Coated article with anti-reflective layer(s) system

• US 6,586,102 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Industries Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stachowiak, Grzegorz
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Deborah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Piziali, Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US09/997,245
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 428/448, 428/472, 428/432, 428/673, 428/697, 428/698, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 428/704, 428/621, 428/622, 428/623, 428/627, 428/632, 428/660, 428/666, 428/680, 428/426, 428/428, 428/446, 428/450, 428/457, 428/469, 428/688, 428/689
• US Class Current: 428/432
• 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 17/3626 one layer at least containing a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• 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 17/3694 one layer having a composition gradient through its thickness
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/732 made of a single layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/734 comprising an alternation of high and low refractive indexes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/91 Coatings containing at least one layer having a composition gradient through its thickness
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12535 with additional, spatially distinct nonmetal component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12542 More than one such component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12549 Adjacent to each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12576 Boride, carbide or nitride component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12611 Oxide-containing component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12806 Refractory [Group IVB, VB, or VIB] metal-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12847 Cr-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12896 Ag-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12944 Ni-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 : Of metal

Abstract

Coated articles are provided with an anti-reflective (AR) layer(s) system which enables reduced reflection, increased visible transmission, and/or neutral color. In certain embodiments, the AR layer(s) system includes a silicon nitride layer(s), a silicon oxynitride layer, and/or a silicon oxide layer on the substrate over an infrared (IR) reflecting layer(s) such as silver. The AR system surprisingly enables improved visible transmission and/or reflection to be combined with more neutral color.

Claims

1. A coated article including a coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating comprising:

an infrared (IR) reflecting layer comprising silver sandwiched between first and second contact layers;

a first dielectric layer having an index of refraction n<

=3.0 provided between the IR reflecting layer and the glass substrate;

a second dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride provided over the IR reflecting layer;

a third dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride provided over the IR reflecting layer;

wherein the second dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride is provided between the IR reflecting layer and the third dielectric layer; and

a fourth dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide provided over the second and third dielectric layers.

2. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the third dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride contacts the second dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride.

3. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article has a visible transmission of at least 70%, a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 20 ohms/square, and a glass side reflectance <

=15%.

4. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article has a visible transmission of at least 74%.

5. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer comprises silicon nitride.

6. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the silicon nitride of at least one of the first and second dielectric layers comprises Si₃N₄.

7. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the IR reflecting layer comprises Ag, and wherein at least one of the first and second contact layers comprises NiCr.

8. The coated article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second contact layers comprises an oxide of NiCr.

9. The coated article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second contact layers comprises a nitride of NiCr.

10. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article has color characterized by:

a transmissive a* value from −

6.0 to +3.0, a transmissive b* value from −

6.0 to +3.0, a glass side reflective b* value from −

7.0 to +4.0, and a film side reflective b* value from −

11.0 to +11.0.

11. The coated article of claim 10, wherein the coated article has color characterized by at least one of a transmissive a* value from −

2.5 to +1.0, a glass side reflective b* value from −

3.0 to +2.0, and a film side reflective b* value of from −

7.0 to +4.0.

12. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the third dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride is tuned so as to have an index of refraction n from 1.6 to 1.9.

13. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the third dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride is at least one of oxidation graded and nitrogen graded, so that an index of refraction n of the third dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride changes from a first value in a first portion of the third dielectric layer to a smaller second value in a second portion of the third dielectric layer, wherein the second portion of the third dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride with the smaller index of refraction n is further from the IR reflecting layer than is the first portion of the third dielectric layer.

14. A coated article including a coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating comprising:

a metallic infrared (IR) reflecting layer comprising silver sandwiched between first and second contact layers each of which contacts the IR reflecting layer;

a first dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride provided between the IR reflecting layer and the glass substrate;

a second dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride provided over the IR reflecting layer;

a third dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide provided over the IR reflecting layer; and

wherein the second dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride is provided between the IR reflecting layer and the third dielectric layer comprising silicon oxide.

15. The coated article of claim 14, wherein the second and third dielectric layers contact one another.

16. The coated article of claim 14, further comprising a dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride located between the IR reflecting layer and the second dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride.

17. The coated article of claim 14, wherein the second dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride is at least one of oxidation graded and nitrogen graded, so that an index of refraction n of the second dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride changes from a first value in a first portion of the second dielectric layer to a smaller second value in a second portion of the second dielectric layer, wherein the second portion of the second dielectric layer comprising silicon oxynitride with the smaller index of refraction n is further from the IR reflecting layer than is the first portion of the second dielectric layer.