Inkjet printer utilizing low energy titanium nitride heater elements
View Patent ↗An inkjet printer includes an array of nozzles extending substantially a width of a print media fed through the inkjet printer; and a plurality of heater elements each corresponding to a nozzle, each heater element being formed substantially of titanium nitride and suspended in direct contact with a bubble forming liquid with the bubble forming liquid surrounding the heater element. Each heater element has a mass of less than 10 nanograms, and sized to heat the bubble forming liquid above a boiling point thereof upon application of 200 nJ or less of energy to each heater element.
1. An inkjet printer comprising:
an array of nozzles extending substantially a width of a print media fed through the inkjet printer; and
a plurality of heater elements each corresponding to a nozzle, each heater element being formed substantially of titanium nitride and suspended in direct contact with a bubble forming liquid with the bubble forming liquid surrounding the heater element, wherein
each heater element has a mass of less than 10 nanograms, and sized to heat the bubble forming liquid above a boiling point thereof upon application of 200 nJ or less of energy to each heater element.
2. An inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein a transient pressure generated by a formation of a bubble by each heater element is approximately 1 atmosphere.
3. An inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein each heater element is in the form of a cantilever beam.
4. An inkjet printer according to claim 1 , wherein the heat generated by each heater element is substantially equal to or less than a combined amount of heat ejected from the nozzle with an ejected drop of ink and an amount of heat absorbed by a volume of ink replacing the ejected drop of ink.