Electrostatic Lamination for Micro-Fluid Ejection Head Planarity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for laminating dry film photoimageable material to micro-fluid ejection head structures often result in sagging and deformation, leading to non-functional or defective micro-fluid ejection heads due to the bowing of semiconductor substrates and inability to maintain planarization during lamination.
Innovation Solution
The use of electrostatic chucks to clamp and planarize the substrate components, preventing deformation by applying a clamping voltage and ensuring the substrate is held in a planar orientation during lamination, thereby inhibiting sagging of the nozzle film into fluid supply slots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If dry film photoimageable material is laminated to thick film layer on semiconductor substrate, then nozzle holes can be formed through photomasking and development, but the dry film material sags down into fluid supply slot areas causing non-functioning or defective micro-fluid ejection heads
Solution Approach 1:
Fluid supply slots are formed in the semiconductor substrate before laminating the dry film photoimageable material. This preliminary action eliminates the harmful凹陷 surfaces that would otherwise cause the dry film to sag during lamination, thereby maintaining nozzle hole formation precision while preserving dry film planarity.
2Ease of manufacture
If lamination is performed before fluid supply slots are formed in substrate, then processing sequence is simplified, but dry film material sags down and adheres to substrate in fluid supply slot areas causing severe performance defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resequences the manufacturing process to form fluid supply slots before lamination. This preliminary formation of slots eliminates the sagging problem and ensures reliable micro-fluid ejection head functionality, while the overall process remains straightforward by establishing the slot geometry early in the fabrication sequence.
3Stress or pressure
If vacuum chuck is used for lamination on substrate with fluid supply slots, then lamination pressure can be applied, but vacuum cannot be applied over slot areas preventing substantial planarization
Solution Approach 1:
By forming fluid supply slots before lamination, the substrate surface becomes substantially planar across the entire lamination area. This eliminates the need for vacuum chuck planarization, allowing uniform lamination pressure to be applied across the full substrate surface including over where the slots are located, since the slots are already formed and do not interfere with the planarization requirement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively eliminates substrate bowing and sagging, ensuring the formation of planarized micro-fluid ejection heads with improved operability and performance by maintaining the substrate in a planar orientation during lamination.
Implementation Method 1
applying a clamping voltage to an electrostatic chuck sufficient to hold the substrate component in a planarized orientation
Implementation Method 2
passing the substrate containing the thick film layer between two heated rollers which exert a chosen pressure on the substrate and thick film layer
Data Source
AI summary
A method of making a micro-fluid ejection head structure and structures made by the method. The method includes planarizing a heated substrate component of a micro-fluid ejection head structure by applying a clamping voltage to an electrostatic chuck sufficient to hold the substrate component in a planarized orientation. A polymeric nozzle layer is laminated to the heated substrate component in a manner sufficient to provide a planarized nozzle layer on the substrate component.