Electrohydrodynamic Printhead Voltage Division for Independent Nozzle Control

The patent removes the external electrode rings from the system entirely. Instead of using separate extraction electrodes, the invention integrates the electrode function directly into the nozzle structure, where each nozzle serves dual purposes as both fluid delivery channel and electrical actuation element. This extraction of the external electrode component eliminates the complexity and reliability issues associated with separate electrode structures while maintaining independent nozzle control capability.

The patent merges the electrode function with the nozzle structure by making the nozzle itself conductive or by integrating conductive elements within the nozzle body. This combining of the fluid delivery function and electrical actuation function into a single integrated component eliminates the need for separate external electrodes, thereby reducing structural complexity while preserving independent control capabilities.

The patent eliminates the extraction electrodes that cause ink deflection and nozzle damage. By removing these separate electrodes and integrating the electrical function into the nozzle structure itself, the invention prevents the harmful interaction between ink and external electrodes while maintaining the ability to independently control each nozzle's printing state.

The patent converts the potential harm of ink contact with external electrodes into a benefit by eliminating the external electrodes entirely. The conductive nozzle structure allows the ink to be acted upon electrically without requiring contact with separate electrodes, thereby preventing damage while achieving the desired independent control and printing functionality.

The patent replaces the mechanical extrusion-based actuation (piezoelectric or thermal bubble) with an electrohydrodynamic system. By using electric fields to directly manipulate the ink at the nozzle exit, the invention achieves much finer control over droplet formation and placement, enabling sub-micron to nanometer-scale resolution while eliminating the viscosity constraints inherent in mechanical extrusion methods.

The patent changes the fundamental actuation parameter from mechanical force (pressure) to electric field strength. This parameter change enables precise control of droplet ejection at the electric field level, allowing resolution beyond the mechanical limits of conventional systems and expanding the usable ink viscosity range since electric field actuation is less sensitive to viscous forces.

The patent segments the electrical actuation function into individual nozzle-specific control paths by making each nozzle independently addressable through its own conductive structure. This segmentation allows separate electrical control signals to be applied to each nozzle, enabling independent on/off control while maintaining the high-resolution electrohydrodynamic printing capability that would be lost in a shared electrode configuration.

The patent merges the high-resolution electrohydrodynamic actuation with individual nozzle control by integrating conductive elements within each nozzle structure. This integration allows each nozzle to function as an independent electrohydrodynamic actuator, simultaneously achieving nanometer-scale resolution and independent controllability that neither external shared electrodes nor simple mechanical systems can provide alone.