Inkjet printhead with two-dimensional nozzle arrangement and method of fabricating the same

A method of fabricating an inkjet printhead, the method comprising the steps of:

• sequentially forming a silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer on a silicon substrate doped with a first conductive-type impurity;
• etching the silicon oxide layer and the silicon nitride layer except in a switching device area and a main ink-supply path area to expose parts of the substrate, and doping the exposed parts with a second conductive-type impurity;
• oxidizing the exposed parts to form a heat-transfer-prevention silicon oxide layer on the exposed parts of the substrate;
• removing the silicon oxide layer and the silicon nitride layer over the entire main ink-supply path area and over both ends of the switching device area, and doping the entire main ink-supply path area and both ends of the switching device area with the first conductive-type impurity to form a device-separation first conductive-type impurity diffusion layer;
• sequentially carrying out oxidizing and heat treating processes in order to reduce the doping concentration of the device-separation first conductive-type impurity diffusion layer and form a device-separation silicon oxide layer at two ends of the switching device area as well as make the heat-transfer-prevention silicon oxide layer thicker;
• removing all the silicon nitride layer that is remaining and the silicon oxide layer under the silicon nitride layer;
• forming on the switching device area a switching transistor including a gate oxide layer, a polysilicon gate electrode layer, and a source-drain area;
• removing the oxide layer over the main ink-supply path area and carrying out a doping process with the first conductive-type impurity in order to reduce a contact resistance between the main ink-supply path area and a metal wiring to be formed subsequently;
• removing the oxide layer over the source-drain area and depositing and etching the metal wiring and a heater resistor thin film to form wiring and the heater resistor;
• sequentially depositing a first and a second passivation layer for protection of the transistor, heater resistor, and the wiring from ink, etching the second passivation layer except in an area near the heater resistor, and etching the first passivation layer over a pad-wiring contact window area and the main ink-supply path area;
• depositing a base metal layer for plating of a nozzle plate, and forming a plating mold including an ink channel mold, an ink chamber mold, and a nozzle mold by photoresistor layer patterning for plating of the nozzle plate;
• forming the nozzle plate by plating using the plating mold, the thickness of plating being less than the height of the photoresistor layer;
• etching the substrate to form the main ink-supply path;
• and
• removing the plating mold and subsequently removing the base metal layer.

An inkjet printhead having a two-dimensional nozzle array capable of high-speed, high-resolution printing, the inkjet printhead comprising:

• a substrate having at least one ink-supply path for supplying a single color ink;
• at least two nozzles positioned in a line parallel to the movement direction of the printhead, each nozzle being connected to the ink-supply path;
• driving means for driving the nozzles;
• and
• electrical devices for decoding electric signals provided from outside the inkjet printhead and transmitting the decoded electric signals to the driving means in order to selectively drive the nozzles.