JP6643453B2 - Fluid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND Fluid ejection devices, such as printheads in inkjet printing systems, use dies to control the ejection of printing fluid onto media. The die may have a termination ring surrounding the active area on the die. The termination ring helps protect the circuitry in the active area from ionic contamination and moisture penetration. The termination ring also helps prevent cracks and chips from spreading to the active area, and may be referred to as a guard ring.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary inkjet printing system including a printhead implemented as an example of a fluid ejection device. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a print cartridge implemented as an example of a fluid supply device for use in an inkjet printing system, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a plan view of a wafer including a plurality of dies, according to aspects of the present disclosure. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a plan view of a die including a termination ring, according to aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded view showing a corner of a termination ring at a corner portion of a die according to aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a top view of the die of FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a die for a fluid ejection device, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific examples in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples can be utilized and structural or logical changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims. It should be understood that the features of the various examples described herein can be combined, partially or entirely, with one another, unless otherwise noted.

  In general, printheads implemented as examples of fluid ejection devices use an end connection design that includes a flex wiring pattern or bonding wires that connect to bonding pads located along narrow die edges on the top and bottom surfaces of the die. be able to. To protect these connections from ink and moisture (moisture) erosion, the bonding beam / wire is covered by a bead of encapsulant (hereinafter encapsulant), which generally covers the top of the die including the corners. Spreads to cover the entire bottom edge. The encapsulant protects the corners of the die from chipping after application of the encapsulant and reduces the likelihood that the chips generated prior to encapsulation will be exposed to moisture, resulting in reduced reliability of the die. Some dies, such as thermal ink jet (TIJ) dies, are used in an array architecture and use a single-sided bonding scheme (ie, the dies are electrically connected along at least one side of the die). Is configured for). As a result, the corners of these dies are not covered by the bonding beam encapsulant and remain unprotected throughout the die manufacturing process and service life. In these TIJ dies, corner chipping and crack damage can result in increased reliability risks as compared to end-connected dies.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the inkjet printing system 100. In the illustrated example, the inkjet printing system 100 includes a print engine 102 having a controller 104, a mounting assembly 106, one or more replaceable fluid supply devices 108 (eg, print cartridges), a media transport assembly 110, and an inkjet. It includes at least one power supply 112 that provides power to various electrical components of the printing system 100. The ink jet printing system 100 further includes one that ejects droplets of ink or other fluid through a plurality of nozzles 116 (also referred to as orifices or bores) toward the print media 118 to print on the print media 118. Or a plurality of print heads 114 (ie, fluid ejection devices). In one example, the printhead 114 can be an integral part of the ink cartridge supply device 108, but in another example, the printhead 114 is mounted on a printbar (not shown) of the mounting assembly 106, It can be coupled to the supply device 108 (eg, via a tube). Print media 118 may be any type of suitable sheet or roll material, such as paper, cardstock, transparent media, Mylar®, polyester, plywood, foam board, woven, and canvas. It can be.

  In one example, as described below and shown herein, the printhead 114 energizes a thermal resistor discharge element to generate heat to vaporize a small portion of the fluid in the firing chamber. And a thermal ink jet (TIJ) printhead that ejects fluid droplets from nozzles 116 through a nozzle. However, printhead 114 is not limited to being implemented as a TIJ printhead. For example, printhead 114 may be implemented as a piezoelectric inkjet (PIJ) printhead that uses a discharge element of piezoelectric material to generate pressure pulses to push fluid droplets from nozzles 116. In any case, the nozzles 116 are generally arranged in one or more rows or arrays along the printhead 114 so that the printhead 114 and print media 118 are properly ordered from the nozzles as they move relative to each other. The ink ejection causes characters, symbols, and / or other graphics or images to be printed on print media 118.

  Mounting assembly 106 positions printhead 114 with respect to media transport assembly 110, and media transport assembly 110 positions print media 118 with respect to printhead 114. Thus, a print area 120 is defined adjacent to nozzle 116 in the area between printhead 114 and print medium 118. In one example, print engine 102 is a scanning print engine. As such, mounting assembly 106 includes a carriage for moving printhead 114 relative to media transport assembly 110 to scan print media 118. In another example, print engine 102 is a non-scanning print engine. As such, mounting assembly 106 secures printhead 114 in place relative to media transport assembly 110, while media transport assembly 110 positions print media 118 relative to printhead 114.

  Electronic controller 104 is generally a processor, memory, firmware, and other printer electronics for communicating with and controlling supply device 108, printhead (s) 114, mounting assembly 106 and media transport assembly 110. Including the components of a standard computing system. Electronic controller 104 receives data 122 from a host system, such as a computer, and temporarily stores data 122 in memory. For example, data 122 corresponds to a document and / or file to be printed. As such, data 122 forms a print job for inkjet printing system 100 that includes one or more print job commands and / or command parameters. Using the data 122, the electronic controller 104 causes the print head 114 to eject ink drops from the nozzles 116 in a defined pattern that forms characters, symbols, and / or other graphics or images on the print medium 118. Control.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of a print cartridge 200 implemented as an example of a fluid supply device 108 for use in an inkjet printing system 100. Print cartridge 200 includes a cartridge body 202, a printhead 114, and electrical contacts 204. The cartridge body 202 supports an electrical contact 204 to which an electrical signal is supplied to activate an ejection element (eg, a resistive heating element) that ejects a fluid droplet from the selection nozzle 116 and the print head 114. The fluid in the cartridge 200 can be any suitable fluid used in the printing process, such as various printable fluids, inks, pretreatment compounds, fixatives, and the like. In some examples, the fluid can be a fluid other than a printing fluid. The cartridge 200 can include a fluid supply within the cartridge body 202, but can also receive fluid from an external supply (not shown), such as a fluid reservoir connected via a tube.

  FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a top view of a wafer 300 that includes a plurality of dies 310a-310f useful for a printhead 114, according to aspects of the present disclosure. In one example, wafer 300 is formed from a silicon substrate and, in some implementations, can include a crystalline substrate such as doped or undoped single-crystal silicon, or doped or undoped polycrystalline silicon. Other examples of suitable substrates include gallium arsenide, gallium phosphide, indium phosphide, glass, silica, ceramic, or semiconductor material. During the cutting process, the wafer 300 is cut (e.g., by sawing or other suitable cutting) along the cutting line 320 to separate each of the dies 310a-310f. The resulting cutting edge defines a peripheral side of each die 310a-310f. The peripheral sides define a generally rectangular or square shape with the sides intersecting to form corners of the dies 310a-310f. Corners are particularly vulnerable to chipping damage.

  Each die 310a-310f includes a termination ring 330 surrounding active region 340. A termination ring 330 is formed between the cutting line 320 on the wafer 300 and the periphery or inactive region 350 of each die 310. In the example of FIG. 3, the termination ring 330 completely surrounds the active region 340. Active area 340 includes circuitry for controlling printhead 114 (see, eg, FIG. 4). Termination ring 330 provides electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and can terminate thin film layers proximate the edge of the die. Termination ring 330 helps protect active region 340 from ionic contamination and moisture penetration, which may be due to, for example, chipping or other damage to the edge of die 310. Termination ring 330 also helps prevent cracks or chips from one of the edges formed along cutting line 320 of die 310 from spreading to active region 340. Cracks or chips can occur, for example, during the cutting process or during stress testing. For example, thermal ink jet (TIJ) dies are exposed to ink and moisture (moisture) throughout their useful life, and the design and location of termination ring 330 is based on borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) and / or Or limit chip damage that reaches or spreads through termination ring 330, which can lead to printhead reliability degradation due to moisture associated with erosion of the metal layer. The erosion of the BPSG and / or metal layer may eventually pass through the termination ring 330 to the active area 340 containing the circuit.

  Termination ring 330 is formed by alternately stacking dielectric and metal layers, which are interconnected by vias through the dielectric layers. Termination ring 330 facilitates thin-film layers to minimize the risk of chipping and cracking from cutting and other manufacturing steps that can expose internal die films and circuits to moisture ingress and erosion. It acts to terminate. If the wafer is cut along the cutting line 320, the termination ring 330 may reduce or prevent unintended stress cracking from occurring along the cutting line 320 to the integrated circuit in the active region 340. The termination ring 330 may also reduce or prevent moisture damage or chemical damage, such as diffusion of acids, alkali-containing or contaminating species.

In a general example, a die for a fluid ejection device is defined by a periphery defined by intersecting edges (eg, cutting edges) at corners. A typical example die may include a termination ring surrounding the active area. The termination ring is generally rectangular and has a shape similar to the periphery. The termination ring is often located within a few micrometers of the edge that defines the periphery of the die. The active area includes various circuits. Due to the small size of the die, the inactive area of the die surrounding the termination ring is often minimized to maximize the area available for active area circuitry. Circuits are often located close together and occupy most of the active area due to the limited space on the die. The passive area of a typical example die can be narrow, having a distance (x ₁ ) between one of the edges and one of the sides of the termination ring extending along its associated edge. Also, the inactive area is relatively narrow adjacent the corner, where the corner of the termination ring more closely resembles the corner of the die and is angled or slightly more to maximize the active area. Can be rounded (having a radius r ₁ ). In one general embodiment, the distance _{x 1} is 30 [mu] m, the width of the cutting line is 60 [mu] m. As a result, in this general example, chipping of corners can have a significant likelihood of intersecting the termination ring, in which case they can lead to reduced reliability, especially where corners are Exposure throughout the useful life.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic plan view of a die 510 according to aspects of the present disclosure. Die 510 is defined by a perimeter 520 defined by intersecting edges 522 at corners 524. Die 510 includes a termination ring 530 surrounding or surrounding active region 540. Active region 540 includes various circuits 550. Also, the circuits 550 can be located close to each other due to the limited space on the die 510, and can occupy most of the active area 540.

Termination ring 530 is generally rectangular with sides 532 and corners 534. In one example, termination ring 530 is centered on die 510 between edges 522. At least one of the corners 534 has a radius _{r 2.} In one example, each of the corners 534 has a radius _{r 2.} In one example, radius r ₂ is at least 90 μm. For example, the radius _{r 2} of the corner 534 may be a 90Myuemu～100myuemu. Side 532 generally extends parallel to edge 522. In the example of FIG. 4, the termination ring 530 is retracted, or the corner of the die 510 by a greater distance than the termination ring in a typical die for a fluid ejection device is generally located in a recessed position. It is placed at a point recessed from 524 and edge 522. In one example, termination ring 330 may be beveled at corner 534.

The distance between the termination ring 530 and the edges 522 and corners 524 is selected to serve as a physical barrier to reduce and prevent chipping and crack propagation into the active region 540. In one example, the distance x ₃ between the corners 524 of the die 510 and the corners 534 of the termination ring 530 located adjacent to the individual corners 524 is adjacent to one of the die edges 522 and its associated edge 522. it is at least 3 times the distance _{x 2} between the sides 532 of the end-ring 530. In another example, the distance x ₃ between the corner 534 rounded end ring 530 disposed adjacent to the corner 524 forming the one individual angular corners 524 forming the corners of the die 510, die 510 greater than twice the distance _{x 2} between one side 532 of the end-ring 530 that extends adjacent to one of the one peripheral edge 522 of the peripheral edge 522 of the. Still referring to FIG. 3, in one example, the width of the cutting line 320 is 70 μm, resulting in a wider inactive region 560 between the termination ring 530 and the edge of the die (hereinafter, die edge) 522. For example, an additional 5 μm of silicon substrate is provided between the termination ring and the sawed die edge 522. Further, circuits 550, 555 are arranged such that termination ring 530 can be rounded at corner 534. This increased inert area can reduce the risk of chipping damage and improve the robustness to die edge damage.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a corner 624 of a die 610 including a termination ring 630 according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 also schematically shows, in dashed lines, an overlay of where the termination ring 430 of a typical die for a fluid ejection device is generally located. As shown in FIG. 5, the radius r ₂ of the corner of the termination ring 630 is larger than the radius r ₁ of the corner of the termination ring 430 shown schematically. The active region 640 containing the circuit 650 is surrounded by the termination ring 630. The termination ring 630 does not closely resemble the corner 624, unlike the schematically illustrated termination ring 430, which more closely resembles the corner 624. The distance from the rounded corner 634 to the corner 624 increases accordingly with the termination ring 630. In other words, the radius r ₂ of the corner 634 of the termination ring 630 forms the largest inactive area 660 outside the termination ring 630 at the corner 624. The active area 640 inside the termination ring 630 decreases in response to the increased inactive area 660. The larger radius r ₂ of the termination ring 630 at the adjacent corner 624 forms an increased inert area 660 at the often chipped corner 624.

  FIG. 6 shows the die 510 of FIG. 4 including exemplary notches 570a, 570b at corners 524a, 524b. Due to the weakness of the sharp corners 524 of the die 510, the notches 570 a, 570 b created at the corners 524 can extend from the edge 522 into the die 510 by more than 10 μm. Due to the crystalline properties of the silicon used for the substrate of die 510, chips 570a, 570b of similar size often occur. The notches 570a, 570b may remove a corner portion of the die 510 without intersecting the termination ring 530. The notches 570a, 570b along the corners 524 and edges 522 of the die 510 are generally small, extending only a few microns towards the termination ring 530, and potentially crossing the termination ring 530, as well as providing moisture to the thin films and circuits 550, 555. Exposure to erosion is relatively low. The chips 570a and 570b included in the inactive region 560 are harmless defects. In other words, the chips 570a, 570b do not extend into the active region 540 and do not affect the reliability of the die 510 and the function of the circuits 550, 555.

  FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method 700 for manufacturing a die for a fluid ejection device. At 710, a wafer is fabricated as a substrate including a plurality of die circuits and a plurality of termination rings. Each termination ring generally defines a rectangular boundary with rounded corners and surrounds the active area where the die circuit is located. At 720, the wafer is cut into individual dies along the cutting lines. Each individual die includes one of a plurality of termination rings surrounding and surrounding individual die circuits in individual active regions. A portion of the termination ring extends generally parallel to the cutting line and forms a rounded corner having a radius greater than a first distance from the first cutting line to a portion of the termination ring extending generally parallel to the cutting line. To intersect. The cutting line is formed at a distance from the termination ring and defines an inactive region surrounding the termination ring in each of the individual dies.

  Although specific examples have been shown and described herein, various alternative and / or equivalent implementations may be implemented with the specific examples shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Could be replaced. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific examples discussed herein. Accordingly, it is intended that the present disclosure be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

In the following, exemplary embodiments comprising combinations of various components of the present invention will be described.
1. A fluid ejection device,
Die and
A nozzle for discharging a fluid, wherein the die comprises:
A peripheral portion defined by a first edge, a second edge opposing the first edge, a third edge, and a fourth edge opposing the third edge; A perimeter, wherein a fourth edge is disposed at an angle to the first and second edges to form an angled corner;
An active area including circuitry for controlling the fluid ejection device to eject a fluid;
An inactive region disposed between the peripheral portion and the active region;
A terminating ring surrounding the active region, the terminating ring including a side extending parallel to the first, second, third, and fourth edges, and a corner joining adjacent sides; The fluid ejection device, wherein the corner has a corner radius that is greater than a first distance between the first edge and one of the sides of the termination ring.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the die is configured for electrical connection along at least one surface of the die.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is located a second distance from the corner of the corner, wherein the second distance is greater than the corner radius.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the termination ring is centered between the first and second edges and the third and fourth edges.
5. A second distance between a first die corner of the die and a first ring corner of the termination ring disposed adjacent to the first die corner is greater than a first distance of the first edge of the die. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is at least three times the first distance between one of the sides of the termination ring.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the inert region surrounds the termination ring.
7. A die for a fluid ejection device,
An active area of a die including circuitry disposed on a substrate, wherein the circuitry controls the fluid ejection device to eject fluid; and
A generally rectangular termination ring including a plurality of metal and dielectric layers surrounding the active region and having sides that intersect at rounded corners;
An inactive region of the die surrounding the termination ring and extending to a peripheral edge of the die that intersects at an angled corner;
A die wherein at least one of said rounded corners has a radius greater than a distance between one of said sides and one of said peripheral edges.
8. The die of claim 7, wherein at least one of the rounded corners of the termination ring is beveled.
9. The die of claim 7, wherein the rounded corners have equal radii.
10. The die of claim 7, wherein at least two of the rounded corners have different radii.
11. The distance between one of the corners of the die and the rounded corner of the termination ring disposed adjacent to the corner is one of the peripheral edges of the die and the peripheral The die of claim 7, wherein the die has more than twice the distance between one of the sides of the termination ring extending adjacent to one of the edges.
12. The die of claim 7, wherein the termination ring is positioned to prevent damage to the inactive region from spreading to the active region.
13. A method of manufacturing a die for a fluid ejection device, comprising:
Fabricating the wafer as a substrate including a plurality of termination rings, each termination ring generally forming a rectangular boundary with rounded corners, and circuitry in an active area defined within each of the plurality of termination rings. Includes,
Cutting the wafer into individual dies along a cutting line, each die including one of the plurality of termination rings, and circuitry within each of the termination rings, wherein the termination ring includes the cutting line. Forming a rounded corner having a radius greater than a first distance from the first cutting line to a portion of the terminating ring extending generally parallel to the first cutting line; A method, wherein a line is formed at a distance from the termination ring to define an inactive region surrounding each of the plurality of termination rings.
14． 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the termination ring defines a closed boundary between an active area containing the circuitry and a respective inactive area of the individual die.
15. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the rounded corners of the termination ring are beveled.

Claims (12)

A fluid ejection device,
Die and
A nozzle for discharging a fluid, wherein the die comprises:
A peripheral portion defined by a first edge, a second edge opposing the first edge, a third edge, and a fourth edge opposing the third edge; A perimeter, wherein a fourth edge is disposed at an angle to the first and second edges to form an angled corner;
An active area including circuitry for controlling the fluid ejection device to eject a fluid;
An inactive region disposed between the peripheral portion and the active region;
A terminating ring surrounding the active area, the terminating ring having a rounded shape joining sides extending parallel to the first, second, third, and fourth edges, and joining adjacent sides. A corner radius, wherein the rounded corner has a corner radius greater than a first distance between the first edge and one of the sides of the termination ring;
The termination ring provides electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and / or terminates a thin film layer proximate the periphery ;
A fluid ejection device, wherein the termination ring includes alternating dielectric and metal layers .   The device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is disposed at a second distance from the corner of the corner, the second distance being greater than the corner radius.   3. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the termination ring is centered between the first and second edges and the third and fourth edges.   A third distance between a first die corner of the die and a first ring corner of the termination ring disposed adjacent to the first die corner is equal to the first edge of the die. The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the device is at least three or two times the first distance between one of the sides of the termination ring.   The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inactive region surrounds the termination ring. The device of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the metal layers are interconnected by vias through the dielectric layer . A die for a fluid ejection device,
An active area of a die including circuitry disposed on a substrate, wherein the circuitry controls the fluid ejection device to eject fluid; and
A generally rectangular termination ring including a plurality of alternating metal and dielectric layers surrounding the active region and having sides that intersect at rounded corners;
An inactive region of the die surrounding the termination ring and extending to a peripheral edge of the die that intersects at an angled corner.
At least one of the rounded corners has a radius greater than a distance between one of the sides and one of the peripheral edges;
The die wherein the termination ring provides electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and / or terminates a thin film layer proximate the peripheral edge.   The die of claim 7, wherein the rounded corners have equal radii, or at least two of the rounded corners have different radii.   The distance between one of the corners of the die and the rounded corner of the termination ring disposed adjacent to the corner is one of the peripheral edges of the die and the peripheral 9. A die according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the distance is at least three or two times greater than the distance between one of the sides of the termination ring extending adjacent to one of the edges. A method of manufacturing a die for a fluid ejection device, comprising:
Fabricating the wafer as a substrate including a plurality of termination rings, each termination ring generally forming a rectangular boundary with rounded corners, and circuitry in an active area defined within each of the plurality of termination rings. Includes,
Cutting the wafer into individual dies along a cutting line, each die including one of the plurality of termination rings, and circuitry within a respective termination ring, wherein the termination ring includes the cutting line. Forming a rounded corner having a radius greater than a first distance from the first cutting line to a portion of the terminal ring extending generally parallel to the first cutting line; A line formed at a distance from the termination ring to define an inactive region surrounding each of the plurality of termination rings;
The termination ring provides electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and / or terminates a thin film layer proximate to the cutting line, and the termination ring alternately stacks dielectric and metal layers The method that is formed . The method of claim 10, wherein the metal layers are interconnected by vias through the dielectric layer .   12. The method of claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the termination ring defines a closed boundary between an active area containing the circuitry and a respective inactive area of the individual die.

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