Patent ID: 11894215
Assignee: COMADUR SA
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC C  H  G | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A method for structuring a decorative or technical pattern in a thickness of an object made of an at least partially transparent amorphous, semi-crystalline or crystalline material, wherein the object is made of an at least partially transparent material comprising a top surface and a bottom surface which extends away from the top surface, the method comprising:
providing at least one of the top or bottom surfaces of the object made of an at least partially transparent material with a mask which defines at least one opening whose outline corresponds to the profile of the decorative or technical pattern to be structured, wherein the mask covers the at least one top or bottom surface of the object made of an at least partially transparent material at positions which are not to be structured; and
structuring the decorative or technical pattern in the thickness of the object with a mono- or multicharged ion beam through the at least one opening of the mask, the mechanical properties of the mask being sufficient to prevent the ions of the ion beam from etching the at least one top or bottom surface of the object made of an at least partially transparent material at the positions where this top or bottom surface is covered by the mask,
wherein the object is glass made of sapphire and is comprised of successive layers of a top surface layer, a first amorphous layer having cavities with dimensions of the cavities decreasing in size in a depth direction of the first amorphous layer, a second amorphous layer devoid of cavities, a layer having a thickness of 50 to 60 nm, and a sapphire layer.