Method for treating a surface of a timepiece component, and timepiece component obtained from such a method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10372083-B2
Application number	US-201314412845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2013
Priority date	Jul 6, 2012
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A method for treating a surface ( 2 ) of a base ( 1 ) of a timepiece component ( 10 ), in particular a balance spring, e.g. a balance spring made of a paramagnetic NbZr alloy, includes: a first step of depositing a first layer ( 41 ) of a first oxide or first nitride or first carbide; and a second step of depositing a second layer ( 51 ) of a second oxide or second nitride or second carbide.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for treating a Nb—Zr alloy surface of a base of a timepiece component which is an oscillator component, the process comprising:
a first step of depositing by atomic deposition a first layer of a first material which is Al 2 O 3 ; and
a second step of depositing by atomic deposition on the first layer a second layer of a second material which is TiO 2 ,
wherein a combination of the first layer and second layer has a negative thermoelastic coefficient.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the oscillator component is a hairspring.

3. A timepiece component which is an oscillator component having a treated surface obtained by performing a process for treating a Nb—Zr alloy surface of a base of the timepiece component, the process comprising:
a first step of depositing by atomic deposition a first layer of a first material which is Al 2 O 3 ; and
a second step of depositing by atomic deposition on the first layer a second layer of a second material which is TiO 2 ,
wherein a combination of the first layer and second layer has a negative thermoelastic coefficient.

4. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the oscillator component is a hairspring.

5. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the process is a phase of forming a double layer comprising the first layer and the second layer, and the treated surface is obtained by repeating the phase comprising the first step and the second step, so as to obtain a coating comprising a plurality of double layers.

6. A timepiece component which is an oscillator component comprising a base and a coating on a Nb—Zr alloy surface of the base, the coating including:
a first layer deposited by atomic deposition of a first material which is Al 2 O 3 ; and
on the first layer, a second layer deposited by atomic deposition of a second material which is TiO 2 ,
wherein a combination of the first layer and second layer has a negative thermoelastic coefficient.

7. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the coating comprises:
a first group of superposed layers including the first layer and the second layer, and
a second group of superposed layers including a third layer and a fourth layer, the third layer being a layer deposited by atomic deposition of a first material which is Al 2 O 3 ; and the fourth layer being a layer deposited on the third layer by atomic deposition of a second material which is TiO 2 ,
the second group being superposed on the first group.

8. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the first layer and the second layer form a double layer, and the coating comprises a plurality of double layers.

9. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the coating further comprises:
a third group of superposed layers including a fifth layer and a sixth layer, the fifth layer being a layer deposited by atomic deposition of a first material which is Al 2 O 3 ; and the sixth layer being a layer deposited on the fifth layer by atomic deposition of a second material which is TiO 2 ,
the third group being superposed on the second group.

10. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the first layer and the second layer each have a thickness in a range of from 2 nm to 15 nm.

11. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the first layer, the second layer, the third layer and the fourth layer each have a thickness in a range of from 2 nm to 15 nm.

12. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, the fourth layer, the fifth layer and the sixth layer each have a thickness in a range of from 2 nm to 15 nm.

13. The timepiece component as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the oscillator component is a hairspring.

14. A timepiece item comprising a timepiece component as claimed in claim 3 .

15. A timepiece item comprising a timepiece component as claimed in claim 6 .

Assignees

• Rolex Sa

Inventors

• Tobenas Borron Susana Del Carmen

Classifications

• Y10T428/24942

  including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree · CPC title

• G04B17/066 Primary

  Manufacture of the spiral spring (locking of the spiral spring by the regulating lever G04B18/026; spiral spring with temperature compensation G04B17/227; fixation of the spiral spring on the collet G04B17/32; mainspring G04B1/14) · CPC title

• C23C16/34

  Nitrides {(C23C16/303 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C23C16/45525

  Atomic layer deposition [ALD] · CPC title

• C23C16/32

  Carbides · CPC title