An intelligent high-speed 3D data registration integrated circuit applied to large array format inkjet printhead

Abstract

A novel architecture of high-selection-speed 3D data registration for inkjet application is proposed in this paper. As the increasing demand on the requirement of printing speed and simplicity of data management, inkjet printheads have been extended in the nozzle numbers from tens to hundreds in the recent years and further to thousands in the future, while intending to maintain data accessing points in the order of 20-40. 3 dimensional data registration scheme to reduce the number of data accessing points as well as the scanning lines for large array inkjet printhead with nozzle number more than 1000. This IC architecture involves three dimension multiplexing with the provision of a gating transistor for each ink firing resistor, whereby current to an ink firing resistor flows only when its associated gating transistor is selected . Three signals, including selection (S), address (A), and power supply (P), will be employed together to activate a nozzle for droplet ejection. The total numbers of data accessing points will be X=3×3√Y +1, all of the jets of the printhead are controlled by 5 input lines with multiplexer data latches and shift registers . The scanning time is reduced up to 30% (the scanning speed is also increased by 3 folds) thanks to the great reduction of the lines for scanning. This device has been designed, fabricated by CMOS 0.35um process, and characterized. Experiment results demonstrated the functionality of the fabricated IC in operation, signal transmission and control more than 1000 nozzles with a 5 pi. ink drop volume. ©2006 IEEE.