Electronic device housing and preparation method therefor, optical module, and optical communication device

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are an electronic device housing and a preparation method therefor, an optical module, and an optical communication device. The electronic device housing comprises a housing body and an additional layer provided on a surface of the housing body, wherein the additional layer is provided at least in a contact area of an optical module housing for contact with a heat sink, and comprises a metal layer and a nickel alloy layer that are stacked, the metal layer being disposed close to the housing body and comprising at least one metal sub-layer, each metal sub-layer being a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer or a zinc layer. By providing the additional layer of a specific structure on the surface of the housing body at least in the contact area, the additional layer itself has good thermal conductivity and can better conduct heat; and the additional layer can effectively reduce the surface roughness of the housing body, improve the contact between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, and improve the heat-dissipation effect. In addition, the additional layer has high surface hardness, thereby improving the wear resistance of the electronic device housing.

Description

Electronic device housing and its manufacturing method, optical module and optical communication equipment

[0001] [Correction 03.09.2025 in accordance with Rule 91] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411216058.X, filed on August 30, 2024, entitled "Optical Module Housing and Method for Fabrication Thereof, Optical Module and Optical Communication Equipment", and to Chinese Patent Application No. 202511232260.6, filed on August 29, 2025, entitled "Electronic Device Housing and Method for Fabrication Thereof, Optical Module and Optical Communication Equipment", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of electronic device technology, and in particular to an electronic device housing and its manufacturing method, an optical module, and an optical communication device. Background Technology

[0003] Electronic devices typically generate a lot of heat during operation. If this heat cannot be dissipated effectively, it will lead to a decline in the performance of the electronic devices or even damage.

[0004] Currently, heat generated by electronic devices is typically dissipated by placing the device housing in contact with a heat sink. However, heat sinks are usually manufactured using machining processes, resulting in a surface roughness Ra of less than 0.8 μm. In contrast, most existing electronic device housings are produced through die casting and sandblasting, resulting in a higher surface roughness, generally above 1.8 μm. This creates a micro-air cavity between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, which becomes a bottleneck for heat dissipation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device housing with an additional layer of a specific structure on the surface of the housing body. This additional layer has good thermal conductivity and can effectively reduce the surface roughness of the housing body, thereby improving the contact between the electronic device housing and the heat sink and enhancing the heat dissipation effect.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device housing, the electronic device housing including a housing body and an additional layer disposed on the surface of the housing body, the additional layer being disposed at least in a contact area of ​​the electronic device housing for contacting a heat sink, the additional layer including a stacked metal layer and a nickel alloy layer, wherein the metal layer is disposed close to the housing body, the metal layer including at least one metal sublayer, each of the metal sublayers being a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer or a zinc layer.

[0007] The electronic device housing provided in this application embodiment has an additional layer with a specific structure, including a metal layer and a nickel alloy layer, provided on the surface of the housing body at least in the contact area. This additional layer itself has good thermal conductivity, enabling better heat conduction. Furthermore, this additional layer can effectively reduce the surface roughness of the housing body, making the gap between the electronic device housing and the heat sink smaller when they come into contact, thereby improving the contact between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, reducing contact thermal resistance, and thus facilitating heat exchange between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, improving the heat dissipation effect of both, and preventing the electronic device from overheating and affecting its performance and service life. In addition, this additional layer has high surface hardness, thereby improving the wear resistance of the electronic device housing.

[0008] In this embodiment, the aforementioned electronic device housing can specifically be an optical module housing. An optical module is a crucial component in optical communication, used for the conversion between optical and electrical signals. By providing an additional layer with the specific structure described above on the surface of the optical module housing, this additional layer possesses excellent thermal conductivity and can effectively reduce the surface roughness of the optical module housing, thereby improving the contact between the optical module housing and the heat sink and enhancing heat dissipation.

[0009] In this embodiment, the material of the housing body includes one or more of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and zinc alloy. The housing body is a die-cast metal part, which is a metal structural part cast by die casting. Specifically, it can be a die-cast aluminum alloy part, a die-cast magnesium alloy part, or a die-cast zinc alloy part. The surface roughness Ra of the housing body is greater than the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer.

[0010] In this embodiment, the surface roughness of the housing body is greater than or equal to 1.0 μm. Before the metal layer described in this embodiment is formed, the surface roughness of the housing body is relatively high. After the formation of the additional layer, which includes the stacked metal layer and the nickel alloy layer, the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer can be less than 0.5 μm.

[0011] In this embodiment, the metal layer is an electroplated film layer, which is a film layer formed by an electroplating process. In this embodiment, the thickness of the metal layer is 5μm-30μm. Electroplating a metal layer of a certain thickness on the surface of the housing body can effectively fill the micro-pit structure on the surface of the housing body, reduce the surface roughness of the electronic device housing, improve the heat dissipation effect between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, ensure the adhesion of the metal layer on the surface of the housing body, control the overall dimensional tolerance of the electronic device housing at a low level, and better control the cost and the total weight of the electronic device housing. In addition, the metal layer can ensure the conductivity of the surface of the electronic device housing, giving it a certain degree of wear resistance and hardness.

[0012] In this embodiment, the metal layer includes multiple stacked metal sublayers, with adjacent metal sublayers made of different materials, and the thickness of each metal sublayer is less than 20 μm. When the metal layer is a multi-layered structure, controlling the thickness of each metal sublayer to a small thickness is beneficial to improving the bonding stability of the multi-layered structure with the shell body.

[0013] In this embodiment, the purity of the copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, or zinc layer is greater than or equal to 99%. The high purity of the copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and zinc layers effectively prevents impurities from affecting the conductivity of the metal layer and the adhesion of the metal layer to the surface of the casing.

[0014] In this application, the plurality of metal sublayers may have the same or different thicknesses. In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal sublayer closer to the housing body is greater than or equal to the thickness of the metal sublayer farther from the housing body. In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal sublayer closer to the housing body is less than the thickness of the metal sublayer farther from the housing body.

[0015] In this embodiment, the nickel alloy layer includes one or more of a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, a nickel-tungsten alloy layer, and a nickel-cobalt alloy layer. The aforementioned nickel alloy layer can be prepared by chemical plating and possesses strong adhesion and high hardness.

[0016] In this application embodiment, the phosphorus content in the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is greater than 12% by mass. In some embodiments of this application, the phosphorus content in the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is greater than 12% and less than or equal to 20% by mass. A suitable phosphorus content can give the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer excellent corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and heat resistance, thereby improving the stability and durability of the electronic device housing and extending its service life.

[0017] In this embodiment, the nickel alloy layer is a chemically plated layer with a thickness of 0.5 μm-5 μm. The appropriate thickness of the nickel alloy layer helps improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of the electronic device housing, making it more scratch-resistant during insertion and removal. Simultaneously, it maintains a high level of overall thermal conductivity for the additional layer, improving heat dissipation between the electronic device housing and the heat sink.

[0018] In this embodiment, the surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer is less than 0.5 μm. A smaller surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer, i.e., a smaller surface roughness Ra of the additional layer, helps to reduce the gap between the electronic device housing and the heat sink when they come into contact through the additional layer. This improves the contact between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, reduces contact thermal resistance, facilitates heat exchange between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, enhances heat dissipation, and prevents the electronic device from overheating and affecting its performance and lifespan.

[0019] In this embodiment, the surface roughness Ra of the metal layer near the nickel alloy layer is ≤0.8μm. The low surface roughness Ra of the metal layer results in high surface smoothness, thus enabling the surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer formed on this surface (i.e., the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer) to be at the low level of less than 0.5μm.

[0020] In this embodiment, the Vickers hardness of the nickel alloy layer is greater than 450 HV. Maintaining a high hardness level in the nickel alloy layer effectively protects the inner metal layer and the housing body, improving the wear resistance of the electronic device housing and ensuring good operational stability. The Vickers hardness can be tested using a Vickers hardness tester.

[0021] In this embodiment, the thermal conductivity of the additional layer is greater than 90 W / mK. Thermal conductivity is the ability of an object to conduct heat, also known as thermal conductivity coefficient. The additional layer has a high thermal conductivity, which is beneficial for heat dissipation. The thermal conductivity of the additional layer can be obtained by testing according to the standard ISO 13826-2013.

[0022] In this embodiment, an additional layer is provided on one or both (inner and outer) surfaces of the housing body. The inner surface of the housing body refers to the surface facing the cavity of the electronic device housing, and the outer surface of the housing body refers to the surface facing away from the cavity of the electronic device housing. In some embodiments, the additional layer completely covers the surface of the housing body.

[0023] In this embodiment, the metal layer includes 1-3 stacked metal sublayers. The appropriate number of metal sublayers can improve the contact between the housing body and the heat sink, enhancing heat dissipation; ensure the adhesion of the metal layer to the surface of the housing body; control the overall dimensional tolerance of the electronic device housing to a low level; reduce the difficulty and cost of metal layer fabrication; and also help control the weight of the electronic device housing.

[0024] In one embodiment of this application, the metal layer includes a first metal sublayer and a second metal sublayer sequentially stacked along a direction away from the housing body. The first metal sublayer and the second metal sublayer are independently selected from copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, or zinc layers, and the first metal sublayer and the second metal sublayer are made of different materials. Specifically, for example, the first metal sublayer may be a copper layer, and the second metal sublayer may be a nickel, manganese, cobalt, or zinc layer; or the first metal sublayer may be a nickel layer, and the second metal sublayer may be a copper, manganese, cobalt, or zinc layer; or the first metal sublayer may be a manganese layer, and the second metal sublayer may be a copper, nickel, cobalt, or zinc layer.

[0025] In another embodiment of this application, the metal layer includes a first metal sublayer, a second metal sublayer, and a third metal sublayer sequentially stacked along a direction away from the housing body. The first, second, and third metal sublayers are each independently selected from a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer, and adjacent metal sublayers are made of different materials. Specifically, for example, the first metal sublayer may be a copper layer, the second metal sublayer may be a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer, and the third metal sublayer may be a copper layer; or the first metal sublayer may be a copper layer, the second metal sublayer may be a nickel layer, and the third metal sublayer may be a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer; or the first metal sublayer may be a nickel layer, the second metal sublayer may be a copper layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer, and the third metal sublayer may be a nickel layer.

[0026] A second aspect of this application provides an electronic device housing, including a housing body and an additional layer disposed on the surface of the housing body. The additional layer is disposed at least in a contact area of ​​the electronic device housing for contacting a heat sink. The additional layer includes a stacked metal layer and an alloy layer, wherein the metal layer is disposed close to the housing body, and the metal layer includes at least one metal sublayer, each of which is a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer. The surface roughness Ra of the alloy layer is <0.5 μm.

[0027] The electronic device housing provided in this application embodiment has an additional layer consisting of a metal layer and a specific alloy layer with a specific structure on the surface of the housing body at least in the contact area. This additional layer itself has good thermal conductivity and can effectively conduct heat. Furthermore, due to the presence of the metal layer, the alloy layer has low surface roughness (i.e., the additional layer has low surface roughness), resulting in a lower overall surface roughness of the electronic device body. This reduces the gap between the electronic device housing and the heat sink when they come into contact, thereby improving the contact between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, reducing contact thermal resistance, facilitating heat exchange between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, improving heat dissipation, and preventing the electronic device from overheating and affecting its performance and service life. In addition, the additional layer has high surface hardness, which can improve the wear resistance of the electronic device housing.

[0028] In this embodiment of the application, the aforementioned electronic device housing may specifically be an optical module housing.

[0029] In this embodiment, the material of the housing body includes one or more of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and zinc alloy. The housing body is a die-cast metal part, which is a metal structural part cast by die casting. Specifically, it can be a die-cast aluminum alloy part, a die-cast magnesium alloy part, or a die-cast zinc alloy part. The surface roughness Ra of the housing body is greater than the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer.

[0030] In this embodiment, the surface roughness of the housing body is greater than or equal to 1.0 μm. Before the additional layer described in this embodiment is formed, the surface roughness of the housing body is relatively high. After the additional layer, which includes a stacked metal layer and a nickel alloy layer, is formed, the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer can be less than 0.5 μm.

[0031] In this embodiment, the metal layer is an electroplated film layer, which is a film layer formed by an electroplating process. In this embodiment, the thickness of the metal layer is 5μm-30μm. Electroplating a metal layer of a certain thickness on the surface of the housing body can effectively fill the micro-pit structure on the surface of the housing body, reduce the surface roughness of the electronic device housing, improve the heat dissipation effect between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, ensure the adhesion of the metal layer on the surface of the housing body, control the overall dimensional tolerance of the electronic device housing at a low level, and better control the cost and the total weight of the electronic device housing. In addition, the metal layer can ensure the conductivity of the surface of the electronic device housing, giving it a certain degree of wear resistance and hardness.

[0032] In this embodiment, the metal layer includes multiple stacked metal sublayers, with adjacent metal sublayers made of different materials, and the thickness of each metal sublayer is less than 20 μm. When the metal layer has a multi-layered stacked structure, controlling the thickness of each metal sublayer to a small thickness is beneficial to improving the bonding stability of the multi-layered structure with the shell body.

[0033] In this embodiment, the alloy layer includes one or more of a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, a nickel-tungsten alloy layer, and a nickel-cobalt alloy layer. The aforementioned nickel alloy layer can be prepared by chemical plating and possesses strong adhesion and high hardness.

[0034] In this embodiment, the nickel alloy layer is a chemically plated layer with a thickness of 0.5 μm-5 μm. The appropriate thickness of the nickel alloy layer helps improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of the electronic device housing, making it more scratch-resistant during insertion and removal. Simultaneously, it maintains a high level of overall thermal conductivity for the additional layer, improving heat dissipation between the electronic device housing and the heat sink.

[0035] In this embodiment, the surface roughness Ra of the metal layer near the nickel alloy layer is ≤0.8μm. The low surface roughness Ra of the metal layer results in high surface smoothness, thus enabling the surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer formed on this surface (i.e., the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer) to be at the low level of less than 0.5μm.

[0036] A third aspect of this application provides a method for manufacturing an electronic device housing, comprising:

[0037] Provide the housing body;

[0038] A metal layer is formed on the surface of the housing body; the metal layer includes at least one metal sublayer, each of which is a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer;

[0039] A nickel alloy layer is then formed on the surface of the metal layer.

[0040] The method for preparing the electronic device housing provided in this application is simple and easy to industrialize.

[0041] In this embodiment, the material of the housing body includes one or more of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and zinc alloy. In this case, the housing body can be a die-cast metal part. The surface roughness Ra of the housing body is greater than the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer.

[0042] In some embodiments of this application, the surface roughness of the housing body is greater than or equal to 1.0 μm. Before the metal layer is formed, the surface roughness of the housing body is relatively high; however, after the formation of the additional layer comprising the stacked metal layer and nickel alloy layer, the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer can be less than 0.5 μm.

[0043] In this embodiment, the metal layer is prepared by electroplating. Electroplating is advantageous for obtaining a dense metal layer, with short processing time and controllable forming, and is beneficial for achieving better resistance to salt spray, thermal shock, and temperature impact. The nickel alloy layer is prepared by chemical plating. Chemical plating is advantageous for controlling the film thickness, resulting in a coating with strong adhesion and a relatively small thickness.

[0044] In some embodiments of this application, the current density during electroplating can be controlled within the range of 2 ASD to 20 ASD. Controlling the current density to a suitable, relatively large value helps to avoid the formation of pores and bubbles in the plating layer, thereby improving the plating quality. It also helps to increase the electroplating speed and save preparation time.

[0045] In some embodiments of this application, the temperature is controlled at 80°C-90°C during the electroless plating process. Maintaining a suitable high temperature is beneficial to improving the quality of the nickel alloy layer and increasing the electroless plating speed.

[0046] In this embodiment, the thickness of the metal layer obtained by electroplating is 5μm-30μm. The metal layer formed by electroplating has a suitable thickness, which can effectively fill the micro-pit structure on the surface of the housing, reduce the surface roughness of the electronic device housing, improve the heat dissipation effect between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, and ensure the adhesion of the metal layer on the surface of the housing; it can also ensure the conductivity of the surface of the electronic device housing, giving it a certain degree of wear resistance and hardness.

[0047] In this embodiment, the thickness of the nickel alloy layer obtained by chemical plating is 0.5 μm-5 μm. The nickel alloy layer formed by chemical plating has a suitable thickness, which helps to improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of the electronic device housing, making the electronic device housing more scratch-resistant during insertion and removal, while also maintaining a high level of overall thermal conductivity of the additional layer, thus improving the heat dissipation effect between the electronic device housing and the heat sink.

[0048] In some embodiments of this application, the metal layer comprises multiple stacked metal sublayers, with adjacent metal sublayers made of different materials, and the thickness of each metal sublayer is less than 20 μm. When the metal layer is a multi-layered structure, controlling the thickness of a single metal sublayer to a small range can help improve the bonding stability of the multi-layered structure within the shell body.

[0049] In this embodiment, the nickel alloy layer includes one or more of a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, a nickel-tungsten alloy layer, and a nickel-cobalt alloy layer. The aforementioned nickel alloy layer can be prepared by chemical plating and possesses strong adhesion and high hardness.

[0050] In some embodiments of this application, the surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer is less than 0.5 μm. A smaller surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer helps to reduce the gap between the electronic device housing and the heat sink when they come into contact, thereby improving the contact between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, reducing contact thermal resistance, facilitating heat exchange between the electronic device housing and the heat sink, enhancing heat dissipation, and preventing the electronic device from overheating and affecting its performance and lifespan.

[0051] In this embodiment, the surface roughness Ra of the metal layer near the nickel alloy layer is ≤0.8μm. The low surface roughness Ra of the metal layer results in high surface smoothness, thus enabling the surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer formed on this surface (i.e., the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer) to be at the low level of less than 0.5μm.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, an annealing treatment is performed after the nickel alloy layer is formed, wherein the annealing temperature is 300℃-500℃. Annealing at a suitable temperature can improve the quality of the additional layer, enhancing its stability, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, etc.

[0053] A fourth aspect of this application provides an optical module, including a circuit board and an electronic device housing as described in the first or second aspect of this application, or an electronic device housing manufactured using the method described in the third aspect of this application. The circuit board is located within the electronic device housing. Electronic components, such as chips and light sources, are connected to the circuit board. Using the electronic device housing of this application can improve the heat dissipation performance of the optical module, thereby improving its performance reliability and lifespan. The optical module can be, but is not limited to, a Small Form-factor Pluggable Transceiver (SFP), a Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Transceiver (QSFP), or a C Form-factor Pluggable Transceiver (CFP).

[0054] This application also provides an optical communication device, including a heat sink and the optical module described in the third aspect, wherein the additional layer of the electronic device housing is in contact with the heat sink. Using the optical module of this application embodiment can improve the performance reliability and service life of the optical communication device.

[0055] In some embodiments of this application, the optical communication device further includes an optical module connector, and the optical module is connected to the optical module connector. Attached Figure Description

[0056] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an optical module 100 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 2 is a partial structural schematic diagram of an optical communication device 200 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional structural diagram of the electronic device housing 10 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional structural diagram of the electronic device housing 10 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional structural diagram of the electronic device housing 10 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0061] The embodiments of this application will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0062] Referring to Figure 1, Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an optical module 100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The optical module 100 includes an electronic device housing 10 and a circuit board (not shown in Figure 1), with the circuit board housed within the cavity of the electronic device housing 10. Electronic components, such as chips and light sources, are connected to the circuit board; the chips may be, for example, optical digital signal processing (ODSP) chips, integrated coherent transmitter (ICT) chips, integrated coherent receiver (ICR) chips, etc. One end of the electronic device housing 10 has an interface for pluggable connection with an optical module connector.

[0063] In this application embodiment, the optical module 100 may be, but is not limited to, a Small Form-factor Pluggable Transceiver (SFP), a Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Transceiver (QSFP), or a C Form-factor Pluggable Transceiver (CFP).

[0064] In some embodiments of this application, the electronic device housing 10 may specifically be an optical module housing 10.

[0065] As an example, the optical module 100 shown in Figure 1 also includes a handle 20 located at the end of the electronic device housing 10 away from the interface. The handle 20 facilitates the insertion and removal of the optical module 100. In other examples, the optical module 100 may also be without the handle 20.

[0066] Referring to Figure 2, which is a partial structural schematic diagram of an optical communication device 200 provided in an embodiment of this application, the optical communication device 200 includes an optical module 100 and an optical module connector 201. In some embodiments, the optical communication device 200 further includes a heat sink 202 and a motherboard 203.

[0067] In the optical communication equipment 200, the optical module 100 is used to realize photoelectric signal conversion. The optical module connector 201, also called an optical cage, is used to fix the optical module 100, provide electromagnetic shielding, and assist in connecting the optical module 100 to the motherboard 203. The heat sink 202 is used to dissipate the heat generated by the optical module 100 in a timely manner. The optical module connector 201 is connected to the motherboard 203, which can be a printed circuit board, and the optical module connector 201 can be soldered to the motherboard 203. The optical module 100 and the motherboard 203 are electrically connected through the optical module connector 201, thereby realizing the signal connection between the optical module 100 and the motherboard 203.

[0068] In this embodiment, the optical module connector 201 has a hollow cavity structure, with one end having a socket 201a that matches the interface on the electronic device housing 10, as shown in Figure 2. The optical module 100 is inserted into the socket 201a of the optical module connector 201 through the interface on the electronic device housing 10, thus achieving a plug-in connection between the optical module 100 and the optical module connector 201. Understandably, to achieve a secure connection between the optical module 100 and the optical module connector 201, the mating surfaces of the two need to have a certain frictional force. That is, a certain force (e.g., 30N) is required to insert the optical module 100 into the optical module connector 201 and to pull the optical module 100 out of the optical module connector 201, in order to prevent the optical module 100 from loosening and affecting the stable connection between the optical module 100 and the optical module connector 201.

[0069] In this embodiment, the heat sink 202 is connected to the optical module connector 201, for example, by a snap-fit ​​connection, so that the heat sink 202 is fixed to the optical module connector 201. The heat sink 202 includes a base 2021 and heat dissipation fins or heat dissipation teeth 2022 disposed on the base 2021. An opening 201b is provided on the side wall of the optical module connector 201 away from the motherboard 203. The heat sink 202 extends into the cavity of the optical module connector 201 through the opening 201b. The bottom surface of the base 2021 of the heat sink 202 contacts the electronic device housing 10, so that the heat generated by the optical module 100 can be conducted to the heat sink 202.

[0070] The heat sink 202 can be a metal structural component, such as a metal aluminum structural component or an aluminum alloy structural component. The base 2021 and the heat dissipation fins or heat dissipation teeth 2022 disposed on the base 2021 can be an integrally formed structure or a welded structure.

[0071] In this embodiment, the electronic device housing 10 has a contact area 10a for contacting the heat sink 202. The optical module 100 is inserted into the optical module connector 201, and the contact area 10a is in contact with the base 2021 of the heat sink 202. The heat generated by the optical module 100 during operation is transferred to the base 2021 and dissipated through the heat sink 202. Understandably, the tighter the contact between the electronic device housing 10 and the base 2021, the better the heat exchange between them; conversely, the larger the gap between the electronic device housing 10 and the base 2021, the worse the heat dissipation of the optical module 100. With the rapid development of technologies such as cloud computing, big data, 5G, and autonomous driving, the power of the optical module 100 is increasing, leading to a greater heat generation. The air microcavity generated by the contact between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202 can cause the optical module 100 to overheat, affecting its service life.

[0072] To better meet the heat dissipation requirements of high-power optical modules, this application provides an electronic device housing 10. Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional structural diagram of the electronic device housing 10 provided in this application embodiment. The electronic device housing 10 includes a housing body 11 and additional layers 12 disposed on one or both surfaces of the housing body 11. The additional layers 12 include stacked metal layers 121 and nickel alloy layers 122, wherein the metal layers 121 are disposed close to the housing body 11. The metal layers 121 include at least one metal sublayer, each metal sublayer being a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer. The additional layers 12 are disposed at least in the contact area 10a of the electronic device housing 10, which is the area of ​​the electronic device housing 10 used for contacting the heat sink 202.

[0073] The electronic device housing 10 provided in this application embodiment has an additional layer 12 with a specific structure provided on the surface of the housing body 11 in the contact area 10a. The additional layer 12 itself has good thermal conductivity and can conduct heat well. Moreover, the additional layer 12 can effectively reduce the surface roughness of the housing body 11, so that the gap between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202 is smaller when they come into contact, thereby improving the contact between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202, reducing the contact thermal resistance, which is conducive to the heat exchange between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202, improving the heat dissipation effect of the optical module 100, and preventing the optical module 100 from overheating and affecting its performance and service life. In addition, the additional layer 12 has high surface hardness, thereby improving the wear resistance of the electronic device housing 10.

[0074] As described above in this application, in some embodiments, the electronic device housing 10 may specifically be an optical module housing 10.

[0075] In this embodiment, the material of the housing body 11 includes one or more of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and zinc alloy. The housing body 11 is a die-cast metal part, which is a metal structural part cast by die casting. Specifically, it can be a die-cast aluminum alloy part, a die-cast magnesium alloy part, or a die-cast zinc alloy part. Due to the limitations of the die casting process and considering the cost and time of sandblasting after die casting, the surface roughness Ra of the housing body 11 is generally greater than 1.6 μm. For a high-power optical module 100, if the housing body 11 is in direct contact with the heat sink 202, a large contact thermal resistance will be generated between the housing body 11 and the heat sink 202, causing the optical module 100 to easily overheat during operation. By providing an additional layer 12 on the surface of the housing body 11, the surface roughness of the housing body 11 can be reduced, the contact between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202 can be improved, and the contact thermal resistance can be reduced; moreover, the additional layer 12 has a higher surface hardness than the housing body 11, which can improve the wear resistance of the electronic device housing 10. Understandably, the surface roughness Ra of the housing body 11 can be any value higher than the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer 12. Specifically, the surface roughness Ra of the housing body 11 is the roughness Ra of the surface of the housing body 11 near the metal layer 121. In some embodiments, the surface roughness Ra of the housing body 11 can be greater than 0.8 μm, or greater than or equal to 1.0 μm, or greater than or equal to 1.2 μm, or greater than or equal to 1.4 μm, or greater than or equal to 1.5 μm, etc.

[0076] In this embodiment, the additional layer 12 is a metal plating structure, which is plated on the surface of the housing body 11. The plating structure can form a good bond with the housing body 11 and is not easy to fall off.

[0077] The additional layer 12 includes a metal layer 121 and a nickel alloy layer 122 sequentially stacked along a direction away from the housing body 11. The metal layer 121 can be an electroplated film layer, which is a film layer formed by an electroplating process. Electroplating is a process of forming a metal plating layer on the surface of the housing body using the principle of electrolysis. In this embodiment, the thickness of the metal layer 121 can be less than or equal to 30 μm, for example, 5 μm-30 μm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal layer 121 can be 10 μm-20 μm. Exemplarily, the thickness of the metal layer 121 can be 5 μm, 6 μm, 7 μm, 8 μm, 9 μm, 10 μm, 12 μm, 15 μm, 18 μm, 20 μm, 22 μm, 25 μm, 27 μm, 29 μm, or 30 μm. A metal layer 121 of a certain thickness is first electroplated on the surface of the housing body 11, which can better fill the micro-pit structure on the surface of the housing body 11, reduce the surface roughness of the electronic device housing 10, and improve the heat dissipation effect of the optical module 100; ensure the adhesion of the metal layer 121 to the surface of the housing body 11; control the overall dimensional tolerance of the electronic device housing 10 to a low level; and better control the cost and the total weight of the electronic device housing 10; in addition, the metal layer 121 can ensure the conductivity of the surface of the electronic device housing 10, giving it a certain wear resistance and hardness.

[0078] In this embodiment, the metal layer 121 includes at least one metal sublayer, each of which is a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer. The aforementioned metal sublayers can form a strong bond with the housing body 11, creating a dense film structure on the surface of the housing body 11 and exhibiting good thermal conductivity. Furthermore, these metal sublayers possess good leveling ability, effectively filling micro-pits on the surface of the housing body 11 and improving the contact between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202. In some embodiments of this application, the purity of the copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and zinc layers is greater than or equal to 99%. The high purity of the copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and zinc layers effectively prevents impurities from affecting the conductivity of the metal layer and the adhesion of the metal layer to the surface of the housing body 11.

[0079] In some embodiments of this application, the metal layer 121 includes 1-3 stacked metal sublayers. Specifically, the metal layer 121 may include 1 metal sublayer, or 2 or 3 stacked metal sublayers. The appropriate number of metal sublayers can improve the contact between the housing body 11 and the heat sink 202, thereby enhancing heat dissipation; ensure the adhesion of the metal layer 121 to the surface of the housing body 11; control the overall dimensional tolerance of the electronic device housing 10 to a low level; reduce the manufacturing difficulty and cost of the metal layer 121; and also help control the weight of the electronic device housing 10.

[0080] In some embodiments of this application, the metal layer 121 includes multiple (two or more) stacked metal sublayers, each with a thickness less than or equal to 20 μm. In some embodiments, the thickness of each metal sublayer is 1 μm-19 μm. Exemplarily, the thickness of each metal sublayer can be 1 μm, 2 μm, 3 μm, 5 μm, 8 μm, 10 μm, 12 μm, 15 μm, 18 μm, or 19 μm, etc. When the metal layer 121 is a multilayer stacked structure, controlling the thickness of each metal sublayer to a small thickness is beneficial to improving the bonding stability of the multilayer stacked structure on the shell body 11.

[0081] In this application, the multiple metal sublayers may have the same thickness or different thicknesses. In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal sublayer closer to the housing body 11 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the metal sublayer farther from the housing body 11. In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal sublayer closer to the housing body 11 is less than the thickness of the metal sublayer farther from the housing body 11.

[0082] When the metal layer 121 includes two or more metal sublayers, the two adjacent metal sublayers are made of different materials.

[0083] In some embodiments of this application, the metal layer 121 includes a first metal sublayer directly stacked on the surface of the housing body 11. The first metal sublayer is a copper layer, a nickel layer, a manganese layer, a cobalt layer, or a zinc layer, meaning that the copper, nickel, manganese, cobalt, or zinc layer is in direct contact with the housing body 11. In some embodiments, the metal layer 121 may only include the aforementioned first metal sublayer, meaning the metal layer 121 is a single-layer structure made of a single metal material; in other embodiments, one or more metal sublayers may be stacked on top of the first metal sublayer, meaning the metal layer 121 is a multi-layer metal stacked structure.

[0084] Referring to Figure 4, in some embodiments of this application, the metal layer 121 includes a first metal sublayer 1211 and a second metal sublayer 1212 sequentially stacked along a direction away from the housing body 11. Specifically, the first metal sublayer 1211 is disposed close to the housing body 11 and directly contacts the housing body 11, while the second metal sublayer 1212 is disposed away from the housing body 11 and directly contacts the surface of the first metal sublayer 1211 on the side away from the housing body 11. The first metal sublayer 1211 and the second metal sublayer 1212 are independently selected from copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, or zinc layers, and the first metal sublayer 1211 and the second metal sublayer 1212 are made of different materials. The housing body 11 is a die-cast aluminum alloy, a die-cast magnesium alloy, or a die-cast zinc alloy. In some embodiments, the first metal sublayer 1211 is a copper layer, and the second metal sublayer 1212 is a nickel layer, a manganese layer, a cobalt layer, or a zinc layer; in other embodiments, the first metal sublayer 1211 is a nickel layer, and the second metal sublayer 1212 is a copper layer, a manganese layer, a cobalt layer, or a zinc layer; in still other embodiments, the first metal sublayer 1211 is a manganese layer, and the second metal sublayer 1212 is a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, or a zinc layer.

[0085] Referring to Figure 5, in some embodiments of this application, the metal layer 121 includes a first metal sublayer 1211, a second metal sublayer 1212, and a third metal sublayer 1213 sequentially stacked along a direction away from the housing body 11. Specifically, the first metal sublayer 1211 is disposed close to the housing body 11 and directly contacts it; the third metal sublayer 1213 is disposed away from the housing body 11; and the second metal sublayer 1212 is located between the first metal sublayer 1211 and the third metal sublayer 1213. The first metal sublayer 1211, the second metal sublayer 1212, and the third metal sublayer 1213 are each independently selected from copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, or zinc layers, and adjacent metal sublayers are made of different materials. The housing body 11 is a die-cast aluminum alloy, a die-cast magnesium alloy, or a die-cast zinc alloy. In some embodiments, the first metal sublayer 1211 is a copper layer, the second metal sublayer 1212 is a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer, and the third metal sublayer 1213 is a copper layer. In other embodiments, the first metal sublayer 1211 is a copper layer, the second metal sublayer 1212 is a nickel layer, and the third metal sublayer 1213 is a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer. In still other embodiments, the first metal sublayer 1211 is a nickel layer, the second metal sublayer 1212 is a copper layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer, and the third metal sublayer 1213 is a nickel layer.

[0086] In this application embodiment, the nickel alloy layer 122 may be one or more of a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, a nickel-tungsten alloy layer, and a nickel-cobalt alloy layer. The aforementioned nickel alloy layer 122 can be prepared by chemical plating and can possess strong adhesion and high hardness. In some embodiments of this application, the nickel alloy layer 122 is a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, in which the mass content of phosphorus is greater than 12%. In some embodiments of this application, the mass content of phosphorus in the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is greater than 12% and less than or equal to 20%. Exemplarily, the mass content of phosphorus in the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer can be 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20%. Suitable phosphorus content can give the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer excellent corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and heat resistance, thereby improving the stability and durability of the electronic device housing 10 and extending its service life. In some embodiments of this application, the nickel alloy layer 122 is a nickel-tungsten alloy layer, in which the mass content of tungsten can be 30%-50%.

[0087] In this embodiment, the nickel alloy layer 122 is a chemically plated film layer. Chemical plating is a process in which metal ions are reduced to the surface of the shell body 11 through a chemical reaction to form a metal coating. Chemically plated films can have their thickness well controlled, resulting in a uniform and consistent film structure.

[0088] In some embodiments of this application, the thickness of the nickel alloy layer 122 is 0.5 μm-5 μm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the nickel alloy layer 122 is 0.6 μm-3 μm. Exemplarily, the thickness of the nickel alloy layer 122 is 0.5 μm, 0.8 μm, 1.0 μm, 1.2 μm, 1.5 μm, 1.8 μm, 2.0 μm, 2.2 μm, 2.5 μm, 2.8 μm, 3.0 μm, 3.2 μm, 3.5 μm, 3.8 μm, 4 μm, 4.2 μm, 4.5 μm, and 5 μm. The appropriate thickness of the nickel alloy layer 122 helps to improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of the electronic device housing 10, making the electronic device housing 10 more scratch-resistant during insertion and removal, while maintaining a high level of overall thermal conductivity of the additional layer 12, thus improving the heat dissipation effect of the optical module 100.

[0089] In this embodiment, the Vickers hardness of the nickel alloy layer 122 is greater than 450 HV. In some embodiments, the Vickers hardness of the nickel alloy layer 122 is 450 HV, 460 HV, 480 HV, or 500 HV. Maintaining a high hardness level for the nickel alloy layer 122 can better protect the inner metal layer 121 and the housing body 11, improve the wear resistance of the electronic device housing 10, and give the electronic device housing 10 good operational stability. The Vickers hardness can be tested using a Vickers hardness tester.

[0090] In this embodiment, the thermal conductivity of the additional layer 12 is greater than 90 W / mK. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the additional layer 12 is greater than or equal to 100 W / mK. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the additional layer 12 is greater than or equal to 110 W / mK. In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the additional layer 12 is greater than or equal to 120 W / mK. The additional layer 12 has a high thermal conductivity, which is beneficial for heat dissipation of the optical module 100. Thermal conductivity is the ability of an object to conduct heat, also known as thermal conductivity coefficient. The thermal conductivity of the additional layer 12 can be obtained by testing according to the standard ISO 13826-2013.

[0091] In this embodiment, the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer 12 is <0.5 μm. The surface roughness Ra of the additional layer 12 refers to the roughness Ra of the surface of the additional layer 12 away from the housing body 11, which is also the roughness Ra of the surface of the nickel alloy layer 122 away from the housing body 11. In some embodiments, the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer 12 is ≤0.4 μm. In some embodiments, the surface roughness Ra of the additional layer 12 is ≤0.3 μm. The smaller surface roughness Ra of the additional layer 12 reflects that the surface of the nickel alloy layer 122 away from the housing body 11 is relatively smooth. This is beneficial for reducing the gap between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202 when they come into contact, thereby improving the contact between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202, reducing contact thermal resistance, facilitating heat exchange between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202, improving the heat dissipation effect of the optical module 100, and preventing the optical module 100 from overheating and affecting its performance and service life. The lower Ra of the additional layer 12 is mainly attributed to the provision of the metal layer 121.

[0092] In this embodiment, the surface roughness Ra of the metal layer 121 (specifically, the surface roughness Ra of the surface of the metal layer 121 closest to the nickel alloy layer 122) is ≤0.8μm. It is understood that if the metal layer 121 comprises multiple metal sublayers, the surface roughness Ra of the metal layer 121 specifically refers to the roughness Ra of the surface of the metal sublayer closest to the nickel alloy layer 122 on the side facing away from the housing body 11. The Ra at the interface between the metal layer 121 and the nickel alloy layer 122 is relatively small, resulting in high surface smoothness, thus allowing the surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer 122 formed on this surface to be at the lower level of less than 0.5μm. For example, the surface roughness Ra of the metal layer 121 can be ≤0.7μm, ≤0.6μm, ≤0.5μm, ≤0.4μm, or ≤0.3μm, etc.

[0093] Furthermore, when the metal layer 121 comprises multiple (e.g., n, n≥2) metal sublayers stacked along the direction from the shell body 11 to the additional layer 12 (which can be denoted as the Z direction), the interface between two adjacent metal sublayers can be flat or smooth. For example, the surface roughness Ra of the interface between any two adjacent metal sublayers can be >0.8μm or ≤0.8μm. Wherein, when the Ra of the interface between two adjacent metal sublayers is ≤0.8μm, then the Ra of the interfaces between other adjacent metal sublayers above that interface (that is, the Ra of the metal sublayers above that interface) is also ≤0.8μm.

[0094] For example, if the n metal sublayers included in the metal layer 121 are sequentially designated as the first metal sublayer, the second metal sublayer, ..., the nth metal sublayer along the Z direction, then as described above, the surface roughness Ra of the nth metal sublayer on the side facing away from the housing body 11 is ≤ 0.8 μm. Furthermore, the surface roughness Ra of the first metal sublayer (i.e., the Ra of the interface between the first and second metal sublayers), the surface roughness Ra of the second metal sublayer (i.e., the Ra of the interface between the second and third metal sublayers), ..., the surface roughness Ra of the (n-1)th metal sublayer can independently be > 0.8 μm or ≤ 0.8 μm. If the surface roughness Ra of the i-th metal sublayer is ≤ 0.8 μm, where i is any integer from 1 to n-1, then the surface roughness Ra of the (i+1)-th metal sublayer is also ≤ 0.8 μm.

[0095] In this embodiment, the orthographic projections of the plurality of metal sublayers of metal layer 121 onto the housing body 11 completely overlap, meaning that the stacked structure of metal layer 121 is identical at any location along its thickness direction. In this embodiment, the orthographic projections of metal layer 121 and nickel alloy layer 122 onto the housing body 11 completely overlap. In this embodiment, the stacked structure of additional layer 12 is identical at any location along its thickness direction.

[0096] In this embodiment, an additional layer 12 may be provided on one or both sides (inner and outer) of the housing body 11. The inner surface of the housing body 11 refers to the surface facing the cavity of the electronic device housing 10, and the outer surface of the housing body 11 refers to the surface away from the cavity of the electronic device housing 10. In some embodiments, the additional layer 12 completely covers the surface of the housing body 11 (including the inner and outer surfaces), and both the metal layer 121 and the nickel alloy layer 122 completely cover the surface of the housing body 11. Providing the additional layer 12 on the surface of the housing body 11 outside the contact area 10a can improve the overall wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the electronic device housing 10, thereby improving the service reliability of the electronic device housing 10.

[0097] The electronic device housing 10 in this application embodiment can be a one-piece structure or a split structure, for example, including an upper housing and a lower housing, which can be detachably connected or fixedly connected. Correspondingly, the housing body 11 can be a one-piece molded structure or a split structure. The shape and thickness of the housing body 11 can be designed according to actual needs, and the shape can be various regular or irregular shapes. For example, in some embodiments, the housing body 11 is a hollow cuboid structure.

[0098] In this embodiment, the elemental composition of the additional layer 12 can be analyzed by an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and the thickness of the additional layer 12, the metal sublayer, the metal layer 121, the nickel alloy layer 122, etc., can be measured by a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0099] This application embodiment also provides a method for preparing the above-mentioned electronic device housing, which may include the following steps S101, S102 and S103.

[0100] S101: Provides housing body 11.

[0101] The shell body 11 can be a one-piece structure or a split structure; the shell body 11 is formed by die casting process.

[0102] S102: A metal layer 121 is formed on the surface of the housing body 11.

[0103] In this embodiment, the metal layer 121 can be prepared by electroplating. Electroplating is advantageous for obtaining a dense metal layer, with short processing time, controllable forming, and good resistance to salt spray, thermal shock, and temperature fluctuations. Each electroplating step can form one metal sublayer. Understandably, when the metal layer 121 includes multiple metal sublayers, it needs to be prepared through multiple electroplating steps. During the electroplating process, the electroplating solution can be selected according to the material of the metal sublayer to be plated; for example, a copper electroplating solution is used for plating a copper layer. During the electroplating process, the current density can be controlled within the range of 2 ASD-20 ASD. For example, the current density can be controlled at 2 ASD, 5 ASD, 6 ASD, 10 ASD, 12 ASD, 15 ASD, 18 ASD, or 20 ASD. Controlling the current density at a suitable, relatively large value helps avoid the formation of pores and bubbles in the plating layer, improving plating quality, and also helps increase the electroplating speed and save preparation time. The thickness of the metal layer 121 formed can be controlled by controlling the electroplating time.

[0104] Understandably, before electroplating the metal layer 121, the housing body 11 can be surface-treated to remove surface oxide films, impurities, etc. Surface treatment can be performed using various chemical or physical methods.

[0105] S103: A nickel alloy layer 122 is then formed on the surface of the metal layer 121.

[0106] In this embodiment, the nickel alloy layer 122 can be prepared by chemical plating. Chemical plating is advantageous for controlling the film thickness, resulting in a coating with strong adhesion and a relatively small thickness. During the chemical plating process, the shell body 11 with the metal layer 121 formed on its surface is immersed in the chemical plating solution. Taking the chemical plating of a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer as an example, the chemical plating solution contains both nickel salt and phosphate salt (phosphorus-containing inorganic salt). The nickel salt can be, for example, nickel sulfate, and the phosphate salt can be, for example, hypophosphite, specifically, sodium hypophosphite. During the chemical plating process, the temperature is 80℃-90℃. Maintaining a suitable high temperature is beneficial for improving the quality of the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer and increasing the chemical plating speed. For example, the temperature can be 80℃, 85℃, or 90℃.

[0107] Furthermore, for information regarding the material properties of the housing body 11, the metal layer 121, and the nickel alloy layer 122, please refer to the relevant descriptions above in this application, which will not be repeated here.

[0108] In some embodiments of this application, after forming the nickel alloy layer 122, an annealing process is further performed. In some embodiments, the annealing temperature can be 300°C-500°C. Exemplarily, the annealing temperature can be 300°C, 400°C, or 500°C. Annealing at a suitable temperature can improve the quality of the additional layer 12, enhancing its stability, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, etc.

[0109] The method for preparing the electronic device housing according to the embodiments of this application does not require additional polishing. By sequentially forming a metal layer and a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer on the surface of the housing body, the surface roughness of the optical module housing can be controlled at a low value, and it can also have high thermal conductivity and high hardness, thereby improving heat dissipation and wear resistance.

[0110] This application embodiment also provides an electronic device housing 10, the structural schematic of which can also be seen in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the electronic device housing 10 includes a housing body 11 and additional layers 12 disposed on one or both surfaces of the housing body 11. The additional layers 12 include stacked metal layers 121 and alloy layers (e.g., nickel alloy layers 122), wherein the metal layers 121 are disposed close to the housing body 11. The metal layers 121 include at least one metal sublayer, each metal sublayer being a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer. The additional layers 12 are disposed at least in the contact area 10a of the electronic device housing 10, which is the area of ​​the electronic device housing 10 used for contacting the heat sink 202.

[0111] The electronic device housing 10 provided in this application embodiment has an additional layer 12, including a metal layer 11 and an alloy layer with a specific structure, disposed on the surface of the housing body at least in the contact area. The additional layer 12 itself has good thermal conductivity and can conduct heat well. Due to the metal layer 11, the surface roughness of the alloy layer is low (that is, the surface roughness of the additional layer 12 is low), resulting in a lower overall surface roughness of the electronic device body 10. This makes the gap between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202 smaller when they come into contact, thereby improving the contact between the electronic device housing 10 and the heat sink 202, reducing the contact thermal resistance, and improving the heat dissipation effect. In addition, the additional layer 12 also has high surface hardness, which can improve the wear resistance of the electronic device housing 10.

[0112] In this embodiment of the application, the above-mentioned electronic device housing 10 may specifically be an optical module housing 10.

[0113] For other structural characteristics and preparation methods of the electronic device housing 10, please refer to the description above in this application, which will not be repeated here.

[0114] The technical solution of this application will be further described below with reference to several embodiments.

[0115] Example 1

[0116] Fabrication of an optical module housing:

[0117] S101. Provide a die-cast metal shell body. After surface treatment to remove impurities, an electroplated copper layer is prepared on the surface of the shell body to form a metal layer. The mass content of Cu element in the electroplated copper layer is 99.1%, the thickness of the electroplated copper layer is 20μm, and the electroplated copper layer completely covers the inner and outer surfaces of the shell body (double-sided plating). After electroplating copper, the roughness of the shell is reduced from Ra=1.0μm to Ra=0.27μm.

[0118] S102. A nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is prepared on the metal layer using a chemical plating process; the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer completely covers the electroplated copper layer, the mass content of phosphorus in the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 12wt%, and the thickness of the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 1.4μm.

[0119] S103. Annealing at 400℃ to obtain the optical module housing.

[0120] Example 2

[0121] Fabrication of an optical module housing:

[0122] S101. A die-cast metal shell body with the same roughness as in Example 1 is provided. After surface treatment to remove impurities, an electroplated nickel layer is prepared on the surface of the shell body to form a metal layer. The mass content of Ni element in the electroplated nickel layer is 99%, the thickness of the electroplated nickel layer is 20 μm, and the electroplated nickel layer completely covers the inner and outer surfaces of the shell body (double-sided plating). After electroplating nickel, the roughness of the shell is reduced from Ra = 1.0 μm to Ra = 0.30 μm.

[0123] S102. A nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is prepared on the metal layer using a chemical plating process; the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer completely covers the electroplated nickel layer, the mass content of phosphorus element in the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 15wt%, and the thickness of the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 1.5μm.

[0124] S103. Annealing at 400℃ to obtain the optical module housing.

[0125] Example 3

[0126] Fabrication of an optical module housing:

[0127] S101. Provide a die-cast metal shell body identical to that in Example 1. After surface treatment to remove impurities, electroplating is used to sequentially prepare a copper plating layer and a nickel plating layer on the surface of the shell body to form a metal layer. The copper plating layer has a Cu content of 99.5% by mass and a thickness of 10 μm. After copper plating, the roughness of the shell body is reduced from Ra = 1.0 μm to Ra = 0.8 μm. The nickel plating layer has a Ni content of 99.5% by mass and a thickness of 10 μm. After nickel plating, the roughness of the shell body is reduced from Ra = 0.8 μm to Ra = 0.25 μm. The copper plating layer and the nickel plating layer completely cover the inner and outer surfaces of the shell body (double-sided plating).

[0128] S102. A nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is prepared on the metal layer using a chemical plating process; the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer completely covers the electroplated nickel layer, the mass content of phosphorus in the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 12wt%, and the thickness of the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 1.0μm.

[0129] S103. Annealing at 400℃ to obtain the optical module housing.

[0130] Example 4

[0131] Fabrication of an optical module housing:

[0132] S101. Provide a die-cast metal shell body identical to that in Example 1. After surface treatment to remove impurities, an electroplating process is used to sequentially prepare an electroplated copper layer, an electroplated nickel layer, and an electroplated cobalt layer on the surface of the shell body to form a metal layer. The mass content of Cu in the electroplated copper layer is 99.2%, the thickness of the electroplated copper layer is 15 μm, and the roughness of the shell after electroplating copper is reduced from Ra = 1.0 μm to Ra = 0.6 μm. The mass content of Ni in the electroplated nickel layer is 99.5%, the thickness of the electroplated nickel layer is 5 μm, and the roughness of the shell after electroplating nickel is reduced from Ra = 0.6 μm to Ra = 0.5 μm. The mass content of Co in the electroplated cobalt layer is 99.1%, the thickness of the electroplated cobalt layer is 5 μm, and the roughness of the shell after electroplating cobalt is reduced from Ra = 0.5 μm to Ra = 0.30 μm. The electroplated copper layer, the electroplated nickel layer, and the electroplated cobalt layer completely cover the inner and outer surfaces of the shell body (double-sided plating).

[0133] S102. A nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is prepared on the metal layer using a chemical plating process; the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer completely covers the electroplated cobalt layer, the mass content of phosphorus in the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 15wt%, and the thickness of the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 1.2μm.

[0134] S103. Annealing at 400℃ to obtain the optical module housing.

[0135] Example 5

[0136] Fabrication of an optical module housing:

[0137] S101. Provide a die-cast metal shell body identical to that in Example 1. After sandblasting and surface treatment to remove impurities, an electroplating process is used to sequentially prepare an electroplated copper layer, an electroplated nickel layer, and an electroplated cobalt layer on the surface of the shell body to form a metal layer. The electroplated copper layer contains 99.5% Cu by mass, has a thickness of 15 μm, and the roughness of the shell decreases from Ra = 1.2 μm to Ra = 0.8 μm after copper plating (i.e., the Ra of the electroplated copper layer is 0.8 μm). The electroplated nickel layer contains 99.5% Ni by mass. The electroplated nickel layer has a thickness of 10 μm, and the roughness of the shell after electroplating decreases from Ra = 0.8 μm to Ra = 0.5 μm (i.e., the Ra of the electroplated nickel layer is 0.5 μm); the electroplated cobalt layer has a Co content of 99.1% and a thickness of 5 μm, and the roughness of the shell after electroplating decreases from Ra = 0.5 μm to Ra = 0.45 μm (i.e., the Ra of the electroplated cobalt layer is 0.45 μm); the electroplated copper layer, electroplated nickel layer, and electroplated cobalt layer completely cover the inner and outer surfaces of the shell body (double-sided plating);

[0138] S102. A nickel-phosphorus alloy layer with a thickness of 3 μm is prepared on the above metal layer by chemical plating process: wherein the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer completely covers the electroplated cobalt layer, the mass content of phosphorus element in the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 15 wt%, and the roughness Ra of the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is basically unchanged compared with that of the electroplated cobalt.

[0139] S103. Annealing at 400℃ to obtain the optical module housing.

[0140] Example 6

[0141] Fabrication of an optical module housing:

[0142] S101. Provide a die-cast metal shell body identical to that in Example 1. After sandblasting and surface treatment to remove impurities, an electroplating process is used to sequentially prepare an electroplated copper layer, an electroplated nickel layer, and an electroplated cobalt layer on the surface of the shell body to form a metal layer. The electroplated copper layer contains 99.5% Cu by mass, has a thickness of 10 μm, and the roughness of the shell decreases from Ra = 1.6 μm to Ra = 1.3 μm after copper plating (i.e., the Ra of the electroplated copper layer is 1.3 μm). The electroplated nickel layer contains 99.5% Ni by mass. The mass content is 99.5%, the thickness of the electroplated nickel layer is 10μm, and the roughness of the shell after electroplating nickel is reduced from Ra=1.3μm to Ra=0.6μm (that is, the Ra of the electroplated nickel layer is 0.6μm); the mass content of Co element in the electroplated cobalt layer is 99.1%, the thickness of the electroplated cobalt layer is 5μm, and the roughness of the shell after electroplating cobalt is reduced from Ra=0.6μm to Ra=0.55μm; the electroplated copper layer, electroplated nickel layer and electroplated cobalt layer completely cover the inner and outer surfaces of the shell body (double-sided plating);

[0143] S102. A nickel-phosphorus alloy layer with a thickness of 3 μm is prepared on the above metal layer using a chemical plating process: wherein the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer completely covers the above electroplated cobalt layer, the mass content of phosphorus element in the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 15 wt%, and the roughness Ra of the chemically plated nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is basically unchanged compared with that of the electroplated cobalt.

[0144] S103. Annealing at 400℃ to obtain the optical module housing.

[0145] Comparative Example 1

[0146] Fabrication of an optical module housing:

[0147] S101. Provide a die-cast metal shell body identical to that in Example 1. After surface treatment to remove impurities, a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is prepared on the surface of the shell body using a chemical plating process. The mass content of phosphorus in the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 15wt%, and the thickness is 10μm.

[0148] S102. Annealing at 400℃ is performed to obtain the optical module housing.

[0149] Comparative Example 2

[0150] Fabrication of an optical module housing:

[0151] S101. Provide a die-cast metal shell body identical to that in Example 1. After surface treatment to remove impurities, prepare a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer on the surface of the shell body using a chemical plating process. The mass content of phosphorus in the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is 12wt%, and the thickness is 20μm.

[0152] S102. Annealing at 400℃ is performed to obtain the optical module housing.

[0153] The surface roughness and surface hardness of the optical module housings of Examples 1 to 6, as well as Comparative Examples 1 and 2, were measured, and the thermal conductivity of the additional layer consisting of a metal layer and a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer was tested. The results are listed in Table 1.

[0154] Table 1

[0155] Note: In Table 1, the surface roughness Ra of the optical module housing is specifically the surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer on the side facing away from the housing body.

[0156] As shown in Table 1, compared to Comparative Examples 1 and 2, which only have a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, the optical module housings of Embodiments 1-4 of this application, by providing an additional layer composed of a metal layer and a nickel-phosphorus alloy layer on the surface of the housing body, can significantly reduce the surface roughness of the optical module housing, thereby improving the contact between the optical module housing and the heat sink, reducing contact thermal resistance, and improving the heat dissipation effect of the optical module; it can also achieve higher surface hardness, ensuring the durability of the optical module housing; and the additional layer has high thermal conductivity, which can further improve the heat dissipation effect of the optical module. Using the optical module housings of the embodiments of this application in the fabrication of optical modules can effectively improve the performance reliability and service life of the optical modules.

[0157] It should be understood that the use of the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations in this document is merely for descriptive convenience and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0158] In this application, "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0159] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, "at least one of a, b, or c", or "at least one of a, b, and c", can both mean: a, b, c, ab (i.e., a and b), ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0160] In this application, "-" indicates a range value, including the endpoint values ​​at both ends. For example, the value of a can be 0.5-15, meaning that the value of a can be between 0.5 and 15, and includes the endpoint values ​​of 0.5 and 15.

[0161] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above processes does not imply the order of execution. Some or all steps may be executed in parallel or sequentially. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A housing for an electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device housing includes a housing body and an additional layer disposed on the surface of the housing body. The additional layer is disposed at least in the contact area of ​​the electronic device housing for contacting a heat sink. The additional layer includes a stacked metal layer and a nickel alloy layer, wherein the metal layer is disposed close to the housing body. The metal layer includes at least one metal sublayer, each of which is a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer.

2. The electronic device housing as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the housing body includes one or more of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and zinc alloy.

3. The electronic device housing as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The surface roughness of the shell body is greater than or equal to 1.0 μm.

4. The electronic device housing as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The metal layer is an electroplated film layer, and the thickness of the metal layer is 5μm-30μm.

5. The electronic device housing as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The metal layer comprises multiple stacked metal sublayers, with adjacent metal sublayers made of different materials, and the thickness of each metal sublayer is less than 20 μm.

6. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The nickel alloy layer includes one or more of the following: nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, nickel-tungsten alloy layer, and nickel-cobalt alloy layer.

7. The electronic device housing as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, The phosphorus content in the nickel-phosphorus alloy layer is greater than 12% by mass.

8. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The nickel alloy layer is a chemically plated film layer, and the thickness of the nickel alloy layer is 0.5μm-5μm.

9. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer is less than 0.5 μm.

10. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The surface roughness Ra of the metal layer on the side closest to the nickel alloy layer is ≤0.8μm.

11. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The Vickers hardness of the nickel alloy layer is greater than 450 HV.

12. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The thermal conductivity of the additional layer is greater than 90 W / mK.

13. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The additional layer completely covers the surface of the housing body.

14. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The metal layer comprises 1-3 stacked metal sublayers.

15. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The metal layer includes a first metal sublayer and a second metal sublayer stacked sequentially in a direction away from the housing body. The first metal sublayer and the second metal sublayer are independently selected from copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese or zinc layers, and the first metal sublayer and the second metal sublayer are made of different materials.

16. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The metal layer includes a first metal sublayer, a second metal sublayer, and a third metal sublayer stacked sequentially in a direction away from the housing body. The first metal sublayer, the second metal sublayer, and the third metal sublayer are each independently selected from a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer, and adjacent metal sublayers are made of different materials.

17. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 1-16, characterized in that, The electronic device housing is an optical module housing.

18. A housing for an electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device housing includes a housing body and an additional layer disposed on the surface of the housing body. The additional layer is disposed at least in the contact area of ​​the electronic device housing for contacting a heat sink. The additional layer includes a stacked metal layer and an alloy layer. The metal layer is disposed close to the housing body. The metal layer includes at least one metal sublayer. Each metal sublayer is a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer. The surface roughness Ra of the alloy layer is <0.5 μm.

19. The electronic device housing as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that, The metal layer is an electroplated film layer, and the thickness of the metal layer is 5μm-30μm.

20. The electronic device housing as claimed in claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The metal layer comprises multiple stacked metal sublayers, with adjacent metal sublayers made of different materials, and the thickness of each metal sublayer is less than 20 μm.

21. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 18-20, characterized in that, The alloy layer includes one or more of the following: nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, nickel-tungsten alloy layer, and nickel-cobalt alloy layer.

22. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 18-21, characterized in that, The alloy layer is a chemically plated film layer, and the thickness of the alloy layer is 0.5μm-5μm.

23. The electronic device housing as claimed in any one of claims 18-22, characterized in that, The surface roughness Ra of the metal layer on the side closest to the alloy layer is ≤0.8μm.

24. The electronic device housing according to any one of claims 18-23, characterized in that, The electronic device housing is an optical module housing.

25. A method for manufacturing an electronic device housing, characterized in that, include: Provide the housing body; A metal layer is formed on the surface of the housing body; the metal layer includes at least one metal sublayer, each of which is a copper layer, a nickel layer, a cobalt layer, a manganese layer, or a zinc layer; A nickel alloy layer is then formed on the surface of the metal layer.

26. The method for preparing an electronic device housing as described in claim 25, characterized in that, The metal layer is formed by electroplating; the nickel alloy layer is formed by chemical plating.

27. The method for preparing an electronic device housing as described in claim 26, characterized in that, The thickness of the metal layer is 5μm-30μm; and / or the thickness of the nickel alloy layer is 0.5μm-5μm.

28. The method for preparing an electronic device housing according to any one of claims 25-27, characterized in that, The metal layer comprises multiple stacked metal sublayers, with adjacent metal sublayers made of different materials, and the thickness of each metal sublayer is less than 20 μm.

29. The method for preparing an electronic device housing according to any one of claims 25-28, characterized in that, The nickel alloy layer includes one or more of the following: nickel-phosphorus alloy layer, nickel-tungsten alloy layer, and nickel-cobalt alloy layer.

30. The method for preparing an electronic device housing according to any one of claims 25-29, characterized in that, The surface roughness Ra of the nickel alloy layer is less than 0.5 μm.

31. The method for preparing an electronic device housing according to any one of claims 25-30, characterized in that, The surface roughness Ra of the metal layer on the side closest to the nickel alloy layer is ≤0.8μm.

32. The method for preparing an electronic device housing according to any one of claims 25-31, characterized in that, The material of the housing body includes one or more of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and zinc alloy.

33. The method for preparing an electronic device housing according to any one of claims 25-32, characterized in that, The surface roughness of the shell body is greater than or equal to 1.0 μm.

34. The method for preparing an electronic device housing according to any one of claims 25-33, characterized in that, It also includes annealing after the nickel alloy layer is formed; the annealing temperature is 300℃-500℃.

35. An optical module, characterized in that, The device includes an electronic device housing as described in any one of claims 1-17 or any one of claims 18-24, or an electronic device housing manufactured using the method described in any one of claims 25-34, and a circuit board located within the electronic device housing.

36. An optical communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a heat sink and an optical module as claimed in claim 35, wherein the additional layer of the electronic device housing is in contact with the heat sink.

37. The optical communication device as described in claim 36, characterized in that, The optical communication device also includes an optical module connector, and the optical module is connected to the optical module connector.

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