Printhead integrated circuit with petal formation ink ejection actuator

• US 7,934,809 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, McAvoy, Gregory John
• Primary Examiner(s): Do; An H
• Application Number:
  US12/500,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20090267993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/56, 347/62, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/56
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• 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 2/1628 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 2/1648 Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• 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 2002/14475 characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/15 Moving nozzle or nozzle plate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 : Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 : Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 : Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49156 : with selective destruction of conductive paths
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 : Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

A printhead integrated circuit includes an ink chamber for storing a fluid; an ink ejection port in fluid communication with the ink chamber; a plurality of actuators radially positioned about the ink ejection port in a petal formation; and a heater structure provided in each actuator, the heater structure operable to conduct current therethrough to heat a respective actuator, whereby a differential thermal expansion is established in the respective actuator to urge the respective actuator into the ink chamber. The heater structure is positioned in each actuator to heat the actuator unevenly.

Claims

1. A printhead integrated circuit comprising:

an ink chamber for storing a fluid;

an ink ejection port in fluid communication with the ink chamber;

a plurality of actuators radially positioned about the ink ejection port in a petal formation; and

a heater structure provided in each actuator, the heater structure operable to conduct current therethrough to heat a respective actuator, whereby a differential thermal expansion is established in the respective actuator to urge the respective actuator into the ink chamber, wherein

the heater structure is positioned in each actuator to heat the actuator unevenly.

2. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the actuators are manufactured from a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) material, and the heater structure has serpentine formation.

3. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising a number of central arms radially positioned about the port between the petal formations to provide structural support for the formations.

4. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising a rim about the ejection port.

5. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising an integrated layer of CMOS circuitry for driving the heater structures.

6. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 5, further comprising a number of vias through which the CMOS drive circuitry is connected to the heater structures.