Active ink-jet nozzles equipped with arrayed visual sensors for parallel alignment control

We have made a smart inkjet nozzle array designed for multilayer patterning of functional materials. Each nozzle comprises a visual sensor and a mechanically moving actuator to achieve independent alignment control of the inkjets. The landing position of ejected inkjets were successfully controlled by the actuated nozzle. Waveform patterns of a fluorescent dye were printed by the fabricated prototype. The built-in microlenses showed a resolution good enough to obtain 2-μm-precision alignment. Coupled with a CMOS image sensor integrated with processing circuitry, the fabricated nozzle array will eventually achieve patterning of functional materials on flexible substrates.