Micro-electromechanical nozzle arrangement with an actuating mechanism having a shutter member

• US 7,901,047 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2008
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• 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): Stephens; Juanita D
• Application Number:
  US12/268,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20090058939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/44, 347/47, 347/54, 347/56, 347 61- 65, 347/67
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0005 Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material
• 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 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• 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 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• 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: 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 1/2112 : 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

Abstract

Provided is a micro-electromechanical nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printer. The arrangement includes a substrate having a layer of drive circuitry disposed thereon with a passivation layer on top of the drive circuitry layer, the substrate defining an ink inlet channel comprised of a number of discrete openings. The arrangement also includes a roof portion supported on the passivation layer by means of chamber walls to define an ink chamber operatively supplied with ink via the inlet channel, said roof portion defining an ink ejection port. The arrangement further includes an actuating mechanism located inside said chamber, the mechanism including a shutter member displaceable to obstruct fluid flow between the inlet channel and the ejection port or to allow fluid movement between the inlet channel and the ejection port, respectively.

Claims

1. A micro-electromechanical nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printer, said arrangement comprising:

a substrate having a layer of drive circuitry disposed thereon with a passivation layer on top of the drive circuitry layer, the substrate defining an ink inlet channel comprised of a number of discrete openings;

a roof portion supported on the passivation layer by means of chamber walls to define an ink chamber operatively supplied with ink via the inlet channel, said roof portion defining an ink ejection port; and

an actuating mechanism located inside said chamber, the mechanism including a shutter member displaceable to obstruct fluid flow between the inlet channel and the ejection port or to allow fluid movement between the inlet channel and the ejection port, respectively.

2. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the actuating mechanism includes a pair of opposed actuators mounted through the passivation layer to be in electrical connection with the drive circuitry layer.

3. The nozzle arrangement of claim 2, wherein the actuators are positioned on opposite sides of the ink inlet channel leading to the chamber.

4. The nozzle arrangement of claim 3, wherein the shutter member is mounted between and to the actuators to span the inlet.

5. The nozzle arrangement of claim 2, wherein the actuators are connected to the drive circuitry layer which, in turn, is connected to a control system so that the actuators can be activated in a substantially synchronous manner.