Importance

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Abstract

A thermal ink jet printhead and method of batch production thereof is disclosed. Each printhead has a plurality of nozzles in a stepped nozzle face that are obtained by a two step dicing operation. The printheads being formed by aligning and bonding an anisotropically etched silicon wafer containing a plurality of sets of channel grooves to a silicon wafer containing a plurality of linear arrays of heating elements and addressing electrodes over which a thick film layer is deposited and photopatterned to expose the heating elements and electrode terminals and to remove the areas parallel to and a predetermined distanace from the heating element arrays, thus photodelineating the portion of the thick film layer between the heating elements and the nozzles. The mated wafer sandwiches the thick film layer, and first dicing cutting severs the etch wafer and notches the wafer with the heating elements, forming a nozzle face containing the nozzle. The first dicing cut is made at a location where the thick film layer has been etch removed, thus eliminating the need to dice it, thereby preventing the formation of burrs which affect droplet directionality.

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First Claim