A Case Study in Technical Competitive Analysis: Printheads

1
A Case Study in Technical Competitive Analysis
Printheads

• Presented by
• St.J. Dixon-Warren,
• Technical Intelligence
• Chipworks Inc., Ottawa, Canada

2
Who we are

• Chipworks is an reverse engineering (RE) services
  company, based in Ottawa, Canada, with offices
  around the world.
• Our Technical Intelligence business unit provides
  technical competitive analysis of leading edge
  semiconductor devices, allowing clients to
  benchmark their own processes and gain insight
  into their competitors technology.
• Our Patent Intelligence business unit provided
  technical intellectual property services.
• Visit http//www.chipworks.com/ for details.

3
What is Technical Competitive Analysis?

• Technical information on your competitors
  offerings, allowing you to
• Benchmark your own technology in relation to a
  specific market space.
• Gain valuable insight into your competitors'
  technology, products and business practices.
• Discover competitor weaknesses which you can
  exploit as new revenue opportunities for
  yourself.
• Minimize risk by avoiding the mistakes that
  others have already made.
• Improve in-house training.

4
How does Technical Intelligence fit into market
briefings?
Market briefings give you tools to help guide
your business and RD decisions. Enterprises data
sources include
Helps you determine competitor cost base Helps
you determine competitor features Helps you
determine competitor limitations Helps you
determine competitor roadmaps
Competitive Technical Intelligence
If you are using fact-based analysis
5
Chipworks MEMS Process Reports (MPRs)

• Chipworks has completed 28 detailed MPRs on MEMS
  devices from a number of the major MEMS
  manufacturers, including 11 printhead reports
• Hewlett-Packard
• Canon
• Lexmark
• Kodak
• Also 17 reports on inertial sensors and
  microphones
• Analog Devices, Bosch, Invensense, Kionix,
  Freescale ST Microelectronics (accelerometers and
  gyroscopes)
• Texas instruments (digital micro-mirror device)
• Knowles Acoustic, Sonion, Akustica (microphones)

6
MPR Contents

• Our MPRs are typically follow the RE process
  from the outside to the inside of the device
  (like peeling back the layers of an onion)
• The MEMS process review reports typically include
  the following information
• Package photographs and X-rays
• Photographs of the MEMS and ASIC dice.
• Detailed optical photographs of MEMS and ASIC
  dice features.
• Cross-sectional process analysis for the MEMS and
  ASIC, revealing details of the devices structure.
• Plan-view and tilt-view SEM images revealing
  details of the MEMS architecture.
• Analysis of gases in MEMS cavity.

7
Printhead Overview

• Ink jet printheads are a hybrid
  CMOS-DMOS-microfluidic-MEMS technology.
• They constitute the most commercially successful
  application of MEMS-microfluidic technology.
• The technology has proved to be very profitable
  for the major players in this industry.
• Traditionally, printheads were fabricated by
  affixing an orifice plate over the surface of the
  die, using a process first developed by HP in the
  late 1980s.
• HP and Canon have recently adopted fully
  lithographic wafer-level fabrication of their
  printheads die.
• HP Scaleable Printing Technology (SPT) Process
• Canon Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle
  Engineering (FINE)
• Kodak has recently adopted this process with
  their new Easyshare 5000-series printers

8
The Printhead Market

• Printheads represent nearly 1/3 of the global
  MEMS market.
• Hewlett-Packard is the dominant player with 50
  market share
• Major players include HP, Canon, Epson, Lexmark,
  Olivetti and most recently Kodak.
• The market is trending toward non-disposable
  printheads.
• Drivers are reduced cost for consumer
• Improved printhead reliability due to wafer level
  manufacturing of fluidic layer and ink nozzles
• Larger printhead die size giving larger print
  swath
• Chipworks has completed a detailed comparison of
  printheads from HP and Canon.
• Recently we have analyzed the new Kodak 5000
  series Easyshare printhead.

Source Global MEMS/Microsystems Markets and
Opportunities (Yole Développement, 2006)
9
Fully Lithographic Printhead Fabrication Process

• The nozzles and ink channels are fabricated
  lithographically in the fluidic bi-layer, likely
  leading to lower cost and higher reliability.
• The die is typically fabricated using a 1-2 µm
  CMOS-DMOS process.
• Backside ink vias are formed using either wet KOH
  etch or dry DRIE processing or a combination.

nozzle
fluidic layer
CMOS-DMOS
die
backside ink via
heater
10
Typical HP and Canon Printhead Modules
Canon PF-01 Six die per module two modules per
printer
HP8250 (HPDC) One die per module
11
Typical HP and Canon Die
Canon PF-01 3.36 mm x 32.45 mm (109 mm2) Two
backside vias per die Six die per module 2560
nozzles per die
HPDC 13.11 mm x 18.79 mm (246 mm2) One die per
module Six backside ink vias 3900 nozzles per
die
12
HP vs Canon Backside Ink Vias

• HP uses combination of DRIE and KOH wet etch
• Canon uses KOH wet etch

HP Backside Ink Via
Canon Backside Ink Via
13
HP vs Canon Nozzles and Heaters

• Both feature 42.3 µm nozzle pitch (600 dpi)
• Offset by ½ pitch on each side of trench (1200
  dpi)
• HP nozzles are staggered horizontally

HP
Canon
14
HP vs Canon Nozzle Detail

• HP uses 14-18 µm nozzles (staggered)
• Canon uses 10-14 µm nozzles (in line)

HP
Canon
15
HP vs Canon Fluidic Layer Cross-Section

• HP uses 30-40 µm thick fluidic layer
• Canon uses 25 µm thick fluidic layer
• Both likely use SU-8 epoxy photoresist

HP
Canon
16
HPs CMOS-DMOS Die
 
 
 
 
 
 

• 1 µm CMOS-DMOS process
• Top gold with Ta-based cavitation layer
• Aluminum metal 1 and 2
• TaW heater resistors
• Fabed by STMicroelectronics and internally by HP

HP
17
Canon CMOS-DMOS Die

• 2 µm CMOS-DMOS process
• Ta-based cavitation layer
• Aluminum metal 1 and 2
• Ta-based heater resistors
• Fabed internally by Canon

Canon
18
Typical HP vs Canon Heater Layout

• Heater layout varies markedly between different
  printhead dice.
• Every die weve seen has been different heater
  layout

HP HPDC
Canon PF-01
19
Typical HP Heater Cross-Section

• TaW heater resistor layer on top of metal 2.
• Ta cavitation layer over heater

HP
20
Typical Canon Heater Cross-Section

• Ta-based heater resistor layer beneath metal 2
• Ta cavitation layer over heater

Canon
21
Comparison of HP and Canon Process

• HP and Canon both deliver 4800 x 2400 dpi, based
  on 42.3 µm nozzle pitch.
• Both use Ta cavitation layer and organic (SU-8)
  fluidic bi-layer.
• Typically, Canon achieves a greater heater
  density.
• Typically, HP controls more nozzles per bond pad.
• HP uses a 1 µm three metal process, while Canon
  uses a 2 µm two metal process, likely giving
  Canon a competitive cost advantage.
• Might expect Canon to grow market share vs HP,
  due to this cost advantage.
• Might expect more vendors to adopt the fully
  lithographic fabrication process (e.g. Kodaks
  recent entry to the market)

22
Kodaks 5000-series Easyshare Printhead

• Have adopted the fully lithographic fabrication
  process
• DRIE etched backside ink vias, with vertical
  sidewalls.
• 1 µm, three-metal CMOS-DMOS process, with
  cavitation layer
• Microfluidic bi-layer uses durable SiO2 glass for
  the top layer
• Fabed by ST Micro
• Further details in our recent Kodak report
  (MPR-0704-801).

• Kodak

23
Thank You

• Q A
• To obtain a copy of this presentation, please see
  me today, or write info_at_chipworks.com referencing
  Transducers 2007 Printhead presentation.
• Copies of our recent Hewlett-Packard Canon
  Focused Technology Review (FTR-0703-801) also
  available.