Anti-reflective coatings for optically transparent substrates

• US 8,557,877 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2010
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Mukhopadhyay, Sudip, Pandey, Yamini, Dankers, Lea
• Primary Examiner(s): Loewe, Robert S
• Application Number:
  US12/796,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20100313950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 516/34
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/30 with silicon-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/732 made of a single layer
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/00 Coating compositions, e.g. paints, varnishes or lacquers, characterised by their physical nature or the effects produced electrically insulating plastics, resins or waxes H01B3/30; Filling pastes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/111 using layers comprising organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02161 for devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02168 the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/042 PV modules or arrays of single PV cells supporting structures for PV modules H02S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/254 Polymeric or resinous material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31504 Composite [nonstructural laminate]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane

Abstract

Anti-reflective coatings and coating solutions, optically transparent elements and improved processes for preparing AR coatings and coating solutions are described. The anti-reflective coatings are formed from at least two different alkoxy silane materials in a base catalyzed reaction.

Claims

1. An anti-reflective coating composition comprising:

a liquid medium comprising a majority amount of organic solvent;

polymer particles dispersed in the liquid medium, the polymer particles comprising;

at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue including a silicon atom bonded to four oxygen atoms; and

at least one second alkoxy silane residue including a silicon atom bonded to at least one carbon atom, the at least one second alkoxy silane residue selected from the group consisting of trialkoxy silanes, dialkoxy silanes, monoalkoxy silanes, and combinations thereof, wherein the polymer particles comprise 35 to 50 mole percent of the at least one second alkoxy silane residue based on the total moles of polymer particles and wherein the polymer particles have an average particle size of less than 10 nm; and

the coating composition having a pH of no more than 5.

2. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer particles consist essentially of tetraethoxy silane residues and methyltriethoxy silane residues.

3. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 1 wherein the coating composition has a viscosity of no more than 2.0 cP.

4. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 1 wherein the at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue comprises tetraethoxy silane.

5. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 1 wherein the at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue comprises tetraethoxy silane and the second alkoxy silane comprises methyltriethoxy silane.

6. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 1 wherein the at least one second alkoxy silane comprises a vinyltriethoxy silane.

7. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer particles consist essentially of tetraethoxy silane residues and methyltriethoxy silane residues and have an average particle size of less than 1 nm.

8. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer particles have an average particle size of less than 1 nm.

9. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer particles have an average particle size between 1 nm and 10 nm.

10. An anti-reflective coating composition comprising:

a solvent; and

polymer particles comprising;

at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue including a silicon atom bonded to four oxygen atoms; and

at least one second alkoxy silane residue including a silicon atom bonded to at least one carbon atom, the at least one second alkoxy silane residue selected from the group consisting of trialkoxy silanes, dialkoxy silanes, monoalkoxy silanes, and combinations thereof, wherein the polymer particles comprise 35 to 50 mole percent of the at least one second alkoxy silane residue based on the total moles of polymer particles, the polymer particles having an average particle size of less than 1 nm.

11. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 10 wherein the polymer particles consist essentially of tetraethoxy silane residues and methyltriethoxy silane residues.

12. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 10 wherein the coating composition has a viscosity of no more than 2.0 cP.

13. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 10 wherein the coating composition has a pH of no more than 5.0.

14. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 10 wherein the at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue comprises tetraethoxy silane.

15. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 10 wherein the at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue comprises tetraethoxy silane and the second alkoxy silane comprises methyltriethoxy silane.

16. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 10 wherein the at least one second alkoxy silane comprises a vinyltriethoxy silane.

17. An anti-reflective coating composition comprising:

a liquid medium comprising a majority amount of organic solvent;

polymer particles dispersed in the liquid medium, the polymer particles comprising;

at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue including a silicon atom bonded to four oxygen atoms; and

at least one second alkoxy silane residue including a silicon atom bonded to at least one carbon atom, the at least one second alkoxy silane residue selected from the group consisting of trialkoxy silanes, dialkoxy silanes, monoalkoxy silanes, and combinations thereof, wherein the polymer particles comprises 35 to 50 mole percent of the at least one second alkoxy silane residue based on the total moles of polymer particles, the polymer particles having an average particle size of less than 1 nm; and

the coating composition having a pH of no more than 5.

18. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 17 wherein the at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue comprises tetraethoxy silane.

19. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 17 wherein the at least one tetraalkoxy silane residue comprises tetraethoxy silane and the second alkoxy silane comprises methyltriethoxy silane.

20. The anti-reflective coating composition of claim 17 wherein the coating solution composition has a viscosity of no more than 2.0 cP.