# US 10,501,836 B2 · Methods of making bulk metallic glass from powder and foils

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- Number: US 10,501,836 B2
- Document ID: US10501836B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/493,633
- Filed: 2017-04-21
- Published: 2018-03-22
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2016-09-21
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Yoshihiko Yokoyama; Theodore A. Waniuk; Naoto Matsuyuki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501836B2

## CPC

- C22F 1/186: {of zirconium or alloys based thereon}
- C22C 1/11: Making amorphous alloys
- C22C 45/10: with molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, tantalum, titanium, or zirconium {or Hf} as the major constituent
- H05B 3/0004: {Devices wherein the heating current flows through the material to be heated (Circuit arrangements for heating by passing the current directly across the material to be heated H05B3/0023; granular, powdered or fluid material H05B3/60)}
- C22C 2200/02: Amorphous
- C22C 2200/04: Nanocrystalline
- C22F: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00)
- C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F)
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

Methods of forming a bulk metallic glass disclosed. The methods include packing a metallic glass-forming alloy powder to form a green body; heating the green body to a temperature between the glass transition temperature and the melting point of the metallic glass-forming alloy to form a heated green body; and cooling the heated green body to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the metallic glass-forming alloy to form the bulk metallic glass. The methods of forming a bulk metallic glass also include packing one or more layers of an amorphous foil to form a green body; heating the green body to a temperature between the glass transition temperature and the melting point of the metallic glass-forming alloy to form a heated green body; and cooling the heated green body to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the metallic glass-forming alloy to form the bulk metallic glass.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of forming a bulk metallic glass from a metallic glass-forming alloy comprising:
packing a metallic glass-forming alloy powder to form a green body;
heating the green body to a temperature between the glass transition temperature and the melting point of the metallic glass-forming alloy to form a heated green body; and
cooling the heated green body to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the metallic glass-forming alloy to form the bulk metallic glass.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic glass-forming alloy powder comprises amorphous particles.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic glass-forming alloy powder comprises nanocrystals coated with an amorphous material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the amorphous material has a different chemical composition than the nanocrystals.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of heating the green body is at a rate at least 1×105 K/s.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic glass-forming alloy comprises one of a metallic glass selected from a group consisting of Cu-based, Al-based, Pt-based, Pd-based, Au-based, Ag-based, Ni-based, Fe-based, Co-based, Mg-based, Ti-based, and Zr-based metallic glass-forming alloys.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the amorphous material is a semiconductor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the semiconductor comprises silicon.

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein each nanocrystal is smaller than 20 nm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein each nanocrystal is a single size.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the powder comprises particles having a bimodal size distribution.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the green body has a packing density of at least 70% by volume.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising heating the green body by one of RCDF, microwave heating, and pulse Joule heating.

### Claim 14 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the nanocrystals comprise at least one of Fe-based oxides, Ni-based oxides, Co-based oxides, or ceramic.

### Claim 15 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the nanocrystals are uniformly distributed in the bulk metallic glass.

### Claim 16

A method of forming a metallic glass from a metallic glass-forming alloy, comprising:
packing one or more layers of an amorphous foil to form a green body;
heating the green body to a temperature between the glass transition temperature and the melting point of the metallic glass-forming alloy; and
cooling the heated green body to a temperature below the glass transition temperature to forming a bulk metallic glass.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the step of heating is at a rate of at least 105 K/s.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the step of packing comprises rolling the one or more layers of the amorphous foil.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the step of packing comprises:
stacking the layers of amorphous foil, and
applying pressure to the stacked layers of amorphous foil.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein each layer has a thickness ranging from 10 μm to 1 mm.