Inkjet printer with a pagewidth printhead having nozzle arrangements with an actuating arm having particular dimension proportions

• US 7,566,114 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Do; An H
• Application Number:
  US12/138,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20080239012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/56, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04 generating single droplets or particles on demand
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/05 produced by the application of heat
• 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 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1645 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 2002/14435 Moving nozzle made of thermal bend detached actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/15 Moving nozzle or nozzle plate
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 Line printing

Abstract

An inkjet printer has a pagewidth printhead with a plurality of nozzle arrangements. Each nozzle arrangement includes a substrate with an inlet channel etched therethrough, and nozzle chamber walls and a roof to define an ink chamber, with an ink ejection port defined in the roof inline with the inlet channel. The nozzle arrangement includes a thermal actuating arm inside the chamber, an upper side of the arm defining a displacement area that acts on ink in the chamber to eject ink via the ejection port. The displacement area is greater than half an area of the ink ejection port but less than twice the area of the ink ejection port.

Claims

1. An inkjet printer having a pagewidth printhead with a plurality of nozzle arrangements, each nozzle arrangement comprising:

a substrate with an inlet channel etched therethrough;

nozzle chamber walls and a roof to define an ink chamber, with an ink ejection port defined in the roof aligned with the inlet channel; and

a cantilevered thermal actuating arm having an upper side defining a displacement area within the chamber that acts on ink in the chamber through cantilevered movement of the arm to eject ink via the ejection port, the displacement area being greater than half an area of the ink ejection port but less than twice the area of the ink ejection port.

2. The inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a silicon wafer with a silicon dioxide drive circuitry layer deposited therein, with a passivation layer deposit on said circuitry layer for protection.

3. The inkjet printer of claim 1, wherein the chamber walls include a pair of opposed sidewalls, a distal end wall and a proximal end wall spanned by the roof forming a substantially rectangular chamber.

4. The inkjet printer of claim 3, wherein the actuator arm includes a movable member that extends into the nozzle chamber, the member dimensioned to span an area of the nozzle chamber from the proximal end wall to the distal end wall, the arm positioned between the ink inlet channel and the ink ejection port.

5. The inkjet printer of claim 4, wherein the actuator arm extends through an opening defined in the proximal end wall to be mounted on an anchor formation on the substrate outside the nozzle chamber.

6. The inkjet printer of claim 5, having a sealing arrangement positioned in the opening in the proximal end wall to inhibit the egress of ink from the nozzle chamber.

7. The inkjet printer of claim 4, wherein the arm is manufactured from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and defines an upper side and a lower side with a heating element positioned in the body proximate the lower side, the heating element defining a heating circuit connected to the drive circuitry layer with vias in the anchor formation.