TWI573686B - Plate for providing two-tone surface and the method of forming the same - Google Patents

Description

Sheet with two-color surface and method of forming same

The present invention relates to a sheet material, especially a sheet material which provides a two-color appearance.

Electronic products have gradually become an indispensable part of modern life. In addition to constantly introducing new functions, the appearance has become one of the important considerations for consumers to purchase. The common electronic product casing includes a metal casing and a ceramic casing, and physical vapor deposition (hereinafter referred to as PVD) technology has been widely used in the field of metal surface decoration, because the PVD plated layer has good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, etc. Performance, so it has been widely used in the appearance of mobile phones and watches. However, while providing PVD coating on the above products, the products are prominent in their brand, and generally have obvious brand marks on the surface of the appearance parts. At present, the most common methods for making marks are chemical etching, laser and screen printing ink.

The chemical etching method needs to first use the photosensitive developing technology to produce a pattern, and then corrode the film layer or the substrate of the pattern part with a strong corrosive solution, but a strong etching liquid is also prone to side etching, so that The edges of the pattern are incomplete and lose their original appearance. In addition, the etching solution used in the chemical etching method is usually a strong acid or a strong alkali, which has a great influence on the environment.

The laser method is easy to engrave the PVD coating and obtain a perfect pattern on the edge, but the high energy generated by the laser will cause the metal layer in the pattern area to be severely oxidized and yellow, and the original appearance will also be lost.

In addition, the pattern produced by the above two methods can only be the original color of the metal, and the visual effect is relatively simple. Screen printing inks can be used to print patterns of various colors on PVD coatings, but their abrasion resistance is poor.

None of the above three methods can provide a logo pattern that can maintain the appearance of the PVD film layer and produce different color effects. Therefore, how to provide a two-color surface sheet can not only produce different color appearance effects, but also prevent PVD film layers. Being scratched, corroded or etched has become the focus of the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a sheet material capable of providing a two-color surface, comprising: a substrate made of a metal or ceramic material; a sacrificial layer located above the substrate and being more susceptible to corrosion by a chemical solution than the substrate; a color layer located above the sacrificial layer; and a transition layer located below the first color layer to enhance the bonding force between the upper and lower layers.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of forming a two-color surface on a sheet comprising: providing a sheet of the above embodiment; engraving the sheet with laser to engrave the layers above the sacrificial layer and portions of the sacrificial layer Thickness; and partially removing the remaining sacrificial layer after laser engraving using a chemical solution.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention further comprises a second color layer between the sacrificial layer and the transition layer.

According to a preferred embodiment, the first and second color layers used in the present invention are made of chromium (Cr), chromium nitride (CrN), chromium carbide (CrC), titanium carbide (TiC), titanium nitride. (TiN) and one of the metals or metal compounds of titanium carbonitride (TiNC). According to a preferred embodiment, the transition layer used in the present invention is a metal layer or a hard film layer, and the material of the sacrificial layer used in the present invention comprises titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), chromium (Cr) and zirconium (Zr). One of the metals, the metal material used in the sacrificial layer is different from the upper and lower layers, and can increase the bonding force with the upper and lower layers.

The plate provided by the invention can not only form a background and a pattern by using different colors, but also provide a pattern with a very fine line width, and at the same time has the property of keeping the plate scratch-resistant, abrasion-resistant and corrosion-resistant.

In order to make the foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the preferred embodiments of the accompanying drawings.

1a is an embodiment of the present invention, which is a sheet material which can provide a two-color surface, which is displayed in the color of the substrate 1 and has a background color of the first color layer 4. In this embodiment, the substrate 1 may be made of metal or ceramic, and the sacrificial layer 2 is made of pure metal, and the metal may include titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), chromium (Cr), and zirconium (Zr). One type of metal, the metal forming the sacrificial layer 2 is different from the upper and lower layers, and has a good bonding force with the upper and lower layers. One of the main purposes of the sacrificial layer 2 is to protect the substrate 1 when engraving the pattern by laser. In addition, the sacrificial layer 2 is more susceptible to corrosion by chemical solutions than its upper and lower layers (eg, substrates). According to a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the sacrificial layer 2 is 0.2 um-0.5 um depending on the material of the upper and lower layers. The transition layer 3 can be any metal layer or hard coating layer, and its main function is to enhance the bonding force between the upper and lower layers. If the transition layer 3 selects the hard film layer as the material, the scratch resistance can be achieved. Injury and wear resistance. The first color layer 4 may be composed of a metal or a metal compound, which may include chromium (Cr), chromium nitride (CrN), chromium carbide (CrC), titanium carbide (TiC), titanium nitride (TiN), and carbon nitrogen. Titanium (TiNC) and the like, the first color layer 4 is mainly used to display the background color of the plate, so the material selection of the first color layer 4 is mainly based on the desired color.

1a-1c show a method of forming a plate of the two-color surface, and FIG. 1a is a first step of sequentially forming a substrate 1, a sacrificial layer 2, a transition layer 3, and a first color layer 4 by a physical vapor deposition method. The formation can be carried out by various techniques of vacuum coating or by other methods.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the film layer is formed by a cylindrical magnetron sputtering coating device, and the target is directly cooled by sputtering to produce a rotating cylindrical target. The power supply uses an intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering power supply. By installing different targets in the same vacuum chamber and setting the process parameters according to the designed film structure, the coating can be deposited in sequence. Since the operation of the cylindrical magnetron sputtering coating apparatus is not the focus of the present invention, it will not be described herein.

Figure 1b is a second step of forming the sheet of the two-color surface, that is, using laser to engrave the desired pattern, the power of the laser can be adjusted so that it can just engrave the layers above the sacrificial layer 2 and the sacrificial layer. A portion of the film layer, in one embodiment of the present invention, can engrave the thickness of the sacrificial layer 1/3-1/2. Taking the embodiment of Table 1 as an example, to penetrate the color layer 4 having a thickness of about 2 μm and the transition layer 3, the laser power required is 4 W.

Figure 1c is a third step of forming a sheet of the two-color surface, the remaining layer of the sacrificial layer 2 is etched away by a highly selective chemical solution selected for the material of the sacrificial layer 2 The chemical solution has a much faster etching rate on the sacrificial layer 2 than the other layers, so that the remaining layers of the sacrificial layer 2 can be quickly etched before the other layers are not corroded, but the underlying sacrificial layer is not corroded. The substrate.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the main formulation of the chemical solution may be 10% to 50% acid + 0.1% to 1.0% humectant + 0.1% to 5% corrosion inhibitor. The acid is one or a mixture of various acids such as nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, acetic acid, phosphoric acid, sulfamic acid, hydrofluoric acid, fluoroboric acid, and fluoroantimonic acid. The humectant is a nonionic surfactant such as AE09 or OP-10. The corrosion inhibitor is generally a mixture of one or more of phosphoric acid (salt), thiourea, urotropine, benzotriazole, and the like.

2a is another embodiment of the present invention, which utilizes a first color layer 4 and a second color layer 5 to provide a sheet material having a two-color surface, wherein the first color layer 4 of the sheet is a background color, and The two color layer 5 is the pattern mark color. The selection and characteristics of the layers in FIG. 2a are the same as those of the same name in FIG. 1a but in the order of top to bottom, the first color layer 4, the sacrificial layer 2, the second color layer 5, the transition layer 3, and the substrate 1. The main difference between the sheet of Fig. 2a and Fig. 1a is the addition of a second color layer 5. The second color layer 5 may be composed of a metal or a metal compound, which may include chromium (Cr), chromium nitride (CrN), chromium carbide (CrC), titanium carbide (TiC), titanium nitride (TiN), and carbon nitrogen. Titanium (TiNC) and the like. Since the second color layer 5 is mainly used to display the pattern mark color of the plate, and the first color layer 4 is used to display the color of the background, the materials of the first color layer 4 and the second color layer 5 are selected. The color of the desired performance is dominant.

2a-2c show a method of forming a plate of the two-color surface, and FIG. 2a is a first step of sequentially forming a substrate 1, a transition layer 3, a second color layer 5, a sacrificial layer 2, and a first by physical vapor deposition. Color layer 4. The formation of the film layer can be carried out by various techniques of vacuum plating or by other methods.

In this embodiment, the film layer is formed by a cylindrical magnetron sputtering coating device, and the target is directly cooled by sputtering to produce a rotating cylindrical target. The power supply uses an intermediate frequency magnetron sputtering power supply. Different targets are installed in the same vacuum chamber, and the coating parameters are sequentially deposited according to the designed film structure.

Figure 2b shows the second step of forming the sheet of the two-color surface, using laser to engrave the desired pattern, adjusting the power of the laser so that it can just engrave the first color layer 4 and the sacrificial layer 2 above the sacrificial layer 2. A portion of the film layer, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, can be etched away from the thickness of the sacrificial layer by 1/3-1/2.

Figure 2c shows a third step of forming a sheet of the two-color surface, the remaining layer of the sacrificial layer 2 being etched away with a highly selective chemical solution for the material of the sacrificial layer 2 Optionally, the chemical solution etches the sacrificial layer 2 much faster than other layers (eg, the second color layer 5), so that the remaining layers of the sacrificial layer 2 can be quickly etched away before other layers are etched. However, it does not corrode the second color layer 5 below the sacrificial layer.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the main formulation of the chemical solution may be 10% to 50% acid + 0.1% to 1.0% humectant + 0.1% to 5% corrosion inhibitor. The acid is one or a mixture of various acids such as nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, acetic acid, phosphoric acid, sulfamic acid, hydrofluoric acid, fluoroboric acid, and fluoroantimonic acid. The humectant is a nonionic surfactant such as AE09 or OP-10. The corrosion inhibitor is generally a mixture of one or more of phosphoric acid (salt), thiourea, urotropine, benzotriazole, and the like.

The invention first uses a laser engraving method to engrave the substrate or layers above the second color layer, leaving only a portion of the sacrificial layer which is easily etched by the chemical solution, and then etching the chemical solution which is less corrosive than the solution used for general chemical etching. Sacrifice layer. As a result, the chemical solution used is less environmentally polluted and less prone to the side etching problem of conventional chemical etching. In addition, since the substrate or the second color layer is protected from the laser by the sacrificial layer, the phenomenon of oxidative yellowing does not occur. In this way, the two-color plate produced by the present invention can form a background and a pattern by using different colors, and can provide a pattern with a very fine line width while maintaining the scratch resistance, abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance of the plate.

While the invention has been described with respect to the embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

1. . . Substrate

2. . . Sacrificial layer

3. . . Transition layer

4. . . First color layer

5. . . Second color layer

Figure 1a shows a first step of forming a sheet of a two-color surface, each film layer being formed by physical vapor deposition, wherein the sheet has a color layer.

Figure 1b shows the second step of forming a sheet of a two-color surface, using laser to engrave the desired pattern.

Figure 1c shows the third step of forming a sheet of a two-color surface with a chemical solution to remove the remaining film layer of the sacrificial layer.

Figure 2a shows a first step of forming a sheet of a two-color surface, each layer being formed by physical vapor deposition, wherein the sheet has two layers of color.

Figure 2b shows the second step of forming a sheet of a two-color surface, using laser to engrave the desired pattern.

Figure 2c shows the third step of forming a sheet of a two-color surface with a chemical solution to remove the remaining film layer of the sacrificial layer.

1. . . Substrate

2. . . Sacrificial layer

3. . . Transition layer

4. . . First color layer

Claims (11)

A sheet material capable of providing a two-color surface, comprising: a substrate made of metal or ceramic; a sacrificial layer located above the substrate; a first color layer above the sacrificial layer; a transition layer located at the a color layer below the layer to enhance the bonding force between the upper and lower layers; and a second color layer between the sacrificial layer and the transition layer, wherein the sacrificial layer is compared to the substrate and the second color The layer is more susceptible to corrosion by chemical solutions. The sheet of claim 1, wherein the material of the first and second color layers comprises a metal or a metal compound. The sheet of claim 1, wherein the material of the first and second color layers comprises chromium (Cr), chromium nitride (CrN), chromium carbide (CrC), titanium carbide (TiC), One of titanium nitride (TiN) and titanium carbonitride (TiNC). One on one board A method of forming a two-color surface on a material, comprising: providing a sheet material according to any one of claims 1-3; engraving the sheet material by laser to engrave each layer above the sacrificial layer and a portion of the thickness of the sacrificial layer; and utilizing chemistry The solution partially removes the remaining sacrificial layer after laser engraving. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of providing the sheet material comprises forming the transition layer, the first color layer, the second color layer, and the sacrificial layer on the substrate by physical vapor deposition or vacuum coating techniques. By. The method of claim 5, wherein the vacuum coating technique utilizes magnetron sputtering Shooting membrane equipment. The method of claim 4, wherein the chemical solution rapidly etches the sacrificial layer but does not easily etch the lower layer above the sacrificial layer. The method of claim 4, wherein the chemical solution comprises 10%-50% acid, 0.1%-1.0% humectant, and 0.1%-5% corrosion inhibitor. The method of claim 8, wherein the acid comprises: nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, acetic acid, phosphoric acid, sulfamic acid, hydrofluoric acid, fluoroboric acid, fluoroantimonic acid, or a combination thereof. The method of claim 8, wherein the humectant comprises AE09 or OP-10 or other nonionic surfactant. The method of claim 8, wherein the corrosion inhibitor comprises one of phosphoric acid (salt), thiourea, urotropine, benzotriazole or a combination thereof.