Transparent substrate provided with a thin-film stack

• US 6,210,784 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vitrage
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vitrage
• Inventors: Didier, Fabrice, Rondeau, Veronique
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Deborah
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCNEIL, JENNIFER C
• Application Number:
  US09/422,942
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 428/212, 428/216, 428/428, 428/336, 428/432, 428/433, 428/469, 428/472, 428/622, 428/623, 428/633, 428/697, 428/698, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 359/580, 359/585
• US Class Current: 428/212
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• 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 17/3644 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
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3681 the multilayer coating being used in glazing, e.g. windows or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/734 comprising an alternation of high and low refractive indexes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24975 No layer or component greater than 5 mils thick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

The invention relates to a transparent substrate, in particular made of glass, provided with a thin-film stack including at least one metallic layer with infrared reflection properties, in particular a low-emission. layer, arranged between two dielectric-based coatings, the underlying coating having a wetting layer based on zinc oxide ZnO, optionally doped with aluminium ZnO:Al, directly in contact with the metallic layer.

According to the invention, each of the two coatings based on the dielectric material comprises at least one layer with high refractive index, greater than or equal to 2.2.

Claims

1. Transparent substrate provided with a thin-film stack including at least one low-emissivity metallic layer with infrared reflection properties arranged between underlying and overlying dielectric-based coatings, the underlying coating having a wetting layer based on zinc oxide ZnO, or aluminum-doped zinc oxide ZnO:

Al, which is directly in contact with the metallic layer, wherein each of the two coatings based on the dielectric material comprises at least one layer with a high refractive index of greater than or equal to 2.2, and wherein the overlying dielectric-based coating has the following sequence of layers deposited in the order stated;

a) first layer(s) of material(s) having a refractive index n_i-2 of less than 2.2;

b) intermediate layer(s) of material(s) having a refractive index n_i-2;

c) last layer(s) of material(s) having a refractive index n_i substantially equal to n_i-2.

wherein n_i-1 of the intermediate layer is at least 0.3 less than n_i of the last layer; and

further comprising a layer with refractive index that is greater than or equal to 2.2 arranged between the reflective metallic layer and the sequence of layers the overlying dielectric-based coating.

2. Substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that the metallic layer with infrared reflection properties is based on silver.

3. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein the metallic layer with infrared reflection properties has a geometrical thickness of between 7 and 20 nanometers, so as to give it low-emissivity properties, or between 20 and 25 nanometers so as to give it solar-protection properties.

4. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein a protective metallic layer is placed immediately above and in contact with the layer with infrared reflection properties.

5. Substrate according to claim 4, wherein the said protective metallic layer is based on a single metal selected from niobium Nb, titanium Ti, chromium Cr or nickel Ni or an alloy of at least two of these metals, and has a geometrical thickness of less than or equal to 2 nanometers.

6. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein the wetting layer has a geometrical thickness of between 5 and 40 nanometers.

7. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein the wetting layer is based on at least partly crystallized zinc oxide.

8. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein each of the layers with high refractive index is based on a material selected from niobium oxide Nb₂O₅, manganese-doped bismuth oxide Bi₂O₃:

Mn, a mixed oxide of zinc and titanium ZnTiO_x, titanium oxide TiO₂, a mixed oxide of tantalum and titanium TaTiO_x, or a mixed oxide of zirconium and titanium ZrTiO_x.

9. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric coating above the reflective metallic layer has a superposed set of layers, including the layer with index greater than or equal to 2.2 and a layer whose refractive index is less than or equal to 1.8, in particular less than 1.6.

10. Substrate according to claim 9 characterized in that the layer with an index lower than or equal to 1.8 is based on SiO₂, SiON, or SiOAl.

11. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric coating above the reflective metallic layer has a superposed set of layers, including the layer of index greater than or equal to 2.2 on top of which there is a layer with lower index of between 1.9 and 2.1.

12. Substrate of claim 11 wherein the lower index layer comprises SnO₂, Si₃,N₄, AIN, or ZnO.

13. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein the sequence of layers of the stack is as follows:

Glass/TiO₂ or Nb₂O₅ or ZnTiO_x/ZnO/Ag/Ti or Nb/TiO₂ or Nb₂O₅ or

ZnTiO_x/SnO₂ or Si₃N₄ or (ZnO/Si₃N₄).

14. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has an emissivity of at most 0.025.

15. Low-emission or solar-protection multiple glazing, in particular double glazing, having the substrate according to claim 1, with the thin-film stack being at faces 2 and/or 3 and at face 5.

16. Low-emission double glazing having at least one substrate according to claim 1, wherein said glazing has an optical transmission T_L of at least 72%.

17. Double glazing according to claim 16, having two panes of glass, wherein said glazing has a coefficient K less than or equal to 1.4 W/K.m² when the two panes of glass are separated by a layer of air, or less than or equal to 1.1 W/K.m² when the two panes of glass are separated by a layer of argon.

18. Substrate according to claim 1, wherein the metallic layer with infrared reflection properties has a geometrical thickness which is either between 9 and 15 nanometers, so as to give it low-emissivity properties, or between 20 and 25 nanometers so as to give it solar-protection properties.

19. Substrate of claim 1 wherein the wetting layer has a geometrical thickness of between 15 and 30 nanometers.

20. Substrate of claim 1 wherein the refractive index of layer a) is between 1.9 and 2.1.

21. Substrate of claim 1 wherein the refractive index of layer b) is less than 1.8.

22. Transparent substrate provided with a thin-film stack including at least one metallic layer with infrared reflection properties, in particular a low-emissivity layer, arranged between underlying and overlying dielectric-based coatings, the underlying coating having a wetting layer based on zinc oxide ZnO, or aluminum-doped zinc oxide, ZnO:

Al, directly in contact with the metallic layer, characterized in that each of the two coatings based on the dielectric material comprises at least one layer with high refractive index which is greater than or equal to 2.2, wherein each of the layers with high refractive index is based on a material selected from niobium oxide Nb₂O₅, manganese-doped bismuth oxide Bi₂O₃;

Mn, a mixed oxide of zinc and titanium ZnTiO_x, titanium oxide TiO₂, a mixed oxide of tantalum and titanium TaTiO_x, or a mixed oxide of zirconium and titanium ZrTiO_x.