Conductive wire disposed in a layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10933634-B2
Application number	US-201616301132-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2016
Priority date	Aug 3, 2016
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

A conductive wire disposed in a layer is described. An example apparatus includes a die including a silicon layer and a first layer coupled to the silicon layer. The example apparatus a conductive wire disposed in the first layer adjacent a perimeter of a location at which a fluid feed slot is to be formed in the silicon layer. The conductive wire has an electrical characteristic that corresponds to whether the fluid feed slot is defective.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a die including a silicon layer and a first layer coupled to the silicon layer; and
a conductive wire disposed in the first layer and surrounding a fluid feed opening region in correspondence with a perimeter of the fluid feed opening region, a fluid feed opening to be formed in the silicon layer at the fluid feed opening region, the conductive wire having an electrical characteristic that corresponds to whether the fluid feed opening is defective after formation thereof.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the conductive wire is positioned in the first layer to enable an electrical resistance of the conductive wire to increase when an edge of the first layer adjacent the fluid feed opening is defective.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrical characteristic of the conductive wire is an electrical resistance, the electrical resistance indicates that the die is defective when the electrical resistance is greater than a predetermined value.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first layer includes a field oxide layer, a dielectric layer, and a metallic layer, the field oxide layer to isolate the silicon layer from the metallic layer and the conductive wire, the dielectric layer to provide insulation between the metallic layer and the conductive wire.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the conductive wire is positioned between the perimeter of the fluid feed opening region and the metallic layer such that the electrical characteristic of the conductive wire is to correspond to whether the metallic layer is damaged.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the conductive wire is spaced apart from the perimeter of the fluid feed opening region by approximately between 4 micrometers and 8 micrometers such that detection of whether the fluid feed opening is defective after formation thereof is detected with the conductive wire.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrical characteristic of the conductive wire corresponds to a defect formed by at least one of a laser machining process and a wet-etching process during fabrication of the fluid feed opening.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the conductive wire further surrounding a plurality of other fluid feed opening regions in correspondence with perimeters of the other fluid feed opening regions, other fluid feed openings to be formed in the silicon layer at the other fluid feed opening regions, the electrical characteristic of the conductive wire corresponds to whether any of a group of fluid feed openings including the fluid feed opening of the fluid feed opening region and the other fluid feed openings of the other fluid feed opening regions is defective.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the conductive wire has a plurality of adjacent contiguous portions, the fluid feed opening region has a plurality of sides, and each adjacent contiguous portion of the conductive wire is parallel to a different side of the fluid feed opening region.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein each adjacent contiguous portion of the conductive wire is separated from the different side of the fluid feed opening region to which the adjacent contiguous portion is parallel by a distance.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the distance is approximately between 4 micrometers and 8 micrometers.

12. A method comprising:
positioning a conductive wire in a first layer of a die to surround a fluid feed opening region in correspondence with a perimeter of the fluid feed opening region; and
forming a fluid feed opening in a silicon layer at the fluid feed opening region, the first layer coupled to the silicon layer, the conductive wire positioned such that an electrical characteristic of the conductive wire corresponds to whether the formed fluid feed opening layer is defective.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining whether the fluid feed opening is defective by comparing the electrical characteristic of the conductive wire to a predetermined resistance value, the electrical characteristic being an electrical resistance, the electrical resistance indicating that the fluid feed opening is defective if the electrical resistance is greater than the predetermined resistance value.

14. The method of claim 13 , further including measuring the electrical resistance of the conductive wire after the fluid feed opening is fabricated, the electrical resistance to correspond to whether at least one of a laser manufacturing process and a wet-etching process damaged an edge of the first layer adjacent the fluid feed opening during fabrication of the fluid feed opening.

15. The method of claim 13 , further including measuring the electrical resistance of the conductive wire after a laser machining process and before a wet-etching process during fabrication of the fluid feed opening, the electrical resistance to correspond to whether the laser manufacturing process damaged an edge of the first layer adjacent the fluid feed opening during fabrication of the fluid feed opening.

16. An apparatus comprising:
a fluid ejection die including a silicon wafer and a first layer; and
a conductive wire disposed in the first layer adjacent a perimeter of a location at which a fluid feed opening is to be formed in the silicon wafer, the conductive wire having an electrical resistance that corresponds to whether a defect is formed during fabrication of the fluid feed opening.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the conductive wire is composed of material that is reactive to a liquid solvent of a wet-etching process.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the conductive wire is composed of polysilicon or aluminum copper.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Fuller Anthony M
• Mcmahon Terry
• Schulte Donald W
• Gault Amy

Classifications

• B41J2/14072 Primary

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• B41J2/14153

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• B41J2/1601

  Production of bubble jet print heads (B41J2/1606, B41J2/162 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N27/20

  Investigating the presence of flaws · CPC title

• B41J2/1634

  laser machining · CPC title