Patent Application
20060103695
The presently described embodiments relate to a thin film or thick film heater and control architecture for an ink jet liquid drop ejector. They find particular application in conjunction with ink jet liquid drop ejector (known in the art as print heads) useful for emitting phase change inks, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the presently described embodiments are also amenable to other like applications where liquid material can be ejected with the benefit of ejector temperature regulation. Such liquid jettable material can be ink jet printer ink, liquid metal, color filter material, photoresist material, curable resin, bio-reagents or even chocolate (food) etc.
By way of background, different types of droplet ejectors are known. Selective applications shall be reviewed here for illustration purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,183 (Dec. 28, 1999) entitled “Acoustic Metal Jet Fabrication using an Inert Gas”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,814 (Feb. 1, 2000) entitled “Method of Manufacturing 3D Parts using a Sacrificial Material”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,151 (Jun. 19, 2001) entitled “Method of Manufacturing Three Dimensional Parts using an Inert Gas” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,405 (Feb. 26, 2002) entitled “Apparatus for Manufacturing Three Dimensional Parts using an Inert Gas”, all to Horine, describe liquid drop ejectors which ejects liquid metal, such as hot solder and other similar material to make 3D parts. U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,164 (Jul. 9, 2002) to Stearns et al., entitled “Acoustic Ejection of Fluids using Large F-Number Focusing Elements”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,548,308 (Apr. 15, 2003) to Ellson et al., entitled “Focused Acoustic Energy Method and Device for Generating Droplets of Immiscible Fluids”, and, U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,686 (Sep. 2, 2003) to Mutz et al. entitled “Focused Acoustic Energy in the Preparation and Screening of Combinatorial Libraries” are application examples where bio-reagents can be ejected from a liquid drop ejector. U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,884 (Jun. 1, 2004) to Wong et al., entitled “Apparatus for Printing Etch Masks using Phase-change Materials” is an example of printing phase change materials for the purpose of fabricating electronic circuit and devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,757 (Nov. 23, 1999) entitled “Color Filter Manufacturing Method” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,720,119 (Jul. 6, 2004) to Ito et al., entitled “System and Methods for Manufacturing a Color Filter using a Scanning Ink Jet Head” describe methods of using an ink jet liquid drop ejector to eject color filter material. U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,640 (May 13, 2003) to Young, entitled “Systems and Methods of Printing with Ultraviolet Photosensitive Resin-containing Materials using Light Emitting Devices” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,889 (Mar. 25, 2003) to Biegelsen et al. entitled “Systems and Methods for Ejecting or Depositing Substances containing Multiple Photoinitiators” are other examples of ejecting resin-containing materials. These illustrated applications can greatly benefit from the presently described embodiment of integrated thin film or thick film heater and control architecture for such temperature regulated liquid drop ejectors.
The use of heaters on liquid drop ejectors that emit phase change ink is well known. The phase change ink is solid at room temperature and a jettable liquid at about 130 degrees to 140 degree Celsius. This temperature dependent viscosity can affect ink drop ejection velocity which can impact the process direction placement accuracy of ink drops on a rotating drum or substrate medium. A typical ink jet velocity change with temperature is about two to three percent per degree Celsius. Typical viscosity for these phase change ink at jetting temperature is about 10 to 15 centipoise. Several phase change ink drop ejectors with externally attached heater elements and thermistors are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,355 to DeYoung et al, (Nov. 29, 1983) for an “Ink Jet Apparatus with Preloaded Diaphragm and Method of Making Same” describes an early version of a reciprocating ink jet head with an attached heater element and a discrete thermistor temperature sensor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,930 to Roy et al. (Feb. 11, 1992) for a “Drop-on-demand Ink Jet Print Head” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,143 to Hoffman (Jan. 21, 1992) for “Rotational Adjustment of an Ink Jet Head” provide some background description of a 9.5 cm wide, 96 jets, reciprocating carriage version of such a phase change ink print head.
One embodiment of a full media width phase change ink or liquid drop ejector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,767 (“the '767 patent”) to Alavizadeh et al. (Jun. 13, 1995) for an “Apparatus and Method for Heating Ink to a Uniform Temperature in a Multiple-orifice Phase-change Ink-jet Print Head”. In this regard, as disclosed in the '767 patent,
In contrast, liquid drop ejector 44 employs a faster thermal response time of about three to about seven seconds to respond to temperature changes caused by the above-described thermal transfer mechanisms, printer mode-related temperature changes, and heat lost by ejecting dense ink patterns. The temperature of liquid drop ejector 44 is sensed by a thermistor 104 (shown in phantom) that is inserted into a well in liquid drop ejector 44 and controlled as above by the temperature controller which powers liquid drop ejector heater 58.
Liquid drop ejector 44 is mated to reservoir 52 along a rectangular surface contact region 92 (shown in dashed lines). Contact region 92 on reservoir 52 includes four rows of ink ports 106 through which liquid drop ejector 44 receives melted yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink. Contact region 92 on printhead 44 includes four rows of mating ink ports (not shown) that are separated from and positioned below four rows of orifices 46. The difference of thermal response times on either side of contact region 92 prevents thermal oscillation between the liquid drop ejector and reservoir-related temperature control loops.
Liquid drop ejector heater 58 is bonded to the rear surface of liquid drop ejector 44 just adjacent to and above contact region 92. A cutout region 108 in liquid drop ejector heater 58 accommodates the area required by the piezoelectric transducers (not shown) that drive rows of orifices 46. The piezoelectric transducers are electrically connected to driver circuits 60 by flex circuit 62.
Alternatively, cutout region 108 can be eliminated if liquid drop ejector heater 58 is bonded to the major surface of flex circuit 62 facing away from printhead 44. In this embodiment, heat from liquid drop ejector heater 58 conducts through flex circuit 62 and into liquid drop ejector 44 in part through the piezoelectric transducers. The piezoelectric transducers are not good heat conductors, but neither is the stainless steel from which liquid drop ejector 44 is made. This embodiment provides a more direct heat conduction path to ink adjacent to each of orifices 46.
Notably, the phase change liquid drop ejector with the attached flexible circuit heater, as disclosed in the '767 patent, has at least some drawbacks. Because the flexible material of the heater is a thermal insulator, and because added thermal contact resistance resides in the assembly, the liquid drop ejector substrate temperature is not as responsive to changes in the flex heater temperature as may be desired. This is a disadvantage for this implementation. Other disadvantages of this configuration include higher manufacturing costs.
Another disadvantage to this type of configuration is that the flexible circuit results in a limited maximum pixel resolution—because the signal lines have inherent constraints.
Moreover, it would be desirable to implement a design that achieves good quality prints using phase change ink liquid drop ejectors. To do so, appropriate heat uniformity across the pixel zone is required.
In accordance with one aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the liquid drop ejector comprises a jet stack, a pixel zone comprising columns and rows of pixel elements defined on a surface of the jet stack, thin film or thick film heater elements disposed on the surface of the jet stack in the pixel zone and at least one thin film or thick film temperature sensor operative to provide feedback temperature control for the thin film or thick film heater elements.
In accordance with another aspect of the presently described embodiments, the thin film or thick film heater elements and/or the thin film or thick film temperature sensors are formed of material with positive or negative temperature coefficient of electrical resistance.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the jet stack comprises stainless steel material.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the heater elements form loops encompassing selected columns of pixels. In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the liquid drop ejector further comprises second heater elements formed of material with positive or negative temperature coefficient of electrical resistance on the surface of the jet stack outside the pixel zone.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the thin film or thick film heater elements are operative to be individually controlled.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the thin film or thick film heaters are grouped in heater segments, the segments being operative to be individually controlled.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, adjacent segments are positioned in an overlapping configuration.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the pixel elements are each connected to an input/output pad by a signal line, selected signal lines having a first width near corresponding pads that is less than a second width near corresponding pixel elements.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, an increase in width from the first width to the second width is progressive.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the signal lines are formed of a thin film or thick film material with positive or negative temperature coefficient of electrical resistance.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, a method for forming the liquid drop ejector comprises providing a jet stack having a surface with a pixel zone defined therein, the pixel zone comprising columns and rows of pixel elements, forming a dielectric layer on the surface of the jet stack, and forming a metal layer on the dielectric layer, and patterning thin film or thick film heater elements in the metal layer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the metal layer is a positive temperature coefficient of resistance material.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the metal layer is chrome.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the patterning further comprises patterning at least one of a temperature sensor, additional heater elements, bond pads, and signal lines connecting the pixel elements to the bond pads.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, depending on construction, the temperature sensor formed of thin or thick film material can be a thermistor or a thermocouple.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, depending on construction, the temperature sensor made of thin or thick film material can be a common centroid temperature sensor—having the benefit of the measured temperature being independent of process and temperature variability of resistor line width, resistor line width gradient and temperature gradient.
In accordance with another aspect of the present exemplary embodiments, the temperature sensor made of thin or thick film material can have the characteristics of thermal shield guarding and/or electrical shield guarding.
The presently described embodiments provide for improvements in temperature regulated ink jet type of liquid drop ejectors used for emitting phase change ink or other jettable material such as liquid metal, color filter material, photoresist material, curable resin or bio-reagents, etc. In this regard, a thin film or thick film integrated heater and temperature sensor design is provided. The presently described embodiments result in improved thermal coupling of this thin film heating system to a substrate such as a stainless steel substrate. Advantageously, processes associated with thin film or thick film material and integrated circuit manufacturing are used. The thin film or thick film heater provides direct heating of a stainless steel jet stack to a desired ink temperature for proper ink jet operation and achieves better thermal heating efficiency than prior art heaters. The temperature sensor allows for direct monitoring of the substrate temperature for better feedback control. In addition, by integrating the thin film or thick film heater and temperature sensor functionality directly onto the phase change ink liquid drop ejector, higher performance (shorter printhead heat-up time, reduced peak heater electrical power equipment, potential for higher pixel resolution and interconnect integration, etc.) and reduced manufacturing costs are realized.
In addition, in at least one form, the presently described embodiments implement independent temperature regulation for subdivided sections of a phase change ink liquid drop ejector. The segmented and independently regulated temperature control zones make possible a more uniform temperature profile across the liquid drop ejector. Furthermore, these temperature control zones can be made to coincide with various paper media width requirements, making “on demand” paper width temperature profiles possible.
Still further, in at least one form, the present exemplary embodiments optionally provide a technique of impedance matching by, for example, progressively widening the pixel feed interconnect lines, or signal lines, as the signal lines traverse through pixel rows to reach their pixel element destination. By progressively widening the signal lines, the line resistance for the furthest row from the bond, or input/output, pads to the closest row from the bond pads are within an acceptable range for signal propagation. This narrows the signal line variation range from row to row and makes overall print normalization achievable.
With reference to
The pixel zone 204 comprises pixel elements 206 arranged in columns and rows on a surface of the jet stack 202. As shown, this pixel zone is disposed in the substantially center portion of the jet stack 202. However, it should be understood that the pixels may be arranged in a variety of configurations. For example, only a single pixel element may be provided, or the pixel elements may be arranged in an irregular format or in clusters of arrays. For manufacturing purposes, a mesa is optionally formed on the surface of the jet stack and protrudes to allow for proper attachment of a metalized actuator element. This metalized actuator element is not shown but is described below in connection with, for example,
This configuration is an improvement over prior systems wherein the actuator elements were attached to a flexible interposer circuit which was heat seal attached to the driver chip PCB edge. The flex circuit served as an interposer and carried the drive signals from the rigid PCB to the actuator elements. The jetstack's stainless steel body was the common electrical ground.
Thin film or thick film heater elements 208 are provided to columns of the pixel elements within the pixel zone. As will be described in greater detail and illustrated below, the heater elements 208 within the pixel zone 204 loop around columns of pixels 206 in the pixel zone 204. The liquid drop ejector 200 includes temperature sensors (e.g. thermistors) 210 and 212, as well as additional heater elements 214 and 216 which lie outside the pixel zone. The temperature sensors may include two or four terminals for input/output functions. Still further heating elements may be formed on the liquid drop ejector (e.g., near ink feed ports and bond pads) to improve watt density distribution. As alluded to above, bond pads 218 and interconnect lines 220 are also formed on the jet stack. Note that, for ease of circuit connection, these pads are located on the same edge of the jet stack. It is also notable that the interconnect lines 220 are fanned out from the bond pads as illustrated to accommodate ink feed manifold ports 222 which are positioned on the liquid drop ejector 200. This configuration of fanning out the lines also allows for improved heat dissipation.
It should be further noted that the interconnect lines 220 take two forms: heater lines and signal lines. The heater lines extend from the bond pads 218, as loops, around columns of pixel elements 206. The signal lines (although not specifically shown in
With reference now to
Implementation of the thin film or thick film heater and control architecture as described in connection with the presently described embodiments, results in an integrated heating system for a liquid drop ejector that has the ability to heat the liquid drop ejector jet stack to a desired ink temperature with better thermal efficiency than prior art heaters. It is estimated that this results in energy saving of 30% or greater. The present technique also allows for a reduction in jet stack warm-up time. Moreover, the cost for the heater and thermistor functionality for the liquid drop ejector is greatly reduced from a manufacturing standpoint and also from a drive voltage and power regulation standpoint.
In addition, the use of thin film or thick film techniques also allows for more adaptability of the circuits on the printed circuit board. For example, the integrated interconnect lines are only limited by photolithography patterning techniques and, potentially, could be adapted to allow for a higher resolution liquid drop ejector.
With reference now to
Referring now to
Implementation of independently controllable thin film or thick film heater loops on a stainless steel substrate, with patterned interconnections as described, results in multiple heat zones that can be independently regulated. This regulation may occur through the use of a temperature sensing thin film or thick film temperature sensor. Regulation may also occur by sensing electrical power, electrical current or other electrical parameters delivered to the thin film or thick film heaters on the heated substrate. The multiple heat zones may be heated by direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) that is unmodulated or modulated. Also, either direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) heater voltage which is subject to pulse width modulation (PWM) may also be used to regulate electrical power delivery.
These features allow for the heating zones on the printhead to be configured and reconfigured supporting multiple applications. For example, multiple heat zones can be used according to paper media requirements to achieve on demand paper media width printhead heating. In this regard, segmentation of regulated heat zones can be driven by print/copy functionality or by temperature uniformity requirements. These two requirements should not conflict with each other and both requirements can be met and implemented together. This programmable on-demand heater zone width control method has a novel and distinct advantage of “Energy Star” energy savings reducing overall printer/copier wall socket power consumption. Appropriate circuitry and software is implemented to control these heat zones. However, such circuitry and software may vary from application to application. Nonetheless, in one embodiment, the heat zones are controlled by a controller that resides in, for example, the printer. The controller processes and transmits appropriate signals to the ejector in accordance with the objectives described herein. Alternatively, the controller may reside on the ejector itself.
It should also be understood that overall control of a liquid drip ejector (beyond controlling the heat zones), such as the liquid drop ejector described herein, is typically accomplished using techniques that are well known to those of skill in the art. Such techniques, of course, may be modified to accommodate the features described herein.
As an example of operation and/or implementation of multiple heating zones, it is desirable for some print/copy applications to have various print widths. An example of this requirement is printing multiple copies on postcard size media. In this case, the operating temperature heating of the jet stack may be allocated to cover just the postcard media with some paper path width margin. The rest of the jet stack can be at a stand-by temperature. This is desirable for jet stacks that use phase change ink. The stand-by temperature will keep the phase change ink in a liquid state. The heater can be turned off in unused regulated heat zones for other print/copy applications which do not need ink preheating as for phase change ink. Segmentation of regulated heat zones for a temperature uniformity requirement can have small pixel column groupings to achieve the desired localized temperature uniformity. There can be overlaps of heater loops between neighboring heat zones.
By having segmented and independently controlled heater zones on a phase change ink liquid drop ejector, a controllable temperature profile is achievable. When more that two heater zones are used, further temperature uniformity can then be achieved. By having distributed and independently controllable heater loops on the printhead, regulated heat zone definition and overlap at zone boundaries can be defined on the attached printed wiring board, which can be customized to define various temperature regulating heat zones. Thus, on demand and programmable media heat zone widths are made possible. This, of course, reduces power consumption.
Referring now to
As noted above, however, in at least one form of the presently described embodiments, the signal lines are progressively sized to reduce the amount of resistance and provide for better uniformity of signaling on the liquid drop ejector. In this regard,
Referring now to
Referring now to
The surface of the jet stack is then prepared and a mesa 1010 is optionally formed thereon. The mesa is typically made from a layer 1012 of dielectric material and is patterned so that it increases the registration tolerances and attachment effectiveness that will be required when the actuator layers are attached to the jet stack (at 904 and
Next, the surface of the jet stack is coated with a layer 1014 of dielectric material (at 906 and
A metal layer 1016 having a measure of electrical resistance therein is then formed over the dielectric coat (at 908 and
The metal layer is then patterned (at 910 and
Next, a passivation layer 1018 is formed (at 912 and
The above fabrication process flow description detailed the embodiment of a reduced single metal layer process where the patterned metal layer define the pixel electrode contact pad, the signal line interconnect, the heater elements, the temperature sensors (thermistors), the bond pads etc. This reduced single metal layer embodiment has the advantage and simplicity of saving process steps which leads to higher process yield and reduced fabrication time. Other fabrication embodiments using multiple layers of metal and dielectric are also possible.
The actuator layer 1022 is then attached (at 916 and
As noted above, the temperature sensor may take a variety of forms. The objective of an advantageously implemented temperature sensor is to provide for accuracy in sensed temperature. To that end, temperature sensors disposed on the same ejector (e.g. along the width or length of the jet stack) may be designed to be matching to the greatest extent possible to maximize end-to-end accuracy. Or, a common centroid configuration shown
As illustrated in
Another temperature sensor that can be constructed is a thermocouple (not illustrated). In this regard, a thermocouple junction may be formed as a result of the contact between two dissimilar thin film or thick film metals or the contact between the thin film or thick film metal and the jet stack.
Referring to
The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary embodiments be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
