Inkjet printhead integrated circuit comprising a multilayered substrate
View Patent ↗An inkjet printhead integrated circuit including a multilayered substrate having drive circuitry and a plurality of nozzle arrangements. Each nozzle arrangement includes: a floor having an ink inlet defined therein; a roof spaced apart from the floor; sidewalls extending between the roof and the floor so as to define a nozzle chamber; and a heater element suspended in the chamber and connected to the drive circuitry. When actuation energy is supplied to the heater element from the drive circuitry, a vapor bubble is formed in ink contained in the nozzle chamber resulting in ejection of ink via the ink ejection port.
1. An inkjet printhead integrated circuit comprising a multilayered substrate having drive circuitry and a plurality of nozzle arrangements, each nozzle arrangement comprising:
a floor;
a roof spaced apart from the floor, said roof having an ink ejection port defined therein, said roof defining part of a nozzle plate for the printhead integrated circuit;
sidewalls extending between said roof and said floor so as to define a nozzle chamber, said nozzle chamber having an ink inlet defined therein; and
at least one heater element suspended in the chamber and connected to said drive circuitry in the multilayered substrate, so that when actuation energy is supplied to said heater element from said drive circuitry, a vapour bubble is formed in ink contained in the nozzle chamber resulting in ejection of ink via the ink ejection port.
2. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein the multilayered substrate comprises a silicon body, a CMOS circuitry layer disposed on the silicon body, and a MEMS layer disposed on the CMOS circuitry layer.
3. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 2 , wherein said CMOS circuitry layer comprises said drive circuitry.
4. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 3 , wherein said CMOS circuitry layer comprises a plurality of CMOS layers.
5. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 2 , wherein said MEMS layer comprises said nozzle arrangements.
6. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 2 , wherein said CMOS circuitry layer is passivated with a passivation layer.
7. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 2 , wherein said floor is defined by said passivation layer.
8. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein said ink inlet is defined in said floor.
9. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 2 , wherein said ink inlet extends from said nozzle chamber, through said CMOS circuitry and into said silicon body.
10. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 2 , wherein one or more ink supply channels are defined in said silicon body, each ink supply channel being in fluid communication with at least one of said ink inlets.
11. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein said roof and said sidewalls are coformed by a CVD process so as to be seamlessly joined together.
12. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 11 , wherein said roof and said sidewalls are comprised of silicon oxide, silicon nitride or combinations thereof.
13. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein said drive circuitry is configured to deliver less than 300 nJ of actuation energy to said heater element.
14. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein said heater element has a mass of less than 500 picograms.
15. The printhead integrated circuit of claim 1 , wherein said heater element comprises titanium.