Liquid drop ejector having improved liquid chamber
View Patent ↗A liquid drop ejector includes a substrate and a liquid chamber for receiving a liquid. The liquid chamber is positioned over the substrate and includes a nozzle plate, a chamber wall and a liner layer. The nozzle plate and the chamber wall include an organic material. The liner layer includes an inorganic material. The liner layer is located on the nozzle plate and the chamber wall such that the inorganic material is contactable with the liquid when the liquid is present in the chamber.
1. A liquid ejector comprising:
a) a substrate including an ink feed port;
b) an electrothermal element; and
c) a chamber tor receiving a liquid, the chamber being positioned over the substrate, wherein the chamber comprises:
i) a nozzle plate including an organic material;
ii) a chamber wall including an organic material, the chamber wall being disposed proximate to the electrothermal element and distal to the ink feed port; and
iii) a liner layer including an inorganic material, the liner layer being located on the nozzle plate and the chamber wall such that a first region of inorganic material is contactable with the liquid when the liquid is present in the chamber.
2. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle plate includes a nozzle bore having no liner layer located within the nozzle bore.
3. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , the inorganic material of the liner layer including a thickness and the organic material including a thickness, wherein the thickness of the inorganic material is less than the thickness of the organic material.
4. The liquid ejector according to claim 3 , wherein the inorganic material of the liner layer is between 0.2 μm-7 μm.
5. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , wherein the organic material of the chamber wall is positioned between the first region of inorganic material of the liner layer and a second region of inorganic material that is not contactable with the liquid when the liquid is present in the chamber.
6. The liquid ejector according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a region of organic material located relative to the region of inorganic material that is not contactable with the liquid when the liquid is present in the chamber such that the region of inorganic material that is not contactable with the liquid when the liquid is present in the chamber is between the region of organic material and the organic material of the chamber wall.
7. The liquid ejector according to claim 6 , wherein the region of organic material that is located relative to the region of inorganic material that is not contactable with the liquid when the liquid is present in the chamber is a polyimide.
8. The liquid ejector according to claim 5 , wherein a third region of inorganic material is positioned to cover a bottom portion of the chamber wall.
9. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , the nozzle plate including an outer surface, wherein the outer surface of the nozzle plate includes fluorine.
10. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , the nozzle plate having a first thickness over the chamber, further comprising:
an ink feed port, the nozzle plate having a second thickness over the ink feed port, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness.
11. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , the chamber being a first liquid chamber having a first height, further comprising:
a second liquid chamber having a second height, wherein the first height is greater than the second height.
12. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , the chamber being a first liquid chamber, the nozzle plate having a first thickness over the first liquid chamber, further comprising:
a second liquid chamber, the nozzle plate having a second thickness over the second liquid chamber, wherein the second thickness is greater than the first thickness.
13. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , further comprising a clamping structure located between the nozzle plate and the substrate.