# US 2019/0169734 A1 · Sapphire thin film coated substrate

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2019/0169734 A1
- Document ID: US20190169734A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/252,737
- Filed: 2019-01-21
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-23
- Assignees: Hong Kong Baptist University
- Applicants: Hong Kong Baptist University
- Inventors: Kok Wai CHEAH; Wing Yui LAM; Hoi Lam TAM
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190169734A1

## CPC

- C23C 14/081: {of aluminium, magnesium or beryllium}
- C03C 3/06: with more than 90% silica by weight, e.g. quartz {(C03C3/045 takes precedence)}
- C03C 17/245: by deposition from the vapour phase
- C03C 17/36: at least one coating being a metal
- C03C 17/3639: {Multilayers containing at least two functional metal layers}
- C03C 17/3644: {the metal being silver}
- C03C 17/3649: {made of metals other than silver}
- C23C 14/024: {Deposition of sublayers, e.g. to promote adhesion of the coating (C23C14/027 takes precedence)}
- C23C 14/10: Glass or silica
- C23C 14/221: {Ion beam deposition (C23C14/46, C23C14/48 take precedence)}
- C23C 14/30: by electron bombardment
- C23C 14/34: Sputtering
- C23C 14/3464: {using more than one target (C23C14/56 takes precedence)}
- C23C 14/5806: {Thermal treatment}
- C03C 2217/214: Al2O3
- C03C 2217/78: Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
- C03C 2218/15: from the vapour phase
- C03C 2218/154: by sputtering
- C03C 2218/32: After-treatment
- C03C 2218/328: Partly or completely removing a coating
- C03C 2218/33: by etching
- 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

## Abstract

A method to transfer a layer of harder thin film substrate onto a softer, flexible substrate. In particular, the present invention provides a method to deposit a layer of sapphire thin film on to a softer and flexible substrate e.g. quartz, fused silica, silicon, glass, toughened glass, PET, polymers, plastics, paper and fabrics. This combination provides the hardness of sapphire thin film to softer flexible substrates

## Claims

### Claim 1

A sapphire-coated substrate made by a method comprising:
an e-beam evaporation or sputtering deposition process at room temperature or 25° C., wherein sapphire is deposited directly on to a substrate selected from quartz, fused silica, silicon, glass, or toughened glass to form the sapphire-coated substrate, wherein the substrate during deposition is without external cooling or heating; and
an annealing process, wherein said sapphire-coated substrate is annealed under an annealing temperature ranging between approximately room temperature or 25° C. and 2040° C. for an effective duration of time.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises at least one material with a Mohs value less than that of said sapphire.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 1, wherein said sapphire is deposited as a sapphire thin film on to said substrate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 1, wherein said sapphire is deposited as a doped sapphire thin film on to said substrate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 4, wherein the doped sapphire thin film is doped with doping element comprising one or more of chromium, chromium oxide, magnesium, magnesium oxide, beryllium, beryllium oxide, lithium, lithium oxide, sodium, sodium oxide, potassium, potassium oxide, calcium, calcium oxide, molybdenum, molybdenum oxide, silicon, silicon oxide, tungsten, tungsten oxide, zinc and zinc oxide.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 5, wherein the ratio of sapphire:doping element is 1:1-3.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of said substrate is of one or more orders of magnitude greater than a thickness of said sapphire thin film.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 7, wherein the thickness of said sapphire thin film is about 1/1000 of the thickness of said substrate.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 7, wherein the thickness of said sapphire thin film is between 10 nm and 1000 nm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 7, wherein the thickness of said sapphire thin film is between 10 nm and 100 nm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The sapphire-coated substrate according to claim 1, wherein said effective duration of time is no less than 30 minutes and no more than 10 hours.

### Claim 12

A composition of sapphire coating on to a substrate comprising sapphire being deposited as a sapphire thin film and a doping element being a unique identifier of said sapphire coating for doping said sapphire thin film to form a doped sapphire thin film, wherein said doping element comprises one or more of chromium, chromium oxide, magnesium, magnesium oxide, beryllium, beryllium oxide, lithium, lithium oxide, sodium, sodium oxide, potassium, potassium oxide, calcium, calcium oxide, molybdenum, molybdenum oxide, silicon, silicon oxide, tungsten, tungsten oxide, zinc and zinc oxide.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The composition of claim 12, wherein the ratio of sapphire:doping element is 1:1-3.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The composition of claim 12, wherein said substrate is selected from quartz, fused silica, silicon, glass, or toughened glass.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The composition of claim 12, wherein said substrate comprises at least one material with a Mohs value less than that of said sapphire.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The composition of claim 12, wherein said substrate is in a thickness of one or more orders of magnitude greater than a thickness of said doped sapphire thin film.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The composition according to claim 16, wherein the thickness of said sapphire thin film is about 1/1000 of the thickness of said substrate.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The composition according to claim 16, wherein the thickness of said doped sapphire thin film is between 10 nm and 1000 nm.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The composition according to claim 16, wherein the thickness of said doped sapphire thin film is between 10 nm and 100 nm.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

A sapphire coating formed by the composition of claim 12.