Non-iridescent glass structures

• US 4,419,386 A
• Filed: 08/30/1982
• Issued: 12/06/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Roy G. Gordon
• Original Assignee: Roy G. Gordon
• Inventors: Gordon, Roy G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, James R.
• Time in patent office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 427/109, 427/160, 427/166
• US Class Current: 427/109
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3411 with at least two coatings of inorganic materials C03C17/36, C03C17/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3435 comprising a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3482 comprising silicon, hydrogenated silicon or a silicide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/208 for use with infra-red or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for separating visible light from infra-red and/or ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

This disclosure describes transparent glass window structures of the type bearing a coating of infra-red reflective material which is advantageously less than about 0.85 microns in thickness and wherein the observance of iridescence resulting from such a reflective coating is markedly reduced by provision of a very thin coating system beneath said infra-red reflective coating. The thin coating system forms means to reflect and refract light to interfere with the observation of iridescence. A particular advantage of the invention is the ability of the thin coating system to be coated in a fraction of time presently required to coat anti-iridescent interlayers of the prior art.

Claims

1. A process for making a non-iridescent, transparent, structure of the type comprising

(A) a transparent substrate,

(B) an infra-red reflective coating thereon and

(C) an iridescence-suppressing interlayer between said substrate and infra-red-reflective coating, said process comprising the steps of forming, between said infra-red-reflective coating and said transparent substrate, an interlayer formed of two coatings

(1) a coating nearer to said substrate a first interlayer component of relatively high refractive index material;

(2) a coating over said relatively high refractive index material, a second interlayer component of relatively low refractive index material, and

(3) terminating each interlayer component at such a thickness that the combined interlayer components form said iridescence-suppressing means and the total optical thickness of said interlayer components is about 1/6th of a 500 nanometer design wavelength.

2. A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said infra-red reflective coating and said first interlayer components are of about the same refractive index.

3. A process as defined in claim 2 wherein said infra-red reflective coating and said first interlayer component are both tin oxide based coatings.

4. A process as defined in claim 3 for depositing said intermediate layer of tin oxide having a maximum thickness of about 1/6th of a wavelength comprising the step of adding a quantity of fluorine-bearing gas to a coating mixture containing an organotin and oxygen as a means to increase the deposition rate of said tin oxide.

5. A process as defined in claim 4 wherein said fluorinated gas is a bromofluoro methane compound.

6. A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said first interlayer component is of a refractive index substantially higher than the refractive index of the infra-red reflective coating.

7. A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said first interlayer component is of a refractive index substantially lower than the refractive index of the infra-red reflective coating.

8. A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said interlayer components are of refractive indices intermediate between the refractive index of the substrate and the infra-red reflective coating.

9. A process as defined in claim 1 wherein said optical thickness d₁ of said interlayer component closer to the substrate is about

10. A process as defined in any of claims 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, or 9 wherein said refractive indices and optical thicknesses of said substrate, said interlayer components and said infra-red reflective coating are selected to provide a color saturation value below about 12.

11. A process as defined in any of claims 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, or 9 wherein said refractive indices and optical thicknesses of said substrate said interlayer components and said infra-red reflective coating are selected to provide a color saturation value below about 8.

12. A process for making a non-iridescent, transparent, structure of the type comprising

(A) a transparent substrate,

(B) an electrically conductive coating thereon and

(C) an iridescence-suppressing interlayer between said substrate and said conductive coating, said process comprising the steps of forming, between said conductive coating and said transparent substrate, an interlayer by

(1) coating nearer to said substrate a first interlayer component of relatively high refractive index material;

(2) coating over said relatively high refractive index material, a second interlayer component of relatively low refractive index material, and

(3) terminating each interlayer component at such a thickness that the combined interlayer components for said iridescence-suppressing means and with the total optical thickness of said interlayer components are about 1/6th of a 500 nanometer design wavelength.