Electrohydrodynamic print head with structured feed layer
AssigneeScrona AG
InventorPatrick Galliker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The electrohydrodynamic print head includes a nozzle layer with a plurality of nozzles. A feed layer is arranged above nozzle layer. It contains feed ducts for feeding ink to the nozzles as well as electrically conducting feed lines for feeding voltages to electrodes at nozzles. The feed layer includes one or more dielectric sublayers, which is/are structured to form the feed ducts and feed lines. Some of the sublayers contain vertical via sections and others contain horizontal interconnect sections. The feed layer is structured for customizing the print head easily.
Claims30
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material;
- at least one first voltage terminal;
- and
- a plurality of conducting feed lines arranged in or on said feed layer,
- wherein said feed lines electrically connect said first voltage terminal(s) to at least part of said nozzle electrodes, and
- wherein only a subset of said nozzle electrodes is connected to at least one voltage terminal.
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material;
- at least one first voltage terminal;
- and
- a plurality of conducting feed lines arranged in or on said feed layer,
- wherein said feed lines electrically connect said first voltage terminal(s) to at least part of said nozzle electrodes,
- wherein at least part of said feed lines comprises electrical vias extending through at least part of said feed layer, and
- wherein said printing head comprises at least one electrical via for each of a majority of said nozzles.
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material;
- at least one first voltage terminal;
- and
- a plurality of conducting feed lines arranged in or on said feed layer,
- wherein said feed lines electrically connect said first voltage terminal(s) to at least part of said nozzle electrodes,
- wherein at least part of said feed lines comprises horizontal electrical tracks arranged in or on said feed layer, and
- wherein said feed lines comprise several sets of horizontal electrical tracks separated by at least one dielectric layer.
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material;
- at least one first voltage terminal;
- and
- a plurality of conducting feed lines arranged in or on said feed layer,
- wherein said feed lines electrically connect said first voltage terminal(s) to at least part of said nozzle electrodes,
- wherein said print head comprises a plurality of area fractions, with each area fraction comprising the same number and arrangements of nozzles,
- wherein the nozzle electrodes of all nozzles contained within each single area fraction are connected to separate voltage terminals of the print head, and
- wherein the nozzle electrodes of all nozzles in any given coordinate of all the area fractions are connected to the same voltage terminal.
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material;
- cavities extending at least through part of the print head;
- and
- electrical vias extending through at least part of said cavities,
- wherein said cavities are vent ducts extending through said feed layer and said nozzle layer.
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material;
- and
- vent ducts extending through said feed layer and said nozzle layer.
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material;
- and
- wherein said feed ducts comprise at least one of:
- via sections extending transversally through at least part of said feed layer and/or
- at least one interconnect section extending along said feed layer,
- wherein said feed layer comprises at least one interconnect layer having at least one opening forming at last part of said interconnect sections,
- wherein said feed layer comprises at least two sublayers, and
- wherein a number of via sections in a lower one of the sublayers is larger than in a higher one of the sublayers.
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material,
- wherein a majority or of all of said nozzles, comprises a reference electrode positioned to contact ink in said nozzle, and
- wherein the reference electrodes are arranged at a top side of said nozzle layer and/or at a bottom side of said feed ducts, and
- wherein the print head further comprises electric vias extending through at least part of said feed layer and connected to said reference electrodes.
An electrohydrodynamic print head comprising:
- a nozzle layer comprising a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes;
- a feed layer comprising a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material;
- and
- bridges extending across at least some of the feed ducts at locations where a diameter of the feed ducts increases along an up-down direction,
- wherein said bridges extend across vertical via sections at locations where the via sections intersect with horizontal interconnect sections.
A method for manufacturing a print head that includes a nozzle layer having a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes and a feed layer having a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material, the method comprising:
- manufacturing said nozzle layer with said nozzles;
- manufacturing said feed layer;
- forming said feed ducts in said feed layer;
- preparing the nozzle layer on a first carrier plate with a first release layer between a first surface of said nozzle layer and said first carrier plate;
- applying a second carrier plate to a second side of the nozzle layer with a second release layer between the second carrier plate and the nozzle layer;
- releasing said first release layer;
- applying at least part of said feed layer to said first side of said nozzle layer;
- and
- releasing said second release layer.
A method for manufacturing a print head that includes a nozzle layer having a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes and a feed layer having a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material, the method comprising:
- manufacturing said nozzle layer with said nozzles;
- manufacturing said feed layer;
- forming said feed ducts in said feed layer;
- forming at least part of the feed ducts in said feed layer by laser-induced etching;
- first laser-irradiating at least a sublayer of the feed layer, then joining or manufacturing the nozzle layer to/on one side of the irradiated feed layer, then etching the irradiated feed layer for forming at least part of the feed ducts at irradiated locations of said sublayer.
A method for manufacturing a print head that includes a nozzle layer having a plurality of nozzles and nozzle electrodes and a feed layer having a plurality of feed ducts extending through said feed layer and connecting at least part of said nozzles to one or more ink terminals of said print head, wherein said feed layer is, at least in part, of a dielectric material, the method comprising:
- manufacturing said nozzle layer with said nozzles;
- manufacturing said feed layer;
- forming said feed ducts in said feed layer,
- wherein said print head comprises a plurality of conducting feed lines in or on said feed layer, and
- wherein said method comprises printing at least some of the conducting feed lines including at least some horizontal electrical tracks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.