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US 5,016,028 AGranted
High density multi-channel array, electrically pulsed droplet deposition apparatus
AssigneeAM International, Inc.
InventorStephen Temple
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAM International, Inc.
InventorStephen Temple
Estimating the term…
A high density multi-channel array, electrically pulsed droplet deposition apparatus comprises a bottom sheet of piezoelectric material poled in a direction normal to said sheet and formed with a plurality of parallel channels mutually spaced in an array direction normal to the length of said channels. Each channel is defined by a pair of facing side walls and a bottom surface extending between the respective side walls. A top sheet facing said bottom surfaces of said channels and bonded to said side walls closes the channels at their tops. Each of at least some of the side walls include electrodes on opposite sides thereof to form shear mode actuators for effecting droplet expulsion from the channels associated with the actuators. Each electrode extends substantially along the length of the corresponding side wall and over an area from the edge of the side wall adjoining the top sheet which is so spaced from the bottom surface of the channel in which the electrode is disposed as to leave the portion of the bottom sheet adjacent the wall on which said electrode is provided substantially free from piezoelectric distortion when an electric field is applied across the electrodes of the associated wall.
A high density multi-channel array electrically pulsed droplet deposition apparatus, comprising a sheet of piezoelectric material poled in a direction normal to said sheet and formed with a plurality of parallel channels mutually spaced in an array direction normal to the length of said channels, each channel being defined by facing side walls and a bottom surface extending between the respective side walls, each of at least some of said side walls including electrodes on opposite sides thereof to form shear mode actuators for effecting droplet expulsion from the channels associated with the actuators, each electrode extending substantially along the length of the corresponding side wall and over an area so spaced from the bottom surface of the channel in which the electrode is disposed as to leave the portion of said sheet adjacent said bottom surface substantially free from piezo-electric distortion when an electric field is applied across the electrodes of the associated wall.
A high density multi-channel array, electrically pulsed droplet deposition apparatus, comprising a bottom sheet of piezoelectric material poled in a direction normal to said sheet and formed with a plurality of parallel, open-topped channels mutually spaced in an array direction normal to the length of said channels, each channel being defined by facing side walls and a bottom surface extending between the respective side walls, a top sheet facing said bottom surfaces of said channels and bonded to said side walls to close said channels at the tops thereof, each of said channels being further formed with a forward part of uniform depth between said bottom surface and said top sheet and a part rearwardly of said forward part of lesser depth than said forward part, each of at least some of said side walls of said forward parts including electrodes on opposite sides thereof to form shear mode actuators for effecting droplet expulsion from the channels associated with the actuators, each electrode extending substantially along the length of the corresponding side wall and over an area from the edge of said side wall adjoining said top sheet which is so spaced from the bottom surface of the channel in which the electrode is disposed as to leave the portion of said bottom sheet adjacent the wall on which said electrode is provided substantially free from piezo-electric distortion when an electric field is applied across the electrodes of the associated wall.
A high density multi-channel array, electrically pulsed droplet deposition apparatus, comprising a sheet of piezoelectric material poled in a direction normal to said sheet and formed with a plurality of parallel channels mutually spaced in an array direction normal to the length of said channels, each channel being defined by facing side walls and a bottom surface extending between the respective side walls, each of at least some of said side walls including electrodes on opposite sides thereof to form shear mode actuators for effecting droplet expulsion from the channels associated with the actuators, each electrode extending over an area of the corresponding side wall which is spaced from the bottom surface of the channel in which the electrode is disposed for minimizing the creation of fringe fields in the portion of said sheet adjacent said bottom surface when an electric field is applied across the electrodes of the associated wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.