Transparent layered product and glass article using the same

• US 6,362,414 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kaneka Corporation, Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Kaneka Corporation, Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited
• Inventors: Nara, Masatoshi, Fujisawa, Akira, Hirata, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAMOND, ALAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/579,929
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 136/256, 136/244, 136/251, 257/432, 257/434, 428/432, 428/326, 428/142, 428/141, 428/701, 428/702, 527/861, 527/861.3, 524/79
• US Class Current: 136/256
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/007 containing a dispersed phase, e.g. particles, fibres or flakes, in a continuous phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/2453 Coating containing SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/211 SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/45 Inorganic continuous phases
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/475 Inorganic materials
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/77 Coatings having a rough surface
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/152 by cvd
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/249 Glazing, e.g. vacuum glazing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 80/22 Glazing, e.g. vaccum glazing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24364 with transparent or protective coating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/253 Cellulosic [e.g., wood, paper, cork, rayon, etc.]

Abstract

In a transparent layered product in which a coating film having a surface with roughness is formed on a glass sheet, the reflectance of the transparent layered product is decreased by controlling the refractive index distribution in a transition layer produced by the roughness. In the transition layer present at the surface of the coating film, in which the refractive index varies continuously in its thickness direction, the variation in refractive index in the thickness direction was indicated by a convex curve over the whole area of the transition layer, when the variation is shown on a plane defined by a horizontal axis indicating a refractive index and the vertical axis indicating the thickness direction of the transition layer, with the glass sheet positioned on the lower side.

Claims

1. A transparent layered product, comprising:

a glass sheet;

an undercoating film formed on the glass sheet, comprising at least two layers and having a surface with roughness; and

a coating film having a surface with roughness, which is formed on the undercoating film,

the coating film including, at its surface, a transition layer in which a refractive index varies continuously in a thickness direction of the transition layer,

wherein when a variation in the refractive index is shown on a plane defined by a horizontal axis indicating the refractive index and a vertical axis indicating the thickness direction of the transition layer, with the glass sheet positioned on a lower side, the variation in the refractive index is indicated by a convex curve over a whole region of the transition layer.

2. The transparent layered product according to claim 1, wherein the coating film is a crystalline coating film, and the roughness of the crystalline coating film is caused by crystal grains in the crystalline coating film.

3. The transparent layered product according to claim 2, wherein the crystalline coating film comprises, as a main component, at least one selected from the group consisting of tin oxide, zinc oxide, indium oxide, and titanium oxide.

4. The transparent layered product according to claim 1, wherein the undercoating film is a coating film formed by thermal decomposition of a material containing halogen, and the coating film has a surface with roughness caused by production or loss after the production of compound grains of an alkaline component contained in the glass sheet and the halogen.

5. The transparent layered product according to claim 1, wherein the coating film having a surface with roughness is a coating film formed by thermal decomposition of a material containing halogen, and the coating film formed by thermal decomposition has a surface with roughness caused by production of or loss after the production of compound grains of an alkaline component contained in the glass sheet and the halogen.

6. The transparent layered product according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the transition layer in the coating film corresponds to 30% or less of a thickness of a layer having a substantially constant refractive index in the coating film.

7. The transparent layered product according to claim 1, wherein the coating film is a conductive coating film.

8. A multiple glazing unit, comprising:

at least two transparent substrates; and

at least one inner layer selected from the group consisting of an air layer, an inert gas layer, and a low pressure layer,

the at least two substrates being positioned so as to oppose each other via the at least one inner layer,

wherein at least one of the at least two transparent substrates is a transparent layered product according to claim 1.

9. A photoelectric conversion device, comprising:

a transparent layered product, comprising a glass sheet, an undercoating film formed on the glass sheet, the undercoating film comprising at least two layers and having a surface with roughness, and a conductive crystalline coating film formed on the undercoating film having a surface with roughness;

at least one photoelectric conversion unit; and

a back electrode,

wherein the roughness of the crystalline coating film is caused by crystal grains in the crystalline coating film, the crystalline coating film including, at its surface, a transition layer in which a refractive index varies continuously in a thickness direction of the transition layer,

the at least one photoelectric conversion unit and the back electrode are stacked in this order on the crystalline coating film, and

wherein when a variation in the refractive index in the transition layer is shown on a plane defined by a horizontal axis indicating the refractive index and a vertical axis indicating the thickness direction of the transition layer, with the glass sheet positioned on a lower side, the variation in the refractive index is indicated by a convex curve over a whole region of the transition layer.