Actuators for fluid delivery systems
AssigneeFUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.
InventorsChristoph Menzel, Shinya Sugimoto, Mats G. Ottoson, Wayne Liu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus includes a reservoir and a printhead. The printhead includes a support structure including a deformable portion defining at least a top surface of a pumping chamber, a flow path extending from the reservoir to the pumping chamber to transfer fluid from the reservoir to the pumping chamber, and an actuator disposed on the deformable portion of the support structure. A trench is defined in a top surface of the actuator. Application of a voltage to the actuator causes the actuator to deform along the trench, thereby causing deformation of the deformable portion of the support structure to eject a drop of fluid from the pumping chamber.
Claims16
A printhead comprising:
- a fluid ejector comprising:
- a support structure comprising a deformable portion defining at least a top surface of a pumping chamber;
- and
- an actuator disposed on the deformable portion of the support structure,
- in which a recess is defined at a central inner portion of the fluid ejector, the recess extending through a portion of a thickness of the fluid ejector, wherein the recess extends radially outwardly from the central inner portion of the actuator in a first direction along a first radial axis, in a second direction along the first radial axis opposite the first direction along the first radial axis, in a first direction along a second radial axis, and in a second direction along the second radial axis opposite the first direction along the second radial axis,
- wherein the fluid ejector comprises a lead zirconium titanate (PZT) layer and a silicon layer, the recess extends through the PZT layer of the fluid ejector, and the recess extends through at least part of the silicon layer of the fluid ejector.
A printhead comprising:
- an actuator comprising an active portion and an inactive portion, the actuator defining at least a top surface of a pumping chamber, the actuator being deformable to eject a drop of fluid from the pumping chamber;
- and
- a recess positioned on and surrounding a center of the actuator, the recess extending from an exterior surface of the actuator through at least a portion of the actuator,
- wherein the actuator comprises a lead zirconium titanate (PZT) layer and a silicon layer, the recess extends through the PZT layer of the actuator, and the recess extends through at least part of the silicon layer of the actuator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.