Etching a substrate: processes – Forming or treating thermal ink jet article
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-02
2001-06-12
Gulakowski, Randy (Department: 1746)
Etching a substrate: processes
Forming or treating thermal ink jet article
C216S085000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06245248
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to an improved method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ink-jet printers generally fall into two categories, i.e. the bubble type ink-jet printers and the piezoelectric ink-jet printers. For piezoelectric ink-jet printers, what we concern most is related to the method of how to align the nozzle plate with a film in the manufacture of print heads in an effective way.
In the structure of piezoelectric ink-jet printers, the ink cabin is made by first pressing seven layers of high molecular material to form a spacer and then processing the film with mask etching method. The nozzle plate is formed with a plurality of nozzles and the mask has corresponding layouts of ink cabins. As the mask is etched, each of the nozzles must be in alignment with an ink cabin so that the ink cabin layout of the mask must be accurately aligned with corresponding nozzles of the nozzle plate.
In order to make it easier for alignment, the nozzle plate and the mask must be provided with nozzle positioning marks and layout positioning marks respectively, wherein every four of the nozzle positioning marks and every four of the layout positioning marks define a nozzle and an ink cabin respectively. Each of the nozzle positioning marks and layout positioning marks is represented by a sign +. In other words, each nozzle positioning mark is defined between four marks + on the nozzle plate, and each ink cabin is also defined between four marks + on the mask. It is only required for the operator to align the mark + of the nozzle plate with the mark + of the mask. Of course, it is only necessary to align two marks +. However, it is recommended to align the marks + which have the largest distance therebetween, usually the marks + at two diagonal corners.
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the nozzle plate
11
is formed with a plurality of nozzles
111
each having an ink cabin
17
. The ink cabin
17
is produced by first aligning the layout positioning marks
132
with the nozzle positioning marks
112
and then etching the area
113
of the film
12
on the nozzle plate
111
.
As a result, each of the nozzles of the nozzle plate
11
is formed with an ink cabin
17
. As shown, the nozzle positioning mark
112
is arranged under the film
12
so that it is necessary to see through the film
12
when aligning the mask with the nozzle plate.
Referring to
FIG. 3
, the conventional film
12
is made by pressing three layers of high molecular material which light can pass through, so that there will be no difficulties in aligning the mask with the nozzle plate. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the mask
13
is moved by a distance d in order to align the layout positioning mark
132
with the nozzle positioning mark
112
of the nozzle plate
11
.
However, when required to increase the thickness of the film on the nozzle plate to a structure with seven layers, it will be very difficult to locate the nozzle positioning marks under the film.
Referring to
FIG. 4
, it is very difficult to see the nozzle positioning marks
112
of the nozzle plate
11
through a seven-layer film
12
thereby making it difficult to align the layout positioning marks
132
of the mask
13
with the nozzle positioning marks
112
thus seriously influencing the working efficiency.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of a nozzle plate with a mask which can obviate and mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is related to an improved method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask, which utilizes a chemical agent to etch portion of the film on the nozzle plate to enable the nozzle positioning marks to be easily seen through an aligning machine thereby facilitating the alignment of the nozzle plate with the mask and therefore increasing the working efficiency.
The method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask according to the present invention is used for aligning a plurality of nozzles on the nozzle plate with a plurality of layouts on the mask, wherein each nozzle is defined between two nozzle positioning marks, the nozzle plate is provided with a film thereon, and the mask has a plurality of layouts defined between two layout positioning marks, including steps of: selecting two of the nozzle positioning marks, removing portion of the film above the two nozzle positioning marks with a chemical agent, arranging the mask on the nozzle plate, and moving the mask so as to make the two nozzle positioning marks each align with a respective one of layout positioning marks.
According to the method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask, the distance between a selected two nozzle positioning marks is larger than the distance between any other two of the nozzle positioning marks.
According to the method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask, the film is made by pressing together seven layers of high molecular material.
According to the method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask, a chemical agent is applied to the film to etch a portion of the film above the selected nozzle positioning marks when the first four layers of seven layers of film are pressed onto the nozzle plate, and then again applied after the remaining three layers of film are pressed onto the nozzle plate.
According to the method of aligning an nozzle plate with a mask, the chemical agent is applied to the film so as to etch a portion of the film above the nozzle positioning marks when seven layers of the film are pressed onto the nozzle plate.
According to the method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask, the chemical agent is propanone.
According to the method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask, the chemical agent is sodium hydroxide.
According to the method of aligning a nozzle plate with a mask, the layouts of the mask are ink cabin layouts.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5368683 (1994-11-01), Altavela et al.
patent: 5658471 (1997-08-01), Murthy et al.
patent: 5665249 (1997-09-01), Burke et al.
patent: 5932799 (1999-08-01), Moles
patent: 6022482 (2000-02-01), Chen et al.
patent: 335506 (1998-07-01), None
Dbtel Incorporated
Gulakowski Randy
Kornakov Michael
Rosenberg , Klein & Lee
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