METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING NOZZLE ARRAYS FOR INK JET PRINTERS

摘要

METHOD OF ETCHING UNIFORM HOLES IN SUBSTRATES FOR THE FABRICATION OF INK JET NOZZLES AND THE LIKE Nozzle arrays for ink jet recording are produced by preferred chemical etching of a substrate material which frequently has a nonuniform thickness. The preferred substrate is a monocrystalline silicon wafer and the 100 plane surface of the wafer is coated with etchant masking material and the resist coated wafer is held in close physical contact with a base member. A suitable mask member which defines a nozzle array pattern is spaced a predetermined distance from the base member and is positioned parallel to the base member. The wafer is then exposed through the mask by a suitable light source arranged at a suitable angle while the wafer is simultaneously rotated about an axis perpendicular to the wafer. The wafer is then exposed to anisotropic etching to produce a uniform array of nozzles in the wafer wherein the lateral walls of the nozzles are substantially in the "111" plane of the wafer. The masking material is then stripped from the wafer.