US-12618135-B2 - Method of manufacture of precious metal laminate

US12618135B2US 12618135 B2US12618135 B2US 12618135B2US-12618135-B2

Abstract

A precious metallic laminate may include a first transparent substrate, a transparent transition layer deposited on the first transparent substrate, and a metallic layer deposited on the transparent transition layer. The metallic layer may include a precious metal. The laminate may include a second transparent substrate covering the metallic layer.

Inventors

Adam Trexler
Laurie Johansen
Paul Diffendaffer

Assignees

Adam Trexler
Laurie Johansen
Paul Diffendaffer

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20211217

Claims (8)

1 . A method of producing a precious metallic laminate, comprising: depositing a transparent transition layer on a first transparent substrate; depositing a metallic layer on the transparent transition layer by: applying a plurality of sublayers of at least one precious metal atop the transparent transition layer; prior to depositing a last sublayer, measuring a total thickness of previous sublayers to determine a thickness of the last sublayer needed to achieve a target mass of the at least one precious metal; and depositing the last sublayer, wherein: the at least one precious metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, ruthenium, rhenium, indium, germanium, beryllium, tellurium, and bismuth; at least two sublayers of the plurality of sublayers are adjacent to one another; at least some of the plurality of sublayers have different thicknesses; a collective mass of the at least one precious metal within the plurality of sublayers is within 10% of the target mass of the at least one precious metal; and the transparent transition layer contacts at least a portion of the first transparent substrate and at least a portion of the metallic layer; and applying a second transparent substrate over the metallic layer.
2 . The method of producing a precious metallic laminate of claim 1 , further comprising: depositing an additional transparent transition layer on the metallic layer prior to applying the second transparent substrate.
3 . The method of producing a precious metallic laminate of claim 1 , wherein: at least some of the plurality of sublayers have a variable thickness across one or both of a length and a width of the respective sublayer.
4 . The method of producing a precious metallic laminate of claim 1 , wherein: a thickest sublayer is deposited most proximate the transparent transition layer.
5 . The method of producing a precious metallic laminate of claim 1 , further comprising: prior to depositing the metallic layer, preparing the first transparent substrate by: removing a portion of the first transparent substrate; dehydrogenating the first transparent substrate; cleaning the first transparent substrate; and removing oligomers from the first transparent substrate.
6 . The method of producing a precious metallic laminate of claim 1 , wherein: the metallic layer comprises a first portion having a thickness of at least about 200 nm and a second portion having a thickness of less than about 200 nm.
7 . The method of producing a precious metallic laminate of claim 1 , wherein: a variation of thickness of the metallic layer less than 5% across a surface area of the metallic layer.
8 . The method of producing a precious metallic laminate of claim 1 , further comprising: trimming one or more lateral edges of the metallic layer.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Precious metals are used in various applications, including as a medium of exchange, as a collectible object of art, as an accounting unit, and as a store of value. However, due to the high monetary value of such metals, counterfeit objects from other less valuable materials may be produced and passed off as containing a particular precious metal. Additionally, it may be difficult to produce items that contain a precise amount of a given precious metal so as to be worth a particular value, especially in applications using very small quantities of the precious metal. During large scale production of such items, even small variations in the quantity of precious metals on single items may result in significant surpluses/deficits of metal used. Improvements in the precise applications of precious metals and in the security and anti-counterfeit measures are desired. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment, a precious metallic laminate is provided. The laminate may include a first transparent substrate. The laminate may include a transparent transition layer deposited on the first transparent substrate. The laminate may include a metallic layer deposited on the transparent transition layer. The metallic layer may include a precious metal. The laminate may include a second transparent substrate covering the metallic layer. In some embodiments, an additional transparent transition layer may be disposed between the metallic layer and the second transparent substrate. The transparent transition layer may include one or both of a metallic oxide and a metallic carbide. The metallic layer may include a plurality of sublayers of a metal. At least some of the plurality of sublayers may have different thicknesses. At least some of the plurality of sublayers may have a variable thickness across one or both of a length and a width of the respective sublayer. At least one of the plurality of sublayers may have a concave shape across a width of the respective sublayer. At least one of the plurality of sublayers may have a convex shape across a width of the respective sublayer. At least a portion of the metallic layer has a thickness of less than about 200 nm. The laminate may include one or more identification markings. The one or more identification markings may include one or more selected from the group consisting of: a micropattern, a serial number, a portion of the metallic layer having a thickness of less than about 200 nm, a diffraction pattern device, a laser-etched element, a microdamage element, and a lithographic element. In another embodiment, a method of producing a precious metallic laminate is provided. The method may include depositing a transparent transition layer on a first transparent substrate. The method may include depositing a metallic layer on the transparent transition layer. The metallic layer may include a precious metal. The method may include applying a second transparent substrate over the metallic layer. In some embodiments, the method may include depositing an additional transparent transition layer on the metallic layer prior to applying the second transparent substrate. Depositing the metallic layer may include applying a plurality of sublayers of the precious metal atop the transparent transition layer. At least some of the plurality of sublayers may have a variable thickness across one or both of a length and a width of the respective sublayer. At least some of the plurality of sublayers may have different thicknesses. A thickest sublayer may be deposited most proximate the transparent transition layer. Depositing the metallic layer may include prior to depositing a last sublayer, measuring a total thickness of previous sublayers to determine a thickness of the last sublayer and depositing the last layer. The method may include prior to depositing the metallic layer, preparing the first transparent substrate by removing a portion of the first transparent substrate, dehydrogenating the first transparent substrate, cleaning the first transparent substrate, and removing oligomers from the first transparent substrate. The metallic layer may include a first portion having a thickness of at least about 200 nm and a second portion having a thickness of less than about 200 nm. A thickness of the metallic layer may be uniform to within 5%. The method may include trimming one or more lateral edges of the metallic layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A further understanding of the nature and advantages of various embodiments may be realized by reference to the following figures. In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a set of parentheses containing a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any