Method for producing a pane having an electrically conductive coating with electrically insulated defects

• US 10,240,051 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Letocart, Philippe, Yeh, Li-Ya, Behmke, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, John J
• Application Number:
  US14/908,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20160168396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/09 by deposition from the vapour phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/2453 Coating containing SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/231 In2O3/SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/241 with halides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/253 Cu
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/255 Au
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/256 Ag
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/26 Cr, Mo, W
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/328 Partly or completely removing a coating
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 8/00 Enamels; Glazes; Fusion seal compositions being frit compositions having non-frit additions
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/24 Electrically-conducting paints conductive materials H01B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13439 characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/155 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/508 Pseudo repairing, e.g. a defective part is brought into a condition in which it does not disturb the functioning of the device

Abstract

A method for producing a pane having an electrically conductive coating is described. The method includes applying an electrically conductive coating onto a substrate, identifying defects of the coating, focusing the radiation of a laser having an annular beam profile on the coating, wherein the annular beam profile surrounds the defect, and producing an annular de-coated region by simultaneously removing the coating in the region of the beam profile.

Claims

1. A method for producing a pane having an electrically conductive coating, comprising:

applying an electrically conductive coating on a substrate;

identifying a defect of the electrically conductive coating;

focusing radiation from a laser with an annular beam profile on the electrically conductive coating, wherein the annular beam profile surrounds the defect; and

producing an annular de-coated region by simultaneously removing the electrically conductive coating in the region of the beam profile.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive coating is applied by physical vapor deposition on the substrate.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive coating is applied by cathodic sputtering.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive coating is applied by magnetically enhanced cathodic sputtering.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the defects are conductive particles in the electrically conductive coating.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the conductive particles have a size of one μ

m to one mm.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the defects are metallic or crystalline particles in the electrically conductive coating, and wherein the metallic or crystalline particles have a size of one μ

m to one mm.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength of the radiation is from 200 nm to 2500 nm.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annular beam profile is generated by a phase plate.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the annular beam profile is generated by a spiral phase plate or a segmented phase plate.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the laser is operated in pulsed mode, a pulse length of the radiation is from 1 ps to 1000 ns, and a pulse sequence frequency is from 1 kHz to 200 kHz.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein a power density of the radiation on the electrically conductive coating is from 0.01 to 100 10⁸ W/cm².

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radiation is focused on the electrically conductive coating using a focusing element having a focal length of 10 mm to 500 mm.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive coating contains silver or a transparent, electrically conductive oxide.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive coating has a thickness of less than or equal to 5 μ

m.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate contains glass or a transparent polymer.

17. A glass pane having an electrically conductive coating, comprising:

a glass pane;

an electrically conductive coating on the glass pane; and

a defect in the electrically conductive coating,

wherein the defect is isolated from the surrounding coating using radiation from a laser having an annular beam profile.

18. The glass pane according to claim 17, wherein the defect is surrounded by an annular, de-coated region with a constant line width.

19. The glass pane according to claim 18, wherein the line width of the de-coated region is from 5 μ

m to 100 μ

m.

20. A method of using a glass pane having an electrically conductive coating, comprising:

providing a glass pane having an electrically conductive coating with a defect, wherein the defect is isolated from the surrounding coating using radiation from a laser having an annular beam profile; and

using the glass pane having an electrically conductive coating as a heatable window glass pane of a building or of a motor vehicle, or as a component of a glazing with electrically switchable or controllable optical properties.

21. A pane having an electrically conductive coating, comprising:

a substrate containing at least one polymer;

an electrically conductive coating on the substrate; and

a defect in the electrically conductive coating,

wherein the defect is isolated from the surrounding coating using radiation from a laser having an annular beam profile.