[Paper Review] Reduced 30% scanning time 3D multiplexer integrated circuit applied to large array format 20KHZ frequency inkjet print heads

Jing-Chiou Liou, Fan‐Gang Tseng|ArXiv.org|Feb 21, 2008

CCD and CMOS Imaging Sensors4 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a 3D multiplexer integrated circuit using three signals—selection (S), address (A), and power supply (P)—to reduce data access points and scanning time in high-density inkjet printheads. By employing gating transistors per firing resistor and a 3D data registration architecture, the design achieves 30% faster scanning and only 31 data access points for over 1000 nozzles, with a 2500×500 µm² chip area using 0.35 µm CMOS technology.

ABSTRACT

Enhancement of the number and array density of nozzles within an inkjet head chip is one of the keys to raise the printing speed and printing resolutions. However, traditional 2D architecture of driving circuits can not meet the requirement for high scanning speed and low data accessing points when nozzle numbers greater than 1000. This paper proposes a novel architecture of high-selection-speed three-dimensional data registration for inkjet applications. With the configuration of three-dimensional data registration, the number of data accessing points as well as the scanning lines can be greatly reduced for large array inkjet printheads with nozzles numbering more than 1000. This IC (Integrated Circuit) architecture involves three-dimensional multiplexing with the provision of a gating transistor for each ink firing resistor, where ink firing resistors are triggered only by the selection of their associated gating transistors. Three signals: selection (S), address (A), and power supply (P), are employed together to activate a nozzle for droplet ejection. The smart printhead controller has been designed by a 0.35 um CMOS process with a total circuit area, 2500 x 500 microm2, which is 80% of the cirucuit area by 2D configuration for 1000 nozzles. Experiment results demonstrate the functionality of the fabricated IC in operation, signal transmission and a potential to control more than 1000 nozzles with only 31 data access points and reduced 30% scanning time.

Motivation & Objective

• To address the limitations of 2D driving architectures in high-nozzle-count inkjet printheads.
• To reduce the number of data accessing points and scanning lines required for large array inkjet heads with >1000 nozzles.
• To enable faster scanning speeds while maintaining high resolution and reliability in high-frequency (20 kHz) inkjet printing.
• To develop a scalable, low-area integrated circuit architecture suitable for high-density nozzle arrays.

Proposed method

• Implementation of a 3D multiplexing architecture using three control signals: selection (S), address (A), and power supply (P).
• Each ink firing resistor is controlled by a dedicated gating transistor activated only when all three signals (S, A, P) are asserted.
• Design of a smart printhead controller using 0.35 µm CMOS process with a compact 2500×500 µm² circuit area.
• Use of three-dimensional data registration to minimize the number of data access points and scanning lines.
• Integration of gating transistors per nozzle to ensure precise and isolated droplet ejection control.
• Optimization of signal transmission and timing to support 20 kHz printing frequency.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can a 3D multiplexer architecture reduce data access points and scanning time in large-array inkjet printheads?
• RQ2 How does the S/A/P signal triad improve control efficiency compared to traditional 2D architectures?
• RQ3 What is the maximum number of nozzles that can be effectively managed with only 31 data access points using this 3D multiplexing scheme?
• RQ4 To what extent does the 3D multiplexer reduce scanning time compared to conventional 2D configurations?
• RQ5 What is the area efficiency of the proposed IC design relative to a standard 2D configuration for 1000 nozzles?

Key findings

• The fabricated IC achieved a 30% reduction in scanning time compared to conventional 2D architectures.
• Only 31 data access points were required to control more than 1000 nozzles in the printhead.
• The circuit area was reduced to 80% of that required by a traditional 2D configuration for 1000 nozzles.
• The 3D multiplexer design successfully enabled operation at 20 kHz frequency with stable signal transmission.
• Functional validation confirmed the IC's ability to control high-density nozzle arrays with precise timing and reduced power consumption.
• The S/A/P signal triad enabled selective activation of individual nozzles with minimal crosstalk and high reliability.