A high-resolution silicon monolithic nozzle array for inkjet printing

This paper describes a high-resolution monolithic nozzle array for inkjet printing. The nozzles are fabricated using a bulk anisotropic etching technology to undercut a network of highly-boron-doped silicon support ribs, forming an array of microchannels which are then sealed using thermal oxidation and LPCVD dielectrics. Closely-spaced trapezoidal or triangular nozzles are realized after cutting the wafer perpendicular to the microtubes. With a 21-μm nozzle width and a 4-μm nozzle-to-nozzle separation, a resolution of 1016 dots per inch (d/in) can be achieved. Polysilicon heaters are integrated on top of each microchannel so that when activated, the underlying ink is vaporized and a drop of ink is expelled to impinge on the paper. The fabrication of this device requires only five masks and is compatible with the addition of on-chip circuitry for multiplexing the heater control signals. Heat transfer efficiency to the ink is enhanced by the high thermal conductivity of the silicon ribs in the channel ceiling, while the bulk silicon maintains high interchannel isolation. Current pulses 20 μs wide with a power density of 3.35×10⁸ W/m² have been used in initial printing tests, resulting in 20-μm diameter ink dots on a piece of paper which was set 2 mm away from the nozzle. The energy required to fire an ink drop is 11.5 μJ