Xaar Technology Limited

There is disclosed a controller for controlling two or more groups of nozzles in an array, the controller configured to: encode data blocks into a data stream, wherein each data block denotes how a respective group of nozzles is to be controlled for a droplet period; encode fire codes into the data stream, wherein each fire code is a reserved code that denotes when a respective group of nozzles is to be controlled in accordance with the data block for the droplet period; and wherein the data block precedes the fire code for the respective group of nozzles in the data stream and wherein the fire codes are generated independently of the data blocks.

The present invention relates to an electrical element comprising a multilayer thin film ceramic member which is a dielectric exhibiting piezoelectric/electrostrictive properties which make it suitable for use in microelectromechanical systems. In one aspect, the present invention provides an electrical element for use in microelectromechanical systems comprising: i) a thin film ceramic member formed of a plurality of layers of ceramic material having a major proportion of a perovskite (ABX 3 ) phase, said thin film ceramic member having a first side and an opposing second side spaced apart in a thickness direction; ii) first and second electrodes disposed adjacent to the thin film ceramic member, wherein, relative to each other, one of the first or second electrodes is a higher potential electrode and the other one of the first and second electrodes is a lower potential electrode, such that a potential difference may be established between the first and second electrodes and through the thin film ceramic member during operation; wherein the thin film ceramic member comprises: a first layer of ceramic material doped with: I) one or more transition metal ions capable of Jahn-Teller distortion of the perovskite crystal structure of the ceramic material and/or II) one or more non-transition metal ions which have a lower oxidation state and/or one or more transition metal ions which preferentially undergo reduction, compared to the B-site cation of the perovskite crystal structure of the ceramic material; and a second layer of ceramic material not doped with any of the one or more metal ions as defined for the first layer of ceramic material; and wherein said first layer of ceramic material is located, over the thickness of the thin film ceramic member, so as to be: a) in contact with both of the first and second electrodes, wherein the first and second electrodes are both disposed adjacent to one of the first or second sides of the thin film ceramic member; or b) in contact with the one of the first or second electrodes which is the lower potential electrode, wherein first and second electrodes are interposed by the thin film ceramic member.

A method of poling piezoelectric elements of an actuator comprises applying an electric pulse heating waveform to the piezoelectric element(s) in order to increase the temperature thereof to a poling temperature (S 202 ), applying an electric field poling waveform to the piezoelectric element(s) for a poling time period (S 203 ), and apply an electric field holding poling waveform to the piezoelectric element(s) to maintain poling whilst the temperature of the actuator decreases (S 204 ).

A method for the manufacture of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising bonded components which together define a chamber in the device, which method comprises forming a bonding material layer on a surface of a first component, patterning the bonding material layer and, optionally, the first component and bonding a second component to the patterned bonding material layer and first component. The forming of the bonding material layer comprises partially curing a curable material and the bonding of the second component to the patterned bonding material layer and the first component comprises fully curing the partially cured material.

A piezoelectric thin film element having a first electrode, a second electrode and a piezoelectric thin film between the electrodes, wherein the thin film comprises a laminate having two or more piezoelectric thin film layers and wherein a first thin film layer is doped by one or more dopants and a second film layer is doped by one or more dopants and wherein at least one dopant of the second thin film layer is different from the dopant or dopants of the first thin film layer.

A method for depositing droplets onto a medium, utilising a droplet deposition head is provided. The head used in the method includes: an array of fluid chambers separated by interspersed walls, each fluid chamber communicating with an aperture for the release of fluid droplets and each wall separating two neighbouring chambers. Each wall is actuable such that, in response to a first voltage, it will deform so as to decrease the volume of one chamber and increase the volume of the other chamber, and, in response to a second voltage, it will deform so as to cause the opposite effect on the volumes of its neighbouring chambers. The method includes the steps of: receiving input data; assigning, based on such input data, all the chambers within the array as either firing chambers or non-firing chambers, so as to produce bands of one or more contiguous firing chambers separated by bands of one or more contiguous non-firing chambers; actuating the walls of certain of the chambers such that: for each non-firing chamber, either one wall is stationary while the other is moved, or the walls move with the same sense, or they remain stationary; and, for each firing chamber the walls move with opposing senses; such actuations result in each firing chamber releasing at least one droplet, the resulting droplets forming bodies of fluid disposed on a line on the medium, such bodies of fluid being separated on the line by respective gaps for each of the bands of non-firing chambers, the size of each such gap generally corresponding in size to the respective band of non-firing chambers. The actuations of the walls of said firing chambers in the actuating step are such that, if only one of the two walls of each firing chamber were actuated in such manner, no droplets would be ejected from that firing chamber. A droplet deposition apparatus, a droplet deposition head and a computer program product are also provided.

actuator component for a droplet deposition head made up of a number of patterned layers, each layer extending in a plane normal to a layering direction, with the layers being stacked one upon another in said layering direction. A row of fluid chambers is formed within the layers, with the row extending in a row direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the layering direction. Each fluid chamber is provided with a respective nozzle and a respective actuating element, which is actuable to cause the ejection of fluid from the chamber in question through the corresponding one of the nozzles. A row of inlet passageways is also formed within the layers of the actuator component, with the row extending in the row direction. Each inlet passageway is fluidically connected so as to supply fluid to a respective one of said fluid chambers. In some embodiments, either a row of outlet passageways or a second row of inlet passageways is additionally formed within the layers; in either case, such row extends in the row direction. Where outlet passageways are present, each is fluidically connected so as to receive fluid from a respective one of said fluid chambers. At least one of the rows of passageways is staggered, whereby at least some of the members of the staggered row in question are offset from their neighbours in an offset direction for the staggered row in question that is perpendicular to the row direction. The row of fluid chambers may also be staggered.

A droplet deposition head including a datum surface arrangement for alignment of the head relative to an external mounting component in either a vertical mounting mode in which the head is held against a vertical mounting plate or a horizontal mounting mode where the head is held against a horizontal mounting plate. The datum surface arrangement comprising at least seven datum surfaces (x 1 ; y 1 , y 2 , y 3 ; z 1 , z 2 , z 3 ) provided on the head, wherein five of the seven datum surfaces are provided for alignment in both vertical and horizontal mounting modes, and wherein a sixth datum surface (z 3 ) is provided for alignment exclusively in said horizontal mounting mode and a seventh datum surface (y 3 ) is provided for alignment exclusively in said vertical mounting mode.

A method for the manufacture of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device comprising bonded components which together define a chamber in the device, which method comprises forming a bonding material layer on a surface of a first component, patterning the bonding material layer and, optionally, the first component and bonding a second component to the patterned bonding material layer and first component. The forming of the bonding material layer comprises partially curing a curable material and the bonding of the second component to the patterned bonding material layer and the first component comprises fully curing the partially cured material.

A test circuit to determine the capacitance of an actuator element in an actuator element array, wherein the test circuit comprises: a controller; a source to generate test inputs; measurement circuitry to measure one or more test values on a test path between the test circuit and the actuator element; wherein the controller is configured to, for a test period: control a first switch associated with the actuator element to connect the actuator element to the test path; control the source to generate a first test input; and determine a total capacitance of the actuator element from a first test value generated in response to the first test input; and determine the capacitance of the actuator element (C ACT ) from the total capacitance (C PAR +C ACT ).