Charge plate fabrication technique

Abstract

A charge plate and a method for fabricating a charge plate for an ink jet printhead includes the steps of removing portions of conductive material from a dimensionally stable substrate with a coating of conductive material to form at least a first and second electrode on a first face with a first space between the first and second electrodes, removing portions of conductive material from the dimensionally stable substrate with a coating of conductive material to form a first electrode extension which engages the first electrode on the conductive charging face, and a second electrode extension which engages the second electrode on the conductive charging face, whereby the first and second electrode extensions are electrically isolated from each other, additionally forming a first space between the electrode extensions, which connects with the first space between the electrode extensions.

1 . A method for fabricating a charge plate for an ink jet printhead, wherein the method comprises the steps of: 
 a. removing portions of conductive material from a dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material using ablation to form at least a first electrode and a second electrode on a first conductive face with a first space between the first electrode and second electrode, and wherein said the dimensionally stable substrate with a coating of conductive material has a first conductive edge between the first conductive face and a conductive charging face; and    b. removing portions of conductive material from the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material to form a first electrode extension which engages the first electrode on the conductive charging face, and a second electrode extension which engages the second electrode on the conductive charging face and wherein the first and second electrode extensions are electrically isolated from each other, additionally forming a first space between the electrode extensions wherein the first space connects with the first space between the electrode extensions.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of 
 c. forming a first third face electrode and a second third face electrode on a third face with a fourth space between the first third face electrode and the second third face electrode on the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate and forming a third edge between the third face and the charging face by removing a portion of the conductive coating deposited on the third side forming a fourth space, and wherein a non patterned conductive region is formed between the fourth space and the third edge;    d. forming on the charging face a first third face electrode extension which engages the first third face electrode and a second third face electrode extension which engages the second third face electrode by removing a portion of the continuous conductive coating deposited on the charging face to form a fifth space on the charging face between the at least two third face electrode extensions, and wherein the first third face electrode extension is electrically isolated from the second third face electrode extension; and    e. removing a portion of the first third face electrode and the second third face electrode to extend the fourth space to form a continuous connected space with fifth space on the charging face.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of forming at least one additional space as at least one additional electrode is formed on both faces.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of coating the charge plate with electrodes and electrode extension formed thereon with a protective dielectric material.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the protective dielectric material is a member of the group: an epoxy, a polyimide, a thick film, a thin film and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the protective dielectric material can be deposited by screen printing, vapor deposition, chemical deposition, sputtering, or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the steps for removing the portions of the first face and the charging face are simultaneously performed.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step for removing portions of conductive material from a dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material is performed by laser ablation.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using a dimensionally stable dielectric substrate which has a length that is slightly longer than the length of a jet array for the ink jet printhead.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the ink jet printhead is for a continuous ink jet printhead.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material has a thin rectangular shape.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material has a width between 1 inch and 6 inches, a length between ¼ inches and 30 inches, and a thickness between 0.004 inch and 0.4 inch.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material comprises a coating with at least a second conductive coating deposited over a first conductive coating.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material is a ceramic, glass, quartz, and composites thereof.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material comprises a coating with a thickness between 1,000 Angstroms and 10,000 Angstroms.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate with a coating of conductive material comprises a coating of titanium, gold, platinum, palladium, silver, nickel, tantalum, tungsten alloys, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first edge is beveled.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first edge has a radius of less than 50 microns.  
   
   
       19 . A charge plate for an ink jet printhead made by the method of  claim 1 .  
   
   
       20 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the first space integrally connects with additional continuous connected spaces on the charging face formed from the removal of a portion of the additional electrode.  
   
   
       21 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate has a length that is slightly longer than the length of a jet array for the ink jet printhead.  
   
   
       22 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate is a thin rectangular shape  
   
   
       23 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate has a width between 1 inch and 6 inches, a length between ¼ inches and 30 inches, and a thickness between 0.004 inch and 0.4 inch.  
   
   
       24 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the dimensionally stable dielectric substrate is a ceramic, glass, quartz, composites thereof and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       25 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the continuous conductive coating is between 1,000 Angstroms and 10,000 Angstroms.  
   
   
       26 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the continuous conductive coating is titanium, gold, platinum, palladium, silver, nickel, tantalum, tungsten alloys, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       27 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the first edge is a beveled edge.  
   
   
       28 . The device of  claim 27 , wherein the first edge has a radius of less than 50 microns.  
   
   
       29 . The device of  claim 19 , further comprising a protective dielectric material disposed over the electrodes on the first face.  
   
   
       30 . The device of  claim 29 , wherein the protective dielectric material is a member of the group: an epoxy, a polyimide, a thick film, a thin film or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       31 . The device of  claim 19 , further comprising the steps of: 
 f. first third face electrode and a second third face electrode formed on a third face with a fourth space between the first third face electrode and the second third face electrode and a third edge between the third face and the charging face, a non patterned conductive region is between the fourth space and the third edge;    g. a first third face electrode extension which engages the first third face electrode and a second third face electrode extension which engages the second third face electrode, and a fifth space on the charging face between the third face electrode extensions, and wherein the first third face electrode extension is electrically isolated from the second third face electrode extension, and a fourth space forms a continuous connected space with the fifth space on the charging face.