Coated article with low-E coating including IR reflecting layer(s) and corresponding method

• US 7,879,448 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2004
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Centre Luxembourgeois de Recherches pour le Verre et la Ceramique SA, Guardian Industries Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Muller, Jens-Peter, Lingle, Philip J., Lemmer, Jean-Marc, Dietrich, Anton
• Primary Examiner(s): Piziali; Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US10/797,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20040229073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,518 Days
• Field of Search: 428/426, 428/428, 428/432, 428/446, 428/448, 428/457, 428/469, 428/472, 428/689, 428/697, 428/698, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 428/704
• US Class Current: 428/428
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10229 Metallic layers sandwiched by dielectric layers
• 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: C03C 17/3681 the multilayer coating being used in glazing, e.g. windows or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3694 one layer having a composition gradient through its thickness
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/154 by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0015 characterized by the colour of the layer
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0084 Producing gradient compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0652 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12576 Boride, carbide or nitride component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12611 Oxide-containing component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12632 Four or more distinct components with alternate recurrence of each type component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12854 Next to Co-, Fe-, or Ni-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 : Of metal

Abstract

A coated article is provided that may be heat treated in certain example embodiments. A coating of the coated article includes a zinc oxide inclusive layer located over and contacting a contact layer that is in contact with an infrared (IR) reflecting layer of a material such as silver. It has been found that the use of such a zinc oxide inclusive layer results in improved thermal stability upon heat treatment, increased visible transmission, and/or lower sheet resistance (R_s).

Claims

1. A heat treated coated article comprising a coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating comprising:

a first dielectric layer comprising zinc oxide from 40-150 Å

thick;

a first infrared (IR) reflecting layer comprising silver located over at least the first dielectric layer comprising zinc oxide;

a second layer comprising zinc oxide located over at least the first IR reflecting layer and the first dielectric layer;

a second IR reflecting layer comprising silver located over and contacting the second layer comprising zinc oxide, the second IR reflecting layer comprising silver having a thickness greater than the first IR reflecting layer comprising silver;

a layer consisting essentially of an oxide of NiCr located over and contacting the second IR reflecting layer;

a third layer comprising zinc oxide located over and contacting the layer consisting essentially of the oxide of NiCr, the third layer comprising zinc oxide being 40-150 Å

thick, the third layer comprising zinc oxide being thicker than the second layer comprising zinc oxide, and the layer consisting essentially of the oxide of NiCr being 20-45 Å

thick;

another dielectric layer comprising tin oxide from 40-200 Å

thick located over at least the third layer comprising zinc oxide in the heat treated coated article; and

when measured monolithically following heat treatment the coated article has a visible transmission of at least 80%, a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 2.5 ohms/square, and a normal emissivity (E) of less than or equal to about 0.04.

2. The coated article of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second layers comprising zinc oxide further comprising aluminum.

3. The coated article of claim 1, further comprising a layer which comprises silicon nitride provided between the glass substrate and the first dielectric layer comprising zinc oxide.

4. The coated article of claim 1 further comprising another dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride located over and contacting the another layer comprising tin oxide.

5. The coated article of claim 1, further comprising a layer comprising tin oxide located between the first IR reflecting layer and the second layer comprising zinc oxide.

6. The coated article of claim 3, wherein the dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride is Si-rich so as to be represented by Si_xN_y, where x/y is from 0.8 to 1.4.

7. The coated article of claim 1, wherein when measured monolithically following heat treatment the coated article has a visible transmission of at least 81% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 2.1 ohms/square.

8. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises a laminate including said substrate which supports the coating and is heat treated and that is laminated to another heat treated glass substrate, the laminate having a visible transmission of at least 76% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 3.0 ohms/square.

9. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises a laminate including said substrate which supports the coating and is heat treated and that is laminated to another heat treated glass substrate, the laminate having a visible transmission of at least 77% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 2.5 ohms/square.

10. The coated article of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises a laminate including said substrate which supports the coating and is heat treated and that is laminated to another heat treated glass substrate, the laminate having a visible transmission of at least 78% and a sheet resistance (R_s) of less than or equal to 2.5 ohms/square.