Abstract: A printhead including a nozzle unit having a main nozzle array to eject ink on a print medium to print an image, and a compensating nozzle unit having a secondary nozzle array which is separately installed in a transferring direction of the print medium to compensate for malfunctioning nozzles in the nozzle unit, wherein each nozzle disposed in the secondary nozzle array of the compensating nozzle unit is positioned between nozzles disposed in the main nozzle array of the nozzle unit. The inkjet image forming apparatus having this printhead can prevent printing defects caused by malfunctioning nozzles, such as missing lines.

Abstract: An ink-jet printhead includes a substrate, a doughnut-shaped heater formed on the top surface of the substrate, an ink chamber barrier disposed on the substrate to enclose the heater, an ink chamber defined by the substrate and the ink chamber barrier, and an ink passage extending through the substrate in the perpendicular direction to the surface of the heater. The ink passage includes a narrow passage and a wide passage. The narrow passage communicates with the ink chamber. The ink passage concentrically communicates with an opening formed at the center of the heater and a nozzle. An ink introducing direction for supplying the ink into the ink chamber coincides with an ink ejecting direction for ejecting the ink from the nozzle, and the ink chamber barrier is disposed between the substrate and the nozzle plate.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an ink-jet printhead, including forming an insulation film on a substrate, depositing a metal layer onto said insulation film and patterning said metal layer to form a heater, forming an electrical wire on said substrate, etching said substrate at a predetermined depth from a top surface of said substrate in a direction perpendicular to a major surface of said heater to form a narrow passage, depositing an ink chamber barrier layer on said top surface of said substrate and patterning said ink chamber barrier layer to form an ink chamber, stacking a nozzle plate having a nozzle on said ink chamber barrier layer and disposed on an upper portion of said ink chamber barrier layer, and applying predetermined pressure and temperature onto said nozzle plate to bond said nozzle plate and said substrate, and etching said substrate from a bottom surface thereof to form a wide passage communicating with said narrow passage.

Abstract: A flexible printed circuit board connected to a printer head having at least one heater discharging ink, the flexible printed circuit board including: at least one voltage supplying terminal selectively supplying an operating voltage to the at least one heater in response to receiving a printing command signal from a printer; at least one first cable connected at each end to the at least one voltage supplying terminal and at least one first bonding pad, respectively, transferring the operating voltage to the at least one heater; at least one grounded terminal; and at least one second cable connected at each end to the at least one grounded terminal and at least one second bonding pad, respectively, in which the at least one second cable is divided into at least two portions at a predetermined position and a first portion of the at least two divided portions is provided along one side of the at least one first cable, and a second portion of the at least two divided portions is provided along the other side of

Abstract: An ink-jet printhead and a manufacturing method thereof include a substrate on which an ink chamber having a predetermined volume is formed, a passage for supplying ink to the ink chamber which is formed on a bottom of the ink chamber, a nozzle plate which includes a nozzle corresponding to a center of the ink chamber and at least two insulating layers formed on the substrate, a bubble guide formed inside the nozzle plate and extending from the nozzle into the ink chamber, and a heater which surrounds the nozzle and is disposed between the two insulating layers. A hydrophobic coating layer is formed on a surface of a uppermost layer of the nozzle plate, and a droplet ejecting portion that has a diameter smaller than that of the nozzle of the nozzle plate and is disposed on the same axis as the nozzle, is formed in the hydrophobic coating layer.

Abstract: An ink-jet printhead and a manufacturing method thereof include a substrate on which an ink chamber having a predetermined volume is formed, a passage for supplying ink to the ink chamber which is formed on a bottom of the ink chamber, a nozzle plate which includes a nozzle corresponding to a center of the ink chamber and at least two insulating layers formed on the substrate, a bubble guide formed inside the nozzle plate and extending from the nozzle into the ink chamber, and a heater which surrounds the nozzle and is disposed between the two insulating layers. A hydrophobic coating layer is formed on a surface of a uppermost layer of the nozzle plate, and a droplet ejecting portion that has a diameter smaller than that of the nozzle of the nozzle plate and is disposed on the same axis as the nozzle, is formed in the hydrophobic coating layer.

Abstract: A head of an inkjet printer is formed by bonding of a heater substrate and a nozzle plate. In order to bond the heater substrate where a heater thin film and a protecting film are vapor-deposited, and the nozzle plate where a nozzle is formed, an intermediate layer is formed by forming a thin film of glass on the heater substrate by vapor-depositing, and the nozzle plate is installed on the heater substrate. SiO2 is formed at an interface between the nozzle plate and the heater thin film due to heating and application of an electric field, and thus the nozzle plate and the heater substrate are bonded with an electrostatic force of SiO2. The nozzle plate and the heater substrate are bonded by using the intermediate layer made of the thin film of glass instead of a general polymer as the bonding layer, thereby preventing swelling of the polymer and isolation of layers of the head occurring due to ink penetration into interfaces of the layers.

Abstract: A head of an inkjet printer is formed by bonding of a heater substrate and a nozzle plate. In order to bond the heater substrate where a heater thin film and a protecting film are vapor-deposited, and the nozzle plate where a nozzle is formed, an intermediate layer is formed by forming a thin film of glass on the heater substrate by vapor-depositing, and the nozzle plate is installed on the heater substrate. SiO2 is formed at an interface between the nozzle plate and the heater thin film due to heating and application of an electric field, and thus the nozzle plate and the heater substrate are bonded with an electrostatic force of SiO2. The nozzle plate and the heater substrate are bonded by using the intermediate layer made of the thin film of glass instead of a general polymer as the bonding layer, thereby preventing swelling of the polymer and isolation of layers of the head occurring due to ink penetration into interfaces of the layers.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead and a manufacturing method thereof. The inkjet printhead includes a substrate, a substantially cylindrical ink chamber storing ink and formed in an upper portion of the substrate, and a manifold supplying ink to the ink chamber in a bottom portion of the substrate, a channel-forming layer disposed between the ink chamber and the manifold and having an ink channel communicating between the ink chamber and the manifold, a nozzle plate stacked on the substrate and having a nozzle at a location corresponding to the central part of the ink chamber, a heater formed to surround the nozzle of the nozzle plate, and electrodes electrically connected to the heater to supply current to the heater. Therefore, the quantity of ink stored in an ink chamber can be increased. Also, when bubbles grow, the cylindrical ink chamber confines an ink flow area to ink ejectors, thereby reducing a back flow of the ink.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a head of an inkjet printer includes forming a heater on a substrate and also forming an ink feeding passage through the substrate in a vertical relation to a surface where the heater is formed, forming an ink chamber communicating with the ink feeding passage of the substrate; attaching the substrate to the nozzle plate, and forming a tapered nozzle in the nozzle plate, the tapered nozzle being narrower in diameter in an inside of the nozzle plate than an outside of the nozzle plate, by radiating a laser beam from inside toward the outside of the nozzle plate, wherein the substrate is used as a mask. Since the nozzle is formed by radiating the laser beam to the nozzle plate through the ink feeding passage of the substrate after attaching the nozzle plate to the substrate, the accuracy of the nozzle in form and position improves, and the nozzle of desirable structure of the improved ink discharge efficiency can be obtained by radiating the laser beam only once.

Abstract: An ink-jet printhead includes a substrate on which an ink chamber is formed, and a nozzle plate to cover the ink chamber, having a nozzle through which ink droplets are ejected from the ink chamber, and formed of a stack of a multi-layer insulating layer. The ink-jet printhead also includes a heater buried in the nozzle plate to surround the nozzle, an interconnection layer buried in the nozzle plate to electrically connect to the heater, and a coating layer formed of photoresist on the nozzle plate and having a through hole-type droplet guide connected to the nozzle of the nozzle plate. The droplet guide is formed through the coating layer, which has a sufficient thickness, and enables a meniscus of ink to be rapidly restored and stabilized, and ink droplets to be ejected at a high speed and high frequency. Also, the ink-jet printhead has improved resistance to abrasion and chemicals.

Abstract: An ink-jet printhead and a method of manufacturing the same. The ink-jet printhead includes a substrate on which a heater to boil ink and a conductor to supply a current to the heater are formed, a chamber layer disposed on the substrate, the chamber layer defining an ink chamber containing the ink and being composed of at least polyimide, and a nozzle plate disposed on the chamber layer, the nozzle plate having nozzles through which the ink is ejected.

Abstract: A foam used in a print cartridge and a method of forming the same. The foam includes 0.1-5.0 wt % of silver nanoparticles, based on the total weight of the foam. The print cartridge has a deodorizing, antibacterial, and disinfectant function.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus and method thereof to bond the bonding portions of an FPC cable to pads of a print head die in order to electrically connect the print head die of an ink jet print head assembly include a stage and a bonding tool. The print head die includes resistive heaters, signal lines connected to the resistive heaters, and electrical pads to connect the signal lines to an outside of the print head die to the FPC cable having conductors having bonding portions facing the pads. The print head die is supported on the stage with the pads facing upward. The bonding tool includes a tip that press bonding portions of the FPC cable against corresponding pads of the print head die placed on the stage, and heats the bonding portions in contact with the pads to bond the bonding portion to the pads.

Abstract: An ink cartridge includes ink chambers storing ink, a sealing member sealing the ink chambers provided with ink injection openings injecting ink into the ink chambers and air inflow openings through which the ink chambers communicate with an outside of the ink chambers, a cover member forming air inflow passageways between the air inflow openings and the outside of the ink chambers in cooperation with the sealing member and sealing the ink injection openings, an ink blocking part first blocking the ink from being discharged through the air inflow passageways in cooperation with the air inflow openings, and an ink storage part storing the ink passing through the air inflow openings and the ink blocking part to prevent the ink from being discharged through the air inflow passageways.

Abstract: An ink-jet printhead includes a substrate on which an ink chamber is formed, and a nozzle plate to cover the ink chamber, having a nozzle through which ink droplets are ejected from the ink chamber, and formed of a stack of a multi-layer insulating layer. The ink-jet printhead also includes a heater buried in the nozzle plate to surround the nozzle, an interconnection layer buried in the nozzle plate to electrically connect to the heater, and a coating layer formed of photoresist on the nozzle plate and having a through hole-type droplet guide connected to the nozzle of the nozzle plate. The droplet guide is formed through the coating layer, which has a sufficient thickness, and enables a meniscus of ink to be rapidly restored and stabilized, and ink droplets to be ejected at a high speed and high frequency. Also, the ink-jet printhead has improved resistance to abrasion and chemicals.

Abstract: An ink cartridge includes a main body containing an ink absorbent body at an inside thereof and filled with ink, an ink head chip disposed at a lower portion of the main body to spray the ink onto a printing paper, an ink feeding pipe disposed at an inside of the lower portion of the main body to feed the ink in the main body to the ink head chip, and a pressure rib protruding from a bottom of the main body toward the ink absorbent body by a height higher than the ink feeding pipe to press the ink absorbent body contacting the pressure rib before coming in contact with the ink feeding pipe.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a monolithic ink-jet printhead includes preparing a silicon substrate, forming an ink passage comprising a manifold supplying ink, an ink chamber filled with ink supplied from the manifold, an ink channel connecting the ink chamber to the manifold, and a nozzle through which the ink is ejected from the ink chamber, on the silicon substrate, and reprocessing a wall of the ink passage by passing XeF2 gas through the ink passage and dry etching the wall of the ink passage. In the reprocessing of the wall of the ink passage using XeF2 gas, the wall of the ink passage is smoothed, and a size of the ink passage can be more precisely adjusted to a design dimension, thereby improving a printing performance of the ink-jet printhead.

Abstract: An ink cartridge including a container body formed at a lower end of an ink supply pipe and containing ink therein, a porous body disposed inside the container body for containing ink, and a head portion protruding under the container body for having the ink supply pipe formed in a predetermined length and having a head chip supplied with ink from the pipe and spraying the ink on a sheet of paper disposed thereon. The head portion has a groove which is formed by withdrawing a slide core when forming the container body in order to form the ink supply pipe.

Abstract: An ink cartridge includes a container body to accommodate an ink and having a pipe at a lower end through which the ink is discharged, an ink holding member disposed in the container body to absorb the ink, and a negative pressure generation part stepped with respect to a reference bottom side in the container body to increase a negative pressure by compressing the ink holding member as approaching an inlet of the pipe.