Abstract: A pagewide array of inkjet printheads arranged to reduce nozzle offset. The row of nozzles of each printhead are formed adjacent an edge of the semiconductor chip. Each alternate printhead chip is rotated 180 degrees with regard to its neighbor, thereby reducing the nozzle offset. A smaller nozzle offset minimizes the dot displacement error should the print medium be skewed with respect to the array of printheads.

Abstract: A micro-fluid ejection head and method for reducing a stagger pattern distance and improving droplet placement, on a receiving medium. The micro-fluid ejection head includes a substrate containing a plurality of ejection actuators on a device surface thereof and a fluid supply slot for providing fluid to be ejected by the micro-fluid ejection head. The ejection head also includes a flow feature component in flow communication with the fluid supply slot and configured for providing fluid ejection chambers and fluid supply channels for the fluid ejection chambers. Adjacent first and second ejection actuators in a substantially linear array of ejection actuators are each spaced a first distance from the fluid supply slot and second and third ejection actuators in the linear array of ejection actuators are each spaced a second distance from the fluid supply slot that is less than the first distance.

Abstract: A micro-fluid ejection device, such as an inkjet printhead, includes a substrate, a heater chip on the substrate, a structure on the substrate for supplying ink to the heater chip and a nozzle plate on the heater chip. The heater chip has a plurality of electrically-activatable spaced apart heater elements that can be repetitively subjected to momentary electrical activation and deactivation so as to cause cyclical heating and cooling of ink in the heater chip resulting in repetitive ejection of drops of ink by the nozzle plate on the heater chip. The device also includes a thermal control system in the heater chip being self-managed by operation of a control loop defined by the thermal control system internally of the heater chip and substrate for sensing and limiting the variation of the temperature of the substrate during cyclical operation of the heater elements of the heater chip.

Abstract: A thermal inkjet apparatus includes a printhead body, nozzles, ink cavities and ink supply lines. Heater resistors are in the cavities and a firing circuit is connected to provide firing pulses to the heater resistor and nucleate the ink so that it fires ink out of the nozzles. Each heater resistor is also connected to a warming circuit that supplies warming pulses, one warming pulse during each firing cycle, to warm the heater resistors but not nucleate the ink. The warming circuit includes current limiting ballast resistors to limit the current through the healer resistors and thereby prevent the warming pulse from nucleating the ink. Warming pulses and firing pulses are not generated during the same firing cycle for a particular heater resistor. One or more thermal sensors are disposed on the printhead body to sense the temperature and a control circuit responds to the sensors to generate warming pulses having desired widths to provide a desired level of warming.

Abstract: A micro-fluid ejection head and method for reducing a stagger pattern distance and improving droplet placement, on a receiving medium. The micro-fluid ejection head includes a substrate containing a plurality of ejection actuators on a device surface thereof and a fluid supply slot for providing fluid to be ejected by the micro-fluid ejection head. The ejection head also includes a flow feature component in flow communication with the fluid supply slot and configured for providing fluid ejection chambers and fluid supply channels for the fluid ejection chambers. Adjacent first and second ejection actuators in a substantially linear array of ejection actuators are each spaced a first distance from the fluid supply slot and second and third ejection actuators in the linear array of ejection actuators are each spaced a second distance from the fluid supply slot that is less than the first distance.

Abstract: A method informs a user of an ink jet printer of the end of life of a consumable. The consumable supplies ink to a printhead having a plurality of ink ejection nozzles and an associated plurality of ink jetting actuators, each of the plurality of ink jetting actuators being addressable. The printhead includes a plurality of address lines for facilitating selection of one or more of the plurality of ink jetting actuators. The method includes the steps of defining a notice threshold that is associated with a corresponding amount of ink remaining in the consumable; providing control logic for selectively controlling the plurality of address lines; determining whether the amount of ink remaining in the consumable has reached the notice threshold; and upon reaching the notice threshold, reducing an image density of images formed by the printhead by selectively disabling at least one of the plurality of address lines.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead heater chip has an ink via asymmetrically arranged in a reciprocating direction of inkjet printhead movement. The ink via has two sides and a longitudinal extent substantially parallel to a print medium advance direction. A column of fluid firing elements exists exclusively along a single side of the two sides. The heater chip and ink via each have a centroid and neither resides coincidentally with one another. Preferably, the heater chip centroid resides externally to a boundary of the ink via. In other aspects, the column of fluid firing elements can be a sole column or plural and may be centered in the reciprocating direction. The ink via can be a sole via or plural. The heater chip can be rectangular and the ink vias can be closer to either the long or short ends thereof. Inkjet printers for housing the printheads are also disclosed.

Abstract: A micro-miniature fluid ejecting device. The fluid ejecting device includes a semiconductor substrate having fluid ejectors formed on a surface of the substrate. A flexible circuit is fixedly attached to the semiconductor substrate. The flexible circuit has power contacts for providing power to the fluid ejectors. At least one drive circuit is connected to the fluid ejectors. The drive circuit is disposed on one of the semiconductor substrate and the flexible circuit. A fluid sequencer is connected to the drive circuit for selectively activating the fluid ejectors. The fluid sequencer is also disposed on one of the semiconductor substrate and the flexible circuit. The semiconductor substrate is attached to a housing. A fluid source is provided for supplying fluid to the semiconductor substrate for ejection by the fluid ejectors. The fluid ejecting device provides low cost construction for application specific miniature fluid jetting devices.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead heater chip has an ink via asymmetrically arranged in a reciprocating direction of inkjet printhead movement. The ink via has two sides and a longitudinal extent substantially parallel to a print medium advance direction. A column of fluid firing elements exists exclusively along a single side of the two sides. The heater chip and ink via each have a centroid and neither resides coincidentally with one another. Preferably, the heater chip centroid resides externally to a boundary of the ink via. In other aspects, the column of fluid firing elements can be a sole column or plural and may be centered in the reciprocating direction. The ink via can be a sole via or plural. The heater chip can be rectangular and the ink vias can be closer to either the long or short ends thereof. Inkjet printers for housing the printheads are also disclosed.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead heater chip has an ink via asymmetrically arranged in a reciprocating direction of inkjet printhead movement. The ink via has two sides and a longitudinal extent substantially parallel to a print medium advance direction. A column of fluid firing elements exists exclusively along a single side of the two sides. The heater chip and ink via each have a centroid and neither resides coincidentally with one another. Preferably, the heater chip centroid resides externally to a boundary of the ink via. In other aspects, the column of fluid firing elements can be a sole column or plural and may be centered in the reciprocating direction. The ink via can be a sole via or plural. The heater chip can be rectangular and the ink vias can be closer to either the long or short ends thereof. Inkjet printers for housing the printheads are also disclosed.

Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a printhead control circuit that produces printhead command signals based on data signals provided by the printer. A power circuit actuates ink ejectors in response to the printhead command signals and includes a plurality of compensation circuits. Each ink ejector is associated with a single compensation circuit and each compensation circuit includes a number of switches connected in parallel with each other. Each switch in a single compensation circuit is connected to actuate a single ink ejector when the switch is turned on. The compensation circuits adjust their internal resistance by turning on more or less switches and thereby compensate for changing effective parasitic resistance of the power lines.

Abstract: A method informs a user of an ink jet printer of the end of life of a consumable. The consumable supplies ink to a printhead having a plurality of ink ejection nozzles and an associated plurality of ink jetting actuators, each of the plurality of ink jetting actuators being addressable. The printhead includes a plurality of address lines for facilitating selection of one or more of the plurality of ink jetting actuators. The method includes the steps of defining a notice threshold that is associated with a corresponding amount of ink remaining in the consumable; providing control logic for selectively controlling the plurality of address lines; determining whether the amount of ink remaining in the consumable has reached the notice threshold; and upon reaching the notice threshold, reducing an image density of images formed by the printhead by selectively disabling at least one of the plurality of address lines.

Abstract: An ink jet heater chip having improved thermal. The chip includes a semiconductor substrate, a first metal resistive, a second metal conductive layer on a first portion of the resistive layer and on a second portion of the resistive layer defining a heater resistor element. A passivation layer having a thickness defined by a deposition process is deposited on the second metal conductive layer and heater resistor element. A cavitation layer is deposited on the passivation layer and etched. A dielectric layer is deposited and etched to provide a dielectric layer overlying the first portion of the resistive layer. An electrical conduit via is etched in the dielectric layer. A third metal conductive layer is deposited in the via for electrical contact with the second metal conductive layer. Separately deposited dielectric and passivation layers enable independent control of the thickness of the dielectric and passivation layers.

Abstract: A method of firing a plurality of jetting heaters in an ink jet printer includes identifying a first of the jetting heaters to be fired. A second of the jetting heaters to be fired immediately after the firing of the first jetting heater is also identified. Power is simultaneously applied to each of the first jetting heater and the second jetting heater.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a printhead for ejecting ink onto a print medium. The printhead includes electrical and mechanical structure for controlling the ejection of the ink. The printhead includes an ink ejector chip having at least one active device, such as a transistor and the like. A guard ring substantially surrounds select active devices included on the chip. The guard ring tends to prevent latch-up when the chip operates to energize the ink. The chip is manufactured using a substrate devoid of an overlying epitaxial layer which tends to reduce the cost of manufacturing the chip.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead heater chip has an ink via asymmetrically arranged in a reciprocating direction of inkjet printhead movement. The ink via has two sides and a longitudinal extent substantially parallel to a print medium advance direction. A column of fluid firing elements exists exclusively along a single side of the two sides. The heater chip and ink via each have a centroid and neither resides coincidentally with one another. Preferably, the heater chip centroid resides externally to a boundary of the ink via. In other aspects, the column of fluid firing elements can be a sole column or plural and may be centered in the reciprocating direction. The ink via can be a sole via or plural. The heater chip can be rectangular and the ink vias can be closer to either the long or short ends thereof. Inkjet printers for housing the printheads are also disclosed.

Abstract: An integrated circuit in an ink jet printhead selectively activates one or more printing elements on the printhead based on a multi-dimensional addressing scheme. The integrated circuit includes a plurality of pass switching, power switching, and one or more ground switching devices for selectively connecting one or more power switching devices to ground to activate one or more of the printing elements to print an image on a print medium. The integrated circuit includes a number of first, second, third, and fourth control lines for selectively controlling the activation of one or more of the printing elements.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a printhead for ejecting ink onto a print medium. The printhead includes electrical and mechanical structure for controlling the ejection of the ink. The printhead includes an ink ejector chip having at least one active device, such as a transistor and the like. A guard ring substantially surrounds select active devices included on the chip. The guard ring tends to prevent latch-up when the chip operates to energize the ink. The chip is manufactured using a substrate devoid of an overlying epitaxial layer which tends to reduce the cost of manufacturing the chip.

Abstract: An ink jet heater chip having improved thermal. The chip includes a semiconductor substrate, a first metal resistive, a second metal conductive layer on a first portion of the resistive layer and on a second portion of the resistive layer defining a heater resistor element. A passivation layer having a thickness defined by a deposition process is deposited on the second metal conductive layer and heater resistor element. A cavitation layer is deposited on the passivation layer and etched. A dielectric layer is deposited and etched to provide a dielectric layer overlying the first portion of the resistive layer. An electrical conduit via is etched in the dielectric layer. A third metal conductive layer is deposited in the via for electrical contact with the second metal conductive layer. Separately deposited dielectric and passivation layers enable independent control of the thickness of the dielectric and passivation layers.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead heater chip has a silicon substrate with a heater stack formed of a plurality of thin film layers thereon for ejecting an ink drop during use. The thin film layers include: a thermal barrier layer on the silicon substrate; a resistor layer on the thermal barrier layer; a doped diamond-like carbon layer on the resistor layer; and a cavitation layer on the doped diamond-like carbon layer. The doped diamond-like carbon layer preferably includes silicon but may also include nitrogen, titanium, tantalum, combinations thereof or other. When it includes silicon, a preferred silicon concentration ranges from 20 to 25 atomic percent. A preferred cavitation layer includes an undoped diamond-like carbon, tantalum or titanium layer. The doped diamond-like carbon layer ranges in thickness from 500 to 3000 angstroms. The cavitation layer ranges from 500 to 6000 angstroms. Inkjet printheads and printers are also disclosed.