An inkjet head includes a substrate, a piezoelectric unit disposed on the substrate and including a plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged along a surface of the substrate, and a plurality of pressure chambers, each of the pressure chambers being formed between two adjacent piezoelectric elements, a plurality of lid members, each of which is disposed on two adjacent piezoelectric elements and has a hole connected to one of the pressure chambers, and a nozzle plate disposed on the plurality of lid members and having a plurality of nozzles through which the liquid is discharged, each of the nozzles being connected to one of the holes of the lid members.

Techniques are provided for making a funnel-shaped nozzle in a substrate. The process can include forming a first opening having a first width in a top layer of a substrate, forming a patterned layer of photoresist on the top surface of the substrate, the patterned layer of photoresist including a second opening, the second opening having a second width larger than the first width, reflowing the patterned layer of photoresist to form curved side surfaces terminating on the top surface of the substrate, etching a second layer of the substrate through the first opening in the top layer of the substrate to form a straight-walled recess, the straight-walled recess having the first width and a side surface substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the semiconductor substrate.

In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing an aperture plate includes depositing a releasable seed layer above a substrate, applying a first patterned photolithography mask above the releasable seed layer, the first patterned photolithography mask having a negative pattern to a desired aperture pattern, electroplating a first material above the exposed portions of the releasable seed layer and defined by the first mask, applying a second photolithography mask above the first material, the second photolithography mask having a negative pattern to a first cavity, electroplating a second material above the exposed portions of the first material and defined by the second mask, removing both masks, and etching the releasable seed layer to release the first material and the second material. The first and second material form an aperture plate for use in aerosolizing a liquid. Other aperture plates and methods of producing aperture plates are described according to other embodiments.

A liquid ejecting head and a method of manufacturing the liquid ejecting head are provided. The liquid ejecting head has a pressure-chamber-forming substrate that includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements and that is connected to a first surface of a sealing plate, a driver IC that outputs signals that drive the piezoelectric elements and that is provided on a second surface of the sealing plate that is on the opposite side to the first surface, and a power supply wire that supplies electrical power to the piezoelectric elements, that is formed in the second surface of the sealing plate, and that has at least one portion thereof embedded in the sealing plate and a surface thereof exposed on the second surface side.

An example device may comprise a molded structure and a dependent device coupled to the molded structure. The molded structure comprises thermo-electric traces and channels. The channels are between ten m and two hundred m, or less in one dimension. The dependent device comprises apertures corresponding to the channels and through which fluids, electromagnetic radiation, or a combination thereof is to travel. The dependent device also comprises contacts corresponding to the thermo-electric traces of the molded structure.

A liquid ejecting head and a method of manufacturing the liquid ejecting head are provided. The liquid ejecting head has a pressure chamber forming substrate that includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements and that is connected to a first surface of a sealing plate, a driver IC that outputs signals that drive the piezoelectric elements and that is provided on a second surface of the sealing plate that is on the opposite side to the first surface, and a power supply wire that supplies electrical power to the piezoelectric elements, that is formed in the second surface of the sealing plate, and that has at least one portion thereof embedded in the sealing plate and a surface thereof exposed on the second surface side.

In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing an aperture plate includes depositing a releasable seed layer above a substrate, applying a first patterned photolithography mask above the releasable seed layer, the first patterned photolithography mask having a negative pattern to a desired aperture pattern, electroplating a first material above the exposed portions of the releasable seed layer and defined by the first mask, applying a second photolithography mask above the first material, the second photolithography mask having a negative pattern to a first cavity, electroplating a second material above the exposed portions of the first material and defined by the second mask, removing both masks, and etching the releasable seed layer to release the first material and the second material. The first and second material form an aperture plate for use in aerosolizing a liquid. Other aperture plates and methods of producing aperture plates are described according to other embodiments.

An inkjet head includes a substrate, a piezoelectric unit disposed on the substrate and including a plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged along a surface of the substrate, and a plurality of pressure chambers, each of the pressure chambers being formed between two adjacent piezoelectric elements, a plurality of lid members, each of which is disposed on two adjacent piezoelectric elements and has a hole connected to one of the pressure chambers, and a nozzle plate disposed on the plurality of lid members and having a plurality of nozzles through which the liquid is discharged, each of the nozzles being connected to one of the holes of the lid members.

An inkjet head includes a substrate, a piezoelectric unit disposed on the substrate and including a plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged along a surface of the substrate, and a plurality of pressure chambers, each of the pressure chambers being formed between two adjacent piezoelectric elements, a plurality of lid members, each of which is disposed on two adjacent piezoelectric elements and has a hole connected to one of the pressure chambers, and a nozzle plate disposed on the plurality of lid members and having a plurality of nozzles through which the liquid is discharged, each of the nozzles being connected to one of the holes of the lid members.

There is provided a method of improving the yield of a nozzle plate fabrication process, the method comprising determining a variation in the size of nozzles in a nozzle plate from a predetermined size or range of sizes for the nozzles, the nozzles in the nozzle plate having been fabricated using a plurality of mandrels, each mandrel defining a respective nozzle in the nozzle plate and determining modifications to the size of one or more mandrels in the plurality of mandrels to compensate for the determined variation in the size of nozzles in the nozzle plate. Also provided is a method of fabricating a nozzle plate, the method comprising fabricating a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles using a plurality of mandrels on a substrate, each mandrel defining a respective nozzle in the nozzle plate, the mandrels in the plurality of mandrels having varying sizes in order to compensate for local variations in the fabrication process that would result in local variations in the size of nozzles in the nozzle plate from a predetermined size or range of sizes.