US20040130599A1 - Ink jet printhead with amorphous ceramic chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

An ink jet printhead with an array of nozzles3having ink chambers7formed at least partially from an amorphous ceramic material, such as silicon nitride, silicon dioxide (glass) or silicon oxynitride. Amorphous ceramics offer high strength and a non-crystalline structure. Crystalline material has crystal defects that can act as stress concentration points that are prone to failure in the cyclical loading environment of the nozzle chambers7.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• The following Australian provisional patent applications are hereby incorporated by cross-reference. For the purposes of location and identification, US patent applications identified by their U.S. patent application serial numbers (USSN) are listed alongside the Australian applications from which the U.S. patent applications claim the right of priority.[0001]

  CROSS-	US PATENT/PATENT
  REFERENCED	APPLICATION (CLAIMING
  AUSTRALIAN	RIGHT OF PRIORITY FROM
  PROVISIONAL PATENT	AUSTRALIAN PROVISIONAL	DOCKET
  APPLICATION NO.	APPLICATION)	NO.
  PO7991	09/113,060	ART01
  PO8505	09/113,070	ART02
  PO7988	09/113,073	ART03
  PO9395	09/112,748	ART04
  PO8017	09/112,747	ART06
  PO8014	09/112,776	ART07
  PO8025	09/112,750	ART08
  PO8032	09/112,746	ART09
  PO7999	09/112,743	ART10
  PO7998	09/112,742	ART11
  PO8031	09/112,741	ART12
  PO8030	09/112,740	ART13
  PO7997	09/112,739	ART15
  PO7979	09/113,053	ART16
  PO8015	09/112,738	ART17
  PO7978	09/113,067	ART18
  PO7982	09/113,063	ART19
  PO7989	09/113,069	ART20
  PO8019	09/112,744	ART21
  PO7980	09/113,058	ART22
  PO8018	09/112,777	ART24
  PO7938	09/113,224	ART25
  PO8016	09/112,804	ART26
  PO8024	09/112,805	ART27
  PO7940	09/113,072	ART28
  PO7939	09/112,785	ART29
  PO8501	09/112,797	ART30
  PO8500	09/112,796	ART31
  PO7987	09/113,071	ART32
  PO8022	09/112,824	ART33
  PO8497	09/113,090	ART34
  PO8020	09/112,823	ART38
  PO8023	09/113,222	ART39
  PO8504	09/112,786	ART42
  PO8000	09/113,051	ART43
  PO7977	09/112,782	ART44
  PO7934	09/113,056	ART45
  PO7990	09/113,059	ART46
  PO8499	09/113,091	ART47
  PO8502	09/112,753	ART48
  PO7981	09/113,055	ART50
  PO7986	09/113,057	ART51
  PO7983	09/113,054	ART52
  PO8026	09/112,752	ART53
  PO8027	09/112,759	ART54
  PO8028	09/112,757	ART56
  PO9394	09/112,758	ART57
  PO9396	09/113,107	ART58
  PO9397	09/112,829	ART59
  PO9398	09/112,792	ART60
  PO9399	6,106,147	ART61
  PO9400	09/112,790	ART62
  PO9401	09/112,789	ART63
  PO9402	09/112,788	ART64
  PO9403	09/112,795	ART65
  PO9405	09/112,749	ART66
  PP0959	09/112,784	ART68
  PP1397	09/112,783	ART69
  PP2370	09/112,781	DOT01
  PP2371	09/113,052	DOT02
  PO8003	09/112,834	Fluid01
  PO8005	09/113,103	Fluid02
  PO9404	09/113,101	Fluid03
  PO8066	09/112,751	IJ01
  PO8072	09/112,787	IJ02
  PO8040	09/112,802	IJ03
  PO8071	09/112,803	IJ04
  PO8047	09/113,097	IJ05
  PO8035	09/113,099	IJ06
  PO8044	09/113,084	IJ07
  PO8063	09/113,066	IJ08
  PO8057	09/112,778	IJ09
  PO8056	09/112,779	IJ10
  PO8069	09/113,077	IJ11
  PO8049	09/113,061	IJ12
  PO8036	09/112,818	IJ13
  PO8048	09/112,816	IJ14
  PO8070	09/112,772	IJ15
  PO8067	09/112,819	IJ16
  PO8001	09/112,815	IJ17
  PO8038	09/113,096	IJ18
  PO8033	09/113,068	IJ19
  PO8002	09/113,095	IJ20
  PO8068	09/112,808	IJ21
  PO8062	09/112,809	IJ22
  PO8034	09/112,780	IJ23
  PO8039	09/113,083	IJ24
  PO8041	09/113,121	IJ25
  PO8004	09/113,122	IJ26
  PO8037	09/112,793	IJ27
  PO8043	09/112,794	IJ28
  PO8042	09/113,128	IJ29
  PO8064	09/113,127	IJ30
  PO9389	09/112,756	IJ31
  PO9391	09/112,755	IJ32
  PP0888	09/112,754	IJ33
  PP0891	09/112,811	IJ34
  PP0890	09/112,812	IJ35
  PP0873	09/112,813	IJ36
  PP0993	09/112,814	IJ37
  PP0890	09/112,764	IJ38
  PP1398	09/112,765	IJ39
  PP2592	09/112,767	IJ40
  PP2593	09/112,768	IJ41
  PP3991	09/112,807	IJ42
  PP3987	09/112,806	IJ43
  PP3985	09/112,820	IJ44
  PP3983	09/112,821	IJ45
  PO7935	09/112,822	IJM01
  PO7936	09/112,825	IJM02
  PO7937	09/112,826	IJM03
  PO8061	09/112,827	IJM04
  PO8054	09/112,828	IJM05
  PO8065	6,071,750	IJM06
  PO8055	09/113,108	IJM07
  PO8053	09/113,109	IJM08
  PO8078	09/113,123	IJM09
  PO7933	09/113,114	IJM10
  PO7950	09/113,115	IJM11
  PO7949	09/113,129	IJM12
  PO8060	09/113,124	IJM13
  PO8059	09/113,125	IJM14
  PO8073	09/113,126	IJM15
  PO8076	09/113,119	IJM16
  PO8075	09/113,120	IJM17
  PO8079	09/113,221	IJM18
  PO8050	09/113,116	IJM19
  PO8052	09/113,118	IJM20
  PO7948	09/113,117	IJM21
  PO7951	09/113,113	IJM22
  PO8074	09/113,130	IJM23
  PO7941	09/113,110	IJM24
  PO8077	09/113,112	IJM25
  PO8058	09/113,087	IJM26
  PO8051	09/113,074	IJM27
  PO8045	6,111,754	IJM28
  PO7952	09/113,088	IJM29
  PO8046	09/112,771	IJM30
  PO9390	09/112,769	IJM31
  PO9392	09/112,770	IJM32
  PP0889	09/112,798	IJM35
  PP0887	09/112,801	IJM36
  PP0882	09/112,800	IJM37
  PP0874	09/112,799	IJM38
  PP1396	09/113,098	IJM39
  PP3989	09/112,833	IJM40
  PP2591	09/112,832	IJM41
  PP3990	09/112,831	IJM42
  PP3986	09/112,830	IJM43
  PP3984	09/112,836	IJM44
  PP3982	09/112,835	IJM45
  PP0895	09/113,102	IR01
  PP0870	09/113,106	IR02
  PP0869	09/113,105	IR04
  PP0887	09/113,104	IR05
  PP0885	09/112,810	IR06
  PP0884	09/112,766	IR10
  PP0886	09/113,085	IR12
  PP0871	09/113,086	IR13
  PP0876	09/113,094	IR14
  PP0877	09/112,760	IR16
  PP0878	09/112,773	IR17
  PP0879	09/112,774	IR18
  PP0883	09/112,775	IR19
  PP0880	09/112,745	IR20
  PP0881	09/113,092	IR21
  PO8006	6,087,638	MEMS02
  PO8007	09/113,093	MEMS03
  PO8008	09/113,062	MEMS04
  PO8010	6,041,600	MEMS05
  PO8011	09/113,082	MEMS06
  PO7947	6,067,797	MEMS07
  PO7944	09/113,080	MEMS09
  PO7946	6,044,646	MEMS10
  PO9393	09/113,065	MEMS11
  PP0875	09/113,078	MEMS12
  PP0894	09/113,075	MEMS13

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
• Not applicable.[0002]
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to the field of inkjet printers and, discloses an inkjet printing system using printheads manufactured with microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) techniques.[0003]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Many different types of printing have been invented, a large number of which are presently in use. The known forms of print have a variety of methods for marking the print media with a relevant marking media Commonly used forms of printing include offset printing, laser printing and copying devices, dot matrix type impact printers, thermal paper printers, film recorders, thermal wax printers, dye sublimation printers and ink jet printers both of the drop on demand and continuous flow type. Each type of printer has its own advantages and problems when considering cost, speed, quality, reliability, simplicity of construction and operation etc.[0004]
• In recent years, the field of ink jet printing, wherein each individual pixel of ink is derived from one or more ink nozzles has become increasingly popular primarily due to its inexpensive and versatile nature.[0005]
• Many different techniques on inkjet printing have been invented. For a survey of the field, reference is made to an article by J Moore, “Non-Impact Printing: Introduction and Historical Perspective”, Output Hard Copy Devices, Editors R Dubeck and S Sherr, pages 207-220 (1988).[0006]
• Ink Jet printers themselves come in many different types. The utilization of a continuous stream of ink in ink jet printing appears to date back to at least 1929 wherein U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,001 by Hansell discloses a simple form of continuous stream electro-static ink jet printing.[0007]
• U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,275 by Sweet also discloses a process of a continuous ink jet printing including the step wherein the ink jet stream is modulated by a high frequency electro-static field so as to cause drop separation. This technique is still utilized by several manufacturers including Elmjet and Scitex (see also U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,437 by Sweet et al)[0008]
• Piezoelectric ink jet printers are also one form of commonly utilized ink jet printing device. Piezoelectric systems are disclosed by Kyser et. al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 (1970) which utilizes a diaphragm mode of operation, by Zolten in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,212 (1970) which discloses a squeeze mode of operation of a piezoelectric crystal, Stemme in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,120 (1972) discloses a bend mode of piezoelectric operation, Howkins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,601 discloses a piezoelectric push mode actuation of the ink jet stream and Fischbeck in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590 which discloses a shear mode type of piezoelectric transducer element.[0009]
• Recently, thermal ink jet printing has become an extremely popular form of ink jet printing. The ink jet printing techniques include those disclosed by Endo et al in GB 2007162 (1979) and Vaught et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,728. Both the aforementioned references disclosed inkjet printing techniques that rely upon the activation of an electrothermal actuator which results in the creation of a bubble in a constricted space, such as a nozzle, which thereby causes the ejection of ink from an aperture connected to the confined space onto a relevant print media Printing devices utilizing the electro-thermal actuator are manufactured by manufacturers such as Canon and Hewlett Packard.[0010]
• As can be seen from the foregoing, many different types of printing technologies are available. Ideally, a printing technology should have a number of desirable attributes. These include inexpensive construction and operation, high speed operation, safe and continuous long term operation etc. Each technology may have its own advantages and disadvantages in the areas of cost, speed, quality, reliability, power usage, simplicity of construction operation, durability and consumables.[0011]
• In the construction of any inkjet printing system, there are a considerable number of important factors which must be traded off against one another especially as large scale printheads are constructed, especially those of a pagewidth type. A number of these factors are outlined in the following paragraphs.[0012]
• Firstly, inkjet printheads are normally constructed utilizing micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques. As such, they tend to rely upon standard integrated circuit construction/fabrication techniques of depositing planar layers on a silicon wafer and etching certain portions of the planar layers. Within silicon circuit fabrication technology, certain techniques are better known than others. For example, the techniques associated with the creation of CMOS circuits are likely to be more readily used than those associated with the creation of exotic circuits including ferroelectrics, galium arsenide etc. Hence, it is desirable, in any MEMS constructions, to utilize well proven semi-conductor fabrication techniques which do not require any “exotic” processes or materials. Of course, a certain degree of trade off will be undertaken in that if the advantages of using the exotic material far out weighs its disadvantages then it may become desirable to utilize the material anyway. However, if it is possible to achieve the same, or similar, properties using more common materials, the problems of exotic materials can be avoided.[0013]
• With a large array of ink ejection nozzles, it is desirable to provide for a highly automated form of manufacturing which results in an inexpensive production of multiple printhead devices.[0014]
• Preferably, the device constructed utilizes a low amount of energy in the ejection of ink. The utilization of a low amount of energy is particularly important when a large pagewidth full color printhead is constructed having a large array of individual print ejection mechanism with each ejection mechanisms, in the worst case, being fired in a rapid sequence.[0015]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink ejection nozzle arrangement suitable for incorporation into an inkjet printhead arrangement for the ejection of ink on demand from a nozzle chamber in an efficient and reliable manner.[0016]
• According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an ink jet printhead comprising:[0017]
• a plurality of nozzles;[0018]
• a bubble forming chamber corresponding to each of the nozzles respectively, the bubble forming chambers adapted to contain a bubble forming liquid; and,[0019]
• at least one heater element disposed in each of the bubble forming chambers respectively, the heater elements configured for thermal contact with the bubble forming liquid; such that,[0020]
• heating the heater element to a temperature above the boiling point of the bubble forming liquid forms a gas bubble that causes the ejection of a drop of an ejectable liquid through the nozzle corresponding to that heater element; wherein, the bubble forming chamber is at least partially formed by an amorphous ceramic material.[0021]
• Amorphous ceramic material provides the bubble forming chamber with high strength. The non-crystalline structure avoids any points of weakness due to crystalline defects. These defects can act as stress concentration areas and are prone to failure.[0022]
• According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a printer system which incorporates a printhead, the printhead comprising:[0023]
• a plurality of nozzles;[0024]
• a bubble forming chamber corresponding to each of the nozzles respectively, the bubble forming chambers adapted to contain a bubble forming liquid; and,[0025]
• at least one heater element disposed in each of the bubble forming chambers respectively, the heater elements configured for thermal contact with the bubble forming liquid; such that,[0026]
• heating the heater element to a temperature above the boiling point of the bubble forming liquid forms a gas bubble that causes the ejection of a drop of an ejectable liquid through the nozzle corresponding to that heater element; wherein,[0027]
• the bubble forming chamber is at least partially formed by an amorphous ceramic material.[0028]
• According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a method of ejecting drops of an ejectable liquid from a printhead, the printhead comprising a plurality of nozzles;[0029]
• a chamber corresponding to each of the nozzles respectively, the chambers adapted to contain an ejectable liquid; and,[0030]
• at least one droplet ejection actuator associated with each of the chambers respectively; wherein, the chamber is at least partially formed by an amorphous ceramic material;[0031]
• the method comprising the steps of:[0032]
• placing the ejectable liquid into contact with the drop ejection actuator; and[0033]
• actuating the droplet ejection actuator such that a droplet of an ejectable liquid is ejected through the corresponding nozzle.[0034]
• Preferably, the amorphous ceramic material is silicon nitride. In another form, the amorphous ceramic material is silicon dioxide. In yet another embodiment, the amorphous ceramic material is silicon oxynitride.[0035]
• Preferably, the thermal actuator units are interconnected at a first end to a substrate and at a second end to a rigid strut member. The rigid strut member can, in turn, be interconnected to the arm having one end attached to the paddle vane. The thermal actuator units can operate upon conductive heating along a conductive trace and the conductive heating can include the generation of a substantial portion of the heat in the area adjacent the first end. The conductive heating trace can include a thinned cross-section adjacent the first end. The heating layers of the thermal actuator units can comprise substantially either a copper nickel alloy or titanium nitride. The paddle can be constructed from a similar conductive material to portions of the thermal actuator units however it is conductively insulated therefrom.[0036]
• Preferably, the thermal actuator units are constructed from multiple layers utilizing a single mask to etch the multiple layers.[0037]
• The nozzle chamber can include an actuator access port in a second surface of the chamber. The access port can comprise a slot in a corner of the chamber and the actuator is able to move in an arc through the slot. The actuator can include an end portion that mates substantially with a wall of the chamber at substantially right angles to the paddle vane. The paddle vane can include a depressed portion substantially opposite the fluid ejection port.[0038]
• In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal actuator including a series of lever arms attached at one end to a substrate, the thermal actuator being operational as a result of conductive heating of a conductive trace, the conductive trace including a thinned cross-section substantially adjacent the attachment to the substrate.[0039]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:[0040]
• FIGS.[0041]1-3 illustrate the basic operational principles of a preferred embodiment using a thermal bend actuator;
• FIG. 4 illustrates a three dimensional view of a single ink jet nozzle arrangement constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1;[0042]
• FIG. 5 illustrates an array of the nozzle arrangements of FIG. 4;[0043]
• FIG. 6 shows a table to be used with reference to FIGS.[0044]7 to16;
• FIGS.[0045]7 to16 show various stages in the manufacture of the ink jet nozzle arrangement of FIG. 4;
• FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view through an ink chamber of a unit cell of a printhead according to an embodiment using a bubble forming heater element;[0046]
• FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view through the ink chamber FIG. 17, at another stage of operation;[0047]
• FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view through the ink chamber FIG. 17, at yet another stage of operation;[0048]
• FIG. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view through the ink chamber FIG. 17, at yet a further stage of operation; and[0049]
• FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view through a unit cell of a printhead in accordance with an embodiment of the invention showing the collapse of a vapor bubble.[0050]
• FIG. 22 is a schematic, partially cut away, perspective view of a further embodiment of a unit cell of a printhead.[0051]
• FIG. 23 is a schematic, partially cut away, exploded perspective view of the unit cell of FIG. 22.[0052]
• FIG. 24 is a schematic, partially cut away, perspective view of a further embodiment of a unit cell of a printhead.[0053]
• FIG. 25 is a schematic, partially cut away, exploded perspective view of the unit cell of FIG. 24.[0054]
• FIG. 26 is a schematic, partially cut away, perspective view of a further embodiment of a unit cell of a printhead.[0055]
• FIG. 27 is a schematic, partially cut away, exploded perspective view of the unit cell of FIG. 26.[0056]
• FIG. 28 is a schematic, partially cut away, perspective view of a further embodiment of a unit cell of a printhead.[0057]
• FIG. 29 is a schematic, partially cut away, perspective view of a further embodiment of a unit cell of a printhead.[0058]
• FIG. 30 is a schematic, partially cut away, exploded perspective view of the unit cell of FIG. 29.[0059]
• FIGS.[0060]31 to41 are schematic perspective views of the unit cell shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, at various successive stages in the production process of the printhead.
• FIGS. 42 and 43 show schematic, partially cut away, schematic perspective views of two variations of the unit cell of FIGS.[0061]29 to41.
• FIG. 44 is a schematic, partially cut away, perspective view of a further embodiment of a unit cell of a printhead.[0062]
• FIG. 45 is a schematic, partially cut away, perspective view of a further embodiment of a unit cell of a printhead.[0063]
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND OTHER EMBODIMENTS
• Thermal Bend Actuator[0064]
• In one preferred embodiment, there is provided a nozzle arrangement having a nozzle chamber containing ink and a thermal bend actuator connected to a paddle positioned within the chamber. The thermal actuator device is actuated so as to eject ink from the nozzle chamber. The preferred embodiment includes a particular thermal bend actuator which includes a series of tapered portions for providing conductive heating of a conductive trace. The actuator is connected to the paddle via an arm received through a slotted wall of the nozzle chamber. The actuator arm has a mating shape so as to mate substantially with the surfaces of the slot in the nozzle chamber wall.[0065]
• Turning initially to FIGS.[0066]1-3, there is provided schematic illustrations of the basic operation of a nozzle arrangement of the invention. Anozzle chamber1 is provided filled withink2 by means of anink inlet channel3 which can be etched through a wafer substrate on which thenozzle chamber1 rests. Thenozzle chamber1 further includes anink ejection port4 around which an ink meniscus forms.
• Inside the[0067]nozzle chamber1 is apaddle type device7 which is interconnected to anactuator8 through a slot in the wall of thenozzle chamber1. Theactuator8 includes a heater means eg.9 located adjacent to an end portion of apost10. Thepost10 is fixed to a substrate.
• When it is desired to eject a drop from the[0068]nozzle chamber1, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the heater means9 is heated so as to undergo thermal expansion. Preferably, the heater means9 itself or the other portions of theactuator8 are built from materials having a high bend efficiency where the bend efficiency is defined as$\text{bend efficiency}=\frac{\text{Young's Modulus}\times \text{(Coefficient of thermal Expansion)}}{\text{Density}\times \text{Specific Heat Capacity}}$

  
• A suitable material for the heater elements is a copper nickel alloy which can be formed so as to bend a glass material.[0069]
• The heater means[0070]9 is ideally located adjacent the end portion of thepost10 such that the effects of activation are magnified at thepaddle end7 such that small thermal expansions near thepost10 result in large movements of the paddle end.
• The heater means[0071]9 and consequential paddle movement causes a general increase in pressure around theink meniscus5 which expands, as illustrated in FIG. 2, in a rapid manner. The heater current is pulsed and ink is ejected out of theport4 in addition to flowing in from theink channel3.
• Subsequently, the[0072]paddle7 is deactivated to again return to its quiescent position. The deactivation causes a general reflow of the ink into the nozzle chamber. The forward momentum of the ink outside the nozzle rim and the corresponding backflow results in a general necking and breaking off of thedrop12 which proceeds to the print media. Thecollapsed meniscus5 results in a general sucking of ink into thenozzle chamber2 via theink flow channel3. In time, thenozzle chamber1 is refilled such that the position in FIG. 1 is again reached and the nozzle chamber is subsequently ready for the ejection of another drop of ink.
• FIG. 4 illustrates a side perspective view of the nozzle arrangement FIG. 5 illustrates sectional view through an array of nozzle arrangement of FIG. 4. In these figures, the numbering of elements previously introduced has been retained.[0073]
• Firstly, the[0074]actuator8 includes a series of tapered actuator units e.g.15 which comprise an upper glass portion (amorphous silicon dioxide)16 formed on top of atitanium nitride layer17. Alternatively a copper nickel alloy layer (hereinafter called cupronickel) can be utilized which will have a higher bend efficiency where bend efficiency is defined as:$\text{bend efficiency}=\frac{\text{Young's Modulus}\times \text{(Coefficient of thermal Expansion)}}{\text{Density}\times \text{Specific Heat Capacity}}$

  
• The[0075]titanium nitride layer17 is in a tapered form and, as such, resistive heating takes place near an end portion of thepost10. Adjacent titanium nitride/glass portions15 are interconnected at ablock portion19 which also provides a mechanical structural support for theactuator8.
• The heater means[0076]9 ideally includes a plurality of the taperedactuator unit15 which are elongate and spaced apart such that, upon heating, the bending force exhibited along the axis of theactuator8 is maximized. Slots are defined between adjacenttapered units15 and allow for slight differential operation of eachactuator8 with respect toadjacent actuators8.
• The[0077]block portion19 is interconnected to anarm20. Thearm20 is in turn connected to thepaddle7 inside thenozzle chamber1 by means of a slot e.g.22 formed in the side of thenozzle chamber1. Theslot22 is designed generally to mate with the surfaces of thearm20 so as to minimize opportunities for the outflow of ink around thearm20. The ink is held generally within thenozzle chamber1 via surface tension effects around theslot22.
• When it is desired to actuate the[0078]arm20, a conductive current is passed through thetitanium nitride layer17 via vias within theblock portion19 connecting to alower CMOS layer6 which provides the necessary power and control circuitry for the nozzle arrangement. The conductive current results in heating of thenitride layer17 adjacent to thepost10 which results in a general upward bending of thearm20 and consequential ejection of ink out of thenozzle4. The ejected drop is printed on a page in the usual manner for an inkjet printer as previously described.
• An array of nozzle arrangements can be formed so as to create a single printhead. For example, in FIG. 5 there is illustrated a partly sectioned various array view which comprises multiple ink ejection nozzle arrangements of FIG. 4 laid out in interleaved lines so as to form a printhead array. Of course, different types of arrays can be formulated including full color arrays etc.[0079]
• The construction of the printhead system described can proceed utilizing standard MEMS techniques through suitable modification of the steps as set out in U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,113 entitled “Image Creation Method and Apparatus (IJ 41)” to the present applicant, the contents of which are fully incorporated by cross reference.[0080]
• Fabrication of the inkjet nozzle arrangement is indicated in FIGS.[0081]7 to16. The preferred embodiment achieves a particular balance between utilization of the standard semi-conductor processing material such as titanium nitride and glass in a MEMS process. The use of glass, or indeed any amorphous ceramic, to form the chamber is particularly beneficial. The pressure transients within the chamber can exert significant stresses on the chamber wall. Amorphous ceramics are relatively inexpensive and high strength, but also have a non-crystalline structure. Defects in a crystal structure can act as stress concentration points that are prone to failure in the cyclical loading environment of the nozzle chambers.
• Obviously the skilled person may make other choices of materials and design features where the economics are justified. For example, a copper nickel alloy of 50% copper and 50% nickel may be more advantageously deployed as the conductive heating compound as it is likely to have higher levels of bend efficiency. Also, other design structures may be employed where it is not necessary to provide for such a simple form of manufacture.[0082]
• Bubble Forming Heater Element Actuator[0083]
• The present invention is also applicable to printheads using bubble forming heater elements. FIGS.[0084]17 to20 show a nozzle of this type. While the fabrication of nozzles of this type is described below, the nozzles, ejection actuators, associated drive circuitry and ink supply passages is formed on and through a wafer using lithographically masked etching techniques described in great detail in U.S. Ser. No. 10/302,274. In the interests of brevity, the disclosure of the '274 application is incorporated herein in it entirety.
• With reference to FIGS.[0085]17 to20, theunit cell1 of a printhead according to an embodiment of the invention comprises anozzle plate2 withnozzles3 therein, the nozzles havingnozzle rims4, andapertures5 extending through the nozzle plate. Thenozzle plate2 is plasma etched from a silicon nitride structure which is deposited, by way of chemical vapor deposition (CVD), over a sacrificial material which is subsequently etched.
• The printhead also includes, with respect to each[0086]nozzle3,side walls6 on which the nozzle plate is supported, achamber7 defined by the walls and thenozzle plate2, amulti-layer substrate8 and aninlet passage9 extending through the multi-layer substrate to the far side (not shown) of the substrate. A looped,elongate heater element10 is suspended within thechamber7, so that the element is in the form of a suspended beam. The printhead as shown is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure, which is formed by a lithographic process which is described in more detail below.
• When the printhead is in use,[0087]ink11 from a reservoir (not shown) enters thechamber7 via theinlet passage9, so that the chamber fills to the level as shown in FIG. 17. Thereafter, theheater element10 is heated for somewhat less than 1 microsecond, so that the heating is in the form of a thermal pulse. It will be appreciated that theheater element10 is in thermal contact with theink11 in thechamber7 so that when the element is heated, this causes the generation of vapor bubbles12 in the ink. Accordingly, theink11 constitutes a bubble forming liquid. FIG. 17 shows the formation of abubble12 approximately 1 microsecond after generation of the thermal pulse, that is, when the bubble has just nucleated on theheater elements10. It will be appreciated that, as the heat is applied in the form of a pulse, all the energy necessary to generate thebubble12 is to be supplied within that short time.
• When the[0088]element10 is heated as described above, thebubble12 forms along the length of the element, this bubble appearing, in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 17, as four bubble portions, one for each of the element portions shown in cross section.
• The[0089]bubble12, once generated, causes an increase in pressure within thechamber7, which in turn causes the ejection of adrop16 of theink11 through thenozzle3. Therim4 assists in directing thedrop16 as it is ejected, so as to minimize the chance of drop misdirection.
• The reason that there is only one[0090]nozzle3 andchamber7 perinlet passage9 is so that the pressure wave generated within the chamber, on heating of theelement10 and forming of abubble12, does not affect adjacent chambers and their corresponding nozzles. As discussed above in relation to the previous embodiment, the pressure wave generated within the chamber creates significant stresses in the chamber wall. Forming the chamber from an amorphous ceramic such as silicon nitride, silicon dioxide (glass) or silicon oxynitride, gives the chamber walls high strength while avoiding the use of material with a crystal structure. Crystalline defects can act as stress concentration points and therefore potential areas of weakness and ultimately failure.
• FIGS. 18 and 19 show the[0091]unit cell1 at two successive later stages of operation of the printhead. It can be seen that thebubble12 generates further, and hence grows, with the resultant advancement ofink11 through thenozzle3. The shape of thebubble12 as it grows, as shown in FIG. 3, is determined by a combination of the inertial dynamics and the surface tension of theink11. The surface tension tends to minimize the surface area of thebubble12 so that, by the time a certain amount of liquid has evaporated, the bubble is essentially disk-shaped.
• The increase in pressure within the[0092]chamber7 not only pushesink11 out through thenozzle3, but also pushes some ink back through theinlet passage9. However, theinlet passage9 is approximately 200 to 300 microns in length, and is only approximately 16 microns in diameter. Hence there is a substantial viscous drag. As a result, the predominant effect of the pressure rise in thechamber7 is to force ink out through thenozzle3 as an ejecteddrop16, rather than back through theinlet passage9.
• Turning now to FIG. 20, the printhead is shown at a still further successive stage of operation, in which the[0093]ink drop16 that is being ejected is shown during its “necking phase” before the drop breaks off. At this stage, thebubble12 has already reached its maximum size and has then begun to collapse towards the point ofcollapse17, as reflected in more detail in FIG. 21.
• The collapsing of the[0094]bubble12 towards the point ofcollapse17 causes someink11 to be drawn from within the nozzle3 (from thesides18 of the drop), and some to be drawn from theinlet passage9, towards the point of collapse. Most of theink11 drawn in this manner is drawn from thenozzle3, forming anannular neck19 at the base of thedrop16 prior to its breaking off.
• The[0095]drop16 requires a certain amount of momentum to overcome surface tension forces, in order to break off. Asink11 is drawn from thenozzle3 by the collapse of thebubble12, the diameter of theneck19 reduces thereby reducing the amount of total surface tension holding the drop, so that the momentum of the drop as it is ejected out of the nozzle is sufficient to allow the drop to break off.
• When the[0096]drop16 breaks off, cavitation forces are caused as reflected by thearrows20, as thebubble12 collapses to the point ofcollapse17. It will be noted that there are no solid surfaces in the vicinity of the point ofcollapse17 on which the cavitation can have an effect.
• Features and Advantages of Further Embodiments[0097]
• FIGS.[0098]22 to45 show further embodiments ofunit cells1 for thermal inkjet printheads, each embodiment having its own particular functional advantages. These advantages will be discussed in detail below, with reference to each individual embodiment. However, the basic construction of each embodiment is best shown in FIGS. 23, 25,27 and30. The manufacturing process is substantially the same as that described above in relation to FIGS.6 to31 of the above referenced U.S. Ser. No. 10/302,274 (incorporated herein by cross reference). For consistency, the same reference numerals are used in FIGS.22 to45 to indicate corresponding components. In the interests of brevity, the fabrication stages have been shown for the unit cell of FIG. 29 only (see FIGS.31 to41). It will be appreciated that the other unit cells will use the same fabrication stages with different masking. Again, the deposition of successive layers shown in FIGS.31 to41 need not be described in detail below given that the lithographic process largely corresponds to that shown in FIGS.6 to31 in U.S. Ser. No. 10/302,274.
• Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, the[0099]unit cell1 shown has thechamber7,ink supply passage32 and thenozzle rim4 positioned mid way along the length of theunit cell1. As best seen in FIG. 23, the drive circuitry is partially on one side of thechamber7 with the remainder on the opposing side of the chamber. Thedrive circuitry22 controls the operation of theheater14 through vias in the integrated circuit metallisation layers of theinterconnect23. Theinterconnect23 has a raised metal layer on its top surface.Passivation layer24 is formed in top of theinterconnect23 but leaves areas of the raised metal layer exposed.Electrodes15 of theheater14 contact the exposed metal areas to supply power to theelement10.
• Alternatively, the[0100]drive circuitry22 for one unit cell is not on opposing sides of the heater element that it controls. All thedrive circuitry22 for theheater14 of one unit cell is in a single, undivided area that is offset from the heater. That is, thedrive circuitry22 is partially overlaid by one of theelectrodes15 of theheater14 that it is controlling, and partially overlaid by one or more of theheater electrodes15 from adjacent unit cells. In this situation, the center of thedrive circuitry22 is less than 200 microns from the center of theassociate nozzle aperture5. In most Memjet printheads of this type, the offset is less than 100 microns and in many cases less than 50 microns, preferably less than 30 microns.
• Configuring the nozzle components so that there is significant overlap between the electrodes and the drive circuitry provides a compact design with high nozzle density (nozzles per unit area of the nozzle plate[0101]2). This also improves the efficiency of the printhead by shortening the length of the conductors from the circuitry to the electrodes. The shorter conductors have less resistance and therefore dissipate less energy.
• The high degree of overlap between the[0102]electrodes15 and thedrive circuitry22 also allows more vias between the heater material and the CMOS metalization layers of theinterconnect23. As best shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, thepassivation layer24 has an array of vias to establish an electrical connection with theheater14. More vias lowers the resistance between theheater electrodes15 and theinterconnect layer23 which reduces power losses.
• In FIGS. 24 and 25, the[0103]unit cell1 is the same as that of FIGS. 22 and 23 apart from theheater element10. Theheater element10 has abubble nucleation section158 with a smaller cross section than the remainder of the element. Thebubble nucleation section158 has a greater resistance and heats to a temperature above the boiling point of the ink before the remainder of theelement10. The gas bubble nucleates at this region and subsequently grows to surround the rest of theelement10. By controlling the bubble nucleation and growth, the trajectory of the ejected drop is more predictable.
• The[0104]heater element10 is configured to accommodate thermal expansion in a specific manner. As heater elements expand, they will deform to relieve the strain. Elements such as that shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 will bow out of the plane of lamination because its thickness is the thinnest cross sectional dimension and therefore has the least bending resistance. Repeated bending of the element can lead to the formation of cracks, especially at sharp corners, which can ultimately lead to failure. Theheater element10 shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 is configured so that the thermal expansion is relieved by rotation of thebubble nucleation section158, and slightly splaying the sections leading to theelectrodes15, in preference to bowing out of the plane of lamination. The geometry of the element is such that miniscule bending within the plane of lamination is sufficient to relieve the strain of thermal expansion, and such bending occurs in preference to bowing. This gives the heater element greater longevity and reliability by minimizing bend regions, which are prone to oxidation and cracking.
• Referring to FIGS. 26 and 27, the[0105]heater element10 used in thisunit cell1 has a serpentine or ‘double omega’ shape. This configuration keeps the gas bubble centered on the axis of the nozzle. A single omega is a simple geometric shape which is beneficial from a fabrication perspective. However thegap159 between the ends of the heater element means that the heating of the ink in the chamber is slightly asymmetrical. As a result, the gas bubble is slightly skewed to the side opposite thegap159. This can in turn affect the trajectory of the ejected drop. The double omega shape provides the heater element with thegap160 to compensate for thegap159 so that the symmetry and position of the bubble within the chamber is better controlled and the ejected drop trajectory is more reliable.
• FIG. 28 shows a[0106]heater element10 with a single omega shape. As discussed above, the simplicity of this shape has significant advantages during lithographic fabrication. It can be a single current path that is relatively wide and therefore less affected by any inherent inaccuracies in the deposition of the heater material. The inherent inaccuracies of the equipment used to deposit the heater material result in variations in the dimensions of the element. However, these tolerances are fixed values so the resulting variations in the dimensions of a relatively wide component are proportionally less than the variations for a thinner component. It will be appreciated that proportionally large changes of components dimensions will have a greater effect on their intended function. Therefore the performance characteristics of a relatively wide heater element are more reliable than a thinner one.
• The omega shape directs current flow around the axis of the[0107]nozzle aperture5. This gives good bubble alignment with the aperture for better ejection of drops while ensuring that the bubble collapse point is not on theheater element10. As discussed above, this avoids problems caused by cavitation.
• Referring to FIGS.[0108]29 to42, another embodiment of theunit cell1 is shown together with several stages of the etching and deposition fabrication process. In this embodiment, theheater element10 is suspended from opposing sides of the chamber. This allows it to be symmetrical about two planes that intersect along the axis of thenozzle aperture5. This configuration provides a drop trajectory along the axis of thenozzle aperture5 while avoiding the cavitation problems discussed above. FIGS. 43 and 44 show other variations of this type ofheater element10.
• FIG. 44 shows a[0109]unit cell1 that has thenozzle aperture5 and theheater element10 offset from the center of thenozzle chamber7. Consequently, thenozzle chamber7 is larger than the previous embodiments. Theheater14 has twodifferent electrodes15 with theright hand electrode15 extending well into thenozzle chamber7 to support one side of theheater element10. This reduces the area of the vias contacting the electrodes which can increase the electrode resistance and therefore the power losses. However, laterally offsetting the heater element from theink inlet31 increases the fluidic drag retarding flow back through theinlet31 andink supply passage32. The fluidic drag through thenozzle aperture5 comparatively much smaller so little energy is lost to a reverse flow of ink through the inlet when a gas bubble form on theelement10.
• The[0110]unit cell1 shown in FIG. 45 also has a relativelylarge chamber7 which again reduces the surface area of the electrodes in contact with the vias leading to theinterconnect layer23. However, thelarger chamber7 allowsseveral heater elements10 offset from thenozzle aperture5. The arrangement shown uses twoheater elements10; one on either side of thechamber7. Other designs use three or more elements in the chamber. Gas bubbles nucleate from opposing sides of the nozzle aperture and converge to form a single bubble. The bubble formed is symmetrical about at least one plane extending along the nozzle axis. This enhances the control of the symmetry and position of the bubble within thechamber7 and therefore the ejected drop trajectory is more reliable.
• Other Embodiments[0111]
• The invention has been described above with reference to printheads using thermal bend actuators and bubble forming heater elements. However, it is potentially suited to a wide range of printing system including: color and monochrome office printers, short run digital printers, high speed digital printers, offset press supplemental printers, low cost scanning printers high speed pagewidth printers, notebook computers with inbuilt pagewidth printers, portable color and monochrome printers, color and monochrome copiers, color and monochrome facsimile machines, combined printer, facsimile and copying machines, label printers, large format plotters, photograph copiers, printers for digital photographic “minilabs”, video printers, PHOTO CD (PHOTO CD is a registered trade mark of the Eastman Kodak Company) printers, portable printers for PDAs, wallpaper printers, indoor sign printers, billboard printers, fabric printers, camera printers and fault tolerant commercial printer arrays.[0112]
• It will be appreciated by ordinary workers in this field that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.[0113]
• Ink Jet Technologies[0114]
• The embodiments of the invention use an ink jet printer type device. Of course many different devices could be used. However presently popular ink jet printing technologies are unlikely to be suitable.[0115]
• The most significant problem with thermal ink jet is power consumption. This is approximately 100 times that required for high speed, and stems from the energy-inefficient means of drop ejection. This involves the rapid boiling of water to produce a vapor bubble which expels the ink. Water has a very high heat capacity, and must be superheated in thermal ink jet applications. In conventional thermal inkjet printheads, this leads to an efficiency of around 0.02%, from electricity input to drop momentum (and increased surface area) out.[0116]
• The most significant problem with piezoelectric ink jet is size and cost. Piezoelectric crystals have a very small deflection at reasonable drive voltages, and therefore require a large area for each nozzle. Also, each piezoelectric actuator must be connected to its drive circuit on a separate substrate. This is not a significant problem at the current limit of around 300 nozzles per printhead, but is a major impediment to the fabrication of pagewidth printheads with 19,200 nozzles.[0117]
• Ideally, the ink jet technologies used meet the stringent requirements of in-camera digital color printing and other high quality, high speed, low cost printing applications. To meet the requirements of digital photography, new ink jet technologies have been created. The target features include:[0118]
• low power (less than 10 Watts)[0119]
• high resolution capability (1,600 dpi or more)[0120]
• photographic quality output[0121]
• low manufacturing cost[0122]
• small size (pagewidth times minimum cross section)[0123]
• high speed (<2 seconds per page).[0124]
• All of these features can be met or exceeded by the ink jet systems described below with differing levels of difficulty. Forty-five different ink jet technologies have been developed by the Assignee to give a wide range of choices for high volume manufacture. These technologies form part of separate applications assigned to the present Assignee as set out in the table under the heading Cross References to Related Applications.[0125]
• The ink jet designs shown here are suitable for a wide range of digital printing systems, from battery powered one-time use digital cameras, through to desktop and network printers, and through to commercial printing systems.[0126]
• For ease of manufacture using standard process equipment, the printhead is designed to be a monolithic 0.5 micron CMOS chip with MEMS post processing. For color photographic applications, the printhead is 100 mm long, with a width which depends upon the ink jet type. The smallest printhead designed is IJ38, which is 0.35 mm wide, giving a chip area of 35 square mm. The printheads each contain 19,200 nozzles plus data and control circuitry.[0127]
• Ink is supplied to the back of the printhead by injection molded plastic ink channels. The molding requires 50 micron features, which can be created using a lithographically micromachined insert in a standard injection molding tool. Ink flows through holes etched through the wafer to the nozzle chambers fabricated on the front surface of the wafer. The printhead is connected to the camera circuitry by tape automated bonding.[0128]
• Tables of Drop-On-Demand Ink Jets[0129]
• Eleven important characteristics of the fundamental operation of individual ink jet nozzles have been identified. These characteristics are largely orthogonal, and so can be elucidated as an eleven dimensional matrix. Most of the eleven axes of this matrix include entries developed by the present assignee.[0130]
• The following tables form the axes of an eleven dimensional table of ink jet types.[0131]
• Actuator mechanism (18 types)[0132]
• Basic operation mode (7 types)[0133]
• Auxiliary mechanism (8 types)[0134]
• Actuator amplification or modification method (17 types)[0135]
• Actuator motion (19 types)[0136]
• Nozzle refill method (4 types)[0137]
• Method of restricting back-flow through inlet (10 types)[0138]
• Nozzle clearing method (9 types)[0139]
• Nozzle plate construction (9 types)[0140]
• Drop ejection direction (5 types)[0141]
• Ink type (7 types)[0142]
• The complete eleven dimensional table represented by these axes contains 36.9 billion possible configurations of ink jet nozzle. While not all of the possible combinations result in a viable ink jet technology, many million configurations are viable. It is clearly impractical to elucidate all of the possible configurations. Instead, certain ink jet types have been investigated in detail. These are designated IJ01 to IJ45 above which matches the docket numbers in the table under the heading Cross References to Related Applications.[0143]
• Other ink jet configurations can readily be derived from these forty-five examples by substituting alternative configurations along one or more of the 11 axes. Most of the IJ01 to IJ45 examples can be made into ink jet printheads with characteristics superior to any currently available ink jet technology.[0144]
• Where there are prior art examples known to the inventor, one or more of these examples are listed in the examples column of the tables below. The IJ01 to IJ45 series are also listed in the examples column. In some cases, print technology may be listed more than once in a table, where it shares characteristics with more than one entry.[0145]
• Suitable applications for the ink jet technologies include: Home printers, Office network printers, Short run digital printers, Commercial print systems, Fabric printers, Pocket printers, Internet WWW printers, Video printers, Medical imaging, Wide format printers, Notebook PC printers, Fax machines, Industrial printing systems, Photocopiers, Photographic minilabs etc.[0146]
• The information associated with the aforementioned 11 dimensional matrix are set out in the following tables.[0147]

  ACTUATOR MECHANISM (APPLIED ONLY TO SELECTED INK DROPS)

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples

  Thermal	An electrothermal	Large force	High power	Canon Bubblejet
  bubble	heater heats the ink to	generated	Ink carrier	1979 Endo et al GB
  	above boiling point,	Simple	limited to water	patent 2,007,162
  	transferring significant	construction	Low efficiency	Xerox heater-in-
  	heat to the aqueous	No moving parts	High	pit 1990 Hawkins et
  	ink. A bubble	Fast operation	temperatures	al U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,181
  	nucleates and quickly	Small chip area	required	Hewlett-Packard
  	forms, expelling the	required for actuator	High mechanical	TIJ 1982 Vaught et
  	ink.		stress	al U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,728
  	The efficiency of the		Unusual
  	process is low, with		materials required
  	typically less than		Large drive
  	0.05% of the electrical		transistors
  	energy being		Cavitation causes
  	transformed into		actuator failure
  	kinetic energy of the		Kogation reduces
  	drop.		bubble formation
  			Large print heads
  			are difficult to
  			fabricate
  Piezoelectric	A piezoelectric crystal	Low power	Very large area	Kyser et al U.S. Pat. No.
  	such as lead	consumption	required for actuator	3,946,398
  	lanthanum zirconate	Many ink types	Difficult to	Zoltan U.S. Pat. No.
  	(PZT) is electrically	can be used	integrate with	3,683,212
  	activated, and either	Fast operation	electronics	1973 Stemme
  	expands, shears, or	High efficiency	High voltage	U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,120
  	bends to apply		drive transistors	Epson Stylus
  	pressure to the ink,		required	Tektronix
  	ejecting drops.		Full pagewidth	IJ04
  			print heads
  			impractical due to
  			actuator size
  			Requires
  			electrical poling in
  			high field strengths
  			during manufacture
  Electrostrictive	An electric field is	Low power	Low maximum	Seiko Epson,
  	used to activate	consumption	strain (approx.	Usui et all JP
  	electrostriction in	Many ink types	0.01%)	253401/96
  	relaxor materials such	can be used	Large area	IJ04
  	as lead lanthanum	Low thermal	required for actuator
  	zirconate titanate	expansion	due to low strain
  	(PLZT) or lead	Electric field	Response speed
  	magnesium niobate	strength required	is marginal (˜10 μs)
  	(PMN).	(approx. 3.5 V/μm)	High voltage
  		can be generated	drive transistors
  		without difficulty	required
  		Does not require	Full pagewidth
  		electrical poling	print heads
  			impractical due to
  			actuator size
  Ferroelectric	An electric field is	Low power	Difficult to	IJ04
  	used to induce a phase	consumption	integrate with
  	transition between the	Many ink types	electronics
  	antiferroelectric (AFE)	can be used	Unusual
  	and ferroelectric (FE)	Fast operation	materials such as
  	phase. Perovskite	(<1 μs)	PLZSnT are
  	materials such as tin	Relatively high	required
  	modified lead	longitudinal strain	Actuators require
  	lanthanum zirconate	High efficiency	a large area
  	titanate (PLZSnT)	Electric field
  	exhibit large strains of	strength of around 3
  	up to 1% associated	V/μm can be readily
  	with the AFE to FE	provided
  	phase transition.
  Electrostatic	Conductive plates are	Low power	Difficult to	IJ02, 1J04
  plates	separated by a	consumption	operate electrostatic
  	compressible or fluid	Many ink types	devices in an
  	dielectric (usually air).	can be used	aqueous
  	Upon application of a	Fast operation	environment
  	voltage, the plates		The electrostatic
  	attract each other and		actuator will
  	displace ink, causing		normally need to be
  	drop ejection. The		separated from the
  	conductive plates may		ink
  	be in a comb or		Very large area
  	honeycomb structure,		required to achieve
  	or stacked to increase		high forces
  	the surface area and		High voltage
  	therefore the force.		drive transistors
  			may be required
  			Full pagewidth
  			print heads are not
  			competitive due to
  			actuator size
  Electrostatic	A strong electric field	Low current	High voltage	1989 Saito et al,
  pull	is applied to the ink,	consumption	required	U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,068
  on ink	whereupon	Low temperature	May be damaged	1989 Miura et al,
  	electrostatic attraction		by sparks due to air	U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,954
  	accelerates the ink		breakdown	Tone-jet
  	towards the print		Required field
  	medium.		strength increases as
  			the drop size
  			decreases
  			High voltage
  			drive transistors
  			required
  			Electrostatic field
  			attracts dust
  Permanent	An electromagnet	Low power	Complex	IJ07, IJ10
  magnet	directly attracts a	consumption	fabrication
  electromagnetic	permanent magnet,	Many ink types	Permanent
  	displacing ink and	can be used	magnetic material
  	causing drop ejection.	Fast operation	such as Neodymium
  	Rare earth magnets	High efficiency	Iron Boron (NdFeB)
  	with a field strength	Easy extension	required.
  	around 1 Tesla can be	from single nozzles	High local
  	used. Examples are:	to pagewidth print	currents required
  	Samarium Cobalt	heads	Copper
  	(SaCo) and magnetic		metalization should
  	materials in the		be used for long
  	neodymium iron boron		electromigration
  	family (NdFeB,		lifetime and low
  	NdDyFeBNb,		resistivity
  	NdDyFeB, etc)		Pigmented inks
  			are usually
  			infeasible
  			Operating
  			temperature limited
  			to the Curie
  			temperature (around
  			540 K)
  Soft	A solenoid induced a	Low power	Complex	IJ01, IJ05, IJ08,
  magnetic	magnetic field in a soft	consumption	fabrication	IJ10, IJ12, IJ14,
  core electromagnetic	magnetic core or yoke	Many ink types	Materials not	IJ15, IJ17
  	fabricated from a	can be used	usually present in a
  	ferrous material such	Fast operation	CMOS fab such as
  	as electroplated iron	High efficiency	NiFe, CoNiFe, or
  	alloys such as CoNiFe	Easy extension	CoFe are required
  	[1], CoFe, or NiFe	from single nozzles	High local
  	alloys. Typically, the	to pagewidth print	currents required
  	soft magnetic material	heads	Copper
  	is in two parts, which		metalization should
  	are normally held		be used for long
  	apart by a spring.		electromigration
  	When the solenoid is		lifetime and low
  	actuated, the two parts		resistivity
  	attract, displacing the		Electroplating is
  	ink.		required
  			High saturation
  			flux density is
  			required (2.0-2.1 T
  			is achievable with
  			CoNiFe [1])
  Lorenz	The Lorenz force	Low power	Force acts as a	IJ06, IJ11, IJ13,
  force	acting on a current	consumption	twisting motion	IJ16
  	carrying wire in a	Many ink types	Typically, only a
  	magnetic field is	can be used	quarter of the
  	utilized.	Fast operation	solenoid length
  	This allows the	High efficiency	provides force in a
  	magnetic field to be	Easy extension	useful direction
  	supplied externally to	from single nozzles	High local
  	the print head, for	to pagewidth print	currents required
  	example with rare	heads	Copper
  	earth permanent		metalization should
  	magnets.		be used for long
  	Only the current		electromigration
  	carrying wire need be		lifetime and low
  	fabricated on the print-		resistivity
  	head, simplifying		Pigmented inks
  	materials		are usually
  	requirements.		infeasible
  Magnetostriction	The actuator uses the	Many ink types	Force acts as a	Fischenbeck,
  	giant magnetostrictive	can be used	twisting motion	U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,929
  	effect of materials	Fast operation	Unusual	IJ25
  	such as Terfenol-D (an	Easy extension	materials such as
  	alloy of terbium,	from single nozzles	Terfenol-D are
  	dysprosium and iron	to pagewidth print	required
  	developed at the Naval	heads	High local
  	Ordnance Laboratory,	High force is	currents required
  	hence Ter-Fe-NOL).	available	Copper
  	For best efficiency, the		metalization should
  	actuator should be pre-		be used for long
  	stressed to approx. 8		electromigration
  	MPa.		lifetime and low
  			resistivity
  			Pre-stressing
  			may be required
  Surface	Ink under positive	Low power	Requires	Silverbrook, EP
  tension	pressure is held in a	consumption	supplementary force	0771 658 A2 and
  reduction	nozzle by surface	Simple	to effect drop	related patent
  	tension. The surface	construction	separation	applications
  	tension of the ink is	No unusual	Requires special
  	reduced below the	materials required in	ink surfactants
  	bubble threshold,	fabrication	Speed may be
  	causing the ink to	High efficiency	limited by surfactant
  	egress from the	Easy extension	properties
  	nozzle.	from single nozzles
  		to pagewidth print
  		heads
  Viscosity	The ink viscosity is	Simple	Requires	Silverbrook, EP
  reduction	locally reduced to	construction	supplementary force	0771 658 A2 and
  	select which drops are	No unusual	to effect drop	related patent
  	to be ejected. A	materials required in	separation	applications
  	viscosity reduction can	fabrication	Requires special
  	be achieved	Easy extension	ink viscosity
  	electrothermally with	from single nozzles	properties
  	most inks, but special	to pagewidth print	High speed is
  	inks can be engineered	heads	difficult to achieve
  	for a 100:1 viscosity		Requires
  	reduction.		oscillating ink
  			pressure
  			A high
  			temperature
  			difference (typically
  			80 degrees) is
  			required
  Acoustic	An acoustic wave is	Can operate	Complex drive	1993 Hadimioglu
  	generated and	without a nozzle	circuitry	et al, EUP 550,192
  	focussed upon the	plate	Complex	1993 Elrod et al,
  	drop ejection region.		fabrication	EUP 572,220
  			Low efficiency
  			Poor control of
  			drop position
  			Poor control of
  			drop volume
  Thermoelastic	An actuator which	Low power	Efficient aqueous	IJ03, IJ09, IJ17,
  bend	relies upon differential	consumption	operation requires a	IJ18, IJ19, IJ20,
  actuator	thermal expansion	Many ink types	thermal insulator on	IJ21, IJ22, IJ23,
  	upon Joule heating is	can be used	the hot side	IJ24, IJ27, IJ28,
  	used.	Simple planar	Corrosion	IJ29, IJ30, IJ31,
  		fabrication	prevention can be	IJ32, IJ33, IJ34,
  		Small chip area	difficult	IJ35, IJ36, IJ37,
  		required for each	Pigmented inks	IJ38, IJ39, IJ40,
  		actuator	may be infeasible,	IJ41
  		Fast operation	as pigment particles
  		High efficiency	may jam the bend
  		CMOS	actuator
  		compatible voltages
  		and currents
  		Standard MEMS
  		processes can be
  		used
  		Easy extension
  		from single nozzles
  		to pagewidth print
  		heads
  High CTE	A material with a very	High force can	Requires special	IJ09, IJ17, IJ18,
  thermoelastic	high coefficient of	be generated	material (e.g. PTFE)	IJ20, IJ21, IJ22,
  actuator	thermal expansion	Three methods of	Requires a PTFE	IJ23, IJ24, IJ27,
  	(CTE) such as	PTFE deposition are	deposition process,	IJ28, IJ29, IJ30,
  	polytetrafluoroethylene	under development:	which is not yet	IJ31, IJ42, IJ43,
  	(PTFE) is used. As	chemical vapor	standard in ULSI	IJ44
  	high CTE materials	deposition (CVD),	fabs
  	are usually non-	spin coating, and	PTFE deposition
  	conductive, a heater	evaporation	cannot be followed
  	fabricated from a	PTFE is a	with high
  	conductive material is	candidate for low	temperature (above
  	incorporated. A 50 μm	dielectric constant	350° C.) processing
  	long PTFE bend	insulation in ULSI	Pigmented inks
  	actuator with	Very low power	may be infeasible,
  	polysilicon heater and	consumption	aspigment particles
  	15 mW power input	Many ink types	may jam the bend
  	can provide 180 μN	can be used	actuator
  	force and 10 μm	Simple planar
  	deflection. Actuator	fabrication
  	motions include:	Small chip area
  	Bend	required for each
  	Push	actuator
  	Buckle	Fast operation
  	Rotate	High efficiency
  		CMOS
  		compatible voltages
  		and currents
  		Easy extension
  		from single nozzles
  		to pagewidth print
  		heads
  Conduct-ive	A polymer with a high	High force can	Requires special	IJ24
  polymer	coefficient of thermal	be generated	materials
  thermoelastic	expansion (such as	Very low power	development (High
  actuator	PTFE) is doped with	consumption	CTE conductive
  	conducting substances	Many ink types	polymer)
  	to increase its	can be used	Requires a PTFE
  	conductivity to about 3	Simple planar	deposition process,
  	orders of magnitude	fabrication	which is not yet
  	below that of copper.	Small chip area	standard in ULSI
  	The conducting	required for each	fabs
  	polymer expands	actuator	PTFE deposition
  	when resistively	Fast operation	cannot be followed
  	heated.	High efficiency	with high
  	Examples of	CMOS	temperature (above
  	conducting dopants	compatible voltages	350° C.) processing
  	include:	and currents	Evaporation and
  	Carbon nanotubes	Easy extension	CVD deposition
  	Metal fibers	from single nozzles	techniques cannot
  	Conductive polymers	to pagewidth print	be used
  	such as doped	heads	Pigmented inks
  	polythiophene		may be infeasible,
  	Carbon granules		as pigment particles
  			may jam the bend
  			actuator
  Shape	A shape memory alloy	High force is	Fatigue limits	IJ26
  memory	such as TiNi (also	available (stresses	maximum number
  alloy	known as Nitinol -	of hundreds of MPa)	of cycles
  	Nickel Titanium alloy	Large strain is	Low strain (1%)
  	developed at the Naval	available (more than	is required to extend
  	Ordnance Laboratory)	3%)	fatigue resistance
  	is thermally switched	High corrosion	Cycle rate
  	between its weak	resistance	limited by heat
  	martensitic state and	Simple	removal
  	its high stiffness	construction	Requires unusual
  	austenic state. The	Easy extension	materials (TiNi)
  	shape of the actuator	from single nozzles	The latent heat of
  	in its martensitic state	to pagewidth print	transformation must
  	is deformed relative to	heads	be provided
  	the austenic shape.	Low voltage	High current
  	The shape change	operation	operation
  	causes ejection of a		Requires pre-
  	drop.		stressing to distort
  			the martensitic state
  Linear	Linear magnetic	Linear Magnetic	Requires unusual	IJ12
  Magnetic	actuators include the	actuators can be	semiconductor
  Actuator	Linear Induction	constructed with	materials such as
  	Actuator (LIA), Linear	high thrust, long	soft magnetic alloys
  	Permanent Magnet	travel, and high	(e.g. CoNiFe)
  	Synchronous Actuator	efficiency using	Some varieties
  	(LPMSA), Linear	planar	also require
  	Reluctance	semiconductor	permanent magnetic
  	Synchronous Actuator	fabrication	materials such as
  	(LRSA), Linear	techniques	Neodymium iron
  	Switched Reluctance	Long actuator	boron (NdFeB)
  	Actuator (LSRA), and	travel is available	Requires
  	The Linear Stepper	Medium force is	complex multi-
  	Actuator (LSA).	available	phase drive circuitry
  		Low voltage	High current
  		operation	operation

• [0148]

  BASIC OPERATION MODE

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples

  Actuator	This is the simplest	Simple operation	Drop repetition	Thermal ink jet
  directly	mode of operation: the	No external	rate is usually	Piezoelectric ink
  pushes ink	actuator directly	fields required	limited to around 10 kHz.	jet
  	supplies sufficient	Satellite drops	However, this	IJ01, IJ02, IJ03,
  	kinetic energy to expel	can be avoided if	is not fundamental	IJ04, IJ05, IJ06,
  	the drop. The drop	drop velocity is less	to the method, but is	IJ07, IJ09, IJ11,
  	must have a sufficient	than 4 m/s	related to the refill	IJ12, IJ14, IJ16,
  	velocity to overcome	Can be efficient,	method normally	IJ20, IJ22, IJ23,
  	the surface tension.	depending upon the	used	IJ24, IJ25, IJ26,
  		actuator used	All of the drop	IJ27, IJ28, IJ29,
  			kinetic energy must	IJ30, IJ31, IJ32,
  			be provided by the	IJ33, IJ34, IJ35,
  			actuator	IJ36, IJ37, IJ38,
  			Satellite drops	IJ39, IJ40, IJ41,
  			usually form if drop	IJ42, IJ43, IJ44
  			velocity is greater
  			than 4.5 m/s
  Proximity	The drops to be	Very simple print	Requires close	Silverbrook, EP
  	printed are selected by	head fabrication can	proximity between	0771 658 A2 and
  	some manner (e.g.	be used	the print head and	related patent
  	thermally induced	The drop	the print media or	applications
  	surface tension	selection means	transfer roller
  	reduction of	does not need to	May require two
  	pressurized ink).	provide the energy	print heads printing
  	Selected drops are	required to separate	alternate rows of the
  	separated from the ink	the drop from the	image
  	in the nozzle by	nozzle	Monolithic color
  	contact with the print		print heads are
  	medium or a transfer		difficult
  	roller.
  Electrostatic	The drops to be	Very simple print	Requires very	Silverbrook, EP
  pull	printed are selected by	head fabrication can	high electrostatic	0771 658 A2 and
  on ink	some manner (e.g.	be used	field	related patent
  	thermally induced	The drop	Electrostatic field	applications
  	surface tension	selection means	for small nozzle	Tone-Jet
  	reduction of	does not need to	sizes is above air
  	pressurized ink).	provide the energy	breakdown
  	Selected drops are	required to separate	Electrostatic field
  	separated from the ink	the drop from the	may attract dust
  	in the nozzle by a	nozzle
  	strong electric field.
  Magnetic	The drops to be	Very simple print	Requires	Silverbrook, EP
  pull on ink	printed are selected by	head fabrication can	magnetic ink	0771 658 A2 and
  	some manner (e.g.	be used	Ink colors other	related patent
  	thermally induced	The drop	than black are	applications
  	surface tension	selection means	difficult
  	reduction of	does not need to	Requires very
  	pressurized ink).	provide the energy	high magnetic fields
  	Selected drops are	required to separate
  	separated from the ink	the drop from the
  	in the nozzle by a	nozzle
  	strong magnetic field
  	acting on the magnetic
  	ink.
  Shutter	The actuator moves a	High speed (>50 kHz)	Moving parts are	IJ13, IJ17, IJ21
  	shutter to block ink	operation can	required
  	flow to the nozzle. The	be achieved due to	Requires ink
  	ink pressure is pulsed	reduced refill time	pressure modulator
  	at a multiple of the	Drop timing can	Friction and wear
  	drop ejection	be very accurate	must be considered
  	frequency.	The actuator	Stiction is
  		energy can be very	possible
  		low
  Shuttered	The actuator moves a	Actuators with	Moving parts are	IJ08, IJ15, IJ18,
  grill	shutter to block ink	small travel can be	required	IJ19
  	flow through a grill to	used	Requires ink
  	the nozzle. The shutter	Actuators with	pressure modulator
  	movement need only	small force can be	Friction and wear
  	be equal to the width	used	must be considered
  	of the grill holes.	High speed (>50 kHz)	Stiction is
  		operation can	possible
  		be achieved
  Pulsed	A pulsed magnetic	Extremely low	Requires an	IJ10
  magnetic	field attracts an ‘ink	energy operation is	external pulsed
  pull on ink	pusher’ at the drop	possible	magnetic field
  pusher	ejection frequency. An	No heat	Requires special
  	actuator controls a	dissipation	materials for both
  	catch, which prevents	problems	the actuator and the
  	the ink pusher from		ink pusher
  	moving when a drop is		Complex
  	not to be ejected.		construction

• [0149]

  AUXILIARY MECHANISM (APPLIED TO ALL NOZZLES)

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples

  None	The actuator directly	Simplicity of	Drop ejection	Most ink jets,
  	fires the ink drop, and	construction	energy must be	including
  	there is no external	Simplicity of	supplied by	piezoelectric and
  	field or other	operation	individual nozzle	thermal bubble.
  	mechanism required.	Small physical	actuator	IJ01, IJ02, IJ03,
  		size		IJ04, IJ05, IJ07,
  				IJ09, IJ11, IJ12,
  				IJ14, IJ20, IJ22,
  				IJ23, IJ24, IJ25,
  				IJ26, IJ27, IJ28,
  				IJ29, IJ30, IJ31,
  				IJ32, IJ33, IJ34,
  				IJ35, IJ36, IJ37,
  				IJ38, IJ39, IJ40,
  				IJ41, IJ42, IJ43,
  				IJ44
  Oscillating	The ink pressure	Oscillating ink	Requires external	Silverbrook, EP
  ink pressure	oscillates, providing	pressure can provide	ink pressure	0771 658 A2 and
  (including	much of the drop	a refill pulse,	oscillator	related patent
  acoustic	ejection energy. The	allowing higher	Ink pressure	applications
  stimulation)	actuator selects which	operating speed	phase and amplitude	IJ08, IJ13, IJ15,
  	drops are to be fired	The actuators	must be carefully	IJ17, IJ18, IJ19,
  	by selectively	may operate with	controlled	IJ21
  	blocking or enabling	much lower energy	Acoustic
  	nozzles. The ink	Acoustic lenses	reflections in the ink
  	pressure oscillation	can be used to focus	chamber must be
  	may be achieved by	the sound on the	designed for
  	vibrating the print	nozzles
  	head, or preferably by
  	an actuator in the ink
  	supply.
  Media	The print head is	Low power	Precision	Silverbrook, EP
  proximity	placed in close	High accuracy	assembly required	0771 658 A2 and
  	proximity to the print	Simple print head	Paper fibers may	related patent
  	medium. Selected	construction	cause problems	applications
  	drops protrude from		Cannot print on
  	the print head further		rough substrates
  	than unselected drops,
  	and contact the print
  	medium. The drop
  	soaks into the medium
  	fast enough to cause
  	drop separation.
  Transfer	Drops are printed to a	High accuracy	Bulky	Silverbrook, EP
  roller	transfer roller instead	Wide range of	Expensive	0771 658 A2 and
  	of straight to the print	print substrates can	Complex	related patent
  	medium. A transfer	be used	construction	applications
  	roller can also be used	Ink can be dried		Tektronix hot
  	for proximity drop	on the transfer roller		melt piezoelectric
  	separation.			ink jet
  				Any of the IJ
  				series
  Electrostatic	An electric field is	Low power	Field strength	Silverbrook, EP
  	used to accelerate	Simple print head	required for	0771 658 A2 and
  	selected drops towards	construction	separation of small	related patent
  	the print medium.		drops is near or	applications
  			above air	Tone-Jet
  			breakdown
  Direct	A magnetic field is	Low power	Requires	Silverbrook, EP
  magnetic	used to accelerate	Simple print head	magnetic ink	0771 658 A2 and
  field	selected drops of	construction	Requires strong	related patent
  	magnetic ink towards		magnetic field	applications
  	the print medium.
  Cross	The print head is	Does not require	Requires external	IJ06, IJ16
  magnetic	placed in a constant	magnetic materials	magnet
  field	magnetic field. The	to be integrated in	Current densities
  	Lorenz force in a	the print head	may be high,
  	current carrying wire	manufacturing	resulting in
  	is used to move the	process	electromigration
  	actuator.		problems
  Pulsed	A pulsed magnetic	Very low power	Complex print	IJ10
  magnetic	field is used to	operation is possible	head construction
  field	cyclically attract a	Small print head	Magnetic
  	paddle, which pushes	size	materials required in
  	on the ink. A small		print head
  	actuator moves a
  	catch, which
  	selectively prevents
  	the paddle from
  	moving.

• [0150]

  ACTUATOR AMPLIFICATION OR MODIFICATION METHOD

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples

  None	No actuator	Operational	Many actuator	Thermal Bubble
  	mechanical	simplicity	mechanisms have	Ink jet
  	amplification is used.		insufficient travel,	IJ01, IJ02, IJ06,
  	The actuator directly		or insufficient force,	IJ07, IJ16, IJ25,
  	drives the drop		to efficiently drive	IJ26
  	ejection process.		the drop ejection
  			process
  Differential	An actuator material	Provides greater	High stresses are	Piezoelectric
  expansion	expands more on one	travel in a reduced	involved	IJ03, IJ09, IJ17,
  bend	side than on the other.	print head area	Care must be	IJ18, IJ19, IJ20,
  actuator	The expansion may be		taken that the	IJ21, IJ22, IJ23,
  	thermal, piezoelectric,		materials do not	IJ24, IJ27, IJ29,
  	magnetostrictive, or		delaminate	IJ30, IJ31, IJ32,
  	other mechanism. The		Residual bend	IJ33, IJ34, IJ35,
  	bend actuator converts		resulting from high	IJ36, IJ37, IJ38,
  	a high force low travel		temperature or high	IJ39, IJ42, IJ43,
  	actuator mechanism to		stress during	IJ44
  	high travel, lower		formation
  	force mechanism.
  Transient	A trilayer bend	Very good	High stresses are	IJ40, IJ41
  bend	actuator where the two	temperature stability	involved
  actuator	outside layers are	High speed, as a	Care must be
  	identical. This cancels	new drop can be	taken that the
  	bend due to ambient	fired before heat	materials do not
  	temperature and	dissipates	delaminate
  	residual stress. The	Cancels residual
  	actuator only responds	stress of formation
  	to transient heating of
  	one side or the other.
  Reverse	The actuator loads a	Better coupling	Fabrication	IJ05, IJ11
  spring	spring. When the	to the ink	complexity
  	actuator is turned off,		High stress in the
  	the spring releases.		spring
  	This can reverse the
  	force/distance curve of
  	the actuator to make it
  	compatible with the
  	force/time
  	requirements of the
  	drop ejection.
  Actuator	A series of thin	Increased travel	Increased	Some
  stack	actuators are stacked.	Reduced drive	fabrication	piezoelectric ink jets
  	This can be	voltage	complexity	IJ04
  	appropriate where		Increased
  	actuators require high		possibility of short
  	electric field strength,		circuits due to
  	such as electrostatic		pinholes
  	and piezoelectric
  	actuators.
  Multiple	Multiple smaller	Increases the	Actuator forces	IJ12, IJ13, IJ18,
  actuators	actuators are used	force available from	may not add	IJ20, IJ22, IJ28,
  	simultaneously to	an actuator	linearly, reducing	IJ42, IJ43
  	move the ink. Each	Multiple	efficiency
  	actuator need provide	actuators can be
  	only a portion of the	positioned to control
  	force required.	ink flow accurately
  Linear	A linear spring is used	Matches low	Requires print	IJ15
  Spring	to transform a motion	travel actuator with	head area for the
  	with small travel and	higher travel	spring
  	high force into a	requirements
  	longer travel, lower	Non-contact
  	force motion.	method of motion
  		transformation
  Coiled	A bend actuator is	Increases travel	Generally	IJ17, IJ21, IJ34,
  actuator	coiled to provide	Reduces chip	restricted to planar	IJ35
  	greater travel in a	area	implementations
  	reduced chip area.	Planar	due to extreme
  		implementations are	fabrication difficulty
  		relatively easy to	in other orientations.
  		fabricate.
  Flexure	A bend actuator has a	Simple means of	Care must be	IJ10, IJ19, IJ33
  bend	small region near the	increasing travel of	taken not to exceed
  actuator	fixture point, which	a bend actuator	the elastic limit in
  	flexes much more		the flexure area
  	readily than the		Stress
  	remainder of the		distribution is very
  	actuator. The actuator		uneven
  	flexing is effectively		Difficult to
  	converted from an		accurately model
  	even coiling to an		with finite element
  	angular bend, resulting		analysis
  	in greater travel of the
  	actuator tip.
  Catch	The actuator controls a	Very low	Complex	IJ10
  	small catch. The catch	actuator energy	construction
  	either enables or	Very small	Requires external
  	disables movement of	actuator size	force
  	an ink pusher that is		Unsuitable for
  	controlled in a bulk		pigmented inks
  	manner.
  Gears	Gears can be used to	Low force, low	Moving parts are	IJ13
  	increase travel at the	travel actuators can	required
  	expense of duration.	be used	Several actuator
  	Circular gears, rack	Can be fabricated	cycles are required
  	and pinion, ratchets,	using standard	More complex
  	and other gearing	surface MEMS	drive electronics
  	methods can be used.	processes	Complex
  			construction
  			Friction, friction,
  			and wear are
  			possible
  Buckle plate	A buckle plate can be	Very fast	Must stay within	S. Hirata et al,
  	used to change a slow	movement	elastic limits of the	“An Ink-jet Head
  	actuator into a fast	achievable	materials for long	Using Diaphragm
  	motion. It can also		device life	Microactuator”,
  	convert a high force,		High stresses	Proc. IEEE MEMS,
  	low travel actuator		involved	Feb. 1996, pp 418-423.
  	into a high travel,		Generally high	IJ18, IJ27
  	medium force motion.		power requirement
  Tapered	A tapered magnetic	Linearizes the	Complex	IJ14
  magnetic	pole can increase	magnetic	construction
  pole	travel at the expense	force/distance curve
  	of force.
  Lever	A lever and fulcrum is	Matches low	High stress	IJ32, IJ36, IJ37
  	used to transform a	travel actuator with	around the fulcrum
  	motion with small	higher travel
  	travel and high force	requirements
  	into a motion with	Fulcrum area has
  	longer travel and	no linear movement,
  	lower force. The lever	and can be used for
  	can also reverse the	a fluid seal
  	direction of travel.
  Rotary	The actuator is	High mechanical	Complex	IJ28
  impeller	connected to a rotary	advantage	construction
  	impeller. A small	The ratio of force	Unsuitable for
  	angular deflection of	to travel of the	pigmented inks
  	the actuator results in	actuator can be
  	a rotation of the	matched to the
  	impeller vanes, which	nozzle requirements
  	push the ink against	by varying the
  	stationary vanes and	number of impeller
  	out of the nozzle.	vanes
  Acoustic	A refractive or	No moving parts	Large area	1993 Hadimioglu
  lens	diffractive (e.g. zone		required	et al, EUP 550,192
  	plate) acoustic lens is		Only relevant for	1993 Elrod et al,
  	used to concentrate		acoustic ink jets	EUP 572,220
  	sound waves.
  Sharp	A sharp point is used	Simple	Difficult to	Tone-jet
  conductive	to concentrate an	construction	fabricate using
  point	electrostatic field.		standard VLSI
  			processes for a
  			surface ejecting ink-
  			jet
  			Only relevant for
  			electrostatic ink jets

• [0151]

  ACTUATOR MOTION

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples

  Volume	The volume of the	Simple	High energy is	Hewlett-Packard
  expansion	actuator changes,	construction in the	typically required to	Thermal Ink jet
  	pushing the ink in all	case of thermal ink	achieve volume	Canon Bubblejet
  	directions.	jet	expansion. This
  			leads to thermal
  			stress, cavitation,
  			and kogation in
  			thermal ink jet
  			implementations
  Linear,	The actuator moves in	Efficient	High fabrication	IJ01, IJ02, IJ04,
  normal to	a direction normal to	coupling to ink	complexity may be	IJ07, IJ11, IJ14
  chip surface	the print head surface.	drops ejected	required to achieve
  	The nozzle is typically	normal to the	perpendicular
  	in the line of	surface	motion
  	movement.
  Parallel to	The actuator moves	Suitable for	Fabrication	IJ12, IJ13, IJ15,
  chip surface	parallel to the print	planar fabrication	complexity	IJ33, IJ34, IJ35,
  	head surface. Drop		Friction	IJ36
  	ejection may still be		Stiction
  	normal to the surface.
  Membrane	An actuator with a	The effective	Fabrication	1982 Howkins
  push	high force but small	area of the actuator	complexity	U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,601
  	area is used to push a	becomes the	Actuator size
  	stiff membrane that is	membrane area	Difficulty of
  	in contact with the ink.		integration in a
  			VLSI process
  Rotary	The actuator causes	Rotary levers	Device	IJ05, IJ08, IJ13,
  	the rotation of some	may be used to	complexity	IJ28
  	element, such a grill or	increase travel	May have
  	impeller	Small chip area	friction at a pivot
  		requirements	point
  Bend	The actuator bends	A very small	Requires the	1970 Kyser et al
  	when energized. This	change in	actuator to be made	U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398
  	may be due to	dimensions can be	from at least two	1973 Stemme
  	differential thermal	converted to a large	distinct layers, or to	U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,120
  	expansion,	motion.	have a thermal	IJ03, IJ09, IJ10,
  	piezoelectric		difference across the	IJ19, IJ23, IJ24,
  	expansion,		actuator	IJ25, IJ29, IJ30,
  	magnetostriction, or			IJ31, IJ33, IJ34,
  	other form of relative			IJ35
  	dimensional change.
  Swivel	The actuator swivels	Allows operation	Inefficient	IJ06
  	around a central pivot.	where the net linear	coupling to the ink
  	This motion is suitable	force on the paddle	motion
  	where there are	is zero
  	opposite forces	Small chip area
  	applied to opposite	requirements
  	sides of the paddle,
  	e.g. Lorenz force.
  Straighten	The actuator is	Can be used with	Requires careful	IJ26, IJ32
  	normally bent, and	shape memory	balance of stresses
  	straightens when	alloys where the	to ensure that the
  	energized.	austenic phase is	quiescent bend is
  		planar	accurate
  Double	The actuator bends in	One actuator can	Difficult to make	IJ36, IJ37, IJ38
  bend	one direction when	be used to power	the drops ejected by
  	one element is	two nozzles.	both bend directions
  	energized, and bends	Reduced chip	identical.
  	the other way when	size.	A small
  	another element is	Not sensitive to	efficiency loss
  	energized.	ambient temperature	compared to
  			equivalent single
  			bend actuators.
  Shear	Energizing the	Can increase the	Not readily	1985 Fishbeck
  	actuator causes a shear	effective travel of	applicable to other	U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590
  	motion in the actuator	piezoelectric	actuator
  	material.	actuators	mechanisms
  Radial constriction	The actuator squeezes	Relatively easy	High force	1970 Zoltan U.S. Pat. No.
  	an ink reservoir,	to fabricate single	required	3,683,212
  	forcing ink from a	nozzles from glass	Inefficient
  	constricted nozzle.	tubing as	Difficult to
  		macroscopic	integrate with VLSI
  		structures	processes
  Coil/uncoil	A coiled actuator	Easy to fabricate	Difficult to	IJ17, IJ21, IJ34,
  	uncoils or coils more	as a planar VLSI	fabricate for non-	IJ35
  	tightly. The motion of	process	planar devices
  	the free end of the	Small area	Poor out-of-plane
  	actuator ejects the ink.	required, therefore	stiffness
  		low cost
  Bow	The actuator bows (or	Can increase the	Maximum travel	IJ16, IJ18, IJ27
  	buckles) in the middle	speed of travel	is constrained
  	when energized.	Mechanically	High force
  		rigid	required
  Push-Pull	Two actuators control	The structure is	Not readily	IJ18
  	a shutter. One actuator	pinned at both ends,	suitable for ink jets
  	pulls the shutter, and	so has a high out-of-	which directly push
  	the other pushes it.	plane rigidity	the ink
  Curl	A set of actuators curl	Good fluid flow	Design	IJ20, IJ42
  inwards	inwards to reduce the	to the region behind	complexity
  	volume of ink that	the actuator
  	they enclose.	increases efficiency
  Curl	A set of actuators curl	Relatively simple	Relatively large	IJ43
  outwards	outwards, pressurizing	construction	chip area
  	ink in a chamber
  	surrounding the
  	actuators, and
  	expelling ink from a
  	nozzle in the chamber.
  Iris	Multiple vanes enclose	High efficiency	High fabrication	IJ22
  	a volume of ink. These	Small chip area	complexity
  	simultaneously rotate,		Not suitable for
  	reducing the volume		pigmented inks
  	between the vanes.
  Acoustic	The actuator vibrates	The actuator can	Large area	1993 Hadimioglu
  vibration	at a high frequency.	be physically distant	required for	et al, EUP 550,192
  		from the ink	efficient operation	1993 Elrod et al,
  			at useful frequencies	EUP 572,220
  			Acoustic
  			coupling and
  			crosstalk
  			Complex drive
  			circuitry
  			Poor control of
  			drop volume and
  			position
  None	In various ink jet	No moving parts	Various other	Silverbrook, EP
  	designs the actuator		tradeoffs are	0771 658 A2 and
  	does not move.		required to	related patent
  			eliminate moving	applications
  			parts	Tone-jet

• [0152]

  NOZZLE REFILL METHOD

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples

  Surface	This is the normal way	Fabrication	Low speed	Thermal ink jet
  tension	that ink jets are	simplicity	Surface tension	Piezoelectric ink
  	refilled. After the	Operational	force relatively	jet
  	actuator is energized,	simplicity	small compared to	IJ01-IJ07, IJ10-IJ14,
  	it typically returns		actuator force	IJ16, IJ20,
  	rapidly to its normal		Long refill time	IJ22-IJ45
  	position. This rapid		usually dominates
  	return sucks in air		the total repetition
  	through the nozzle		rate
  	opening. The ink
  	surface tension at the
  	nozzle then exerts a
  	small force restoring
  	the meniscus to a
  	minimum area. This
  	force refills the nozzle.
  Shuttered	Ink to the nozzle	High speed	Requires	IJ08, IJ13, IJ15,
  oscillating	chamber is provided at	Low actuator	common ink	IJ17, IJ18, IJ19,
  ink pressure	a pressure that	energy, as the	pressure oscillator	IJ21
  	oscillates at twice the	actuator need only	May not be
  	drop ejection	open or close the	suitable for
  	frequency. When a	shutter, instead of	pigmented inks
  	drop is to be ejected,	ejecting the ink drop
  	the shutter is opened
  	for 3 half cycles: drop
  	ejection, actuator
  	return, and refill. The
  	shutter is then closed
  	to prevent the nozzle
  	chamber emptying
  	during the next
  	negative pressure
  	cycle.
  Refill	After the main	High speed, as	Requires two	IJ09
  actuator	actuator has ejected a	the nozzle is	independent
  	drop a second (refill)	actively refilled	actuators per nozzle
  	actuator is energized.
  	The refill actuator
  	pushes ink into the
  	nozzle chamber. The
  	refill actuator returns
  	slowly, to prevent its
  	return from emptying
  	the chamber again.
  Positive ink	The ink is held a slight	High refill rate,	Surface spill	Silverbrook, EP
  pressure	positive pressure.	therefore a high	must be prevented	0771 658 A2 and
  	After the ink drop is	drop repetition rate	Highly	related patent
  	ejected, the nozzle	is possible	hydrophobic print	applications
  	chamber fills quickly		head surfaces are	Alternative for:,
  	as surface tension and		required	IJ01-IJ07, IJ10-IJ14,
  	ink pressure both			IJ16, IJ20, IJ22-IJ45
  	operate to refill the
  	nozzle.

• [0153]

  METHOD OF RESTRICTING BACK-FLOW THROUGH INLET

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples

  Long inlet	The ink inlet channel	Design simplicity	Restricts refill	Thermal ink jet
  channel	to the nozzle chamber	Operational	rate	Piezoelectric ink
  	is made long and	simplicity	May result in a	jet
  	relatively narrow,	Reduces	relatively large chip	IJ42, IJ43
  	relying on viscous	crosstalk	area
  	drag to reduce inlet		Only partially
  	back-flow.		effective
  Positive ink	The ink is under a	Drop selection	Requires a	Silverbrook, EP
  pressure	positive pressure, so	and separation	method (such as a	0771 658 A2 and
  	that in the quiescent	forces can be	nozzle rim or	related patent
  	state some of the ink	reduced	effective	applications
  	drop already protrudes	Fast refill time	hydrophobizing, or	Possible
  	from the nozzle.		both) to prevent	operation of the
  	This reduces the		flooding of the	following: IJ01-IJ07,
  	pressure in the nozzle		ejection surface of	IJ09-IJ12,
  	chamber which is		the print head.	IJ14, IJ16, IJ20,
  	required to eject a			IJ22, IJ23-IJ34,
  	certain volume of ink.			IJ36-IJ41, IJ44
  	The reduction in
  	chamber pressure
  	results in a reduction
  	in ink pushed out
  	through the inlet.
  Baffle	One or more baffles	The refill rate is	Design	HP Thermal Ink
  	are placed in the inlet	not as restricted as	complexity	Jet
  	ink flow. When the	the long inlet	May increase	Tektronix
  	actuator is energized,	method.	fabrication	piezoelectric ink jet
  	the rapid ink	Reduces	complexity (e.g.
  	movement creates	crosstalk	Tektronix hot melt
  	eddies which restrict		Piezoelectric print
  	the flow through the		heads).
  	inlet. The slower refill
  	process is unrestricted,
  	and does not result in
  	eddies.
  Flexible flap	In this method recently	Significantly	Not applicable to	Canon
  restricts	disclosed by Canon,	reduces back-flow	most ink jet
  inlet	the expanding actuator	for edge-shooter	configurations
  	(bubble) pushes on a	thermal ink jet	Increased
  	flexible flap that	devices	fabrication
  	restricts the inlet.		complexity
  			Inelastic
  			deformation of
  			polymer flap results
  			in creep over
  			extended use
  Inlet filter	A filter is located	Additional	Restricts refill	IJ04, IJ12, IJ24,
  	between the ink inlet	advantage of ink	rate	IJ27, IJ29, IJ30
  	and the nozzle	filtration	May result in
  	chamber. The filter	Ink filter may be	complex
  	has a multitude of	fabricated with no	construction
  	small holes or slots,	additional process
  	restricting ink flow.	steps
  	The filter also removes
  	particles which may
  	block the nozzle.
  Small inlet	The ink inlet channel	Design simplicity	Restricts refill	IJ02, IJ37, IJ44
  compared	to the nozzle chamber		rate
  to nozzle	has a substantially		May result in a
  	smaller cross section		relatively large chip
  	than that of the nozzle,		area
  	resulting in easier ink		Only partially
  	egress out of the		effective
  	nozzle than out of the
  	inlet.
  Inlet shutter	A secondary actuator	Increases speed	Requires separate	IJ09
  	controls the position of	of the ink-jet print	refill actuator and
  	a shutter, closing off	head operation	drive circuit
  	the ink inlet when the
  	main actuator is
  	energized.
  The inlet is	The method avoids the	Back-flow	Requires careful	IJ01, IJ03, IJ05,
  located	problem of inlet back-	problem is	design to minimize	IJ06, IJ07, IJ10,
  behind the	flow by arranging the	eliminated	the negative	IJ11, IJ14, IJ16,
  ink-pushing	ink-pushing surface of		pressure behind the	IJ22, IJ23, IJ25,
  surface	the actuator between		paddle	IJ28, IJ31, IJ32,
  	the inlet and the			IJ33, IJ34, IJ35,
  	nozzle.			IJ36, IJ39, IJ40,
  				IJ41
  Part of the	The actuator and a	Significant	Small increase in	IJ07, IJ20, IJ26,
  actuator	wall of the ink	reductions in back-	fabrication	IJ38
  moves to	chamber are arranged	flow can be	complexity
  shut off the	so that the motion of	achieved
  inlet	the actuator closes off	Compact designs
  	the inlet.	possible
  Nozzle	In some configurations	Ink back-flow	None related to	Silverbrook, EP
  actuator	of ink jet, there is no	problem is	ink back-flow on	0771 658 A2 and
  does not	expansion or	eliminated	actuation	related patent
  result in ink	movement of an			applications
  back-flow	actuator which may			Valve-jet
  	cause ink back-flow			Tone-jet
  	through the inlet.

• [0154]

  NOZZLE CLEARING METHOD

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples
  Normal	All of the nozzles are	No added	May not be	Most ink jet
  nozzle firing	fired periodically,	complexity on the	sufficient to	systems
  	before the ink has a	print head	displace dried ink	IJ01, IJ02, IJ03,
  	chance to dry. When			IJ04, IJ05, IJ06,
  	not in use the nozzles			IJ07, IJ09, IJ10,
  	are sealed (capped)			IJ11, IJ12, IJ14,
  	against air.			IJ16, IJ20, IJ22,
  	The nozzle firing is			IJ23, IJ24, IJ25,
  	usually performed			IJ26, IJ27, IJ28,
  	during a special			IJ29, IJ30, IJ31,
  	clearing cycle, after			IJ32, IJ33, IJ34,
  	first moving the print			IJ36, IJ37, IJ38,
  	head to a cleaning			IJ39, IJ40, IJ41,
  	station.			IJ42, IJ43, IJ44,
  				IJ45
  Extra	In systems which heat	Can be highly	Requires higher	Silverbrook, EP
  power to	the ink, but do not boil	effective if the	drive voltage for	0771 658 A2 and
  ink heater	it under normal	heater is adjacent to	clearing	related patent
  	situations, nozzle	the nozzle	May require	applications
  	clearing can be		larger drive
  	achieved by over-		transistors
  	powering the heater
  	and boiling ink at the
  	nozzle.
  Rapid	The actuator is fired in	Does not require	Effectiveness	May be used
  success-ion	rapid succession. In	extra drive circuits	depends	with: IJ01, IJ02,
  of actuator	some configurations,	on the print head	substantially upon	IJ03, IJ04, IJ05,
  pulses	this may cause heat	Can be readily	the configuration of	IJ06, IJ07, IJ09,
  	build-up at the nozzle	controlled and	the ink jet nozzle	IJ10, IJ11, IJ14,
  	which boils the ink,	initiated by digital		IJ16, IJ20, IJ22,
  	clearing the nozzle. In	logic		IJ23, IJ24, IJ25,
  	other situations, it may			IJ27, IJ28, IJ29,
  	cause sufficient			IJ30, IJ31, IJ32,
  	vibrations to dislodge			IJ33, IJ34, IJ36,
  	clogged nozzles.			IJ37, IJ38, IJ39,
  				IJ40, IJ41, IJ42,
  				IJ43, IJ44, IJ45
  Extra	Where an actuator is	A simple	Not suitable	May be used
  power to	not normally driven to	solution where	where there is a	with: IJ03, IJ09,
  ink pushing	the limit of its motion,	applicable	hard limit to	IJ16, IJ20, IJ23,
  actuator	nozzle clearing may be		actuator movement	IJ24, IJ25, IJ27,
  	assisted by providing			IJ29, IJ30, IJ31,
  	an enhanced drive			IJ32, IJ39, IJ40,
  	signal to the actuator.			IJ41, IJ42, IJ43,
  				IJ44, IJ45
  Acoustic	An ultrasonic wave is	A high nozzle	High	IJ08, IJ13, IJ15,
  resonance	applied to the ink	clearing capability	implementation cost	IJ17, IJ18, IJ19,
  	chamber. This wave is	can be achieved	if system does not	IJ21
  	of an appropriate	May be	already include an
  	amplitude and	implemented at very	acoustic actuator
  	frequency to cause	low cost in systems
  	sufficient force at the	which already
  	nozzle to clear	include acoustic
  	blockages. This is	actuators
  	easiest to achieve if
  	the ultrasonic wave is
  	at a resonant
  	frequency of the ink
  	cavity.
  Nozzle	A microfabricated	Can clear	Accurate	Silverbrook, EP
  clearing	plate is pushed against	severely clogged	mechanical	0771 658 A2 and
  plate	the nozzles. The plate	nozzles	alignment is	related patent
  	has a post for every		required	applications
  	nozzle. A post moves		Moving parts are
  	through each nozzle,		required
  	displacing dried ink.		There is risk of
  			damage to the
  			nozzles
  			Accurate
  			fabrication is
  			required
  Ink	The pressure of the ink	May be effective	Requires	May be used
  pressure	is temporarily	where other	pressure pump or	with all IJ series ink
  pulse	increased so that ink	methods cannot be	other pressure	jets
  	streams from all of the	used	actuator
  	nozzles. This may be		Expensive
  	used in conjunction		Wasteful of ink
  	with actuator
  	energizing.
  Print head	A flexible ‘blade’ is	Effective for	Difficult to use if	Many ink jet
  wiper	wiped across the print	planar print head	print head surface is	systems
  	head surface. The	surfaces	non-planar or very
  	blade is usually	Low cost	fragile
  	fabricated from a		Requires
  	flexible polymer, e.g.		mechanical parts
  	rubber or synthetic		Blade can wear
  	elastomer.		out in high volume
  			print systems
  Separate	A separate heater is	Can be effective	Fabrication	Can be used with
  ink boiling	provided at the nozzle	where other nozzle	complexity	many IJ series ink
  heater	although the normal	clearing methods		jets
  	drop e-ection	cannot be used
  	mechanism does not	Can be
  	require it. The heaters	implemented at no
  	do not require	additional cost in
  	individual drive	some ink jet
  	circuits, as many	configurations
  	nozzles can be cleared
  	simultaneously, and no
  	imaging is required.

• [0155]

  NOZZLE PLATE CONSTRUCTION

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples
  Electroformed	A nozzle plate is	Fabrication	High	Hewlett Packard
  nickel	separately fabricated	simplicity	temperatures and	Thermal Ink jet
  	from electroformed		pressures are
  	nickel, and bonded to		required to bond
  	the print head chip.		nozzle plate
  			Minimum
  			thickness constraints
  			Differential
  			thermal expansion
  Laser	Individual nozzle	No masks	Each hole must	Canon Bubblejet
  ablated or	holes are ablated by an	required	be individually	1988 Sercel et
  drilled	intense UV laser in a	Can be quite fast	formed	al., SPIE, Vol. 998
  polymer	nozzle plate, which is	Some control	Special	Excimer Beam
  	typically a polymer	over nozzle profile	equipment required	Applications, pp.
  	such as polyimide or	is possible	Slow where there	76-83
  	polysulphone	Equipment	are many thousands	1993 Watanabe
  		required is relatively	of nozzles per print	et al., U.S. Pat. No.
  		low cost	head	5,208,604
  			May produce thin
  			burrs at exit holes
  Silicon	A separate nozzle	High accuracy is	Two part	K. Bean, IEEE
  micromachined	plate is	attainable	construction	Transactions on
  	micromachined from		High cost	Electron Devices,
  	single crystal silicon,		Requires	Vol. ED-25, No. 10,
  	and bonded to the		precision alignment	1978, pp 1185-1195
  	print head wafer.		Nozzles may be	Xerox 1990
  			clogged by adhesive	Hawkins et al., U.S. Pat. No.
  				4,899,181
  Glass	Fine glass capillaries	No expensive	Very small	1970 Zoltan U.S. Pat. No.
  capillaries	are drawn from glass	equipment required	nozzle sizes are	3,683,212
  	tubing. This method	Simple to make	difficult to form
  	has been used for	single nozzles	Not suited for
  	making individual		mass production
  	nozzles, but is difficult
  	to use for bulk
  	manufacturing of print
  	heads with thousands
  	of nozzles.
  Monolithic,	The nozzle plate is	High accuracy	Requires	Silverbrook, EP
  surface	deposited as a layer	(<1 μm)	sacrificial layer	0771 658 A2 and
  micromachined	using standard VLSI	Monolithic	under the nozzle	related patent
  using VLSI	deposition techniques.	Low cost	plate to form the	applications
  lithographic	Nozzles are etched in	Existing	nozzle chamber	IJ01, IJ02, IJ04,
  processes	the nozzle plate using	processes can be	Surface may be	IJ11, IJ12, IJ17,
  	VLSI lithography and	used	fragile to the touch	IJ18, IJ20, IJ22,
  	etching.			IJ24, IJ27, IJ28,
  				IJ29, IJ30, IJ31,
  				IJ32, IJ33, IJ34,
  				IJ36, IJ37, IJ38,
  				IJ39, IJ40, IJ41,
  				IJ42, IJ43, IJ44
  Monolithic,	The nozzle plate is a	High accuracy	Requires long	IJ03, IJ05, IJ06,
  etched	buried etch stop in the	(<1 μm)	etch times	IJ07, IJ08, IJ09,
  through	wafer. Nozzle	Monolithic	Requires a	IJ10, IJ13, IJ14,
  substrate	chambers are etched in	Low cost	support wafer	IJ15, IJ16, IJ19,
  	the front of the wafer,	No differential		IJ21, IJ23, IJ25,
  	and the wafer is	expansion		IJ26
  	thinned from the back
  	side. Nozzles are then
  	etched in the etch stop
  	layer.
  No nozzle	Various methods have	No nozzles to	Difficult to	Ricoh 1995
  plate	been tried to eliminate	become clogged	control drop	Sekiya et al U.S. Pat. No.
  	the nozzles entirely, to		position accurately	5,412,413
  	prevent nozzle		Crosstalk	1993 Hadimioglu
  	clogging. These		problems	et al EUP 550,192
  	include thermal bubble			1993 Elrod et al
  	mechanisms and			EUP 572,220
  	acoustic lens
  	mechanisms
  Trough	Each drop ejector has	Reduced	Drop firing	IJ35
  	a trough through	manufacturing	direction is sensitive
  	which a paddle moves.	complexity	to wicking.
  	There is no nozzle	Monolithic
  	plate.
  Nozzle slit	The elimination of	No nozzles to	Difficult to	1989 Saito et al
  instead of	nozzle holes and	become clogged	control drop	U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,068
  individual	replacement by a slit		position accurately
  nozzles	encompassing many		Crosstalk
  	actuator positions		problems
  	reduces nozzle
  	clogging, but increases
  	crosstalk due to ink
  	surface waves

• [0156]

  DROP EJECTION DIRECTION

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples
  Edge	Ink flow is along the	Simple	Nozzles limited	Canon Bubblejet
  (‘edge	surface of the chip,	construction	to edge	1979 Endo et al GB
  shooter’)	and ink drops are	No silicon	High resolution	patent 2,007,162
  	ejected from the chip	etching required	is difficult	Xerox heater-in-
  	edge.	Good heat	Fast color	pit 1990 Hawkins et
  		sinking via substrate	printing requires	al U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,181
  		Mechanically	one print head per	Tone-jet
  		strong	color
  		Ease of chip
  		handing
  Surface	Ink flow is along the	No bulk silicon	Maximum ink	Hewlett-Packard
  (‘roof	surface of the chip,	etching required	flow is severely	TIJ 1982 Vaught et
  shooter’)	and ink drops are	Silicon can make	restricted	al U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,728
  	ejected from the chip	an effective heat		IJ02, IJ11, IJ12,
  	surface, normal to the	sink		IJ20, IJ22
  	plane of the chip.	Mechanical
  		strength
  Through	Ink flow is through the	High ink flow	Requires bulk	Silverbrook, EP
  chip,	chip, and ink drops are	Suitable for	silicon etching	0771 658 A2 and
  forward	ejected from the front	pagewidth print		related patent
  (‘up	surface of the chip.	heads		applications
  shooter’)		High nozzle		IJ04, IJ17, IJ18,
  		packing density		IJ24, IJ27-IJ45
  		therefore low
  		manufacturing cost
  Through	Ink flow is through the	High ink flow	Requires wafer	IJ01, IJ03, IJ05,
  chip,	chip, and ink drops are	Suitable for	thinning	IJ06, IJ07, IJ08,
  reverse	ejected from the rear	pagewidth print	Requires special	IJ09, IJ10, IJ13,
  (‘down	surface of the chip.	heads	handling during	IJ14, IJ15, IJ16,
  shooter’)		High nozzle	manufacture	IJ19, IJ21, IJ23,
  		packing density		IJ25, IJ26
  		therefore low
  		manufacturing cost
  Through	Ink flow is through the	Suitable for	Pagewidth print	Epson Stylus
  actuator	actuator, which is not	piezoelectric print	heads require	Tektronix hot
  	fabricated as part of	heads	several thousand	melt piezoelectric
  	the same substrate as		connections to drive	ink jets
  	the drive transistors.		circuits
  			Cannot be
  			manufactured in
  			standard CMOS
  			fabs
  			Complex
  			assembly required

• [0157]

  INK TYPE

  	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples
  Aqueous,	Water based ink which	Environmentally	Slow drying	Most existing ink
  dye	typically contains:	friendly	Corrosive	jets
  	water, dye, surfactant,	No odor	Bleeds on paper	All IJ series ink
  	humectant, and		May	jets
  	biocide.		strikethrough	Silverbrook, EP
  	Modern ink dyes have		Cockles paper	0771 658 A2 and
  	high water-fastness,			related patent
  	light fastness			applications
  Aqueous,	Water based ink which	Environmentally	Slow drying	IJ02, IJ04, IJ21,
  pigment	typically contains:	friendly	Corrosive	IJ26, IJ27, IJ30
  	water, pigment,	No odor	Pigment may	Silverbrook, EP
  	surfactant, humectant,	Reduced bleed	clog nozzles	0771 658 A2 and
  	and biocide.	Reduced wicking	Pigment may	related patent
  	Pigments have an	Reduced	clog actuator	applications
  	advantage in reduced	strikethrough	mechanisms	Piezoelectric ink-
  	bleed, wicking and		Cockles paper	jets
  	strikethrough.			Thermal ink jets
  				(with significant
  				restrictions)
  Methyl	MEK is a highly	Very fast drying	Odorous	All IJ series ink
  Ethyl	volatile solvent used	Prints on various	Flammable	jets
  Ketone	for industrial printing	substrates such as
  (MEK)	on difficult surfaces	metals and plastics
  	such as aluminum
  	cans.
  Alcohol	Alcohol based inks	Fast drying	Slight odor	All IJ series ink
  (ethanol, 2-	can be used where the	Operates at sub-	Flammable	jets
  butanol,	printer must operate at	freezing
  and others)	temperatures below	temperatures
  	the freezing point of	Reduced paper
  	water. An example of	cockle
  	this is in-camera	Low cost
  	consumer
  	photographic printing.
  Phase	The ink is solid at	No drying time-	High viscosity	Tektronix hot
  change	room temperature, and	ink instantly freezes	Printed ink	melt piezoelectric
  (hot melt)	is melted in the print	on the print medium	typically has a	ink jets
  	head before jetting.	Almost any print	‘waxy’ feel	1989 Nowak
  	Hot melt inks are	medium can be used	Printed pages	U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,346
  	usually wax based,	No paper cockle	may ‘block’	All IJ series ink
  	with a melting point	occurs	Ink temperature	jets
  	around 80° C. After	No wicking	may be above the
  	jetting the ink freezes	occurs	curie point of
  	almost instantly upon	No bleed occurs	permanent magnets
  	contacting the print	No strikethrough	Ink heaters
  	medium or a transfer	occurs	consume power
  	roller.		Long warm-up
  			time
  Oil	Oil based inks are	High solubility	High viscosity:	All IJ series ink
  	extensively used in	medium for some	this is a significant	jets
  	offset printing. They	dyes	limitation for use in
  	have advantages in	Does not cockle	ink jets, which
  	improved	paper	usually require a
  	characteristics on	Does not wick	low viscosity. Some
  	paper (especially no	through paper	short chain and
  	wicking or cockle).		multi-branched oils
  	Oil soluble dies and		have a sufficiently
  	pigments are required.		low viscosity.
  			Slow drying
  Microemulsion	A microemulsion is a	Stops ink bleed	Viscosity higher	All IJ series ink
  	stable, self forming	High dye	than water	jets
  	emulsion of oil, water,	solubility	Cost is slightly
  	and surfactant. The	Water, oil, and	higher than water
  	characteristic drop size	amphiphilic soluble	based ink
  	is less than 100 nm,	dies can be used	High surfactant
  	and is determined by	Can stabilize	concentration
  	the preferred curvature	pigment	required (around
  	of the surfactant.	suspensions	5%)

Claims (36)

1. An ink jet printhead comprising:

a plurality of nozzles;

a chamber corresponding to each of the nozzles respectively, the chambers adapted to contain an ejectable liquid; and,

at least one droplet ejection actuator associated with each of the chambers respectively, the droplet ejection actuator being adapted to eject a droplet of the ejectable liquid from the nozzle; wherein, the chamber is at least partially formed by an amorphous ceramic material.

2. An ink jet printhead according toclaim 1 wherein the drop ejection actuator is a heater element configured for thermal contact with a bubble forming liquid within the chamber; such that, heating the heater element to a temperature above the boiling point of the bubble forming liquid forms a gas bubble that causes the ejection of a droplet of the ejectable liquid through the nozzle corresponding to that heater element.

3. An ink jet printhead according toclaim 1 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon nitride.

4. An ink jet printhead according toclaim 1 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon dioxide.

5. An ink jet printhead according toclaim 1 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon oxynitride.

6. An ink jet printhead according toclaim 2 wherein the ejectable liquid is the same as the bubble forming liquid.

7 An ink jet printhead according toclaim 1 wherein the printhead is a pagewidth printhead.

8. An ink jet printhead according toclaim 1 wherein the droplet ejection actuator is a paddle vane located within the chamber, the paddle vane being adapted to be actuated by a thermal actuator for ejecting a droplet of the ejectable liquid;

a thermal actuator located externally of the chamber and attached to the paddle vane, wherein the thermal actuator includes a plurality of separate spaced apart elongate thermal actuator units, which are interconnected at a first end to a substrate and at a second end to a rigid strut member.

9. An ink jet printhead as claimed inclaim 8 wherein the rigid strut member is connected to a lever arm having one end attached to the paddle vane.

10. An ink jet printhead as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the thermal actuator units operate upon conductive heating along a conductive trace, the conductive heating including generation of a substantial portion of the heat in an area adjacent the first end of each thermal actuator unit.

11. An ink jet printhead as claimed inclaim 4 wherein said conductive heating includes a thinned cross-section adjacent said first end.

12. An ink jet printhead as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the thermal actuator units comprise conductive heating layers which, in turn, comprise substantially either a copper nickel alloy or titanium nitride.

13. A printer system which incorporates a printhead, the printhead comprising:

a plurality of nozzles;

a bubble forming chamber corresponding to each of the nozzles respectively, the bubble forming chambers adapted to contain a bubble forming liquid; and,

at least one heater element disposed in each of the bubble forming chambers respectively, the heater elements configured for thermal contact with the bubble forming liquid; such that,

heating the heater element to a temperature above the boiling point of the bubble forming liquid forms a gas bubble that causes the ejection of a drop of an ejectable liquid through the nozzle corresponding to that heater element; wherein,

the bubble forming chamber is at least partially formed by an amorphous ceramic material.

14. A printer system according toclaim 13 wherein the drop ejection actuator is a heater element configured for thermal contact with a bubble forming liquid within the chamber; such that, heating the heater element to a temperature above the boiling point of the bubble forming liquid forms a gas bubble that causes the ejection of a droplet of the ejectable liquid through the nozzle corresponding to that heater element.

15. A printer system according toclaim 13 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon nitride.

16. A printer system according toclaim 13 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon dioxide.

17. A printer system according toclaim 13 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon oxynitride.

18. A printer system according toclaim 14 wherein the ejectable liquid is the same as the bubble forming liquid.

19 A printer system according toclaim 13 wherein the printhead is a pagewidth printhead.

20. A printer system according toclaim 13 wherein the droplet ejection actuator is a paddle vane located within the chamber, the paddle vane being adapted to be actuated by a thermal actuator for ejecting a droplet of the ejectable liquid;

a thermal actuator located externally of the chamber and attached to the paddle vane, wherein the thermal actuator includes a plurality of separate spaced apart elongate thermal actuator units, which are interconnected at a first end to a substrate and at a second end to a rigid strut member.

21. A printer system as claimed inclaim 20 wherein the rigid strut member is connected to a lever arm having one end attached to the paddle vane.

22. A printer system as claimed inclaim 13 wherein the thermal actuator units operate upon conductive heating along a conductive trace, the conductive heating including generation of a substantial portion of the heat in an area adjacent the first end of each thermal actuator unit.

23. A printer system as claimed inclaim 16 wherein said conductive heating includes a thinned cross-section adjacent said first end.

24. A printer system as claimed inclaim 13 wherein the thermal actuator units comprise conductive heating layers which, in turn, comprise substantially either a copper nickel alloy or titanium nitride.

25 A method of ejecting drops of an ejectable liquid from a printhead, the printhead comprising

a plurality of nozzles;

a chamber corresponding to each of the nozzles respectively, the chambers adapted to contain an ejectable liquid; and,

at least one droplet ejection actuator associated with each of the chambers respectively; wherein, the chamber is at least partially formed by an amorphous ceramic material;

the method comprising the steps of:

placing the ejectable liquid into contact with the drop ejection actuator; and

actuating the droplet ejection actuator such that a droplet of an ejectable liquid is ejected through the corresponding nozzle.

27. A method according toclaim 25 wherein the drop ejection actuator is a heater element configured for thermal contact with a bubble forming liquid within the chamber; such that, heating the heater element to a temperature above the boiling point of the bubble forming liquid forms a gas bubble that causes the ejection of a droplet of the ejectable liquid through the nozzle corresponding to that heater element.

28. A method according toclaim 25 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon nitride.

29. A method according toclaim 25 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon dioxide.

30. A method according toclaim 25 wherein the amorphous ceramic material is silicon oxynitride.

31. A method according to claim26 wherein the ejectable liquid is the same as the bubble forming liquid.

32 A method according toclaim 25 wherein the printhead is a pagewidth printhead.

33. A method according toclaim 25 wherein the droplet ejection actuator is a paddle vane located within the chamber, the paddle vane being adapted to be actuated by a thermal actuator for ejecting a droplet of the ejectable liquid;

a thermal actuator located externally of the chamber and attached to the paddle vane, wherein the thermal actuator includes a plurality of separate spaced apart elongate thermal actuator units, which are interconnected at a first end to a substrate and at a second end to a rigid strut member.

34. A method as claimed inclaim 33 wherein the rigid strut member is connected to a lever arm having one end attached to the paddle vane.

35. A method as claimed inclaim 25 wherein the thermal actuator units operate upon conductive heating along a conductive trace, the conductive heating including generation of a substantial portion of the heat in an area adjacent the first end of each thermal actuator unit.

36. A method as claimed inclaim 29 wherein said conductive heating includes a thinned cross-section adjacent said first end.

37. A method as claimed inclaim 25 wherein the thermal actuator units comprise conductive heating layers which, in turn, comprise substantially either a copper nickel alloy or titanium nitride.

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