Future Apple devices may have corrosion-resistant coatings as hinted by a newly granted patent, for, well, “Electronic Devices With Corrosion-resistant Coatings.”
About the patent
In the patent Apple notes that electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, watches, and other devices contain housings that include conductive housing structures. The conductive housing structures are provided with a coating that reflects particular wavelengths of light so that the conductive housing structures exhibit a desired color.
However, Apple says it can be difficult to provide coatings that are resistant to corrosion and other environmental factors. If care isn’t taken, these coatings can be prone to corrosion-related damage. Corrosion-related damage can create unsightly visible defects in the coating and can undesirably deteriorate the color of the conductive housing structures.
Apple’s idea is for corrosion-resistant coating may be formed on the conductive housing structures of its devices. The corrosion-resistant coating may include transition layers and an uppermost alloy layer. The transition layers may include a chromium seed layer on the conductive housing structures and an additional layer on the chromium seed layer. The additional layer may also include chromium and may be, for example, a chromium nitride layer.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “An electronic device such as a wristwatch may include a conductive housing. A corrosion-resistant coating may be deposited on the conductive housing. The coating may include transition layers and an uppermost alloy layer. The transition layers may include a chromium seed layer on the conductive housing and a chromium nitride layer on the chromium seed layer.
“The uppermost alloy layer may include TiCrCN or other alloys and may provide the coating with desired optical reflection and absorption characteristics. The transition layers may include a minimal number of coating defects, thereby eliminating potential sites at which visible defects could form when exposed to salt water. This may allow the electronic device to exhibit a desired color and to be submerged in salt water without producing undesirable visible defects on the conductive housing structures.”
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