Glazing provided with stacked thin layers which reflect infrared rays and/or solar radiation

• US 7,582,356 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Belliot, Sylvain, Brochot, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): XU, LING X
• Application Number:
  US10/562,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20060257670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 428/432
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3626 one layer at least containing a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3642 the multilayer coating containing a metal layer
• 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 17/3681 the multilayer coating being used in glazing, e.g. windows or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

The invention relates to a glazing assembly comprising at least one transparent substrate, especially made of glass, provided with a thin-film multilayer comprising, in the following order starting from the substrate, at least:

• (a) a first dielectric layer comprising a barrier layer acting as a barrier to the diffusion of oxygen and chosen from silicon nitrides;
• (b) a lower stabilizing layer made of a metal or metal alloy X;
• (c) a functional layer having reflection properties in the infrared and/or in the solar radiation, especially a metal layer;
• (d) an upper metal blocking layer made of a metal or metal alloy Y;
• (e) a second dielectric layer comprising a barrier layer acting as a barrier to the diffusion of oxygen and chosen from silicon nitrides; and
• (f) optionally, a protective oxide layer;
  in which multilayer the metal or alloy X of the lower stabilizing layer is different from the metal or alloy Y of the upper blocking layer.

Claims

1. A glazing assembly comprising at least one transparent substrate, provided with a thin-film multilayer comprising, in the following order starting from the substrate:

(a) a first dielectric layer comprising a barrier layer acting as a barrier to the diffusion of oxygen and comprising silicon nitrides;

(b) a lower stabilizing layer made of at least one metal or metal alloy X selected from the group consisting of titanium, nickel, chromium, niobium, zirconium, tantalum, aluminum or a metal alloy containing at least one of these metals;

(c) a functional layer having reflection properties in the infrared and/or in the solar radiation;

(d) an upper metal blocking layer made of at least one metal or metal alloy Y selected from the group consisting of titanium, nickel, chromium, niobium, zirconium, tantalum, aluminum or a metal alloy containing at least one of these metals;

(e) a second dielectric layer comprising a barrier layer acting as a barrier to the diffusion of oxygen and chosen from silicon nitrides; and

(f) optionally, a protective oxide layer;

in which multilayer the metal or alloy X of the lower stabilizing layer is different from the metal or alloy Y of the upper blocking layer.

2. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the dielectric layer (a) and (e), respectively, is at least 5 nm.

3. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stabilizing lower metal layer (b) comprises a nickel-chromium alloy.

4. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the layer (b) is between 1 and 6 nm.

5. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer (c) is a metal layer based on silver, titanium, palladium or gold.

6. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the layer (c) has a thickness of 6 to 12 nm.

7. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper metal blocking layer (d) is made of a metal Y chosen from titanium, zirconium, niobium and aluminum.

8. The glazing assembly as claimed claim 1, wherein the thickness of the layer (d) is less than 6 nm.

9. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the layer (b) is greater than that of the layer (d).

10. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the dielectric further comprises a layer based on one or more metal oxides.

11. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, which comprises an outer layer (f) based on an oxide of at least one metal chosen from Zn, Al, Ti, Sn, Zr, Nb, W, and Ta.

12. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises glass.

13. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 12, which comprises in the following order starting from the substrate /silicon nitride/nickel-chromium/Ag/titanium/silicon nitride/nickel-chromium/Ag/titanium/silicon nitride/.

14. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, which is mounted with another substrate as a double glazing assembly to form a unit and the unit has a light transmission of between 40 and 70%.

15. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, which has a selectivity defined by a ratio of light transmission to solar factor, , T_L/SF of between 1.25 and 1.45.

16. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, which has a blue-green color in reflection.

17. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, which undergoes a heat treatment at more than 500°

C. after the multilayer is provided to the substrate, with an average light transmission change Δ

T_L induced by the heat treatment of at most 3% and/or an average change in calorimetric response in reflection induced by the heat treatment Δ

E* of at most 3.

18. A glazed unit comprising at least two glazing assemblies as claimed in claim 1.

19. The glazed unit as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least one glazing assembly has undergone a heat treatment and at least one glazing assembly has not undergone heat treatment.

20. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the dielectric layer (a) and (e), respectively, is between 15 and 70 nm.

21. The glazing assembly as claimed in claim 1, which undergoes a heat treatment at more than 500°

C. after the multilayer is provided to the substrate-with an average light transmission change Δ

T_L induced by the heat treatment of around 2% and/or an average change in calorimetric response in reflection induced by the heat treatment Δ

E* of at most 2.5.