Printhead with nozzles having individual supply passages extending into substrate

• US 7,967,418 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2009
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): STEPHENS, JUANITA DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US12/626,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20100073426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 576 Days
• Field of Search: 347/12, 347/13, 347/40, 347/42, 347/43, 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

An inkjet printhead has a wafer substrate with a droplet ejection side and a liquid supply side opposite the droplet ejection side. Drive circuitry layers are formed on the droplet ejection side of the wafer substrate. An array of nozzles is formed on the droplet ejection side of the wafer substrate, each nozzle having a drop ejection actuator and an associated drop ejection aperture for ejecting drops of liquid. Ducting extends from the liquid supply side into the wafer substrate and terminating before reaching the droplet ejection side. Liquid inlets establish fluid communication between the ducting and the array of nozzles.

Claims

1. An inkjet printhead comprising:

a wafer substrate having a droplet ejection side and a liquid supply side opposite the droplet ejection side;

drive circuitry formed on the droplet ejection side of the wafer substrate;

at least one nozzle formed on the droplet ejection side of the wafer substrate, the nozzle having a drop ejection actuator and an associated drop ejection aperture for ejecting drops of liquid;

ducting extending from the liquid supply side into the wafer substrate and terminating before reaching the droplet ejection side; and

,

at least one liquid inlet for establishing fluid communication between the ducting and the nozzle,

wherein the nozzle has a chamber for holding a quantity of the liquid to be ejected, the drop ejection actuator being pivotally mounted for movement towards and away from the at least one ejection port.

2. An inkjet printhead according to claim 1 wherein the chamber has a roof layer in which the at least one ejection port is formed and the liquid inlet is positioned in a chamber wall that is opposite the roof layer.

3. An inkjet printhead according to claim 2 wherein the drop ejection actuator has an effort arm and a paddle, the effort arm being an elongate member pivotally mounted to the wafer substrate at one end and having a paddle positioned between the at least one ejection port and the liquid inlet.

4. An inkjet printhead according to claim 3 wherein the chamber has a first ejection port and a second ejection port formed in the roof layer respectively and is divided into a first part and a second part with the first ejection port positioned in the first part and the second ejection port positioned in the second part such that movement of the effort arm towards the wafer substrate ejects liquid through the first ejection port and movement of the effort arm away from the wafer substrate ejects liquid through the second ejection port.

5. An inkjet printhead according to claim 4 wherein the effort arm has a first heater element formed on a side closest the wafer substrate and second heater element formed on a side furthest the wafer substrate such that resistive heating of the first heater element bends the effort arm away from the wafer substrate by differential thermal expansion and resistive heating of the second heater element bends the effort arm towards the wafer substrate by differential thermal expansion.

6. An inkjet printhead according to claim 4 wherein the effort arm is formed from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).