Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

David E Hackleman

James William Stasiak

Marzio A Leban

Ralph H Nielsen, Jr

Richard Stanley Williams

Paul H McClelland

Kevin Francis Peters

William Allen Buskirk

Grant Pease

Norman E Pawlowski

Ross R Allen

James G Bearss

Loren E Johnson

Donald E Wenzel

Jennifer Wu

Eldurkar V Bhaskar

Kenneth A Norton

Wayne P Richling

Richard F Adams

A sensor device and method for detecting the presence of an analyte in a fluid solution are disclosed. The sensor device system can comprise a substrate and an array of free-standing nanowires attached to the substrate. The array can include individual free-standing nanowires wherein each of the individual free-standing nanowires have a first end and a second end. The first end can, in some embodiments, be attached to the substrate and the second end unattached to the substrate. Such individual free-standing nanowires are configured for electrical communication with other individual free-standing nanowires through the first end. A chip or computer can be electrically coupled to the array of free-standing nanowires for receiving electrical information from the array of free-standing nanowires. In some embodiments a power source can be used to send current through the nanowire array.

Free-standing nanowire method for detecting an analyte in a fluid

A sensor device and method for detecting the presence of an analyte in a fluid solution are disclosed. The sensor device system can comprise a substrate and an array of free-standing nanowires attached to the substrate. The array can include individual free-standing nanowires wherein each of the individual free-standing nanowires have a first end and a second end. The first end can, in some embodiments, be attached to the substrate and the second end unattached to the substrate. Such individual free-standing nanowires are configured for electrical communication with other individual free-standing nanowires through the first end. A signal measurement apparatus can be electrically coupled to the array of free-standing nanowires for receiving electrical information from the array of free-standing nanowires.

Free-standing nanowire sensor and method for detecting an analyte in a fluid

A semiconductor device including a substrate having a dopant of a first polarity, a first semiconducting structure including a dopant of a second polarity disposed over the substrate, and having substantially planar top and side surfaces. The semiconductor device includes a first junction, formed between the first semiconducting structure and the substrate, having an area wherein at least one lateral dimension is less than about 75 nanometers.

Nanometer-scale semiconductor devices and method of making

Optical measurement is made for each nozzle position of a printhead relative to each printhead of an inkjet printing device. Alternatively, the measurement is made for each nozzle relative to a reference point. The reference point, for example, is a datum projection or indentation (i) on the printhead, (ii) integral to the pen body, or (iii) on the pen carriage. The measurement data subsequently is stored for later access. Alternative storage schemes include local storage in electronic memory associated with the pen and physical storage via bar code, magnetic stripes or physical markings. The stored alignment data thereafter is retrieved and input to printhead nozzle management software to adjust the timing for firing respective nozzles. The timing is adjusted to compensate for misalignment and achieve accurate dot placement on a media sheet.

Inkjet printhead alignment via measurement and entry

A ferromagnetic ink is formed by a dispersion of ferromagnetic particles mixed with an ink base. Drops of the ink are ejected from an inkjet printhead to print characters or markings onto a print media sheet. To resist clogging printhead nozzles, the dispersed ferromagnetic particles have an average diameter equal to or less than approximately 1/10 of the average nozzle diameter. A magnetic field is applied to the ejected ink drops during printing to direct, or more specifically bias, the ink drops toward the print media. The magnetic 'biasing' force aids in maintaining drop shape along the ejection path, and in reducing bounce. As a result, edge roughness and spray are decreased so as to improve print quality. In alternative embodiments, the magnetic field source is formed by a permanent magnet or electromagnet. Such a field source is integral to or adjacent to a printer platen. The field source is located adjacent to the printhead and in several embodiments extends along the scan path of the printhead. In one embodiment the field source is formed on the ink cartridge.

Method and apparatus for ink drop trajectory control

An inkjet page-wide-array 'PWA' printer element includes memory resident on its printbar. The printbar memory offloads an otherwise excessive PWA printhead data throughput requirement enabling print speed to approach nozzle speed. Instead of transferring dot data from printer memory directly to printhead nozzle circuitry, dot data is first transferred from printer memory to printbar memory. Dot data then is transferred from printbar memory to the nozzle circuitry. Printbar memory is organized as a plurality of memory planes (i.e., 2 or more). Each plane stores dot data for one or more dot lines. For a 20 kHz nozzle speed, 600 dpi resolution, and an 11 inch printhead, dot data is transferred from printer memory to the printbar memory's first plane at a rate less than 140 MHz. Dot data then is transferred from the first plane to the second plane in one parallel transfer. For a two-plane embodiment dot data then is output from the second plane to respective nozzles to sustain printing at nozzle speed. A multiplexer data path between the second memory plane and the firing circuitry enables output of dot data for multiple nozzles at a time so that an approximately 20 MHz data rate sustains printing at the nozzle speed.

PWA inkjet printer element with resident memory

A page-wide-array ('PWA') printhead includes a flex circuit thermal-kinematically fixed to a printbar. Thermal kinematic fixturing directs thermal expansion and contraction of the flex circuit along known paths. One effect of the invention is that over a given temperature range, PWA printhead nozzles remain aligned and nozzle spacing changes uniformly across the printhead. To accomplish the fixturing, a sealant, fixtures, and a reference barrier hold the flex circuit to the printbar. The flex circuit defines elongated slots receiving a fixture post. Each slot and fixture defines a 1-D connection or free-floating connection in an xy-plane. For a 1-D connection thermal displacement occurs in only one direction as defined by the slot orientation. For a free-floating connection thermal displacement is free-floating in the xy-plane. The reference barrier is located on the printbar and defines a corner 'bench mark' for the flex circuit. All expansion or contraction of the flex material occurs relative the flex circuit edges abutting the reference barrier. Points of the flex circuit away from the reference barrier are free (in a thermal kinematic sense) to move locally for small distances.

Kinematically fixing flex circuit to PWA printbar

A page-wide-array ('PWA') inkjet printer includes a printer element defining a printhead with thousands of nozzles spanning a pagewidth. A media sheet travels along a media path adjacent to the printhead to receive character or graphic markings. Typically, a media sheet accelerates from rest to a constant velocity. To optimize print speed nozzle timing is controlled to respond to changes in media velocity. Printing occurs while the media is accelerating and while traveling at a constant velocity. A sensor positioned in fixed relation to a PWA printer element detects the media's actual velocity. Actual velocity is fed back to a printhead controller which compares actual velocity to a rated constant velocity. If actual velocity is slower than the rated velocity, then nozzle timing is adjusted to be slower than a rated timing. If actual velocity is faster than rated velocity, then nozzle timing is adjusted to be faster than the rated timing.

Controlling PWA inkjet nozzle timing as a function of media speed

A method and apparatus for ink-jet printing provides a redundancy strategy. A number of drop generators within the printhead is added to the standard array, providing redundant orifices in the nozzle plate at the ends of each column of orifices. In operation, the printhead is shifted regularly or pseudo-randomly such that a different set of nozzles prints adjacent swaths or pixels of a swath in multi-pass or multi-dot per pixel printing.

Redundant nozzle dot matrix printheads and method of use

A heater array for an ink jet printhead includes an insulating substrate, which can be a layer of ceramic, flexible plastic, insulated flexible metal, polysilicon, or single crystalline silicon. A first material layer is deposited atop the insulating substrate and patterned in parallel stripes. A first insulating layer is deposited atop the first material layer and patterned with contact windows above the first material layer in corresponding desired heating locations, usually in a symmetrical grid. A second material layer is deposited atop the first insulating layer and pattern in parallel stripes orthogonal to those in the first material layer. The first and second material layers are in physical and electrical contact with each other through the contact windows in the first insulating layer to form a resistive diode junction at each desired heating location. The entire surface of the heating array is covered with a second insulating layer, with contacts provided to the first and second material layers.

Method for forming thermal-ink heater array using rectifying material

A plurality of inkjet printhead elements are arranged to form a pagewide printhead array. The elements are secured to a flexible interconnect to allow for communication between the individual elements and a printer controller. The elements are arranged in the array so that one or more nozzles overlap nozzles of the two adjacent elements. The printer controller specifies the desired drivers of the heater elements to be actuated in commands sent to the first element in the array over the flexible interconnect. The printer elements monitor the interconnect to determine whether the command specifies a heater element under their control. The printer elements then actuate the specified heater element to cause an ink droplet to be ejected from a nozzle corresponding to the selected heater element.

Wrap-around flex with address and data bus

Thermal-ink heater array using rectifying material

The specification describes thermal ink jet (TIJ) processes and device structures produced thereby wherein either heater resistors or heater resistor-diode combinations are constructed vertically upward from a common supporting substrate. A lower or first metal level conductor pattern provides one part of an X-Y matrix multiplex connection to the resistor/diode components, and a second, upper metal level conductor pattern forms the second part of the X-Y matrix multiplex connection. In this manner, the multiplex drive circuitry for the TIJ printhead resistors/diodes may be fabricated (integrated) directly on the thin film resistor (TFR) printhead substrate. Additionally, the second level metal conductors which overlie the resistive heater and diode elements also serve as a barrier shield to ink corrosion and cavitation wear.

Thin film vertical resistor devices for a thermal ink jet printhead and

A method of increasing the water fastness and print quality of an ink employed in ink-jet printers is provided. The method involves providing a reactive species that reacts with a component in the substrate (i.e., paper) to form a polymer that binds the dye in the ink to the polymeric lattice. Alternatively, a separate reactive component may be deposited on the substrate on the same location as the reactive species which causes a polymeric reaction to occur. In this case, the ink may be in one or the other or both reactive components. An ink-jet printer having indexed orifices permits registration of deposited droplets of ink and reactive species to form the desired product.

Reactive ink-jet printing

A process for increasing the solubility of carbon black in desired solvents is provided. The process comprises (a) forming a suspension of the carbon black in a non-reactive medium, such as an aromatic hydrocarbon, (b) adding a silylating agent, such as an organosilane, (c) removing the reaction product of the silating agent and the carbon black, and (d) forming a dispersion of the reaction product in a solvent for use as an ink-jet printing fluid. The increased dispersibility of the carbon black of the invention results in a more non-settling suspension of the carbon black 'molecules' than otherwise obtained.

Growing community of inventors

Monmouth, OR, United States of America

David E Hackleman