OPTICALLY TRANSPARENT MARK FOR MARKING GEMSTONES

Abstract

The invention relates to marks used for marking gemstones, including diamonds or brilliants, and carrying information for various purposes, for example, identification codes. In particular, the marks are invisible to the naked eye, using magnifying glasses and various types of microscopes. The marks are located inside the volume of diamonds or brilliants without affecting their characteristics, resulting in damage to the quality of diamonds or brilliants. An optically permeable mark located inside the diamond or brilliant volume is disclosed. The mark contains predefined encoded information and consists of a given set of optically permeable elements of micron or submicron size, which represent areas of increased concentration of atomic defects in the diamond or brilliant crystal lattice. The atomic defects in the diamond or brilliant crystal lattice are vacancies and interstitials, wherein said information is encoded in at least two areas of increased concentration of said atomic defects.

Claims

1. An optically permeable mark located inside the volume of a diamond or brilliant, which mark comprises predetermined encoded information and consists of a given set of optically permeable elements of micron or submicron size, which elements represents areas of an increased concentration of atomic defects in the crystal lattice of the diamond or brilliant, wherein atomic defects in the crystal lattice of the diamond or brilliant are vacancies and interstitials, wherein said information is encoded in at least two areas of increased concentration of said atomic defects.

2. The mark according to claim 1, wherein the information is encoded in the mutual spatial arrangement of said areas.

3. The mark according to claim 1, wherein the information is encoded in variations in the concentration of said atomic defects in said areas.

4. The mark according to claim 1, wherein the information is encoded in variations in the size of said areas.

5. The mark according to claim 1, wherein the information is encoded in variations of the geometric shape of said areas.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The invention is illustrated by drawings:

[0043] The following drawings are provided to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure, and constitute a portion of the present disclosure. These drawings and the following embodiments are for illustrative purposes only, but shall not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. In these drawings,

[0044] FIG. 1 is a marking system for creation an optically permeable mark inside a diamond or brilliant;

[0045] FIG. 2 is a single mark element, which is an area of increased concentration of atomic defects, i.e. vacancies and interstitials;

[0046] FIG. 3 is a system for detection of an optically permeable mark.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The laser 1 of the marking system (FIG. 1) generates working radiation 2 in the form of a train of pulses, with parameters at which diamond does not transform into graphite or another non-diamond form of carbon. Said radiation is focused by the focusing subsystem 3 (lens, objective) and creates a focal waist of the beam 4 in the focal region inside the volume of a diamond 5, on the surface of which a polished optically transparent culet was previously made. The diamond 5 is mounted on a subsystem for moving 6, which is configured to move along three spatial coordinates, and additionally two angular coordinates. Laser radiation 2 (FIG. 2) causes the formation of atomic defects in the area of micron or submicron size 7. The area 7 is a single element of the mark. After the mark element has been formed in a given area inside the diamond, the subsystem for moving the diamond moves the diamond in space in accordance with the digital model of the image to be recorded in the crystal volume entered by user, after which the above operations are repeated.

[0048] Detection of the previously created mark is carried out by fluorescence of atomic defects in the diamond crystal lattice, i.e. vacancies and interstitials, according to the scheme shown in (FIG. 3).

[0049] The system for detection (FIG. 3) of optically permeable marks comprises a laser 8 generating exciting optical radiation 9, which is reflected from a translucent mirror 10 and is focused by a focusing subsystem 11 inside a diamond 12, mounted on a subsystem for moving 13, which provides moving it in space along three spatial coordinates, and additionally two angular coordinates, to the area of the expected location of the mark 14. Moreover, the transverse size of a focal waist is greater than or equal to the transverse size of the mark.

[0050] As a result of optical excitation, the mark elements emit fluorescence radiation 15, part of which is collimated by the focusing subsystem 11, passes through the translucent mirror 10, then passes through a filter 16, which passes fluorescence radiation and blocks the scattered laser radiation. Then the radiation is registered by a registering subsystem 17, for example, a camera with a CCD matrix. The signal from the registering subsystem 17 containing the image of a fluorescent mark 18, is fed to the subsystem for registering and decoding of the signal 19, which displays information encoded in the mark.