Nozzle arrangement with a magnetic field generator

• US 7,465,030 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• 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): JACKSON, JUANITA DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US12/050,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20080158302A1
• Time in Patent Office: 273 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/56, 347 61- 65, 347/67, 347/94
• 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 2/1623 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 2202/21 Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• 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

The invention provides for a nozzle arrangement for a printhead. The arrangement includes a wafer substrate defining a nozzle chamber, and a passivation layer formed on the substrate to define a roof wall and ink ejection port of the chamber. The arrangement also includes a paddle arranged in the chamber configured to operatively eject ink from the chamber via the ejection port, as well as a magnetic field generator fast with the wafer substrate, the generator configured to actuate the paddle to eject the ink.

Claims

1. A nozzle arrangement for a printhead, the arrangement comprising:

a wafer substrate defining a nozzle chamber;

a passivation layer formed on the substrate to define a roof wall and ink ejection port of the chamber;

a magnetic paddle arranged in the chamber configured to operatively eject ink from the chamber via the ejection port; and

a magnetic field generator fast with the wafer substrate, the generator configured to actuate the paddle to eject the ink.

2. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the nozzle chamber is formed during an etching process carried out on the wafer substrate.

3. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the chamber includes an inlet arranged in fluid communication with an ink reservoir.

4. The nozzle arrangement of claim 3, wherein the magnetic field generator includes an electrical coil positioned about the inlet of the nozzle chamber.

5. The nozzle arrangement of claim 4, wherein the wafer substrate includes a drive circuitry layer with drive circuitry for providing electrical signals to the electrical coil.

6. The nozzle arrangement of claim 5, wherein the electrical coil is connected to the drive circuitry of the drive circuitry layer so that, when required, the coil can be activated to generate a magnetic field.

7. The nozzle arrangement of claim 3, wherein the paddle is dimensioned so that, when the paddle is received in the inlet, the paddle serves to close the inlet.

8. The nozzle arrangement of claim 7, wherein the paddle is movable between an open position in which the paddle is spaced from the inlet to permit the ingress of ink into the nozzle chamber and a closed position in which the paddle is received in the inlet to close the inlet.