Ink jet printhead
View Patent ↗An ink jet printhead chip that is the product of an integrated circuit fabrication technique includes a wafer substrate having a front surface and a rear surface. A plurality of ink passages are defined through the wafer substrate, so that each ink passage defines an inlet at a rear surface of the wafer substrate and an outlet at a front surface of the wafer substrate. Each ink passage is in fluid communication with an ink supply at the rear surface of the wafer substrate. A plurality of actuators are positioned on the rear surface of the wafer substrate and are operatively arranged with respect to the ink passages to generate an ink flow through each passage, from the rear surface to the front surface, when activated.
1. An ink jet printhead chip including:
a wafer substrate having a front surface and a substantially planar rear surface, a plurality of ink passages extending through the wafer substrate to define an inlet at the rear surface of the wafer substrate and an outlet at the front surface of the wafer substrate, each ink passage being in fluid communication with an ink supply at the rear surface of the wafer substrate;
at least one closure member associated with each of the ink passages, the at least one closure member being positioned on or adjacent to the rear surface of the substrate and being displaceable, only in a plane substantially parallel to the rear surface, between open and closed positions to control a flow of ink through each passage; and
at least one actuator associated with each closure member and operatively engaged with the respective closure member to displace the respective closure member between the open and closed positions, when activated.
2. The ink jet printhead of claim 1 wherein each closure member is constrained to move between the open and closed position along a linear path.
3. The ink jet printhead chip of claim 1 wherein each actuator engages the respective closure member via a gear train.
4. The ink jet printhead of claim 3 wherein the gear train includes at least one rotating gear wheel and a linear gear.
5. An ink jet printhead chip as claimed in claim 1 , in which a drive circuitry layer is positioned on the rear surface of the wafer substrate and is electrically connected to the actuators, so that the actuators can be activated by a signal received from the drive circuitry layer.
6. An ink jet printhead chip as claimed in claim 1 , in which said each ink passage defines a nozzle chamber in the wafer substrate.
7. An ink jet printhead chip as claimed in claim 1 , in which the wafer substrate defines a plurality of ink channels forming part of respective ink passages.