Vacuum deposition of bus bars onto conductive transparent films

• US 6,204,480 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2000
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Southwall Technologies, Inc. (Eastman Chemical Company)
• Original Assignee: Southwall Technologies, Inc. (Eastman Chemical Company)
• Inventors: Furler, Reto, Woodard, Floyd E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Tu Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/495,464
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 219/203, 219/528, 219/549, 219/543, 219/509, 219/522, 219/541, 204/192.26, 427/165, 427/108, 428/215, 428/209, 428/210, 338/309, 338/308, 392/439, 521/712, 65/42, 65/55, 65/602, 156/166, 156/301.1
• US Class Current: 219/203
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10005 laminated safety glass or glazing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10761 containing vinyl acetal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2333/08 Polymers of acrylic acid esters, e.g. PMA, i.e. polymethylacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2333/12 Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1271 for mounting on windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/016 Heaters using particular connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/84 Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/86 the heating conductors being embedded in the transparent or reflecting material H05B3/845 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/244 Finish plating of conductors, especially of copper conductors, e.g. for pads or lands selective plating methods H05K3/243; finish plating of conductors made by printing techniques H05K3/246; solder as finish H05K3/3457, e.g. by plating H05K3/3473

Abstract

Vacuum deposition processes such as sputter-depositing are employed to deposit electrically conductive bus bars onto thin film transparent conductor sheets. These assemblies provide efficient and durable electrical connections to the conductor sheets which can be laminated into glazing structures such as automotive windshields to provide resistance heating for defogging and deicing or the provide an electrical connection for in-window antennas and in window radiation shields.

Claims

1. In a transparent panel comprising a transparent electrically conductive layer connected through an electrical contact to an external electrical circuit, the improvement comprising a vacuum-deposited metal layer as the electrical contact.

2. The transparent panel of claim 1 additionally comprising a transparent substrate upon which the electrically conductive layer is carried.

3. The transparent panel of claim 2 wherein the transparent substrate is a flexible substrate.

4. The transparent panel of claim 3 wherein the flexible substrate is a plastic film substrate.

5. The transparent panel of claim 2 wherein the transparent substrate is a rigid substrate.

6. The transparent panel of claim 5 wherein the rigid substrate is a glass substrate.

7. The transparent panel of claim 1 wherein the vacuum-deposited metal layer is a vapor-deposited metal layer.

8. The transparent panel of claim 1 wherein the vacuum-deposited metal layer is a sputter-deposited metal layer.

9. The transparent panel of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer comprises a sputter-deposited conductive layer.

10. The transparent panel of claim 9 wherein the sputter-deposited conductive layer comprises a sputter-deposited conductive metal layer.

11. The transparent panel of claim 9 wherein the sputter-deposited conductive layer comprises a sputter-deposited conductive metal oxide layer.

12. The transparent panel of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer is part of a multilayer solar energy control structure.

13. The transparent panel of claim 12 wherein the multilayer solar energy control structure comprises one or more sputter-deposited metal layers sandwiched between sputter-deposited metal oxide layers.

14. The transparent panel of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer is an electromagnetic radiation shield and wherein the external electrical circuit comprises a ground.

15. The transparent panel of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer is a resistance heating element and wherein the external electrical circuit comprises a resistance heating element-powering power supply.

16. The transparent panel of claim 1 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer is a signal-receiving antenna and wherein the external electrical circuit comprises means for processing said signal.

17. In a window glazing unit containing a transparent electrically conductive electrical resistance heating layer connected through an electrical contact to an electrical power source, the improvement comprising a vacuum-deposited metal layer as the electrical contact.

18. The window glazing unit of claim 17 additionally comprising a transparent substrate upon which the electrically conductive layer is carried.

19. The window glazing unit of claim 18 wherein the transparent substrate is a flexible substrate and wherein the glazing unit additionally comprises a glazing sheet to which the resistance heating layer and transparent flexible substrate are laminated.

20. The window glazing unit of claim 19 wherein the flexible substrate is a plastic film substrate.

21. The window glazing unit of claim 18 wherein the transparent substrate is a rigid substrate.

22. The window glazing unit of claim 21 wherein the rigid substrate is a glass substrate.

23. The window glazing unit of claim 17 wherein the vacuum-deposited metal layer is a vapor-deposited metal layer.

24. The window glazing unit of claim 17 wherein the vacuum-deposited metal layer is a sputter-deposited metal layer.

25. The window glazing unit of claim 17 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer comprises a sputter-deposited conductive layer.

26. The window glazing unit of claim 25 wherein the sputter-deposited conductive layer comprises a sputter-deposited conductive metal layer.

27. The window glazing unit of claim 25 wherein the sputter-deposited conductive layer comprises a sputter-deposited conductive metal oxide layer.

28. The window glazing unit of claim 17 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer is part of a multilayer solar energy control structure.

29. The window glazing unit of claim 28 wherein the multilayer solar energy control structure comprises one or more sputter-deposited metal layers sandwiched between sputter-deposited metal oxide layers.

30. The window glazing unit of claim 17 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer is an electromagnetic radiation shield and wherein the external electrical circuit comprises a ground.

31. The window glazing unit of claim 17 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer is a resistance heating element and wherein the external electrical circuit comprises a resistance heating element-powering power supply.

32. The window glazing unit of claim 17 wherein the transparent electrically conductive layer is a signal-receiving antenna and wherein the external electrical circuit comprises means for processing said signal.

33. A laminated window glazing comprising a pair of rigid glazing sheets separated by a transparent electrically conductive layer connected through an electrical contact to an external electrical circuit, said electrical contact comprising a vacuum-deposited metal layer.

34. In a vehicle windshield containing a transparent electrically conductive electrical resistance heating layer connected through an electrical contact to an electrical power source, the improvement comprising a vacuum-deposited metal layer as the electrical contact.

35. The vehicle windshield of claim 34 comprising a uniform thickness vacuum-deposited metal layer as the electrical contact.

36. The vehicle windshield of claim 34 comprising a variable thickness vacuum-deposited metal layer as the electrical contact.

37. The vehicle windshield of claim 34 wherein the vacuum deposited metal layer is a sputter deposited metal layer.

38. A method for producing a transparent panel comprising a transparent electrically conductive layer connected through an electrical contact to an external electrical circuit, the method comprising vacuum-depositing a metal layer as the electrical contact.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the vacuum depositing is vapor depositing.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein the vacuum depositing is sputter depositing.