Ultra-high-resolution monolithic thermal bubble inkjet print head

Yan Wang; Jeffrey Bokor

doi:10.1117/1.2816449

1 October 2007 Ultra-high-resolution monolithic thermal bubble inkjet print head

Yan Wang, Jeffrey Bokor

Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, Vol. 6, Issue 4, 043009 (October 2007). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2816449

Abstract

A monolithic inkjet print head, fabricated with silicon micromachining technology and capable of generating microscale liquid droplets, is developed and shown to function successfully. The print head uses a dense array of thermal bubble inkjet devices, made on a single silicon wafer. Each device is made of a Pt heater stack, a small, shallow fluid chamber, and a refilling channel formed by a Ge-sacrificial etching process, a deep-etched through-wafer feeding hole, and a micron-scale nozzle opened in a thin nitride membrane by plasma etching. Experimental results with a high resolution video imaging system show that this print head is capable of generating water droplets as small as 3 µm in diameter (0.014 pL), about 1/70th the volume of the droplets produced by existing inkjet systems. The printing process is also found to be stable, uniform in droplet size and velocity, and free of satellite droplets at optimum operation conditions. At small distances between the print head and substrate, droplet spreading is also small. This print head is then a capable tool for ultra-high-resolution inkjet printing and can be used in research areas where delivery of micron-scale fluid droplets is desired.

©(2007) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Citation Download Citation

Yan Wang and Jeffrey Bokor "Ultra-high-resolution monolithic thermal bubble inkjet print head," Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS 6(4), 043009 (1 October 2007). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2816449

Published: 1 October 2007

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available