Inkjet printhead having ink feed channels defined by thin-film structure and orifice layer

An inkjet printhead comprising:

• a substrate having an ink feed slot formed in and completely through the substrate, the ink feed slot defining an opening in the substrate;
• drop generators, each drop generator having a nozzle and a vaporization chamber;
• ink feed channels, wherein at least one ink feed channel is fluidically coupled to each vaporization chamber and is fluidically coupled to the ink feed slot;
• a thin-film structure supported by the substrate and having ink feed channel thin-film walls, each ink feed channel thin-film wall extending past the opening in the substrate and defining a first portion of a corresponding ink feed channel, which extends from the ink feed slot to a corresponding vaporization chamber;
• and
• an orifice layer supported by the substrate, defining the nozzles and the vaporization chambers in the drop generators, and having ink feed channel orifice layer walls, each ink feed channel orifice layer wall extending past the opening in the substrate and defining a second portion of the corresponding ink feed channel, which extends from the ink feed slot to the corresponding vaporization chamber, wherein a first column of drop generators is arranged in subgroups, wherein the orifice layer fluidically isolates each subgroup from other subgroups on a top of the substrate but the subgroups are commonly fluidically coupled to the ink feed slot on a bottom of the substrate.

An inkjet printhead assembly comprising:

• at least one printhead including:
• a substrate having an ink feed slot formed in the substrate, the ink feed slot defining an opening in and completely through the substrate, wherein the ink feed slot has a first side and second side along a vertical length of the ink feed slot;
• drop generators, each drop generator having a nozzle and a vaporization chamber, wherein a first column of drop generators are formed along the first side of the ink feed slot, and a second column of drop generators are formed along the second side of the ink feed slot;
• ink feed channels, wherein at least one ink feed channel is fluidically coupled to each vaporization chamber and is fluidically coupled to the ink feed slot, wherein the ink feed slot has an inside edge, the first columns of drop generators have varying distances from the inside edge, and the ink feed channels have varying opening geometries to offset the varying distances;
• a thin-film structure supported by the substrate and having ink feed channel thin-film walls, each ink feed channel thin-film wall extending past the opening in the substrate and defining a first portion of a corresponding ink feed channel, which extends from the ink feed slot to a corresponding vaporization chamber;
• and
• an orifice layer supported by the substrate, defining the nozzles and the vaporization chambers in the drop generators, and having ink feed channel orifice layer walls, each ink feed channel orifice layer wall extending past the opening in the substrate and defining a second portion of the corresponding ink feed channel, which extends from the ink feed slot to the corresponding vaporization chamber.

A fluid ejection device comprising:

• a substrate having a fluid feed slot formed in and completely through the substrate, the fluid feed slot defining an opening in the substrate, wherein the fluid feed slot has a first side and second side along a vertical length of the fluid feed slot;
• drop generators, each drop generator having a nozzle and a vaporization chamber, wherein a first column of drop generators are formed along the first side of the fluid feed slot, and a second column of drop generators are formed along the second side of the fluid feed slot;
• fluid feed channels, wherein at least one fluid feed channel is fluidically coupled to each vaporization chamber and is fluidically coupled to the fluid feed slot, wherein the fluid feed slot has an inside edge, the first columns of drop generators have varying distances from the inside edge, and the fluid feed channels have varying opening geometries to offset the varying distances;
• a thin-film structure supported by the substrate and having fluid feed channel thin-film walls, each fluid feed channel thin-film wall extending past the opening in the substrate and defining a first portion of a corresponding fluid feed channel, which extends from the fluid feed slot to a corresponding vaporization chamber;
• and
• an orifice layer supported by the substrate, defining the nozzles and the vaporization chambers in the drop generators, and having fluid feed channel orifice layer walls, each fluid feed channel orifice layer wall extending past the opening in the substrate and defining a second portion of the corresponding fluid feed channel, which extends from the fluid feed slot to the corresponding vaporization chamber.

A fluid ejection device of comprising:

• a substrate having a fluid feed slot formed in and completely through the substrate, the fluid feed slot defining an opening in the substrate;
• drop generators, each drop generator having a nozzle and a vaporization chamber;
• fluid feed channels, wherein at least one fluid feed channel is fluidically coupled to each vaporization chamber and is fluidically coupled to the fluid feed slot;
• a thin-film structure supported by the substrate and having fluid feed channel thin-film walls, each fluid feed channel thin-film wall extending past the opening in the substrate and defining a first portion of a corresponding fluid feed channel, which extends from the fluid feed slot to a corresponding vaporization chamber;
• and
• an orifice layer supported by the substrate, defining the nozzles and the vaporization chambers in the drop generators, and having fluid feed channel orifice layer walls, each fluid feed channel orifice layer wall extending past the opening in the substrate and defining a second portion of the corresponding fluid feed channel, which extends from the fluid feed slot to the corresponding vaporization chamber, wherein the first column of drop generators is arranged in subgroups, wherein the orifice layer fluidically isolates each subgroup from other subgroups on a top of the substrate but the subgroups are commonly fluidically coupled to the fluid feed slot on a bottom of the substrate.

A method of operating an inkjet printhead comprising:

• carrying ink in an ink feed slot formed in a substrate, wherein the ink feed slot defines an opening in and completely through the substrate;
• ejecting ink from drop generators by vaporizing ink in corresponding vaporization chambers in the drop generators and ejecting ink from the corresponding vaporization chambers via corresponding nozzles in the drop generators;
• arranging a first column of drop generators into subgroups;
• carrying ink from the ink feed slot to the corresponding vaporization chambers with corresponding ink feed channels, wherein a thin-film structure supported by the substrate includes corresponding ink feed channel thin-film walls which extend past the opening in the substrate and define corresponding first portions of the corresponding ink feed channels, which extends from the ink feed slot to corresponding vaporization chambers, and wherein an orifice layer supported by the substrate defines the corresponding nozzles and the corresponding vaporization chambers in the drop generators and includes corresponding ink feed channel orifice layer walls which extend past the opening in the substrate and define corresponding second portions of the corresponding ink feed channels, which extends from the ink feed slot to the corresponding vaporization chambers;
• fluidically isolating, with the orifice layer, each subgroup from other subgroups on a top of the substrate;
• and
• commonly fluidically coupling the subgroups to the ink feed slots on a bottom of the substrate.