Nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead having an ejection actuator and a refill actuator

• US 7,637,595 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• 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:
  US12/116,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20080204515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 347/47, 347/54, 347/56, 347/65, 347/69
• 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 2/1626 etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1629 wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• 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 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/05 Heads having a valve
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

A nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead is provided. The nozzle arrangement includes a wafer substrate defining a nozzle chamber and drive circuitry and ink passivation layers defining an inlet to the chamber. An etch stop layer forms a roof layer for the chamber with an ink ejection port defined in the roof layer. The nozzle arrangement also includes an ejection actuator and a refill actuator collectively spanning the inlet, said ejection actuator actuatable via the drive circuitry layer to eject ink from the ejection port, and said refill actuator actuatable via the drive circuitry layer to facilitate refilling of the chamber with ink via the inlet.

Claims

1. A nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead, said nozzle arrangement comprising:

a wafer substrate defining a nozzle chamber and drive circuitry and ink passivation layers defining an inlet to the chamber;

an etch stop layer forming a roof layer for the chamber, an ink ejection port defined in the roof layer; and

an ejection actuator and a refill actuator collectively spanning the inlet, said ejection actuator actuatable via the drive circuitry layer to eject ink from the ejection port, and said refill actuator actuatable via the drive circuitry layer to facilitate refilling of the chamber with ink via the inlet.

2. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein each actuator includes a heater element to facilitate actuation through thermal bending of the actuators.

3. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein each heater element is connected to the drive circuitry layer by means of vias through the ink passivation layer.

4. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the roof layer is in the form of a layer of boron doped epitaxial silicon.

5. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, having an ink passivation layer deposited on the drive circuitry layer, the ink passivation layer being a layer of silicon nitride.

6. The nozzle arrangement of claim 5, having a layer of expansion material deposited on the ink passivation layer.

7. The nozzle arrangement of claim 6, wherein the layer of expansion material is etched to define the ejection actuator and refill actuator, said expansion material having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is such that expansion of the material upon heating can be harnessed to perform work.