Method of manufacture of a thermally actuated ink jet including a tapered heater element

Abstract

A method of manufacture of an ink jet printing nozzle arrangement on a wafer is disclosed, the arrangement including: an ink chamber having an ink ejection nozzle in one wall thereof for the ejection of ink from the ink chamber; a moveable paddle vane located within the ink chamber, the paddle vane including a concave surface in the area adjacent the ink ejection nozzle; and an actuator means adapted to move the paddle vane so as to cause ink within the ink chamber to be ejected from the ink ejection nozzle; the method comprising the steps of; (a) starting with a silicon wafer layer having requisite circuitry deposited thereon; (b) depositing and etching a first sacrificial layer to form a cavity for the paddle vane and a portion of the nozzle chamber; (c) depositing and etching a series of layers simultaneously forming the operational portions of the actuator means and the paddle vane; (d) depositing a second sacrificial layer forming a cavity for the ink chamber walls and remaining portions (if any) of the actuator; (e) depositing the chamber walls and remaining portions of the actuator; (f) forming a nozzle chamber roof including an ink ejection nozzle; (g) etching the sacrificial layers away. Preferably, the step (c) includes utilizing a single mask to etch the layers and step (c) further includes depositing two layers of substantially the same thermal properties, one of the layers including an operational portion of the actuator, such that, upon cooling of the layers, the two layers are in a state of thermal tension between one other.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.