An apparatus for and method of operating a thermal
actuator for a micromechanical device, especially a
liquid drop emitter such as an ink jet printhead, is disclosed. The disclosed thermal
actuator comprises a base element and a cantilevered element including a thermo-mechanical bender portion extending from the base element to a free end tip. The thermo-mechanical bender portion includes a
barrier layer constructed of a
dielectric material having low
thermal conductivity, a first deflector layer constructed of a first electrically resistive material having a large coefficient of
thermal expansion, and a second deflector layer constructed of a second electrically resistive material having a large coefficient of
thermal expansion wherein the
barrier layer is bonded between the first and second deflector
layers. The thermo-mechanical bender portion further has a base end and base end width, wb, adjacent the base element, and a free end and free end width, wf, adjacent the free end tip, wherein the base end width is substantially greater than the free end width. A first heater
resistor is formed in the first deflector layer and adapted to apply
heat energy having a first spatial thermal pattern which results in a first deflector layer base end temperature increase, ΔT1b, that is greater than a first deflector layer free end temperature increase, ΔT1f. A second heater
resistor is formed in the second deflector layer and adapted to apply
heat energy having a second spatial thermal pattern which results in a second deflector layer base end temperature increase, ΔT2b that is greater than a second deflector layer free end temperature increase, ΔT2f. Application of an electrical pulse to either the first or second heater resistors causes deflection of the cantilevered element, followed by restoration of the cantilevered element to an initial position as heat diffuses through the
barrier layer and the cantilevered element reaches a uniform temperature. For
liquid drop emitter embodiments, the thermal
actuator resides in a liquid-filled chamber that includes a
nozzle for ejecting liquid. Application of electrical pulses to the heater resistors is used to adjust the characteristics of
liquid drop emission. The barrier layer exhibits a
heat transfer time constant τB. The thermal actuator is activated by a heat pulses of duration τP wherein τP<½τB.