Ink jet nozzle assembly having layered ejection actuator

• US 7,780,269 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2009
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• 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:
  US12/368,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20090141089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/56, 347/59, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/56
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1601 Production of bubble jet print heads B41J2/1606, B41J2/162 take precedence
• 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 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• 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 1/2154 : 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 ink jet nozzle assembly is provided having a wafer substrate defining an ink supply passage, a drive circuitry layer formed on the wafer substrate, an ink chamber structure on the drive circuitry layer, the ink chamber structure defining an ink chamber in fluid communication with the ink supply passage and an ink ejection port, and a layered actuator having a first layer electrically coupled to the drive circuitry layer so that the drive circuitry layer can electrically actuate the actuator to thereby eject ink from the ink ejection port.

Claims

1. An ink jet nozzle assembly comprising:

a wafer substrate defining an ink supply passage;

a drive circuitry layer formed on the wafer substrate;

an ink chamber structure on the drive circuitry layer, the ink chamber structure defining an ink chamber in fluid communication with the ink supply passage and an ink ejection port;

an ejection member disposed between the ink supply passage and the ink ejection port; and

a layered actuator having a first layer electrically coupled to the drive circuitry layer and the ejection member so that the drive circuitry layer can electrically actuate the actuator to move the ejection member and thereby eject ink from the ink ejection port.

2. An ink jet nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first layer of the actuator comprises titanium nitride or copper nickel alloy material.

3. An ink jet nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second layer of the actuator comprises one of glass, amorphous silicon dioxide and any other like thermal insulating material.

4. An ink jet nozzle assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ink chamber structure comprises a cylindrical wall and a cover that defines the ink ejection port.