§
Luxuse
Patent Intelligence
Sign In
Patent EP0320192A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
EP0320192A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Thin film device for an ink jet printhead and process for manufacturing same

Assignee: HP Inc
•
Filing: 1988-12-05
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2008-12-05
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A process for manufacturing a thin film resistor substrate useful, for example, in fabricating an ink jet printhead, wherein discontinuous strips (20,22) of conductive material are initially patterned on the surface of a resistive layer (16). These strips are formed using a first series of masking and etching steps to define an "X" dimension of a resistive heater element (24). Then, the conductive strips (20,22) and resistive material therebetween are completely masked (26) in preparation for a subsequent, second etching step used to remove the exposed portions of the resistive layer (16) and thereby define a "Y" dimension of the resistive heater element (24). These steps leave smooth contours, good step coverage and high quality bevelled edges (39,40) of the thus defined conductive and resistive layers. These layers are now ready for subsequent passivation layer (42), barrier layer (44) and orifice plate (48) deposition processes to complete a thin film printhead for use in an ink jet printer.

Inventors

  • 👤 James S. Aden
  • 👤 Jeffrey A. Kahn

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 04:45
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/135; B41J2/14; B41J2/14016; B41J2/14088; B41J2/14112; B41J2/14129; H; H01; H01C; H01C17/00; H01C17/06; H01C17/075; H05; H05B; H05B3/00; H05B3/10; H05B3/12; H05B3/14; H05B3/148; H10; H10N; H10N97/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49082; Y10T29/49083; Y10T29/49099; Y10T29/49117; Y10T29/49124

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim 143 words
A method for producing a thin film resistor device characterised in that it comprises the steps of: producing a first layer (16) of resistive material over a selected substrate (12,14); producing a second layer (18) of conductive material over the first layer (16); covering a plurality of first areas (20,22) of the second layer (18) with a plurality of first masks; removing the parts of the second layer (18) not covered by the first masks; covering a second area of the first layer (16) and the remaining parts of the second layer (18) with a second mask (26), wherein the second area includes the first areas (20,22); and removing the parts of the first layer (28,30) not covered by the first mask, wherein the shape and position of the first (20,22) and second areas defines the configuration of a resistive heater element (24).
Claim 2
Independent Claim 143 words
A method for producing a thin film resistor device characterised in that it comprises the steps of: producing a first layer (16) of resistive material over a selected substrate (12,14); producing a second layer (18) of conductive material over the first layer (16); covering a plurality of first areas (20,22) of the second layer (18) with a plurality of first masks; removing the parts of the second layer (18) not covered by the first masks; covering a second area of the first layer (16) and the remaining parts of the second layer (18) with a second mask (26), wherein the second area includes the first areas (20,22); and removing the parts of the first layer (28,30) not covered by the first mask, wherein the shape and position of the first (20,22) and second areas defines the configuration of a resistive heater element (24).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 43 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the first areas (20,22) are substantially rectangular and are arranged one behind another in a straight line across the second layer (18) and the second area is a strip running parallel to the line of first areas.
Claim 4
Independent Claim 69 words
A method for producing an ink jet printhead wherein a barrier layer (44) is deposited onto a thin film resistor device, produced using a method according to any preceding claim, to form an ink reservoir (46) over the resistive heater element (24); and then depositing an orifice plate (48) onto the barrier layer (44), in a position such that an orifice 52 is above the resistive heater element (24).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 18 words
An ink jet printhead when produced by a method including the method of claim 1, 2 or 3.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

No citation records indexed.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag