Printing apparatus

Abstract

The utility model relates to a printing device which comprises a support, a first displacement table is assembled on the support, the movable end of the first displacement table at least can move in the z-axis direction, and an acoustic printing nozzle is assembled at the end of the movable end of the first displacement table; the acoustic printing nozzle generates an acoustic beam based on an acoustic device, and drives liquid in a liquid cavity of the acoustic printing nozzle to be ejected out through a through hole in the bottom of the liquid cavity to form ejected liquid drops. The liquid supply device communicates with an inlet port of the liquid cavity of the acoustic printing nozzle and is used for conveying liquid in the liquid supply device to the acoustic printing nozzle; an outlet port of the liquid cavity of the acoustic printing nozzle is communicated with a pipeline for discharging liquid; a table top is further arranged and used for containing a printed carrier. Printing based on acoustic liquid drop jetting is achieved, the stability of liquid drop generation and the uniformity of the size can be kept, and the method is suitable for high-flux and high-speed liquid drop jetting printing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the fields of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and microfluidics, and in particular to a printing device. Background Art

[0002] Traditional droplet generation technologies at the liquid-gas interface mainly include thermal foaming and piezoelectric methods. The thermal foaming method mainly generates high temperature excitation and produces bubbles by heating components instantly. During the expansion process, the bubbles squeeze the liquid to form droplets. Therefore, it has a higher energy density and high injection efficiency. In addition, the control and miniaturization of the heating device are relatively convenient. However, the high temperature generated by the thermal foaming method during operation will cause rapid evaporation of the liquid, and the diameter of the droplets cannot be controlled. The piezoelectric method uses piezoelectric materials such as piezoelectric ceramics to drive deformation, and then squeeze the liquid out of the cavity to form droplets. This method relies on tiny nozzles. The diameter of the nozzles is often 5-100 microns, which can easily lead to nozzle clogging.

[0003] Currently, acoustic droplet ejection solutions have been proposed, which can effectively avoid the technical problems of thermal bubbling and piezoelectric methods. For example, Chinese patent application number 202211398776.4 discloses a droplet ejection solution based on acoustic technology.

[0004] How to construct a printing device based on the principle of acoustic droplet ejection is the technical problem solved by this application. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a printing device, which realizes printing based on acoustic droplet jetting and can maintain the stability of droplet generation and the uniformity of size, and is suitable for high-throughput, high-speed droplet jetting printing.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present application provides a printing device in a first aspect, comprising:

[0007] a bracket, wherein a first translation stage is mounted on the bracket, wherein a movable end of the first translation stage is movable in at least a z-axis direction, and an acoustic printing nozzle is mounted on one end of the movable end of the first translation stage;

[0008] The acoustic print head includes: a liquid chamber and a super ultrasonic device coupled to the liquid chamber, the liquid chamber including an inlet port and an outlet port, a through hole at the bottom of the liquid chamber, the size of the through hole being limited so that when the super ultrasonic device is not in operation, liquid in the liquid chamber does not flow out of the through hole when the liquid continuously flows through the liquid chamber, and when the super ultrasonic device is in operation, drives the liquid in the liquid chamber to generate an acoustic beam flow toward the through hole, and at least a portion of the acoustic beam flow is ejected through the through hole at the bottom of the liquid chamber to form ejected liquid droplets;

[0009] a liquid supply device, connected to the inlet port of the liquid chamber of the acoustic printing nozzle, for delivering the liquid in the liquid supply device to the acoustic printing nozzle;

[0010] The outlet port of the liquid chamber of the acoustic printing nozzle is connected to a pipeline for draining liquid;

[0011] A table is provided in the direction facing the acoustic printing nozzle for supporting the printed carrier.

[0012] In some feasible embodiments, the acoustic printing head is mounted on the lower end of the movable end of the first translation stage; the table top is arranged below the first translation stage, and the upper end surface of the table top is used to place the printed carrier; or the acoustic printing head is mounted on the upper end of the movable end of the first translation stage; the table top is arranged above the first translation stage, and the lower end surface of the table top is used to install the printed carrier.

[0013] In some achievable embodiments, a second translation stage is further included, the table surface is a movable end of the second translation stage, and the movable end of the second translation stage can move in at least the x-axis or y-axis direction.

[0014] In some feasible embodiments, the first translation stage can also move in the x-axis and / or y-axis directions.

[0015] In some feasible embodiments, the movable end of the first translation stage is further equipped with a turntable rotatable along a horizontal axis, and the acoustic printing head is mounted on the turntable so that the orientation angle of the through hole can be adjusted.

[0016] In some feasible embodiments, a first camera is further mounted on the bracket, and the first camera faces the table surface and is used to capture an image of the table surface to calibrate or obtain the position of the second translation stage.

[0017] In some feasible embodiments, it further includes at least one of the following: a second camera, arranged toward the acoustic printing nozzle, for capturing an image of the liquid surface at the through hole of the acoustic printing nozzle; and a third camera, arranged toward the printed carrier carried by the table, for capturing an image of the printed carrier.

[0018] In some achievable embodiments, the other end of the pipeline connected to the liquid chamber outlet port of the acoustic printing head is connected to a waste liquid tank.

[0019] In some possible implementations, a light source is further included, and the light source is assembled on the bracket through a serpentine tube.

[0020] In some feasible embodiments, the device further includes at least one of the following devices that can be removably placed between the table and the printed carrier: a cooling device, whose surface adjacent to the printed carrier is a cooling surface; a heating device, whose surface adjacent to the printed carrier is a heating surface.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: an ultraviolet curing lamp facing the printed carrier carried by the table.

[0022] In some feasible embodiments, the liquid supply device includes a liquid storage tank and an injection pump, the pump inlet end of the injection pump is connected to the liquid storage tank through a pipeline, and the pump outlet end is connected to the inlet port of the acoustic printing nozzle through a pipeline, so as to be used to absorb the liquid in the liquid storage tank through the injection pump and transport the liquid to the acoustic printing nozzle.

[0023] The technical solution provided by the present application realizes printing based on acoustic droplet injection technology, and compared with the droplet injection solution based on acoustic technology mentioned in the background technology, the present application is an improved solution. For example, when the bulk acoustic wave driver is temporarily turned off and the liquid supply device is not turned off, the liquid will not flow out of the nozzle (i.e., the through hole), and the solution of the present application can maintain the stability of droplet generation and the uniformity of size when the ultra-sonic device driving signal remains unchanged, and is more suitable for high-throughput, high-speed droplet injection and printing. On the other hand, the present application can also control the size of the generated droplets based on different controls on the ultra-sonic device driving signal, that is, it can change the resolution of the droplet injection printing, and based on the ability to control the frequency of the ejected droplets, the droplet injection printing is made more flexible. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 This is the circuit schematic diagram of the ultra-ultrasonic device driving device;

[0025] Figure 2a is used Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the circuit generating a driving signal:

[0026] Figure 2b is used Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the circuit generating another driving signal;

[0027] Figure 3a-Figure 3e is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the structure of a printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of an acoustic printing nozzle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of the printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the dimensions of an integrated acoustic wave resonator of the ultra-ultrasonic device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] It should be understood that the sizes and shapes of the blocks in the above structural diagrams are for reference only and should not constitute an exclusive interpretation of the embodiments of the present invention. The relative positions and inclusion relationships between the blocks presented in the structural diagrams are merely schematic representations of the structural relationships between the blocks and do not limit the physical connection methods of the embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solution provided by this application is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the system structure and business scenarios provided in the examples of this application are mainly for illustrating possible implementation methods of the technical solution of this application and should not be interpreted as the sole limitation of the technical solution of this application. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of the system structure and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided by this application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0033] It should be understood that the printing solutions provided in the embodiments of this application include acoustic printheads, printing devices, jet printing methods, and related applications. Because these technical solutions solve the same or similar problems, some repetitions may not be repeated in the following descriptions of the specific embodiments. However, these specific embodiments should be considered as cross-references and can be combined with each other.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. In the event of any inconsistency, the meanings described in this specification or the meanings derived from the contents recorded in this specification shall prevail. In addition, the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. In order to accurately describe the technical content in this application and to accurately understand the present invention, the following explanations or definitions are given for the terms used in this specification before describing the specific embodiments:

[0035] 1) High-frequency resonator: It can be a device based on the piezoelectric effect that generates mechanical vibration by applying voltage. In this application, a piezoelectric resonator that generates ultra-ultrasound of not less than 0.5 gigahertz (gigahertz, GHz) when working is used. Preferably, it is a piezoelectric resonator that generates ultra-ultrasound of not less than 1 GHz and not more than 30 GHz when working. For example, it can be 2G-2.5 GHz. Such piezoelectric resonators can be, for example, surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices, etc. For example, when it is BAW, it can be a film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR), a solid-state assembled resonator (SMR) or a Lamb wave resonator (LWR). For the convenience of description, the piezoelectric resonator that can generate ultra-ultrasound of not less than 0.5 GHz will be referred to as an ultra-ultrasound device.

[0036] 2) Several effects of ultra-ultrasonic devices acting on liquids.

[0037] When a super-ultrasonic device acts on a liquid in a flow channel (or a liquid with environmental boundary restrictions), it will produce a jet effect (promoting the liquid to move in a straight line), a secondary flow effect (for example, eddies caused by the jet driving the liquid to produce local circulation, eddies are also called micro-vortices), and an acoustic beam effect (promoting the liquid to move in a highly focused straight line at high speed). For an introduction to the jet, secondary flow and acoustic beam effects, please refer to the Chinese patent application with patent number CN202410832207.9.

[0038] When a super-ultrasonic device acts on a liquid whose surface is not restricted, a droplet ejection effect (forming droplets that break through the liquid surface or a water column formed by continuous droplets) and an atomization effect (forming a mist that breaks through the liquid surface) will occur when the liquid surface is below a certain height. The basic principles of generating the droplet ejection effect and the atomization effect are similar. When the super-ultrasonic device driving signal is the same, the liquid surface height required to generate the atomization effect will be lower than the liquid surface height required to generate the droplet ejection effect. The liquid surface height here refers to the distance between the working surface of the super-ultrasonic device and the liquid surface. When the liquid surface height is greater than the height at which the sound wave is completely attenuated, the sound wave energy can be fully utilized to drive the liquid to generate droplets.

[0039] The basic principle of the droplet ejection effect produced by ultra-sonic devices acting on liquids is as follows: high-frequency sound waves (0.5-10GHz, preferably in the range of 1GHz-3GHz) attenuate upon contact with the liquid, generating a massive volumetric force acting on the liquid. This volumetric force causes the liquid to break through surface tension, forming a liquid spike. When it detaches from the liquid surface, it forms a droplet, which is ejected at a specific velocity. At the aforementioned high frequency of 0.5-10GHz, the energy conversion rate of the high-frequency device acting on the liquid is extremely high, enabling droplet ejection to be achieved at low power (e.g., 0.4W). This principle is described in detail below:

[0040] Since the transmission speed of sound waves in different media is different, when sound waves are transmitted from solid to liquid, the sound waves are attenuated. The expression of the attenuation coefficient β is:

[0041]

[0042] Among them, c L The propagation speed of sound waves in liquids, ω is the frequency of sound waves, ρ is the density of liquid, μ is the viscosity of liquid, and μ B is the volume viscosity of the liquid. From the above formula, we can find that when the properties of the liquid are determined, the attenuation rate of the sound wave propagating in the liquid is proportional to the square of the sound wave frequency. The nonlinear attenuation of the sound wave propagating in the liquid will induce the volume force, which is expressed as:

[0043] F B =2ρβω 2 u 2 e -2βz

[0044] Where u is the velocity amplitude of the sound wave in the z direction, it can be seen that the volume force F B The size of the force is directly proportional to the frequency of the sound wave at the quadratic (i.e. square) level, that is, the higher the frequency of the sound wave, the greater the volume force generated. Under the action of a sufficiently strong volume force, the liquid can break through the surface tension of the liquid to form droplets.

[0045] 3) Signal duration within a driving cycle: In the present application, electrical energy may be continuously or intermittently loaded into the ultra-ultrasonic device to achieve driving of the ultra-ultrasonic device.

[0046] When using intermittent loading, refer to Figure 2a As shown, in the switching power supply opening stage (corresponding to Figure 2aThe switching signal is high level), which is the signal duration in the driving cycle, also called the first stage in the driving cycle, corresponding to the output signal of the driving unit. During the signal duration, several signals will be output. For example, when the signal generator outputs a 1GHz signal, assuming that the duration of the first stage is 1 microsecond, the driving unit will output 1000 signals during the first stage, and the power loaded during the first stage will be loaded on the 1000 signals for output. The second stage is when there is no driving signal output in the driving cycle, which also corresponds to the switching power off stage (corresponding to Figure 2a Switch signal low level).

[0047] In a specific case, for example, the first stage is completed after only one execution, which is equivalent to, or regarded as, executing only one driving cycle in the present application, and therefore this case also falls within the protection scope of the present application.

[0048] For example, when the first stage accounts for 100% of the driving cycle (that is, the duration of the second stage is 0), the driving unit continuously outputs a number of signals, that is, the continuous loading of electrical energy mentioned above in this application, this situation is also within the protection scope of this application.

[0049] 4) Driving device of ultra-ultrasonic device: such as Figure 1 An embodiment is shown, including a control unit and a driving unit, wherein the driving unit includes a signal generator and a power amplifier. The signal output principle can be found in Figure 2b shown.

[0050] The signal generator is used to generate a high-frequency signal. The frequency of the original high-frequency signal generated by the signal generator is the same as or similar to the operating frequency of the ultra-ultrasonic device as a load (or the natural frequency of the ultra-ultrasonic device).

[0051] The power amplifier is used to amplify the signal to be output so as to drive the ultra-sonic device.

[0052] The control unit can be a switching power supply, which can output a controllable switching signal. The switching signal can be a periodic signal. The switch-on phase (such as the switching power supply switch tube conduction phase) corresponds to a high level, and the corresponding Figure 2b In the first stage, the switch off stage corresponds to the low level, corresponding to Figure 2b The control unit can also control the operating voltage or amplification factor input to the power amplifier to achieve different amplified output powers, and the output power is the first power mentioned above. The first power can also be understood as the average energy density input to the super-ultrasonic device during a drive cycle (a drive cycle consists of a first stage and a second stage). Since the amount of energy is related to power and time, the amount of energy input to the super-ultrasonic device during a drive cycle is related to the first power level, the duration of the first stage or its duty cycle.

[0053] The control unit can control the output of the drive unit in at least the following ways:

[0054] The first one: Figure 2a As shown, the original signal of the signal generator is modulated by the switching signal of the control unit, and the modulated output signal is amplified to form the output signal of the driving unit.

[0055] The second type: Figure 2b As shown, the original signal of the signal generator is power amplified, and the power-amplified signal is modulated under the control of the switch signal of the control unit. The modulated signal is the output signal of the driving unit.

[0056] The circuit of the driving part of the ultra-ultrasonic device can also be in other forms, or the method of controlling the output signal can also be in other ways, as long as it can output Figure 2a or Figure 2b The output signal of the drive unit can be used.

[0057] 5) Positive correlation and negative correlation between parameters: Taking two parameters as an example, positive correlation refers to that one parameter becomes larger as the other parameter becomes larger, and negative correlation refers to that one parameter becomes larger as the other parameter becomes smaller. The parameters mentioned in this application cannot be infinitely small or infinitely large. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the parameter values ​​mentioned in this application all refer to being within a reasonable numerical range. For example, when describing that parameter A is positively correlated with parameter B, it means that within a certain range of values, parameter A is positively correlated with parameter B, and it can be foreseen that parameter B is no longer positively correlated with parameter A beyond this range (for example, after parameter A increases to a certain value, B is in a saturated state, and then parameter B no longer increases with the increase of parameter A), then this range of values ​​is a reasonable numerical range.

[0058] In the patent application with Chinese patent number 202211398776.4, a method, device and manufacturing method of acoustic droplet ejection with a refill structure are specifically provided. When a bulk acoustic wave driver drives the droplet ejection process, the refill structure realizes timely replenishment of liquid during the droplet ejection process. In the process of manufacturing a printing device based on an acoustic droplet ejection device, the ejection device is assembled on a translation stage (such as a reciprocating translation stage, a three-axis translation stage, a robotic arm, etc.), and the refill structure is connected to the corresponding fluid pump through a pipeline. During the use of droplet ejection-based printing, it is often necessary to move the nozzle to another position before continuing the ejection printing, and the bulk acoustic wave driver needs to be temporarily shut down during the movement. When the bulk acoustic wave driver is turned off, if the fluid pump is in the open state, the continuously supplied liquid may flow out of the nozzle. When the fluid pump is also controlled to be closed, this leads to the following problem: the fluid pump has a "capacitive effect", that is, the response time of opening and closing is long, which will reduce the overall printing speed. This is particularly obvious when the ejection printing position is changed at a high frequency, which is not suitable for high-throughput and fast printing. In addition, the fluid pump will cause huge instantaneous changes in the pressure and flow rate of the liquid supply when it is started or shut down, which will affect the stability of droplet generation and the uniformity of size.

[0059] The present application provides an improved technical solution that can solve the problem of liquid flowing out of the nozzle when the bulk acoustic wave driver is temporarily turned off and the fluid pump is not turned off, and the solution of the present application can maintain the stability of droplet generation and the uniformity of size when the ultra-ultrasonic device driving signal remains unchanged, and is more suitable for high-throughput, high-speed droplet injection and printing. On the other hand, the present application can also control the size of the generated droplets based on different controls on the ultra-ultrasonic device driving signal, that is, the resolution of droplet injection printing can be changed, and the frequency of the ejected droplets can be controlled, thereby making droplet injection printing more flexible. The printing device provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to inkjet printing, bioprinting, 3D printing, and then applied to technical fields such as micro-mechanical manufacturing, material forming, such as conformal printing of electronic devices, microstructure printing, etc. The present application solution is described in detail below in conjunction with the various figures and embodiments.

[0060] The first embodiment of the present application provides a printing device, referring to Figure 3a-Figure 3e In the embodiment shown, the printing device comprises:

[0061] A bracket 11 is mounted on a first translation stage 2. The movable end of the first translation stage 2 is movable at least in the z-axis direction. An acoustic printing head 3 is mounted on one end of the movable end of the first translation stage 2. Thus, the vertical position of the acoustic printing head 3 can be adjusted via the first translation stage 2.

[0062] The acoustic print head 3 includes: a liquid chamber and a super ultrasonic device coupled to the liquid chamber, the liquid chamber including an inlet port and an outlet port, the bottom of the liquid chamber having a through hole, the size of the through hole being limited so that when the super ultrasonic device is not in operation, the liquid in the liquid chamber does not flow out of the through hole when the liquid continuously flows through the liquid chamber, and when the super ultrasonic device is in operation, it drives the liquid in the liquid chamber to generate an acoustic beam flow toward the through hole, and at least a portion of the acoustic beam flow is ejected through the through hole at the bottom of the liquid chamber to form ejected liquid droplets;

[0063] a liquid supply device, connected to the inlet port of the liquid chamber of the acoustic printing nozzle 3, for delivering the liquid in the liquid supply device to the acoustic printing nozzle 3;

[0064] The outlet port of the liquid chamber of the acoustic print head 3 is connected to a pipe for draining liquid, thereby preventing the liquid flowing out of the outlet port of the liquid chamber of the acoustic print head 3 from dripping directly downwards;

[0065] The table 5 is provided in the direction of the acoustic printing nozzle 3 for supporting and placing the printed carrier so as to inject the droplets ejected by the acoustic printing nozzle 3 into the target position on the printed carrier.

[0066] In some embodiments, the acoustic printing nozzle 3 is mounted on the lower end of the movable end of the first translation stage 2; the table 5 is arranged below the first translation stage 2, and the upper end surface of the table 5 is used to place the printed carrier. In this method, the acoustic printing nozzle 3 prints downward, for example Figure 3a-Figure 3e shown.

[0067] In some embodiments, the acoustic printing head 3 is mounted on the upper end of the movable end of the first translation stage 2; the table 5 is disposed above the first translation stage 2, and the lower end surface of the table 5 is used to mount the printed substrate, for example, by means of a clamp or affixed adhesive. In this method, the acoustic printing head 3 prints upward.

[0068] In some embodiments, a second translation stage is further included, with the table 5 serving as the movable end of the second translation stage. The movable end of the second translation stage is movable in at least the x-axis or y-axis direction. Thus, by moving the second translation stage, droplets ejected by the acoustic print head 3 are directed to different target locations on the printed substrate.

[0069] In some embodiments, the first translation stage 2 can also move in the x-axis and / or y-axis directions. Therefore, when the first translation stage 2 is a three-axis translation stage, the acoustic printing head 3 can move over a larger range, the printing range can be larger, and the printing control can be more flexible.

[0070] In some embodiments, the movable end of the first translation stage 2 is further equipped with a turntable that rotates along a horizontal axis. The acoustic printing head 3 is mounted on the turntable, allowing for adjustable angles of the through-holes of the acoustic printing head 3. This expands the printable area and allows for more flexible printing control. The turntable angle can be adjusted manually or via a motor.

[0071] The displacement of the movable ends of the first translation stage 2 and the second translation stage in each axial direction (each axial direction includes an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis) can be achieved by driving the motor corresponding to each axial direction.

[0072] In some embodiments, a first camera 6 is further mounted on the bracket 11. The first camera 6 faces the table 5 and is used to capture an image of the table 5 to calibrate the position of the second displacement stage or obtain the position of the second displacement stage. The first camera 6 can capture an image of the table 5. The captured image can be used to calibrate the position of the second displacement stage after the printing device is powered on, and can also be used to determine the position of the second displacement stage based on the image during the printing process. It is also noted that the displacement of the second displacement stage can also be directly obtained based on the driving signal of the motor that drives the displacement of the second displacement stage. One implementation method is that an arm is mounted on the bracket 11, and the first camera 6 is mounted on the arm.

[0073] In some embodiments, a second camera may also be included, positioned toward the acoustic printing nozzle 3, for capturing images of the liquid surface at the through-hole of the acoustic printing nozzle 3. In one implementation, the second camera is mounted on the movable end of the first translation stage 2 via an arm or a serpentine tube, such that the second camera is fixed relative to the acoustic printing nozzle 3 after being adjusted into position.

[0074] In some embodiments, a third camera may be included, positioned toward the printed substrate supported by the table 5, for capturing images of the printed substrate. One implementation involves mounting the third camera on the table 5 via an arm or serpentine tube, such that the third camera is fixed relative to the printed substrate after adjustment.

[0075] The second camera and the third camera can also be installed on the bracket through a support arm or a serpentine tube.

[0076] In some embodiments, the other end of the pipe connected to the liquid chamber outlet port of the acoustic print head 3 is connected to a waste liquid tank 7. The waste liquid tank 7 can be detachably mounted on the bracket 11. One implementation method is to install a bracket for the waste liquid tank 7 on the bracket 1, and the waste liquid tank 7 can be placed on the bracket.

[0077] In some embodiments, a light source 8 is further included, and the light source 8 is assembled on the bracket 1 through a serpentine tube. Thus, the position and direction of the light source 8 can be adjusted conveniently through the bendable serpentine tube.

[0078] In some embodiments, a removable cooling device 12 is further included between the table 5 and the printed substrate, with the surface thereof facing the printed substrate serving as a cooling surface. In some embodiments, a removable heating device 11 is further included between the table 5 and the printed substrate, with the surface thereof facing the printed substrate serving as a heating surface. Thus, the cooling device 12 or heating device 11 can be positioned or removed according to printing needs.

[0079] In some embodiments, the printing apparatus further includes a UV curing lamp 9 disposed above the table 5 and facing the printed substrate supported by the table 5. Thus, the UV curing lamp 9 can be turned on according to printing needs. The UV curing lamp 9 can be mounted on the bracket 1.

[0080] In some embodiments, the liquid supply device includes a liquid storage tank 41 and an injection pump 42, the pumping end of the injection pump 42 is connected to the liquid storage tank 41 through a pipeline, and the pumping end is connected to the inlet port of the acoustic printing nozzle 3 through a pipeline, so as to absorb the liquid in the liquid storage tank 41 through the injection pump 42 and transport the liquid to the acoustic printing nozzle 3.

[0081] In some embodiments, as Figure 3e As shown, the printing device further includes an upper and lower housing stacked one above the other. The upper housing houses the aforementioned bracket 1 and the aforementioned components mounted thereon, as well as the second translation stage including the tabletop 5. The lower housing houses electrical equipment, which may include at least one of the following: a power supply, a drive device (such as a signal generator and power amplifier) ​​for driving the ultrasonic device in the acoustic printing nozzle 3, a drive device for driving the motors in the translation stage, a water-cooling device coupled to the aforementioned refrigeration device 12, and a control device (such as an industrial computer or a computer). The control device is signal-connected to the drive device and other devices to capture images captured by the camera, analyze and process them, and control the execution of corresponding components.

[0082] In some embodiments, the control device is also externally connected to a display device and a human-computer interaction interface (such as a keyboard, touch screen, etc.). The control device receives the user's operating instructions through the human-computer interaction interface, controls the actions of other devices based on the instructions, or reads a preset program based on the user's operating instructions, and automatically controls other devices to cooperate with each other to implement a series of operations (i.e., realize automation).

[0083] In some embodiments, the translation stage may also be connected to a manipulation device for direct operation.

[0084] Among them, when the through hole is provided at the bottom of the liquid chamber of the acoustic printing nozzle 3 as the nozzle, the interfacial tension of the liquid at the through hole can prevent the liquid in the liquid chamber from flowing out through the through hole. In addition, the outlet port is in an open state, and the flow resistance is much smaller than that at the through hole, so that the liquid in the liquid chamber flows out from the outlet port. The through hole is provided on the liquid chamber, which also ensures the stability of the liquid surface at the through hole relative to the distance of the super ultrasonic device, thereby improving the overall attenuation of the sound wave and the uniformity of the ejected droplets. In some embodiments, as Figure 4 As shown in A in FIG, the cross section of the through hole at the bottom of the liquid chamber of the acoustic printing nozzle 3 is cylindrical. In some embodiments, as Figure 4 As shown in B in FIG, the cross section of the through hole is contracted, such as a cone. In some embodiments, as Figure 4 As shown in C in FIG, the cross section of the through hole is divergent, like a trumpet.

[0085] In some embodiments, the liquid chamber of the acoustic print head 3 can be tubular, either linear or curved, with the inlet and outlet ports located at both ends of the tubular liquid chamber. In other embodiments, the liquid chamber can be cylindrical, trapezoidal, conical, or the like, with the inlet and outlet ports located on the sidewalls.

[0086] In some embodiments, the distance between the ultra-ultrasonic device and the through hole is set so that the energy of the ultra-ultrasonic device can be completely attenuated and converted into energy for droplet ejection, thereby achieving droplet ejection.

[0087] In some embodiments, the liquid supply device may include multiple liquid supply devices. Accordingly, the liquid cavity of the acoustic printing nozzle 3 includes one or more inlet ports for introducing one or more liquids. Figure 5 In the schematic diagram of the printing device shown, when the liquid chamber includes an inlet port, multiple liquid supply devices are connected to the inlet port of the liquid chamber after converging into one pipeline through multiple pipelines. For another example, when the liquid chamber includes multiple inlet ports, multiple liquid supply devices are connected to the multiple inlet ports of the liquid chamber through multiple pipelines. In some embodiments, the liquid supply devices connected to these inlet ports can be controlled to supply liquid in a time-sharing manner, so that the droplets sprayed at different times are different. In other embodiments, at least two liquid supply devices connected to these inlet ports can be controlled to supply liquid at the same time, and these liquids are mixed in the liquid chamber. In other embodiments, the inlet port of the liquid chamber is connected to the multiple liquid supply devices through a mixing chamber, and the liquids supplied by the multiple liquid supply devices are mixed in the mixing chamber before entering the liquid chamber.

[0088] In some embodiments, the through holes are multiple in an array, and the super-ultrasonic devices are correspondingly multiple, or multiple resonant chips are integrated on a super-ultrasonic device, and these resonant chips can share the positive and negative electrode ends of the super-ultrasonic device, for example, these resonant chips are in a parallel state in the circuit. These super-ultrasonic devices can be driven independently or share a driving device. The multiple through holes here refer to the through holes in a liquid chamber. In other embodiments, there are multiple liquid chambers, for example, multiple parallel ones, and each liquid chamber has one or more through holes in an array, and corresponding super-ultrasonic devices. When there are multiple liquid chambers, and each liquid chamber is connected to a different liquid supply device, it is possible to achieve simultaneous jet printing of liquids provided by different liquid supply devices.

[0089] When there are multiple through holes and corresponding super-ultrasonic devices, if high-throughput, large-area jet printing is required, multiple super-ultrasonic devices can be driven into working state. When high-precision, small-area printing is required, a small number or one super-ultrasonic device can be driven into working state.

[0090] In some embodiments, the acoustic print head 3 includes a substrate; the ultra-sonic device is located on the substrate; the liquid chamber is located on the substrate, and the substrate forms the bottom of the liquid chamber; and the through hole is located opposite the ultra-sonic device. In some embodiments, the ultra-sonic device can be fabricated on the substrate, and the liquid chamber can be bonded to the substrate.

[0091] In some embodiments, other microfluidic chips can be integrated upstream of the liquid chamber on the acoustic print head 3 to achieve mixing, aggregation, centrifugation, and alignment of particles in the liquid supply, thereby enabling high-precision jet printing of droplets containing particles. In some embodiments, the particles include: cells, molecules, molecular polymers, long-chain molecules, DNA nucleic acids, inorganic particles, metal particles, composite particles, magnetic particles, quantum dots, or microbeads (or microspheres, used for functional modification, such as modified proteins, specific substances, etc.). The size of the particles needs to be smaller than the through-hole.

[0092] In some embodiments, when the bottom of the liquid chamber of the acoustic printing nozzle 3 has multiple through holes, the shapes or sizes of the through holes can be the same or different. When the special ultrasonic devices and driving signals are the same, the resolution of the droplets sprayed is different due to the different shapes or sizes of the through holes. Based on this, the special ultrasonic devices corresponding to the through holes can be driven to work according to the requirements of the jet printing resolution.

[0093] In some embodiments, when there are multiple super-ultrasonic devices, the resolution of the ejected droplets will be different under different super-ultrasonic devices, such as different shapes and / or resonant frequencies of the super-ultrasonic devices. Accordingly, the corresponding super-ultrasonic devices can be driven to work according to the requirements of the jet printing resolution.

[0094] In some embodiments, a super-ultrasonic device may produce different droplet resolutions when driven by different drive signals. Accordingly, a drive device can generate corresponding drive signals to drive the super-ultrasonic device according to the required inkjet printing resolution. Examples of different drive signals include drive signals of different powers, drive signals of different duty cycles, and drive signals of different drive periods.

[0095] In some embodiments, the size of the generated droplets is positively correlated with the power driving the hypersonic device. This can be explained by the fact that higher drive power results in a stronger acoustic beam, which in turn increases the amount of liquid released through the through-holes. Consequently, larger droplets are generated, resulting in lower droplet printing resolution.

[0096] In some embodiments, the size of the generated droplets is positively correlated with the duty cycle of the drive signal driving the ultra-ultrasonic device. This is explained by the fact that a larger duty cycle of the drive signal leads to a stronger acoustic beam, which in turn increases the amount of liquid that escapes through the through-holes, resulting in larger droplets.

[0097] In some embodiments, the size of the generated droplets is positively correlated with the size of the through-hole. This can be explained by the fact that the larger the through-hole size, the more liquid can be driven out of the through-hole, and thus the larger the size of the generated droplets.

[0098] In some embodiments, the size of the generated droplets is related to the physical properties of the liquid, such as viscosity, temperature, etc. Therefore, a heating plate can be placed close to the outside of the substrate to adjust the temperature of the liquid in the liquid chamber.

[0099] In some embodiments, the frequency of forming the droplets is positively correlated with the frequency of a driving signal driving the hypersonic device.

[0100] In some embodiments, the liquid supplied to the liquid chamber may be ink, various biological reagents such as DNA solution, a solution containing cells, or an inorganic solution.

[0101] In some embodiments, the super ultrasonic device is arranged on the same plane as the substrate, and the direction of the generated sound beam is facing the through hole. In other embodiments, the super ultrasonic device can also be placed on the substrate at an acute angle or an obtuse angle with the substrate, and the direction of the sound beam is toward the through hole.

[0102] In some embodiments, the ultra-sonic device is driven with a first power cycle to generate an acoustic beam flow in the first liquid, and the magnitude of the first power should also be such that the generated acoustic beam flow can break through the liquid surface tension at the through hole to form droplets.

[0103] In some embodiments, when the ultra-ultrasonic device is an ultra-ultrasonic device, it can be a polygon, especially a polygon with an odd number of sides. For example, in one embodiment, it can be a regular pentagon, or a pentagon with unequal sides. In other embodiments, it can be an olive-shaped, triangular, elliptical, diamond-shaped, circular, semicircular, or a polygon of any size in any combination of shapes. Figure 6 A pentagonal ultrasonic device, specifically an integrated acoustic wave resonator, is shown, and its size compared to a coin is also shown.

[0104] In some embodiments, the liquid chamber is formed by a microfluidic channel on a substrate, and the channel material includes polydimethylsiloxane, optical glass, organic materials, etc. In some embodiments, the ultra-ultrasonic device can be an ultra-ultrasonic device operating at 0.5 GHz to 50 GHz, preferably an ultra-ultrasonic device operating at 1 GHz to 5 GHz, and more preferably an ultra-ultrasonic device operating at 2 GHz to 2.5 GHz.

[0105] In some embodiments, the liquid discharge pipeline is connected to a recovery chamber, and the liquid in the recovery chamber can be transported to the liquid supply device by a pump, thereby realizing liquid recycling.

[0106] The following describes the printing process of the above-mentioned printing device to better understand the working principle of the printing device of the present application. The printing process may include the following steps:

[0107] continuously supplying liquid to the liquid chamber through the liquid supply device;

[0108] When the ultra-ultrasonic device is driven to work by the driving device, the ultra-ultrasonic device drives the liquid in the liquid chamber to generate an acoustic beam flow toward the through hole, and at least a portion of the acoustic beam flow is ejected through the through hole to form ejected liquid droplets, which are ejected to a first target position in the printed carrier;

[0109] When the ultra-ultrasonic device is in a suspended working state, the liquid continuously supplied into the liquid cavity flows out from the liquid discharge pipeline.

[0110] When the ultra-sonic device is in a suspended state, the acoustic printing head is aligned with a second target position on the printed substrate (for example, the relative position between the printed substrate and the acoustic printing head can be changed by moving the second translation stage). In some embodiments, this situation corresponds to printing at different target positions. After alignment with the second target position, the ultra-sonic device is driven back into operation.

[0111] In some embodiments, the control of the ejected droplets, such as controlling the resolution of the droplets, can be achieved by controlling the driving signal of the driving device that drives the ultra-ultrasonic device. For details, please refer to the previous embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0112] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed components, devices and methods are not limited to the above embodiments, and can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0113] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0114] In addition, the words "first, second, third, etc." or module A, module B, module C and other similar terms in the specification and claims are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of the objects. It can be understood that the specific order or sequence can be interchanged where permitted so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0115] In the above description, the numbers representing the steps, such as S10, S20, etc., do not necessarily mean that the steps must be executed in this manner. If permitted, the order of the steps can be interchanged or they can be executed simultaneously.

[0116] The term "comprising" as used in the specification and claims should not be construed as limiting to what is listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. Thus, it should be interpreted as specifying the presence of the features, integers, steps, or components mentioned, but not excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the expression "a device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to a device consisting solely of components A and B.

[0117] References in this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but may refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, the particular features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure.

[0118] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, although the present application has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments and may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of protection of the present application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A printing device, characterized in that: include: a bracket, wherein a first translation stage is mounted on the bracket, wherein a movable end of the first translation stage is movable in at least a z-axis direction, and an acoustic printing nozzle is mounted on one end of the movable end of the first translation stage; The acoustic print head includes: a liquid chamber and a super ultrasonic device coupled to the liquid chamber, the liquid chamber including an inlet port and an outlet port, a through hole at the bottom of the liquid chamber, the size of the through hole being limited so that when the super ultrasonic device is not in operation, liquid in the liquid chamber does not flow out of the through hole when the liquid continuously flows through the liquid chamber, and when the super ultrasonic device is in operation, drives the liquid in the liquid chamber to generate an acoustic beam flow toward the through hole, and at least a portion of the acoustic beam flow is ejected through the through hole at the bottom of the liquid chamber to form ejected liquid droplets; a liquid supply device, connected to the inlet port of the liquid chamber of the acoustic printing nozzle, for delivering the liquid in the liquid supply device to the acoustic printing nozzle; The outlet port of the liquid chamber of the acoustic printing nozzle is connected to a pipeline for draining liquid; A table is provided in the direction facing the acoustic printing nozzle for supporting the printed carrier.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein The acoustic printing nozzle is mounted on the lower end of the movable end of the first translation stage; the table is arranged below the first translation stage, and the upper end surface of the table is used to place the printed carrier; or The acoustic printing nozzle is assembled on the upper end of the movable end of the first displacement stage; the table is arranged above the first displacement stage, and the lower end surface of the table is used for mounting the printed carrier.

3. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A second translation stage is also included, wherein the stage surface is a movable end of the second translation stage, and the movable end of the second translation stage can move in at least the x-axis or y-axis direction.

4. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first translation stage can also move in the x-axis and / or y-axis directions.

5. The printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that The movable end of the first translation stage is also equipped with a turntable rotatable along a horizontal axis, and the acoustic printing nozzle is assembled on the turntable so that the orientation angle of the through hole can be adjusted.

6. The printing device according to claim 3, wherein: A first camera is also mounted on the bracket. The first camera faces the table and is used to capture an image of the table to calibrate or obtain the position of the second translation stage.

7. The printing device according to claim 3, wherein: Also includes at least one of the following: a second camera, disposed toward the acoustic printing nozzle, for capturing an image of the liquid surface at the through hole of the acoustic printing nozzle; The third camera is arranged toward the printed carrier carried by the table, and is used to capture an image of the printed carrier.

8. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The other end of the pipeline connected to the liquid cavity outlet port of the acoustic printing nozzle is connected to a waste liquid tank.

9. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Also includes at least one of the following: a light source, the light source being assembled on the bracket via a serpentine tube; A removable cooling device or heating device placed between the table and the printed substrate, wherein the surface of the cooling device facing the printed substrate is a cooling surface, and the surface of the heating device facing the printed substrate is a heating surface; A UV curing lamp is directed toward the printed carrier carried by the table.

10. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The liquid supply device includes a liquid storage tank and a syringe pump. The pump inlet end of the syringe pump is connected to the liquid storage tank through a pipeline, and the pump outlet end is connected to the inlet port of the acoustic printing nozzle through a pipeline, so as to be used to absorb the liquid in the liquid storage tank through the syringe pump and transport the liquid to the acoustic printing nozzle.

Images