Glazing provided with a stack of thin layers for solar protection and/or heat insulation

• US 7,166,360 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2001
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Nadaud, Nicolas, Brochot, Jean-Pierre, Barrieres, Free, Coustet, Vale
• Primary Examiner(s): McNeil; Jennifer C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackwell; G.
• Application Number:
  US10/450,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20050123772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,868 Days
• Field of Search: 428/428, 428/432, 428/697, 428/698, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 428/704
• 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 17/3639 Multilayers containing at least two functional metal layers
• 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: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

The subject of the invention is glazing comprising at least one transparent substrate provided with a stack of thin layers consisting of an alternation of n functional layers having reflection properties in the infrared and/or the solar radiation range and of n+1 coatings composed of one or more layers made of a dielectric, so that each functional layer is placed between two coatings. At Least one layer absorbent in the visible is inserted between two layers of dielectric of at least one of the said coatings.

Claims

1. A glazing, comprising:

a transparent substrate and a stack of thin layers present on the substrate,

wherein the stack of thin layers comprises

(i) n functional layers having reflection properties in the infrared and/or solar radiation range, wherein n is an integer of 1 or greater;

(ii) n+1 coating layers each comprising two or more dielectric layers, wherein each dielectric layer independently comprises a dielectric material, and wherein each functional layer is between two coating layers, and

(iii) at least one absorbent layer that absorbs visible light,

wherein the absorbent layer is between and in direct contact with two dielectric layers of a single coating layer, and

wherein the absorbent layer is a metal or a metal alloy comprising Ti, Nb, Zr, or NiCr;

a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of chromium oxide, iron oxide, substoichometric titanium oxide, and substoichometric zinc oxide;

or a metal nitride selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, niobium nitride, zirconium nitride, chromium nitride, and NiCr nitride.

2. The glazing of claim 1, wherein n is 1.

3. The glazing of claim 1, wherein n is 2.

4. The glazing of claim 1, wherein at least one functional layer comprises silver or a metal alloy comprising silver.

5. The glazing of claim 1, wherein at least one of the dielectric layers comprises aluminum nitride or silicon nitride.

6. The glazing of claim 5, wherein each of the dielectric layers comprises aluminum nitride or silicon nitride.

7. The glazing of claim 5, wherein the absorbent layer is disposed between a dielectric layer that comprises a metal oxide and a dielectric layer that comprises aluminum nitride or silicon nitride.

8. The glazing of claim 1, wherein at least one of the thin layers further comprises a layer selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, tin oxide, titanium oxide, silicon oxide, tantalum oxide, niobium oxide, zirconium oxide, and mixtures thereof.

9. The glazing of claim 1, wherein at least one functional layer contacts a layer of zinc oxide.

10. The glazing of claim 1, wherein at least one of the dielectric layers comprises silicon nitride and/or aluminum nitride.

11. The glazing of claim 1, further comprising a layer of metal or metal suboxide disposed between each functional layer and at least one of the dielectric layers that the functional layer is disposed between.

12. The glazing of claim 11, wherein the layer of metal or metal suboxide is selected from the group consisting of titanium, niobium and nickel-chromium, and has a thickness of less than 2 nm.

13. The glazing of claim 1, wherein the stack of thin layers comprises two functional layers comprising silver and the absorbent layer is disposed between the two functional layers comprising silver.

14. The glazing of claim 1, wherein the glazing is a laminated glazing, an asymmetrical glazing, or a multiple glazing of the double-glazing type.

15. The glazing of claim 14, wherein the glazing is a double-type glazing, the stack includes two functional layers comprising silver, has a light transmission T_L less than or equal to 65 percent, an external reflection R_L less than or equal to 20 percent, and a* and b* values for external light reflection of less than or equal to 1.

16. The glazing of claim 15, wherein the light transmission T_L ranges from 40 to 65 percent, the external reflection R_L is less than 17 percent, and the a* and b* values for external light reflection are negative.

17. The glazing of claim 1, wherein the absorbent layer has an intrinsic light absorption of at least 3 percent.

18. The glazing of claim 17, wherein the absorbent layer has an intrinsic light absorption of from 6 to 12 percent.

19. The glazing of claim 1, wherein there is substantially no change in the optical properties of the stack of thin layers when the glazing is heat treated to anneal, bend, or toughen the glazing.

20. The glazing of claim 1, further comprising an anti-soiling coating, a hydrophobic coating, a hydrophilic coating, or an anti-reflection coating.

21. The glazing of claim 1, wherein the functional layer is directly adjacent to and in continuous contact with the dielectric layers of two coating layers, and the absorbent layers are in direct and continuous contact with two of the dielectric layers of the coating layers.

22. The glazing of claim 1, wherein the absorbent layer is encapsulated in two dielectric layers and the functional layer is encapsulated in two coating layers.

23. A glazing, comprising:

a transparent substrate and a stack of thin layers present on the substrate,

wherein the stack of thin layers comprises

(i) n functional layers having reflection properties in the infrared and/or solar radiation range, wherein n is an integer of 1 or greater;

(ii) n+1 coating layers each comprising two or more dielectric layers, wherein each dielectric layer independently comprises a dielectric material, and wherein each functional layer is between two coating layers, and

(iii) at least one absorbent layer that absorbs visible light,

wherein the absorbent layer is between and in direct contact with two dielectric layers of a single coating layer,

wherein the at least one absorbent layer is a metal or a metal alloy comprising Ti, Nb, Zr, or NiCr;

a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of chromium oxide, iron oxide, substoichometric titanium oxide, and substoichometric zinc oxide;

or a metal nitride selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, niobium nitride, zirconium nitride, chromium nitride, and NiCr nitride, and

wherein the thickness of the at least one absorbent layer is less than or equal to 7 nm.

24. A glazing, comprising:

a transparent substrate and a stack of thin layers present on the substrate,

wherein the stack of thin layers comprises

(i) n functional layers having reflection properties in the infrared and/or solar radiation range, wherein n is an integer of 1 or greater;

(ii) n+1 coating layers each comprising two or more dielectric layers, wherein each dielectric layer independently comprises a dielectric material, and wherein each functional layer is between two coating layers, and

(iii) at least one absorbent layer that absorbs visible light,

wherein the absorbent layer is between and in direct contact with two dielectric layers of a single coating layer, and

wherein the thickness of the at least one absorbent layer is less than or equal to 7 nm.

25. The glazing of claim 24, wherein the thickness of the at least one absorbent layer is less than or equal to 5 nm.

26. The glazing of claim 25, wherein the thickness of the at least one absorbent layer ranges from 1 to 2 nm.