Functional product

• US 5,938,898 A
• Filed: 04/20/1995
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Koichi, Suzuki, Susumu, Ebisawa, Junichi, Ando, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam
• Assistant Examiner(s): VerSteeg, Steven H.
• Application Number:
  US08/425,490
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.12, 204/192.15, 204/192.23, 204/192.26, 204/192.27, 204/192.28
• US Class Current: 204/192.23
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3435 comprising a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3441 comprising carbon, a carbide or oxycarbide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3605 Coatings of the type glass/metal/inorganic compound
• 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 17/3642 the multilayer coating containing a metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3644 the metal being 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 2217/23 Mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant

Abstract

A functional product comprising at least one layer of a thin film having a function formed above a substrate; and at least one layer of an oxide film whose major component is an oxide containing tin and silicon, formed above the substrate.

Claims

1. A method for forming a functional product, comprising the steps of:

forming a functional film above a substrate; and

forming a first oxide film above said substrate, by sputtering a target;

wherein said first oxide film comprises tin and silicon, and

said first oxide film has an atomic ratio of tin defined as Sn/(Sn+Si) in a range of 30-90%.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a second oxide film above said substrate.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of forming a third oxide film above said substrate.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of forming a metal film between said functional film and said substrate.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said second oxide film is formed below said functional film.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said second oxide film comprises tin and silicon.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a chemicalproof protective film above said first oxide film.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said functional film comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a nitride, a carbide, a metal and an absorptive oxide.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said functional film comprises a nitride selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, zirconium nitride, hafnium nitride and chromium nitride.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said first oxide film has an atomic ratio of tin defined as Sn/(Sn+Si) in a range of 40-90%.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said first oxide film further comprises an element selected from the group consisting of zirconium, titanium, tantalum and bismuth.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said substrate is glass.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein said sputtering of said target is with a power density of more than 9.4 W/cm².

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said sputtering is direct current sputtering.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said first oxide film has a thickness of 10-1000 Å

.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said functional film has a thickness of from 20-100 Å

.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said first oxide film has a refractive index of 1.5-2.0.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said functional product has a visible light transmittance of at least 70%.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of preparing said target by cold isostatic press method.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said target is a metal target.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said sputtering has a film forming rate at least 2.5 times as fast as a sputtering film forming rate of an oxide target containing zirconium and silicon in the atomic ratio of 1:

2 under identical conditions.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein a power density during said sputtering is greater than a sputtering power density which will cause an oxide target containing zirconium and silicon, in the atomic ratio of 1:

2, to arc.