Patent ID: 7284326

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a micro-electromechanical printer nozzle arrangement on a substrate having a layer of integrated drive circuitry, the method comprising the steps of: etching a nozzle region through the layer of integrated drive circuitry up to the substrate; etching electrical contact regions about the nozzle region; depositing and etching metal and hydrophobic polymer layers on the layer of integrated drive circuitry so that the metal layer defines heater elements in electrical contact with the drive circuitry and embedded in a hydrophobic polymer structure disposed about the nozzle region; etching a nozzle chamber in the substrate such that the nozzle chamber is in fluid communication with the nozzle region; and back-etching the substrate to define an ink channel in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber so that the ink channel is positioned at an apex of the nozzle chamber.