Energy control window film systems and methods for manufacturing the same
First Claim
1. In an energy control sheet, a highly transparent substructure having first and second surfaces;
- a substantially transparent, thin film metal layer formed on one surface of said substructure; and
a highly transparent thin film dielectric layer formed over said metal layer, said dielectric layer comprising a mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and at least one transition or semiconductor metal and being characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability, said lanthanide series metal being cerium and said transition or semiconductor metal being tin and each of said dielectric layers includes relative concentrations of cerium and tin in the range of about 20;
80 weight percent to about 70;
30 weight percent, whereby the weatherability of said energy control sheet is substantially improved.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An energy control sheet, including a highly transparent substructure having first and second surfaces, a substantially transparent, thin film metal layer formed on one surface of the substructure, and a highly transparent thin film dielectric layer formed over said metal layer. The dielectric layer comprises a mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal (e.g. cerium oxide) and at least one transition or semiconductor metal (e.g. tin oxide). The dielectric layer is characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability so that the weatherability of the energy control sheet is substantially improved. The metal layer is either a silver layer or a silver-palladium alloy.
68 Citations
33 Claims
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1. In an energy control sheet, a highly transparent substructure having first and second surfaces;
- a substantially transparent, thin film metal layer formed on one surface of said substructure; and
a highly transparent thin film dielectric layer formed over said metal layer, said dielectric layer comprising a mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and at least one transition or semiconductor metal and being characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability, said lanthanide series metal being cerium and said transition or semiconductor metal being tin and each of said dielectric layers includes relative concentrations of cerium and tin in the range of about 20;
80 weight percent to about 70;
30 weight percent, whereby the weatherability of said energy control sheet is substantially improved. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- a substantially transparent, thin film metal layer formed on one surface of said substructure; and
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2. In an energy control sheet, a highly transparent substructure having first and second surfaces;
- a substantially transparent, thin film metal layer formed on one surface of said substructure; and
a highly transparent thin film dielectric layer formed over said metal layer, said dielectric layer comprising a mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and at least one transition or semiconductor metal and being characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability, said lanthanide series metal being cerium and said transition or semiconductor metal being tin and each of said dielectric layers includes relative concentrations of cerium and tin in the range of about 20;
80 weight percent to about 55;
45 weight percent, whereby the weatherability of said energy control sheet is substantially improved.
- a substantially transparent, thin film metal layer formed on one surface of said substructure; and
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11. In an energy control window assembly, a rigid transparent base layer having front and back surfaces, and a flexible transparent polymer substrate carrying a thin film optical coating on one surface thereof and being mounted on the other surface thereof to one of said front and back surfaces of said base layer;
- said thin film optical coating comprising a substantially transparent metal layer and a highly transparent thin film dielectric layer formed over said metal layer, said dielectric layer comprising a mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and at least one transition or semiconductor metal and being characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability, said lanthanide series metal being cerium and said transition or semiconductor metal being tin and each of said dielectric layers includes relative concentrations of cerium and tin in the range of about 20;
80 weight percent to about 70;
30 weight percent, whereby the weatherability of said optical coating is substantially improved. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- said thin film optical coating comprising a substantially transparent metal layer and a highly transparent thin film dielectric layer formed over said metal layer, said dielectric layer comprising a mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and at least one transition or semiconductor metal and being characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability, said lanthanide series metal being cerium and said transition or semiconductor metal being tin and each of said dielectric layers includes relative concentrations of cerium and tin in the range of about 20;
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12. In an energy control window assembly a rigid transparent base layer having front and back surfaces, and a flexible transparent polymer substrate carrying a thin film optical coating on one surface thereof and being mounted on the other surface thereof to one of said front and back surfaces of said base layer;
- said thin film optical coating comprising a substantially transparent metal layer and a highly transparent thin film dielectric layer formed over said metal layer, said dielectric layer comprising a mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and at least one transition or semiconductor metal and being characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability, said lanthanide series metal being cerium and said transition or semiconductor metal being tin and each of said dielectric layers includes relative concentrations of cerium and tin in the range of about 20;
80 weight percent to about 50;
50 weight percent, whereby the weatherability of said optical coating is substantially improved.
- said thin film optical coating comprising a substantially transparent metal layer and a highly transparent thin film dielectric layer formed over said metal layer, said dielectric layer comprising a mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and at least one transition or semiconductor metal and being characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability, said lanthanide series metal being cerium and said transition or semiconductor metal being tin and each of said dielectric layers includes relative concentrations of cerium and tin in the range of about 20;
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21. An energy control sheet formed by the process of:
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placing a flexible transparent substructure including a sheet of polymer material in a vacuum deposition chamber; depositing on said substructure a substantially transparent thin film metal layer; and depositing onto said thin film metal layer a highly transparent mixed metal oxide layer having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and at least one transition or semiconductor metal preselected to confer substantial water vapor impermeability to said metal oxide layer and thereby substantially to improve the weatherability of said energy control sheet;
said metal oxide layer comprising a mixed cerium oxide and tin oxide layer formed by the step of evaporating a mixture of cerium oxide and tin oxide from a single source. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. In an energy control sheet having transmittance in the visible and solar portions of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum greater than about seventy and sixty percent, respectively, and having infrared emittance substantially less than 0.2, a highly transparent substrate having first and second surfaces, a first thin film layer carried on one surface of said substrate and comprising a highly transparent dielectric material having a refractive index of 1.8 or greater and a physical thickness in the range of about 300-550 Angstroms;
- a thin film metal layer carried on said first thin film dielectric layer and including constituents of silver and palladium with silver in a total concentration of at least about eight-five weight percent and palladium in a concentration in the range of about one weight percent to about fifteen weight percent, said metal layer having a total thickness of about 100 Angstroms; and
a second dielectric layer structure formed directly on said metal layer including at least one layer of highly transparent dielectric material carried on said metal layer and having a refractive index of 1.8 or greater with said second dielectric layer structure having an overall physical thickness in the range of about 300-650 Angstroms;
said layer of dielectric material on each side of said layer of metal comprises a mixed metal oxide having metal constituents of at least one lanthanide series metal and one transition or semiconductor metal and being characterized by substantial water vapor impermeability;
said lanthanide series being cerium and said transition or semiconductor material being tin and each of said dielectric layers includes relative concentrations of cerium and tin in the range of 20;
80 weight percent to about 70;
30 weight percent. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
- a thin film metal layer carried on said first thin film dielectric layer and including constituents of silver and palladium with silver in a total concentration of at least about eight-five weight percent and palladium in a concentration in the range of about one weight percent to about fifteen weight percent, said metal layer having a total thickness of about 100 Angstroms; and
Specification