Fabrication of integrated acoustic ink printhead with liquid level control and device thereof

Claim 1

An integrated acoustic ink printhead with liquid level control comprising a substrate having an array of ejectors, each of said ejectors having a concave substrate surface area with a radius of curvature capable of radiating a free surface of ink with focused acoustic radiation to eject individual droplets of ink on demand, each of said ejectors having an acoustic focal length approximately equal to each other; a spacer layer with a first surface in intimate contact with said substrate and a second surface opposite said first surface, said spacer layer having a predetermined thickness approximately equal to a difference between each of said ejectors acoustic focal length and each of said ejectors radius of curvature, said spacer layer also having a set of apertures through said spacer layer, each aperture aligned with one of said ejectors substrate surface area; a set of holes in said spacer layer first surface and a set of corresponding holes in said substrate, said spacer layer holes and said substrate holes forming cavities at the contact between said spacer layer and said substrate in locations other than said apertures in said spacer layer and said substrate; and means in said cavities for engaging said spacer layer and said substrate; whereby said set of apertures is aligned with each of said ejectors substrate surface area and said set of apertures in said spacer layer form a control for a level of said free ink surface above each of said ejectors substrate surface area.