Inkjet printhead having grouped inkjet nozzles

Abstract

An inkjet printhead is provided comprising ink drop generators formed in a substrate at a density of greater than approximately ten ink drop generators per square millimeter of the substrate and ink channels formed in the substrate for supplying ink to ink drop generators. The ink drop generators are arranged in approximately parallel rows. The ink channels are arranged to supply ink to the rows of ink drop generators. The ink drop generators in each row are arranged in a plurality of groups, with each group in fluid communication with a respective ink supply channel.

1 . An inkjet printhead comprising: 
 a plurality of ink drop generators formed in a substrate at a density of greater than approximately ten ink drop generators per square millimeter of the substrate, the ink drop generators being arranged in a plurality of approximately parallel rows; and    a plurality of ink channels formed in the substrate for supplying ink to the rows of ink drop generators,    wherein the ink drop generators in each row are arranged in a plurality of groups, each group being in fluid communication with a respective ink supply channel.    
   
   
       2 . An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1 , wherein each ink drop generator includes a firing resistor having a resistance of at least seventy Ohms.  
   
   
       3 . An inkjet printhead according to  claim 2 , wherein the firing resistor incorporates a thin-film resistor structure.  
   
   
       4 . An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1 , wherein each row of ink drop generators is grouped into a plurality of primitives with each of the primitives commonly coupled to a single ground lead on the substrate.  
   
   
       5 . An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1 , wherein the ink drop generators arranged along each row are staggered from the ink drop generators arranged in the other rows so as to provide an effective printhead pitch of approximately one-fourth that of ink drop generators arranged along a single row.  
   
   
       6 . An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1 , wherein each row of ink drop generators includes at least one hundred ink drop generators.  
   
   
       7 . An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1 , wherein the ink drop generators operate at an ejection frequency of greater than approximately twelve kilohertz.  
   
   
       8 . An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1 , wherein each ink drop generator includes a thin-film structure passivation layer.  
   
   
       9 . An inkjet printhead according to  claim 8 , wherein the thin-film structure passivation layer has a thickness of less than approximately five thousand Angstroms.