Glazing assembly comprising a substrate provided with a stack of thin layers for solar protection and/or thermal insulation

• US 5,948,538 A
• Filed: 11/21/1997
• Issued: 09/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vitrage
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vidros S/A (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Didier, Fabrice, Brochot, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Speer, Timothy M.
• Application Number:
  US08/975,491
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 428/432, 428/434, 428/469, 428/472, 428/450, 428/698, 428/701, 428/702, 359/359, 359/360, 359/585, 359/589
• US Class Current: 428/432
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3613 Coatings of type glass/inorganic compound/metal/inorganic compound/metal/other
• 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 17/3634 one layer at least containing carbon, a carbide or oxycarbide
• 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

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a glazing assembly comprising at lest one transparent substrate provided with a stack of thin "A" layers composed in succession of a first coating of dielectric material, a first "functional" layer having reflection properties in the infrared, in particular a metallic layer, and a third coating of dielectric material. The sum of the thicknesses of the first and second functional layers is greater than or equal to 25 nm. The ratio of the thickness of the first functional layer to the thickness of the second functional layer is less than 0.55.

Claims

1. Glazing assembly comprising at least one transparent substrate (1) provided with a stack of thin "A" layers consisting essentially of, in succession:

a) a first coating (2) of dielectric material;

b) a first `functional` metallic layer (3) having reflection properties in the infrared region;

c) a second coating (5) of dielectric material;

d) a second `functional` metallic layer (6) having reflection properties in the infrared region; and

e) a third coating (8) of dielectric material;

wherein

f) the sum of the thicknesses of the first and second functional layers (3,

     6) is greater than or equal to 25 nm and;

g) the ratio of the thickness of the first functional layer (3) to the thickness of the second functional layer (6) is less than 0.55, so that the glazing assembly has a solar factor SF of less than or equal to 32% and a colorimetry in external reflection corresponding to negative a* and b* values of less than 4, in absolute values.

2. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the ratio of the thickness of the first functional layer (3) to the thickness of the second functional layer (6) is less than or equal to 0.50.

3. A glazing assembly according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the second functional layer (6) is between about 0.40 and 0.50.

4. A glazing assembly according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the second functional layer (6) is between about 0.45 and 0.48.

5. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the sum of the thicknesses of the two functional layers (3,

     6) is between 25 and 35 nm.

6. A glazing assembly according to claim 5, wherein the sum of the thicknesses of the two functional layers (3, 6) is between 27 and 33 nm.

7. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) at least one of the functional layers (3,

     6) is made of silver or a silver alloy.

8. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the first functional layer (3) has a thickness of between 8 and 13 nm; and

b) the second functional layer (6) has a thickness of between 15 and 22 nm.

9. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the first coating (2) of dielectric material has an optical thickness which is greater than the optical thickness of the third coating (8) of the dielectric material, the optical thickness of the first coating (2) corresponding to at least 110% of the optical thickness of the third coating (8).

10. A glazing assembly according to claim 9, wherein the optical thickness of the first coating (2) corresponds to about 120 to 150% of the optical thickness of the third coating (8).

11. A glazing assembly according to claim 9, wherein the optical thickness of the first coating (2) corresponds to about 130 to 140% of the optical thickness of the third coating (8).

12. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the second coating (5) of dielectric material has an optical thickness which is greater than or equal to 115% of the sum of the optical thicknesses of the other two layers (2,

     8) of dielectric material.

13. A glazing assembly according to claim 12, wherein, the second coating (5) of dielectric material has an optical thickness which is greater than or equal to about 120 to 130% of the sum of the optical thicknesses of the other two layers (2, 8) of dielectric material.

14. A glazing assembly according to claim 12, wherein the sum of the optical thicknesses of the three coatings (2, 5, 8) of dielectric material is about 300 nm.

15. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the sum of the optical thicknesses of the three coatings (2, 5,

     8) of dielectric material is between 280 and 340 nm.

16. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) at least one of the two functional layers (3,

     6) is covered by an at least partially oxidized thin metallic barrier layer (4,

     7) which has a thickness of from 0.5 to 4 nm and is selected from the group consisting of Ti, Ta, Nb, Ni, Zn, Sn, stainless-steel alloys and Ni-Cr alloys.

17. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) at least one of the three coating (2, 5,

     8) of dielectric material comprises at least one layer of a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of Bi₂ O₃, SnO₂, ZnO, Ta₂ O₅, Nb₂ O₅, WO₃, and TiO₂, a silicon oxide selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiO_x C_y, and SiO_x N_y, a nitride selected from the group consisting of Si₃ N₄, AlN, Si_x Al_y N_z, and mixtures thereof.

18. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the third coating (8) of dielectric material comprises a layer selected from the group consisting of Si₃ N₄, AlN, Si_x Al_y N_z, and mixtures thereof.

19. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) at least the first of the first and second coating (2,

     5) of dielectric material comprises, under at least one of the other of the two functional layers (3,

     6), a layer of zinc oxide.

20. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the assembly has a T_L /F_S ratio at least equal to 2.

21. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the assembly has a color in external reflection defined by a* and b* values which do not change whatever the viewing angle of incidence.

22. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the assembly has a double-glazing structure with a stack of A layers as at least one of the 2 and 3 faces.

23. Glazing assembly according to claim 22, wherein:

a) the assembly has a light transmission of between 50 and 65% and a solar factor of between 25% and 32%.

24. Glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

a) the assembly comprises a bulk-tinted glass substrate.

25. A glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the thickness of the first functional layer (3) to the thickness of the second functional layer (6) is less than or equal to 0.52 so that the glazing assembly has a solar factor SF of less than or equal to 32% and a colorimetry in external reflection corresponding to negative a^* and b^* values of less than 3, in absolute value.

26. A glazing assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

(a) at least the first of the first and second coating (2,

     5) of dielectric material comprises, under at least one of the other of the two functional layers (3,

     6), a layer comprised of a superposition of layers of ZnO and a member selected from the group consisting of Nb₂ O₅, Ta₂ O₅, WO₃, SnO₂ and Bi₂ O₃.