Printhead having nozzle arrangements with magnetic paddle actuators
View Patent ↗Provided is a printhead having a plurality of nozzle arrangements. Each arrangement includes a wafer substrate defining a nozzle chamber, said chamber having a roof wall with an ink ejection port defined therein and an ink supply channel defined through the substrate for supplying the chamber with ink. Each arrangement also includes a magnetic paddle arranged within an electrical coil arrangement which is positioned about the inlet of the nozzle chamber such that the magnetic paddle ejects ink from the chamber via the ejection port when the coil arrangement receives electrical signals.
1. A printhead having a plurality of nozzle arrangements, each arrangement comprising:
a wafer substrate defining a nozzle chamber, said chamber having a roof wall with an ink ejection port defined therein and an ink supply channel defined through the substrate for supplying the chamber with ink;
a magnetic coil arrangement positioned about the inlet of the nozzle chamber; and
a magnetic paddle arranged within the electrical coil arrangement, the magnetic paddle for ejecting ink from the chamber via the ejection port when the coil receives electrical signals.
2. The printhead of claim 1 , wherein the wafer substrate includes a drive circuitry layer for providing the electrical signals to the electrical coil to actuate the magnetic paddle.
3. The printhead of claim 2 , wherein the electrical coil is connected to the drive circuitry layer and driven by the drive circuitry layer to generate a magnetic field to displace the paddle.
4. The printhead of claim 1 , wherein the paddle is dimensioned so that, when the paddle is received in the inlet, the paddle serves to close the inlet.
5. The printhead of claim 4 , wherein the paddle is movable between an open position in which the paddle is spaced from the inlet to permit the ingress of ink into the nozzle chamber and a closed position in which the paddle is received in the inlet to close the inlet.
6. The printhead of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle chamber is formed during an etching process carried out on the wafer substrate.
7. The printhead of claim 1 , wherein the ink supply channel is arranged in fluid communication with an ink reservoir.