Patent Application
20240080964
The present invention relates to the field of providing markings to solid state materials, and more particularly to the marking of gemstones including diamonds.
As is known, gemstone, including diamonds, identification and grading has been long-established by international standards laboratories such as including GIA, IGI, Gem-A and NGTC.
Also as is known, the identification and grading result is typically stored in an electronic media such as hard-disks, tapes, compact discs and the like, and a paper certificate is issued along with the corresponding gemstone.
When a certificate is lost or destroyed, or when the gemstone is mixed with other gemstones, the identity of the gemstone is effectively lost, and is required to be recertified.
Direct marking applied to gemstones, including diamonds, is a generally straight-forward implementation in order to avoid such circumstance and allows for re-identification of the gemstone.
Conventional techniques known within the art for the marking of gemstones including diamonds include laser marking, and also ion beam marking.
However, when using laser marking, this has been shown to generate coarse patterns and can leave unrecoverable ablation marks on the gemstone, causing permanent damage and which can cause devaluation the gemstone, and in some cases discernable blemishes and defects.
When using ion beam marking, such a technique can be used to inscribe fine patterns on the surface of a gemstone, which can be 1000 times smaller than those when using laser marking, however the process is typically relatively slow and requires precision.
Other than item identification, gemstone marking can provide traceability of an item such that its origin, its owner, and its features and the like.
Such marking techniques can also assist in the prevention of the counterfeiting of precious articles such as artworks or jewellery, and be of assistance in the incident of theft.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the marking of solid state materials, including gemstones, and an identification marking which overcomes or at least partly ameliorates at least some deficiencies as associated with the prior art.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming an identifiable marking at an outer surface of a plurality of articles formed from a solid-state material, wherein each marking is formed from one or more recesses extending from the outer surface and into the article, said method including the steps of:
The plasma etching process may be microwave plasma etching, reactive-ion etching (RIE), or inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) etching.
The mask may be formed from a polymeric material. The mask may be formed from a polymeric film. The mask may be formed from a polyimide film.
The mask may have an adhesive substance applied to the first surface, and wherein the plurality articles are affixed relative to the mask by said adhesive substance. The adhesive substance may be a silicon adhesive substance.
The etching process is an ARDE (aspect ratio dependent etching) process.
The mask thickness may be in the range of from 10 μm to 800 μm, or in the range of from 25 μm to 400 μm, or in the range of from 40 μm to 200 μm. The mask may have a thickness of about 50 μm.
The apertures of mask pattern have a width of in the range of from 0.1 μm to 100 μm.
The aspect ratio of the mask thickness to the width of the apertures of the mask pattern is in the range of from 3:1 to 15:1.
The aspect ratio of the mask thickness to the width of the apertures of the mask pattern may be about 5:1.
Each mask pattern of the plurality of mask patterns may have the same as the other mask patterns.
Each mask pattern of the plurality of mask patterns differs from at least one of the other mask patterns.
Each mask pattern may be formed by a plurality of apertures extending through the mask.
The apertures of the mask patterns may have different sizes and shapes.
The mask pattern may be provided as an indicia, so as to provide for an indicia to be etched into the outer surface of the article.
The mask pattern may be provided as a serial number, so as to provide for a serial number to be etched into the outer surface of the article.
The mask pattern may be provided as a data code indicia, so as to provide for a data code indicia, to be etched into the outer surface of the article. The data code may be a QR code.
The marking may be an etched 2-dimensional marking or a 2.5-dimensional marking.
The width of the apertures of the pattern is of a constant width and the depth of the marking etched into the article is a constant depth.
The width of the apertures of the pattern may be of a varied width and the depth of the marking etched into the article is a varied depth.
The mask may be inclined at an angle with respect to the direction of the plasma etching process, such that a side surface of the edged marking is inclined with respect to the outer surface of the article in which the marking is etched, such that the marking is of a 3-dimensional form.
The marking has a depth in the range of from 10 nm to 30 nm. The marking has a depth of about 20 nm. The marking has a depth of about 25 nm.
The plasma etching step (iii) may be provided for a time in the range of between 10 minutes and 20 minutes.
The plasma etching step (iii) may be provided for a time of about 15 minutes.
The mask may have an adhesive substance applied to the first surface, and wherein the plurality articles are affixed relative to the mask surface by said adhesive substance, and said method further comprises a step (iv) of releasing the articles from the mask by releasing agent. The releasing agent may be acetone.
The apertures forming the patterns in the mask may be formed by way of a laser process. The laser process may be provided by a laser machining system.
The apertures forming the patterns in the mask may be formed by way of a focused ion beam process.
The solid state material from which the articles are formed may include a gemstone.
The gemstone may be a diamond, for example natural diamond, synthetic diamond, CVD diamond and HPHT diamond.
The gemstone may include ruby, sapphire and emerald.
The marking may be viewable by use of a 10× loupe or a 20× loupe. The marking may be viewable under a 5× or 10× microscope.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides an identifiable marking formed according to the method of the first aspect.
The marking may be viewable by use of a 10× loupe or a 20× loupe.
The marking may be viewable under a 5× or 10× microscope.
The marking may be viewable by naked eye.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides an article having thereon a marking formed according to the method of the first aspect.
The solid state material from which the article is formed may include a gemstone.
The gemstone may be diamond, for example natural diamond, synthetic diamond, CVD diamond and HPHT diamond.
The diamond may be a melee diamond.
The diamond may have a size of as low as 0.01 ct or a diameter of as low as about 1.3 mm
The gemstone may include ruby, sapphire and emerald.
The marking may be viewable by use of a 10× loupe or a 20× loupe.
The marking may be viewable under a 5× or 10× microscope.
In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a system for forming an identifiable marking at an outer surface of a plurality of articles formed from a solid-state material, comprising:
The system may further comprise a mask pattern forming device for providing and forming the mask patterns within the masks prior to the plurality of gemstones being placed upon the masks.
The system may further comprise a pick and place module for placing articles adjacent the mask patterns prior to etching the marking.
In order that a more precise understanding of the above-recited invention can be obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. The drawings presented herein may not be drawn to scale and any reference to dimensions in the drawings or the following description is specific to the embodiments disclosed.
The accompany drawings illustrate the present invention and explain its principle. In the drawings, like reference numbers refer to like parts throughout:
In order that a more precise understanding of the above-recited invention can be obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. The drawings presented herein may not be drawn to scale and any reference to dimensions in the drawings or the following description is specific to the embodiments disclosed.
As has been noted by the present inventors, identification markings including brand type markings or logos or indicia, or serial numbers or specific identifiers for a particular article as used within the prior art when applied to gemstones must be applied carefully and appropriately so as to not damage the gemstone or its optical properties, and in some embodiments and applications be invisible to the naked eye under normal optical conditions.
As also noted by the present inventors, when applying such markings to gemstones, such as diamonds, a considerable amount of time is required in respect of the setup, marking method, as well as in some cases postmarking cleaning articles to remove abraded or damaged material, depending on the marking method applied and utilized. As has been noted, there is a considerable amount of time and processing required to provide markings to gemstones, and as is known within the industry, it is important that such markings are applied in a manner so as not to detract from the optical properties of the diamond, and that there is an associated cost due to the effort and processing of a marking method.
In view of the observations by the present inventors as to the defects associated with in the prior art in respect of the marking of articles, in particular to gemstones such as diamonds, the present inventor has provided an invention of a method which:
The present inventors have identified the problem of being able to provide a marking into a solid state material, in particular a gemstone, which can be applied in an industrially acceptable and cost-effective manner with increased throughput and efficiency compared with process as utilized for the marking of such articles according to the prior art.
Referring to
In the present embodiment, the articles are represented as gemstones to which an identification or identifiable marking is applied, and such gemstones may be diamonds, for example natural diamonds, CVD diamonds, HPHT diamonds. Alternatively, as will be understood, the present invention is applicable to other gemstones, for example ruby, sapphire or emerald.
As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention is applicable to other gemstones which are not expressly recited herein. Furthermore, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the present invention is applicable to other solid state materials in other applications, which may not necessarily be restricted to gemstones.
As is shown, and referring to
As is shown in
In embodiments of the invention, the mask pattern 106 may be provided by various means within the mask prior to the mask being engaged with and affixed to the support member 120.
Alternatively, as is shown in
In embodiments of the present invention, mask 110, 210, 310 is formed from a polymeric material, such as a polyimide film.
The apertures forming pattern in plurality of mask patterns 206, 306 can be rapidly formed through the mask 210, 310 material by way of a laser process.
The method by way of example can utilise a laser machining system. However, in alternate and other embodiments, the apertures forming the patterns in the mask pattern may be formed by other processes for example by way of a focused ion beam process.
Each mask pattern may be different to the others, or each mask pattern may be the same as the others in embodiments of the invention.
As is shown in
In the present embodiments, in order to affix the gemstones 130, 230, 330 relative to the mask 110, 210, 310, the mask 110, 210, 310 has an adhesive substance applied to the first surface 102, 202, 302 such that the plurality of articles 130, 230, 330 are affixed relative to the mask 110, 210, 310 by the adhesive substance. The adhesive substance is a silicon adhesive.
Then, as is shown in
As will be noted, in the embodiment as shown in
As is depicted in
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, there exist numerous ways in which the gemstones could be removed from the mask, depending on an adhesive utilized, or the manner in which the gemstones are affixed relative to the mask.
Referring now to
The method 400 is substantially the same as depicted in the previous embodiments, however, in
Similarly, as is shown in
Then, as is depicted in
The gemstones 430, 530, are subsequently released from the mask 410, 510, in an appropriate manner, for example such as is described above within previous embodiments, in the event that the gemstones 430, 530, are affixed to the mask 410, 510, by way of a releasable adhesive, and a suitable releasing agent may be utilized such as acetone or the like.
The results of the etched marking 136, 236, 336, 436, 536 in the embodiments above, shall be described further below with reference to photographic representations of etched markings formed according to the embodiments above.
As is shown with reference to
Referring to
As is shown, the system 600b comprises a plurality of support devices 620b each of which to support a plurality of masks 610b, each of which supports a plurality of gemstones 630b.
The manner in which the system 600b is implemented and operated, is in keeping with the method as described above in reference to
It should be noted that each of the mask patterns of each of the masks 610b may be different to each other, or the same as each other, or different to some of each other.
Alternatively, each mask may have a same mask pattern therein which may or may not be the same as the mask patterns on other masks.
In the present example, the system 600b includes a mask pattern forming device 650b, for providing and forming the mask patterns within the masks 610b, prior to the pluralities of gemstones 630b being placed upon the masks 610b.
In order to form the mask patterns, a laser system such as a laser machining system may be utilized to form such mask patterns through the masks 610b. Alternatively, other mechanisms could be used such as a focused ion beam assembly.
When using a laser machining system, the mask pattern may have a maximum width of less than 10 μm or even 5 μm can be achieved and utilized. However, when using focused ion beam, a mask pattern with a maximum width of 0.1 μm can be achieved and utilized.
By way of example, each support device 620b may support a mask 610b which may have 1000 mask patterns thereon, and for example they may be multiple support devices 620b, for example nine support devices 620b. The present inventors have found that such implementation allows for rapid and effective formation of mask patterns through the mask 610b, in a very short period of time for example 10 minutes.
The system 600b further includes a pick and place module 660b, which can rapidly place particles, such as gemstones 630b, on the mask 610b, and whereby the gemstones may be affixed to the mask 610b by way of an adhesive on the mask.
The system 600b further includes a plasma etching system 640b for etching of the markings in the plurality of gemstones 630b in accordance with the invention and in accordance with that as is described in previous embodiments directed towards the method and process of the present invention.
The plasma etching system 640b may be, for example, microwave plasma etching, reactive-ion etching (RIE), or inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) etching system.
After the requisite pattern has been etched in, the plurality of gemstones 630b may be released from the masks 610b, in a manner such as is described in reference to the above embodiments.
Referring to
As will be understood, the layup as shown in
Now referring to
As is seen and as will be known, for a portion of a marking for which a wider line width or size 820 is provided, the marking provided into the surface of the article will typically be deeper 810 as is shown in
As is shown in
It should be noted that examples as shown in
However,
As is shown in the focused section 1120 of
Referring to
As will be understood, the provision of the QR code in accordance with the present invention allows for an individual marking and many markings which are unique to be provided to gemstones, each of which may be linked to the particulars of the diamond, including the size, the clarity, the color and the cut as well as any other information such as the origin as well as the owner of the gemstone.
The method and system of the present invention allows for the marking of numerous articles in a short period of time, addressing shortcomings of the prior art, in particular in relation to the marking of gemstones.
The present inventors have overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and have provided a system and method useful in the marking of articles in particular gemstones, which can allow for the rapid marking of many gemstones at the same time, all of which may have the same marking thereon, or may have unique different markings or identifiers on each gemstone or a mixture thereof.
The present invention allows for the marking including patterns, indicia, branding, logos, serial numbers, data codes, QR codes and the like.
The method allows for versatility in respect of the markings to be provided to gemstones, and can provide a marking which is not optically detectable by the naked eye so as not to interfere with the optical properties of the gemstones and not detract from the value or cause unsightly blemishes or imperfections which inevitably are undesirable for gemstones.
The markings as provided by the present invention provide significant details, and can provide information non-discernible to the naked eye, yet can be indicative of the details of a gemstone, such that the identification of a particular gemstone can be provided. As is known by those skilled in the art, reliable marking of gemstones as well as being able to provide unique marks as well as logos and brands, is necessary within the gemstone marking industry.
The present inventors have found that by providing a mask made by a polymeric material, can be useful in embodiments of the invention.
In embodiments of the invention, the present inventors have found that by providing a mask material with an adhesive layer, that gemstones can be affixed to the mask sufficiently and readily during the marking method by way of plasma etching.
Furthermore, as the present invention utilizes ARDE (aspect ratio dependent etching) processes, the present inventors have found that sufficient flexibility is provided so as to provide unique markings with precision and details, as well as patterns and trademarks for example.
The present inventors have provided a mask in accordance with the present invention, whereby the mask thickness may be in the range of from 10 μm to 800 μm, or in the range of from 25 μm to 400 μm, or in the range of from 40 μm to 200 μm. The mask may have a thickness of about 50 μm.
By utilizing laser machining techniques or focused ion beam, the apertures of mask pattern have a width of in the range of from 0.1 μm to 100 μm, which have been found useful in accordance with the method of the present invention.
Further, the present inventors have found that by having an aspect ratio of the mask thickness to the width of the apertures of the mask pattern is in the range of from 3:1 to 15:1, a suitable marking can be formed by plasma etching in accordance with the present invention.
In accordance with the invention, each mask pattern of the plurality of mask patterns may be the same as the other mask patterns, each mask pattern of the plurality of mask patterns differs from at least one of the other mask patterns. Each mask pattern may be formed by a plurality of apertures extending through the mask. The apertures of the mask patterns may have different sizes and shapes.
The width of the apertures of the pattern is of a constant width and the depth of the marking etched into the article is a constant depth. Alternatively, the width of the apertures of the pattern may be of a varied width and the depth of the marking etched into the article is a varied depth.
The depth of the marking in accordance with the present invention does not necessarily have a particular depth limitation, however a marking which may be suitable for the marking of gemstones may be provided by the present invention which has a depth in the range of from 10 nm to 30 nm, for example.
The present invention is particularly useful for the marking of gemstones, such as diamond including natural diamond, synthetic diamond, CVD diamond and HPHT diamond.
The present invention is also useful for the marking of other gemstones such as ruby, sapphire and emerald.
Particular advantages of the present invention include:
The marking method and marking from such method of the present invention provides the following further advantages:
It should be noted and understood that the embodiments of the present invention illustrate the idea and principle, not limitation. In these embodiments the methodology and the implementation mechanism may be modified or substituted for an efficient presentation without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the appended claims are not to be limited by the embodiments.
The term “marking” is used throughout the description and claims, and such a “marking” will be understood by those skilled in the art to pertain to a “mark” provided to the surface of an article, and the terms are synonymous with each other and may be used interchangeably without alteration of meaning or interpretation. Also, as should be understood, marking may be provided as a single edge, for multiple edges which collectively may form a marking or identification mark. A marking may be a geometrical shape or a plurality of geometric shapes, as well as a brand or logo, indicia, serial number or other marking which is indicative of a particular article to which the marking is applied. As also will be understood, markings may be unique in their own right, or alternatively may be the same for a series of article to indicate a batch or lot of articles.
Also, as will be understood, a marking may be a data marking such as a QR code, which may be indicative of the identification of a particular article, or certain attributes of an article, and allow for tracing and look up of data specific to an article with a unique data code, or a series of articles which may share a common data code, or a portion of the data code may indeed be common between a set of articles.
Nonetheless, regardless of what type of marking, with unique or series or branding, the one or more recesses as provided to an article in accordance with the present invention are considered to be a marking or an identifier.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32020022100.2 | Dec 2020 | HK | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2021/137715 | 12/14/2021 | WO |
