Inkjet nozzle with CMOS compatible actuator voltage

摘要

An inkjet drop ejection apparatus comprising: a chamber with a nozzle and an ink inlet for fluid communication with an ink supply; and, an actuator with associated drive circuitry for ejecting drops of ink through the nozzle; such that, the drive circuitry transmits a drive signal to the actuator wherein the drive signal has a voltage less than 10 volts. Limiting the actuator voltage to 10V allows the drive circuitry to be CMOS circuitry rather than bi-polar. These voltages are compatible with CMOS and therefore the drive circuitry can be 'on chip' rather than 'off chip' with a large number of external connectors. Hence, all fabrication uses CMOS VLSI and MEMS processes and materials. By avoiding the need for many external connectors, the nozzle design is compact and the VLSI fabrication techniques are relatively low cost with high yield.