Coated article with niobium zirconium inclusive layer(s) and method of making same

• US 20040224167A1
• Filed: 05/09/2003
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• 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 6,967,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/432
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• 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 14/185 by cathodic sputtering

Abstract

A coated article is provided so as to include a coating (e.g., low-E coating, or the like) having at least one layer of or including niobium zirconium (NbZr). The NbZr layer may be metallic in certain example embodiments. Alternatively, an oxide and/or nitride of NbZr may be provided in other example embodiments. The NbZr inclusive layer may be provided as any suitable layer of the multi-layer coating, but in certain example instances may be used as a contact layer adjacent to an infrared (IR) reflecting layer. Coated articles herein may be used in the context of insulating glass (IG) window units, laminated windows, architectural or residential monolithic window units, vehicle window units, and/or the like.

Claims

1. A coated article including a layer system supported by a substrate, the layer system comprising:

at least first and second dielectric layers;

an infrared (IR) reflecting layer comprising silver located between at least the first and second dielectric layers; and

a layer comprising niobium zirconium located adjacent and contacting the IR reflecting layer.

2. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is at least partially nitrided.

3. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is at least partially oxided.

4. The coated article of claim 1, wherein each of the dielectric layers comprises at least one of a nitride and a metal oxide.

5. The coated article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second dielectric layers comprises silicon nitride.

6. The coated article of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second dielectric layers comprises silicon nitride doped with aluminum.

7. The coated article of claim 1, further comprising another layer comprising niobium zirconium, wherein the IR reflecting layer comprising silver is sandwiched between and contacts each of the respective layers comprising niobium zirconium.

8. The coated article of claim 7, wherein one of the layers comprising niobium zirconium is more oxidized than the other of the layers comprising niobium zirconium.

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

10. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article is a window.

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

12. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer system has a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 20 ohms/square.

13. The coated article of claim 1, further comprising a layer comprising a metal oxide located over and directly contacting said layer comprising niobium zirconium.

14. The coated article of claim 13, wherein said metal oxide comprises zirconium oxide.

15. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is nitrided so as to be represented by (Nb+Zr)_xN_y, where the ratio y/x (i.e., the ratio of N to Nb+Zr) is from 0.2 to 0.9.

16. The coated article of claim 15, wherein the ratio y/x is from 0.3 to 0.8.

17. The coated article of claim 1, wherein in the layer comprising niobium zirconium the ratio of zirconium to niobium (Zr/Nb) is from about 0.001 to 1.0.

18. The coated article of claim 1, wherein in the layer comprising niobium zirconium the ratio of zirconium to niobium (Zr/Nb) is from about 0.001 to 0.60.

19. The coated article of claim 1, wherein in the layer comprising niobium zirconium the ratio of zirconium to niobium (Zr/Nb) is from about 0.004 to 0.50.

20. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium includes from about 0.1 to 60% zirconium.

21. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium includes from about 3 to 12% zirconium.

22. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is metallic.

23. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium consists essentially of niobium and zirconium.

24. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises an IG window unit, a monolithic window, or a laminated window.

25. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is substantially free of any oxide.

26. The coated article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the dielectric layers comprises silicon nitride and includes from 6-20% aluminum and/or stainless steel.

27. The coated article of claim 1, further comprising at least two additional layers each comprising niobium zirconium so that the layer system includes at least three layers comprising niobium zirconium, wherein each of the three layers comprising niobium zirconium contacts a layer comprising silver, and wherein two of the three layers comprising niobium zirconium contact the same layer comprising silver.

28. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article is heat treated.

29. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a glass substrate.

40. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is at least partially nitrided and has an index of refraction “

n”

of from 2.0 to 3.4, and an extinction coefficient “

k”

of from 2.0 to 3.5, and comprises from about 0.1 to 60% Zr.

30. A coated article including a layer system supported by a substrate, the layer system comprising:

an infrared (IR) reflecting layer located between at least first and second other layers; and

a layer comprising niobium zirconium located adjacent to and contacting the IR reflecting layer.

31. The coated article of claim 30, wherein the IR reflecting layer comprises Ag and/or Au.

32. The coated article of claim 30, wherein the IR reflecting layer is metallic.

33. The coated article of claim 30, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is at least partially oxided and/or nitrided.

34. The coated article of claim 30, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is metallic.

35. The coated article of claim 30, wherein each of the other layers is a dielectric layer comprising at least one of a nitride and a metal oxide.

36. A coated article including a layer system supported by a glass substrate, the layer system comprising:

a layer comprising an oxide of niobium zirconium supported by the glass substrate; and

wherein the layer comprising the oxide of niobium zirconium has an index of refraction “

n”

of from 2.0 to 3.4, and comprises from about 0.1 to 60% Zr.

37. The coated article of claim 36, wherein the layer comprising the oxide of niobium zirconium comprises from 0.1 to 20% Zr.

38. The coated article of claim 36, wherein the layer comprising the oxide of niobium zirconium comprises from 0.4 to 15% Zr.

39. The coated article of claim 36, wherein the layer comprising the oxide of niobium zirconium is located between at least first and second nitride and/or metal oxide layers.

41. The coated article of claim 36, wherein the layer comprising the oxide of niobium zirconium contacts a layer comprising Au and/or Ag.

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

providing a glass substrate; and

sputtering a target comprising niobium and zirconium in order to form a layer comprising niobium zirconium that is supported by the glass substrate.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising sputtering a dielectric layer so that at least the dielectric layer is located between the substrate and the layer comprising niobium zirconium.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is sputtered so as to overly and contact a layer comprising silver.

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

at least first and second dielectric layers;

a metal inclusive layer located between at least the first and second dielectric layers; and

a layer comprising niobium zirconium located adjacent and contacting the metal inclusive layer.

46. The coated article of claim 45, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is at least partially nitrided.

47. The coated article of claim 45, wherein the layer comprising niobium zirconium is at least partially oxided.

48. The coated article of claim 45, wherein the metal inclusive layer comprises one of Ag and Au.