Glass sheet with conductive film and glass article using the same

• US 6,551,715 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2000
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kaneka Corporation, Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kaneka Corporation, Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Otani, Tsuyoshi, Seto, Yasunori, Fujisawa, Akira, Hirata, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Deborah
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIZIALI, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US09/691,442
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 428/432, 428/428, 428/448, 428/702, 428/699, 428/701, 428/34, 428/689, 428/212, 428/213, 428/215, 428/216, 428/332, 428/334, 428/335, 428/336
• US Class Current: 428/432
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/245 by deposition from the vapour phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 Thickness [relative or absolute]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24967 Absolute thicknesses specified
• 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 428/263 Coating layer not in excess of 5 mils thick or equivalent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/264 Up to 3 mils
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

When a transparent conductive film formed on a glass sheet is heat-treated in the air, its conductivity decreases. Even if the conductivity is increased by a heat treatment in a nitrogen atmosphere or the like beforehand, it decreases considerably by heating in the air during a processing step to obtain a final product. The present invention provides a glass sheet with a transparent conductive film, in which the increasing rate of its sheet resistance is 15% or lower even after heating at 450° C. in the air for three hours.

Claims

1. A glass sheet with a transparent conductive film, comprising:

a glass sheet; and

a transparent conductive film with a thickness of at least 400 nm to 1200 nm formed on the glass sheet, said transparent conductive film including a tin oxide as a main component,

wherein the transparent conductive film is formed on the glass sheet or a glass ribbon during a manufacturing process of the glass sheet at a temperature of 600°

C. or more, and an increase in sheet resistance of the transparent conductive film due to a heat treatment at 450°

C. in the air for three hours is 15% or lower when the sheet resistance before the heat treatment is taken as a reference;

wherein between the transparent conductive film and the glass sheet, a first intermediate film with a thickness of 5 nm to 50 nm and a second intermediate film with a thickness of 5 nm to 50 nm are formed sequentially from a side of the glass sheet; and

said first intermediate film includes tin oxide as a main component and said second intermediate film includes a main component selected from the group of silicon oxide and aluminum oxide.

2. The glass sheet with a transparent conductive film according to claim 1, wherein the sheet resistance of the transparent conductive film before the heat treatment is 25 Ω

/sq. or lower.

3. The glass sheet with a transparent conductive film according to claim 1,

wherein both the first and the second intermediate film and the transparent conductive film are formed by a pyrolytic oxidation reaction of a coating-film forming material on a glass sheet or a glass ribbon during a manufacturing process of the glass sheet, which has a temperature of at least 600° C.

4. A solar cell, comprising:

a glass sheet with a transparent conductive film according to claim 1; and

a photoelectric conversion layer,

wherein the photoelectric conversion layer is formed on the transparent conductive film.

5. A multiple-glazing unit, comprising:

a plurality of glass sheets; and

an inner layer of a reduced pressure layer,

wherein the plurality of glass sheets are positioned to oppose each other via the inner layer, and at least one of the plurality of glass sheets is a glass sheet with a transparent conductive film according to claim 1.

6. A glass sheet with a transparent conductive film, comprising:

a glass sheet; and

a transparent conductive film with a thickness of at least 400 nm to 1200 nm formed on the glass sheet, said transparent conductive film including a tin oxide as a main component,

wherein the transparent conductive film is formed on the glass sheet or a glass ribbon during a manufacturing process of the glass sheet at a temperature of 600°

C. or more, and an increase in sheet resistance of the transparent conductive film due to a heat treatment at 450°

C. in the air for three hours is 15% or lower when the sheet resistance before the heat treatment is taken as a reference;

wherein between the transparent conductive film and the glass sheet, a first intermediate film with a thickness of 5 nm to 50 nm and a second intermediate film with a thickness of 5 nm to 50 nm are formed sequentially from a side of the glass sheet;

said first intermediate film includes tin oxide as a main component and said second intermediate film includes a main component selected from the group of silicon oxide and aluminum oxide; and

said sheet resistance of the transparent conductive film before the heat treatment is 25 Ω

/sq. or lower.

8. A solar cell, comprising:

a glass sheet with a transparent conductive film according to claim 6; and

a photoelectric conversion layer,

wherein the photoelectric conversion layer is formed on the transparent conductive film.

10. A multiple-glazing unit, comprising:

a plurality of glass sheets; and

an inner layer of a reduced pressure layer;

wherein the plurality of glass sheets are positioned to oppose each other via the inner layer, and at least one of the plurality of glass sheets is a glass sheet with a transparent conductive film according to claim 6.

7. A glass sheet with a transparent conductive film, comprising:

a glass sheet;

a transparent conductive film with a thickness of at least 400 nm to 1200 nm formed on the glass sheet, said transparent conductive film including tin oxide as a main component,

wherein the transparent conductive film is formed on the glass sheet or a glass ribbon during a manufacturing process of the glass sheet at a temperature of 600°

C. or more, and an increase in sheet resistance of the transparent conductive film due to a heat treatment at 450°

C. in the air for three hours is 15% or lower when the sheet resistance before the heat treatment is taken as a reference;

wherein between the transparent conductive film and the glass sheet, a first intermediate film with a thickness of 5 nm to 50 nm and a second intermediate film with a thickness of 5 nm to 50 nm are formed sequentially from a side of the glass sheet;

said first intermediate film includes tin oxide as a main component and said second intermediate film includes a main component selected from the group of silicon oxide and aluminum oxide; and

both the first and the second intermediate film and the transparent conductive film are formed by a pyrolytic oxidation reaction of a coating-film forming material on a glass sheet or a glass ribbon during a manufacturing process of the glass sheet, which has a temperature of at least 600°

C.

9. A solar cell, comprising:

a glass sheet with a transparent conductive film according to claim 7; and

a photoelectric conversion layer,

wherein the photoelectric conversion layer is formed on the transparent conductive film.

11. A multiple-glazing unit, comprising:

a plurality of glass sheets; and

an inner layer of a reduced pressure layer;

wherein the plurality of glass sheets are positioned to oppose each other via the inner layer, and at least one of the plurality of glass sheets is a glass sheet with a transparent conductive film according to claim 7.