ANTI-REFLECTIVE ARTICLES WITH NANOSILICA-BASED COATINGS AND BARRIER LAYER

• US 20130182331A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Hebrink, Timothy J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,285,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/601
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 24/08 by application of heat or pressure and heat C23C24/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 70/30 Auxiliary coatings, e.g. anti-reflective coatings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/113 using inorganic layer materials only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/118 having sub-optical wavelength surface structures designed to provide an enhanced transmittance, e.g. moth-eye structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2207/101 Nanooptics
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2207/107 Porous materials, e.g. for reducing the refractive index
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0006 with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0294 adapted to provide an additional optical effect, e.g. anti-reflection or filter
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0203 Containers; Encapsulations , e.g. encapsulation of photodiodesfor photovoltaic devices H01L31/048; for organic photosensitive devices H10K30/80
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02168 the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0236 Special surface textures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02366 of the substrate or of a layer on the substrate, e.g. textured ITO/glass substrate or superstrate, textured polymer layer on glass substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0481 characterised by the composition of the encapsulation material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

An article comprising a transparent substrate having an anti-reflective, structured surface and a sintered coating comprising a porous network of silica nanoparticles thereon, wherein the silica nanoparticles are bonded to adjacent silica nanoparticles, wherein the structured substrate further comprises a backing face, and a moisture barrier layer bonded to the backing face of the structured substrate.

Claims

1. An article comprising a transparent substrate having an anti-reflective, structured surface and an acid sintered coating comprising a porous network of silica nanoparticles thereon, wherein the silica nanoparticles are bonded to adjacent silica nanoparticles, wherein the structured substrate further comprises a backing face, and a moisture barrier layer bonded to the backing face of the structured substrate.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the porous network of silica nanoparticles is a three-dimensional network.

3. The article of claim 1, wherein the acid sintered coating is a conformal coating relative to the anti-reflective, structured surface of a transparent substrate.

4. The article of claim 1, wherein the nanoparticles have average particle diameters up to 400 nanometers.

5. The article of claim 1, wherein the surface structure has peaks and valleys and an average peak to valley height, wherein the acid sintered coating has an average thickness, and wherein the average thickness of the acid sintered coating is up to half of the average peak to valley height.

6. The article of claim 1, wherein the nanoparticles have a bi-modal distribution.

7. The article of claim 6, wherein the bi-modal distribution of nanoparticles has a first distribution in a range from 2 nanometers to 15 nanometers and a second distribution in a range from 20 nanometers to 500 nanometers.

8. The article of claim 7, wherein the weight ratio of the first distribution of nanoparticles to the second distribution of nanoparticles is in a range from 1:

99 to 99;

1.

9. The article of claim 7, wherein the weight ratio of the first distribution of nanoparticles to the second distribution of nanoparticles is in a range from 10:

90 to 90;

10.

10. The article of claim 1, wherein the transparent substrate is a film.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein the film exhibits a change in light transmission of less than 8%, after the structured surface is exposed to the Dirt Pick-Up Test.

12. The article of claim 10, wherein the film exhibits a change in light transmission of less than 8%, after said structured surface is exposed to the Falling Sand Test.