# US 2013/0157043 A1 · Coated article and method for manufacturing same

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- Number: US 2013/0157043 A1
- Document ID: US20130157043A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/443,491
- Filed: 2012-04-10
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-17
- Assignees: FIH (Hong Kong) Limited; Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: DA-HUA CAO
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130157043A1

## CPC

- C23C 28/322: {only coatings of metal elements only}
- C03C 17/3634: {one layer at least containing carbon, a carbide or oxycarbide}
- C03C 17/3649: {made of metals other than silver}
- C03C 17/3684: {the multilayer coating being used for decoration purposes}
- C23C 14/0015: {characterized by the colour of the layer}
- C23C 14/0057: {using reactive gases other than O2, H2O, N2, NH3 or CH4}
- C23C 14/0078: {by moving the substrates between spatially separate sputtering and reaction stations}
- C23C 14/0084: {Producing gradient compositions}
- C23C 14/025: {Metallic sublayers}
- C23C 14/0635: {Carbides}
- C23C 28/341: {with at least one carbide layer}
- C23C 28/42: {characterized by the composition of the alternating layers}
- C23C 28/44: {characterized by a measurable physical property of the alternating layer or system, e.g. thickness, density, hardness}
- Y10T 428/26: Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
- Y10T 428/265: 1 mil or less
- Y10T 428/31678: Of metal
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- C03C: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A coated article includes a substrate, a color layer deposited on the substrate. The color layer includes a plurality of first CrC layers and first TiC layers. Each first CrC layer is alternately arranged with each first TiC layer. The color layer have an L* value between about 29 to about 35, an a* value between about 0 to about 2, and a b* value between about 0 to about 2 in the CIE L*a*b* color space. A method for manufacturing the coated article is also provided.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A coated article, comprising:
a substrate; and
a color layer deposited on the substrate, the color layer comprising a plurality of first CrC layers and first TiC layers, each first CrC layer being alternately arranged with each first TiC layer, the color layer having an L* value between about 29 to about 35, an a* value between about 0 to about 2, and a b* value between about 0 to about 2 in the CIE L*a*b* color space.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The coated article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the color layer has a thickness of about 0.05 μm to about 0.2 μm.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The coated article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of metal or nonmetal material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The coated article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coated article further comprises a transition layer formed between the substrate and the color layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The coated article as claimed in claim 4, wherein the transition layer comprises a plurality of CrC layers and TiC layers, and each CrC layer is alternately arranged with each TiC layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The coated article as claimed in claim 5, wherein the transition layer has a thickness of about 0.08 μm to about 0.2 μm.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The coated article as claimed in claim 4, wherein the coated article further comprises a gradient layer formed between the transition layer and the color layer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The coated article as claimed in claim 7, wherein the gradient layer comprises a plurality of third TiC layers and third TiC layers, and each third TiC layer is alternately arranged with each third TiC layer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The coated article as claimed in claim 8, wherein the gradient layer comprises a first surface and an opposite second surface, each third CrC layer has different carbon content atoms as compared with the other third CrC layers of the gradient layer, each third TiC layer also has different carbon content atoms as compared with the other third TiC layers of the gradient layer; the atomic carbon content in the gradient layer gradually increases from a lower value in the area near the first surface to a value higher than the lower value in the area near the second surface.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The coated article as claimed in claim 7, wherein the gradient layer has a thickness of about 0.5 μm to about 1.2 μm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 4)

The coated article as claimed in claim 4, wherein the coated article further comprises a Cr primer layer formed between the substrate and the transition layer Cr primer layer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The coated article as claimed in claim 11, wherein the Cr primer layer has a thickness of about 0.05 μm to about 0.1 μm.

### Claim 13

A method for manufacturing a coated article, comprising steps of:
providing a substrate; and
depositing a color layer on the substrate by vacuum sputtering, the color layer comprising a plurality of first CrC layers and first TiC layers, each first CrC layers being alternately arranged with each first TiC layers; the color layer having an L* value between about 29 to about 35, an a* value between about 0 to about 2, and a b* value between about 0 to about 2 in the CIE L*a*b* color space.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein during deposition of the color layer on the substrate, the substrate is mounted on a chamber of a vacuum sputtering device, the vacuum sputtering device comprises Cr targets and Ti targets Cr targets Ti targets; the temperature of the inside of the chamber is set to about 100° C. to about 150° C.; ethyne used as a reaction gas and ethyne have a flow rate from about 160 sccm and 240 sccm; sputtering the Cr targets and the Ti targets at the same time, the Cr targets are applied a power between about 15 kW to about 20 kW, the Ti targets are applied a power between about 10 kW to about 15 kW; a bias voltage of −100 volts to about −200 volts is applied to the substrate for about 5 minutes to about 15 minutes.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises a step of depositing a transition layer on the substrate by magnetron sputtering before depositing the color layer on the substrate, the transition layer comprises a plurality of CrC layers and TiC layers, each CrC layers is alternately arranged with each TiC layers; during depositing the transition layer, the temperature of the inside of the chamber is set to about 100° C. to about 150° C., argon gas used as a working gas and have a flow rate from about 150 sccm to about 200 sccm, sputtering the Cr targets and the Ti targets at the same time, the Cr targets is applied a power about 15 kW to about 20 kW and the Ti targets is applied a power about 10 kW to about 15 kW; and a bias voltage is applied to the substrate about −100 volts to about −200 volts for about 5 min to about 10 min, to deposit the transition layer on the substrate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises a step of depositing a gradient layer on the transition layer by magnetron sputtering before depositing the color layer on the substrate, the gradient layer comprises a plurality of alternating third TiC layers and third TiC layers, and each third TiC layers is alternately arranged with each third TiC layers; wherein during depositing the transition layer, the temperature in the vacuum chamber is adjusted in a range from 100° C. to 150° C., argon gas used as a working gas and have a flow rate from about 150 sccm to about 200 sccm, ethyne used as reaction gases and have a flow rate of about 50 sccm to about 110 sccm; sputtering the Cr targets and the Ti targets at the same time, the Cr targets is applied a power from about 15 kW to about 20 kW and the Ti targets is applied a power from about 10 kW to about 15 kW; and a bias voltage of about −100 volts to about −200 volts is applied to the substrate for about 80 min to about 120 min, to deposit the gradient layer on the substrate.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises a step of depositing a Cr primer layer on the substrate before depositing the transition layer on the substrate Cr primer layer.