Fluid jetting apparatus and a process for manufacturing the same

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6557968
  • Patent Number
    6,557,968
  • Date Filed
    Friday, January 11, 2002
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 6, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A fluid jetting apparatus for a print head employed in an output apparatus, and a manufacturing process thereof. The process for manufacturing a fluid jetting apparatus includes: (1) forming a heat driving part having a sacrificial layer; (2) forming a membrane on the heat driving part which includes the sacrificial layer; (3) forming a nozzle part on the membrane; and (4) removing the sacrificial layer. The step (1) further includes: (i) forming an electrode and an exothermic body on a substrate; (ii) laminating a working fluid barrier on the electrode and the exothermic body, and forming a working fluid chamber in the working fluid barrier; (iii) forming a protective layer on the working fluid barrier, the electrode, and the exothermic body; (iv) forming a sacrificial layer within the working fluid chamber at a same height as the working fluid barrier. The fluid jetting apparatus includes a heat driving part for generating a driving force, a nozzle part having a jetting fluid chamber interconnected to an exterior through a nozzle, and a membrane for transmitting the driving force generated from the heat driving part to the nozzle part. Here, the heat driving part includes an electrode and a heating element formed on a substrate; a plane layer formed on the substrate at the same height as the electrode and the heating element combined; a protective layer laminated on the plane layer; and a working fluid chamber laminated on the protective layer, the working fluid chamber for holding a working fluid which is to be expanded by the exothermic body to generate the driving force. Accordingly, since the heat driving part, the membrane, and the nozzle part are sequentially laminated to be integrally formed with each other, an adhering process is no longer required. As a result, due to a very simplified manufacturing processes, productivity, reliability, and quality of the fluid jetting apparatus are enhanced, while a percentage of defective parts is decreased.
Description




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. 4C

shows a process for exclusively separating the nozzle part


10


from the substrate


31


of the nozzle part


30


. The nozzle part


30


includes the jetting fluid barrier layer


36


and the nozzle plate


34


. On the etched portion of the jetting fluid barrier layer


36


, the jetting fluid chambers


37


and


38


filled with the fluid to be jetted are formed. The jetting fluid such as an ink, or the like, is introduced through the jetting fluid introducing passage


39


(see

FIG. 1

) for introduction of the jetting fluid. The nozzle


35


is formed on the nozzle plate


34


to be interconnected with the jetting fluid chamber


37


, so that the fluid is jetted through the nozzle


35


. The nozzle part


30


is manufactured by the processes that are shown in

FIGS. 4A

to


4


C. First, the nozzle plate


34


inclusive of the nozzle


35


, is formed on the substrate


31


having the insulated layer


32


through an electroplating process. Next, the jetting fluid barrier layer


36


is laminated thereon, and the jetting fluid chambers


37


and


38


and the jetting fluid introducing passage


39


are formed through a lithographic process. Finally, as the insulated layer


32


and the substrate


31


are removed, the nozzle part


30


is completed. The completed nozzle part


30


is reversed, and then adhered to the membrane


20


of a membrane, heat driving part assembly which has been assembled beforehand. More specifically, the jetting fluid barrier


36


of the nozzle part


30


is adhered to the polyimide coated layer


21


of the membrane


20


.




The operation of the fluid jetting apparatus according to the thermal compression system will be described below with reference to the construction shown in FIG.


1


.




First, an electric power is supplied through the electrode


14


, and an electric current flows through the exothermic body


13


connected to the electrode


14


. Since the exothermic body


13


generates heat due to its resistance, the fluid within the working fluid chamber


16


is subjected to a resistance heating, and the fluid starts to vaporize when the temperature thereof exceeds a predetermined temperature. As the amount of the vaporized fluid increases, the vapor pressure accordingly increases. As a result, the membrane


20


is driven upward. More specifically, as the working fluid undergoes a thermal expansion, the membrane


20


is pushed upward in a direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.


1


. As the membrane


20


is pushed upward, the fluid within the jetting fluid chamber


37


is jetted out toward an exterior through the nozzle


35


.




Then, when the supply of electric power is stopped, the resistance heating of the exothermic body


13


is no longer generated. Accordingly, the fluid within the working fluid chamber


16


is cooled to a liquid state, so that the volume thereof decreases and the membrane


20


recovers its original shape.




Meanwhile, a conventional material of the nozzle plate


34


is mainly made of nickel, but the trend in using the material of a polyimide synthetic resin has increased recently. When the nozzle plate


34


is made of the polyimide synthetic resin, it is fed in a reel type. The fluid jetting apparatus is completed by the way a chip laminated from the silicon substrate to the jetting fluid barrier layer


36


is bonded on the nozzle plate


34


fed in the reel type.




According to the conventional fluid jetting apparatus and its manufacturing process, however, since the heat driving part, the membrane, and the nozzle part have to be separately made before such are adhered to each other by three adhering processes, the productivity has been decreased. Further; since the adhesion between the heat driving part and the membrane, and between the membrane and, the nozzle part are often unreliable, the working fluid and the jetting fluid often leak, so that a fraction defective has been increased, and the reliability and quality of the fluid jetting apparatus has been deteriorated.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention has been made to overcome the above-described problems of the prior art, and accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid jetting apparatus and a manufacturing process thereof capable of improving the reliability, quality and the productivity of the fluid jetting apparatus by sequentially laminating a heat driving part, a membrane, and a nozzle part to form the fluid jetting apparatus, instead of adhering the same to each other.




Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.




The above and other objects are accomplished by a method of manufacturing a fluid jetting apparatus according to the present invention, including: (1) forming a heat driving part having a sacrificial layer; (2) forming a membrane on the heat driving part which includes the sacrificial layer; (3) forming a nozzle part on the membrane; and (4) removing the sacrificial layer.




The step (1) includes: (i) forming an electrode and an exothermic body on a substrate; (ii) laminating a working fluid barrier on the electrode and the exothermic body, and forming a working fluid chamber in the working fluid barrier; (iii) forming a protective layer on the working fluid barrier, the electrode, and the exothermic body; (iv) forming a sacrificial layer on the protective layer and within the working fluid chamber at the same height as the working fluid barrier.




Further, the step (1) may otherwise include: (i) forming an electrode and an exothermic body on a substrate; (ii) forming a plane layer on the substrate at the same height as the electrode and the exothermic body combined; (iii) laminating a protective layer on the electrode and the plane layer; (iv) laminating the working fluid barrier on the protective layer, and forming a working fluid chamber in the working fluid barrier; and (v) forming the sacrificial layer on the protective layer and within an interior of the working fluid chamber at the same height as the working fluid barrier.




The step (2) is performed through a spin coating process.




The step (3) includes: (i) laminating a jetting fluid barrier on the membrane, and forming a jetting fluid chamber in the jetting fluid barrier; and (ii) laminating a nozzle plate on the jetting fluid barrier, and forming a nozzle in the nozzle plate. The nozzle plate is laminated through a process for laminating a dry film.




The above and other objects of the present invention may further be achieved by providing a fluid jetting apparatus including a heat driving part which generates a driving force, a nozzle part having a jetting fluid chamber interconnected to an exterior of the fluid jetting apparatus through a nozzle, and a membrane which transmits the driving force generated from the heat driving part to the nozzle part, wherein the heat driving part comprises: an electrode and an exothermic body formed on a substrate; a plane layer formed on the substrate at the same height as the electrode and the exothermic body combined; a protective layer laminated on the plane layer; and a working fluid barrier laminated on the protective layer, and provided with the working fluid chamber for holding a working fluid which is expanded by the exothermic body to generate the driving force.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The above objects and advantages will become more apparent and more readily appreciated by describing the preferred embodiments in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

is a vertical sectional view of a fluid jetting apparatus according to a conventional thermal compression system;





FIG. 2

is a view showing a process For manufacturing a fluid jetting apparatus according to a conventional roll method;





FIGS. 3A and 3B

are views showing a process for manufacturing a heat driving part and

FIG. 3C

is a view showing a process for manufacturing a membrane on the heat driving part of the fluid jetting apparatus according to the conventional systems;





FIGS. 4A

to


4


C are views showing a process for manufacturing a nozzle part of the fluid jetting apparatus according to the conventional thermal compression system;





FIG. 5

is a vertical sectional view of the fluid jetting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;





FIGS. 6A

to


6


H are views showing a process for manufacturing the fluid jetting apparatus according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 7

is a vertical sectional view of the fluid jetting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and





FIGS. 8A

to


8


G are views showing a process for manufacturing the fluid jetting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Reference will now made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.





FIG. 5

is a vertical sectional views of a fluid jetting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and

FIGS. 6A

to


6


H are views showing a process for manufacturing the fluid jetting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.




A reference numeral


110


refers to a heat driving part,


120


is a membrane, and


130


is a nozzle part.




With respect to the heat driving part


110


, the reference numeral


111


is a substrate,


112


is an insulated layer,


113


is an exothermic body, and


114


is an electrode. The reference numeral


115


is a working fluid barrier,


116


is a working fluid chamber, and


117


is a working fluid passage. The reference numeral


118


is a protective layer, and


119


is a sacrificial layer.




With respect to the membrane


120


, the reference numeral


121


is a polyimide coated layer, and


122


is a polyimide adhered layer.




With respect to the nozzle part


130


, the reference numeral


131


is a jetting fluid barrier,


132


is a jetting fluid chamber, and


133


is a jetting fluid passage. The reference numeral


134


is a nozzle plate, and


135


is a nozzle.




A fluid jetting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention has the same construction as the related art. Accordingly, a further description thereof will be omitted.




A manufacturing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes: forming the heat driving part


110


inclusive of the sacrificial layer


119


; forming the membrane


120


on the heat driving part


10


; forming the nozzle part


130


on the membrane


120


, and removing the sacrificial layer


119


.




First, the heat driving part


110


is formed as follows. As shown in

FIG. 6A

, the exothermic body


113


and the electrode


114


are formed on the substrate


111


which has the insulated layer


112


formed thereon. As shown in

FIG. 6B

, after the working fluid barrier


115


is laminated on the exothermic body


113


and the electrode


114


, the working fluid chamber


116


and the working fluid passage


117


are formed through an etching process. Here, either a dry etching or a wet etching may be employed.




Next, as shown in

FIG. 6C

, the protective layer


118


is laminated to protect the heat driving part


110


including the working fluid barrier


115


. Then, as shown in

FIG. 6D

, the sacrificial layer


119


is formed within the working fluid chamber


116


, at the same height as the working fluid barrier


115


. The sacrificial layer


119


is comprised of metal, or an organic compound, formed on the protective layer


118


, and fills the interior of the working fluid chamber


116


so as to plane the upper side of the working chamber barrier


115


. As the working fluid chamber


116


is not flat as can be seen from

FIGS. 5

,


6


B,


6


C and


6


H, in which the exothermic element


113


and the electrode


114


protrude from the upper surface of the insulating layer


112


(

FIGS. 5 and 6B

through


6


H), the sacrificial layer


119


filled in the working fluid chamber has angled edges. Later, the sacrificial layer


119


will be removed in the final step. The protective layer


118


is to prevent the other parts from being removed together with the sacrificial layer


119


, when the sacrificial layer


119


is removed in the final step. It is preferable that the protective layer


118


is comprised of materials which have excellent properties of insulation and heat conductivity. The protective layer is laminated by a process of a “Diamond Like Coating.” By using the “Diamond Like Coating,” the protective layer


118


can provide such properties.




Next, as shown in

FIG. 6E

, when the sacrificial layer


119


fills the interior of the working fluid chamber


116


, so that the upper side of the working fluid barrier


115


is essentially planed, the membrane


120


(formed of the polyimide coated layer


121


and the polyimide adhered layer


122


) may be laminated thereon, directly. The membrane


120


is laminated through a spin coating and curing processes.




Then, as shown in

FIG. 6F

, the jetting fluid barrier


131


is laminated on the membrane


120


. The jetting fluid chamber


132


and the jetting fluid passage


133


are formed in the jetting fluid barrier


131


through an etching process. Part of the membrane


120


above part the sacrificial


119


is also etched (see right side of FIG.


6


F). The jetting fluid barrier


131


is laminated through the spin coating and curing processes. Alternatively, the jetting fluid barrier


131


may be laminated through a dry film lamination process, or a metal film lamination process which employs a sputtering process. The etching process may either be the dry etching or the wet etching.




Then, as shown in

FIG. 6G

, the nozzle plate


134


is laminated on the jetting fluid barrier


131


. Since the jetting fluid chamber


132


is formed in the jetting fluid barrier


131


, the nozzle plate


134


is laminated through the dry film lamination process. Also, the nozzle


135


is formed in the nozzle plate


134


by etching, or a laser processing.




Finally, as shown in

FIG. 6H

, the sacrificial layer


119


is removed by a wet etching, and the fluid jetting apparatus is completed.




Meanwhile,

FIG. 7

is a vertical sectional view of a fluid jetting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and

FIGS. 8A

to


8


G are views showing a process for manufacturing the fluid jetting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.




The manufacturing process for the fluid jetting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes: forming a heat driving part


210


inclusive of a sacrificial layer


219


, forming a membrane


220


on the heat driving part


210


, forming a nozzle part


230


on the membrane


220


, and removing the sacrificial layer


219


.




Here, the reference numeral


215


is a plane layer,


216


is a protective layer, and


219


′ is a sacrificial layer. Except for these, the like elements will be given the same reference numerals as the reference numerals, offset by


100


, of the first embodiment throughout.




First, as shown in

FIG. 8A

, an exothermic body


213


and an electrode


214


are formed on a substrate


211


having the insulated layer


212


. Next, as shown in

FIG. 8B

, the plane layer


215


is formed at the same height as the electrode


214


and the exothermic body


213


. Then, as shown in

FIG. 8C

, the protective layer


216


is laminated. Since the electrode


214


and the exothermic body


213


, formed on top of each other, and the plane layer


215


are formed at the same height, unlike the example described in the first embodiment, the protective layer


216


is laminated in a plane manner.




Then, as shown in

FIG. 8D

, after a working fluid barrier


217


is laminated on the protective layer


216


, a working fluid chamber


218


and a working fluid passage


219


are formed by an etching process, such as dry etching or wet etching. Next, as shown in

FIG. 8E

, the sacrificial layer


219


′ is formed within the working fluid chamber


218


at the same height as the working fluid barrier


217


. Here, the sacrificial layer


219


′ is comprised of metal, or an organic compound. The sacrificial layer


219


′ fills the interior of the working fluid chamber


218


so as to plane the upper side of the working fluid barrier


217


.




Then, as shown in

FIG. 8F

, the membrane


220


and the nozzle part


230


are formed on the working fluid barrier


217


, sequentially. Since the membrane


220


(including the polyimide coated layer


221


and the polyimide adhered layer


222


and the nozzle part


230


(including the jetting fluid barrier


231


, the jetting fluid chamber


232


, the jetting fluid passage


233


, the nozzle plate


234


and the nozzle


235


) are formed by the same processes as described above with regard to the corresponding elements, offset by


100


, in the first embodiment, a further description thereof will be omitted. Finally, as shown in

FIG. 8G

, by removing the sacrificial layer


219


′, preferably by a wet etching, the fluid jetting apparatus is completed to have the structure as shown in FIG.


7


.




As described above, according to the present invention, since the heat driving part, the membrane, and the nozzle part are sequentially laminated to form the fluid jetting apparatus, the adhering process, which is required by the conventional manufacturing system, is no longer required. Accordingly, due to the very simplified manufacturing processes, the productivity, the reliability, and the quality of the fluid jetting apparatus is improved, and the percentage of defective parts is decreased.




While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A method of manufacturing a fluid jetting apparatus comprising:forming an electrode and an exothermic body on a substrate; laminating a plane layer on the substrate at a same height as the electrode and the exothermic body combined; laminating a protective layer on the electrode and the plane layer; laminating a working fluid barrier on the protective layer, and forming a working fluid chamber in the working fluid barrier; forming a sacrificial layer on the protective layer and within an interior of the working fluid chamber at a same height as the working fluid barrier; laminating a membrane on the working fluid barrier and the sacrificial layer formed to the same height as the working fluid barrier; laminating a jetting fluid barrier on the membrane, and forming a jetting fluid chamber in the jetting fluid barrier; laminating a nozzle plate on the jetting fluid barrier, and forming a nozzle in the nozzle plate; and removing the sacrificial layer.
  • 2. A fluid jetting apparatus comprising:a heat driving part which generates a driving force; a nozzle part having a jetting fluid chamber interconnected to an exterior of the fluid jetting apparatus through a nozzle, the jetting fluid chamber to hold a jetting fluid; and a membrane which transmits the driving force generated from the heat driving part to the nozzle part to jet the jetting fluid through the nozzle; wherein the heat driving part includes an electrode and an exothermic body formed on a substrate, a plane layer formed on the substrate at a same height as the electrode and the exothermic body combined, a protective layer laminated on the plane layer and the electrode, and a working fluid barrier laminated on the protective layer and formed with a working fluid chamber which holds a working fluid which generates the driving force by expanding in response to a heating of the exothermic body.
  • 3. A fluid jetting apparatus, comprising:a heat driving part which includes a substrate, a heating element including an electrode, formed on the substrate and to generate heat, a plane layer formed to a same height as the heating element on the substrate, to form a planar surface with the heating element, a protective layer formed on the planar surface, and a working fluid barrier have a working fluid chamber to store and heat working fluid; a membrane formed on the working fluid barrier, to move in response to the heating of the working fluid; and a nozzle part formed on the membrane, and having a jetting fluid chamber storing jetting fluid, to emit the jetting fluid in response to the movement of the membrane.
  • 4. A fluid jetting apparatus, comprising:a heat driving part which includes a substrate, a heating element including an electrode, formed on the substrate and to generate heat, a plane layer formed to a same height as the heating element on the substrate, to form a planar surface with the heating element, and a working fluid barrier have a working fluid chamber to store and heat working fluid; a membrane laminated on the working fluid barrier, to move in response to the heating of the working fluid; and a nozzle part laminated on the membrane, and having a jetting fluid chamber storing jetting fluid, to emit the jetting fluid in response to the movement of the membrane.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
98-54151 Dec 1998 KR
Parent Case Info

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/455,022, filed Dec. 6, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,705.

US Referenced Citations (5)
Number Name Date Kind
5322594 Bol Jun 1994 A
5478606 Ohkuma et al. Dec 1995 A
6142616 Akahane Nov 2000 A
6145965 Inada et al. Nov 2000 A
6390606 Terui et al. May 2002 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
2-249652 Oct 1990 JP
8-118632 May 1996 JP