Oce-technologies B.v.

Maikel A J Huygens

René J Van Der Meer

Hans Reinten

Alex N Westland

Hubertus M J M Boesten

Klaas Verzijl

David D L Wijngaards

Reinier Pannekoek

Hendrikus J M Freriks

A process of manufacturing droplet jetting devices includes bonding together a nozzle wafer defining nozzles of the jetting devices, a membrane wafer carrying, on a membrane, actuators for generating pressure waves in a liquid in pressure chambers that are connected to the nozzles, and a distribution wafer forming a distribution layer that defines supply lines for supplying the liquid to the pressure chambers from a liquid reservoir formed on a side of the distribution layer opposite to the membrane wafer; and dicing the bonded wafers. The distribution layer has a thickness larger than the thickness of each of the other two wafers. A restrictor for controlling the inertance of the liquid supply line is formed through the distribution layer in a direction normal to the plane of that layer.

Process of manufacturing droplet jetting devices

A substrate plate is provided for at least one MEMS device to be mounted thereon. The MEMS device has a certain footprint on the substrate plate, and the substrate plate has a pattern of electrically conductive leads to be connected to electric components of the MEMS device. The pattern forms contact pads within the footprint of the MEMS device and includes at least one lead structure that extends on the substrate plate outside of the footprint of the MEMS device and connects a number of the contact pads to an extra contact pad. The lead structure is a shunt bar that interconnects a plurality of contact pads of the MEMS device and is arranged to be removed by means of a dicing cut separating the substrate plate into a plurality of chip-sized units. At least a major part of the extra contact pad is formed within the footprint of one of the MEMS devices.

Substrate plate for MEMS devices

A droplet generating device includes a wafer with a recess that defines a pressure chamber, a flexible membrane bonded to the wafer so as to cover the recess and form a wall of the pressure chamber, and an actuator attached to the membrane for flexing the membrane to generate a pressure wave in a liquid in the pressure chamber, the pressure chamber having a first port connected to a liquid supply line, and a second port connecting the pressure chamber to a nozzle, at least one of the ports being arranged adjacent to the membrane, wherein the wafer forms at least one island portion that projects into the at least one of the ports, engages the membrane and divides the port into at least two separate passages, and wherein the at least one island portion is arranged to delimit a flexing part of the membrane on a side of the at least one of the ports.

Droplet generating device

A method of forming a nozzle of a fluid ejection device, the nozzle having a straight mouth portion and a cavity portion, wherein the mouth portion is formed in a bottom surface of the substrate, and, after passivating the walls of the mouth portion, a wet etch process is applied from the bottom surface of the substrate for forming a part of the cavity portion with walls that diverge from the mouth portion, characterized in that a wet etch process is also applied from a top surface of the substrate for forming a part of the cavity portion which diverges towards the bottom surface and merges with the part that is etched from the bottom surface.

Growing community of inventors

Venlo, Netherlands

Maikel A J Huygens