Transparent substrate provided with a silicon derivative layer

• US 6,818,309 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobian Glass France
• Inventors: Azzopardi, Marie-Jose, Simonet, Michel, Talpaert, Xavier, Durandeau, Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): STEIN, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US10/111,413
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 428/426, 428/428, 428/432, 428/446, 428/448, 428/336, 428/698
• US Class Current: 428/432
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/22 with other inorganic material C03C17/34, C03C17/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/225 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/23 Oxides C03C17/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3435 comprising a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3441 comprising carbon, a carbide or oxycarbide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/213 SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/281 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/282 Carbides, silicides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/75 Hydrophilic and oleophilic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/77 Coatings having a rough surface
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/113 by sol-gel processes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/152 by cvd
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a transparent substrate, especially made of glass, provided on at least one of its faces with a layer based on an at least partially oxidized silicon derivative chosen from silicon dioxide or silicon oxides which are substoichiometric in terms of oxygen, silicon oxycarbide or silicon oxynitride, and having a hydrophilic character.

Claims

1. A transparent substrate having at least one surface with a layer comprising at least one partially oxidized silicon derivative selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide that is substoichiometric in terms of oxygen, silicon dioxide, silicon oxycarbide and silicon oxynitride, wherein the substrate has a hydrophilic character and wherein the concentration of said partially oxidized silicon derivative is homogenous across the thickness of the layer.

2. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the refractive index of the silicon-derivative layer is between 1.45 and 1.80.

3. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the layer is deposited by sol-gel or by pyrolysis.

4. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the layer is rough on the external surface.

5. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the contact angle between the surface of the layer and water is less than 35°

.

6. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the layer has an oxygen concentration increasing towards its external surface.

7. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the layer has a high content of hydroxyl bonds Si—

OH on the external surface.

8. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the layer has a thickness of at least 5 nm.

9. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the layer is the last layer of a film of thin layers.

10. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is curved, toughened, annealed or a combination thereof, before or after deposition of the layer.

11. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the silicon derivative comprises at least one additive in a minor amount with respect to silicon.

12. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises glass.

13. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the refractive index of the silicon-derivative layer is between 1.50 and 1.75.

14. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the refractive index of the silicon-derivative layer is between 1.55 and 1.68.

15. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the layer is deposited by chemical vapor deposition.

16. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the contact angle between the surface of the layer and water is less than or equal to 30°

.

17. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the contact angle between the surface of the layer and water is between 15°

and 25°

.

18. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the contact angle between the surface of the layer and water is less than or equal to 10°

.

19. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the layer has a thickness of between 10 nm and 60 nm.

20. The substrate according to claim 9, wherein the film is an antireflection film, solar-control film or a low emissivity film.

21. The substrate according to claim 11, wherein the additive is a metal.

22. The substrate according to claim 21, wherein the metal is aluminum, zinc or zirconium.

23. A glazing comprising the substrate of claim 1.

24. The glazing of claim 22, wherein the glazing is selected from the group consisting of a building glazing, a vehicle glazing, a mirror, a glazed door, an internal partition, urban furniture, display panels, bathroom mirrors, rear-view mirrors, display panels and display screens.

25. A transparent substrate having at least one surface with a layer comprising at least one partially oxidized silicon derivative wherein the layer has an oxygen concentration that increases across the layer in a direction towards the external surface wherein the surface closest to the substrate is almost pure silicon dioxide and wherein the partially oxidized silicon derivative is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide that is substoichiometric in terms of oxygen, silicon dioxide, silicon oxycarbide and silicon oxynitride, wherein the substrate has a hydrophilic character.

26. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the refractive index of the silicon-derivative layer is between 1.45 and 1.80.

27. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the layer is deposited by sol-gel or by pyrolysis.

28. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the layer is rough on the external surface.

29. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the contact angle between the surface of the layer and water is less than 35°

.

30. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the layer has an oxygen concentration increasing towards its external surface.

31. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the layer has a high content of hydroxyl bonds Si—

OH on the external surface.

32. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the layer has a thickness of at least 5 nm.

33. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the layer is the last layer of a film of thin layers.

34. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the substrate is curved, toughened, annealed or a combination thereof, before or after deposition of the layer.

35. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the silicon derivative comprises at least one additive in a minor amount with respect to silicon.

36. The substrate of claim 25, wherein the substrate comprises glass.

37. The substrate of claim 25, wherein the refractive index of the silicon-derivative layer is between 1.50 and 1.75.

38. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the refractive index of the silicon-derivative layer is between 1.55 and 1.68.

39. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the layer is deposited by chemical vapor deposition.

40. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the contact angle between the surface of the layer and water is less than or equal to 30°

.

41. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the contact angle between the surface of the layer and water is between 15°

and 25°

.

42. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the contact angle between the surface of the layer and water is less than or equal to 10°

.

43. The substrate according to claim 25, wherein the layer has a thickness of between 10 nm and 60 nm.

44. The substrate according to claim 33, wherein the film is an antireflection film, solar-control film or a low emissivity film.

45. The substrate according to claim 33, wherein the additive is a metal.

46. The substrate according to claim 45, wherein the metal is aluminum, zinc or zirconium.

47. A glazing comprising the substrate of claim 25.

48. The glazing of claim 46, wherein the glazing is selected from the group consisting of a building glazing, a vehicle glazing, a mirror, a glazed door, an internal partition, urban furniture, display panels, bathroom mirrors, rear-view mirrors, display panels and display screens.