Thermal ink jet printhead with low heater mass
AssigneeSilverbrook Research Pty Ltd
InventorKia Silverbrook
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is disclosed an ink jet printhead which comprises a plurality of nozzles and one or more heater elements (10) corresponding to each nozzle. Each heater element (10) is configured to heat a bubble forming liquid in the printhead to a temperature above its boiling point to form a gas bubble therein. The generation of the bubble causes the ejection of a drop of an ejectable liquid (such as ink) through the respective corresponding nozzle (3), to effect printing. Each heater element includes solid material and is configured so that, when heated, a mass of less than 10 nanograms of that solid material is heated for heating the bubble forming liquid.
Claims51
An ink jet printhead comprising:
- a plurality of nozzles;
- and
- at least one respective heater element, which includes solid material, corresponding to each nozzle, wherein
- each heater element is in thermal contact with a bubble forming liquid, and
- each heater element has a mass of less than 10 nanograms of the solid material and is heated to a temperature above the boiling point of the bubble forming liquid, thereby to heat at least part of the bubble forming liquid to a temperature above said boiling point to form a gas bubble therein, thereby to cause the ejection of a drop of said bubble forming liquid through the nozzle corresponding to that heater element.
A printer system incorporating a printhead, the printhead comprising:
- a plurality of nozzles;
- and
- at least one respective heater element, which includes solid material, corresponding to each nozzle, wherein
- each heater element is in thermal contact with a bubble forming liquid, and
- each heater element has a mass of less than 10 nanograms of the solid material and is heated to a temperature above the boiling point of the bubble forming liquid, thereby to heat at least part of the bubble forming liquid to a temperature above said boiling point to form a gas bubble therein, thereby to cause the ejection of a drop of said bubble forming liquid through the nozzle corresponding to that heater element.
A method of ejecting a drop of an ejectable liquid from a printhead, the printhead comprising a plurality of nozzles and at least one respective heater element, which includes solid material, corresponding to each nozzle, the method comprising the steps of:
- heating at least one heater element, having a mass of less than 10 nanograms, corresponding to one of said plurality of nozzles to a temperature above the boiling point of a bubble forming liquid which is in thermal contact with the at least one heated heater element so as to heat at least part of the bubble forming liquid to a temperature above said boiling point;
- generating a gas bubble in the bubble forming liquid by said step of heating;
- and
- causing the drop of bubble forming liquid to be ejected through the nozzle corresponding to the at least one heated heater element by said step of generating a gas bubble.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.