Electronic devices with corrosion-resistant colored metal structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11910552-B2
Application number	US-202016904501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2020
Priority date	Jun 17, 2020
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

An electronic device may have a housing. The device may include metal structures such as a metal member forming a portion of the housing, a portion of a strap, or other portions of the device. A gold-containing coating such as a layer of elemental gold or a gold alloy may cover the metal member to provide the metal member with a gold appearance or other desired appearance. To protect the metal member and the gold-containing coating, the metal member and gold-containing coating may be covered with a protective coating layer such as an organic protective layer. The organic protective layer may have a fluoropolymer layer with thiol coupling groups to promote adhesion to the gold-containing layer or may contain a polymer layer with silane and thiol coupling groups that serves as an adhesion promotion layer for an overlapping fluoropolymer layer with silane coupling groups.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
electrical components; and
a metal member coupled to the electrical components, wherein the metal member has an exterior surface covered with a coating and wherein the coating includes:
a gold-containing layer that covers the exterior surface, and
an organic protective layer that covers the gold-containing layer, wherein the organic protective layer comprises a fluoropolymer layer with silane coupling groups and a polymer layer with silane coupling groups and thiol coupling groups, wherein the polymer layer is interposed between the gold-containing layer and the fluoropolymer layer.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the thiol coupling groups of the polymer layer bond with the gold-containing layer.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising a metal adhesion layer between the exterior surface and the gold-containing layer.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the metal adhesion layer comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of chromium and titanium.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a layer between the metal member and the gold-containing layer, wherein the layer between the metal member and gold-containing layer comprises an element selected from the group consisting of: titanium, chromium, carbon, nitrogen, silicon, and tantalum.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the gold-containing layer is a layer of gold.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the gold-containing layer is a gold alloy comprising an element selected from the group consisting of: platinum, palladium, and copper.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the silane coupling groups of the fluoropolymer layer are configured to bond to the silane coupling groups of the polymer layer.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the thiol coupling groups of the polymer layer are configured to bond to the gold-containing layer.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 further comprising a metal adhesion layer between the exterior surface and the gold-containing layer.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the metal member comprises a portion of a watch band, wherein the electronic device comprises a housing that encloses the electrical components, and wherein the watch band is coupled to the housing and the electrical components.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the metal member comprises a portion of a housing enclosing the electrical components.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 further comprising a display, wherein the housing has a front face and an opposing rear face, wherein the display is on the front face, and wherein the metal member is on the rear face.

14. An electronic device, comprising:
a display;
a metal housing member coupled to the display;
a watch band coupled to the metal housing member;
a gold-containing layer on the watch band;
a fluoropolymer with first silane coupling groups on the gold-containing layer; and
a polymer layer with second silane coupling groups and thiol coupling groups, wherein the polymer layer forms an adhesion layer between the gold-containing layer and the fluoropolymer.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the gold-containing layer comprises a gold alloy bonded to the thiol coupling groups.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the gold-containing layer comprises a layer of gold bonded to the thiol coupling groups.

17. An electronic device, comprising:
a display;
a metal housing member coupled to the display;
a gold-containing layer on the metal housing member;
a fluoropolymer layer with silane coupling groups; and
a polymer layer with silane coupling groups and thiol coupling groups, wherein the polymer layer forms an adhesion layer between the gold-containing layer and the fluoropolymer layer.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the gold-containing layer comprises a gold alloy bonded to the thiol coupling groups and wherein the silane coupling groups of the fluoropolymer layer promote adhesion with the polymer layer.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the gold-containing layer comprises a layer of gold bonded to the thiol coupling groups and wherein the silane coupling groups of the fluoropolymer layer promote adhesion with the polymer layer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Mittal Manish
• Tryon Brian S
• Yurko James A
• Zhou Jing
• Rogers Matthew S
• Matsuyuki Naoto

Classifications

• H05K5/04 Primary

  Metal casings · CPC title

• C08K3/08

  Metals · CPC title

• H05K5/0017

  with operator interface units · CPC title

• H05K5/0086

  portable, e.g. battery operated apparatus (casings for switching devices H01H9/02) · CPC title

• H05K5/0217

  Mechanical details of casings (covers, lids, hoods or members for covering apertures H05K5/03) · CPC title