1. An ink jet print head package including:
a) a chip having a top surface and a bottom surface and having at least one microfabricated device formed in or on the chip,
b) a first molded hollow cap bonded to the top surface which, in plan view, overlays part or all of said at least one device, and
c) a second molded hollow cap bonded to the bottom surface of the chip, wherein the first cap and the second cap have been bonded to the chip at the wafer stage prior to separation of the wafer into individual packages.
2. The ink jet print head package of claim 1, further including at least one bond pad located outside the footprint of the first cap.
3. The ink jet print head package of claim 1, wherein the second molded cap bonded to the bottom surface of the chip, in plan view, overlays part or all of the at least one device.
4. The ink jet print head package of claim 1, wherein the at least one microfabricated device of the ink jet print head package is an ink ejection device.
5. The ink jet print head package of claim 4, further including that a microfabricated device of the ink jet print head package is an accelerometer.
6. The ink jet print head package of claim 4, further including that a microfabricated device of the ink jet print head package is a light emitting device.
7. The ink jet print head package of claim 4, further including that a microfabricated device of the ink jet print head package is a laser.
8. The ink jet print head package of claim 4, wherein the fit cap has at least one aperture to allow ink ejected by the at least one ink ejection device to escape to the environment.
9. The ink jet print head package of claim 8, further including at least one ink supply aperture extending through the chip to transport ink to the at least one ink ejection device.
10. The inkjet print head package of claim 9, wherein there is one aperture for each ink ejection device.
11. The inkjet print head package of claim 9, wherein there is one aperture for a plurality of ink ejection devices.
12. The ink jet pint head package of claim 9, wherein there is provided a plurality of ink ejection devices, the plurality of ink ejection devices arranged into two or more groups of longitudinally extending lines of ink ejection devices, and wherein the aperture is a longitudinally extending slot in the chip communicating with the ink ejection devices of at least one group.
13. The ink jet print head package of claim 12, wherein each slot communicates with two groups of ink section devices.
14. The ink jet print head package of claim 1, wherein the first cap includes a portion at least partially parent or translucent to electromagnetic radiation at one or more wavelengths.
15. The ink jet print head package of claim 1, wherein the first cap includes at least one sub-portion in the central portion of the first cap capable of refracting electromagnetic radiation passing therethrough.
16. The ink jet print head package of claim 1, wherein the second molded hollow cap bonded to the bottom surface of the chip defines at least one bottom region cavity.
17. The ink jet print head package of claim 16, wherein the at least one bottom region cavity stores ink.
18. The ink jet print head package of claim 17, wherein the second cap has at least one wall extending from the central portion of the second cap bonded with the bottom surface of the chip to divide the bottom region cavity into two or more channels.
19. The ink jet print head package of claim 18, wherein the second cap has at least one aperture extending through the central portion of the second cap to transport ink to a respective channel from the outside environment.
20. The ink jet print head package of claim 18, wherein the two or more channels store different coloured inks.
21. The ink jet print head package of claim 18, wherein the two or more channels store the same coloured ink.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A conveyor for transporting articles between workstations comprising:
a transport device for carrying at least one article between workstations;
a drive rail for supporting said transport device, said drive rail including a drive system for propelling said transport device between workstations;
a support rail parallel to and spaced from said drive rail for supporting said transport device;
at least one shoe carried by said transport device, said shoe being configured to ride on said support rail for movably supporting said transport device on said support rail.
2. The conveyor of claim 1 in which said shoe is a wheel rotatably mounted to said transport device.
3. The conveyor of claim 1 in which said transport device has a base having a groove formed therein, said shoe being positioned in said groove.
4. The conveyor of claim 1 in which said transport device has a back wall and said shoe is mounted to said back wall.
5. The conveyor of claim 1 in which said drive system includes a plurality of drive wheels and at least one motor for driving said drive wheels.
6. The conveyor of claim 1 in which drive rail includes a plurality of zones each having a plurality of drive wheels and at least one motor for driving said drive wheels, and further comprising a control system coupled to said motors for selectively actuating said motor to propel said transport device along said zone and deactivating said motor after said transport device has exited said zone.
7. The conveyor of claim I in which said transport device has a base having a groove formed therein, said drive system engaging said groove in said transport device to guide said transport device as said transport device moves along said drive rail.
8. The conveyor of claim 1 in which said transport device includes a protective container having an interior cavity configured to retain a plurality of articles.
9. The conveyor of claim 1, and further comprising a protective container carried by said transport device, said protective container having an interior cavity configured to retain a plurality of articles.
10. A protective container for carrying a plurality of articles along a conveyor system, the conveyor system including a drive rail and a support rail spaced from and parallel to the drive rail for supporting said container, the drive rail including a drive system for propelling and guiding said container along the drive and support rails, said container including:
a housing enclosing an interior compartment configured to retain a plurality of articles, said housing having a bottom surface positionable on the drive and support rails of the conveyor system, said bottom surface being configured to engage the drive system such that actuation of the drive system propels the housing along the drive and support rails; and
at least one shoe carried by said housing, said shoe being configured to ride on the support rail of the conveyor system to movably support said housing on the support rail.
11. The protective container of claim 10 in which said shoe is a wheel rotatably mounted to said housing.
12. The protective container of claim 11 in which said bottom surface has a groove formed therein, said wheel being positioned in said groove.
13. The protective container of claim 10 in which said housing a top surface and walls between said top surface and said bottom surface, said shoe being mounted to one of said walls of said container.
14. The protective container of claim 10 in which said bottom surface of said housing includes a groove shaped to engage the drive system of the drive rail.
15. In combination, the protective housing of claim 10 and a plurality of semiconductor wafers positioned in said interior compartment.
16. The combination of claim 15 in which said semiconductor wafers have a diameter of 300 mm.
17. In combination, the protective housing of claim 10 and a conveyor system including a drive rail and a support rail spaced from and parallel to said drive rail for supporting said container, said drive rail including a drive system for propelling said container along said drive and support rails.
18. A method of transporting articles between stations comprising the steps of:
providing a transport device for holding at least one article and having a base and at least one shoe carried by the base;
positioning the transport device with the base of the transport device supported on a drive rail and the shoe carried by the transport device supported on a support rail of a conveyor system; and
actuating a drive system carried by the drive rail to propel the transport device along the drive rail and support rail.
19. The method of claim 18 in which said step of providing a transport device includes providing a transport device having the at least one shoe provided by a wheel rotatably mounted to the transport device.
20. The method of claim 18 in which said step of positioning the transport device includes positioning a plurality of transport devices on the drive rail and support rail of the conveyor system.
21. The method of claim 18 in which the drive system includes a plurality of drive wheels and at least one motor for driving the drive wheels, and said step of actuating a drive system includes actuating the motor to drive the drive wheels.
22. The method of claim 18 in which the drive rail includes a plurality of drive systems each defining an operational zone of the drive rail, and said step of actuating a drive system includes actuating the drive system of each operational zone when the transport device is in the vicinity of the operational zone.
23. The method of claim 22 in which said step of actuating a drive system includes actuating the drive system of the operational zone to propel the transport through the operational zone and deactivating the drive system after the transport device has left the operational zone.