink supply side opposite the ink ejection side, the ink supply side being in fluid communication with the chamber;

wherein during use,

the ink engaging surface of the actuator moves towards the ink ejection side of the semiconductor substrate.

3. An inkjet drop ejection apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the actuator is connected to the chamber such that the ink engaging surface is suspended in the ink and during actuation it pushes ink out of the nozzle in a direction parallel to a flow of ink from the ink supply side of the semiconductor substrate to refill the chamber.

4. An inkjet drop ejection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said semiconductor substrate is formed of silicon and the bend actuator is a thermal bend actruator.

5. An inkjet drop ejection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said semiconductor substrate is silicon, and wherein a hole is formed through said substrate from the ink supply side to the ink ejection side such that at least part of the sidewalls of the hole forming pail of the chamber.

6. An inkjet drop ejection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material forming said ink engaging surface of the actuator and said at least one internal surface of said chamber is deposited simultaneously.

7. An inkjet drop ejection apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said actuator comprises a shape memory alloy which is thermally switched between its martensitic state and its austenic state, and wherein the resultant shape change of said actuator cause ejection of, or assists in causing ejection of, ink from said nozzle.