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US 5,844,586 AGranted
Process for making ink jet heater chips
AssigneeStandard Microsystems Corporation
InventorsKaren L. Berry, Joseph P. Maniaci
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process is disclosed for fabricating a thermal inkjet printhead in which the driving circuitry and heating resistors are incorporated in a single integrated circuit. In the process, a protective cavitation layer, which may contain tantalum, is deposited at the locations of the heating regions over a passivation layer and is then patterned prior to any patterning or etching of the passivation layer. A via is then formed in the passivation layer.
Claims7
A process for fabricating a thermal inkjet printhead comprising the steps of:
- providing a substrate;
- forming a transistor in said substrate;
- forming a layer of resistive material and an overlying conductive layer over said transistor;
- patterning and etching said conductive layer to expose a portion of said resistive material layer at a heating region;
- establishing electrical contact of said resistive material layer to at least one terminal of said transistor;
- forming a passivation layer over said conductive layer and the exposed portion of said resistive layer;
- thereafter forming a protective layer over said passivation layer;
- thereafter, patterning and etching said protective layer to form a cavitation layer at the location of said heating region;
- and
- thereafter patterning and etching said passivation layer to form a via extending to said conductive layer.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.