Coated article with improved barrier layer structure and method of making the same

• US 20030104221A1
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Industries Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stachowiak, Grzegorz
• Granted Patent: US 6,602,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/432
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3618 Coatings of type glass/inorganic compound/other inorganic layers, at least one layer being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3626 one layer at least containing a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3639 Multilayers containing at least two functional metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3644 the metal being silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3652 the coating stack containing at least one sacrificial layer to protect the metal from oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/366 Low-emissivity or solar control coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3681 the multilayer coating being used in glazing, e.g. windows or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0036 Reactive sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/024 Deposition of sublayers, e.g. to promote adhesion of the coating C23C14/027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0652 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/085 of iron group metals
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/185 by cathodic sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12847 Cr-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12854 Next to Co-, Fe-, or Ni-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12896 Ag-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12944 Ni-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24975 No layer or component greater than 5 mils thick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31504 : Composite [nonstructural laminate]

Abstract

A coated article, and a corresponding method of making the same are provided. The coated article includes a coating supported by a substrate, the coating including a thin metal or metal nitride contact layer (e.g., NiCr, Ni, Cr, CrN_x, or NiCrN_x) located directly between and contacting an infrared (IR) reflecting layer (e.g., Ag) and an oxide barrier layer (e.g., NiCrO_x).

Claims

1. A coated article comprising:

a glass substrate;

a coating supported by the glass substrate, wherein the coating comprises a first dielectric layer, a first NiCrO_x inclusive layer, an Ag inclusive layer, a second NiCrO_x inclusive layer, and a second dielectric layer, wherein the Ag inclusive layer is located between the first and second NiCrO_x inclusive layers; and

wherein the coating further includes a metal or metal nitride contact layer located between and contacting the Ag layer and one of the NiCrO_x inclusive layers, the metal or metal nitride contact layer being deposited using one sputtering target and the NiCrO_x inclusive layer being deposited using another sputtering target.

2. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the metal or metal nitride contact layer comprises NiCr.

3. The coated article of claim 2, wherein the contact layer comprising NiCr is more metallic than said one NiCrO_x inclusive layer that the contact layer is in contact with.

4. The coated article of claim 2, wherein the contact layer comprising NiCr is less oxidized than said one NiCrO_x inclusive layer that the contact layer is in contact with.

5. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the metal or metal nitride contact layer comprises NiCrN_x.

6. The coated article of claim 5, wherein the contact layer comprising NiCrN_x is more metallic than said one NiCrO_x inclusive layer that the contact layer is in contact with.

7. The coated article of claim 5, wherein the contact layer comprising NiCrN_x is less oxidized than said one NiCrO_x inclusive layer that the contact layer is in contact with.

8. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coating further comprises another metal or metal nitride contact layer located between and contacting the Ag inclusive layer and the other one of the NiCrO_x inclusive layers.

9. The coated article of claim 8, wherein the another contact layer comprises at least one of NiCr and NiCrN_x.

10. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article has a visible transmission of at least 70%.

11. The coated article of claim 10, wherein the coated article has a visible transmission of at least 75%.

12. The coated article of claim 1, where the coating has a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 20 ohms/sq.

13. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer comprises silicon nitride.

14. The coated article of claim 13, wherein the second dielectric layer comprises silicon nitride.

15. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer comprises an oxide of titanium.

16. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the contact layer is provided on the upper surface of the Ag inclusive layer.

32. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the metal or metal nitride contact layer is of a lesser thickness than the NiCrO_x inclusive layer which the contact layer contacts.

33. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the metal or metal nitride contact layer is from about 1-10 Å

thick, and the NiCrO_x inclusive layer which contacts the contact layer is from about 10-50 Å

thick.

36. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the metal or metal nitride contact layer is substantially free of oxygen.

17. A coated article including a coating supported by a substrate, the coating comprising:

a NiCrO_x inclusive layer;

an Ag inclusive layer; and

a metal or metal nitride layer located between and contacting each of the NiCrO_x inclusive layer and the Ag inclusive layer.

18. The coated article of claim 17, wherein the metal or metal nitride layer comprises NiCr and is more metallic than the NiCrO_x inclusive layer.

19. The coated article of claim 17, wherein the metal or metal nitride layer comprises at least one of CrN_x and NiCrN_x.

20. The coated article of claim 17, wherein the metal or metal nitride layer is less oxidized than the NiCrO_x inclusive layer.

21. The coated article of claim 17, wherein the coating has a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 20 ohms/sq.

34. The coated article of claim 17, wherein the metal or metal nitride layer is from about 1-10 Å

thick, and the NiCrO_x inclusive layer which contacts the metal or metal nitride layer is from about 10-50 Å

thick.

37. The coated article of claim 17, wherein the metal or metal nitride layer is oxidized from 0-5%.

22. A coated article including a coating supported by a substrate, the coating comprising:

an oxide layer including an oxide of a metal or metal alloy;

a metallic infrared (IR) reflecting layer;

a metal or metal nitride contact layer located between and contacting each of the metallic IR reflecting layer and the oxide layer; and

wherein the metal or metal nitride contact layer comprises the same metal or metal alloy as is in the oxide layer.

23. The coated article of claim 22, wherein the oxide layer comprises NiCrO_x.

24. The coated article of claim 23, wherein the IR reflecting layer comprises Ag.

25. The coated article of claim 24, wherein the metal or metal nitride contact layer comprises at least one of NiCr and CrN_x.

26. The coated article of claim 22, wherein the coated article is characterized by a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 20 ohms/sq., and a visible transmission of at least 70%.

35. The coated article of claim 22, wherein the metal or metal nitride contact layer is from about 1-10 Å

thick, and the oxide layer which contacts the metal or metal nitride contact layer is from about 10-50 Å

thick.

27. A method of making a coated article, the method comprising:

providing a glass substrate;

depositing a first dielectric layer so as to be supported by the substrate;

depositing an Ag layer on the substrate over the first dielectric layer;

depositing, using a first sputtering target, a metal or metal nitride contact layer on the substrate directly over and in contact with the Ag layer;

depositing, using a second sputtering target different than the first sputtering target, a layer comprising NiCrO_x on the substrate directly over and in contact with the metal or metal nitride contact layer; and

depositing another dielectric layer on the substrate over the layer comprising NiCrO_x.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the contact layer comprises a metal nitride, and the method further comprises using oxygen gas in depositing the layer comprising NiCrO_x, and using nitrogen gas in depositing the contact layer.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein each of the layers claimed is deposited via sputtering.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the contact layer comprises at least one of NiCr and CrN_x.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the layers are deposited to respective thicknesses and in a manner so that the resulting coated article is characterized by a visible transmission of at least 70% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 20 ohms/sq.