Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Colby Van Vooren

Naoto A Kawamura

Colin C Davis

Qin Liu

Richard W Seaver

Jeffery S Hess

Donald E Wenzel

Carl Lan Wu

Charles Craig Haluzak

Chien-Hau Chen

Simon Dodd

Timothy L Weber

Terry E McMahon

Antonio Cruz-Uribe

Sean P McClelland

Chien-Hua Chen

Kenneth E Trueba

David R Thomas

Processing a die that has an edge and a substrate upon which a layer of moisture permeable material is disposed. The moisture permeable material extends to the edge of the die. One embodiment comprises interrupting the layer of moisture permeable material to form a gap at a boundary near the edge, thereby to substantially block movement of moisture through the gap of the moisture permeable material.

Drop generator die processing

Described herein is a method of forming a printhead. A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, including a first silicon layer, a second silicon layer, and an oxide layer between the first silicon layer and the second silicon layer, is provided. A plurality of thin film layers is formed on a first surface of the substrate. At least one of the layers forms a plurality of ink ejection elements. Ink feed holes are formed through the thin film layers. An opening is formed in the substrate by (a) etching the first silicon layer of the SOI substrate using a wet etch to etch a trench in the first silicon layer extending to the oxide layer; (b) etching an opening in the oxide layer; and (c) etching an opening in the second silicon layer to form an ink path between a backside of the SOI substrate and a topside of the SOI substrate.

Method of forming a printhead using a silicon on insulator substrate

A process for creating and an apparatus employing shaped orifices in a semiconductor substrate. A first layer of material is applied on the semiconductor substrate then a second layer of material is then applied upon the first layer of material. An orifice image is then transferred to the first layer of material and a fluid-well image is transferred to the second layer of material. That portion of the second layer of material where the orifice image is located is then developed along with that portion of the first layer of material where the fluid well is located to define an orifice in the substrate.

Direct imaging polymer fluid jet orifice

An inkjet printer printhead utilizes a substrate, an orifice layer, and a directionally biased electrostrictive polymer ink actuator disposed between the orifice layer and the substrate to eject ink from the printhead. The electrostrictive polymer ink actuator has a passivation layer disposed on the substrate, a first compliant electrode disposed at least on a first portion of the passivation layer, an electrostrictive polymer membrane disposed on a first area of the first compliant electrode, a passivation constraint disposed on a second portion of the passivation layer and a second area of the first compliant electrode effectively surrounding, in contact with, but not covering the electrostrictive polymer membrane in the first area of the first compliant electrode, and a second compliant electrode disposed on the passivation constraint which is disposed on the second portion of the passivation layer and the electrostrictive polymer membrane which is disposed on the first area of the first compliant electrode.

Method of manufacturing an ink actuator

A monolithic inkjet printhead formed using integrated circuit techniques is described. A silicon substrate has formed on its top surface a thin polysilicon layer in the area in which a trench is to be later formed in the substrate. The edges of the polysilicon layer align with the intended placement of ink feed holes leading into ink ejection chambers. Thin film layers, including a resistive layer, are formed on the top surface of the silicon substrate and over the polysilicon layer. An orifice layer is formed on the top surface of the thin film layers to define the nozzles and ink ejection chambers. A trench mask is formed on the bottom surface of the substrate. A trench is etched (using, for example, TMAH) through the exposed bottom surface of the substrate and to the polysilicon layer. The etching of the polysilicon layer exposes fast etch planes of the silicon. The TMAH then rapidly etches the silicon substrate along the etch planes, thus aligning the edges of the trench with the polysilicon. A wet etch is then performed using a buffered oxide etch (BOE) solution. The BOE will completely etch through the exposed thin film layers on the topside and underside of the substrate, forming ink feed holes through the thin film layers. The trench is now aligned with the ink feed holes due to the polysilicon layer.

Ink feed trench etch technique for a fully integrated thermal inkjet printhead

Described herein is a monolithic printhead formed using integrated circuit techniques. Thin film layers, including ink ejection elements, are formed on a top surface of a silicon substrate. The various layers are etched to provide conductive leads to the ink ejection elements. A trench is etched in the bottom surface of the substrate, leaving a thin silicon shelf or membrane. Ink feed holes (individual holes or a second trench) are formed in the silicon shelf or membrane, and ink feed holes are formed in the thin film layers, so that ink can flow into the trench and into each ink ejection chamber through the ink feed holes. The ink ejection elements reside over the silicon shelf or membrane so that the shelf or membrane provides mechanical stability, prevents thin film layer buckling, and improves the heat transfer between the ink ejection elements and the substrate. In one embodiment, the substrate is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. An orifice layer is formed on the top surface of the thin film layers to define the nozzles and ink ejection chambers.

Printing structure with insulator layer

Inkjet printer printhead which eliminates unpredictable ink nucleation

Growing community of inventors

Corvallis, OR, United States of America

Colby Van Vooren