Abstract: A method of manufacturing a monolithic ink-jet printhead includes a heating element which generates bubbles by heating ink is formed on a surface of the substrate, and a negative photoresist which is coated to a predetermined thickness on the substrate on which the heating element is formed. Next, a portion, which forms a sidewall of an ink passage forming wall surrounding an ink chamber and a restrictor, of the negative photoresist is flush exposed to light and cured using a first photomask in which patterns of the ink chamber and the restrictor of the ink passage are formed. Subsequently, a second portion which forms an upper wall of the ink passage forming wall of the negative photoresist is exposed to the light using a second photomask in which the pattern of a nozzle is formed, and the second portion is exposed to the light by only a predetermined thickness. Last, an uncured portion of the negative photoresist is dissolved and removed using solvent.

Abstract: An ink-jet cartridge includes a cartridge body forming an ink reservoir, a standpipe coupled to one side of the ink reservoir, a printhead formed under an ink supply passage formed by the standpipe, through which ink from the ink reservoir is ejected onto a printing medium in a droplet shape, and a filter which covers a top portion of the standpipe. The filter is formed in a convex shape protruding toward the printhead. Ink particles and bubbles flowing from the ink reservoir to the printhead are filtered out, bubbles which may flow from the printhead to the ink reservoir, move to edges of the filter, and the ink is smoothly supplied to the printhead.

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 cartridge including at least one first chamber storing an ink, at least one second chamber having an air inflow hole formed at an upper portion thereof to be exposed to an ambient air and an ink supply portion formed at a lower portion thereof and having an ink supply port supplying an ink, the second chamber expanding with a negative pressure generating medium storing the ink, an intermediate partition having a connecting hole defined in a lower portion thereof connecting the first and the second chambers to each other, the intermediate partition dividing the first and the second chamber, and a connecting hole blockage preventing structure formed with respect to the connecting hole, at least preventing the negative pressure generating medium adjacent to the connecting hole from being partially compressed and providing an additional air-liquid transfer space with respect to the connecting hole, to thereby prevent the connecting hole from being blocked with the negative pressure generating medium expand

Abstract: A bubble-jet type ink-jet printhead has a structure in which a base plate, a barrier wall, and a nozzle plate are stacked. The base plate includes a substrate on which a recess is formed to a predetermined depth, an adiabatic layer formed on the substrate, a heater which is formed on the adiabatic layer and generates a thermal energy, and a passivation layer which is formed on the heater and passivates the heater. The barrier wall is stacked on the base plate, defines an ink chamber, which is disposed on the recess and has a recessed bottom surface, and defines an ink passage which communicates with the ink chamber. The nozzle plate is stacked on the barrier wall, has nozzles through which ink is ejected, and is formed at a location corresponding to a center of the ink chamber.

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: An ink cartridge is provided with a main body divided into an ink chamber filled with ink and a foam chamber receiving an ink absorbent body, an ink head chip disposed at a lower portion of the foam chamber to spray the ink onto a printing paper, a partition forming a passage with a bottom of the main body to pass ink and air therethrough, and dividing an inside of the main body into the ink chamber and foam chamber, and an ink feeding pipe disposed lower than the passage and at a lower portion of the foam chamber to feed the ink in the foam chamber to the ink head chip.

Abstract: A monolithic bubble ink jet print head and a fabrication method thereof. The print head includes a substrate having a resistance body to heat ink and an ink supply opening penetrating through the substrate, and a chamber/nozzle plate that is formed on the substrate by patterning a photo resist by a photolithography process using a single photo mask having at least two light transmission rates, so that a flow channel structure of an ink chamber, a restrictor, an ink supply channel and a nozzle are simultaneously formed. The fabrication method includes providing a substrate having a resistance body formed on an upper surface thereof to heat ink, forming a photo resist on the substrate having the resistance body, exposing the photo resist to light by using a single photo mask having at least two light transmission rates, and developing the photo resist exposed to the light.

Abstract: An ink-jet print head preventing thermal accumulation on a nozzle plate includes a substrate, a channel formed in the substrate to supply ink, a nozzle plate connected to the substrate and including a nozzle corresponding to the channel, a heat element formed in the nozzle plate to surround the nozzle, a thermal conduction layer formed on an upper side of the heat element formed between the thermal conduction layer and the heat element, and a thermal shunt spaced-apart from the heat element by a predetermined distance not to overlap the heat element in a direction parallel to the nozzle plate and connecting the thermal conduction layer to the substrate. Redundant heat generated from the heat element is not accumulated on a membrane of the nozzle plate but is rapidly absorbed into an inorganic thermal conduction layer formed in the membrane and is transferred to the bulk silicon substrate through a metallic thermal bridge, such as the thermal shunt.

Abstract: An ink-jet cartridge includes a cartridge body forming an ink reservoir, a standpipe coupled to one side of the ink reservoir, a printhead formed under an ink supply passage formed by the standpipe, through which ink from the ink reservoir is ejected onto a printing medium in a droplet shape, and a filter which covers a top portion of the standpipe. The filter is formed in a convex shape protruding toward the printhead. Ink particles and bubbles flowing from the ink reservoir to the printhead are filtered out, bubbles which may flow from the printhead to the ink reservoir, move to edges of the filter, and the ink is smoothly supplied to the printhead.

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: 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-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 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 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: 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 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 ink-jet print head preventing thermal accumulation on a nozzle plate includes a substrate, a channel formed in the substrate to supply ink, a nozzle plate connected to the substrate and including a nozzle corresponding to the channel, a heat element formed in the nozzle plate to surround the nozzle, a thermal conduction layer formed on an upper side of the heat element formed between the thermal conduction layer and the heat element, and a thermal shunt spaced-apart from the heat element by a predetermined distance not to overlap the heat element in a direction parallel to the nozzle plate and connecting the thermal conduction layer to the substrate. Redundant heat generated from the heat element is not accumulated on a membrane of the nozzle plate but is rapidly absorbed into an inorganic thermal conduction layer formed in the membrane and is transferred to the bulk silicon substrate through a metallic thermal bridge, such as the thermal shunt.

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: 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.