US 6,474,794 B1Granted

Incorporation of silicon bridges in the ink channels of CMOS/MEMS integrated ink jet print head and method of forming same

AssigneeEastman Kodak Company

InventorsConstantine N. Anagnostopoulos, Gilbert A. Hawkins, John A. Lebens, James M. Chwalek

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Abstract

An ink jet print head is formed of a silicon substrate that includes integrated circuits formed therein for controlling operation of the print head. The silicon substrate has a series of ink channels formed therein along the longitudinal direction of the nozzle array. An insulating layer or layers overlying the silicon substrate has a series or an array of nozzle openings or bores formed therein along the length of the substrate and each nozzle opening communicates with a respective ink channel. A series of rib structures is formed in the silicon substrate transverse to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle array for providing strength to the final silicon ship comprising the print head.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An ink jet print head comprising:

a silicon substrate including integrated circuits formed therein for controlling operation of the print head, the silicon substrate having a series of ink channels formed therein along the length of the substrate;
a relatively thinner membrane comprised of insulating layer or layers overlying the silicon substrate, the membrane having a series of ink jet nozzle bores formed therein along the length of the silicon substrate and each nozzle bore communicates with and is aligned with a respective different one of said ink channels, each ink channel being of larger size than its respective nozzle bore;
and
a series of rib structures formed in the silicon substrate so as to provide a respective rib structure between each respective adjacent pair of nozzle bores and the rib structures being transverse to the length of the silicon substrate for providing strength to the substrate, the thickness of each rib structure being the full thickness of that of the silicon substrate so that the rib structures engage the membrane.

1 more element

A method of operating a continuous ink jet print head comprising:

providing liquid ink under pressure in a series of ink channels formed along the length of a silicon substrate, the substrate having a series of integrated circuits formed therein for controlling operation of the print head;
asymmetrically heating the ink at each of plural nozzle openings to affect deflection of ink droplet(s), each nozzle opening communicating with and being in alignment with a respective ink channel that is larger than a respective nozzle opening and the nozzle openings being formed in a relatively thinner membrane upon the substrate and being arranged as an array extending in a predetermined direction;
and
wherein each channel is determined by rib structures that are formed in the silicon substrate with a respective rib structure being located between each respective adjacent pair of nozzle openings and the rib structures being oriented transverse to the direction of the array of nozzle openings and the thickness of each rib structure is the full thickness of that of the silicon substrate so that the rib structures engage the membrane.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.