A novel CMOS-compatible inkjet head

We propose a new CMOS-compatible fabrication process for miniaturised monolithic thermal inkjet heads. The ink channels are formed by sacrificial removal of metal wires in a standard CMOS process. This simplifies the processing and enables close spacing of the channels. It also allows for easy integration of nozzle and electronics. A demonstrator fabricated using a commercially available CMOS process followed by straightforward postprocessing is presented as well as specially made CMOS compatible structures. Typical dimensions of the channels are 10 /spl mu/m wide, 0.5-1.5 /spl mu/m thick, and 300-600 /spl mu/m long.