Microlaminated coating
AssigneeThe Parker Pen Company
InventorJames R. Snyder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article is coated with alternate microscopically thin layers of titanium nitride and gold alloy using a cathodic sputtering process to provide a microlaminated coating having the color and brilliance of a much thicker coating of the gold alloy while being more resistant to corrosion and scratching.
Claims21
A process for coating a thermally resistant substrate with first and second materials selected respectively from a first group consisting of TiN, TaN, ZrN and HfN, and from a second group consisting of Au and an alloy of Au, comprising
- the first step of depositing on said substrate a non-opaque layer consisting essentially of one of said first or second materials,
- the second step of depositing on said layer of one of said first or second materials a non-opaque layer consisting essentially of the other of said materials,
- the third step of depositing on said layer of said other of said materials another non-opaque layer consisting essentially of said one of said first or second materials, and
- repeating each of said second and third steps at least once,
- the layers of said first material having a thickness in the range of 0.01 micrometers to 0.33 micrometers, and the layers of said second material having a thickness in the range of 0.003 micrometers to 0.13 micrometers.
An article, comprising
- a thermally resistant substrate,
- a coating on said substrate of a plurality of pairs of microlaminae respectively consisting essentially of a lamina of a first material and a lamina of a second material,
- said first material being selected from the group consisting of TiN, TaN, ZrN and HfN,
- said second material being selected from the group consisting of Au, and an alloy of Au, and
- each said lamina of said first material having a thickness in the range of 0.01 micrometers to 0.33 micrometers.
A process for coating a thermally resistant substrate with first and second layers, one of said layers containing a first material, which is capable of interaction at the atomic level with a second material contained in the other of said layers, comprising
- successively and alternately depositing non-opaque first and second layers over one another and over said substrate at least until said substrate is occluded by a plurality of said non-opaque layers,
- the thickness of said layers being within the ranges of thickness wherein no interaction occurs between said first and second materials,
- whereby the coating does not exhibit the properties of compounds of said first and second materials.
An article, comprising
- a thermally resistant substrate,
- a coating on said substrate of a plurality of pairs of non-opaque microlaminae respectively consisting essentially of a microlamina of a first material and a microlamina of a second material,
- said first material consisting esentially of a compound of a third material and a fourth material,
- said fourth material being incapable of interacting with said second material at the atomic level,
- said second material and said third material being capable of interacting at the atomic level, and
- the thickness of each said microlamina being within the range of thicknesses wherein no interaction occurs between said second and third materials,
- whereby the coating does not exhibit the properties of such interaction.
A process for coating a thermally resistant substrate with first and second materials which are capable of interaction at the atomic level, comprising
- using a physical vapor deposition process to successively and alternately deposit non-opaque layers respectively including said first and second materials over one another and over said substrate, and
- said physical vapor deposition process being carried out continuously in a gaseous atmosphere which is capable of interaction at the atomic level with said first material and incapable of interaction at the atomic level with said second material, said process being continued at least until said substrate is occluded by a plurality of said non-opaque layers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.