U.S. patent application number 10/790792 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-08 for method of fabricating an ink-jet print head using a liquid-jet guided laser.
Invention is credited to Kim, Kwang-ryul, Ko, Sang-cheol.
Application Number | 20050193557 10/790792 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34911558 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050193557 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ko, Sang-cheol ; et
al. |
September 8, 2005 |
Method of fabricating an ink-jet print head using a liquid-jet
guided laser
Abstract
A method of fabricating an ink-jet print head includes at least
one process of forming an ink feeding port. The ink feeding port
forming process comprises fixing a wafer to a stage in a chamber,
and processing the ink feeding port to a desired depth in the wafer
using a liquid-jet guided laser. In addition, the method of
fabricating the ink-jet print head includes a process of dicing a
wafer in order to cut the wafer in the form of chips. The wafer
dicing process comprises fixing the wafer to a stage in a chamber,
and dicing the wafer using a liquid-jet guided laser. According to
the present invention, the liquid-jet guided laser that combines
laser and a micro liquid-jet is used when forming an ink-feeding
port of a print head and/or when dicing the wafer formed with a
plurality of print heads, whereby it is possible to achieve effects
that a thermal damage of the print heads can be prevented, process
costs can be saved, and a process time can be reduced.
Inventors: |
Ko, Sang-cheol; (Suwon-si,
KR) ; Kim, Kwang-ryul; (Suwon-si, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STANZIONE & KIM, LLP
1740 N STREET, N.W., FIRST FLOOR
WASHINGTON
DC
20036
US
|
Family ID: |
34911558 |
Appl. No.: |
10/790792 |
Filed: |
March 3, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/890.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B41J 2/1632 20130101;
Y10T 29/49401 20150115; B41J 2/1634 20130101; B41J 2/1603 20130101;
B41J 2/1628 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
029/890.1 |
International
Class: |
B21D 053/76 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of fabricating an ink-jet print head using a liquid-jet
guided laser, the method comprising: at least one process of
forming an ink feeding port through a wafer which constitutes an
ink-jet print head, wherein the ink feeding port forming process
comprises: fixing the wafer to a stage in a chamber to perform the
at least one process, and processing the ink feeding port in the
wafer to a desired depth using the liquid-jet guided laser.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of fixing
the wafer comprises: loading the wafer in a loader; moving the
wafer loaded in the loader to the stage in the chamber; and
arranging and fixing the wafer at a position of the stage.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of
processing the ink feeding port comprises: illuminating a laser
beam guided by a liquid-jet having a diameter in the range of 10 to
500 .mu.m through the liquid-jet guided laser; and moving the
stage, on which the wafer is fixed, along an ink feeding port
pattern.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the liquid-jet
comprises a material of a liquid state having a pressure in the
range of 1 to 7,000 bars.
5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the laser beam
comprises one of a diode-pumped solid laser beam and a gas laser
beam.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of
processing the ink feeding port comprises: illuminating a laser
beam guided by a liquid-jet having a diameter in the range of 30 to
50 .mu.m through the liquid-jet guided laser; and moving the stage,
on which the wafer is fixed, along an ink feeding port pattern.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process of forming
the ink feeding port further comprises: cleaning an organic
material having flown in the wafer during forming the ink feeding
ports; and drying the cleaned wafer.
8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a process of
dicing the wafer formed with the ink-jet print head, wherein the
dicing process comprises: fixing the wafer to the stage in the
chamber; and dicing the wafer using the liquid-jet guided
laser.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wafer comprises a
silicon wafer having a thickness in the range of 100 to 600 .mu.m,
and at least one ink feeding port is formed in one of a central
feed type, an edge feed type, and an individual feed type.
10. A method of fabricating an ink-jet print head, the method
comprising: a dicing process of dicing a wafer formed with a
plurality of print heads using a liquid-jet guided laser, wherein
the dicing process comprises: fixing the wafer to a stage of a
chamber; and dicing the wafer using the liquid-jet guided
laser.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the operation of
fixing the wafer comprises: loading the wafer in a loader; moving
the wafer loaded in the loader to the stage in the chamber; and
arranging and fixing the wafer at a position of the stage.
12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the operation of
dicing the wafer comprises: illuminating a laser beam guided by a
liquid-jet having a diameter in the range of 30 to 100 .mu.m
through the liquid-jet guided laser; and moving the stage, on which
the wafer is fixed, along a dicing pattern.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the liquid-jet
comprises a material of a liquid state having a pressure in the
range of 1 to 7,000 bars.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the laser beam
comprises one of a diode-pumped solid laser beam and a gas laser
beam.
15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the dicing process
further comprises: cleaning an organic material having flown in the
print heads cut in the form of chips during the dicing of the
wafer; and drying the cleaned print heads in the form of chips.
16. A method of fabricating an ink-jet print head, the method
comprising: forming the ink-jet print head on a wafer using a
liquid-jet guided laser.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the forming operation
comprises: forming an ink-feeding port on the wafer to a
predetermined depth using the liquid-jet guided laser.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the operation of
forming the ink-feeding port does not perform a wet etching
operation using a mask.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the forming operation
comprises: moving the wafer with respect to a liquid-jet guided
laser unit, which generates the liquid-jet guided laser, in a
direction having an angle with an injecting direction of the
liquid-jet guided laser.
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the forming operation
comprises: simultaneously illuminating a laser beam and a
liquid-jet in a direction having an angle with the moving direction
of one of the wafer and the liquid-jet guided laser unit.
21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: dicing
the wafer into a plurality of chips each having at least one print
head, using the liquid-jet guided laser.
22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the dicing operation
does not perform a wet etching operation using a mask.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a
print head for an ink-jet printer, and in particular, to a method
of fabricating an ink-jet print head, wherein a liquid-jet guided
laser that combines a laser beam and a micro liquid-jet is used to
form an ink feeding port of a print head in a wafer or to dice a
wafer formed with one or more print heads.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In general, the consumer demand for ink-jet printers has
rapidly increased because the ink-jet printers generate little
noise and are superior to other printers in resolution.
Furthermore, the ink-jet printers enable color implementation.
[0005] Moreover, with the development of semiconductor techniques,
the techniques for fabricating print heads that are core components
of the ink-jet printers have made rapid progress for the last ten
years. As a result, the print heads provided with about 300 ink-jet
nozzles and capable of providing a resolution of 1200 dpi are used
by being installed in ink cartridges that are disposable after
use.
[0006] According to positions for forming at least one ink via or
ink feeding port through which ink is supplied to an ink chamber
connected to nozzles, such print heads are divided into a common or
central feed type in which an ink feeding port is centrally
positioned, an edge feed type in which ink feeding ports are
positioned at opposite ends, and an individual feed type in which
ink feeding ports are positioned in individual chambers.
[0007] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a print head 10 of a
conventional central feed type ink-jet printer.
[0008] Typically, ink is fed from a rear side of a wafer 1 of the
print head 10 through an ink via or a first ink feeding passage 2
to a front side of the wafer 1.
[0009] The ink fed through the first ink feeding passage 2 arrives
at an ink chamber 4 along a second ink feeding passage 3 formed by
a chamber plate 8 and a nozzle plate 9. The ink, temporarily
stagnating in the ink chamber 4, is instantaneously heated by heat
generated from a heater 6 located below a protective layer 5.
[0010] At this time, explosive bubbles are generated in the ink, so
that a part of the ink within the ink chamber 4 is ejected out of
the print head 10 through nozzles 7 formed in the top of the ink
chamber 4 by the generated bubbles.
[0011] In this print head 10, the chamber plate 8 and the nozzle
plate 9 are important elements that affect a flow of ink, an
injected form of ink, and injection frequency characteristics.
Therefore, much research has been performed on materials, shapes
and fabrication methods of the chamber plate 8 and nozzle plate
9.
[0012] The most conventional method among various methods used at
present to fabricate print heads in connection with chamber plates
and nozzle plates is a monolithic method that employs a
photolithographic process.
[0013] A conventional fabrication procedure (method) of a print
head 10' according to the monolithic method is illustrated in FIGS.
2A-2E.
[0014] Referring to FIGS. 2A-2E, a rear side of a silicon wafer 1
is formed with a preliminary first ink feeding passage 2' to form a
first ink feeding passage 2 of FIGS. 2D and 2E that constructs an
ink feeding port, as shown in FIG. 2A, wherein a front side of the
wafer 1 is formed with a heater 6 and a protective layer 5.
[0015] At this time, a part of the thickness of the wafer 1 remains
without being completely penetrated at the preliminary first ink
feeding passage 2'.
[0016] Next, a positive photoresist is formed on the top of the
protective layer 5 of the wafer 1 and then patterned by a
photolithography process using a photomask (not shown). As a
result, a positive photoresist mold 3' which is a sacrifice layer
is formed on the protective layer 5, as shown in FIG. 2B. The
positive photoresist mold 3 is later removed by etching, thereby
providing a flow passage construction for a second ink feeding
passage 3, an ink chamber 4, or the like. The thickness of the
positive photoresist mold 3' is about 30 to 40 .mu.m to correspond
to the height of the second ink feeding passage 3 and the ink
chamber 4 which are formed later.
[0017] After the positive photoresist mold 3' is formed on the top
of the protective layer 5, on the front side of the wafer 1 is
coated a photosensitive epoxy resin layer as a negative
photoresist.
[0018] Next, the photosensitive epoxy resin layer is exposed
through a photomask (not shown) formed with a nozzle pattern and is
then patterned by a micro-punching or lithography process. As a
result, a chamber/nozzle plate 9' formed with nozzles 7' is formed
as shown in FIG. 2C.
[0019] After the chamber/nozzle plate 9' is formed, a part of the
wafer 1formed with the preliminary first ink feeding passage 2' in
the rear side thereof is removed, thereby forming the first ink
feeding passage 2.
[0020] Next, if the photoresist mold 3' is dissolved by a solvent,
the ink chamber 4 and the second ink feeding passage 3 are formed
and the fabrication of the print head 10' is terminated, as shown
in FIGS. 2D and 2E.
[0021] In the method of fabricating the print head 10' according to
the monolithic method, in order to form the preliminary first ink
passage 2' and the first ink passage 2, widely used are a wet
etching method that chemically etches the wafer 1, a dry etching
method, such as reactive ion etching or deep reactive ion etching,
that etches a wafer 1 using plasma, and a grit blasting method that
etches the wafer 1 by ejecting very fine sands, such as grits,
against the wafer 1 at a very rapid velocity.
[0022] However, the wet etching method has a disadvantage in that
because the wafer 1 is chemically etched, the process time is very
long and it is difficult to precisely control a space tolerance
when very fine impurities are present on the wafer 1.
[0023] The dry etching method using plasma has an advantage in that
the process time is relatively short because the etching rate is
about 2 to 10 .mu.m/min. However, the dry etching method has a
disadvantage in that process costs are high because process
equipment is expensive, and it is difficult to control a taper
angle of wall surfaces as being etched because the walls are
isotropically etched so that an angle of the etched walls
approaches about 90.degree..
[0024] In addition, the grit blasting method has a disadvantage in
that because the fine sands are used, the sands are apt to cause
contamination by entering into a structure of the wafer 1 to
construct a micro electromechanical system during the process, the
accuracy in this processing is inferior, and a post process of
removing the sands is required after the process is completed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The present invention has been conceived to solve the
above-mentioned and/or other problems occurring in the related art,
and a principal aspect of the present invention is to provide a
method of fabricating an ink-jet print head, wherein the method
comprises a process of forming an ink feeding port of the print
head using a liquid-jet guided laser that combines liquid-jet and
laser, so as to prevent thermal damage, save process costs and
reduce a process time.
[0026] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a
method of fabricating an ink-jet print head, wherein the method
comprises a process of dicing a wafer formed with one or more print
heads using a liquid-jet guided laser so as to prevent thermal
damage, save process costs and reduce a process time.
[0027] Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will
be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part,
will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice
of the invention.
[0028] In order to achieve the above-mentioned and/or other aspects
of the present invention, there is provided a method of fabricating
an ink-jet print head using a liquid-jet guided laser. The method
comprises at least one process of forming an ink feeding port
through a wafer that constitutes the ink-jet print head, wherein
the ink feeding port forming process comprises fixing the wafer to
a stage in a chamber to perform the process; and processing the ink
feeding port in the wafer to a desired depth using the liquid-jet
guided laser.
[0029] The operation of fixing the wafer comprises: loading the
wafer in a loader; moving the wafer loaded in the loader to the
stage in the chamber; and arranging and fixing the wafer in
position in the stage.
[0030] The operation of processing the ink feeding port comprises:
illuminating a laser beam guided by a liquid-jet having a diameter
in the range of 10 to 500 .mu.m through the liquid-jet guided
laser; and moving the stage, where the wafer is fixed, along an ink
feeding port pattern.
[0031] A material of a liquid state having a pressure in the range
of 1 to 7,000 bars is preferably used as the liquid-jet, and one of
a diode-pumped solid laser beam and a gas laser beam is preferably
used as the laser beam.
[0032] Alternatively, the illumination of the laser beam may be
achieved by illuminating the laser beam guided by the liquid-jet
having a diameter in the range of 30 to 50 .mu.m through the
liquid-jet guided laser.
[0033] In addition, the process of forming the ink feeding port
further comprises cleaning an organic material having flown in
surfaces of the wafer, at the time of forming the ink feeding port;
and drying the cleaned wafer.
[0034] The method of fabricating the ink-jet print head may further
comprise a process of dicing the wafer formed with one or more
print heads.
[0035] The process of dicing the wafer comprises fixing the wafer
to a stage in a chamber to perform the dicing process; and dicing
the wafer using the liquid-jet guided laser.
[0036] In this embodiment, a silicon wafer having a thickness in
the range of 100 to 600 .mu.m may be used as the silicon wafer, and
one or more ink feeding ports may be formed on one of a central
feed type print head, an edge feed type print head, and an
individual feed type print head.
[0037] In order to achieve the above-mentioned and/or other aspects
according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is
also provided a method of fabricating an ink-jet print head using a
liquid-jet guided laser. The method comprises a process of dicing a
wafer formed with a plurality of print heads, wherein the dicing
process comprises fixing the wafer to a stage of a chamber to
perform the process; and dicing the wafer using the liquid-jet
guided laser.
[0038] The operation of fixing the wafer comprises: loading the
wafer in a loader; moving the wafer loaded in the loader to the
stage in the chamber; and arranging and fixing the wafer in
position in the stage.
[0039] The operation of dicing the wafer comprises: illuminating a
laser beam guided by a liquid-jet having a diameter in the range of
30 to 100 .mu.m through the liquid-jet guided laser; and moving the
stage, on which the wafer is fixed, along a dicing pattern.
[0040] A material of a liquid state having a pressure in the range
of 1 to 7,000 bars is preferably used as the liquid-jet, and one of
a diode-pumped solid laser beam and a gas laser beam is preferably
used as the laser beam.
[0041] In addition, the dicing process further comprises cleaning
an organic material having flown in the print heads cut in the form
of chips at the time of dicing the wafer; and drying the cleaned
print heads in the form of chips.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0042] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from
the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0043] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional print
head;
[0044] FIGS. 2A to 2E are process charts illustrating a method of
fabricating the conventional ink-jet print head shown in FIG.
1;
[0045] FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an operation of an
example of a liquid-jet guided laser used in the method of
fabricating an ink-jet print head using the liquid-jet guided laser
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0046] FIGS. 4A and 4B are photographs illustrating a form of a
preliminary first ink feeding passage formed according to the
method of fabricating the ink-jet print head using the liquid-jet
guided laser shown in FIG. 3;
[0047] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processes in the-method
of fabricating an ink-jet print head using a liquid-jet guided
laser according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0048] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of forming a
preliminary first ink feeding passage in the method of fabricating
the ink-jet print head using the liquid-jet guided laser shown in
FIGS. 3 and 5; and
[0049] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a dicing process in the
method of fabricating the ink-jet print head using the liquid-jet
guided laser shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0050] Herein below, the inventive method of fabricating an ink-jet
print head using a liquid-jet guided laser will be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings
and detailed description, the constituent parts same with those of
the prior art will be illustrated and described by reference
numerals same with those used in describing the prior art.
[0051] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processes in a method of
fabricating an ink-jet print head using a liquid-jet guided laser
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0052] At first, like the fabrication of a conventional print head
10 shown in FIG. 2A, a silicon wafer 1 having a thickness in the
range of 100 to 600 .mu.m is formed with a heater 6 and a
protective layer 5 on a front side thereof within a chamber (not
shown) by performing a coating process, an ion implantation
process, a photolithography process, etc. (S1), and then a process
of forming a preliminary first ink feeding passage 2' on a rear
side of the wafer 1 is performed to form a first ink feeding
passage 2 constituting an ink via or an ink feeding port (S2).
[0053] That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the wafer 1 is loaded in a
loader (not shown), which may be a conventional loader, with the
rear side of the wafer oriented upward so that the wafer 1 is moved
into the chamber (not shown) to perform a liquid-jet guided laser
processing (S2a).
[0054] Next, the loader moves the wafer 1 to a stage (not shown) in
the chamber so that a liquid-jet guided laser processing is
performed (S2b), and the wafer 1 is arranged and fixed in position
by a gripper (not shown), which may be a conventional gripper,
(S2c).
[0055] When reference coordinates are set according to
computer-aided design (CAD) data stored in a personal computer (PC)
after the wafer 1 is fixed, the stage on which the wafer is fixed
moves in a desired direction according to a program input in the PC
at a velocity of about 100 mm/sec, for example.
[0056] Simultaneously with this process, the liquid-jet guided
laser 100 (FIG. 3) fixed at a predetermined position injects a
liquid-jet 101 and illuminates a laser beam 102 guided by the
liquid-jet 101 through a nozzle head 120.
[0057] Therefore, the wafer 1 is etched by the laser beam 102
guided along an inner wall of the liquid-jet 101, thereby forming a
trench or the preliminary first ink feeding passage 2' to a
predetermined depth, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B (S2d).
[0058] At this time, the liquid-jet 101 injected through the nozzle
head 120 of the liquid-jet guided laser 100 is controlled to have a
diameter in the range of 10 to 500 .mu.m.
[0059] That is, although it is preferable that the diameter of the
liquid-jet exceeds 150 .mu.m in order to reduce the process time,
it is possible to use another liquid-jet having a diameter in the
range of 30 to 50 .mu.m as desired.
[0060] The pressure of the liquid-jet 101 is set in the range of 1
to 7,000 bars, and preferably set to about 70 bars. A liquid used
as the liquid-jet 101 may be any material in a liquid state.
[0061] In addition, the temperature within the chamber to perform
the liquid-jet guided laser processing remains at a normal
temperature.
[0062] The liquid-jet guided laser 100 used to inject the
liquid-jet 101 and to illuminate the laser beam 102 may be a
liquid-jet guided laser that comprises a laser beam illumination
lens section 110 connected to a laser beam source (not shown), such
as a diode-pumped solid laser source and a gas laser source,
through a laser beam guide 103, and a nozzle head 120 that injects
the liquid-jet 101 fed through a liquid line 105 and illuminates
the laser beam 102 illuminated from the laser beam illumination
lens section 110 after coaxially combining them, as shown in FIG. 3
by way of an example.
[0063] The laser beam illumination lens section 110 comprises a
collimator 111 to collimate the laser beam 102 transmitted from the
laser beam guide 103, and a focusing lens 113 to focus and illumate
the collimated laser beam 112 through a cone-shaped space 124
located in a base 122 of the nozzle head 120.
[0064] The nozzle head 120 comprises a window 123 to pass the laser
beam 102 illuminated to the cone-shaped space 124, a liquid feeding
duct 121 connected to the liquid line 105, and a nozzle block to
illuminate the laser beam 102 and inject the liquid-jet 101 through
a central bore hole 127 after the laser beam 102 and the liquid-jet
101 pass through the window 123 and the liquid feeding duct 121,
respectively.
[0065] The liquid-jet 101, flowing downward of the wafer 1 after
being injected to the wafer 1 through the nozzle block 125, is
recovered through a liquid collection section (not shown) formed
below the chamber and is fed to the nozzle head 120 again through
the liquid line 105 by a pump (not shown) or the like.
[0066] In this manner, after the preliminary first ink feeding
passage 2' is formed in the wafer 1, the wafer 1 is transmitted to
a chamber (not shown) to perform a cleaning process.
[0067] The wafer 1, transmitted to the chamber to perform the
cleaning process, is cleaned to remove organic materials having
flown in the surfaces of the wafer 1 at the time of forming the
preliminary ink feeding passage 2' (S2e) and then the wafer 1 is
dried (S2f).
[0068] Thereafter, the wafer 1 is moved again to the chamber to
perform the photolithography process or the like, and then a
chamber/nozzle plate 9' is formed on the wafer 1, wherein nozzles
7' are formed in a front side of the chamber/nozzle plate 9' by the
same method as that used to fabricate the conventional print head
10 shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C (S3).
[0069] After the chamber/nozzle plate 9' is formed, the wafer 1 is
moved again by the loader to the stage in the chamber to perform a
liquid-jet guided laser processing, and then a part of the wafer 1
having a rear side formed with the preliminary first ink feeding
passage 2' is removed by the same method as that used to form the
preliminary first ink feeding passage 2' as described above,
thereby forming the first ink feeding passage 2 (S4). At this time,
one or more first ink feeding passages 2 are formed in one of a
central feed type, an edge feed type and an individual feed type
ink-jet printer according to a design thereof.
[0070] Next, the wafer 1 is moved again to the chamber to perform
the photolithography process or the like, and then an ink chamber 4
and a second ink feeding passage 3 are formed when the photoresist
mold 3' is solved by a solvent, as shown in FIG. 2E (S5).
[0071] As a result, the wafer 1 is formed with a plurality of print
heads 10' in a grid form.
[0072] The wafer 1 formed with the plurality of print heads 10' as
described above is moved again to the chamber, in which the
liquid-jet guided laser processing is performed, to perform a
dicing process.
[0073] The dicing process of dicing the wafer 1 is performed in
substantially the same manner as the process of forming the
preliminary first ink feeding passage 2' or the first ink feeding
passage 2 as described above, except that the liquid-jet 101 having
a diameter in the range of 30 to 100 .mu.m, preferably of 50 .mu.m,
is injected, and the laser beam 102 guided by the liquid-jet 101 is
illuminated through the liquid-jet guided laser 100 (S6).
[0074] That is, as shown in FIG. 7, after the wafer 1 is loaded on
the loader (S6a), the wafer 1 is moved to the stage in the chamber,
in which the liquid-jet guided laser processing is performed,
(S6b), and then the wafer 1 is arranged and fixed on a position of
the stage (S6c).
[0075] Thereafter, the wafer 1 is diced when the stage, on which
the wafer 1 is fixed, is moved along a dicing pattern at a velocity
of 100 mm/sec while the laser beam 102, guided by the liquid-jet
101 having a diameter in the range of 30 to 100 .mu.m, is being
illuminated through the liquid-jet guided laser 100, thereby
cutting the wafer 1 into the individual print heads 10' in the form
of chips (S6d).
[0076] After the wafer 1 is diced, if the individual print heads
10' cut in the form of chips are cleaned to remove organic
materials having flown in the surfaces of the print heads 10' (6e),
and then the print heads are dried (S6f), the fabrication of all
print heads 10' is terminated.
[0077] While the embodiments of the present invention have been
shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments
thereof in order to illustrate the principle of the present
invention, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.
It will be understood that various modifications and changes can be
made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and
their equivalents.
[0078] For example, in the method of forming the print head 10'
described above, although it has been described that the first ink
feeding passage 2 is formed through two processes using the
liquid-jet guided laser 100, it can be formed through one process
or through more than two processes according to the methods of
forming the print head 10'.
[0079] In addition, although it has been described that both
processes of forming the print head 10' and dicing the wafer 1'
employ the liquid-jet guided laser 100, it will be possible to
employ the liquid-jet guided laser 100 in only one of the two
processes.
[0080] As described above, because the method of fabricating an
ink-jet print head uses a liquid-jet guided laser that combines
laser and a liquid-jet, it is possible to form an ink feeding port
of the print head or to dice a wafer after the print head is formed
under a normal temperature without using a mask that is essentially
required in a conventional wet etching method or dry etching
method. As a result, it is possible to achieve effects that a
thermal damage of the print head can be prevented and process costs
can be saved.
[0081] Furthermore, the method of fabricating an ink-jet print head
controls the three-dimensional shape of an ink feeding port by
optimized design data of a PC. Therefore, it is possible to more
freely and precisely implement the shape of the ink feeding port
and to reduce a process time. In fact, according to a test in which
a 10 mm.times.5 mm surface was processed to a depth of 500 .mu.m
under the condition where the moving velocity of the stage was 100
mm/sec, and the diameter and pressure of the liquid-jet were about
150 .mu.m and about 70 bars, respectively, the required time was
about 55 sec.
* * * * *