Coated article with low-E coating including tin oxide interlayer

• US 20050191502A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guardian Europe S.A.R.L.. (Interguard Holding Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Centre Luxembourgeois de Recherches pour le Verre et la Ceramique SA
• Inventors: Lemmer, Jean-Marc, Muller, Jens-Peter, Pallotta, Pierre, Ferreira, Jose
• Granted Patent: US 7,081,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/432
• 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 17/10229 Metallic layers sandwiched by dielectric layers
• 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

Abstract

A coated article is provided which may be heat treated (e.g., thermally tempered) in certain instances. In certain example embodiments, an interlayer of or including a metal oxide such as tin oxide is provided under an infrared (IR) reflecting layer so as to be located between respective layers comprising silicon nitride and zinc oxide. It has been found that the use of such a tin oxide inclusive interlayer results in significantly improved mechanical durability, thermal stability and/or haze characteristics. In certain example embodiments, a zinc oxide inclusive layer is provide over an IR reflecting layer in order to improve thermal stability. A zirconium oxide overcoat may also be provided in certain example instances.

Claims

1. A coated article comprising a coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating comprising:

a first dielectric layer;

a first infrared (IR) reflecting layer comprising silver located over at least the dielectric layer;

a first layer comprising silicon nitride located over at least the first IR reflecting layer and the first dielectric layer;

a first layer comprising tin oxide located over and contacting the first layer comprising silicon nitride;

a first layer comprising zinc oxide located over and contacting the first layer comprising tin oxide, so that the first layer comprising tin oxide is located between and contacting the first layer comprising silicon nitride and the first layer comprising zinc oxide;

a second IR reflecting layer comprising silver located over and contacting the first layer comprising zinc oxide;

a contact layer located over and contacting the second IR reflecting layer;

a second layer comprising zinc oxide located over and contacting the contact layer; and

at least another dielectric layer located over at least the second layer comprising zinc oxide.

2. The coated article of claim 1, further comprising a third layer comprising zinc oxide that is located under and contacting the first IR reflecting layer, and wherein one or more of the first, second and third layers comprising zinc oxide further comprises aluminum.

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

4. The coated article of claim 1, further comprising a second layer comprising tin oxide located under and contacting the first layer comprising silicon nitride.

5. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer comprises at least one of silicon nitride, zinc oxide and titanium oxide

6. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer comprises silicon nitride, and said another dielectric layer also comprises silicon nitride.

7. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the first layer comprising silicon nitride is Si-rich so as to be represented by Si_xN_y, where x/y is from 0.76 to 1.4.

8. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises a heat treated glass substrate which supports the coating, and when measured monolithically following heat treatment has a visible transmission of at least 75% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 3.0 ohms/square.

9. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises a heat treated glass substrate which supports the coating, and when measured monolithically following heat treatment has a visible transmission of at least 77% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 2.5 ohms/square.

10. The coated article of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the coated article comprises a heat treated glass substrate which supports the coating, and when measured monolithically following heat treatment has a visible transmission of at least 80% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 2.1 ohms/square; and

/or

(b) wherein the coated article is an IG window unit having a visible transmission of at least 60%, and a SHGC value of less than or equal to 0.40.

11. The coated article of claim 1, further comprising a layer comprising zirconium oxide which is an overcoat layer that is an outermost layer of the coating.

12. A coated article comprising a coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating comprising from the glass substrate outwardly:

a layer comprising silicon nitride;

a layer comprising tin oxide located over and contacting the layer comprising silicon nitride;

a layer comprising zinc oxide located over and contacting the layer comprising tin oxide, so that the layer comprising tin oxide is located between and contacting the layer comprising silicon nitride and the layer comprising zinc oxide;

an infrared (IR) reflecting layer located over and contacting the layer comprising zinc oxide;

a contact layer located over and contacting the IR reflecting layer; and

another layer comprising zinc oxide located over and contacting the contact layer.

13. The coated article of claim 12, wherein the coated article is heat treated.

14. The coated article of claim 12, further comprising another layer comprising tin oxide located under and contacting the layer comprising silicon nitride.

15. The coated article of claim 12, wherein the coated article comprises a heat treated glass substrate which supports the coating, and when measured monolithically following heat treatment has a visible transmission of at least 75% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 3.0 ohms/square.

16. The coated article of claim 12, wherein the coated article comprises a heat treated glass substrate which supports the coating, and when measured monolithically following heat treatment has a visible transmission of at least 80% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 2.5 ohms/square.

17. The coated article of claim 12, wherein the coated article is an IG window unit having a visible transmission of at least 60%, and a SHGC value of less than or equal to 0.40.

18. A coated article including a coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating comprising from the glass substrate outwardly:

first and second IR reflecting layers comprising silver;

at least one of said IR reflecting layers being provided directly on and contacting a layer comprising zinc oxide,

wherein said layer comprising zinc oxide is located directly on and contacting a layer comprising a metal oxide;

a layer comprising zinc oxide located over at least the IR reflecting layer; and

wherein the coated article is capable of being heat treated for 18 minutes at a furnace temperature of about 650 degrees C. without realizing a visible transmission decrease of more than 1% from the 8 minute mark to the 18 minute mark of such heat treatment, measured monolithically.

19. A coated article comprising a coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating comprising:

a dielectric layer;

a first layer comprising zinc oxide located over the dielectric layer;

an infrared (IR) reflecting layer comprising silver located over and contacting the first layer comprising zinc oxide;

a layer comprising an oxide of Ni and/or Cr located over and contacting the IR reflecting layer;

a second layer comprising zinc oxide located over and contacting the layer comprising the oxide of Ni and/or Cr; and

another dielectric layer comprising one or more of tin oxide, silicon nitride and/or zirconium oxide located over the second layer comprising zinc oxide.

20. The coated article of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first and second layers comprising zinc oxide further comprising aluminum.

21. The coated article of claim 19, wherein the coated article is heat treated.

22. The coated article of claim 19, wherein the dielectric layer located between the substrate and the first layer comprising zinc oxide comprises silicon nitride.

23. The coated article of claim 19, wherein the coated article is heat treated, and following heat treatment the coated article measured monolithically is characterized by the following:

transmissive a*;

−

3 to 0

transmissive b*;

0 to 2.0

R_s (ohms/square);

<

=2.5.

24. The coated article of claim 19, wherein the glass substrate and the coating are part of an IG window unit, wherein the IG window unit has a U-value of no greater than 1.25 W/(m²K).

25. The coated article of claim 19, further comprising a layer comprising tin oxide located directly under and contacting the first layer comprising zinc oxide.

26. The coated article of claim 25, further comprising a layer comprising silicon nitride located directly under and contacting the layer comprising tin oxide.

27. The coated article of claim 19, wherein the glass substrate and the coating are part of an IG window unit, wherein the IG window unit has a U-value of no greater than 1.15 W/(m²K).