摘要:
A semi-conductor electron source (102) includes a planar emission region (114) for generating an electron emission, and a focusing structure (118, 120) for focusing the electron emission into an electron beam. The emission region (114) may be a porous region located in a layer on an active substrate (104). The focusing structure may include an aperture (122) through which electron emission is focused.
摘要:
An ink transfer printing devide in which ink transfer is controlled by a viscosity change in ink includes an ink reservoir (2) for retaining ink held under pressure. The ink reservoir (2) is associated with an ink transfer surface (4) which has a plurality of perforations (6). Under ambient conditions, the viscosity of the ink prevents flow of the ink through the perforations (6). The ink transfer printing device also includes a viscosity control unit (8, 20, 25, 26, 32, 38, 42, 46) for inducing a change in the viscosity of the ink near certain perforations thereby enabling a controlled amount of the ink near each of these certain perforations (6) to flow through these certain perforations to an outer surface of the ink transfer surface (4). Techniques for controlling the ink dot size using concentric regions (72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82) about each of the perforations (6) are disclosed. The ink which has flowed onto the outer surface can then be transferred to an intermediate surface (54) or a printing media (10). A method for viscosity-driven ink transfer printing is also disclosed. The present invention enables a printer, a copier, or the like to provide low cost, high speed, high resolution printed images.
摘要:
A method of manufacturing a thermal ink jet printhead wherein a reusable mandrel (Figure 5) consisting of either a metal pattern on an insulating or semiconductive substrate or an insulating pattern on a metal substrate or metal layer is used in the process of electroforming a plurality of metal substrates (12) used for starting a batch fabrication process. Next, thin film layers of insulating, resistive, and conductive materials (14, 15, 18) are formed on the surfaces of the metal substrates (12) to thereby define heater resistors (16) and lead-in conductors for the plurality of thermal ink jet printheads being formed. Then, a barrier layer (20) such as Vacrel is photodefined on the surface of the thin film insulating, resistive, and conductive layers (14, 15, 18) to thereby define a plurality of ink drop ejection chambers (24) surrounding each of the previously formed heater resistors (16). Next, a plurality of orifice plates (22) are secured, respectively, to the barrier layers (20) in each of the printheads being formed. Finally, the plurality of metal substrates (12) may be removed from the mandrel, such as by stripping away, without the requirement for substrate dicing, and an appropriate mask on the mandrel may be used to create an ink feed hole (30) in each of the metal substrates. The metal substrates (12) are further provided with a break tab line (32) during the electroforming process which is aligned with break patterns in both the above thin film layers (14, 15, 18) and orifice plates (22). In this manner, the individual thin film printheads may be easily broken away and separated one from another.
摘要:
A method for continuously manufacturing parts requiring precision micro-fabrication. According to the method, a surface of a mandrel having a reusable pattern thereon is moved through an electroforming bath. While the mandrel surface moves through the bath, a metal layer is deposited on the mandrel surface to define a pattern. After the metal layer has been deposited to the selected thickness, the metal layer is separated from the mandrel surface .
摘要:
A process of forming a mandrel (1, 2, 4, 5; 7, 8, 9, 11, 12) for manufacturing inkjet orifice plates (6, 13) and the like includes the steps of providing an electrically-conductive layer (2, 8) on a substrate (1, 7), providing a pattern of electrically conductive surfaces (4a, 11a) on the conductive layer (2, 8), and surface treating the pattern of conductive surfaces (4a, 11a) to reduce adhesion of a subsequently applied electroplated film (6, 13) to the pattern of conductive surfaces (4a, 11a). The mandrel (1, 2, 4, 5; 7, 8, 9, 11, 12) includes a substrate (1, 7), a pattern of electrically conductive surfaces (4a, 11a) on the substrate (1, 7) and an oxide layer (5, 12) on the pattern of conductive surfaces (4a, 11a) for reducing adhesion of an electroplated film (6, 13) to the pattern of conductive surfaces (4a, 11a). The pattern of conductive surfaces (4a, 11a) can be an electro-deposited layer of nickel, and the release means (5, 12) can be a nickel oxide and/or nickel hydroxide film on the layer of nickel.
摘要:
A self-aligned electron device (10) includes emitter (13), extraction electrode (17), and focus electrode (21) separated by dielectric layers, (11, 15, 19). A single cavity (23) extending through the electrodes and the dielectric layers and terminating at the emitter electrode (13) is formed by a single photolithography step and an etching process. A composite emitter (1) including a base (3) disposed on the emitter electrode (13) and a conical tip (5) disposed on the base (3) and terminating at a vertex V is formed in the cavity (23). The base (3) can be made from materials including titanium, chromium, or doped silicon. The tip (5) can be made from a wide variety of materials including a refractory metal, a metal alloy, a silicon alloy, a carbide, a nitride, or an electroformable metal. The cavity (23) and the composite emitter (1) are self-aligned relative to each other. The dielectric layers can be etched back to reduce or eliminate charge accumulation on cavity-facing portions (43, 45) of the dielectric layers. A composite layer including a dielectric and mechanical strength enhancement layer (15a, 19a) of silicon nitride or silicon carbide and a pull-back layer (15b, 19b) of silicon oxide on top of the etch stop layer can be used to form the dielectric layers.