Ink jet chip structure

Abstract

In order to improve the complex and diverse structural types of various ink-jet chips for ink-jet printing in the prior art, the invention provides an ink-jet chip structure which comprises an orifice piece and an ink-jet chip. Wherein the surface of the orifice sheet is provided with a plurality of orifices, and the orifice sheet is arranged on the surface of the ink jet chip. Wherein the ink jet chip further comprises a plurality of ink droplet generators, each ink droplet generator is provided with a chip substrate, a thermal barrier layer, a heating resistance layer, a conductive layer, a protective layer and a barrier layer to form a stacked structure, a heating resistor is formed on the heating resistance layer, and the area ratio of the heating resistor to the jet hole is between 11.6% and 58.8%.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet chip structure, and more specifically, to an inkjet chip structure that expands industrial versatility by optimizing the arrangement ratio between the nozzle and the heating resistor in the structure. Background Art

[0002] Inkjet printing technology, commonly known as "Inkjet Printing", is a widely used printing technology. Its history can be traced back to the 1950s when the British company Hewlett-Packard invented inkjet printing technology. Since then, inkjet printing technology has developed rapidly, making inkjet printers the mainstream technology for home and commercial printing. Inkjet printers have many advantages, including: low cost, especially economic advantages for home and small business use; high printing quality, which can provide high-resolution and high-quality images, especially in photos or pictures; convenient to use, inkjet printers are easy to install, and most inkjet printers can print through computers or mobile devices. When combined with the emerging multi-function (including fax, photocopying, scanning) business machines in recent years, it can quickly expand the flexibility of paperwork in the office.

[0003] The existing inkjet printing technology has been applied in various ways, ranging from inkjet printers for schools and offices to 3D printing or industrial printing on various surfaces (e.g., printing labels). There are various types of inkjet chips that are optimized for the needs. For example, U.S. Patent No. 9016836B2 records an inkjet chip structure. In FIG. 3 of the case of US9016836, it is revealed that the inkjet chip architecture includes a stacked structure composed of protective layers 40, 42, a resistor layer 44, a thermal resistor layer 26, a silicon carbide layer 50, and the like. The ink flows upward from the lower layer of the inkjet chip through an ink flow channel through the above-mentioned stacked structure of components and then enters the ink supply chamber 14 to supply the printing needs, so that the modern inkjet printing technology can achieve the purpose of printing high-resolution and high-quality images.

[0004] However, as mentioned above, although the existing inkjet printing technology can meet the various output requirements of schools, office documents, 3D printing, and industry, the inkjet chip structures currently on the market also have various optimized models in order to respond to the above-mentioned applications. This makes the inkjet chip structure often have to worry about how to balance the variables related to application requirements such as resolution, printing speed, required printing materials, cost, ink supply color, various printing systems, etc. during the engineering design and selection stage, resulting in many complex inkjet chip structure types for the above-mentioned optimized applications. If this situation is viewed from the perspective of industrial production management and economic cost control, this will undoubtedly increase the troubles of production quantity management and application demand warehousing management. Therefore, based on the current market situation, there is still an urgent need for an inkjet chip structure with wide versatility that can meet various office, commercial, and industrial uses, so as to improve the efficiency of industrial production management and economic cost control in the industry. In view of this, the above-mentioned demand has become a topic that needs to be explored in the present invention. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of this case is to provide an inkjet chip structure, including a nozzle plate and a corresponding inkjet chip. By standardizing and modularizing the structure of the inkjet chip and considering the performance balance required for printing, the area ratio range of the heating resistor set in the heating resistor layer and the nozzle in the nozzle plate is optimized. In this way, in the inkjet chip structure, the specifications of the inkjet chip itself can be fixed, and only the form of the nozzle plate needs to be adjusted according to the application requirements (in other words, only the size of the nozzle needs to be adjusted). In this way, all applications can be adapted to the same inkjet chip, and only the size of the nozzle in the nozzle plate needs to be modified according to the application. At the same time, the structure of the ink droplet generator can simultaneously form the ink supply chamber and the ink outlet on the barrier layer in one piece. The inkjet chip structure in such a structure can not only maintain the performance of printing high-resolution and high-quality images in traditional inkjet printing technology, but also have sufficient versatility to meet various office, commercial and industrial uses, so as to achieve the purpose of improving the efficiency of industrial production management and economic cost control in the industry in the present invention. For its detailed technical solution, please refer to the following.

[0006] One of the broad implementation aspects of the present case is to provide an inkjet chip structure, comprising: a nozzle plate and an inkjet chip, characterized in that the nozzle plate has a plurality of nozzles on its surface and is arranged on the surface of the inkjet chip, and the inkjet chip further comprises: a plurality of ink droplet generators, the ink droplet generators comprising a chip substrate, a thermal barrier layer, a heating resistor layer, a conductive layer, a protective layer, and a barrier layer stacked in sequence to form a stacked structure, characterized in that an ink supply chamber is provided between the protective layer and the barrier layer, and the top of the ink supply chamber has an ink outlet connected to the nozzle of the nozzle plate, and the area ratio of the heating resistor layer and the nozzle ranges from 11.6% to 58.8%.

[0007] Among them, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, the thermal barrier layer is an insulating material formed on the chip substrate, the heating resistor layer is a resistor material formed on the thermal barrier layer, the conductive layer is a conductive material, and part of the conductive layer is formed on the heating resistor layer, a part of the protective layer is formed on the heating resistor layer, and the other part of the protective layer is formed on the conductive layer, and the barrier layer is a polymer material formed on the protective layer. In addition, the ink supply chamber and the ink outlet are integrally formed in the barrier layer, and the ink is supplied from the side of the ink supply chamber through an ink supply channel in a direction parallel to the plane of the stacked structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The detailed description of the present invention and the schematic diagram of the embodiments described below should enable a more complete understanding of the present invention; however, it should be understood that this is only a reference for understanding the application of the present invention, rather than limiting the present invention to a specific embodiment.

[0009] Figure 1 The configuration of the nozzle plate and the inkjet chip in the inkjet chip structure is described.

[0010] Figure 2A The arrangement of multiple ink droplet generators in an inkjet chip is described.

[0011] Figure 2B The arrangement of the ink droplet generators in the inkjet chip is described, but the illustration of the nozzle holes attached to the inkjet chip is omitted.

[0012] Figure 3 This is the stacked structure of the inkjet chip structure seen from a three-dimensional perspective.

[0013] Figure 4 To express Figure 2A In the figure, a AA' section illustrates the stacked structure of the ink drop generator viewed from the side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The present invention will be described in detail with preferred embodiments and viewpoints so that the reader can thoroughly understand the implementation methods of the multiple embodiments. However, those skilled in the art in this field must understand that the present invention can also be implemented without the multiple details. In addition, the present invention can also be used and implemented by other specific embodiments. The various details described in this specification can also be applied based on different needs, and various modifications or changes can be made without deviating from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will be described with preferred embodiments and viewpoints. Such descriptions are to explain the structure of the present invention and are only used for illustration rather than to limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. The terms used in the following description will be interpreted in the broadest reasonable way so that they can be used together with the detailed description of a specific embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can adjust the structure of the present invention according to manufacturing or application requirements to meet the needs of the actual industry, so it is stated in advance.

[0015] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2A-2B and Figure 3The present invention proposes an inkjet chip structure 1, comprising: a nozzle plate 10 and an inkjet chip 20, characterized in that the nozzle plate 10 has a plurality of nozzles 11 on its surface and is disposed on the surface of the inkjet chip 20. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle plate 10 can be disposed on the surface of the inkjet chip 20 in a bonding manner, or can be formed on the inkjet chip 20 by a semiconductor process. The inkjet chip 20 further comprises: a plurality of ink droplet generators 22, including a chip substrate 228, a thermal barrier layer 221, a heating resistor layer 222, a conductive layer 223, a protective layer 224, and a barrier layer 225, which are stacked in sequence to form a stacked structure, and each nozzle 11 corresponds to a corresponding ink droplet generator 22. In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the chip substrate 228 can be manufactured by a semiconductor process of a 3 to 20 inch wafer. Among them, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, the thermal barrier layer 221 is an insulating material formed on the chip substrate 228, the heating resistor layer 222 is a resistor material formed on the thermal barrier layer 221, the conductive layer 223 is a conductive material and is partially formed on the heating resistor layer 222 to form a heating resistor 222a, and the protective layer 224 is partially formed on the heating resistor 222a formed by the heating resistor layer 222, characterized in that an ink supply chamber 226 is provided between the protective layer 224 and the barrier layer 225, and the top of the ink supply chamber 226 has an ink outlet 227 connected to the nozzle 11, and the area ratio of the heating resistor 222a to the nozzle 11 ranges from 11.6% to 58.8%. In addition, other parts of the protective layer 224 are formed on the conductive layer 223, and the barrier layer 225 is a polymer material and is formed on the protective layer 224. The ink supply chamber 226 and the ink outlet 227 are integrally formed in the barrier layer 225. The ink is supplied from the side of the ink supply chamber 226 through an ink supply channel 21 in a direction parallel to the plane of the stacking structure to reduce the flow path of the ink during supply and increase the speed of the ink during supply.

[0016] Please continue reading Figure 3 and Figure 4 , characterized in that, Figure 4 Is for Figure 2A A-'A section view, Figure 3 Then Figure 4The three-dimensional perspective diagram formed after a slight rotation, and the ink flow is the above-mentioned implementation method in which the ink is parallel to the plane of the stacked structure and supplied from the side of the ink supply chamber 226. In an embodiment of the present invention, the range of the diameter D of the above-mentioned nozzle 11 can be selected to be between 20μm and 45μm. When the length L and width W of the heating resistor 222a are fixed, the target of the area ratio of the above-mentioned heating resistor 222a and the nozzle 11 is between 11.6% and 58.8%. In one embodiment of the present invention, the length L and width W of the heating resistor 222a can be 52μm, so that the area of ​​the heating resistor 222a is 2704μm 2 , so that the specification of the inkjet chip 20 can be unified in the inkjet chip structure 1, and only the nozzle plate 10 is modified, so as to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of maintaining the performance of printing high resolution and high quality images in the traditional inkjet printing technology, having sufficient versatility, and increasing industrial management efficiency and economic cost control. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the resolution DPI (Dots Per Inch) that the inkjet chip structure 1 can correspond to ranges from 150 to 48000 DPI, and the printable range (printing swath) ranges from 0.25 inches to 12 inches.

[0017] According to the present invention, the thermal barrier layer 221 is an insulating material formed on a chip substrate 228. The material of the chip substrate 228 is a silicon wafer, and the insulating material can be selected from one of field oxide (FOX), silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4) and phospho-silicate glass (PSG).

[0018] According to the present invention, the heating resistor layer 222 is a resistor material formed on the thermal barrier layer 221, and the resistor material can be one of polysilicon (Poly silicon), tantalum aluminide (TaAl), tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalum disilicide (Si2Ta), carbon (C), silicon carbide (SiC), indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), cadmium sulfide (CdS), hafnium diboride (HfB2), titanium tungsten alloy (TiW), and titanium nitride (TiN).

[0019] According to the present invention, the conductive layer 223 is a conductive material, and the conductive material is one of aluminum (Al), aluminum-copper alloy (AlCu), aluminum-silicon alloy (AlSi), gold (Au), palladium (Pd), palladium-silver alloy (PdAg), platinum (Pt), aluminum-silicon-copper (AlSiCu), niobium (Nb), vanadium (V), hafnium (Hf), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), and yttrium (Y).

[0020] According to the contents of the present invention, a portion of the protective layer 224 is formed on the heating resistor layer 222, and the other portion of the protective layer 224 is formed on the conductive layer 223. At the same time, the protective layer 224 is composed of a second protective layer 224B stacked on a first protective layer 224A, and a third protective layer 224C on the second protective layer 224B (that is, the stacking order from bottom to top is the first protective layer 224A, the second protective layer 224B, and the third protective layer 224C). Among them, the first protective layer 224A is a silicon nitride (Si3N4) material; the second protective layer 224A is a passivation material, and the passivation material is selected from one of silicon nitride (Si3N4), silicon dioxide (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), hafnium dioxide (HfO2), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), rhenium heptoxide (Re2O7), niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5), uranium pentoxide (U2O5), tungsten trioxide (WO3), silicon oxynitride (Si4O5N3), and silicon carbide (SiC); the third protective layer 224C is a metal material, and the metal material is one of tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium nitride (TiN), and tungsten nitride (TiW). Among them, the number of the above-mentioned protective layers 224 and the selected materials can be appropriately adjusted and modified according to the degree of erosion of each material by the ink, the thermal stress on the entire inkjet chip structure 1 caused by temperature changes when the heating resistor 222a is in operation, and the product life cycle required by the inkjet chip structure 1. Similarly, the first protective layer 224A, the second protective layer 224B, and the third protective layer 224C described in the present invention are only for illustration and are not used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention, which is stated here.

[0021] The barrier layer 225 is a polymer material formed on the protective layer 224, and the polymer material is one of polyimide (POLYIMIDE) and organic plastic materials; the ink supply chamber 226 and the ink outlet 227 are integrally formed in the barrier layer 225, and the bottom of the ink supply chamber 226 is connected to the protective layer 224, and the ink outlet 227 at the top of the ink supply chamber 226 is connected to the nozzle 11.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ink supply channel 21 in the inkjet chip 20 can be 1-6 colors. Figure 3 and Figure 4The ink supply channel 21 shown is one of them, which can provide monochrome ink, and the monochrome ink can be cyan (C: Cyan), magenta (M: Megenta), yellow (Y: Yellow), and black (K: Black) ink. In other embodiments of the present invention, the ink supply channel 21 can be 6 colors, providing black (K: Black), cyan (C: Cyan), magenta (M: Megenta), yellow (Y: Yellow), light cyan (LC: Light Cyan) and light magenta (LM: Light Megenta) ink. Of course, in other embodiments, the ink supply channel 21 can also be 4 colors, providing cyan (C: Cyan), magenta (M: Megenta), yellow (Y: Yellow), and black (K: Black) ink. The number of the above-mentioned ink supply channels 21 or the colors provided can be replaced or modified according to the actual application requirements.

[0023] In summary, this case provides an inkjet chip structure, including a nozzle plate and an inkjet chip. By modularizing and standardizing the structure and specifications of the inkjet chip, inkjet printers for schools and offices, and then inkjet printing technology for applications such as 3D printing or industrial printing, do not need to be overly entangled in factors such as resolution, printing speed, required printing materials, and ink supply colors. Only different nozzle plates are needed to form an inkjet chip structure to obtain the widest industrial utilization. At the same time, the ink supply chamber and ink outlet of the ink droplet generator are integrally formed in the barrier layer. The inkjet chip structured in this way can also maintain the high-resolution printing inkjet design in traditional inkjet printing technology, which is highly industrially applicable. This case can be modified in various ways by people familiar with this technology, but they are all within the scope of the attached patent application.

[0024]

Explanation of symbols

[0025] 1: Inkjet chip structure

[0026] 10: Nozzle plate

[0027] 11: Spray hole

[0028] 20: Inkjet chip

[0029] 21: Ink supply channel

[0030] 22: Ink droplet generator

[0031] 221: Thermal barrier layer

[0032] 222: Heating resistor layer

[0033] 222a: Heating resistor

[0034] 223: Conductive layer

[0035] 224: Protective layer

[0036] 224A: First protective layer

[0037] 224B: Second protection layer

[0038] 224C: The third protective layer

[0039] 225: Barrier layer

[0040] 226: Ink supply chamber

[0041] 227: Ink outlet

[0042] 228: Chip substrate

[0043] A'-A: Section

[0044] W: Width

[0045] L: Length

[0046] D: diameter

[0047] ink flow: ink flow

[0048] 14: Ink supply chamber

[0049] 26: Thermal resistance layer

[0050] 40, 42: Protective layer

[0051] 44: Resistance layer

[0052] 50: Silicon carbide layer

Claims

1. An inkjet chip structure, comprising: a spray hole plate having a spray hole on its surface; and An inkjet chip, the orifice plate is arranged on the surface of the inkjet chip; in, The inkjet chip further comprises an ink droplet generator, wherein the ink droplet generator has a chip substrate, a thermal barrier layer, a heating resistor layer, a conductive layer, a protective layer, and a barrier layer sequentially forming a stacked structure; The conductive layer is partially formed on the heating resistor layer, the protective layer is partially formed on a heating resistor formed by the heating resistor layer, the other part of the protective layer is formed on the conductive layer, an ink supply chamber and an ink outlet are integrally formed in the barrier layer, and the bottom of the ink supply chamber is connected to the protective layer, and the top of the ink outlet is connected to the nozzle hole; The area ratio of the heating resistor to the spray hole is between 11.6% and 58.8%.

2. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the nozzle hole ranges from 20 μm to 45 μm.

3. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length and width of the heating resistor are 52 μm.

4. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The area of ​​the heating resistor is 2704 μm 2 .

5. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thermal barrier layer is an insulating material selected from one of field oxide (FOX), silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4) and phospho-silicate glass (PSG).

6. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating resistor layer is a resistor material, and the resistor material is selected from one of polysilicon, tantalum aluminide (TaAl), tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalum disilicide (Si2Ta), carbon (C), silicon carbide (SiC), indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), cadmium sulfide (CdS), hafnium diboride (HfB2), titanium tungsten alloy (TiW), and titanium nitride (TiN).

7. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive layer is a conductive material, and the conductive material is selected from one of aluminum (Al), aluminum-copper alloy (AlCu), aluminum-silicon alloy (AlSi), gold (Au), palladium (Pd), palladium-silver alloy (PdAg), platinum (Pt), aluminum-silicon-copper (AlSiCu), niobium (Nb), vanadium (V), hafnium (Hf), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), and yttrium (Y).

8. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protection layer is composed of a first protection layer, a second protection layer and a third protection layer stacked in sequence from bottom to top.

9. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first protective layer is silicon nitride (Si3N4).

10. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second protective layer is a passivation material, and the passivation material is selected from one of silicon nitride (Si3N4), silicon dioxide (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), hafnium dioxide (HfO2), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), rhenium heptoxide (Re2O7), niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5), uranium pentoxide (U2O5), tungsten trioxide (WO3), silicon oxynitride (Si4O5N3), and silicon carbide (SiC).

11. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The third protection layer is a metal material, and the metal material is selected from one of tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium nitride (TiN), and tungsten nitride (TiW).

12. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The barrier layer is a polymer material, and the polymer material is selected from one of polyimide and organic plastic material.

13. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ink supply chamber comprises an ink supply channel, which is arranged at the side of the ink supply chamber, and the ink is supplied in a direction parallel to the plane of the stacking structure.

14. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 13, characterized in that: The ink supply channel can be 1-6 colors.

15. The inkjet chip structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inkjet chip structure can correspond to a resolution DPI range between 150 and 48,000 DPI, and a printable range between 0.25 inches and 12 inches.

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