Inkjet printheads capable of printing smaller and larger drop-weight quantities
of ink, and methods of manufacturing the inkjet printheads, are disclosed. The
inkjet printhead includes a substrate. One or more portions of the substrate may
be etched such that the substrate might have different thicknesses. A thin-film
layer is connected to the substrate and contains independently addressable ink-energizing
elements, preferably resistors. An orifice layer having a substantially planar
exterior surface is applied directly to the thin-film layer. Consequently, the
thickness of the orifice layer varies with the thickness of the substrate. At least
one firing chamber is defined in each portion of the orifice layer with a different
thickness and, preferably, different-sized resistors. Alternatively, the orifice
layer has a substantially uniform thickness. In order to achieve the multiple drop-weight
capability of the present invention, firing chambers of different volumes are provided.
In this embodiment, firing chambers that are to provide a larger drop-weight preferably
have a more powerful ink-energizing element and are laterally offset from the firing
chamber nozzle aperture. Other firing chambers that are to provide a small drop-weight
preferably have a less powerful ink-energizing element and are aligned with the
firing chamber nozzle aperture. Thus, the present invention provides inkjet printheads
capable of printing various drop-weight quantities of ink.