Inkjet wafer structure

Abstract

The invention provides an ink jet wafer structure. The ink jet wafer structure comprises a spray hole sheet and an ink jet wafer, wherein a plurality of spray holes are formed in the surface of the spray hole sheet, and the spray hole sheet is arranged on the surface of the ink jet wafer. Wherein the ink jet wafer further comprises a plurality of ink droplet generators, each ink droplet generator comprises a wafer substrate, a thermal barrier layer, a heating resistance layer, a conductive layer, a protective layer and a barrier layer so as to form a stacked structure, a heating resistor is formed on the heating resistance layer, the conductive layer and the heating resistance layer form a heating resistor, the surface area of the heating resistor is greater than or equal to 2500mu m < 2 >, and the protective layer is formed on the barrier layer. Therefore, the printing range between 23900 [mu] m and 27000 [mu] m is matched.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet chip structure, and more particularly, to an inkjet chip structure that enhances printing performance by optimizing the surface area relationship of ink droplet generators in the structure. Background Art

[0002] Inkjet printing, commonly referred to as "inkjet printing," is a widely used printing technology with a history dating back to the 1950s, when British company Hewlett-Packard invented inkjet printing. Since then, inkjet printing technology has developed rapidly, making inkjet printers a mainstream technology for home and commercial printing. Inkjet printers offer many advantages, including: low cost, especially for home and small business use; high print quality, providing high-resolution and high-quality images, especially for photos and graphics; and ease of use. Inkjet printers are easy to install, and most inkjet printers can print from computers or mobile devices. When combined with the recent rise of all-in-one printers (including fax, photocopying, and scanning), they can rapidly expand the flexibility of office paperwork.

[0003] The application of existing inkjet printing technology is becoming more and more diverse, ranging from inkjet printers for schools and offices to 3D printing or industrial printing on various surfaces (such as printing labels). There are various types of inkjet chips that are optimized for various needs. For example, US Patent US9016836B2 describes an inkjet chip structure. Figure 3 The invention discloses that the inkjet chip structure includes a stacked structure composed of components such as a protective layer (40, 42), a resistor layer 44, a thermal resistor layer 26, and a silicon carbide layer 50. The ink flows upward from the lower layer of the inkjet chip through an ink flow channel through the above-mentioned component stacked structure and then enters the ink supply chamber 14 to supply the printing needs, so that modern inkjet printing technology can achieve the purpose of printing high-resolution and high-quality images.

[0004] However, as mentioned above, although existing inkjet printing technology can meet various output needs in current schools, office documents, 3D printing, and industry, given the current market demand for inkjet chips with larger printing ranges, how to match inkjet chips for large-scale printing with ink droplet generator size specifications that can achieve market requirements for printing speed, resolution, and print quality remains to be discussed. Therefore, the above-mentioned demand has become the subject of the present invention. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide an inkjet chip structure, including a printing range and a corresponding inkjet chip. By optimizing the size structure of the inkjet chip and taking into account the performance balance required for printing, the surface area range of the heating resistor set in the heating resistor layer is optimized. In this way, in the inkjet chip structure, the inkjet chip can adapt to a larger printing range. At the same time, the structure of the ink droplet generator can simultaneously integrate the ink supply chamber and the ink outlet on the barrier layer. The inkjet chip structure in such a structure can adapt to and maintain the performance of printing high-resolution and high-quality images in traditional inkjet printing technology, thereby achieving the purpose of the present invention. Its detailed technical solution is described below.

[0006] A broad embodiment of the present invention provides an inkjet chip structure, comprising: a nozzle plate and an inkjet chip, wherein the nozzle plate has a plurality of nozzles on its surface forming a double-row structure and is arranged on the surface of the inkjet chip, and the inkjet chip further comprises: a plurality of ink droplet generators, wherein the ink droplet generators include 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, wherein an ink supply chamber is provided between the protective layer and the barrier layer, and an ink outlet is provided at the top of the ink supply chamber to connect to the nozzle of the nozzle plate, and the conductive layer and the heating resistor layer constitute a heating resistor, whose surface area is greater than 2500μm2 (i.e., the surface area is ≥2500μm2), thereby cooperating with a printing range between 23900μm and 27000μm.

[0007] 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, 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 hole in a direction parallel to the plane of the stacked structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The following detailed description of the present invention and the schematic diagrams of the embodiments 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 stacking structure of the inkjet wafer structure is shown from a three-dimensional perspective.

[0010] Figure 2A In one embodiment of the present invention, the nozzles on the inkjet wafer are arranged in a double-row parallel structure.

[0011] Figure 2B In one embodiment of the present invention, the nozzles on the inkjet wafer are arranged in a double-row parallel structure.

[0012] Figure 2C In another embodiment of the present invention, the nozzles on the inkjet wafer are arranged in a double-row staggered structure.

[0013] Figure 2D In another embodiment of the present invention, the nozzles on the inkjet wafer are arranged in a double-row staggered structure.

[0014] Figure 3 The arrangement of multiple ink drop generators in an inkjet chip is described, wherein Figure 1 The stacking structure seen from the three-dimensional perspective is the result after the A-A' section.

[0015]

Explanation of symbols

[0016] 1: Inkjet chip structure

[0017] 10: Nozzle plate

[0018] 11: Nozzle

[0019] 20: Inkjet chip

[0020] 21: Ink supply hole

[0021] 22: Ink droplet generator

[0022] 221: Thermal barrier layer

[0023] 222: Heating resistor layer

[0024] 222a: Heating resistor

[0025] 223: Conductive layer

[0026] 224: Protective layer

[0027] 224A: First protective layer

[0028] 224B: Second protective layer

[0029] 224C: The third protective layer

[0030] 225: Barrier layer

[0031] 226: Ink supply chamber

[0032] 227: Ink outlet

[0033] 228: Wafer substrate

[0034] A'-A: Section

[0035] W: width

[0036] L: length

[0037] ink flow: ink flow DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The present invention will be described in detail with preferred embodiments and viewpoints so that the reader can thoroughly understand how these embodiments are implemented. However, those skilled in the art in this field must understand that the present invention can also be implemented without these details. In addition, the present invention can also be used and implemented by means of 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 departing 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 to illustrate 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 to meet the needs of the actual industry according to manufacturing or application requirements, so this is explained in advance.

[0039] See also Figure 1 、 Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B 、 Figure 2C 、 Figure 2D and Figure 3The present invention proposes an inkjet chip structure 1, comprising: a nozzle plate 10 and an inkjet chip 20, wherein the nozzle plate 10 has a plurality of nozzles 11 on its surface and is arranged on the surface of the inkjet chip 20. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle plate 10 can be arranged 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 above-mentioned 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 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 using a semiconductor process for 3 to 20 inch wafers. In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the thermal barrier layer 221 is an insulating material formed on the wafer substrate 228, the heating resistor layer 222 is a resistive 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. An ink supply chamber 226 is provided between the protective layer 224 and the barrier layer 225. The top of the ink supply chamber 226 has an ink outlet 227 connected to the nozzle 11. The conductive layer 223 and the heating resistor layer 222 form a heating resistor 222a. The surface area of ​​the heating resistor 222a is greater than 2500 μm² (i.e., the surface area is ≥2500 μm²). This allows the printing range of the inkjet chip structure 1 of the present invention to be compatible with the heating resistor 222a. In addition, the remaining portion of the protective layer 224 is 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. Ink is supplied from the side of the ink supply chamber 226 in a direction parallel to the plane of the stacked structure, thereby reducing the flow path of the ink and increasing the speed of the ink supply.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present invention, see Figure 2A and Figure 2B The nozzles 11 on the inkjet wafer 20 can be arranged in a double-row parallel structure, thereby controlling the nozzles 11 in the left and right rows respectively; according to another embodiment of the present invention, see Figure 2C and Figure 2DThe nozzles 11 on the inkjet chip 20 can be arranged in a double-row staggered structure, thereby controlling the left and right rows of nozzles 11 separately. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the double-row parallel structure and the double-row staggered structure can support a resolution DPI (Dots Per Inch) range of 150 to 48,000 DPI.

[0041] Based on the above, further explanation is given. If the nozzle holes 11 are arranged in a double-row parallel structure, the width of the ink supply holes 21 is 80 μm or more (including 80 μm), and the upper and lower spacing between the left and right rows of nozzle holes 11 is between 40 μm and 45 μm. The advantage of such an arrangement is that the nozzle points of the left and right rows of nozzle holes 11 on the same horizontal line can be printed by the left and right rows of nozzle holes 11 together, that is, printed twice, so that the printed color is bright and full. If the nozzle holes 11 are arranged in a double-row staggered structure, the width of the ink supply holes 21 is 80 μm or more (including 80 μm), and the upper and lower spacing between the left and right rows of nozzle holes 11 is also between 40 μm and 45 μm. The advantage of such an arrangement is that the left and right staggered rows of nozzle holes 11 can more effectively control the printing of the same nozzle point, making the pattern on the nozzle point more detailed.

[0042] Please continue reading Figure 1 and Figure 3 ,in Figure 1 For the general Figure 3 The AA' cross section of FIG. 2 is slightly rotated to form a three-dimensional perspective diagram. The ink flow is the same as in the embodiment described above, where the ink is supplied from the side of the ink supply chamber 226 parallel to the stacking structure plane. In one embodiment of the present invention, the surface area of ​​the heating resistor 222a is greater than 2500 μm². In one embodiment of the present invention, its length L and width W can be 50 μm to match the configuration of the inkjet chip 20 and achieve the aforementioned goal of matching the area of ​​the heating resistor 222a and the nozzle orifice 11 to a printing range of 23900 μm to 27000 μm. Of course, the length L and width W are merely examples. Those skilled in the art will be able to further modify and revise the surface area, length L, and width W after reading the present disclosure. For example, in another embodiment of the present invention, the length L and width W of the heating resistor 222a can be 52 μm, resulting in an area of ​​the heating resistor 222a of 2704 μm². This allows large-area printing while maintaining performance such as resolution and printing speed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inkjet chip structure 1 can correspond to a resolution DPI (Dots Per Inch, number of dots per inch) ranging from 150 to 48,000 DPI.

[0043] According to the present invention, the thermal barrier layer 221 is an insulating material formed on a chip substrate 228. The chip substrate 228 is made of a silicon wafer. The insulating material can be selected from one of field oxide (FOX), silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4) and phosphosilicate glass (PSG).

[0044] According to the present invention, the heating resistor layer 222 is a resistor material formed on the thermal barrier layer 221. 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).

[0045] 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).

[0046] 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). The first protective layer 224A is made of silicon nitride (Si3N4); the second protective layer 224A is a passivation material 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); and the third protective layer 224C is made of a metal material selected from one of tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium nitride (TiN), and tungsten nitride (TiW). Among them, the number and selected materials of the above-mentioned protective layers 224 can be appropriately adjusted and modified according to the degree of corrosion of each material by the ink, the thermal stress on the entire inkjet chip structure 1 caused by temperature changes during the operation of the heating resistor 222a, 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 intended to limit the scope of rights of the present invention, as stated herein.

[0047] The barrier layer 225 is a polymer material formed on the protective layer 224. The polymer material is one of polyimide and organic plastic materials. The ink supply chamber 226 and the ink outlet 227 are integrally formed in the barrier layer 225. 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.

[0048] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ink supply holes 21 in the inkjet wafer 20 may be provided with 1 to 6 colors. Figure 3The illustrated ink supply port 21 is one of the ink supply ports, which can provide a single color ink: cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). In other embodiments of the present invention, the ink supply ports 21 may provide six colors: black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), light cyan (LC), and light magenta (LM). Of course, in yet another embodiment, the ink supply ports 21 may also provide four colors: cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). The number of ink supply ports 21 and the colors they provide can be modified or replaced based on actual application requirements.

[0049] In summary, the present invention provides an inkjet chip structure comprising an orifice plate and an inkjet chip. By optimizing the dimensional structure of the inkjet chip and defining the surface area range of the heating resistors disposed in the heating resistor layer, the inkjet chip structure can accommodate a larger printing area. The inkjet chip thus constructed can also maintain the high-resolution printing inkjet design of conventional inkjet printing technology, thus having great industrial applicability. The present invention is subject to various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of patent protection as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An inkjet wafer structure comprising: a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle holes arranged in double rows on its surface; as well as, an inkjet chip, the orifice plate being disposed on a surface of the inkjet chip; The inkjet chip further includes an ink droplet generator having a stacked structure formed by a chip substrate, a thermal barrier layer, a heating resistor layer, a conductive layer, a protective layer, and a barrier layer; 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, and the remaining portion 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 multiple nozzles. The conductive layer and the heating resistor layer form a heating resistor, and the surface area of ​​the heating resistor is greater than 2500 μm 2 (ie, the surface area is ≥ 2500 μm 2 ), thereby cooperating with a printing range between 23900 μm and 27000 μm. 2 . The inkjet wafer structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a double-row parallel structure. 3 . The inkjet wafer structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a double-row staggered structure. 4 . The inkjet chip structure according to claim 2 , wherein a vertical spacing between the plurality of nozzles is between 40 μm and 45 μm. 5 . The inkjet wafer structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the length and width of the heating resistor are 50 μm.

6. The inkjet chip structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal barrier layer is an insulating material selected from one of field oxide (FOX), silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4) and phosphosilicate glass (PSG).

7. The inkjet wafer structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the heating resistor layer is a resistor material 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).

8. The inkjet wafer structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is a conductive material 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). 9 . The inkjet wafer structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the protective layer is composed of a first protective layer, a second protective layer, and a third protective layer stacked in sequence from bottom to top.

10. The inkjet wafer structure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first protective layer is silicon nitride (Si3N4).

11. The inkjet wafer structure according to claim 9, wherein 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). 12 . The inkjet wafer structure according to claim 9 , wherein the third protection layer is made of a metal material selected from one of tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium nitride (TiN), and tungsten nitride (TiW). 13 . The inkjet chip structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer is made of a polymer material selected from polyimide and organic plastic materials.

14. The inkjet chip structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ink supply chamber comprises an ink supply hole, the ink supply hole is disposed on a side of the ink supply chamber, and ink is supplied in a direction parallel to a plane of the stacked structure.

15. The inkjet wafer structure as claimed in claim 14, wherein the number of the ink supply holes is 1 to 6 colors. 16 . The inkjet chip structure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inkjet chip structure can correspond to a resolution DPI range between 150 and 48,000 DPI.

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