EP0577383A2 - Dünnschichtwiderstandsdruckkopf für Thermo-Tintenstrahldrucker - Google Patents

Dünnschichtwiderstandsdruckkopf für Thermo-Tintenstrahldrucker Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0577383A2
EP0577383A2 EP93305064A EP93305064A EP0577383A2 EP 0577383 A2 EP0577383 A2 EP 0577383A2 EP 93305064 A EP93305064 A EP 93305064A EP 93305064 A EP93305064 A EP 93305064A EP 0577383 A2 EP0577383 A2 EP 0577383A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
resistor
thermal inkjet
thin film
inkjet printhead
firing chamber
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP93305064A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0577383A3 (en
EP0577383B1 (de
Inventor
Brian Perrin Canfield
David Alan Johnson
John Paul Harmon
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
HP Inc
Original Assignee
Hewlett Packard Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hewlett Packard Co filed Critical Hewlett Packard Co
Publication of EP0577383A2 publication Critical patent/EP0577383A2/de
Publication of EP0577383A3 publication Critical patent/EP0577383A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0577383B1 publication Critical patent/EP0577383B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/1433—Structure of nozzle plates
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/14016—Structure of bubble jet print heads
    • B41J2/14032—Structure of the pressure chamber
    • B41J2/1404—Geometrical characteristics
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2002/14387—Front shooter
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2002/14475—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to the art and technology of thermal ink jet printing and more particularly to a new and improved thin film resistor (TFR) printhead architecture and geometry which is used in the manufacture of disposable thermal inkjet (TIJ) pens.
  • TFR thin film resistor
  • these firing chambers have commonly been constructed of a selected polymer material disposed on the TFR substrate and on top of which an orifice plate such as a gold plated nickel material is disposed and aligned with respect to the firing chambers.
  • the polymer barrier layer is also photolithographically defined so as to have a predetermined firing chamber geometry and pattern adjacent to which an ink feed channel or port is used to fluidically connect each firing chamber with a source of ink supply.
  • electrical drive pulses are selectively applied to conductive traces leading into the various heater resistors situated in the bottom of each firing chamber to thereby heat the ink to boiling in each firing chamber and above each heater resistor.
  • This resistor firing in turn produces a vapor bubble and a corresponding pressure field within the firing chamber used for thermally ejecting ink onto an adjacent print medium.
  • the cross-sectional geometry of the firing chambers defined by the walls of the polymer barrier located between the thin film resistor substrate and the orifice plate was partially rectangular in shape and typically of three sided wall construction. This construction defined the firing chamber areas surrounding the heater resistors on three sides thereof. These firing chambers and ink flow ports connected thereto serve not only to define an inkfiow path and ink firing chamber for each heater resistor, but this architecture also serves to fluidically isolate adjacent heater resistors and thereby minimize undesirable crosstalk therebetween.
  • Examples of the above three sided rectangular shaped barrier layer geometries are t hose used in the three color disposable pen adapted for use in Hewlett Packard's PaintJet thermal inkjet printer.
  • This disposable pen and the PaintJet thermal ink jet printer in which it has been successfully used are described in further detail in the Hewlett Packard Journal, Volume 39, No. 4, August 1988, incorporated herein by reference.
  • the general architecture of the orifice plate and ink feed geometry for the above PaintJet pen is also described in U.S. Patent No. 4,771,295, issued to Jef- frey P. Baker et al., assigned to the present assignee and also incorporated hereby by reference.
  • thermal ink jet pens such as those disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,542,389 and 4,550,326, issued to Ross R. Allen, and U.S. Patent No. 4,794,410, issued to Howard H. Taub, all assigned to the present assignee and also incorporated herein by reference.
  • the general purpose and principal object of the present invention is to significantly improve the uniformity of ink drop volumes and corresponding dot and line sizes during thermal ink jet printing in both the text and graphics modes in order to improve the overall print quality of the hardcopy output.
  • This purpose and object are achieved and accomplished by, among otherthings, the disposition of a novel-architecture barrier layer and ink firing chamber over a thin film resistor substrate having a plurality of polygon shaped heater resistors formed thereon.
  • the barrier layer defines a plurality of ink firing chambers each formed by a continuously curved or arcuate concave wall that is laterally within the boundary of the region defined by the resistor and a 10 micrometer wide margin around the resistor. In this manner, the firing chamber wall is close to the sides of the resistor without having an excessive amount of the vertex portions of the resistor underlying the barrier layer.
  • An orifice plate is disposed on top of the barrier layer and has a corresponding plurality of orifice openings, with one orifice opening being aligned, respectively, with each firing chamber for ejecting uniform-volume ink drops therefrom during an ink jet printing operation.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved thermal ink jet printhead of the type described wherein significant improvements in high frequency performance and resulting print quality can be achieved using as a minimum of process and design modifications to existing thermal ink jet printhead manufacturing processes and TIJ pen designs.
  • Another object is to provide a new and improved thermal inkjet printhead of the type described wherein the drop ejection stability and drop-to-drop consistency has been significantly improved with respect to known prior art TIJ pen designs.
  • the thermal inkjet printhead shown therein is designated generally as 10 and includes a substrate member 12 upon which a polymer barrier layer 14 is disposed and configured in the geometry shown.
  • the substrate 12 will typically be constructed of either glass or silicon or some other suitable insulating or semiconductor material which has been surface-oxidized and upon which a plurality of polygon shaped heater resistors 26 are photolithographically defined, for example in a layer of resistive material such as tantalum-aluminum.
  • These heater resistors 26 are electrically connected by conductive trace patterns (not shown) which are used for supplying drive current pulses to these heater resistors during a thermal ink jet printing operation.
  • the polymer barrier layer 14 will typically be photo-defined from a well-known polymeric material such as Vacrel available from the DuPont Company of Wil- mington, Delaware, and using known photolithographic masking and etching processes which are used to define the geometry of the firing chamber 18.
  • the firing chamber 18 is defined by a continuously curved or arcuate concave wall 16 that extends upwardly from the resistor and which has ends near the perimeter or boundary of the resistor.
  • the ends of the continuously curved concave wall 16 form a single ink conveying opening into the firing chamber 18, and are connected to the sides of a rectangularly shaped ink feed channel 28 which extends as shown to receive ink at the slanted or angled lead-in end sections 30 that define an ink entry port of the polymer barrier layer 14.
  • the firing chamber 18 is integrally joined to the rectangularly shaped ink feed channel 28 and associated inkflow entry port 30 which are operative to supply ink to the firing chamber 18 during drop ejection of inkfrom the thermal inkjet printhead.
  • the continuously curved concave firing chamber wall 16 overlies the resistor and is configured so that it remains within boundary of the area defined by the polygon shaped resistor and a 10 micrometer wide margin surrounding the polygon shaped resistor, whereby the continuously curved wall 16 remains close to the sides of the polygon shaped resistor.
  • the continuously curved concave wall 16 is contained within the upward extension or projection of the perimeter of the region defined by the polygon shaped resistor and a 10 micrometer wide margin surrounding the resistor.
  • the continuously curved concave wall 16 can pass inside of some of the vertices of the polygon shaped resistor.
  • the continuously curved wall can be completely within the boundary of the resistor, for example such that portions of the wall are tangential to some of the sides of the polygon shaped resistor.
  • FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an implementation of the invention with a square resistor 26 and a chamber wall 16 that is in the form of part of a circular cylinder
  • FIG. 2 sets forth a schematic plan view thereof.
  • the resistor 26 has a linear side dimension of L, for example in the range of about 35 to 60 micrometers
  • the cylinder axis CA of the partial circular cylinder firing chamber wall 16 is substantially orthogonal to the resistor 26 (and to the plane of FIG. 2) and passes through the center of the square shape of the resistor 126.
  • the barrier wall is a partial circular cylinder in the sense that the portion of the cylinder between the wall ends 16a has been removed. As illustrated in FIG.
  • a cross section of t he partial circular cyl inder comprises the major arc, on the circle that includes the cross section, between end points that are on the wall ends 16a which are adjacent to the perimeter of the resistor 26 and, by way of example, are spaced apart by less than the resistor side dimension L.
  • the term "major” refers to the longer path between such end points on the circle that includes the cross section of the partially cylindrical wall.
  • the cross section of the smaller portion of the cylinder that has been removed to provide an opening in the wall would be the minor arc between such end points.
  • the partial circular cylinder wall is the larger portion of a circular cylinder that remains after the cylinder is sliced by a plane parallel to the cylinder axis CA and containing the wall ends 16a.
  • the partial circular cylinder wait 16 has a cylinder diameter D that is selected such that the wall remains within the boundary of the area defined by the square resistor 26 and a 10 micrometer wide margin M surrounding the resistor.
  • the radial distance S between the partial circular cylinder wall 16 and each of the resistor sides comprises the maximum spacing between a resistor side and an outboard portion of the partially cylindrical wall, and such radial distance S must be less that 10 micrometers.
  • the cylinder diameter D is selected to be less than L + 20 micrometers
  • FIG. 2 illustrates the example wherein the cylinder diameter is less than L+20 micrometers and greater than L, whereby the wall 16 passes inside of the vertexes of the resistor.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates, by way of further illustrative example, a square resistor having a side dimension L and an associated partial circularly cylindrical firing chamber wall having a cylinder diameter D that is substantially equal to L.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates, by way of another example, a rectangular resistor and an associated firing chamber formed of a partial elliptical cylindrical barrier wall which is a partial ellipse in cross section.
  • an orifice plate 32 of conventional construction and fabricated typically of gold plated nickel is disposed as shown on the upper surface of the polymer barrier layer 14, and the orifice plate 32 has a convergently contoured orifice opening 34 therein which is typically aligned with the center of the heater resistor 26.
  • the orifice opening 34 may be slightly offset with respect to the center of the heater resistor in order to control the directionality of the ejected ink drops in a desired manner.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Geometry (AREA)
  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
EP19930305064 1992-06-29 1993-06-28 Dünnschichtwiderstandsdruckkopf für Thermo-Tintenstrahldrucker Expired - Lifetime EP0577383B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US90597192A 1992-06-29 1992-06-29
US905971 1992-06-29

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0577383A2 true EP0577383A2 (de) 1994-01-05
EP0577383A3 EP0577383A3 (en) 1994-06-22
EP0577383B1 EP0577383B1 (de) 2003-10-08

Family

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Family Applications (1)

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EP19930305064 Expired - Lifetime EP0577383B1 (de) 1992-06-29 1993-06-28 Dünnschichtwiderstandsdruckkopf für Thermo-Tintenstrahldrucker

Country Status (3)

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EP (1) EP0577383B1 (de)
JP (1) JPH0664171A (de)
DE (1) DE69333236T2 (de)

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0691204A1 (de) * 1994-07-08 1996-01-10 Hewlett-Packard Company Abgestimmte Eingangsverzahnung für Tintenstrahldrucker
EP0770487A1 (de) * 1995-10-25 1997-05-02 Hewlett-Packard Company Nicht kreisförmige Druckkopföffnung
EP0792744A2 (de) * 1996-02-29 1997-09-03 Hewlett-Packard Company Asymetrische Druckkopföffnung
EP0865922A2 (de) * 1997-02-25 1998-09-23 Hewlett-Packard Company Tintenstrahldruckkopfdüse zur Sprühreduzierung
US6371596B1 (en) 1995-10-25 2002-04-16 Hewlett-Packard Company Asymmetric ink emitting orifices for improved inkjet drop formation
EP1336490A2 (de) * 2002-02-18 2003-08-20 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Tintenstrahldruckkopf und damit versehene Druckvorrichtung
US7014294B2 (en) 2000-11-30 2006-03-21 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Ink-jet head and ink-jet printer having ink-jet head
US7152951B2 (en) 2004-02-10 2006-12-26 Lexmark International, Inc. High resolution ink jet printhead
EP2160295A1 (de) * 2007-06-19 2010-03-10 Silverbrook Research Pty. Ltd Druckkopf mit von düsen versetzten heizelementen

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH07323547A (ja) * 1994-05-31 1995-12-12 Nec Corp インクジェット式プリントヘッド装置
JP4546006B2 (ja) * 2000-09-06 2010-09-15 キヤノン株式会社 インクジェット記録ヘッド
JP4323947B2 (ja) * 2003-01-10 2009-09-02 キヤノン株式会社 インクジェット記録ヘッド

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1987003364A1 (en) * 1985-11-22 1987-06-04 Hewlett-Packard Company Ink jet barrier layer and orifice plate printhead and fabrication method
WO1987003363A1 (en) * 1985-11-22 1987-06-04 Hewlett-Packard Company Multitone ink jet printer and method of operation
EP0294032A2 (de) * 1987-06-02 1988-12-07 Hewlett-Packard Company Sperrwandstruktur für Wärme-Tintenstrahldruckköpfe
EP0454155A2 (de) * 1990-04-27 1991-10-30 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Aufzeichnungsverfahren und Vorrichtung

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1987003364A1 (en) * 1985-11-22 1987-06-04 Hewlett-Packard Company Ink jet barrier layer and orifice plate printhead and fabrication method
WO1987003363A1 (en) * 1985-11-22 1987-06-04 Hewlett-Packard Company Multitone ink jet printer and method of operation
EP0294032A2 (de) * 1987-06-02 1988-12-07 Hewlett-Packard Company Sperrwandstruktur für Wärme-Tintenstrahldruckköpfe
EP0454155A2 (de) * 1990-04-27 1991-10-30 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Aufzeichnungsverfahren und Vorrichtung

Cited By (18)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5519423A (en) * 1994-07-08 1996-05-21 Hewlett-Packard Company Tuned entrance fang configuration for ink-jet printers
EP0691204A1 (de) * 1994-07-08 1996-01-10 Hewlett-Packard Company Abgestimmte Eingangsverzahnung für Tintenstrahldrucker
US6527369B1 (en) 1995-10-25 2003-03-04 Hewlett-Packard Company Asymmetric printhead orifice
EP0770487A1 (de) * 1995-10-25 1997-05-02 Hewlett-Packard Company Nicht kreisförmige Druckkopföffnung
US6557974B1 (en) 1995-10-25 2003-05-06 Hewlett-Packard Company Non-circular printhead orifice
US6123413A (en) * 1995-10-25 2000-09-26 Hewlett-Packard Company Reduced spray inkjet printhead orifice
US6371596B1 (en) 1995-10-25 2002-04-16 Hewlett-Packard Company Asymmetric ink emitting orifices for improved inkjet drop formation
EP0792744A2 (de) * 1996-02-29 1997-09-03 Hewlett-Packard Company Asymetrische Druckkopföffnung
EP0792744A3 (de) * 1996-02-29 1998-11-18 Hewlett-Packard Company Asymetrische Druckkopföffnung
EP0865922A2 (de) * 1997-02-25 1998-09-23 Hewlett-Packard Company Tintenstrahldruckkopfdüse zur Sprühreduzierung
EP0865922A3 (de) * 1997-02-25 1999-06-16 Hewlett-Packard Company Tintenstrahldruckkopfdüse zur Sprühreduzierung
US7014294B2 (en) 2000-11-30 2006-03-21 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Ink-jet head and ink-jet printer having ink-jet head
EP1336490A2 (de) * 2002-02-18 2003-08-20 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Tintenstrahldruckkopf und damit versehene Druckvorrichtung
EP1336490A3 (de) * 2002-02-18 2003-11-05 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Tintenstrahldruckkopf und damit versehene Druckvorrichtung
US7152951B2 (en) 2004-02-10 2006-12-26 Lexmark International, Inc. High resolution ink jet printhead
US7690760B2 (en) 2004-02-10 2010-04-06 Lexmark International, Inc. High resolution ink jet printhead
EP2160295A1 (de) * 2007-06-19 2010-03-10 Silverbrook Research Pty. Ltd Druckkopf mit von düsen versetzten heizelementen
EP2160295A4 (de) * 2007-06-19 2012-10-10 Silverbrook Res Pty Ltd Druckkopf mit von düsen versetzten heizelementen

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69333236T2 (de) 2004-08-05
EP0577383A3 (en) 1994-06-22
JPH0664171A (ja) 1994-03-08
DE69333236D1 (de) 2003-11-13
EP0577383B1 (de) 2003-10-08

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