Mother-of-pearl substrate coated with a yellow layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11022945-B2
Application number	US-201715831453-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2017
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

Method for coloured coating on a watchmaking or jewellery external part component, comprising at least one visible surface prepared in advance on a substrate, this method comprising a step of vacuum-deposition of at least one main layer of titanium and silicon nitride (Ti, Sik)Nx or of titanium and silicon nitride doped with oxygen (Ti, Sik)NxOy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for coloured coating on a structural component or a watchmaking or jewellery external part component, comprising at least one visible surface prepared in advance on a substrate, said method comprising at least one vacuum-deposition step of at least one main layer of titanium and silicon nitride (Ti, Si k )N x or of titanium and silicon nitride doped with oxygen (Ti, Si k )N x O y , wherein
an additional intermediate layer, transparent or semi-transparent, is deposited between the substrate and the main layer, and/or
an additional upper layer is deposited on a free surface of the main layer, and
wherein said additional intermediate layer or said additional upper layer, or both, comprises a stack of aluminium Al 2 O 3 layers alternating with at least one said main layer,
wherein
x ranges from 3.00 to 6.33,
y ranges from greater than 0.0 to 2.0, and
k is between 1.5 to 4.0.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one main layer has a thickness between 20 nm and 2,000 nm.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said at least one main layer has a thickness between 30 nm and 300 nm.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said titanium and silicon nitride (Ti, Si k )N x or said titanium and silicon nitride doped with oxygen (Ti, Si k )N x O y is also doped with lithium in order to saturate the colour.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum-deposition of a main layer of titanium and silicon nitride (Ti, Si k )N x or of titanium and silicon nitride doped with oxygen (Ti, Si k )N x O y is preceded by a plasma treatment in order to improve the bonding of said main layer on the substrate.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum-deposition of a main layer is preceded by a plasma treatment under argon and/or oxygen in order to improve the bonding of said main layer on the substrate.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein if said additional intermediate layer or said additional upper layer is not an additional intermediate layer or said additional upper layer that comprises a stack of aluminium Al 2 O 3 layers alternating with at least one said main layer, said additional intermediate layer or said additional upper layer is formed from a single layer or from a stack of layers.

8. The method according to claim 7 , in which said additional intermediate layer or said additional upper layer, or both, is formed from a stack of layers with alternating of a layer with a given refractive index and of a layer having a refractive index greater than the given index in order to create an interferential effect.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein if said additional intermediate layer or said additional upper layer is not an additional intermediate layer or said additional upper layer that comprises a stack of aluminium Al 2 O 3 layers alternating with at least one said main layer, said additional intermediate layer or said additional upper layer is composed of nitrides, oxynitrides and/or metallic oxides or of silicon.

10. The method according to claim 9 , in which the metals of the oxides and nitrides are selected from the list consisting of titanium, tantalum, aluminium, zirconium, hafnium and cerium.

11. The method according to claim 1 , the substrate is made of mother-of-pearl.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Spassov Vladislav

Classifications

• C23C14/0021

  Reactive sputtering or evaporation · CPC title

• A44C27/007

  Non-metallic coatings · CPC title

• C23C14/0641

  Nitrides (C23C14/0617 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A44C27/006

  Metallic coatings · CPC title

• G04B45/0076

  Decoration of the case and of parts thereof, e.g. as a method of manufacture thereof (specially shaped G04B45/0061, G04B45/0069; decoration with inscriptions and pictures G04B45/0084; construction of the hands G04B19/042; decoration by adding extra pieces to the clockwork G04B47/04; colouring by treatment of the surface, e.g. by oxidation C25D) · CPC title