Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Processes
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-06
2002-04-09
Morris, Lesley D. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Processes
C347S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06367705
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 98-54151, filed Dec. 10, 1998, in the Korean Patent Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid jetting apparatus and a process for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a fluid jetting apparatus for a print head which is employed in output apparatuses such as an ink-jet printer, a facsimile machine, etc. to jet fluid through a nozzle, and a manufacturing process thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A print head is a part or a set of parts which are capable of converting output data into a visible form on a predetermined medium using a type of printer. Generally, such a print head for an ink jet printer, and the like, uses a fluid jetting apparatus which is capable of jetting the predetermined amount of fluid through a nozzle to an exterior of a fluid chamber holding the fluid by applying a physical force to the fluid chamber.
According to methods for applying physical force to the fluid within the fluid chamber, the fluid jetting apparatus is roughly grouped into a piezoelectric system and a thermal system. The piezoelectric system pushes out the ink within the fluid chamber through a nozzle through an operation of a piezoelectric element which is mechanically expanded in accordance with a driving signal. The thermal system pushes the fluid through the nozzle by means of bubbles which are produced from the fluid within the fluid chamber by the heat generated by an exothermic body. Recently, also, a thermal compression system has been developed, which is an improved form of the thermal system. The thermal compression system is for jetting out the fluid by driving a membrane by instantly heating a vaporizing fluid which acts as a working fluid.
FIG. 1
is a vertical sectional view of a fluid jetting apparatus according to a conventional thermal compression system. The fluid jetting apparatus of the thermal compression system includes a heat driving part
10
, a membrane
20
, and a nozzle part
30
.
A substrate
11
of the heat driving part
10
supports the heat driving part
10
and the whole structure that will be constructed later. An insulated layer
12
is diffused on the substrate
11
. An electrode
14
is made of a conductive material for supplying an electric power to the heat driving part
10
. An exothermic body
13
is made of a resistive material having a predetermined resistance for expanding a working fluid by converting electrical energy into heat energy. Working fluid chambers
16
and
17
contain the working fluid, to maintain a pressure of the working fluid which is heat expanded, are connected by a working fluid introducing passage
18
, and are formed within a working fluid barrier
15
.
Further, the membrane
20
is a thin layer which is adhered to an upper portion of the working fluid barrier layer
15
and working fluid chambers
16
and
17
to be moved upward and downward by the pressure of the expanded working fluid. The membrane
20
includes a polyimide coated layer
21
and a polyimide adhered layer
22
.
Jetting fluid chambers
37
and
38
are chambers which are formed to enclose the jetting fluid. When the pressure is transmitted to the jetting fluid through the membrane
20
, the jetting fluid is jetted only through a nozzle
35
formed in a nozzle plate
34
. Here, the jetting fluid is the fluid which is pushed out of the jetting fluid chambers
37
and
38
in response to the driving of the membrane
20
, and is finally jetted to the exterior. A jetting fluid introducing passage
39
connects the jetting fluid chambers
37
and
38
. The jetting fluid chambers
37
and
38
and the jetting fluid introducing passage
39
are formed in a jetting fluid barrier layer
36
. The nozzle
35
is an orifice through which the jetting fluid held using the membrane
20
and the jetting fluid chambers
37
and
38
is emitted to the exterior. Another substrate
31
(see
FIGS. 4A and 4B
) of the nozzle part
30
is temporarily employed for constructing the nozzle part
30
, and should be removed before the nozzle part
30
is assembled.
FIG. 2
shows a process for manufacturing the fluid jetting apparatus according to a conventional roll method.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the nozzle plate
34
is transferred from a feeding reel
51
to a take-up reel
52
. In the process of transferring the nozzle plate
34
from the feeding reel
51
to the take-up reel
52
, a nozzle is formed in the nozzle plate
34
by laser processing equipment
53
. After the nozzle is formed, air is jetted from an air blower
54
so as to eliminate extraneous substances attached to the nozzle plate
34
. Next, an actuator chip
40
, which is laminated on a substrate to the jetting fluid barrier, is bonded with the nozzle plate
34
by a tab bonder
55
, and accordingly, the fluid jetting apparatus is completed. The completed fluid jetting apparatuses are wound around the take-up reel
52
to be preserved, and then sectioned in pieces in the manufacturing process for the print head. Accordingly, each piece of the fluid jetting apparatuses is supplied into the manufacturing line of a printer.
The process for manufacturing the fluid jetting apparatus according to the conventional thermal compression system will be described below with reference to the construction of the fluid jetting apparatus shown in FIG.
1
.
FIGS. 3A and 3B
are views for showing a process for manufacturing the heat driving part and
FIG. 3C
is a view for showing a process for manufacturing the membrane on the heat driving part of the conventional fluid jetting apparatus.
FIGS. 4A
to
4
C are views for showing the process for manufacturing the nozzle part.
In order to manufacture the conventional fluid jetting apparatus, the heat driving part
10
and the nozzle part
30
should be manufactured separately. Here, the heat driving part
10
is completed as the separately-made membrane
20
is adhered to the working fluid barrier layer
15
of the heat driving part
10
. After that, by reversing and adhering the separately-made nozzle part
30
to the membrane
20
, the fluid jetting apparatus is completed.
FIG. 3A
shows a process for diffusing the insulated layer
12
on the substrate
11
of the heat driving part
10
, and for forming an exothermic body
13
and an electrode
14
on the insulated layer
12
in turn. Referring to
FIG. 3B
, working fluid chambers
16
and
17
and a working fluid passage
18
are formed by performing an etching process of the working fluid barrier layer
15
through a predetermined mask patterning. More specifically, the heat driving part
10
is formed as the insulated layer
12
, the exothermic body
13
, the electrode
14
, and the working fluid barrier layer
15
are sequentially laminated on the substrate
11
(which is a silicon substrate). In such a situation, the working fluid chambers
16
and
17
which are filled with the working fluid to be expanded by heat, are formed on an etched portion of the working fluid barrier layer
15
. The working fluid is introduced through the working fluid introducing passage
18
.
FIG. 3C
shows a process for adhering the separately-made membrane
20
to the upper portion of the completed heat driving part
10
. The membrane
20
is a thin diaphragm, which is to be driven toward the jetting fluid chamber
37
(see
FIG. 1
) by the working fluid which is heated by the exothermic body
13
.
FIG. 4A
shows a process for manufacturing a nozzle
35
using the laser processing equipment
53
(shown in
FIG. 2
) after an insulated layer
32
and the nozzle plate
34
are sequentially formed on a substrate
31
of the nozzle part
30
.
FIG. 4B
shows a process for forming the jetting fluid barrier layer
36
on the upper portion of the construction shown in
FIG. 4A
, and jetting fluid chambers
37
and
38
and the fluid introducing passage by an etching process through a predetermined mask patterning.
FIG
Kweon Soon-cheol
Lee Byoung-chan
Park Kyoung-jin
Morris Lesley D.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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