Verfahren zur Herstellung eines integrierten thermischen Tintenstrahldruckkopfes.

摘要

This application discloses a novel method to integrate thermal drop on demand ink jet devices and related pulse driver circuitry for chips used in thermal ink jet printers. This integrated printhead chip is made by first fabricating on the substrate (11) the driver pulse circuitry through the last level of metallization. Once complete, a low temperature (< 400 C) CVD oxide (15) is deposited and planarized. It is of sufficient thickness (3 to 4 microns) to insure a good thermal barrier between the pulse circuitry and the thermal inkjet devices. After planarization, the resistor material (17) is deposited and patterned. Openings are then patterned to the inputs and outputs of the pulse driver circuitry (18). Aluminum copper metallurgy (19) is deposited and patterned to connect the resistor to the pulse driver output and define the heater resistor areas (17). Inorganic an organic barrier layers (21, 23, 25) are applied and patterned to protect the resistor material (17) and interconnecting metallurgy from the corrosive effects of the ink. After testing, ink holes are drilled and the wafer is diced and nozzle plates are attached to the chips. Thus, this "on chip" driver integration enables the pulse driver circuitry to be moved to the thermal ink jet printhead. It offers advantages over other methods of ink jet/driver device integration by the chip footprint the same without decreasing the dimensions of the respective devices.