Aluminum physical vapor deposition for the cosmetic finishing of recycled aluminum alloys

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268188-B2
Application number	US-201916519288-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	May 2, 2019
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A method of forming a surface coating on a component of an electronic device can include depositing an aluminum layer including at least about 0.05 weight percent (wt %) of a grain refiner on a surface of the component by a physical vapor deposition process, and anodizing the aluminum layer to form an anodized aluminum oxide layer having a L* value greater than about 85 in the CIELAB color space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A component for an electronic device, comprising:
a substrate material defining a surface;
an anodized aluminum oxide layer formed over the surface, the anodized aluminum oxide layer having a thickness greater than about 4 microns and an L* value in a CIELAB color space of greater than about 85; and
a continuous stop layer disposed between the substrate material and the anodized aluminum oxide layer.

2. The component of claim 1 , wherein the substrate material is a first material and the anodized aluminum oxide layer is formed from a second material different than the first material.

3. The component of claim 2 , wherein the first material comprises an aluminum alloy.

4. The component of claim 1
wherein the continuous stop layer comprises a thickness of less than about 1 micron;
the continuous stop layer including titanium, platinum group metals, or a conductive oxide material.

5. The component of claim 1 , further comprising:
an aluminum layer disposed between the anodized aluminum oxide layer and the substrate, the aluminum layer having a thickness of less than about 100 microns and including at least about 0.05 weight percent (wt %) of a grain refiner;
wherein the anodized aluminum oxide layer is formed from the aluminum layer.

6. The component of claim 1 , wherein the anodized aluminum oxide layer has a b* value in the CIELAB color space of between about −0.04 and about 0.4.

7. The component of claim 1 , wherein the surface comprises a three-dimensional surface.

8. The component of claim 1 , wherein the anodized aluminum oxide layer comprises a thickness of less than about 200 microns.

9. A coating formed on a substrate material, comprising:
an aluminum layer having grains with a major surface dimension greater than 1 micron and grains with a major surface dimension less than 1 micron, wherein a surface area ratio of grains with a major surface dimension greater than 1 micron to grains with a major surface dimension less than 1 micron, wherein the surface area ratio is less than about 0.1;
the aluminum layer having a thickness greater than about 2 microns.

10. The coating of claim 9 , wherein the thickness of the aluminum layer is less than about 100 microns.

11. The coating of claim 9 , wherein the surface area ratio is less than about 0.07.

12. The coating of claim 9 , wherein the surface area ratio is less than about 0.05.

13. The coating of claim 9 , wherein the aluminum layer comprises greater than about 0.05 weight percent (wt %) of a grain refiner.

14. The coating of claim 13 , wherein the grain refiner comprises at least one of zirconium, scandium, silicon, or silver.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Tryon Brian S
• Williams Alexander W
• Curran James A
• Postak Sonja R

Classifications

• C23C14/5853 Primary

  Oxidation · CPC title

• C23C14/14

  Metallic material, boron or silicon · CPC title

• C23C14/08

  Oxides (C23C14/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B32B2255/06

  on metal layer · CPC title

• C23C28/00

  Coating for obtaining at least two superposed coatings either by methods not provided for in a single one of groups C23C2/00 - C23C26/00 or by combinations of methods provided for in subclasses C23C and C25C or C25D · CPC title