Glazing panel provided with a conductive and/or low emissivity film

• US 6,174,599 B1
• Filed: 04/04/1997
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vitrage
• Inventors: Boire, Philippe, Zagdoun, Georges
• Primary Examiner(s): TURNER, ARCHENE A
• Application Number:
  US08/793,605
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 428/212, 428/336, 428/426, 428/432, 428/698, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 359/580, 359/582, 359/586, 359/589
• US Class Current: 428/336
• 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 2217/91 Coatings containing at least one layer having a composition gradient through its thickness
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/029 Graded interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/453 passing the reaction gases through burners or torches, e.g. atmospheric pressure CVD C23C16/513 takes precedence; for flame or plasma spraying of coating material in the molten state C23C4/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a glazing panel comprising a transparent substrate (1), especially one made of glass, provided with at least one functional, conductive and/or low-emissivity, transparent thin film (3). In order to improve the optical and especially the calorimetric appearance of the glazing panel, at least one intermediate film (2) is placed between the substrate (1) and the functional film (3), this at least one intermediate film having a refractive index gradient decreasing through its thickness.

The invention also relates to the device intended for manufacturing this type of glazing panel.

Claims

1. In a glazing panel comprising a transparent substrate (1) provided with at least one functional, conductive and/or low-emissivity, transparent thin film (3), the improvement comprising at least one intermediate film (2) disposed between the substrate (1) and the functional film (3), said at least one intermediate film having a decreasing refractive index gradient where the refractive index decreases through its thickness from the substrate to the functional film.

2. Glazing panel according to claim 1, wherein the total refractive index variation through the thickness of the intermediate film (2) is at least 0.2.

3. Glazing panel according to claim 2, wherein the total refractive index variation through the thickness of the intermediate film (2) is between about 0.25 and 0.8.

4. Glazing panel according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lowest refractive index in the index gradient of the intermediate film (2) is between about 1.45 and 1.60.

5. Glazing panel according to claim 1, wherein the highest refractive index in the index gradient of the intermediate film is between about 1.7 and 2.35.

6. Glazing panel according to claim 1, wherein the refractive index of the intermediate film (2) varies from a refractive index close to that of the functional film (3) to a refractive index close to that of the substrate (1).

7. Glazing panel according to claim 1, wherein the geometric thickness of the graded index intermediate film (2) is between 30 and 120 nm.

8. Glazing panel according to claim 7, wherein the geometric thickness of the graded-index intermediate film (2) is between about 45 and 90 nm.

9. Glazing panel according to claim 1, wherein the refractive index gradient of the intermediate film (2) is obtained by progressively varying its chemical composition through the thickness of the film.

10. Glazing panel according to claim 9, characterized in that said mixture comprises at least one low-index component of silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride or silicon oxycarbide.

11. Glazing panel according to claim 9 or claim 8, characterized in that said mixture comprises at least one high-index component, of tin oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminium oxide, magnesium oxide, vanadium oxide, silicon nitride or silicon oxycarbide.

12. Glazing panel according to claim 9, wherein the chemical composition is varied providing a mixture of at least two components having different refractive indices, with the amount of the component or mixture of components having the highest index gradually decreasing through the thickness of the film.

13. Glazing panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the functional film (3) is coated with at least one external thin film (4) having a refractive index between 1.4 and 1.7 and a geometric thickness between about 70 and 120 nm.

14. Glazing panel according to claim 13, characterized in that said external film (4) is made of a dielectric material at least one of the compounds of the group comprising silicon oxide, silicon oxycarbide, silicon oxynitride, aluminium oxide or a mixture of mixed silicon and aluminium oxide and containing fluorine.

15. Glazing panel according to claim 1, wherein the functional film (3) has a refractive index of approximately 1.8 to 2 and a geometric thickness of at least 300 nm.

16. Glazing panel according to claim 15, wherein the functional film (3) has a geometric thickness between about 350 and 550 nm.

17. Glazing panel according to claim 1, characterized in that the functional film (3) is a doped metal oxide(s) belonging to the group comprising tin-doped indium oxide ITO, fluorine-doped tin oxide F:

SnO₂, indium-doped zinc oxide In;

ZnO, fluorine-doped zinc oxide F;

ZnO, aluminium-doped zinc oxide Al;

ZnO or tin-doped zinc oxide Sn;

ZnO.

18. Glazing panel according to claim 1, wherein a residual colour is disposed, in reflection, on the films side, said residual colour being in the blues, the saturation C* in the (L*, a*, b*) colorimetric system of this residual colour is at most equal to 5, a high light transmission T_L of at least 75%, and an emissivity ε

of at most 0.18.

19. Glazing panel according to claim 18, wherein the high light transmission T_L is at least 80 to 85%.

20. Glazing panel according to claim 1, wherein the transparent substrates are made of glass.