Method of manufacturing of a direct firing thermal bend actuator ink jet printer
AssigneeSilverbrook Research Pty Ltd
InventorKia Silverbrook
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead includes providing a substrate. A doped layer is deposited on the substrate and is etched to create an array of nozzles on the substrate with a nozzle chamber in communication with each nozzle. Planar monolithic deposition, lithographic and etching processes are used to form a cantilevered thermal bend actuator arranged to be displaceable, when activated, towards the nozzle to effect ink ejection, at least a free end of the actuator containing a stiffening member for inhibiting flexing of said end of the actuator as it bends.
Claims17
A method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead which includes:
- providing a substrate;
- depositing a layer on the substrate and etching said layer to create a plurality of nozzle chambers;
- etching said substrate to create a nozzle in communication with each nozzle chamber;
- depositing a sacrificial layer on said substrate;
- etching said permanent layers, in respect of each nozzle chamber, to form a cantilevered thermal bend actuator arranged to be displaceable, when activated, towards the nozzle to effect ink ejection, at least a free end of the actuator containing a stiffening means for inhibiting flexing of said end of the actuator as it bends and
- removing said sacrificial layer to release said actuator and to form said printhead.
A method of manufacture of an ink jet printhead arrangement including a series of nozzle chambers, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an initial semiconductor wafer having an electrical circuitry layer and a buried epitaxial layer formed thereon;
- (b) etching a nozzle chamber aperture in said electrical circuitry layer in communication with a nozzle chamber in said semiconductor wafer;
- (c) depositing a sacrificial layer filling said nozzle chamber;
- (d) depositing and etching a first expansion layer of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion over said nozzle chamber;
- (e) depositing and etching a conductive material layer on said first expansion layer to form a conductive heater element over said first expansion layer, said heater element being conductively connected to said electrical circuitry layer and said step including etching a stiffening means on said first expansion layer;
- (f) depositing and etching a second expansion layer of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion over at least said conductive material layer, said etching including etching a leaf portion defining a cantilevered actuator including the stiffening means therein, over said nozzle chamber;
- (g) back etching said wafer to said epitaxial layer;
- (h) etching a nozzle aperture in said epitaxial layer;
- and
- (i) etching away said sacrificial layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.