Piezoelectric droplet ejector for ink-jet printing of fluids and solid particles

In this article, we present a technique for the deposition of inks, organic polymers, and solid particles, using a fluid ejector. The ejector design is based on a flextensional transducer that excites axisymmetric resonant modes in a clamped circular plate. It is constructed by bonding a thin piezoelectric annular disk to a thin edge clamped circular plate. Liquids or solid particles are placed behind one face of the plate which has a small orifice (50–200 μm diameter) at its center. By applying an ac signal across the piezoelectric element, continuous or drop-on-demand ejection of photoresist (Shipley Microposit S1400-21, S1400-27, S1805, and S1813), oil-based ink, water, or talcum powder [Mg3Si4O10(OH)2] has been achieved. Successful deposition of a photoresist has been accomplished without spinning, and thus without waste. A boundary integral method was used to numerically simulate drop formation from the vibrating orifice. Simulations have been used to optimize ejection performance.