Lexmark International, Inc.

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Byron Vencent Bell

Yimin Guan

Robert Wilson Cornell

Frank Edward Anderson

George Keith Parish

Burton Lee Joyner, Ii

Christopher Allen Craft

Sean Terrence Weaver

Bryan Thomas Fannin

Sean Terrance Weaver

John Glenn Edelen

Carl Edmond Sullivan

Girish Shivaji Patil

Brian Christopher Hart

Craig Michael Bertelsen

Paul Albert Cook

Jessica Laurel Mayes

Burton L Joyner, Ii

A vaporization heater for a fluid vaporization device and a method for vaporizing fluid are provided. The vaporization heater includes at least two fluid reservoirs and heating elements made of an electrically conductive material selected from the group consisting of a conductive mesh and an interwoven wire located within each of the at least two fluid reservoirs. The at least two fluid reservoirs and the heating elements therefor define a fluid volume sufficient to capture and retain a fixed volume of fluid that is ejected from an ejection head associated with a fluid supply cartridge in the fluid vaporization device. The fluid supply cartridge contains at least two different fluids. Application of electrical energy to the heating elements vaporizes the fixed volume of fluid in the at least two fluid reservoirs.

Heater for a vaporization device

A heater for a vaporization device includes a fluid reservoir and a porous and permeable heating element made of an electrically conductive material and located within the reservoir. The reservoir and the heating element located within the reservoir define a fluid volume sufficient to capture and retain a fixed volume of fluid ejected from an ejection head in the vaporization device. Application of electrical energy to the heating element vaporizes the fixed volume of fluid in a fixed amount of time.

A heating element for a vaporizing device, a vaporizing device containing the heating element, and a method for vaporizing fluid ejected by an ejection head. The heating element includes a conductive material deposited onto an insulative substrate, a protective layer deposited onto the conductive layer, and a porous layer having a porosity of at least about 50% deposited onto the protective layer. The heating element has an effective surface area (ESA) for fluid vaporization that is greater than a planar surface area defined by dimensions of the heating element so that a fluid contact surface of the heating element is greater than the planar surface area of the heating element.

Heater element for a vaporization device

A heater element for a vaporizing device, a vaporizing device containing the heater element, and a method for vaporizing fluid ejected by an ejection head. The heater element includes a conductive material having a concave area. The concave area of the heater element captures and vaporizes fluid ejected from an ejection head in the vaporization device. The concave area of the heating element has a cavity volume that is at least sufficient to retain an entire volume of liquid to be vaporized.

Micro-fluid ejection heads have anti-reflective coatings. The coatings destructively interfere with light at wavelengths of interest during subsequent photo imaging processing, such as during nozzle plate imaging. Methods include determining wavelengths of photoresists. Layers are applied to the substrate and anodized. They form an oxidized layer of a predetermined thickness and reflectivity that essentially eliminates stray and scattered light during production of nozzle plates. Process conditions include voltages, biasing, lengths of time, and bathing solutions, to name a few. Tantalum and titanium oxides define further embodiments as do layer thicknesses and light wavelengths.

Anti-reflective coatings for micro-fluid applications

A micro-fluid ejection device structure and method therefor having improved low energy design. The devices include a semiconductor substrate and an insulating layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate. A plurality of heater resistors are formed on the insulating layer from a resistive layer selected from the group consisting of TaAl, Ta2N, TaAl(O,N), TaAlSi, Ti(N,O), WSi(O,N), TaAlN, and TaAl/TaAlN. A sacrificial layer selected from an oxidizable metal and having a thickness ranging from about 500 to about 5000 Angstroms is deposited on the plurality of heater resistors. Electrodes are formed on the sacrificial layer from a first metal conductive layer to provide anode and cathode connections to the plurality of heater resistors. The sacrificial layer is oxidized in a plasma oxidation process to provide a fluid contact layer on the plurality of heater resistors.

Low ejection energy micro-fluid ejection heads

A method of making a micro-fluid ejection head structure and micro-fluid ejection heads made by the method. The method includes applying a tantalum oxide layer to a surface of a fluid ejection actuator disposed on a device surface of a substrate so that the tantalum oxide layer is the topmost layer of a plurality of layers including a resistive layer, and a protective layer selected from a passivation layer, a cavitation layer, and a combination of a passivation layer and a cavitation layer. The tantalum oxide layer has a thickness (t) that satisfies an equation t=(&#xbc;*W/n), wherein W is a wavelength of radiation from a radiation source, and n is a refractive index of the tantalum oxide layer. A photoimageable layer is also applied to the substrate. The photoimageable layer is imaged with the radiation source and then developed.

Process for making a micro-fluid ejection head structure

A process for making a fluid ejector head for a micro-fluid ejection device. In one embodiment, the process comprises depositing a thin film resistive layer on a substrate to provide a plurality of thin film heaters. The thin film resistive layer comprises a tantalum-aluminum-nitride material consisting essentially of AlN, TaN, and TaAl alloys, and containing from about 30 to about 70 atomic % tantalum, from about 10 to about 40 atomic % aluminum and from about 5 to about 30 atomic % nitrogen.

Method for making a thin film resistor

A substantially inorganic planarization layer for a micro-fluid ejection head substrate and method therefor. The planarization layer includes a plurality of layers composed of one or more dielectric compounds and at least one spin on glass (SOG) layer having a total thickness ranging from about 1 microns to about 15 microns deposited over a second metal layer of the micro-fluid ejection head substrate. A top most layer of the planarization layer is selected from one or more of the dielectric compounds and a hard mask material.

Planarization layer for micro-fluid ejection head substrates

A micro-fluid ejection device structure and method therefor having improved low energy design. The devices includes a semiconductor substrate and an insulating layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate. A plurality of heater resistors are formed on the insulating layer from a resistive layer selected from the group consisting of TaAl, Ta2N, TaAl(O,N), TaAlSi, Ti(N,O), WSi(O,N), TaAlN, and TaAl/TaAlN. A sacrificial layer selected from an oxidizable metal and having a thickness ranging from about 500 to about 5000 Angstroms is deposited on the plurality of heater resistors. Electrodes are formed on the sacrificial layer from a first metal conductive layer to provide anode and cathode connections to the plurality of heater resistors. The sacrificial layer is oxidized in a plasma oxidation process to provide a fluid contact layer on the plurality of heater resistors.

Fluid ejection actuators, micro-fluid ejection heads, and methods relating thereto. One such fluid ejection actuator is provided by a conductive layer adjacent a substrate. The conductive layer has a substantially non-conductive portion. The substantially non-conductive portion includes a portion of the conductive layer which has been treated to have low conductivity properties. A resistive layer is adjacent the conductive layer. The substantially non-conductive portion of the conductive layer substantially defines the fluid ejection actuator.

Substantially planar fluid ejection actuators and methods related thereto

A heater chip has a plurality of heaters each having a length, width and thickness. The length multiplied by the width (heater area) is in a range from about 50 to about 500 micrometers squared while the thickness is in a range from about 500 to about 5000 or 6000 angstroms. The energy required to jet or emit a single drop of ink from the heater during use is in a range from about 0.007 to about 0.99 or 1.19 microjoules. The heater chip is formed as a plurality of thin film layers on a substrate. Energy ranges are taught for all heaters having an area from about 50 to about 4000 micrometers squared and thicknesses ranging from about 500 to about 16,000 angstroms. Printheads containing the heater chip and printers containing the printheads are also disclosed.

Heater chip configuration for an inkjet printhead and printer

The present disclosure is directed to a micro-fluid ejection head for a micro-fluid ejection device. The head includes a semiconductor substrate, a fluid ejection actuator supported by the semiconductor substrate, a nozzle member containing nozzle holes attached to the substrate for expelling droplets of fluid from one or more nozzle holes in the nozzle member upon activation of the ejection actuator. The substrate further includes a thermal insulating barrier layer between the semiconductor substrate and the fluid ejection actuator. The thermal insulating barrier layer includes a porous, substantially impermeable material having a thermal conductivity of less than about 1 W/m-K.

Growing community of inventors

Paris, KY, United States of America

Byron Vencent Bell