Rumors claim that one of Apple's 2017 iPhones will be made of a glass substrate which could be ceramic, sapphire, liquid metal based glass, zirconia or other similar material. Recent patents (one, two and three) have described a 'transparent display cover structure,' 'sapphire coating equipment' and 'laser polishing system for a ceramic iPhone. Yesterday the US Patent & Trademark Office published an Apple granted patent that generally relates to sapphire materials, and more particularly, to laser-colored sapphire material and methods of coloring sapphire material using lasers. The new laser system provides a way to color all or portions of a glass based iPhone without using paints that are susceptible to cracking and/or chipping, as the matte black iPhone 7 has been recently.

Apple's Patent Background

Conventional electronic devices are typically made from durable materials to protect the electronic components of the device. Various portions of the device are thus formed from materials that withstand the everyday wear-and-tear applied to the electronic device. That is, portions of the electronic device may be formed from a material that may withstand constant handling of the electronic device by a user, the transportation and/or packing of the electronic devices and undesired blunt forces (e.g., dropping, sitting on) applied to the electronic device during use. Conventional electronic devices may be formed from metals (e.g., aluminum), reinforced glass, and/or polymers (e.g., plastic, rubber).

Alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), one example of which is sapphire typically, is not used to form most portions of electronic devices. As a result of the physical and/or chemical properties of sapphire, certain manufacturing processes used to form portions or components of an electronic device may be difficult and/or expensive to perform on sapphire material. For example, housings for electronic devices typically include designs, text or logos formed right on or in the material forming the housing. The designs, text or logos may be painted directly on a surface of the housing, and the housing may undergo various processes (e.g., heat-setting, coating, and so on) to prevent the paint from being removed. However, over time and normal use of the electronic device, the paint may begin to wear and be removed, as the paint is only applied to a surface of the sapphire material.

Laser etching or burning may also be used to form logos on sapphire material. However, these processes typically require the use of difficult and complex intermediate steps, such as ion bombardment of the sapphire material, in order for the etch or burn to be successful on the sapphire material. These complex steps, which are required because of the physical and/or chemical properties of sapphire, increase cost, time and complexity of successfully etching or burning the sapphire. In addition, the visible color of each etched or burned logo onto the sapphire material is typically limited to black, gray or white.

Apple's Solution

Apple's granted patent generally to sapphire materials, and more particularly, to laser-colored sapphire material and methods of coloring sapphire material by using lasers.

In a particular embodiment, process or method for coloring sapphire material includes positioning sapphire material over an opaque substrate material, typically a metal or metal alloy, and subsequently exposing the opaque substrate material to a laser through the sapphire material to induce a chemical change in the exposed portion of the sapphire material. The chemical change in the sapphire material results in a change in visible color through a portion of the sapphire material that is exposed to the laser. Specifically, the formation of a color within the sapphire material is a result of an exchange of ions and/or atoms between the opaque substrate material and the sapphire material, and/or the embedding of ions and/or atoms from the opaque substrate material into the crystal lattice of the sapphire material.

An electronic device such as an iPhone comprising a housing, a cover glass coupled to the housing for protecting a display positioned within the housing, and an input button positioned through a portion of the housing. The electronic device also comprises a sapphire component forming at least a portion of an external surface of the housing.

Apple's patent FIG. 1B noted above depicts the sapphire material, the opaque substrate material and the laser utilized to color the sapphire material; FIG. 7B depicts a back view of a smartphone that includes a sapphire material having a visible colored portion; Enlarged FIG. 2G depicts the distinction in chemically changed portions and the visible color regions 130 and 140 formed therein.

Apple further notes that the visible color portion is permanently formed in the sapphire material, and is not easily removed. Additionally, the visible color varies the operational parameters and/or characteristics of the laser beam and/or the material composition of the opaque substrate material. As a result, the sapphire material can includes distinct and different visible colored portions, and even multiple colored regions within the same sapphire material.

In a non-limiting example the laser may be an infrared (IR) laser that may emit an IR laser beam (e.g., laser beam #122) toward and/or through sapphire material #100. The operational parameters and/or characteristics (e.g., frequency, wavelength, pulse width and so on) of the laser and/or emitted laser beam may substantially affect the visible color formed on/within sapphire material during a coloring process.

For the record, Apple's granted patent that was issued yesterday was filed back in Q3 2015, well after the problems with sapphire plant partner GT Advanced Technologies filing for bankruptcy.

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