Soil-resistant coating for glass surfaces

• US 7,294,403 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cardinal CG Company (Cardinal Glass Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cardinal CG Company (Cardinal Glass Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hartig, Klaus, Krisko, Annette J., Pfaff, Gary, Stanek, Roger, Bond, Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): Blackwell; Gwendolyn
• Application Number:
  US10/911,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20050025982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 428/426, 428/428, 428/432, 428/433, 428/434, 428/446, 428/448, 428/450, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 428/34, 428/332
• US Class Current: 428/428
• 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: 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 17/3642 the multilayer coating containing a metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3681 the multilayer coating being used in glazing, e.g. windows or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/213 SiO2
• 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 2218/154 by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/365 Coating different sides of a glass substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/10 Glass or silica
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3464 using more than one target C23C14/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/568 Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations C23C14/562 takes precedence
• 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 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

A glass article which has a water-sheeting coating. In one embodiment, a glass sheet is provided bearing a sputtered water-sheeting coating comprising silica on an exterior surface and bearing a reflective coating on an interior surface. The interior surface of a sheet of glass can be coated with a reflective coating by sputtering, in sequence, at least one dielectric layer, at least one metal layer, and at least one dielectric layer. The exterior surface of the glass can be coated with a water-sheeting coating by sputtering silica directly onto the exterior surface of the sheet of glass. Both the reflective coating and the water-sheeting coating can optionally be applied during the same pass through the same sputter coating apparatus.

Claims

1. A sheet of glass having an interior surface bearing a reflective coating thereon and an exterior surface bearing a water-sheeting coating consisting essentially of silica thereon, the reflective coating comprising a reflective metal layer and at least one dielectric layer, the water-sheeting coating being a sputtered coating directly on the exterior surface of the sheet of glass, the water-sheeting coating having an exposed exterior face which is substantially non-porous but which has an irregular surface, the water-sheeting coating reducing the contact angle of water on the coated exterior surface of the glass article below about 25°

and causing water applied to the coated exterior surface of the pane to sheet.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the reflective coating is an infrared reflective coating comprising, in sequence moving outwardly from the interior surface of the sheet of glass, said at least one dielectric layer, the reflective metal layer and a second dielectric layer, the infrared reflective coating having a transmittance of at least about 70% in the visible spectrum.

3. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a spacer and a second sheet of glass having an interior surface, the spacer being disposed between the interior surfaces of the sheets of glass and serving to maintain those interior surfaces in a spaced-apart parallel relationship and defining an interpane space therebetween.

4. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a tear resistant plastic film and a second sheet of glass having an interior surface, the-plastic film being bonded on one side to the interior surface of one of the sheets of glass and on its other side to the interior surface of the other sheet of glass, thereby forming a laminate structure.

5. The sheet of glass of claim 1 wherein the water-sheeting coating has a median thickness of between about 15 Å

and about 350 Å

.

6. The sheet of glass of claim 1 wherein the water-sheeting coating has a median thickness of between about 15 Å

and about 150 Å

.

7. The sheet of glass of claim 1 wherein the water-sheeting coating has a median thickness of between about 20 Å

and about 120 Å

.

8. The sheet of glass of claim 1 wherein the water-sheeting coating has a median thickness selected from the group consisting of 35 Å

, 50 Å

, and 100 Å

.

9. The sheet of glass of claim 1 wherein the exterior face of the water-sheeting coating has a series of irregularly spaced and sized peaks.

10. The sheet of glass of claim 1 wherein said reflective metal layer comprises silver.

11. The sheet of glass of claim 1 wherein said reflective coating comprises two reflective metal layers.

12. A sheet of glass having an interior surface bearing a reflective coating thereon and an exterior surface bearing a water-sheeting coating consisting essentially of silica thereon, the reflective coating comprising two metal layers comprising silver and at least one dielectric layer, the water-sheeting coating being a sputtered coating directly on the exterior surface of the sheet of glass, the water-sheeting coating having a median thickness of between about 15 angstroms and about 150 angstroms, the water-sheeting coating having an exposed exterior face which is substantially non-porous but which has an irregular surface, the water-sheeting coating reducing the contact angle of water on the coated exterior surface of the glass article below about 25°

and causing water applied to the coated exterior surface of the pane to sheet.

13. The sheet of glass of claim 12 wherein a first of said two metal layers is silver applied at a thickness of between about 100 angstroms and about 150 angstroms.

14. The sheet of glass of claim 13 where a second of said two metal layers comprises between about 125 angstroms and about 175 angstroms of silver.

15. A multiple-pane insulating glass unit comprising two panes of glass held in a spaced-apart relationship by a spacer, a first of said two panes having an exterior surface oriented away from a second of said two panes, said exterior surface carrying a water-sheeting coating, the first of said two panes having an interior surface oriented toward the second of said two panes, said interior surface carrying a reflective coating, the water-sheeting coating consisting essentially of substantially non-porous silica directly on said exterior surface, the water-sheeting coating having an exposed exterior face, the reflective coating comprising a metal of dielectric layers.

16. The insulating glass unit of claim 15 wherein the water-sheeting coating has a median thickness of between about 15 angstroms and about 350 angstroms.

17. The insulating glass unit of claim 15 wherein the water-sheeting coating has a median thickness of between about 15 angstroms and about 150 angstroms.

18. The insulating glass unit of claim 15 wherein the water-sheeting coating has a median thickness of between about 15 angstroms and about 120 angstroms.

19. The insulating glass unit of claim 15 wherein the reflective coating comprises two reflective metal layers.

20. The insulating glass unit of claim 19 wherein each of said two reflective metal layers comprises silver.