Telecom Italia S.p.a.

Olivetti Tecnost S.p.a.

Ing. C. Olivetti & C., S.p.a.

Olivetti I-jet S.p.a.

Olivetti S.p.a. Group

Renato Conta

Alessandro Scardovi

Lucia Giovanola

Enrico Manini

Mara Piano

Riccardo Brescia

Anna Merialdo

Lucio Montanari

Remo Rocchi

Angelo Menegatti

Vincenzo Perucca

PierLuigi Soriani

Mario Buat

Irma Disegna

Adriano Fetta

Alessandra Scardovi

Franco Fabbri

Paolo Bellini

The printing device is ink jet, parallel or serial-parallel type and comprises a plurality of ejection modules each of which with ejection chambers suitable for containing ink and with associated relative heating elements for ink ejection control. The device includes a support and a nozzle plate common to the modules, and in which the support includes a base plate of rigid material that defines through its thickness a feeding duct for the ink which, in use, is substantially parallel to the line of printing (X axis) and the ejection modules are fixed side by side on the base plate and with the ejection chambers arranged in a line in the same direction (X axis), is a hydraulic, tight connection with the feeding duct. The nozzle plate is fixed on the ejection modules constituting an upper, hydraulically tight, closing surface, for the chambers and comprises a plurality of ejection nozzles in a line, in turn in hydraulic connection with corresponding cells of the modules.

Parallel ink jet printing device and relative manufacturing

An ink jet printhead, made of a silicon substrate and a plurality of metallic and dielectric layers deposited on said substrate. A plurality of chambers for ejection of ink droplets and a plurality of corresponding feeding ducts, connected to the chambers, are produced in a structural layer made of non-photosensitive epoxy or polyamide resin. The chambers and said ducts are delimited by at least one upper wall, the upper wall communicating with at least one nozzle for ejection of the ink droplets. The upper wall and an inner wall of the nozzle are coated with at least one metallic coating layer, suitable for increasing the resistance of the walls to chemically aggressive liquids, in contact with the walls.

Process for protectively coating hydraulic microcircuits against aggressive liquids, particulary for an ink jet printhead

Ink jet printhead comprising one or more ejection module, each with a silicon chip, a plurality of ejector nozzles arranged adjacent to a front of the module, ejection cells for the nozzles and delivery channels for the ink of the cells. The module or modules each include a distribution channel adjacent to the front and in fluid communication with the delivery channels and a nozzle layer integrated with the relative chip and in which the ejector nozzles parallel to the front are made. The head also comprises a support on which the module or modules are mounted and which defines a feeding duct for the ink in fluid communication with the delivery channels and sealing means between the module or modules and the support to guarantee fluid tightness between the feeding duct and the ejection cells.

Ink jet printhead and its manufacturing process

A thermal ink jet printhead () for the emission of droplets of ink on a print medium () comprises a reservoir () containing ink (), a die (), a slot () engraved in said die () and a plurality of ejectors (), each of which in turn comprises a chamber (), a resistor () and a nozzle (), each of said chambers () being put in fluid communication with said slot () through a plurality of elementary ducts () lying on a different plane from the bottom () of said chamber ().

Printhead with multiple ink feeding channels

The chambers () and each corresponding ink feeding duct (), made in a structural layer of photosensitive resin (), are delimited by a flat bottom wall () made of a protective layer () of tantalum and gold and an upper wall (), consisting of a substantially concave surface, including at least one ejection nozzle () and joined to the bottom wall along a continuous perimetral line (), in which the inner shape of each of the chambers () and of each of the feeding ducts () represents the complementary impression of the outer form of a sacrificial layer (), obtained from a controlled and non-contained growth of a metal, deposited starting from the dimensions of the layer of gold (), laid on top of the layer of tantalum ().

Ink jet printhead and relative manufacturing process

A process for manufacturing a monolithic thermal ink jet printhead () comprising a plurality of chambers () and of nozzles (), comprises steps of () depositing a plurality of sacrificial layers (), of obtaining, by means of exposure and development operations, a plurality of casts (), of () applying a structural layer (), and subsequently steps of () removing the casts () and of () removing the sacrificial layers (), in order to produce a plurality of chambers () and nozzles ().

Process for manufacturing a monolithic printhead with truncated cone shape nozzles

Pressure sensor with an integrated structure comprising a support () and a silicon die (), which lies substantially on the same plane as the upper surface () of the support and is integrated in a seat () made in the thickness of the support. On the inside face () of the die (), in contact with the fluid the pressure of which has to be measured, is a protective layer.

Pressure sensor with integrated structure

Ink jet printhead comprising a driving and encoding circuit () having a grid-like structure, including a plurality of inputs (), a plurality of selecting elements (), a plurality of actuating elements (IC) and at least one identifying element () of said printhead. Each identifying element () is associated with a corresponding selecting element () and corresponds to nodes arranged along a row or column of said grid-like structure, and is scanned, together with said actuating elements (), during a preliminary checking step.

Integrated printhead with encoding circuit

A thermal ink jet printhead () for the emission of drops of ink on a print medium () comprises a tank () containing ink (), a lamina (), a groove () and a plurality of ejectors (), each of which comprises in turn a chamber () placed laterally with respect to the groove (), and fluidly connected thereto by means of a plurality of elementary ducts () produced on said lamina ().

Monolithic printhead with multiple ink feeder channels and relative manufacturing process

Process for protectively coating against aggressive liquids hydraulic microcircuits made in a resin, particularly for an ink jet printhead, consisting of: disposing of a silicon substrate comprising a sacrificial layer of copper, deposited on the substrate and defining the inner shape of the hydraulic microcircuits; depositing on top of the outer surface of the sacrificial layer, by means of an electrochemical process, at least one protective, metallic coating layer; applying on the sacrificial layer a non-photosensitive epoxy or polyamide resin, having a predetermined thickness and suitable for completely covering the sacrificial layer; effecting a polymerization of the resin to increase its mechanical resistance to mechanical and thermal stresses and performing a planarization of the outer surface of the resin, by means of a mechanical lapping and simultaneous chemical treatment; removing the sacrificial layer through a chemical etching in a highly acid bath; and depositing a metallic, protective layer on the outer surface of the resin through vacuum evaporation.

Process for protectively coating hydraulic microcircuits against agressive liquids, particularly for an ink jet printhead

An actuating assembly () for ink jet printheads consists of a silicon die (), which comprises a groove () and a lamina (), and of a structure () produced monolithically in the same production process. The actuating assembly () comprises a microhydraulics (), the latter in turn comprising a plurality of channels () and chambers (), made inside the structure () by means of a sacrificial metallic layer (). A conducting layer () forms a single interconnected equipotential network used as the electrode during the processes of electrochemical etch stopping on the groove (), of electrodeposition of the sacrificial layer () and of the latter's subsequent removal.

Monolithic printhead with built-in equipotential network and associated manufacturing method

On a die that has etchings on a surface, firstly a sheet of negative photoresist is laid down which, by means of an exposure and subsequent development, is left only above the etchings; then, upon the negative photoresist, a positive photoresist is applied, which is subjected to exposure and development to produce functional geometries deposited in thin film; subsequently the positive photoresist is removed in a 'lift-off' operation, and the negative photoresist is taken off in a plasma operation, thus revealing the etchings.

Method for selectively covering a micro machined surface

In an ink jet printhead, the ink feeding duct (), passing through the thickness of the silicon substrate, and in hydraulic communication with the ejection cells () through an outlet area () on the front surface () of the substrate (), is built in three successive stages of erosion of the substrate (), the first of which is performed on the rear surface () of the substrate, to produce a first cavity () having a depth (P), and a further cavity () communicating and having a depth (P), extending in the direction of the front surface (), and presenting a back wall () separated from the front surface () by a diaphragm (); the second stage is performed on the opposite front surface () to cut a channel () in the direction of the diaphragm (), of depth (P) and defining the contour of the outlet area () on the front surface (), and the third stage is performed from said rear surface () as a continuation of the erosion performed in the first stage, to remove the diaphragm () and open the duct () between the rear () and front () surfaces.

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Ivrea, Italy

Renato Conta