Matchable, heat treatable, durable, IR-reflecting sputter-coated glasses and method of making same

• US 5,688,585 A
• Filed: 12/14/1995
• Issued: 11/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellicoat Technologies Incorporated, Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Industries Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lingle, Philip J., Larson, Steven L., Hartig, Klaus W.
• Primary Examiner(s): TURNER, ARCHENE A
• Application Number:
  US08/572,061
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 428/336, 428/426, 428/428, 428/432, 428/469, 428/472, 428/216, 428/698, 359/585, 359/586, 359/359, 359/360
• US Class Current: 428/216
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/361 Coatings of the type glass/metal/inorganic compound/metal/inorganic compound/other
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3613 Coatings of type glass/inorganic compound/metal/inorganic compound/metal/other
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3615 Coatings of the type glass/metal/other inorganic layers, at least one layer being non-metallic
• 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 17/3649 made of metals other than silver
• 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: C03C 2218/154 by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0652 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/185 by cathodic sputtering
• 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

Abstract

A sputter-coated layer system including a non-nitrided and non-oxidized nickel or nickel alloy layer located between two layers of Si₃ N₄ of the requisite thicknesses and used for architectural and automotive glass substrates so as to be heat treatable and have ΔE characteristics sufficiently low to render the products matchable as between heat treated and non-heat treated products having the same coating thereon.

Claims

1. A heat treated glass article exhibiting a glass side reflectance Δ

E_H no greater than about 2.0 including a glass substrate having a thickness of about 1.5 mm-13 mm and having thereon a sputter-coated layer system comprising from the glass substrate outward;

a) an undercoat layer comprised of silicon nitride;

b) a substantially metallic layer which includes nickel or a nickel alloy having a nickel content of at least 10% by weight Ni, and which is substantially free of any nitride or oxide; and

c) an overcoat layer comprised of silicon nitride.

2. A heat treated glass article according to claim 1 wherein said layer system is substantially free of silver.

3. A heat treated glass article according to claim 1 wherein:

layer (a) has a thickness of about 5-70 Å

layer (b) has a thickness of about 30-150 Å

layer (c) has a thickness of about 200-500 Å

.

4. A heat treated glass article according to claim 3 wherein said so-layered glass article when heat treated exhibits a film side reflectance Δ

E_H of no greater than about 5.0, a visible transmittance Δ

E_H of no greater than about 5.0 and has the following characteristics both before and after heat treatment;

TY, about 1%-80%

R_G Y, about 4%-55%

R_f Y, about 4%-65%

E_n, about 0.1-0.75

E_h, about 0.1-0.75

R_s, about 20-500 ohms/sq.

5. A heat treated glass article according to claim 3 wherein:

layer (a) has a thickness of about 30-50 Å

layer (b) has a thickness of about 50-100 Å

layer (c) has a thickness of about 300-400 Å

and wherein the glass article has the following characteristics both before and after heat treatment;

TY, less than about 70%

R_G Y, about 5%-45%

R_f Y, about 5%-45%

Visible color, a_h about 0±

2

b_h about -4±

4

E_n, about 0.2-0.75

E_h, about 0.2-0.75

R_s, about 20-300 ohms/sq.

6. A heat treated glass article according to claim 5 wherein said article is durable and chemically resistant.

7. A heat treated glass article according to claim 5 wherein said heat treatment is tempering.

8. A heat treated glass article according to claim 1 wherein:

layer (a) has a thickness of about 40 Å

;

layer (b) has a thickness of about 75 Å

, and consists essentially of non-nitrided and non-oxidized nichrome in a weight ratio of about 80;

20 nickel to chromium;

layer (c) has a thickness of about 350 Å

, and wherein said glass article both before and after tempering exhibits the following characteristics;

TY, about 50%

R_G Y, about 13%

R_f Y, about 10%-11%,

a glass side reflectance Δ

E_H of less than about 1.5,

a film side reflectance Δ

E_H of less than about 4.0,

a visible transmittance Δ

E_H of less than about 4.0.

9. A heat treated glass article according to claim 8 wherein:

said glass side reflectance Δ

E_H is less than about 0.5,

said film side reflectance Δ

E_H is less than about 2.0,

said visible transmittance Δ

E_H is less than about 1.0,

and wherein said glass article is durable and chemically resistant.

10. A heat treated glass article according to claim 1 wherein:

layer (a) has a thickness of about 40 Å

,

layer (b) has a thickness of about 140 Å

, and consists essentially of non-nitrided and non-oxidized nichrome in a weight ratio of about 80;

20 nickel to chromium,

layer (c) has a thickness of about 350 Å

, and wherein said glass article both before and after tempering exhibits the following characteristics;

TY, about 30%

R_G Y, about 20-21%

R_f Y, about 16%, a glass side reflectance Δ

E_H of less than about 2.0, a film side reflectance Δ

E_H of less than about 4.0, a visible transmittance Δ

E_H of less than about 3.0, and wherein said glass article is durable and chemically resistant.

11. A heat treated glass article according to claims 5, 8, and 10 wherein said layers of silicon nitride contain up to about 6% by weight aluminum, said layer system is substantially free of silver and consists essentially of said layers (a), (b), and (c), and said layer system is durable and chemically resistant.

12. A glass article according to claim 1 wherein said sputter-coated layer system consists essentially of said layers (a), (b), and (c).