Printhead chip with high nozzle areal density
AssigneeSilverbrook Research Pty Ltd
InventorKia Silverbrook
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is disclosed an ink jet printhead which comprises a plurality of nozzles and one or more heater elements corresponding to each nozzle. Each heater element is configured to heat a bubble forming liquid in the printhead to a temperature above its boiling point to form a gas bubble therein. The generation of the bubble causes the ejection of a drop of an ejectable liquid (such as ink) through the respective corresponding nozzle, to effect printing. The printhead has a substrate and each nozzle has a nozzle aperture opening through a surface of the substrate such that the areal density of the nozzles relative to the substrate surface exceeds 10,000 nozzles per square cm.
Claims16
A printhead integrated circuit for an inkjet printer, the printhead integrated circuit comprising:
- a wafer substrate;
- a plurality of nozzles formed on a surface of the wafer substrate, each nozzle having a nozzle aperture and at least one heater element respectively;
- fluid flow paths for establishing fluid communication between the nozzle aperture and a supply of ejectable liquid such that during use, the heater element of each nozzle is in thermal contact with the ejectable liquid;
- and
- drive circuitry formed on the wafer substrate, the drive circuitry being connected to each of the heater elements such that, in response to a drive signal from the drive circuitry, each of the heater elements heat the ejectable liquid to a temperature above its boiling point to form a gas bubble that ejects a drop of ejectable liquid through the nozzle aperture;
- wherein,
- the plurality of nozzles have an areal density exceeding 40,000 nozzles per square cm of the surface of the wafer substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.