JPSA UV Laser Applications — Ink Jet Nozzles
High-precision, high-repeatability drilling is achieved using DPSS UV lasers and one of two methods (depending on the application requirements):
- One hole at a time, drilling at a high repetition rate
- Parallel processing multiple nozzles per step and repeat using high energy excimer lasers with special telecentric lenses and beam shaping homogenizers
JPSA has developed unique drilling methods resulting in low-cost, high-volume processes where nozzle arrays up to 2cm long can be processed in each step-and-repeat with high accuracy and low telecentric errors with controlled hole cross sections.
Drilling accuracy is high—better than +/- 0.5 micron hole-to-hole tolerances with telecentric holes to better than ten arc seconds. JPSA UV laser drilling offers controlled taper angle processing, generation of hydrodynamic shaped nozzles or low taper angle nozzles. Special tooling is available.
JPSA has developed three different hole-drilling techniques for high precision and high speed nozzle plate fabrication. Each application has advantages for different types of materials and nozzle design. For example, one technique allows the generation of high precision +/- 0.5-micron holes with sculpted 3-D nozzle shapes. Ink fluid channel formation and integrated rock trap filters are also achievable with the JPSA 3-D micromachining process.
Ink-jet nozzle with controlled taper
Ink-jet array
Ink-jet nozzle with square counterbore
Nozzle cross section
