Electronic devices having corrosion-resistant coatings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12365992-B2
Application number	US-202117461222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2021
Priority date	Aug 30, 2018
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device such as a wristwatch may include a conductive housing. A corrosion-resistant coating may be deposited on the conductive housing. The coating may include transition layers and an uppermost alloy layer. The transition layers may include a chromium seed layer on the conductive housing and a chromium nitride layer on the chromium seed layer. The uppermost alloy layer may include TiCrCN or other alloys and may provide the coating with desired optical reflection and absorption characteristics. The transition layers may include a minimal number of coating defects, thereby eliminating potential sites at which visible defects could form when exposed to salt water. This may allow the electronic device to exhibit a desired color and to be submerged in salt water without producing undesirable visible defects on the conductive housing structures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable electronic device, comprising:
a conductive housing structure, wherein the conductive housing structure comprises stainless steel having an inclusion count of less than 75 per 10,000 square microns;
a display mounted to the conductive housing structure; and
a coating on the conductive housing structure, the coating comprising:
a chromium layer on the conductive housing structure,
a chromium nitride layer on the chromium layer, and
an alloy layer on the chromium nitride layer.

2. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the alloy layer comprises an alloy selected from the group consisting of: TiCrCN, CrCN, TiAIN, ZrCrCN, TiZrCrCN, and TiAlCrN.

3. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the conductive housing structure comprises attachment structures configured to receive a wrist strap.

4. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the alloy layer is an uppermost layer of the coating.

5. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
an oleophobic layer on the alloy layer.

6. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the alloy layer has a first thickness, the chromium nitride layer has a second thickness greater than the first thickness, and the chromium layer has a third thickness less than the first thickness.

7. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the coating has a total thickness between 1.0 micron and 2.0 microns.

8. A wearable electronic device having a front and a rear, the wearable electronic device comprising:
a conductive housing having a conductive housing wall at the rear, wherein the conductive housing has attachment structures configured to receive a strap;
a display mounted to the conductive housing at the front; and
a coating on the conductive housing, the coating comprising:
a transition layer that comprises chromium,
an uppermost alloy layer, wherein the uppermost alloy layer comprises an alloy selected from the group consisting of: TiCrCN, CrCN, ZrCrCN, and TiZrCrCN, and
a chromium seed layer interposed between the conductive housing and the transition layer, wherein the transition layer is directly on the chromium seed layer, and the uppermost alloy layer is directly on the transition layer.

9. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 8 further comprising:
an oleophobic coating on the coating.

10. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the coating is on the conductive housing wall at the rear.

11. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein:
the transition layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: CrN, CrSi, and CrC.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Tryon Brian S
• Yang Isabel
• Mintz Todd
• Li Jeremy
• Gable Brian
• Bao Lijie
• Chen Yi
• Prest Christopher D
• Yurko James

Classifications

• C23C28/32

  including at least one pure metallic layer · CPC title

• G04B37/226

  coated with a metallic layer · CPC title

• C23C28/321

  with at least one metal alloy layer · CPC title

• C23C28/34 Primary

  including at least one inorganic non-metallic material layer, e.g. metal carbide, nitride, boride, silicide layer and their mixtures, enamels, phosphates and sulphates · CPC title

• C23C28/322

  only coatings of metal elements only · CPC title