JP6730374B2 - Fluid flow structure - Google Patents

Description

Background Each printhead die on an inkjet pen or printbar includes a very small path for carrying ink or other printing fluid to the firing chamber. In structures that support a printhead die on an inkjet pen or printbar, printing fluid is delivered to the die path through various passages. For example, it may be desirable to reduce the size of each printhead die to reduce the cost of the die, and thus the cost of the inkjet pen or print bar.

1 is a front view of an inkjet printhead implementing an example of a molding fluid flow structure. FIG. 6 is a rear view of an inkjet printhead implementing an example of a molding fluid flow structure. FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the print head shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when seen along a line 4-4 in FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows the detail from FIG. 3 and FIG. It is a figure which shows the detail from FIG. 3 and FIG. It is a figure which shows the detail from FIG. 3 and FIG. It is a figure which shows the detail from FIG. 3 and FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of a printhead molding fluid flow structure. FIG. 6 illustrates an inkjet printhead implementing another example of a molding fluid flow structure. It is a figure which shows the detail from FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view when seen along the line 12-12 in FIG. 11.

Throughout the drawings, the same part number indicates the same or similar parts. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. The sizes of some of the components have been exaggerated to better illustrate the illustrated example.

Description Conventional ink jet printer pens, and print bars include multiple components for transporting print fluid to a small printhead die, the print fluid flowing from the printhead die onto paper or other print media. Is jetted. The printhead die is typically assembled to the support structure using an adhesive. As printhead dies get smaller, adhesive-based assembly processes become increasingly complex and difficult. New adhesive-free fluid flow structures have been developed to allow the use of smaller printhead dies and to help reduce pens and printbar costs in inkjet printers.

In one example, the support structure is molded around a printhead die or other fluid supply microdevice. The molded body itself supports the microdevice. That is, the microdevice is embedded in the molded body without using an adhesive. The shaped body includes passages through which fluid can flow directly to the microdevice. The microdevice includes a plurality of fluid ejectors and a plurality of fluid chambers, each fluid chamber being proximate to the ejector, each fluid chamber including an inlet and an outlet, the fluid passing through the inlet from the passage to the fluid chamber. Fluid can enter and fluid can be ejected from the fluid chamber through the outlet. The outer periphery of the passage in the molded body surrounds the inlet to the injection chamber, but other than that, the size is not restricted by the size of the microdevice. Thus, when the microdevice is a printhead die, the passages can be about as wide as the die or wider than the die. This is not feasible in printhead manufacturing utilizing conventional adhesives. Enlarging the fluid passageway can increase the fluidity of the ink in the printhead die while reducing the risk of air bubbles obstructing the ink flow in the passageway. Also, because the molded body effectively expands the size of each printhead die in preparation for making external ink connections and for attaching the printhead die to the pen or print bar. Eliminating the need to form ink passages in the silicon substrate allows the use of thinner, longer and narrower dies.

These and other examples shown in the drawings and described below are illustrative of the present disclosure and are not limiting. The present disclosure is defined in the claims that follow this description.

In this document, "microdevice" means a device having one or more outside dimensions of 30 mm or less; "thin" means a thickness of 650 μm or less; "sliver" means of length and width. Means thin microdevices having a ratio (L/W) of at least 3; "printhead" and "printhead die" refer to the part of an inkjet printer that supplies fluid through one or more openings. Inkjet dispenser. The printhead includes one or more printhead dies. "Printheads" and "printhead dies" are not limited to printing with inks or other printing fluids, as they are inkjet feeds of other fluids and/or uses other than printing. Including those that do.

1 and 2 show front and back views, respectively, of an inkjet printhead 10 embodying an example of a molding fluid flow structure 12. FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the print head 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 5-8 are detailed views from FIGS. 3 and 4. With reference to FIGS. 1-8, printhead 10 includes a plurality of printhead dies 14 that are molded or otherwise embedded in molding 16 without the use of adhesives. The molded body 16 is formed with passageways 18 for direct delivery of printing fluid to the corresponding printhead dies 14 (for clarity, in the cross-sectional view of FIG. Omitted). In the illustrated example, each printhead die 14 is configured as a die sliver. The die slivers 14 are arranged parallel to each other across the width of the printhead 10. Although the four die slivers 14 are shown in a parallel arrangement in the drawings, more or fewer die slivers may be used and/or different arrangements.

The inkjet printhead die 14 is typically a complex integrated circuit (IC) structure formed on a silicon substrate 20. Thermal, piezoelectric and other suitable fluid ejection elements 22 and other components (not shown) in each printhead IC circuit structure are externally connected through bond pads or other suitable electrical terminals 24 on each die 14. Connected to the circuit. In the illustrated example, the terminal 24 is connected by a conductor 26 to a terminal 28 for connecting to an external circuit. The conductors 26 may optionally be covered with epoxy or other suitable protective material 30, or it may be desirable to protect the conductors from potentially harmful environmental factors such as ink. Only the outline of the protective material cover 30 is shown in FIG. 1 so as not to obscure the underlying structure.

Referring specifically to the detailed views of FIGS. 5-8, in the illustrated example, each printhead die 14 includes two rows of firing chambers 32 and corresponding nozzles 34 through which ink Other printing fluid is ejected from the ejection chamber 32. Each passage 18 in the molded body 16 supplies printing fluid to one printhead die 14. Other suitable configurations for printhead die 14 and passages 18 are possible. For example, more or fewer injection chambers 32 and/or passages 18 may be used. Printing fluid flows into each jet chamber 32 through an inlet 36 from a manifold 38 that extends longitudinally along each die 14 between the two rows of jet chambers 32. Printing fluid is supplied to the manifold 38 through a plurality of ports 40 on the die surface 42 that are connected to the printing fluid supply passage 18. The idealized depiction of printhead die 14 in FIGS. 5-8 shows three layers (substrate 20, substrate 20, nozzle 36, inlet 36, manifold 38, and port 40 for convenience of illustration only). The chamber layer 44 and the nozzle plate 46) are depicted. The actual inkjet printhead die 14 may have fewer or more layers than shown and/or different paths for supplying fluid to the chamber 32. For example, a single pathway may be used in place of multiple ports 40, with or without manifold 38.

The shaped body 16 allows for the assembly of the printhead die 14 into the underlying support structure and/or fanout structure while maintaining the size of each passage 18 unconstrained by the size of the corresponding die 14. The need for adhesive can be eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to make the passage 18 wider or narrower than the die 14 as needed or according to a desire to mount a die smaller than the conventional one. In the example shown in FIGS. 3-8, each passage 18 is narrower than the corresponding die 14. The passage 18 surrounds the nozzle 34 and has a width WC that is less than the width WD of the printhead die 14. Therefore, the plane area AC (WC×LC) of the passage 18 is smaller than the plane area (WD×LD) of the die 14. In the case of conventional printheads where the die is assembled to the underlying support structure and/or fanout structure using an adhesive, an ink supply is provided to prevent the adhesive from protruding into the passage during assembly. Both ends of the passage must overlap the printhead die by a distance of 200 μm or more. For the molded printhead 10 shown in FIGS. 3-8, the longitudinal edge 48 of the passage 18 can be within 200 μm of the longitudinal edge 50 of the printhead die 14 (WD-WC). <400 μm).

In the example shown in FIG. 9, the passage 18 surrounds the nozzle 34 and is wider than the printhead die 14. Therefore, the plane area of the passage 18 in the configuration shown in FIG. 9 is larger than the plane area of the die 14.

The relative size of each passage 18 and corresponding die 14 may vary depending on the particular fluid flow embodiment, and for a typical inkjet printhead 10 that uses a thin die sliver 14, die to passage area AC. It is expected that the area AD ratio will normally be in the range of 2.0 to 0.25 (2.0≧AD/AC≧0.25). At this time, it is not possible to achieve area ratios in this range using adhesive-based die attach technology. With the use of molded printhead 10, this extended range of passage and die size ratios can be achieved.

As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the print fluid supply passage 18 is substantially wider than the print fluid port 40 and is relatively large on a loosely spaced pen or print bar. From the large passageway, the print fluid is conveyed to a relatively small print fluid port 40 on the closely spaced printhead die 14. Increasing the passageway 18 not only helps ensure an adequate supply of printing fluid to the die 14, but also requires the separate "fan-out" fluid routing structure required in many conventional printheads. It may help to reduce or even eliminate sex. Also, by exposing a substantial area of the printhead die surface 42 directly to the passageways 18 as shown, the printing fluid in the passageways 18 can be utilized to cool the die 14 during printing. become.

For various embodiments with a thin die sliver 14, it is desirable for the thickness 16 (FIG. 5) of the compact 16 to be at least twice the thickness TD of the die 14 for sufficient support. The passage 18 can be formed in the molded body 16 by cutting, etching, molding or the like. Also, the size of each passage 18 may vary depending on the needs or desires of the corresponding printhead die 14.

FIG. 10 illustrates another example of a printhead 10 that implements a molding fluid flow structure 12. FIG. 11 shows details from FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 12-12 in FIG. In this example, four rows of die sliver 14 are staggered in a generally end-to-end staggered configuration, such as may be used in pagewidth printbars that supply four colors of ink. Arranged, each die sliver overlaps another die sliver. Other suitable configurations are possible. A larger printhead die 14 than the sliver may be used, more or fewer dies, and/or different configurations may be used.

Referring to FIGS. 10-12, printhead 10 includes various printhead die slivers 14 molded in a molding 16. Passages 18 are formed in the molded body 16 to carry the printing fluid directly to the corresponding die sliver 14. Each passage 18 surrounds various nozzles 34 on the corresponding die sliver 14. In this example, each passage 18 is narrower than the corresponding die sliver 14. However, as mentioned above, the width of each passage 18 relative to the corresponding die sliver 14 may be different than the illustrated width, for example wider than the die sliver 14. The fluid ejection elements and other components in each printhead IC circuit structure are connected to external circuitry through bond pads or other suitable electrical terminals 24 on each die 14. In this example, a conductor 26 connecting the terminal 24 to another die and/or an external circuit is embedded in the molded body 16.

Molded printhead flow structures, such as those shown in the drawings and described above, separate continuous die reduction from the adhesive margin and from the difficulty of forming ink supply passages in the silicon substrate. However, it simplifies the assembly process, increases design flexibility, and allows the use of long, narrow, and very thin printhead dies. Any suitable molding process may be used, such as, for example, International Patent Application No. PCT/US2013 entitled “Transfer Molded Fluid Flow Structure or compression molding” filed July 29, 2013. /052505, and a transfer molding process such as that described in International Patent Application No. PCT/US2013/052512, entitled "Fluid Structure With Compression Molded Channel," filed July 29, 2013.

As stated at the beginning of the present disclosure, the various examples shown in the drawings and described above are illustrative of the present disclosure and are not limiting. Other examples are also possible. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims that follow.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are listed below.
1. A fluid flow structure, comprising a fluid supply microdevice embedded in a molded body having a passage therein and supported by the molded body, wherein fluid can flow directly to the device through the passage, The device includes a plurality of injectors, and a plurality of fluid chambers, each fluid chamber being proximate to the injector, each fluid chamber having an inlet and an outlet through which fluid passes through the passageway. To the fluid chamber and from the fluid chamber can be ejected through the outlet, the perimeter of the passage surrounding the inlet.
2. The device comprises an elongate device having a length and width, the passageway comprises an elongate passageway extending along the device, the passageway has a length and width, and the passageway width is 2. The fluid flow structure of 1, narrower than the width of the device.
3. The device comprises an elongate device having a length and width, the passageway comprises an elongate passageway extending along the device, the passageway has a length and width, and the passageway width is 2. The fluid flow structure of 1, which is wider than the width of the device.
4. The fluid flow according to 2 or 3, wherein the area of the passage, which is the product of the length and the width of the passage, is 0.25 to 2 times the area of the device that is the product of the length and the width of the device. Construction.
5. 5. The fluid flow structure of 4 depending on 2 or 2 wherein each of the longitudinal edges of the passage is within 200 μm from each corresponding edge of the longitudinal edge of the device.
6. The fluid flow structure according to any one of 1 to 5, wherein the thickness of the device is less than one half of the thickness of the molded body.
7. The device is within the thickness of the device,
A plurality of ports connected to the passage so that fluid can flow directly from the passage into the port;
7. The fluid flow structure according to any one of 1 to 6, further comprising: a manifold connected between the port and the inlet so that fluid can flow from the port through the manifold to the inlet.
8. 8. The fluid supply microdevice comprises a printhead die, the printhead die being embedded in the molded body and being supported by the molded body. The described fluid flow structure.
9. Print head,
A molded body having a plurality of elongated passages therein, each passage having a length, a width, and an area that is a product of the length and the width,
A plurality of elongated printhead dies, each printhead die having a length, a width, and an area that is the product of the length and the width, each die being embedded in the compact; And a plurality of elongated printheads supported by the shaped body and further connected to the passages to allow direct passage of printing fluid from each passage to a corresponding one of the dies. A printhead, including a die, wherein the area of each passage is 0.25 to 2 times the area of the corresponding die.
10. Each die comprises a die sliver, the die sliver is embedded in and supported by the compact and is further arranged parallel to one another across the width of the printhead. The printhead according to item 9.
11. Each die is composed of a die sliver, the die sliver is embedded in the molded body, and is supported by the molded body, and further, in a longitudinal direction of the print head in a form that the ends are brought close to each other. The printhead of claim 9, wherein the printheads are arranged in a staggered configuration along each of which each die sliver overlaps another die sliver.
12. Each die is embedded in the molded body and consists of a die sliver supported by the molded body,
The width of each passage is narrower than the width of the corresponding die sliver,
The printhead of claim 9, wherein each longitudinal edge of each passage is within 200 μm of each corresponding longitudinal edge of the corresponding die sliver.
13. The printhead according to claim 9, wherein each die comprises a die sliver embedded in the molded body and supported by the molded body, and the width of each passage is wider than the width of the corresponding die sliver.
14. Print head,
A plurality of printhead dies embedded in the molded body without using an adhesive and supported by the molded body;
A plurality of fluid passages in the molded body, through which the printing fluid can flow directly to the die.
15. The molded body comprises a single molded body, the die is embedded in the single molded body without using an adhesive, and is supported by the single molded body; 15. The printhead of 14, wherein is formed into the single molded body adjacent to a corresponding one of the dies.

Claims (13)

A fluid flow structure comprising an elongated fluid supply microdevice embedded in a shaped body without the use of an adhesive, the shaped body having a passageway extending longitudinally along the device. Fluid can flow directly to the device through the passageway, the device including a plurality of injectors and a plurality of fluid chambers, each fluid chamber being proximate to the injector, each fluid chamber being A fluid flow structure having an inlet and an outlet, through which the fluid can enter the fluid chamber from the passage and eject the fluid from the fluid chamber through the outlet. The fluid flow structure of claim 1, wherein the passage is narrower than the device. The fluid flow structure of claim 1, wherein the passage is wider than the device. The fluid flow structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the area of the passage is 0.25 to 2 times the area of the device. The fluid flow structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an outer circumference of the passage surrounds all of the inlets. The device includes a plurality of elongated devices embedded in the shaped body,
A fluid flow according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the passages include a plurality of passages in the shaped body, each passage extending longitudinally along one or more of the devices. Construction. The device is within the thickness of the device,
A plurality of ports connected to the passage so that fluid can flow directly from the passage into the port;
6. A manifold connected between the port and the inlet to allow fluid to flow from the port into the manifold to the inlet. Fluid flow structure. 8. The fluid flow structure of any of claims 1-5 and 7, wherein the fluid supply microdevice comprises a printhead die. Print head,
Multiple printhead dies fixed to the support structure without the use of adhesives,
A plurality of fluid passages in the support structure, through which the printing fluid can flow directly to the die. Print head,
An elongated printhead die embedded in the compact, the compact being configured to support the die without the use of an intermediate support structure;
A printhead, wherein the molded body extends longitudinally along the die and has a passage therein, which is in fluid communication with an ejection chamber of the die. The printhead of claim 10 , wherein a surface of the die is directly exposed to the passage so that fluid in the passage can flow directly into the die. The printhead according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein an outer circumference of the passage surrounds an inlet of the ejection chamber. The printhead according to claim 10 , wherein the die is embedded in the molded body without using an adhesive.

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