Gold-clad-silver-layer-containing films

• US 6,255,003 B1
• Filed: 04/25/1997
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Southwall Technologies, Inc. (Eastman Chemical Company)
• Original Assignee: Southwall Technologies, Inc. (Eastman Chemical Company)
• Inventors: Woodard, Floyd E., Knapczyk, Jerome W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, John J.
• Application Number:
  US08/845,395
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 428/672, 428/673, 428/621, 428/622, 428/623, 428/626, 428/630, 428/631, 428/632, 428/633, 428/434, 428/458, 359/585, 204/192.29
• US Class Current: 428/623
• 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 17/3639 Multilayers containing at least two functional metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3644 the metal being silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3649 made of metals other than silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/366 Low-emissivity or solar control coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/40 all coatings being metal coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/185 by cathodic sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/205 by cathodic sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12549 Adjacent to each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12569 Synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31681 Next to polyester, polyamide or polyimide [e.g., alkyd, glue, or nylon, etc.]

Abstract

Heat wave-reflective or electrically conductive substantially transparent sheets, such as glazing sheets, which include a transparent solid substrate and one or more sequential transparent gold-clad silver layers supported by the substrate are disclosed. These sheets have superior corrosion resistance to equivalent sheets made without the gold cladding or made with gold/silver alloys. Sputter-deposit methods for producing these sheets are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A heat wave-reflective or electrically conductive substantially transparent sheet comprising a transparent flexible polyester sheet solid substrate, a transparent first boundary layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 100 to 1500 Å

on said substrate, a transparent gold-clad silver layer having a sputter-deposited 50 Å

to 400 Å

silver layer consisting of silver with not more than 0.5% by weight of other metals clad on both sides or on its side adjacent to the transparent first boundary layer with a sputter-deposited 0.3 Å

to 50 Å

layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold on said transparent first boundary layer, and a transparent second boundary layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 100 to 1500 Å

on said gold-clad silver layer.

2. The transparent sheet of claim 1 additionally comprising a second gold-clad silver layer and a spacer layer so as to comprise a transparent flexible polyester sheet solid substrate, a transparent first boundary layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 100 to 1500 Å

on said substrate, a transparent first gold-clad silver layer having consisting essentially of a sputter-deposited 50 Å

to 400 Å

silver layer consisting of silver with not more than 0.5% by weight of other metals clad on both sides or on its side adjacent to the transparent first boundary layer with a sputter-deposited 0.3 Å

to 50 Å

layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold on said transparent first boundary layer, a transparent spacer layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 400 to 2000 Å

on said first gold-clad silver layer, a transparent second gold-clad silver layer having a sputter-deposited 50 Å

to 400 Å

silver layer consisting of silver with not more than 0.5% by weight of other metals clad on both sides or on its side adjacent to the spacer layer with a sputter-deposited 0.3 Å

to 50 Å

layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold on said spacer layer, and a transparent second boundary layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 100 to 1500 Å

on said second gold-clad silver layer.

3. The transparent sheet of claim 2 additionally comprising a third gold-clad silver layer and a second spacer layer so as to comprise a transparent flexible polyester sheet solid substrate, a transparent first boundary layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 100 to 1500 Å

on said substrate, a transparent first gold-clad silver layer having a sputter-deposited 50 Å

to 400 Å

silver layer consisting of silver with not more than 0.5% by weight of other metals clad on both sides or on its side adjacent to the transparent first boundary layer with a sputter-deposited 0.3 Å

to 50 Å

layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold on said transparent first boundary layer, a transparent first spacer layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 400 to 2000 Å

on said first gold-clad silver layer, a transparent second gold-clad silver layer having a sputter-deposited 50 Å

to 400 Å

silver layer consisting of silver with not more than 0.5% by weight of other metals clad on both sides or on the side adjacent to the first spacer layer with a sputter-deposited 0.3 Å

to 50 Å

layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold on said first spacer layer, a transparent second spacer layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 400 to 2000 Å

on said second gold-clad silver layer, a transparent third gold-clad silver layer having a sputter-deposited 50 Å

to 400 Å

silver layer consisting of silver with not more than 0.5% by weight of other metals clad on both sides or on the side adjacent to the second spacer layer with a sputter-deposited 0.3 Å

to 50 Å

layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold on said second spacer layer, and a transparent second boundary layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 and a thickness of from about 100 to 1500 Å

on said third gold-clad silver layer.

4. The transparent sheet of claim 3 wherein the silver layers are each clad on both sides with a layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold.

5. The transparent sheet of claim 3 wherein one side of each of the silver layers clad with the layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold is the side adjacent to the first boundary layer.

6. The transparent sheet of claim 2 wherein the silver layers are each clad on both sides with a layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold.

7. The transparent sheet of claim 2 wherein one side of each of the silver layers clad with the layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold is the side adjacent to the first boundary layer.

8. The transparent sheet of claim 1 wherein the silver layer is clad on both sides with a layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold.

9. The transparent sheet of claim 1 wherein the one side clad with the layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold is the side adjacent to the first boundary layer.

10. A heat wave-reflective or electrically conductive substantially transparent sheet comprising a transparent solid flexible plastic film substrate, a transparent first boundary layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 on said substrate, a transparent gold-clad silver layer having a sputter-deposited 50 Å

to 400 Å

silver layer consisting of silver with not more than 0.5% by weight of other metals clad on one or both sides with a sputter-deposited 0.3 Å

to 50 Å

layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold on said transparent first boundary layer, and a transparent second boundary layer of dielectric having an index of refraction greater than 1.75 on said gold-clad silver layer.

11. The transparent sheet of claim 10 wherein the substrate is poly(ethyleneterephthalate) film.

12. The transparent sheet of claim 10 wherein the silver layer is clad on both sides with a layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold.

13. The transparent sheet of claim 10 wherein the silver layer is clad on one side with the layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold.

14. The transparent sheet of claim 13 wherein the one side clad with the layer consisting of gold or an alloy of silver and at least 30% gold is the side adjacent to the first boundary layer.

15. The transparent sheet of claim 10 wherein the first boundary layer has a thickness of from about 100 to 1500Å

.

16. The transparent sheet of claim 10 wherein the second boundary layer has a thickness of from about 100 to 1500Å

.