IG window unit and method of making the same

• US 6,632,491 B1
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Industries Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thomsen, Scott V., Laird, Ronald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Loney, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US10/151,705
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 428/34, 428/432, 428/434, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 428/913.3, 527/861, 527/861.3, 156/107, 156/109
• US Class Current: 428/34
• 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 17/3634 one layer at least containing carbon, a carbide or oxycarbide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3644 the metal being silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/366 Low-emissivity or solar control coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/74 UV-absorbing coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 27/06 Joining glass to glass by processes other than fusing fusing C03B23/20; units for use as elements for closing wall or like openings and comprising two or more parallel glass panes in spaced relationship, the panes being permanently secured together E06B3/66
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 27/10 with the aid of adhesive specially adapted for that purpose
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/6715 specially adapted for increased thermal insulation or for controlled passage of light E06B3/66323 takes precedence; coating of glass pains C03C17/00; devices or arrangements for controlling the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light G02F1/00

Abstract

An insulating glass (IG) window unit, and/or a method of making the same is/are provided. The IG window unit includes two spaced apart substrates that are separated from one another by at least one seal and/or spacer, wherein a first one of the substrates supports a solar management coating for blocking significant amounts of infrared (IR) radiation and the other one of the substrates supports a coating for blocking amounts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Claims

1. An IG window unit comprising:

a first glass substrate supporting a solar management multi-layer coating;

a second glass substrate spaced apart from the first glass substrate, the second glass substrate supporting a UV blocking coating including at least one layer;

wherein the solar management coating supported by the first glass substrate comprises first and second IR blocking layers each comprising Ag, at least one dielectric layer provided between the first IR blocking layer and the first substrate, at least another dielectric layer provided between the first and second IR blocking layers, and wherein the solar management coating supported by the first substrate has an emissivity (E_n) of no greater than 0.10 and/or a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 8 ohms/square;

wherein the UV blocking coating supported by the second substrate blocks at least 50% of UV radiation from 300 to 380 nm; and

wherein the IG window unit has a visible transmission of at least about 60%, and blocks at least about 80% of UV radiation from 300-380 nm.

2. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the IG window unit blocks at least about 90% of UV radiation from 300-380 nm.

3. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the IG window unit blocks at least about 95% of UV radiation from 300-380 nm, and wherein the solar management coating and the UV blocking coating are on respective sides of the respective substrates so as to face one another across a space defined between the substrates.

4. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the IG window unit blocks at least about 97% of UV radiation from 300-380 nm.

5. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the first and second glass substrates are spaced apart from one another by at least one spacer and/or edge seal so as to define a space between the substrates.

6. The IG window unit of claim 5, wherein the space between the substrates is filled with a gas and/or is evacuated to a pressure less than atmospheric.

7. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the IG window unit has a visible transmission of at least 70%.

8. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer provided between the first IR blocking layer and the first substrate comprises at least one of silicon nitride and titanium oxide.

9. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the another dielectric layer provided between the first and second IR blocking layers comprises at least one of tin oxide, zinc oxide, and silicon nitride.

10. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the solar management coating supported by the first substrate has an emissivity (E_n) of no greater than 0.07 and a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 5 ohms/square.

11. The IG window unit of claim 1, wherein the solar management coating supported by the first substrate comprises at least one contact layer comprising NiCrO_x that contacts the first IR blocking layer comprising Ag.

23. The IG window unit of claim 1, further comprising a layer comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC) supported by at least one of the first and second substrates.

24. The IG window unit of claim 23, wherein the layer comprising DLC includes more sp³ carbon-carbon bonds than sp² carbon-carbon bonds, and has an average hardness of at least 10 GPa.

12. A window unit comprising:

a first substrate supporting a solar management coating;

a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate, the second glass substrate supporting a UV blocking coating;

wherein the solar management coating supported by the first substrate comprises at least one IR blocking layer, at least one dielectric layer provided between the IR blocking layer and the first substrate, at least another dielectric layer provided over the IR blocking layer; and

wherein the window unit has a visible transmission of at least about 60%, and blocks at least about 80% of UV radiation from 300-380 nm.

13. The window unit of claim 12, wherein the solar management coating supported by the first substrate has an emissivity (E_n) of no greater than 0.10 and/or a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 8 ohms/square, and wherein the IR blocking layer comprises at least one of Ag, Au and Ni.

14. The window unit of claim 12, wherein the solar management coating comprises another IR blocking layer comprising at least one of Ag, Au and Ni, and where the another dielectric layer is provided between the first and second IR blocking layers.

15. The window unit of claim 14, wherein the IR blocking layers each comprise Ag.

16. The window unit of claim 12, wherein the window unit blocks at least about 95% of UV radiation from 300-380 nm.

17. The window unit of claim 12, wherein the solar management coating supported by the first substrate has an emissivity (E_n) of no greater than 0.07 and a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 5 ohms/square.

18. The window unit of claim 12, wherein the window unit has a visible transmission of at least 70%.

19. The window unit of claim 12, wherein each of the solar management coating and the UV blocking coating are on surfaces of the respective substrates so that the respective coatings face one another across a space provided between the substrates.

25. The window unit of claim 12, further comprising a layer comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC) supported by at least one of the first and second substrates.

26. The window unit of claim 25, wherein the layer comprising DLC includes more sp³ carbon-carbon bonds than sp² carbon-carbon bonds, and has an average hardness of at least 10 GPa.

27. The window unit of claim 26, wherein the layer comprising DLC is supported by the first substrate and is provided on a major surface of the first substrate opposite the solar management coating.

20. A window unit comprising:

a first substrate supporting a coating;

a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate, the second glass substrate supporting a UV blocking coating;

wherein the coating supported by the first substrate has an emissivity (E_n) of no greater than 0.20 and/or a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 20 ohms/square; and

wherein the window unit has a visible transmission of at least about 60%, and blocks at least about 80% of UV radiation from 300-380 nm.

21. The window unit of claim 20, wherein the coating supported by the first substrate comprises first and second IR blocking layers comprising Ag that are spaced apart from one another with at least one dielectric layer provided therebetween.

28. The window unit of claim 20, further comprising a layer comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC) supported by the first substrate.

29. The window unit of claim 28, wherein the layer comprising DLC includes more sp³ carbon-carbon bonds than sp² carbon-carbon bonds, and has an average hardness of at least 10 GPa.

30. The window unit of claim 29, wherein the layer comprising DLC is provided on a major surface of the first substrate opposite the solar management coating.

22. A method of making a window unit, the method comprising:

depositing a solar management coating on a first substrate, the solar management coating comprising at least one layer for blocking at least some IR radiation;

forming a UV blocking coating that blocks at least some UV radiation on a second substrate; and

coupling the first and second substrates to one another so that the respective coatings face each other across a gap provided between the substrates, and wherein the window unit has a visible transmission of at least 60% and blocks at least about 80% of UV radiation from 300-380 nm.