Glass laminate with an outer gradient layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024027654-A1
Application number	US-202318223224-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 18, 2023
Priority date	Jul 22, 2022
Publication date	Jan 25, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device can include a housing, a display positioned within the housing; and a cover glass disposed over the display and attached to the housing. The cover glass can include a glass sheet; a hard coat layer disposed on the glass sheet, having a hardness greater than a hardness of the glass sheet; and a gradient layer deposited on the hard coat layer and having a composition that transitions from a first composition at the hard coat layer to a second composition at a top surface of the gradient layer. The first composition can be predominantly a composition of the hard coat layer and the second composition is different than the first composition. The second composition can be predominantly SiO2. The hard coat layer can include SiON. The cover glass can include an intermediate gradient layer disposed between the glass sheet and the hard coat layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
a housing; a display positioned within the housing; and a cover glass disposed over the display and attached to the housing, the cover glass comprising:
a glass sheet;
a hard coat layer disposed on the glass sheet, the hard coat layer having a hardness greater than a hardness of the glass sheet; and
a gradient layer deposited on the hard coat layer and having a composition that transitions from a first composition at the hard coat layer to a second composition at a top surface of the gradient layer, wherein the first composition is predominantly a composition of the hard coat layer and the second composition is different than the first composition.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the second composition is predominantly SiO 2 .

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the hard coat layer comprises SiON.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 wherein the gradient layer transitions from the first composition that is predominantly SiON at the hard coat layer to the second composition that is predominantly SiO 2 at the top surface.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising an intermediate gradient layer disposed between the glass sheet and the hard coat layer.

6 . The electronic device of claim 5 wherein the intermediate gradient layer transitions from a composition that is predominantly SiO 2 at the glass sheet to a composition that is predominantly SiON at the hard coat layer.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising an exterior layer that is disposed on the top surface of the gradient layer and has a hardness that is greater than the gradient layer.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 wherein the exterior layer comprises SiN.

9 . The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the glass sheet comprises SiO 2 .

10 . A cover glass comprising:
a glass sheet; a hard coat layer disposed on the glass sheet, the hard coat layer having a hardness greater than a hardness of the glass sheet; and a gradient layer deposited on the hard coat layer and having a composition that transitions from a first composition at the hard coat layer to a second composition at a top surface of the gradient layer, wherein the first composition is predominantly a composition of the hard coat layer and the second composition is different than the first composition.

11 . The cover glass of claim 10 wherein the second composition is predominantly SiO 2 .

12 . The cover glass of claim 10 wherein the hard coat layer comprises SiON.

13 . The cover glass of claim 12 wherein the gradient layer transitions from the first composition that is predominantly SiON at the hard coat layer to the second composition that is predominantly SiO 2 at the top surface.

14 . The cover glass of claim 10 further comprising an intermediate gradient layer disposed between the glass sheet and the hard coat layer.

15 . The cover glass of claim 14 wherein the intermediate gradient layer transitions from a composition that is predominantly SiO 2 at the glass sheet to a composition that is predominantly SiON at the hard coat layer.

16 . A method of forming a transparent substrate, the method comprising:
providing a glass sheet; depositing a hard coat layer on the glass sheet, the hard coat layer having a hardness greater than a hardness of the glass sheet; and depositing a gradient layer on the hard coat layer wherein the gradient layer has a composition that transitions from a first composition at the hard coat layer to a second composition at a top surface of the gradient layer, wherein the first composition is predominantly a composition of the hard coat layer and the second composition is different than the first composition.

17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the second composition is predominantly SiO 2 .

18 . The method of claim 16 wherein the hard coat layer comprises SiON.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the gradient layer transitions from the first composition that is predominantly SiON at the hard coat layer to the second composition that is predominantly SiO 2 at the top surface.

20 . The method of claim 16 further comprising depositing an intermediate gradient layer between the glass sheet and the hard coat layer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Bao Lijie
• Nguyen Que Anh S
• Roschuk Tyler R
• Hofmann Ralf
• Rogers Matthew S

Classifications

• C23C14/10

  Glass or silica · CPC title

• C23C14/0676

  Oxynitrides · CPC title

• C23C14/027

  Graded interfaces · CPC title

• C23C14/024

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

• C23C14/0084

  Producing gradient compositions · CPC title