Sapphire Coated Substrate With A Flexible, Anti-Scratch And Multi-Layer Coating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019249292-A1
Application number	US-201916392619-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 24, 2019
Priority date	Dec 23, 2011
Publication date	Aug 15, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for forming a substrate with a multi-layered, flexible, and anti-scratch metal oxides protective coating being deposited onto the substrate is provided in the present invention, wherein the top most layer of the coating comprises Al2O3 or a mixture thereof such that the top most layer acts as an anti-scratching layer. The multi-layered, flexible and anti-scratch metal oxides protective coating also retains the flexibility of the underlying substrate.

First claim

1 . A method for forming a substrate with a multi-layered, flexible, anti-scratch coating as a protective barrier from the substrate's environment, said method comprising:
Depositing two layers of different metal oxide, being layer 101 and layer 102 , onto the substrate wherein layer 101 of the metal oxide has a thickness ranging from 1 nm to 50 nm while layer 102 of the metal oxide has a thickness ranging from 10 nm to 2000 nm; and depositing a final top layer 105 of Al 2 O 3 , or a mixture thereof comprising a metal selected from Mg or Si or AF, or a metal oxide selected from Si oxide, Ti oxide, Cr oxide, Ni oxide, Ag oxide, or Zr oxide onto the two layers of different metal oxide, and wherein the top layer having a thickness ranging from 20 nm to 200 nm.

2 . The method according to claim 1 wherein a layer 103 of metal oxide is deposited onto the two layers 101 , 102 of different metal oxide to form an alternating three layers of metal oxide 101 , 102 , 103 wherein the metal oxide of layer 103 is same as the metal oxide of the layer 101 and wherein the final top layer 105 is deposited on top of the layer 103 to form a multi-layered structure of metal oxide of layers 101 , 102 , 103 , and 105 .

3 . The method according to claim 2 wherein a further layer 104 of metal oxide is deposited onto the alternating three layers 101 , 102 , 103 metal oxide to form an alternating four layers of metal oxide 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 wherein the kmetal oxide of the layer 104 is same as the metal oxide of the layer 102 and wherein the final top layer 105 is deposited on top of the layer 104 to form a multi-layered structure of metal oxide of layers 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , and 105 .

4 . The method according to claim 3 wherein at least one of the alternating four layers of metal oxide is further deposited before the final top layer 105 is deposited to form a multi-layered structure of metal oxide.

5 . The method according to claim 1 wherein any or all of said depositing is or are performed by a physical vapour deposition method selected from an e-beam evaporation deposition process, or sputtering deposition process.

6 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises one or more of sapphire, quartz, fused silica, Gorilla glass, toughened glass, soda-lime glass, mineral glass, metals, and/or plastic polymers, and any combination thereof, and wherein said plastic polymers comprise Poly(methyl methacrylate), Polycarbonate, Polyethylene terephthalate and polyimide.

7 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the layer 101 of the metal oxide or the layer 102 of the metal oxide is selected from Al oxide, Ti oxide, Cr oxide, Ni oxide, Si oxide, Ag oxide, or Zr oxide, but the two layers of metal oxides are different.

8 . A substrate with a multi-layered, flexible, and anti-scratch coating being a protective barrier from the substrate's environment, said coating comprising: two layers of different metal oxide, being layer 101 and layer 102 , being deposited onto the substrate wherein the layer 101 of the metal oxide has a thickness ranging from 1 nm to 50 nm while layer 102 of the metal oxide has a thickness ranging from 10 nm to 2000 nm; and a final top layer 105 of Al 2 O 3 , or a mixture thereof comprising a metal selected from Mg or Si or AF, or a third metal oxide selected from Si oxide, Ti oxide, Cr oxide, Ni oxide, Ag oxide, or Zr oxide onto the two layers 101 , 102 of different metal oxide, and wherein the top layer has a thickness ranging from 20 nm to 200 nm.

9 . The substrate according to claim 8 wherein a layer 103 of metal oxide is deposited onto the two layers 101 , 102 of metal oxide to form an alternating three layers of metal oxide 101 , 102 , 103 wherein the metal oxide of layer 103 is same as the metal oxide of layer 101 and wherein the final top layer 105 is deposited on top of the layer 103 to form the multi-layered, flexible, and anti-scratch coating of layers 101 , 102 , 103 , 105 .

10 . The substrate according to claim 8 wherein a further a layer 104 of metal oxide is deposited onto the alternating three layers 101 , 102 , 103 of metal oxide to form an alternating four layers of metal oxide 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 wherein the metal oxide of layer 104 is same as the metal oxide of layer 102 , and wherein the final top layer 105 is deposited on top of the layer 104 to form the multi-layered, flexible, and anti-scratch coating of layers 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 .

11 . The substrate according to claim 10 wherein at least one of the four alternating layers of metal oxide is further deposited before the final top layer 105 is deposited to form the multi-layered, flexible, and anti-scratch coating.

12 . The substrate according to claim 8 wherein the deposition is performed using a physical vapour deposition method comprising an e-beam evaporation deposition process, or sputtering deposition process.

13 . The substrate according to claim 8 wherein the substrate comprises one or more of sapphire, quartz, fuse d silica, Gorilla glass, toughened glass, soda-lime glass, mineral glass, metals, and/or plastic polymers, or any combination thereof, and wherein said plastic polymers comprise Poly(methyl methacrylate), Polycarbonate, Polyethylene terephthalate and polyimide.

14 . The substrate according to claim 8 wherein the layer 101 of the metal oxide or the layer 102 of the metal oxide is selected from Al oxide, Ti oxide, Cr oxide, Ni oxide, Si oxide, Ag oxide, or Zr oxide, and wherein said and metal oxides are different.

Assignees

• Univ Hong Kong Baptist Univ
• Cathay Photonics Ltd

Inventors

• Cheah Kok Wai
• Lam Wing Yui
• Chan Yu Wai
• Tse Shing Chi
• Ching Suet Ying
• Tam Hoi Lam

Classifications

• C23C14/08

  Oxides (C23C14/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/5806

  Thermal treatment · CPC title

• C23C14/081 Primary

  of aluminium, magnesium or beryllium · CPC title

• C23C14/30

  by electron bombardment · CPC title

• C23C14/024

  Deposition of sublayers, e.g. to promote adhesion of the coating (C23C14/027 takes precedence) · CPC title