Inkjet printhead with arcuate actuator path

• US 7,658,473 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2008
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• 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:
  US12/139,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20090091603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 604 Days
• Field of Search: 347/47, 347/54, 347/56, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/65
• 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

Abstract

Provided is an inkjet printhead having a plurality of ink ejection arrangements. Each arrangement includes a silicon wafer having an ink channel etched therethrough, with ink operatively supplied to a first surface of the wafer via said channel to an ink ejection chamber located along the surface of the wafer. Each arrangement also includes an external actuator arranged on the wafer, and a paddle inside the chamber and attached to the actuator which is activated so as to compress a portion of the ink within the chamber against a sidewall of said chamber to eject ink from the chamber. The chamber defines an arcuate profile shaped to guide the paddle on an arcuate path.

Claims

1. An inkjet printhead having a plurality of ink ejection arrangements each comprising:

a silicon wafer substrate having an ink channel etched therethrough, with ink operatively supplied to a first surface of the wafer via said channel to an ink ejection chamber located along the surface of the wafer;

an external actuator arranged on the wafer; and

a paddle inside the chamber and attached to the actuator which is activated so as to compress a portion of the ink within the chamber against a sidewall of said chamber to eject ink from the chamber, wherein said chamber defines an arcuate profile shaped to guide the paddle on an arcuate path.

2. The inkjet printhead of claim 1, wherein the actuator includes a coiled arm having three sub-arm components.

3. The inkjet printhead of claim 2, wherein the sub-arm components include an upper conductive arm and a lower conductive arm, said arm encased in a silicon nitride portion.

4. The inkjet printhead of claim 3, wherein the upper conductive arm and the lower conductive arm are conductively interconnected at an outer coil end proximate the paddle and electrically interconnected at another end to a CMOS driving layer on the wafer.

5. The inkjet printhead of claim 3, wherein the upper and lower arms are made from conductive titanium diboride.

6. The inkjet printhead of claim 5, wherein conductive heating of the conductive arms result in a general expansion of said arms to work against the nitride portion to result in a partial uncoiling of the actuator to displace the paddle resulting in the ejection of ink from the nozzle chamber.

7. The inkjet printhead of claim 1, wherein the nozzle chamber includes a rim constructed from titanium diboride and having an arcuate profile shaped to guide the paddle on an arcuate path.