Patent ID: 6982022

Claim:
A process for forming an ink jet printhead which comprises: (a) providing a lower substrate in which one surface thereof has an array of drop generating elements and addressing electrodes having terminal ends formed thereon; (b) depositing onto the release surface of an intermediate film support by spin-coating, to form a coating having a peripheral bead, a photopatternable layer comprising a precursor polymer of a phenolic novolac resin capable of being soft baked to a dry semi-solid, adhesive condition; (c) prebaking the photopatternable layer to said dry, semi-solid, adhesive condition; (d) laminating the dry, semi-solid adhesive layer to said one surface of the lower substrate where the surface of the lower substrate has a surface area diameter less than that of the peripheral bead so as to laminate and transfer a planar portion of the spin-coated layer to the lower substrate under heat and pressure and separating it from the release surface of the intermediate film support; (e) exposing the photopatternable layer to actinic radiation in an imagewise pattern corresponding to ink nozzles and developing to form a nozzle plate section, and (f) removing the precursor polymer from the unexposed areas, thereby forming ink nozzle recesses which are aligned to communicate with the drop generating elements and terminal ends of the electrodes of the lower substrate laminated thereto, step (e) being carried out either before or after step (d).