Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6412928?dq=6,821,337
Timestamp: 2015-05-06 20:21:43
Document Index: 455693489

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 09', 'Application No. 09', 'Application No. 09', 'Application No. 09', 'Application No. 09', 'Application No. 09', 'Application No. 09751']

Patent US6412928 - Incorporation of supplementary heaters in the ink channels of CMOS/MEMS ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsAn ink jet print head is formed of a silicon substrate that includes integrated circuits formed therein for controlling operation of the print head. The silicon substrate has a series of ink channels formed therein along the length of the substrate. An insulating layer or layers overlying the silicon...http://www.google.com/patents/US6412928?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6412928 - Incorporation of supplementary heaters in the ink channels of CMOS/MEMS integrated ink jet print head and method of forming sameAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6412928 B1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/751,115Publication dateJul 2, 2002Filing dateDec 29, 2000Priority dateDec 29, 2000Fee statusLapsedAlso published asDE60109880D1, DE60109880T2, EP1219427A2, EP1219427A3, EP1219427B1, US20020085070Publication number09751115, 751115, US 6412928 B1, US 6412928B1, US-B1-6412928, US6412928 B1, US6412928B1InventorsConstantine N. Anagnostopoulos, Gilbert A. Hawkins, Christopher N. DelametterOriginal AssigneeEastman Kodak CompanyExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (11), Non-Patent Citations (8), Referenced by (7), Classifications (13), Legal Events (9) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetIncorporation of supplementary heaters in the ink channels of CMOS/MEMS integrated ink jet print head and method of forming same
Recently, a novel continuous ink jet printer system has been developed which renders the above-described electrostatic charging tunnels unnecessary. Additionally, it serves to better couple the functions of (1) droplet formation and (2) droplet deflection. That system is disclosed in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,821 entitled CONTINUOUS INK JET PRINTER WITH ASYMMETRIC HEATING DROP DEFLECTION filed in the names of James Chwalek, Dave Jeanmaire and Constantine Anagnostopoulos, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This patent discloses an apparatus for controlling ink in a continuous ink jet printer. The apparatus comprises an ink delivery channel, a source of pressurized ink in communication with the ink delivery channel, and a nozzle having a bore which opens into the ink delivery channel, from which a continuous stream of ink flows. Periodic application of week heat pulses to the stream by a heater causes the ink stream to break up into a plurality of droplets synchronously with the applied heat pulses and at a position spaced from the nozzle. The droplets are deflected by increased heat pulses from the heater (in the nozzle bore) which heater has a selectively actuated section, i.e. the section associated with only a portion of the nozzle bore. Selective actuation of a particular heater section, constitutes what has been termed an asymmetrical application of heat to the stream. Alternating the sections can, in turn, alternate the direction in which this asymmetrical heat is supplied and serves to thereby deflect ink drops, inter alia, between a �print� direction (onto a recording medium) and a �non-print� direction (back into a �catcher�). The patent of Chwalek et al. thus provides a liquid printing system that affords significant improvements toward overcoming the prior art problems associated with the number of nozzles per print head, print head length, power usage and characteristics of useful inks.
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line B�B in the nozzle area of FIG. 1A after the definition of an oxide block for lateral flow in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line B�B in the nozzle area of FIG. 1A after the further definition of the oxide block for lateral flow.
FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A�A in the nozzle area of FIG. 1A after the definition of the oxide block for lateral flow.
FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 15 but taken along line B�B.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a top view of an ink jet print head according to the teachings of the present invention. The print head comprises an array of nozzles 1 a-1 d arranged in a line or a staggered configuration. Each nozzle is addressed by a logic AND gate (2 a-2 d) each of which contains logic circuitry and a heater driver transistor (not shown). The logic circuitry causes a respective driver transistor to turn on if a respective signal on a respective data input line (3 a-3 d) to the AND gate (2 a-2 d) and the respective enable clock lines (5 a-5 d), which is connected to the logic gate, are both logic ONE. Furthermore, signals on the enable clock lines (5 a-5 d) determine durations of the lengths of time current flows through the heaters in the particular nozzles 1 a-1 d. Data for driving the heater driver transistor may be provided from processed image data that is input to a data shift register 6. The latch register 7 a-7 d,in response to a latch clock, receives the data from a respective shift register stage and provides a signal on the lines 3 a-3 drepresentative of the respective latched signal (logical ONE or ZERO) representing either that a dot is to be printed or not on a receiver. In the third nozzle, the lines A�A and B�B define the direction in which cross-sectional views are taken.
In FIG. 2 there are shown a simplified cross-sectional view of an operating nozzle across the B�B direction. As mentioned above, there is an ink channel formed under the nozzle bores to supply the ink. This ink supply is under pressure typically between 15 to 25 psi for a bore diameter of about 8.8 micrometers. The ink in the delivery channel emanates from a pressurized reservoir (not shown), leaving the ink in the channel under pressure. The constant pressure can be achieved by employing an ink pressure regulator (not shown). Without any current flowing to the heater, a jet forms that is straight and flows directly into the gutter. On the surface of the printhead a symmetric meniscus forms around each nozzle that is a few microns larger in diameter than the bore. If a current pulse is applied to the heater, the meniscus in the heated side pulls in and the jet deflects away from the heater. The droplets that form then bypass the gutter and land on the receiver. When the current through the heater is returned to zero, the meniscus becomes symmetric again and the jet direction is straight. The device could just as easily operate in the opposite way, that is, the deflected droplets are directed into the gutter and the printing is done on the receiver with the non-deflected droplets. Also, having all the nozzles in a line is not absolutely necessary. It is just simpler to build a gutter that is essentially a straight edge rather than one that has a staggered edge that reflects the staggered nozzle arrangement.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the invention a method of constructing of a nozzle array with a ribbed structure but also featuring a lateral flow structure will now be described. With reference to FIG. 3 which as noted above shows a cross-sectional view of the silicon wafer in the vicinity of the nozzle at the end of the CMOS fabrication sequence. It will be understood of course that although the description will be provided in the following paragraphs relative to formation of a single nozzle that the process is simultaneously applicable to a whole series of nozzles formed in a row along the wafer. The first step in the post-processing sequence is to apply a mask to the front of the wafer at the region of each nozzle opening to be formed. The mask is shaped so as to allow an etchant to open two 6 micrometer wide semicircular openings co-centric with the nozzle bore to be formed. The outside edges of these openings correspond to a 22 micrometers diameter circle. The dielectric layers in the semicircular regions are then etched completely to the silicon surface as shown in FIG. 9. A second mask is then applied and is of the shape to permit selective etching of the oxide block shown in FIG. 10. Upon etching with the second mask in place the oxide block is etched down to a final thickness or height from the silicon substrate of about 1.5 micrometers as shown in FIG. 10 for a cross-section along sectional line B�B and in FIG. 11 for a cross-section along sectional line A�A. A cross-sectional view of the nozzle area along A-B is shown in FIG. 12.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS1941001Jan 19, 1929Dec 26, 1933Rca CorpRecorderUS3373437Aug 1, 1967Mar 12, 1968Raymond C. CummingFluid droplet recorder with a plurality of jetsUS3416153Oct 6, 1966Dec 10, 1968HertzInk jet recorderUS3946398Jun 29, 1970Mar 23, 1976Silonics, Inc.Method and apparatus for recording with writing fluids and drop projection means thereforUS4346387Dec 2, 1980Aug 24, 1982Hertz Carl HMethod and apparatus for controlling the electric charge on droplets and ink-jet recorder incorporating the sameUS4894664Nov 25, 1987Jan 16, 1990Hewlett-Packard CompanyMonolithic thermal ink jet printhead with integral nozzle and ink feedUS5812159Jul 22, 1996Sep 22, 1998Eastman Kodak CompanyInk printing apparatus with improved heaterUS5825385Apr 9, 1996Oct 20, 1998Eastman Kodak CompanyConstructions and manufacturing processes for thermally activated print headsUS5880759Apr 9, 1996Mar 9, 1999Eastman Kodak CompanyLiquid ink printing apparatus and systemUS6079821Oct 17, 1997Jun 27, 2000Eastman Kodak CompanyContinuous ink jet printer with asymmetric heating drop deflectionGB2007162A Title not availableNon-Patent CitationsReference1"The Fabrication and Reliability Testing of Ti/TiN Heaters" by P. De Moor et al, Proceeding of SPIE, vol. 3874, on Micromachining and Microfabrication Process Technology V, Chairs/Editors: James H. Smith and Jean-Michel Karam, published Aug. 1999.2U.S. Patent Application No. 09/221,256, filed Dec. 28, 1998 and entitled: Continuous Ink Jet Print Head Having Power-Adjustable Multi-Segmented Heaters in the name of C. N. Anagnostopoulos et al.3U.S. Patent Application No. 09/221,342, filed Dec. 28, 1998 and entitled: Continuous Ink Jet Print Head Having Multi-Segment Heaters in the Name of C. N. Anagnostopoulos et al.4U.S. Patent Application No. 09/470,638, filed Jan. 12, 2000 and entitled: Deflection Enhancement for Continuous Ink Jet Printers, in the name of C. N. Delametter et al.5U.S. Patent Application No. 09/731,355 filed Dec. 6, 2000 and entitled: Improved Page Wide Ink Jet Printing, in the name of C. N. Anagnostopoulos et al.6U.S. Patent Application No. 09/751,593, filed Dec. 29, 2000 and entitled: CMOS/MEM Integrated Ink Jet Print Head With Oxide Based Lateral Flow Nozzle Architecture and Method of Forming Same in the name of C. N. Anagnostopoulos et al.7U.S. Patent Application No. 09/751,722, filed Dec. 29, 2000 and entitled: CMOS/MEMS Integrated Ink Jet Print Head With Silicon Based Lateral Flow Nozzle Architecture and Method of Forming Same, in the name of C. N. Anagnostopoulos et al.8U.S. Patent Application No. 09751,726, filed Dec. 29, 2000 and entitled: Incorporation of Silicon Bridges in the Ink Channels of CMOS/MEMS Integrated Ink Jet Print Heads, in the name of C. N. Anagnostopoulos et al.Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS6986566Nov 12, 2003Jan 17, 2006Eastman Kodak CompanyLiquid emission deviceUS7316465 *Sep 9, 2004Jan 8, 2008Fujifilm CorporationLiquid discharge apparatus and inkjet recording apparatusUS7607227Feb 8, 2006Oct 27, 2009Eastman Kodak CompanyMethod of forming a printheadUS8110117 *Apr 13, 2009Feb 7, 2012Stmicroelectronics, Inc.Method to form a recess for a microfluidic deviceUS8302308 *Sep 9, 2009Nov 6, 2012Eastman Kodak CompanyMethod of forming a printheadUS8585913Sep 29, 2009Nov 19, 2013Eastman Kodak CompanyPrinthead and method of forming sameUS20090320289 *Sep 9, 2009Dec 31, 2009Vaeth Kathleen MMethod of forming a printhead* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification347/77International ClassificationB41J2/075, B41J2/05, B41J2/03, B41J2/105Cooperative ClassificationB41J2/03, B41J2/105, B41J2202/22, B41J2202/16, B41J2202/13, B41J2002/032European ClassificationB41J2/105, B41J2/03Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionAug 19, 2014FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20140702Jul 2, 2014LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesFeb 7, 2014REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedSep 5, 2013ASAssignmentOwner name: BARCLAYS BANK PLC, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, NEW YOFree format text: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT (SECOND LIEN);ASSIGNORS:EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY;FAR EAST DEVELOPMENT LTD.;FPC INC.;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:031159/0001Effective date: 20130903Owner name: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, NEW YORKFree format text: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS;ASSIGNORS:CITICORP NORTH AMERICA, INC., AS SENIOR DIP AGENT;WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS JUNIOR DIP AGENT;REEL/FRAME:031157/0451Effective date: 20130903Owner name: PAKON, INC., NEW YORKFree format text: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS;ASSIGNORS:CITICORP NORTH AMERICA, INC., AS SENIOR DIP AGENT;WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS JUNIOR DIP AGENT;REEL/FRAME:031157/0451Effective date: 20130903Owner name: BANK OF AMERICA N.A., AS AGENT, MASSACHUSETTSFree format text: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT (ABL);ASSIGNORS:EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY;FAR EAST DEVELOPMENTLTD.;FPC INC.;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:031162/0117Effective date: 20130903Owner name: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE, DELAFree format text: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT (FIRST LIEN);ASSIGNORS:EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY;FAR EAST DEVELOPMENT LTD.;FPC INC.;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:031158/0001Effective date: 20130903Apr 1, 2013ASAssignmentOwner name: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS AGENT,Free format text: PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNORS:EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY;PAKON, INC.;REEL/FRAME:030122/0235Effective date: 20130322Feb 21, 2012ASAssignmentOwner name: CITICORP NORTH AMERICA, INC., AS AGENT, NEW YORKFree format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY;PAKON, INC.;REEL/FRAME:028201/0420Effective date: 20120215Dec 22, 2009FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8Dec 28, 2005FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Mar 30, 2001ASAssignmentOwner name: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, NEW YORKFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ANAGNOSTOPOULOS, CONSTANTINE N.;HAWKINS, GILBERT A.;DELAMETTER, CHRISTOPHER N.;REEL/FRAME:011698/0519;SIGNING DATES FROM 20010301 TO 20010302Owner name: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY ROCHESTER NEW YORK 14650Owner name: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY ROCHESTER NEW YORK 14650Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ANAGNOSTOPOULOS, CONSTANTINE N.;HAWKINS, GILBERT A.;DELAMETTER, CHRISTOPHER N.;REEL/FRAME:011698/0519;SIGNING DATES FROM 20010301 TO 20010302Owner name: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANYROCHESTER, NEW YORK, 14650 /AFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ANAGNOSTOPOULOS, CONSTANTINE N. /AR;REEL/FRAME:011698/0519;SIGNING DATES FROM 20010301 TO 20010302RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services