Sapphire product and preparation method therefor, display screen, and electronic device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of electronic devices, and discloses a sapphire product and a preparation method therefor, a display screen, and an electronic device. The sapphire product in embodiments of the present application comprises a sapphire substrate and an anti-reflection film layer that are stacked on each other, wherein the anti-reflection film layer can be formed by alternately stacking a high-refractive-index material layer (for example, a material layer having a refractive index higher than that of the sapphire) and a low-refractive-index material layer (for example, a material layer having a refractive index lower than that of the sapphire). In addition, by reasonably setting the overall thickness of the anti-reflection film layer and a proportion of the thickness of the high-refractive-index material layer in the overall thickness, the hardness and scratch resistance of the sapphire product can be improved, and optical properties of the surface of the sapphire product can also be improved, for example, the reflectivity of the surface of the sapphire product is reduced, and the transmittance of the surface of the sapphire product is increased.

Description

A sapphire product and its preparation method, a display screen and electronic devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411600167.1, filed on November 8, 2024, entitled "A Sapphire Article and a Method for Preparing the Same, a Display Screen and an Electronic Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of electronic equipment technology, and in particular to a sapphire product and its preparation method, a display screen, and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0003] With the widespread use of electronic devices, consumers have increasingly higher demands for them. Electronic devices typically have a cover plate above the display screen, which is usually made of ordinary glass. In environments with strong light, such as under bright sunlight outdoors, the cover plate can reflect strong light into the eyes, making it difficult to see the displayed content and read it properly, thus affecting the use of the product.

[0004] Currently, by forming an anti-reflection (AR) film on the cover plate, the reflectivity of the cover plate (the ratio of light reflected from the cover plate surface to the incident light) can be reduced. However, AR films generally have low hardness and are easily punctured by hard materials, making the cover plate easily scratched, affecting the scratch resistance of the display screen and the appearance of electronic devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a sapphire product, a method for its preparation, a display screen, and an electronic device.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a sapphire product, including a sapphire substrate and an antireflective coating layer, wherein the antireflective coating layer is stacked on the side of the sapphire substrate facing a first direction; the antireflective coating layer includes at least one high-refractive-index material layer and at least one low-refractive-index material layer, wherein the refractive index of the high-refractive-index material layer is greater than the refractive index of the sapphire substrate, and the refractive index of the low-refractive-index material layer is less than the refractive index of the sapphire substrate, and the low-refractive-index material layer and the high-refractive-index material layer are alternately disposed; wherein, the thickness of the antireflective coating layer is ≤250nm, and the ratio of the thickness of the at least one high-refractive-index material layer to the thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 10% to 50%; and the reflectivity of the surface of the sapphire product facing the first direction to light within a preset wavelength range is ≤1.3%, and the indentation hardness of the sapphire product under a preset load is ≥20GPa.

[0007] It is understood that the sapphire products provided in this application embodiment can improve the hardness and scratch resistance of sapphire products by reasonably setting the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer and the proportion of the thickness of the material layer with high refractive index in the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer. At the same time, it can also improve the optical properties of the surface of sapphire products, such as reducing the reflectivity of the surface of sapphire products and increasing the transmittance of the surface of sapphire products.

[0008] Furthermore, the first direction mentioned in this application can be parallel to the thickness direction of the sapphire product, and the first direction can refer to the positive Z-axis direction of the embodiment of this application.

[0009] In some implementations of the first aspect mentioned above, the refractive index of the high-refractive-index material layer is ≥1.85, and the refractive index of the low-refractive-index material layer is ≤1.52. It can be understood that by using material layers with different refractive indices to form an antireflective coating, interference can occur between the incident light rays, thereby reducing the intensity of the reflected light.

[0010] In some implementations of the first aspect described above, the antireflective coating layer includes a first high-refractive-index material layer, a first low-refractive-index material layer, a second high-refractive-index material layer, and a second low-refractive-index material layer stacked sequentially along a first direction; wherein the surface of the second low-refractive-index material layer facing the first direction has a reflectivity of ≤0.5 for light within a preset wavelength range. It can be understood that the second low-refractive-index material layer is the outermost layer of the antireflective coating layer, which is more conducive to achieving a lower reflectivity on the surface of the antireflective coating layer.

[0011] In some implementations of the first aspect described above, the high refractive index material layer includes silicon-containing nitrides, aluminum-containing nitrides, aluminum-containing oxides, silicon carbide, titanium nitride, and Si. x Al y O z N w Si x Ti y O z N w At least one of the following. A high-refractive-index material layer can improve the overall scratch resistance of sapphire products.

[0012] In some implementations of the first aspect mentioned above, the low-refractive-index material layer includes silicon oxide, magnesium fluoride, and Si. x B y O z At least one of them.

[0013] In some implementations of the first aspect above, the refractive index of the high refractive index material layer is ≥1.85, and at least one low refractive index material layer includes a first low refractive index material layer and a second low refractive index material layer, wherein the refractive index of the first low refractive index material layer is 1.6 to 1.7, and the refractive index of the second low refractive index material layer is ≤1.52.

[0014] It is understood that the refractive index of the first low-refractive-index material layer is closer to that of the sapphire substrate than that of the second low-refractive-index material layer; that is, the difference between them is small. For example, the refractive index of the first low-refractive-index material layer is about 0.15 lower than that of the sapphire substrate. For example, the first low-refractive-index material layer includes at least one of nitrogen-doped silicon oxide, amorphous aluminum oxide, and oxygen-doped silicon nitride. The first low-refractive-index material layer can also be the medium-refractive-index material layer mentioned in the embodiments of this application.

[0015] In some implementations of the first aspect mentioned above, the sapphire product also includes a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating, which is stacked on the side of the antireflective coating layer facing away from the sapphire substrate. It is understood that DLC has a high refractive index and high hardness, which can improve the overall hardness of the sapphire cover plate 101 without significantly deteriorating its optical properties.

[0016] In some implementations of the first aspect mentioned above, the sapphire product also includes an anti-fingerprint coating, which is stacked on the side of the diamond-like coating opposite to the anti-reflective film.

[0017] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a method for preparing a sapphire product, which is used to prepare the sapphire product of the first aspect above. The preparation method includes: obtaining a sapphire substrate; and forming an anti-reflection film layer on the side of the sapphire substrate facing a first direction based on a magnetron sputtering coating process.

[0018] In some implementations of the second aspect above, the magnetron sputtering coating process includes vacuum treatment and ion sputtering coating treatment, wherein the vacuum treatment has a vacuum time of 5-60 min and a vacuum degree of ≤5e-3 Pa, and the ion sputtering coating treatment has a coating rate of ≤10 nm / min.

[0019] In some implementations of the second aspect above, the preparation method further includes: forming a diamond-like coating on the side of the antireflective film layer facing away from the sapphire substrate; and forming an anti-fingerprint coating on the side of the diamond-like coating layer facing away from the antireflective film layer.

[0020] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a display screen, including the sapphire product and display module described in the first aspect above, wherein the sapphire product is a sapphire cover plate, and the sapphire cover plate covers the display module.

[0021] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device, including a display screen and a housing, wherein the housing is used to support the display screen.

[0022] The technical effects of the second to fourth aspects mentioned above can be referred to the technical effects of the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a mobile phone 1 according to some embodiments of this application;

[0024] Figure 1B shows a cross-sectional view of a display screen 10 along the AA direction shown in Figure 1A, according to some embodiments of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sapphire cover plate 101 according to some embodiments of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a first sapphire cover plate 101 according to some embodiments of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the reflectance curves of a first sapphire cover plate 101 and a comparative sapphire cover plate for different wavelengths of light, according to some embodiments of this application.

[0028] Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a second type of sapphire cover plate 101 according to some embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the reflectance curves of a second sapphire cover plate 101 and a comparative sapphire cover plate for different wavelengths of light, according to some embodiments of this application.

[0030] Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a third type of sapphire cover plate 101 according to some embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the reflectance curves of a third type of sapphire cover plate 101 and a comparative sapphire cover plate for different wavelengths of light, according to some embodiments of this application.

[0032] Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a fourth type of sapphire cover plate 101 according to some embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of the reflectance curves of a fourth type of sapphire cover plate 101 and a comparative sapphire cover plate for light of different wavelengths, according to some embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The illustrative embodiments of this application include, but are not limited to, a sapphire article and a method for preparing the same, a display screen, and an electronic device.

[0035] In this application embodiment, sapphire products include, but are not limited to, optical components such as displays for various electronic devices, eyeglass lenses, window glass, and lenses.

[0036] It is understood that the electronic devices in the embodiments of this application can be mobile phones, smart TVs, wearable devices (e.g., watches), tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, etc. For ease of explanation, a mobile phone is used as an example below.

[0037] Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a mobile phone 1 provided in an embodiment of this application. It should be noted that the X-axis direction in each figure of this application can represent the width direction of the mobile phone 1, the Y-axis direction can represent the length direction of the mobile phone 1, and the Z-axis direction can represent the thickness direction of the mobile phone 1. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions can be perpendicular to each other.

[0038] In addition, generally speaking, the side of the mobile phone 1 facing the user when in use is called the front of the mobile phone 1, that is, the side of the mobile phone 1 facing the positive direction of the Z-axis is the front. Correspondingly, in this application, the side of each component facing the positive direction of the Z-axis is called the front of each component. The side of the mobile phone 1 facing away from the user when in use is called the back of the mobile phone 1, that is, the side of the mobile phone 1 facing the negative direction of the Z-axis is the back. Correspondingly, in this application, the side of each component facing the negative direction of the Z-axis is called the back of each component.

[0039] As shown in Figure 1A, the mobile phone 1 includes a housing 20 and a display screen 10 disposed on the housing 20. The mobile phone 1 can realize its display functions through the display screen 10, such as displaying application interfaces, lock screen interfaces, boot screens, etc.

[0040] Figure 1B shows a cross-sectional view of a display screen 10 along the AA direction shown in Figure 1A. Referring to Figure 1B, the display screen 10 includes a cover plate 101, a touch layer 102, and a display layer 103 stacked sequentially along the Z-axis. The cover plate 101 mainly protects the internal structure of the mobile phone 1, such as the touch layer 102 and the display layer 103, and also provides touch functionality. The touch layer 102 receives and transmits the user's touch signals, thereby enabling operations such as selecting, dragging, and zooming the displayed content. The display layer 103 mainly displays images and text, providing the user with a clear and vibrant visual experience. The touch layer 102 and the display layer 103 constitute at least a portion of the display module of the display screen 10. In some embodiments, the display module of the display screen 10 may not include the touch layer 102.

[0041] In some embodiments, sapphire can be used as the substrate material of the cover plate 101 (hereinafter referred to as "sapphire cover plate 101"). Sapphire possesses excellent mechanical properties; specifically, its Young's modulus (up to 350 GPa) is significantly greater than that of ordinary glass (e.g., 80 GPa) and microcrystalline glass (e.g., 110 GPa). Sapphire's Vickers hardness reaches 17 GPa, approximately twice that of ordinary glass or microcrystalline glass. Sapphire also exhibits superior fracture toughness compared to ordinary glass and microcrystalline glass. However, compared to ordinary glass and microcrystalline glass, sapphire has poorer optical properties; for example, sapphire has a single-sided reflectivity of 7.5%, while ordinary glass has approximately 4%. It is understandable that higher reflectivity leads to more severe glare on the display screen 10, affecting the user's viewing experience and comfort.

[0042] Currently, the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 (i.e., the side of the sapphire cover plate 101 facing the positive Z-axis) is provided with an anti-reflective coating (AR coating) to reduce the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 101. However, the AR coating generally has a low hardness, for example, much lower than the hardness of sapphire, which makes the surface hardness and scratch resistance of the sapphire cover plate 101 with the AR coating poor. In other words, the sapphire cover plate 101 with the AR coating cannot currently achieve both optical performance (e.g., low reflectivity) and scratch resistance.

[0043] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a sapphire product, such as a sapphire cover plate. The sapphire cover plate includes a sapphire substrate and an anti-reflective coating layer stacked on top of each other. The anti-reflective coating layer can be formed by alternating layers of high-refractive-index material (e.g., a material layer with a refractive index higher than that of sapphire) and low-refractive-index material (e.g., a material layer with a refractive index lower than that of sapphire). Using material layers with different refractive indices allows incident light to interfere between different layers, thereby reducing the intensity of reflected light. By controlling the overall thickness of the anti-reflective coating layer and the proportion of the high-refractive-index material layer in the overall thickness within a reasonable range, the hardness and scratch resistance of the sapphire-based cover plate can be improved, while avoiding the problem of decreased optical performance (e.g., increased reflectivity) due to excessive overall thickness or excessive proportion of the anti-reflective layer.

[0044] Taking a sapphire cover plate as an example, Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a sapphire cover plate 101 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the sapphire cover plate 101 includes a sapphire substrate 110 and an anti-reflective coating layer 120 stacked on one side of the sapphire substrate 110. The Z-axis direction is the stacking direction of each layer in the sapphire cover plate 101. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the thickness of each component is the dimension of that component along the Z-axis direction.

[0045] It should be noted that the term "stack" as used in this application includes coating, depositing, and / or forming materials on a surface using any method known in the art, such that the stacked materials may constitute a layer as defined herein. The expression "stacked on one side" includes the formation of materials on a surface such that the materials are in direct contact with the surface, and also includes the formation of materials on a surface wherein one or more insert materials are present between the stacked materials and the surface, such insert materials may constitute a layer as defined herein.

[0046] In some embodiments, when the sapphire cover plate 101 is mounted on an electronic device such as the mobile phone 1 described above, the antireflective coating layer 120 is closer to the inside of the mobile phone 1 than the sapphire substrate 110. In other words, the antireflective coating layer 120 is stacked on the side of the sapphire substrate 110 facing the positive Z-axis direction (first direction).

[0047] The antireflective coating 120 includes at least one high-refractive-index material layer and at least one low-refractive-index material layer. In Figure 2, the antireflective coating 120 is illustrated as comprising high-refractive-index material layers 121-1 to 121-m and low-refractive-index material layers 122-1 to 122-n, where m and n are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1. Specifically, the refractive index of each of the high-refractive-index material layers 121-1 to 121-m is greater than the refractive index of the sapphire substrate 110, and the refractive index of each of the low-refractive-index material layers 122-1 to 122-n is less than the refractive index of the sapphire substrate 110.

[0048] In some embodiments, the antireflective coating layer 120 includes multiple layers of high-refractive-index material and multiple layers of low-refractive-index material, and the low-refractive-index material layers and high-refractive-index material layers can be alternately arranged. For example, as shown in FIG2, high-refractive-index material layer 121-1, low-refractive-index material layer 122-1, high-refractive-index material layer 121-2, and low-refractive-index material layer 122-2 are alternately arranged along the Z-axis direction.

[0049] It should be noted that the total number of high-refractive-index material layers and low-refractive-index material layers in the antireflective coating layer 120 can be either an odd number or an even number. For example, the antireflective coating layer 120 may include an even number of high-refractive-index material layers and an even number of low-refractive-index material layers, or it may include an even number of high-refractive-index material layers and an odd number of low-refractive-index material layers, or it may include an odd number of high-refractive-index material layers and an even number of low-refractive-index material layers, or it may include an odd number of high-refractive-index material layers and an odd number of low-refractive-index material layers.

[0050] In this embodiment of the application, the total thickness of the antireflective coating 120 is ≤250nm, and the ratio between the total thickness of all high refractive index material layers in the antireflective coating 120 and the overall thickness of the antireflective coating 120 (that is, the proportion of the total thickness of all high refractive index material layers in the overall thickness of the antireflective coating 120, hereinafter referred to as the proportion of the thickness of high refractive index material layers) is in the range of 10% to 50%.

[0051] Furthermore, the sapphire cover plate 101 was tested using a nanoindentation hardness test method. A preset load (e.g., 25 mN) was applied to the sapphire cover plate 101, and the indentation hardness at different nanometer depths of the sapphire cover plate 101 was measured to be ≥20 GPa. In other hardness tests, the Mohs hardness of the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 (e.g., surface 120A of the antireflective coating layer 120 in Figure 2) was measured to be ≥7. In addition, the average reflectivity of the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 (surface 120A of the antireflective coating layer 120) for light within a preset wavelength range (420-700 nm) was ≤1.3%.

[0052] It is understandable that an excessively large proportion of the high-refractive-index material layer in the anti-reflective coating 120 will lead to a decrease in the optical performance of the anti-reflective coating 120. For example, when the thickness of the high-refractive-index material layer is in the range of 10% to 50%, the average reflectivity of the surface of the anti-reflective coating 120 for light within a preset wavelength range (420-700nm) is ≤1.3%, while when the thickness of the high-refractive-index material layer exceeds 50%, the surface reflectivity of the anti-reflective coating 120 is ≥4%.

[0053] Based on this, the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in this application embodiment can improve the optical performance of the antireflective coating layer 120 while increasing the hardness of the sapphire cover plate 101 by setting the thickness of the antireflective coating layer 120 and the high refractive index material layer.

[0054] In some embodiments, continuing to refer to FIG2, the refractive index of each high-refractive-index material layer 121-1 to 121-m is at least 0.1 higher than the refractive index of the sapphire substrate 110. For example, the refractive index of the sapphire substrate 110 is approximately 1.75, and the refractive index of each high-refractive-index material layer 121-1 to 121-m is ≥1.85. The materials of the high-refractive-index material layers include, but are not limited to, silicon-containing nitrides (e.g., Si3N4), aluminum-containing nitrides (e.g., AlN), aluminum-containing oxide nitrides (e.g., AlON), silicon carbide, titanium nitride, and Si. x Al y O z N w Si x Ti y O z N w At least one of them.

[0055] In some embodiments, the refractive index of each of the low-refractive-index material layers 122-1 to 122-n is at least 0.15 lower than the refractive index of the sapphire substrate 110. For example, the refractive index of each of the low-refractive-index material layers 122-1 to 122-n is ≤1.52. The materials of the low-refractive-index material layers include, but are not limited to, silicon oxide (e.g., SiO2), magnesium fluoride, and Si... x B y O z At least one of them.

[0056] In some embodiments, the antireflective coating layer 120 further includes a medium refractive index material layer. The refractive index of the medium refractive index material layer is lower than that of the sapphire substrate 110, but higher than that of the low refractive index material layer. That is, the refractive index of the medium refractive index material layer is only slightly different from that of the sapphire substrate 110, for example, the refractive index of the medium refractive index material layer is less than 0.15 lower than that of the sapphire substrate 110. For example, the refractive index of the medium refractive index material layer is 1.6 ≤ n ≤ 1.7. The medium refractive index material layer can be disposed between two high refractive index material layers. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the low refractive index material layer 122-1 between the high refractive index material layers 121-1 and 121-2 can be replaced with a medium refractive index material layer. The material of the medium refractive index material layer includes, but is not limited to, at least one of nitrogen-doped silicon oxide, amorphous alumina, and oxygen-doped silicon nitride. For example, SiO2. x N y Al2O3.

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2, the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 can be the surface 120A of the antireflective coating layer 120 facing the positive Z-axis direction. Further, the surface 120A of the antireflective coating layer 120 facing the positive Z-axis direction can be the surface of the low refractive index material layer 122-n, that is, the outermost layer of the antireflective coating layer 120 facing the positive Z-axis direction is a low refractive index material layer.

[0058] Alternatively, the surface 120A of the antireflective coating 120 facing the positive Z-axis can be the surface of a high-refractive-index material layer 121-m. That is, the outermost layer of the antireflective coating 120 facing the positive Z-axis is a high-refractive-index material layer. It can be understood that having a low-refractive-index material layer as the outermost layer of the antireflective coating 120 is more conducive to improving the optical performance of the antireflective coating 120, such as achieving a lower reflectivity.

[0059] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2, the bottom layer of the antireflective coating layer 120 in the sapphire cover plate 101 facing the negative Z-axis is a high refractive index material layer 121-1, that is, a high refractive index material layer is stacked on the side of the sapphire substrate 110 facing the positive Z-axis. In other embodiments, a low refractive index material layer may also be stacked on the side of the sapphire substrate 110 facing the positive Z-axis.

[0060] In some embodiments, the materials of the high-refractive-index material layers in the antireflective coating layer 120 may be the same or different. The materials of the low-refractive-index material layers in the antireflective coating layer 120 may be the same or different. The materials of the medium-refractive-index material layers in the antireflective coating layer 120 may be the same or different.

[0061] In some embodiments, the sapphire cover plate 101 further includes a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating, which can be stacked on the side of the antireflective coating layer 120 facing away from the sapphire substrate 110. That is, the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 can be a diamond-like carbon coating. For example, the thickness of the diamond-like carbon coating is ≤5nm. It is understood that diamond-like carbon has a high refractive index and high hardness, which can improve the overall hardness of the sapphire cover plate 101 without significantly deteriorating its optical properties.

[0062] In some embodiments, the sapphire cover plate 101 further includes an antifingerprint film (AF), which may be laminated on the side of the diamond-like coating facing away from the antireflective film layer 120. That is, the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 may be an antifingerprint coating. Exemplarily, the antifingerprint coating material includes, but is not limited to, at least one of ceramic, fluorocarbon, and silicone resin.

[0063] In some embodiments, the sapphire cover plate 101 includes two antireflective coating layers 120, which are stacked on opposite sides of the sapphire substrate 110 along the Z-axis.

[0064] In some embodiments, the sapphire cover plate 101 further includes an anti-ultraviolet coating and / or an anti-infrared coating, which may be stacked on the side of the anti-reflective film layer 120 facing away from the sapphire substrate 110 to filter invisible light. That is, the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 may be an anti-ultraviolet coating or an anti-infrared coating. Exemplarily, the materials of the anti-ultraviolet coating include, but are not limited to, pure acrylate copolymers, and the anti-infrared coating includes, but is not limited to, at least one of titanium dioxide, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, iron oxide, and chromium oxide.

[0065] This application also provides a method for preparing a sapphire cover plate 101.

[0066] In some embodiments, an antireflective coating 110 is formed on a sapphire substrate 110 by magnetron sputtering. The coating process may include steps such as vacuuming, plasma surface treatment, Ar ion sputtering target application, and post-oxidation / nitriding treatment. Exemplarily, coating process parameters may include: vacuuming time of 5-60 min, vacuum level ≤ 5e-3 Pa, and coating rate ≤ 10 nm / min during ion sputtering. It is understood that the film thickness is mainly determined by the coating time, target sputtering rate, oxygen and nitrogen flow rate, and ionization rate. In practical applications, process parameters can be adjusted according to specific needs, and this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0067] In some embodiments, during the coating process, an anti-reflective coating layer 110 may be deposited first, followed by a diamond-like carbon coating, and then an anti-fingerprint coating.

[0068] It is understood that the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in this application embodiment has low reflectivity and good scratch resistance. When used in electronic devices, it will not cause glare even under strong sunlight, making it easier for users to see the displayed content on the screen and improving the user experience. In addition, the sapphire cover plate 101 has high hardness and good surface scratch resistance, and is not prone to short, thick, and hard scratches, which does not affect the appearance of the electronic device and has strong impact resistance.

[0069] The sapphire cover plate provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0070] To visually demonstrate the effect of the sapphire cover plate provided in the embodiments of this application, this application provides a sapphire cover plate as a comparative example of the various embodiments of this application.

[0071] The specific parameters of each layer of the sapphire cover plate provided in this comparative example are shown in Table 1 below:

[0072] Table 1

[0073] The sapphire cover plate provided in this comparative example has an overall antireflective coating thickness of 495 nm and a high-refractive-index material layer thickness (second, fourth, and sixth layers) of 140 nm + 133 nm + 13 nm, or 286 nm. Correspondingly, the ratio of the high-refractive-index material layer thickness to the overall antireflective coating thickness is 286 / 495, approximately 58%. Furthermore, the sapphire cover plate provided in this comparative example has a nanoindentation hardness of 10 GPa.

[0074] Example 1:

[0075] Figure 3 shows a first type of sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Embodiment 1 of this application. The sapphire cover plate 101 includes a sapphire substrate 110, a high refractive index material layer 121-1 (second layer), and a low refractive index material layer 122-1 (first layer) stacked sequentially along the positive Z-axis. Each material layer can be fabricated using a magnetron sputtering deposition process. Specific process parameters may include: vacuum time 5-60 min, vacuum degree 10-3 Pa, and deposition rate 10 nm / min.

[0076] The specific parameters for each layer are shown in Table 2 below:

[0077] Table 2

[0078] As can be seen, in Example 1, the thickness of the high refractive index material layer is 12nm, and the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 94nm + 12nm, which is 106nm. Accordingly, the ratio of the thickness of the high refractive index material layer to the total thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 12 / 106, which is approximately 11%.

[0079] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the reflectance curves of the sapphire cover plate provided in Example 1 and the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example for different wavelengths of light.

[0080] In Figure 4, the horizontal axis represents the wavelength of light, and the vertical axis represents the reflectivity of light of different wavelengths. The solid line represents the reflectivity of the front side (surface 122A of the low refractive index material layer 122-1 facing the positive Z-axis) of the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Example 1 for light of different wavelengths, and the dashed line represents the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example for light of different wavelengths. It can be seen that within the preset wavelength range (420-700nm), the average reflectivity of the comparative example is 7.7%, while the average reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 201 of Example 1 is 1.1%. Therefore, the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Example 1 is better than that of the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example, and the optical effect is significantly improved.

[0081] Furthermore, according to the nano-indentation hardness test, the indentation hardness at different nano-depths of the sapphire cover plate 101 was ≥23GPa, thus preserving the excellent hardness of the sapphire material.

[0082] Example 2:

[0083] Figure 5 shows the second type of sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Embodiment 2 of this application. The sapphire cover plate 101 includes a sapphire substrate 110, a high refractive index material layer 121-1 (fourth layer), a medium refractive index material layer 123-1 (third layer), a high refractive index material layer 121-2 (second layer), and a low refractive index material layer 122-1 (first layer) stacked sequentially along the positive Z-axis. Each material layer is fabricated using a magnetron sputtering deposition process, with specific parameters including: vacuum time 5-60 min, vacuum degree 10⁻³ Pa, and deposition rate 10 nm / min.

[0084] The specific parameters for each layer are shown in Table 3 below:

[0085] Table 3

[0086] As can be seen, in this Example 2, the total thickness of the high refractive index material layer is 34nm+34nm, i.e., 68nm, and the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 94nm+34nm+34nm+34nm, i.e., 196nm. Accordingly, the ratio of the thickness of the high refractive index material layer to the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 68 / 196, which is approximately 34%.

[0087] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the reflectance curves of a sapphire cover plate provided in Embodiment 2 and a sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example for different wavelengths of light.

[0088] In Figure 6, the horizontal axis represents the wavelength of light, and the vertical axis represents the reflectivity of light of different wavelengths. The solid line represents the reflectivity of the front side (surface 122A of the low refractive index material layer 122-1 facing the positive Z-axis) of the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Example 2 for light of different wavelengths, and the dashed line represents the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example for light of different wavelengths. It can be seen that within the preset wavelength range (420-700nm), the average reflectivity of the comparative example is 7.7%, while the average reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 101 in Example 2 is 0.6%. Therefore, the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Example 2 is better than that of the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example, and the optical effect is significantly improved.

[0089] Furthermore, according to the nano-indentation hardness test, the indentation hardness at different nano-depths of the sapphire cover plate 101 was ≥28GPa, which is 5GPa higher than the hardness of the sapphire material.

[0090] Example 3:

[0091] Figure 7 illustrates the third type of sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Embodiment 3 of this application. The sapphire cover plate 101 includes a sapphire substrate 110, a high refractive index material layer 121-1 (fourth layer), a low refractive index material layer 122-1 (third layer), a high refractive index material layer 121-2 (second layer), and a low refractive index material layer 122-2 (first layer) stacked sequentially along the positive Z-axis. Each material layer is fabricated using a magnetron sputtering deposition process, with specific parameters including: vacuum time 5-60 min, vacuum degree 10⁻³ Pa, and deposition rate 10 nm / min.

[0092] The specific parameters for each layer are shown in Table 4 below:

[0093] Table 4

[0094] As can be seen, in this embodiment 3, the total thickness of the high refractive index material layer is 48nm + 48nm, which is 96nm, and the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 90nm + 48nm + 12nm + 48nm, which is 198nm. Accordingly, the ratio of the thickness of the high refractive index material layer to the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 96 / 198, which is approximately 48%.

[0095] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the reflectance curves of a sapphire cover plate provided in Embodiment 3 and a sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example for different wavelengths of light.

[0096] In Figure 8, the horizontal axis represents the wavelength of light, and the vertical axis represents the reflectivity of light of different wavelengths. The solid line represents the reflectivity of the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Example 3 (e.g., the surface 122A of the low refractive index material layer 122-2 facing the positive Z-axis direction as shown in Figure 7) for light of different wavelengths, and the dashed line represents the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example for light of different wavelengths. It can be seen that within the preset wavelength range (420-700nm), the average reflectivity of the comparative example is 7.7%, while the average reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 101 in Example 3 is 0.5%. Therefore, the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Example 3 is better than that of the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example, and the optical effect is significantly improved.

[0097] Furthermore, according to the nano-indentation hardness test, the indentation hardness at different nano-depths of the sapphire cover plate 101 was ≥30GPa, which is 7GPa higher than the hardness of the sapphire material.

[0098] Example 4:

[0099] Figure 9 illustrates the fourth type of sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Embodiment 4 of this application. The sapphire cover plate 101 includes a sapphire substrate 110, a low refractive index material layer 122-1 (seventh layer), a high refractive index material layer 121-1 (sixth layer), a low refractive index material layer 122-2 (fifth layer), a high refractive index material layer 121-2 (fourth layer), a low refractive index material layer 122-3 (third layer), a diamond-like carbon coating 130 (second layer), and an anti-fingerprint coating 140 (first layer) stacked sequentially along the positive Z-axis. Each material layer is fabricated using a magnetron sputtering deposition process, with specific parameters including: vacuum time 5-60 min, vacuum degree 10⁻³ Pa, and deposition rate 10 nm / min.

[0100] The specific parameters for each layer are shown in Table 5 below:

[0101] Table 5

[0102] As can be seen, in this embodiment 4, the total thickness of the high refractive index material layer is 54nm + 60nm, i.e., 114nm, and the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 88nm + 54nm + 17nm + 60nm + 12nm, i.e., 231nm. Accordingly, the ratio of the thickness of the high refractive index material layer to the overall thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 96 / 198, which is approximately 49%.

[0103] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of the reflectance curves of a sapphire cover plate provided in Embodiment 4 and a sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example for light of different wavelengths.

[0104] In Figure 10, the horizontal axis represents the wavelength of light, and the vertical axis represents the reflectivity of light at different wavelengths. The solid line represents the reflectivity of the front side of the sapphire cover plate 101 in Example 4 (e.g., the surface 140A of the anti-fingerprint coating 140 facing the positive Z-axis as shown in Figure 9) for different wavelengths of light. The dashed line represents the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example for different wavelengths of light. It can be seen that within the preset wavelength range (420-700nm), the average reflectivity of the comparative example is 7.7%, while the average reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 101 in Example 4 is 1.2%. Therefore, the reflectivity of the sapphire cover plate 101 provided in Example 5 is superior to that of the sapphire cover plate provided in the comparative example, resulting in a significant improvement in optical performance.

[0105] Furthermore, according to the nano-indentation hardness test, the indentation hardness at different nano-depths of the sapphire cover plate 101 was ≥33GPa, which is 10GPa higher than the hardness of the sapphire material.

[0106] It should be noted that the sapphire product of this application embodiment can be integrated into other electronic devices or devices with reference to the structure of the sapphire cover plate 101 described in the above embodiment, such as optical devices such as windows and glasses, or other devices with or without integrated displays such as head-up displays in vehicles.

[0107] It should be noted that the specific numerical values ​​claimed in the embodiments of this application are not, and need not be, exact, but can be approximate and / or larger or smaller as needed, reflecting other factors known to those skilled in the art, such as tolerances and measurement errors. Similarly, each numerical range can be expressed as starting from a specific value and / or ending at another specific value, but this specific value is not, and need not be, exact, but can be approximate and / or larger or smaller as needed, reflecting other factors known to those skilled in the art, such as tolerances and measurement errors.

[0108] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to also include expressions such as “one or more,” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of this application, “one or more” means one, two, or more.

[0109] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0110] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

Claims

1. A sapphire product, characterized in that, It includes a sapphire substrate and an anti-reflective coating layer, wherein the anti-reflective coating layer is stacked on the side of the sapphire substrate facing the first direction; The antireflective coating layer includes at least one high refractive index material layer and at least one low refractive index material layer. The refractive index of the high refractive index material layer is greater than that of the sapphire substrate, and the refractive index of the low refractive index material layer is less than that of the sapphire substrate. The low refractive index material layer and the high refractive index material layer are alternately arranged. Wherein, the thickness of the antireflective coating layer is ≤250nm, the ratio of the thickness of the at least one high refractive index material layer to the thickness of the antireflective coating layer is 10% to 50%; and the reflectivity of the surface of the sapphire product facing the first direction to light within a preset wavelength range is ≤1.3%, and the indentation hardness of the sapphire product under a preset load is ≥20GPa.

2. The sapphire product according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refractive index of the high refractive index material layer is ≥1.85, and the refractive index of the low refractive index material layer is ≤1.

52.

3. The sapphire product according to claim 2, characterized in that, The antireflective coating layer comprises a first high refractive index material layer, a first low refractive index material layer, a second high refractive index material layer, and a second low refractive index material layer, which are sequentially stacked along the first direction. Wherein, the surface of the second low-refractive-index material layer facing the first direction has a reflectivity of ≤0.5 for light within the preset wavelength range.

4. The sapphire article according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The high refractive index material layer includes silicon-containing nitrides, aluminum-containing nitrides, aluminum-containing oxides, silicon carbide, titanium nitride, and Si. x Al y O z N w Si x Ti y O z N w At least one of them.

5. The sapphire article according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The low-refractive-index material layer includes silicon oxide, magnesium fluoride, and Si. x B y O z At least one of them.

6. The sapphire product according to claim 1, characterized in that, The high refractive index material layer has a refractive index ≥ 1.85, and the at least one low refractive index material layer includes a first low refractive index material layer and a second low refractive index material layer, wherein the refractive index of the first low refractive index material layer is 1.6 to 1.7, and the refractive index of the second low refractive index material layer is ≤ 1.

52.

7. The sapphire article according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first low-refractive-index material layer includes at least one of nitrogen-doped silicon oxide, amorphous aluminum oxide, and oxygen-doped silicon nitride.

8. The sapphire product according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sapphire product further includes a diamond-like carbon coating, which is stacked on the side of the antireflective coating layer facing away from the sapphire substrate.

9. The sapphire article according to claim 8, characterized in that, The sapphire product further includes an anti-fingerprint coating, which is stacked on the side of the diamond-like coating opposite to the anti-reflective film.

10. A method for preparing a sapphire product, characterized in that, The method for preparing the sapphire article according to any one of claims 1-9 comprises: Obtaining a sapphire substrate; An antireflection coating is formed on the side of the sapphire substrate facing the first direction using a magnetron sputtering deposition process.

11. The preparation method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The magnetron sputtering coating process includes vacuum treatment and ion sputtering coating treatment. The vacuuming time for the vacuuming process is 5-60 min, the vacuum degree is ≤5e-3Pa, and the coating rate for the ion sputtering coating process is ≤10nm / min.

12. The preparation method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The preparation method further includes: A diamond-like coating is formed on the side of the antireflective film layer facing away from the sapphire substrate; An anti-fingerprint coating is formed on the side of the diamond-like coating that is opposite to the anti-reflective film layer.

13. A display screen, characterized in that, Includes the sapphire article and display module according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the sapphire article is a sapphire cover plate, and the sapphire cover plate covers the display module.

14. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes the display screen and housing as described in claim 13, wherein the housing is used to support the display screen.

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