US 7,677,706 B2Granted

Electrostatic actuator and fabrication method

AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

InventorsGeorge Z. Radominski, Chris Aschoff, Alexander Govyadinov, Silam J. Choy, Martha A. Truninger

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Abstract

In one embodiment a method of making an electrostatic actuator includes: forming a first conductor over a first substrate to form a first structure; forming a flexible second conductor over a second substrate to form a second structure; forming an etch stop over the first conductor as part of the first structure or over the second conductor as part of the second structure; forming a spacer on the etch stop, the spacer selectively etchable with respect to the etch stop; etching the spacer through to the etch stop at a location of a gap between the first conductor and the second conductor; and bonding the first structure and the second structure together such that the first conductor is located opposite the second conductor across the gap.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A fluid drop ejector, comprising:

a first structure including a first conductor formed over a first non-silicon substrate;
a second structure affixed to the first structure, the second structure including:
a fluid channel formed in a second non-silicon substrate, the fluid channel aligned with the first conductor;
and
a conductive membrane formed over the second non-silicon substrate, the conductive membrane aligned with and forming a wall of the fluid channel at a location between the fluid channel and the first conductor;
a spacer between the first conductor and the conductive membrane, the spacer having openings therein defining a gap between the first conductor and the conductive membrane;
a third structure affixed to the second structure, the third structure covering the fluid channel to form a fluid chamber bounded by a conductive membrane, the second non-silicon substrate and the third structure;
and
an orifice in the chamber through which fluid may be ejected from the chamber.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.