Abstract: A mounting platform is provided for securing munitions. The platform includes a flat plate, a front block and a rear block. The plate includes a plurality of cutout holes. The front block has a first saddle disposed between first flanking ends and at least one extension at one of the flanking ends for inserting into a first opening of the cutouts. The rear block has a second saddle disposed between second flanking ends at least one extension for inserting into a second opening of the cutouts. The munitions are disposable atop the first and second saddles of the front and rear blocks. The munitions are restrained axially against a rear stop block and laterally by the saddles and straps.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead includes an ink reservoir having an fluid inlet for receiving ink, a top portion, and a bottom portion. A channel plate structure that is etched from silicon defines a plurality of microchannels in fluid communication with the reservoir for directing ink from the reservoir. Support structure is provided near the top portion of the reservoir and extending within the reservoir. The support structure is formed to divide the reservoir into at least a pair of reservoir regions and to provide support to the channel plate structure while permitting substantially unobstructed fluid flow to all of the channels at the bottom portion of the reservoir. In addition to forming printheads for ink jet printers, the invention may be applied to other microchannel fluidic devices.

Abstract: A printhead uses large and small drop ejectors to achieve efficient gray scale printing. The printhead is arranged with a close packed configuration of alternating large and small nozzles positioned to maximize coverage while minimizing the volume of ejected ink. The printhead may be operated in a single pass mode or dual pass mode. In the single pass mode, complete coverage is effected by rippling through the odd numbered jets first and then rippling through the even numbered jets. The position of the small spots from the even numbered jets can be adjusted to maximize coverage and counteract offset between nozzle centers. Printheads with different size nozzles can also be operated by a staggered firing method using dual passes to offset spots in the scan direction by shifting the printhead between passes or alternating between groups of large and small nozzles.

Abstract: A printhead uses large and small drop ejectors to achieve efficient gray scale printing. The printhead is arranged with a close packed configuration of alternating large and small nozzles positioned to maximize coverage while minimizing the volume of ejected ink. The printhead may be operated in a single pass mode or dual pass mode. In the single pass mode, complete coverage is effected by rippling through the odd numbered jets first and then rippling through the even numbered jets. The position of the small spots from the even numbered jets can be adjusted to maximize coverage and counteract offset between nozzle centers. Printheads with different size nozzles can also be operated by a staggered firing method using dual passes to offset spots in the scan direction by shifting the printhead between passes or alternating between groups of large and small nozzles.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead includes an ink reservoir having an fluid inlet for receiving ink, a top portion, and a bottom portion. A channel plate structure that is etched from silicon defines a plurality of microchannels in fluid communication with the reservoir for directing ink from the reservoir. Support structure is provided near the top portion of the reservoir and extending within the reservoir. The support structure is formed to divide the reservoir into at least a pair of reservoir regions and to provide support to the channel plate structure while permitting substantially unobstructed fluid flow to all of the channels at the bottom portion of the reservoir. In addition to forming printheads for ink jet printers, the invention may be applied to other microchannel fluidic devices.

Abstract: A printhead uses large and small drop ejectors to achieve efficient gray scale printing. The printhead is arranged with a close packed configuration of alternating large and small nozzles positioned to maximize coverage while minimizing the volume of ejected ink. The printhead may be operated in a single pass mode or dual pass mode. In the single pass mode, complete coverage is effected by rippling through the odd numbered jets first and then rippling through the even numbered jets. The position of the small spots from the even numbered jets can be adjusted to maximize coverage and counteract offset between nozzle centers. Printheads with different size nozzles can also be operated by a staggered firing method using dual passes to offset spots in the scan direction by shifting the printhead between passes or alternating between groups of large and small nozzles.

Abstract: A printhead uses large and small drop ejectors to achieve efficient gray scale printing. The printhead is arranged with a close packed configuration of alternating large and small nozzles positioned to maximize coverage while minimizing the volume of ejected ink. The printhead may be operated in a single pass mode or dual pass mode. In the single pass mode, complete coverage is effected by rippling through the odd numbered jets first and then rippling through the even numbered jets. The position of the small spots from the even numbered jets can be adjusted to maximize coverage and counteract offset between nozzle centers. Printheads with different size nozzles can also be operated by a staggered firing method using dual passes to offset spots in the scan direction by shifting the printhead between passes or alternating between groups of large and small nozzles.

Abstract: An ink jet channel wafer for an ink jet printer has a first surface in which a plurality of anisotropically etched ink channels and an anisotropically etched ink reservoir are directly connected to one another. The ink jet channel wafer is etched using an admixture of at least one alkali metal hydroxide and at least one alcohol compound.

Abstract: In an ink-jet printhead, the individual channels for ejecting ink onto a print medium are orientation dependently etched along the (111) planes perpendicular to the (110) surface orientation of a single crystal silicon wafer. The silicon wafer is bonded on a glass substrate to act as both a support and an etch stop in the etching process. The orientation of the channels within the silicon layer facilitates channels which are rectangular in cross section.

Abstract: In an ink-jet printhead, channels in which liquid ink is nucleated by a heating element defines five sides in cross-section. One of the sides is created by the main surface of a heater chip which includes the heating element, while the other four sides, forming a truncated parallelogram or diamond-shape, are defined in a channel plate abutting the heater chip. The four-sided channel in the channel plate is created by a combined process of plasma etching and wet etching.

Abstract: A liquid ink printing apparatus printing images includes a printhead having a plurality of nozzles wherein a single power pulse causes two or more nozzles to eject ink simultaneously. The printhead includes an ink directing element having a plurality of ink conduits coupled to an array of spaced nozzles and a transducer element aligned with and mated to the ink directing element. The transducers are spaced a distance apart and each transducer is substantially aligned with at least two or more of the nozzles. The printhead is stepped in a direction transverse to the array of spaced nozzles a stepping distance approximately equal to or less than the distance between transducers. The ink directing element includes a silicon wafer having etched ink conduits or channels holding ink for ejection through the nozzles connected thereto.

Abstract: A method of fabricating ink jet printheads from channel plates with a low stress integral ink inlet filters and heater plates. The channel plates are obtained from p-type (100) silicon wafers, one surface of which has a lightly doped n-type patterned layer in the form of a screen. In the preferred embodiment, a first etch resistant material is deposited on both surfaces of the wafer and patterned on the surface of wafer opposite the one containing the n-type layer. The patterned first etch resistant material provides a first etch mask with channel and reservoir vias. A second etch resistant material is deposited over the first etch resistant material and patterned on the same wafer surface as the first etch resistant material in order to provide a second etch mask having reservoir vias smaller than the reservoir vias in the first etch mask, but aligned therewithin.

Abstract: A plurality of a thermal ink jet printheads are fabricated from a heater wafer, on which a plurality of arrays of heaters, transducers and addressing logic are located on one surface thereof, by depositing multiple coatings of a positive photoresist over the heater wafer to achieve a desired thickness and then exposing to the photoresist UV (ultra violet) light through a graded mask. The mask controls the depth of developed resist and concurrently forms a variable depth profile for the ink channel structures containing ink flow channels, reservoirs, and heater pits in a single step. A flat glass substrate with ink inlets formed therein is mated to the patterned photoresist to complete the wafer/substrate pair containing the plurality of printheads. The individual printheads are obtained by a subsequent dicing operation. In an alternate embodiment, a negative acting positive photoresist is used.

Abstract: Three dimensional silicon structures having variable depths such as ink flow channels and reservoirs are fabricated from silicon wafers by a two-step anisotropic etching process from a single side of the wafer. Two different etching masks are formed one on top of the other prior to the initiation of etching with the coarsest mask formed last and used first. Once the coarse anisotropic etching is completed, the coarse etch mask is removed and the finer anisotropic etching is accomplished through the remaining mask. The shape of the mask for the finer anisotropic etching in combination with a predetermined etch time produces a channel having varying depths and widths by controlled undercutting of the mask by the finer anisotropic etching. The preferred embodiment is described using an ink flow directing part of a thermal ink jet printhead where the coarse etching step provides the reservoir and the timed fine etching step provides the ink channels having varying cross-sectional flow areas.

Abstract: In bubble jet heater dies, a photolithographic process is disclosed to form patterned photoresist structures having re-entrant angles to facilitate an improved lift-off structure for anti-cavitation layer deposition. A substrate is coated with a photoresist which includes 0.5% to 1.0% Monazoline C. When exposed to Ultra-Violet light and developed, apertures in the photoresist have inverted side walls. Anti-cavitation material, such as tantalum, is then sputtered onto the substrate and the photoresist to form patterned metal. structures. The lift-off of the patterned photoresist is easily performed leaving behind the patterned metal structures. The use of this lift-off deposition method prevents stress-cracking in the anti-cavitation layer seen in deposition and etch methods.

Abstract: Three dimensional silicon structures are fabricated from (100) silicon wafers by a single side, two-step anisotropic etching process using different etchants. The two etch masks are formed one on top of the other on a single side of the wafer prior to the initiation of the two-step etching process, with the mask for the largest and deepest etched recesses formed last and used first. The last formed mask is removed to expose the first formed mask. The anisotropic etchant for the smaller, closer toleranced recesses is chosen to minimize mask etching and improve dimensional control of etched recesses requiring close tolerances and uniform sizes.

Abstract: A thermal ink jet printhead has a flow directing one-way valve for reducing back-flow directed forces generated by the droplet ejecting ink vapor bubbles, so that most of the bubble generated forces are used to eject ink droplets from the printhead nozzles. The one-way valve is provided by patterning the etch resistant mask to form a flap located at a predetermined position along the ink channels between the heating elements and reservoirs, which is activated by bubble generated forces directed in the opposite direction from the printhead nozzles.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead having an integral silicon filter over the printhead ink inlet is disclosed. The filter is produced by orientation dependent etching during printhead fabrication. The individual printheads are obtained by a sectioning operation which cuts aligned and bonded channel and heater wafers into a plurality of printheads. The channel wafer is orientation dependent etched from one side of a (100) silicon wafer through a patterned etch resistant mask layer to produce the plurality of reservoir recesses, each having a predetermined depth and floor thickness, and a plurailty of sets of parallel ink channel grooves, one set of channel grooves for each reservoir recess. The etch resistant mask layer on both sides of the channel wafer are removed and a second etch resistant mask layer is deposited thereon.

Abstract: A precision etched, three dimensional device is fabricated from a silicon wafer by etching from one side of the wafer. A chemical masking layer, such as silicon nitride, is first deposited on all sides of the wafer, followed by the deposition of a robust mechanical layer, such as polycrystalline silicon, over the masking layer on all sides of the wafer. The two layers are sequentially patterned on one side of the wafer and then the wafer is placed into an etchant bath which etches the exposed surface of the wafer and concurrently removes the protective layer, leaving a defect-free masking layer that prevents unintentional etching that would reduce yields of fabricated devices.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an integral filter on a substrate includes: blanket depositing a base layer of a metallic material on a planar surface of the substrate; depositing a patternable material layer over the base layer of metallic material; patterning a plurality of grid lines in the paternable material layer to form a filter pattern; depositing metallic material in the grid lines of the filter pattern by electroplating, to form a filter over the base layer; removing the patternable material layer from the planar surface; and removing the base layer of metallic material at least between the grid lines of the electroplated filter. Preferably, the substrate is part of a fluid handling device, and therefore, includes a through-hole over which the filter is fabricated. Usually, the filter is fabricated prior to forming the through-hole. In one example, the fluid-handling device is a channel plate for a thermal ink jet printhead.