Compound ink feed slot

Abstract

A thin film thermal ink jet printhead having a compound ink feed slot that includes a trench in the top surface of a silicon substrate and a plurality of slots extending from the bottom surface of the silicon substrate to the trench. A plurality of patterned thin film layers are disposed on the top surface of the silicon substrate apart from the trench, and a patterned ink barrier layer is disposed over the plurality of patterned thin film layers. The patterned ink barrier layer includes an opening generally in alignment with the elongated trench, and a plurality of openings that form ink containing chambers which are adjacent to the trench and in communication with the opening that is generally in alignment with the elongated trench. Ink is conveyed from outside the substrate through the slots and trench, and into the ink containing chambers. The patterned thin film layers on the silicon substrate include a metallization layer and a passivation layer overlying the metallization layer, and the trench is advantageously formed by overetching of the passivation layer to remove it from the region in which the trench is to be formed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.