Glazing provided with stacked thin layers reflecting infrared rays and/or solar radiation

• US 20040241406A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Nadaud, Nicolas, Billert, Ulrich, Yu, Li-Ming, Schutt, Juergen
• Application Number:
  US10/483,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20040241406A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/212
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• 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 17/3673 specially adapted for use in heating devices for rear window of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree

Abstract

The invention relates to glazing that comprises at least one transparent substrate S provided with a stack of thin layers comprising an alternation of n functional layers A having reflection properties in the infrared and/or in solar radiation, especially metal layers, and (n+1) coatings B made of a dielectric, where n≧1. The stack satisfies the following criteria: at least one functional layer A is (i) directly in contact with the dielectric coating B placed on top of it and (ii) in contact with the dielectric B placed beneath it via a layer C that absorbs at least in the visible, of the metallic, optionally nitride, type.

Claims

1. Glazing that comprises at least one transparent substrate S, especially made of glass, provided with a stack of thin layers comprising an alternation of n functional layers A having reflection properties in the infrared and/or in solar radiation, especially metal layers, and of (n+1) coatings B, where n≧

1, said coatings B comprising a layer or a superposition of layers made of a dielectric, so that each functional layer A is placed between two coatings B, wherein at least one of the functional layers A is (i) directly in contact with the dielectric coating B placed on top of it and (ii) in contact with the dielectric coating B placed beneath it via a layer C that absorbs at least in the visible, of the metallic, optionally nitride, type.

2. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

(i) the or each of the functional layers A is directly in contact with the dielectric coating B placed on top of it, and

(ii) the or each of the functional layers A is in contact with the dielectric coating B placed beneath it via a layer C that absorbs at least in the visible, of the metallic, optionally nitride, type.

3. The glazing as claimed in claim 2, wherein the thickness of the or each of the absorbent layers C is less than or equal to 1 nm, especially less than or equal to 0.7 or 0.6 or 0.5 nm.

4. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein n≧

2 and the total thickness of the absorbent layers C is less than or equal to 2.5 nm, especially less than or equal to 2 or to 1.8 or to 1.4 nm.

5. The glazing as claimed in claim 4, wherein the absorbent layers C are placed between the functional layers A and the coatings B which lie beneath them.

6. The glazing as claimed in claim 4, wherein the layer C furthest away from the substrate thicker than the other layers C.

7. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the absorbent layer or layers are based on titanium, nickel, chromium, niobium, zirconium or a metal alloy containing at least one of these metals.

8. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein that the or each of the functional layers A is based on silver or a silver alloy, especially an alloy of silver with palladium or titanium.

9. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the coatings B lying directly on top of a functional layer A starts with a layer D based on one or more metal oxides.

10. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the coatings B lying just beneath a functional layer A terminates in a layer D′

based on one or more metal oxides.

11. The glazing as claimed in claim 9, wherein the layer D and/or the layer D′

are based on zinc oxide or on a mixed oxide of zinc and another metal of the Al type.

12. The glazing as claimed in claim 9, wherein the layer D based on one or more metal oxides is deposited so as to be substoichiometric in oxygen, while still remaining below the threshold, beneath which the oxide layer would become absorbent in the visible.

13. The glazing as claimed in claim 9, wherein the layer D based on one or more metal oxides has a thickness of 2 to 30 nm, preferably 5 to 10 nm.

14. The glazing as claimed in claim 10, wherein the layer D′

based on one or more metal oxides has a thickness of 6 to 15 nm.

15. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein in that at least the (n+1)th coating B includes a diffusion barrier layer, especially an oxygen diffusion barrier layer, in particular one based on silicon nitride and/or aluminum nitride.

16. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein in that n≧

2 and in that a coating B located between two layers A has a thickness of 50 to 90 nm, including a 0 to 70 nm barrier layer of the silicon nitride and/or aluminum nitride type.

17. The glazing as claimed in claim 15, wherein all the coatings B include a layer based on silicon nitride and/or aluminum nitride.

18. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stack comprises the following sequence of layers:

ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO

especially with one of the following complete stacks;

Si₃N₄/ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO/Si₃N₄/ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO/Si₃N₄

ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO/Si₃N₄/ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO/Si₃N₄

ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO/Si₃N₄

Si₃N₄/ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO/Ti/Ag/ZnO/Si₃N₄,

it being possible for the Si₃N₄ and/or ZnO layers to contain an element or a metal, of the Al or boron type, in a minority proportion in relation to Si or to Zn.

19. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate, once it has been provided with the stack of thin layers, undergoes a heat treatment at above 500°

C., of the bending, toughening or annealing type, especially with an average light transmission change Δ

T_L induced by the heat treatment of at most 5% and/or an average change in the calorimetric response in reflection Δ

E* induced by the heat treatment of at most 4.

20. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate, once it has been provided with the stack of thin layers, undergoes a heat treatment at above 500°

C. for the purpose of bending it, with, after bending, a color in exterior reflection in the blues, in the greens or in the blue-greens.

21. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is laminated by combining the glass substrate, provided with the stack of thin layers, with another glass substrate via at least one sheet of thermoplastic polymer, or by combining said glass substrate, provided with the multilayer stack, with at least one sheet having energy absorption properties optionally combined with another layer of polymer having self-healing properties, in the form of an asymmetrical laminated glazing.

22. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein it has a colorimetric change at an angle of incidence of 60°

characterized by Δ

a*(0→

60)<

4 Δ

b*(0-60)<

2 for a*(60°

)<

0 and b*(60°

)<

0.

23. The glazing as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is multiple glazing of the double-glazing type.

24. The application of the glazing as claimed in claim 1, as a glazing for automobiles, especially as windshields or side windows, especially with a solar-protection and/or heating and/or de-icing function.