Method for controlling surface features on glass-ceramic articles and articles formed therefrom

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12012353-B2
Application number	US-201916363257-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2019
Priority date	Feb 26, 2015
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

A method for increasing the tactile feel of a glass-ceramic article includes (a) performing a first etching of a surface of the glass-ceramic article with a first etchant to create a plurality of features on the surface, wherein the first etchant comprises hydrofluoric acid and an inorganic fluoride salt, and the plurality of features comprises protrusions and recesses and (b) performing a second etching of the surface with a second etchant different from the first etchant to enlarge a distance between adjacent features of a same type, wherein the second etching occurs after the first etching, after the second etching an average distance between adjacent features of a same type is in a range from 0.5 μm to 20 μm and a density of features of the same type is in a range from 9,000 to 25,000 features/mm2, and a tactile feel of the surface after the second etching is greater than the tactile feel of the surface before the first etching.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A glass-ceramic article comprising:
a glass-ceramic surface having a plurality of features,
wherein:
the plurality of features comprises protrusions in the glass-ceramic surface,
the glass-ceramic surface has a surface roughness Ra in a range from greater than or equal to 0.474 μm up to 1 μm,
a density of the plurality of features is in a range from 9,000 to 25,000 features/mm 2 , and
the glass-ceramic article is opaque.

2. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein an average distance between adjacent features of a same type is in a range from 7 μm to 10 μm.

3. An electronic device comprising the glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic surface is positioned such that a user can touch the glass-ceramic surface.

4. An electronic device comprising the glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic surface is positioned such that a user can touch the glass-ceramic surface.

5. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein an average distance between adjacent features of a same type is in a range from 8.5 μm to 10 μm.

6. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the density of features of the same type is in a range from 12,000 to 25,000 features/mm 2 .

7. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the density of features of the same type is in a range from 12,000 to 17,000 features/mm 2 .

8. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article is black.

9. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article is white.

10. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article is a lithium aluminosilicate glass-ceramic article.

11. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article is a magnesium aluminosilicate glass-ceramic article.

12. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article is a zinc oxide aluminosilicate glass-ceramic article.

13. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article comprises a spodumene phase.

14. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article comprises greater than or equal to 30% by volume crystallinity.

15. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article comprises greater than or equal to 90% by volume crystallinity.

16. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein the glass-ceramic article comprises less than 30% by volume crystallinity.

17. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein an average depth of the recesses is about 80 nm or more.

18. The glass-ceramic article of claim 1 , wherein an average depth of the recesses is about 100 nm or more.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Bazemore Brandon Allen
• Hou Jun
• Jin Yuhui
• Park Eungsik
• Petriwsky Tammy Lynn

Classifications

• C03C10/00

  Devitrified glass ceramics, i.e. glass ceramics having a crystalline phase dispersed in a glassy phase and constituting at least 50% by weight of the total composition · CPC title

• H05K5/00

  Casings, cabinets or drawers for electric apparatus · CPC title

• Y10T428/24355

  Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.] · CPC title

• C09K13/08

  containing a fluorine compound · CPC title

• C03C15/00 Primary

  Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by etching (etching or surface-brightening compositions, in general C09K13/00) · CPC title