Inkjet printhead integrated circuit with suspended heater element spaced from chamber walls

Abstract

An inkjet printhead that has a plurality of nozzles and a bubble forming chamber corresponding to each nozzle. The bubble forming chamber of each nozzle has at least one side wall and at least one heater element suspended within each of the bubble forming chambers respectively. 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 an ejection aperture in each nozzle, to effect printing. The heater element is spaced from the side wall of the bubble forming chamber by between 0.1 microns and 20 microns. The nucleation and growth of a gas bubble causes the pressure pulse that ejects ink from the nozzle aperture. By laterally enclosing the bubble with at least one of the side walls of the chamber, most of the pressure is dissipated by ejecting ink through the nozzle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.