Double silver low-emissivity and solar control coatings

• US 8,512,883 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cardinal CG Company (Cardinal Glass Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: AGC Flat Glass North America Incorporated (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glenn, Darin, Johnson, Herb, Dannenberg, Rand, Sieck, Peter A., Countrywood, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLGAN, LAUREN ROBINSON
• Application Number:
  US13/350,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20120321867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 428/434, 428/689, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 428/469, 427/419.1, 204/192.1
• US Class Current: 428/701
• 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 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/282 reflecting for infrared and transparent for visible light, e.g. heat reflectors, laser protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12618 Plural oxides
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24975 No layer or component greater than 5 mils thick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

A low-emissivity multilayer coating includes, in order outward from the substrate, a first layer including a layer containing titanium oxide, a layer containing silicon nitride, or a sublayer layer containing titanium oxide in combination with a sublayer containing silicon 5 nitride, a second layer including Ag, a third layer including at least one layer selected from titanium oxide layers and silicon nitride layers, a fourth layer including Ag, and a fifth layer including silicon nitride, where the color of the coatings can be varied over a wide range by controlling the thicknesses of the layers of titanium oxide, silicon nitride and Ag.

Claims

1. A low-emissivity coating on a substrate, the coating comprising, in numerical order outward from the substrate,

a first layer including at least one layer selected from titanium oxide layers and silicon nitride layers;

a second layer including Ag;

a third layer including at least one layer selected from titanium oxide layers and silicon nitride layers;

a fourth layer including Ag; and

a fifth layer including silicon nitride, wherein

at least one of the second layer and the fourth layer consists of, in numerical order outward from the substrate,

a first sublayer, which includes a zinc oxide and which is from 6 to 7 nm thick;

a second sublayer, which includes Ag; and

a third sublayer, which includes a first oxidized metal.

2. The coating according to claim 1, wherein the first layer is from 5 to 30 nm thick.

3. The coating according to claim 1, wherein

the first layer includes a titanium oxide layer;

and

the titanium oxide in the first layer is amorphous.

4. The coating according to claim 1, wherein the third layer comprises at least one of a TiO₂ layer and a Si₃N₄ layer.

5. The coating according to claim 1, wherein the third layer comprises a superlattice of titanium oxide and silicon nitride.

6. The coating according to claim 1, wherein the zinc oxide comprises nitrogen.

7. The coating according to claim 1, wherein the first oxidized metal comprises an at least partially oxidized Ni—

Cr alloy.

8. The coating according to claim 1, wherein the Ag in at least one of the second layer and the fourth layer further comprises at least one of oxygen and nitrogen.

9. The coating according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, and the fourth layer is divided by a layer of a second oxidized metal.

10. The coating according to claim 9, wherein the second oxidized metal is an at least partially oxidized Ni—

Cr alloy.

11. The coating according to claim 1, wherein the silicon nitride comprises less than a stoichiometric amount of nitrogen.

12. The coating according to claim 1, wherein

the first layer includes a layer of SiN_x, where 0<

x≦

1.34;

the third layer includes a layer of SiN_x, where 0<

x≦

1.34; and

the fifth layer includes a layer of SiN_x, where 0<

x≦

1.34.

13. The coating according to claim 12, wherein the first layer includes a layer of SiN_x, where x=1.34.

18. A method of making a low-emissivity coating on a substrate, the method comprising

depositing at least one layer including Ag on the substrate;

and

producing the coating of claim 1.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the depositing comprises sputtering.

14. A low-emissivity coating on a transparent substrate, the coating comprising, in numerical order outward from the substrate,

a first layer, which includes a silicon nitride and which is from 5 to 30 nm thick;

a second layer, which includes a zinc oxide and which is from 6 to 7 nm thick;

a third layer which includes Ag and which is from 8 to 16 nm thick;

a fourth layer, which includes a first oxidized Ni—

Cr alloy directly on the Ag of the third layer and which is from 2 to 8 nm thick;

a fifth layer, which includes a silicon nitride and which is from 45 to 90 nm thick;

a sixth layer, which includes a zinc oxide and which is from 6 to 7 nm thick;

a seventh layer, which includes Ag and which is from 8 to 24 nm thick;

an eighth layer, which includes a second oxidized Ni—

Cr alloy directly on the Ag of the seventh layer and which is from 2 to 8 nm thick; and

a ninth layer, which includes a silicon nitride and which is from 25 to 60 nm thick.

15. The coating according to claim 14, wherein

the first layer includes a layer of SiN_x, where 0<

x≦

1.34;

the fifth layer includes a layer of SiN_x, where 0<

x≦

1.34; and

the ninth layer includes a layer of SiN_x, where 0<

x≦

1.34.

16. The coating according to claim 15, wherein the first layer includes a layer of SiN_x, where x=1.34.

17. The coating according to claim 14, wherein the zinc oxide in at least one of the second layer and the sixth layer comprises nitrogen.