A method for producing an aluminum layer is provided. The method includes depositing a metallic seed layer on a substrate, the seed layer having a thickness of not more than 5 nm, and also includes applying the aluminum layer to the seed layer, wherein the aluminum layer has a thickness of more than 30 nm. Further, an optical element, which can be a mirror layer, is provided including the metallic seed layer and the aluminum layer.

A method for preparing an optically transparent, superomniphobic coating on a substrate, such as an optical substrate, is disclosed. The method includes providing a glass layer disposed on a substrate, the glass layer having a first side adjacent the substrate and an opposed second side, the glass layer comprising 45-85 wt. % silicon oxide in a first glass phase and 10-40 wt. % boron oxide in a second glass phase, such that a glass layer has a composition in a spinodal decomposition region. The method further includes heating the second side of the glass layer to form a phase-separated portion of the layer, the phase-separated portion comprising an interpenetrating network of silicon oxide domains and boron oxide domains, and removing at least a portion of the boron oxide domains from the phase-separated portion to provide a graded layer disposed on the substrate. The graded layer has a first side disposed adjacent the substrate, the first side comprising 45-85 wt. % silicon oxide and 10-40 wt. % boron oxide, and opposite the first side, a porous second side comprising at least 45 wt. % silicon oxide and no more than 5 wt. % boron oxide.

Embodiments relate to nanoporous copper interconnects on a first body for electrically connecting to a second body. To fabricate the nanoporous copper interconnect, a zinc-copper alloy is deposited on recesses on the surface of the first body, and then the zinc is removed from the zinc-copper alloy to obtain nanoporous copper. The first body and the second body can be attached using bonding between oxide surfaces of the two bodies or be provided with underfill between the two bodies. The nanoporous copper electrically connects to an active layer or electrical components of the first body and the second bodies. Using nanoporous copper as interconnects is advantageous, among other reasons, because it can be formed at a low temperature, it is compatible with a standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process, it provides good electrical conductivity, and it is less likely to cause issues due to migration of material.

An exterior material of a home appliance having improved corrosion resistance and fingerprint resistance by changing a treatment method of a surface of the exterior material, and the home appliance including the same, and a manufacturing method therefor are provided. The method of manufacturing the exterior material of the home appliance, the method including applying a diamond like carbon (DLC) coating on the substrate to form a DLC coating layer; and conducting anti-fingerprint coating to form the anti-fingerprint coating on the DLC coating layer.

A method includes depositing a crystalline magnesium oxide (MgO) seed layer directly on an amorphous insulating cladding layer by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, and depositing a crystalline electro-optic layer directly on the crystalline MgO seed layer.

A magnesium alloy composite structure includes a magnesium alloy substrate, a zinc layer applied to the magnesium alloy substrate, a copper layer applied to the zinc layer, a nickel strike layer applied to the copper layer; an autocatalytic nickel layer applied to the nickel strike layer and a surface layer applied to the autocatalytic nickel layer. Various surface layers include Aluminum Titanium Nitride, Boron Nitride, Chromium Nitride, Titanium Nitride, Zirconium Nitride, Zirconium Oxide, Zirconium Oxycarbide, Titanium Carbide, Titanium Nitride and Diamond Like Carbon.

The invention relates to a process for preparation of an unpassivated cantilever comprising the steps of: 1) providing a silicon cantilever sensor having two sides; 2) coating one side of the cantilever with at least a gold layer; and 3) functionalizing both sides of the cantilever with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of a probe molecule by incubating the cantilever in a solution having a concentration of the probe molecule of between 1 to 1000 μM.

The invention also relates to an unpassivated cantilever sensor comprising a silicon layer coated on one side with a coating comprising Au and being uncoated or unpassivated on the opposite side, wherein the Au coated surface comprises a self-assembled monolayer of a probe molecule and wherein the surface area occupied per probe molecule is in the range 0.4-1.5 nm.sup.2.

Various embodiments herein relate to electrochromic devices, methods of fabricating electrochromic devices, and apparatus for fabricating electrochromic devices. In a number of cases, the electrochromic device may be fabricated to include a particular counter electrode material. The counter electrode material may include a base anodically coloring material. The counter electrode material may further include one or more halogens. The counter electrode material may also include one or more additives.

A layer of lanthanum boride of stoichiometry LaB.sub.x where x is between 9 and 12 is deposited on substrate, for example a stainless steel watch dial, and subsequently treated with a laser, such that the portion(s) of the layer treated with the laser change colour according to the laser power. This produces multicoloured surfaces having high resistance to corrosion and abrasion. The layer of LaB.sub.x is deposited by PVD and by cathode sputtering, using a LaB.sub.6 target of purple-violet colour, such that the colour of the deposited layer differs from the colour of the target. The laser treatment at specific powers changes the stoichiometry of the layer in the treatment portions, such that the colour of these portions changes according to the stoichiometry obtained. At higher powers, the laser will remove the layer of LaB.sub.x. Thus the colour of the treated portions is determined by the material of the substrate.

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.