Transparent substrate with diffuser surface

• US 5,725,957 A
• Filed: 09/09/1996
• Issued: 03/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Varaprasad, Desaraju V., Dornan, Craig A., Getz, Catherine A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, MARGARET G
• Application Number:
  US08/708,803
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 427/165, 427/167, 427/126.2, 427/126.3, 428/332, 428/428, 428/432, 428/335, 428/336, 428/202, 313/461
• US Class Current: 428/428
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/25 by deposition from the liquid phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/211 SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/216 ZnO
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/231 In2O3/SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/24 Doped oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/11 from solutions or suspensions
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 29/868 Screens covering the input or output face of the vessel, e.g. transparent anti-static coatings, X-ray absorbing layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 29/896 Anti-reflection means, e.g. eliminating glare due to ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/264 Up to 3 mils
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

A transparent substrate having a glare reducing diffuser surface coating on its outer surface forms a faceplate for attachment to a screen for a cathode ray tube or other display device. The coating has a preferred thickness of less than about 3 microns, and the substrate may include an index matching adhesive/medium for attaching said faceplate to a cathode ray tube screen. The diffuser surface coated substrate is bendable and overcoatable with functional coating such as transparent conductor and/or abrasion resistant coatings.

Claims

1. A faceplate for mounting to a cathode ray tube screen, said faceplate comprising:

a glass substrate, said substrate having inner and outer surfaces;

a reduced gloss, high resolution diffuser surface coating comprising a metal oxide disposed on said outer surface of said substrate; and

an index matching medium on said inner surface of said substrate for contacting the cathode ray tube screen when applied thereto;

said diffuser surface coating having a gloss reading less than about 80 gloss units and a resolution of at least 3 lines per millimeter;

said faceplate being formed separately from the fabrication of the cathode ray tube screen and having reduced glare from ambient light without significant reduction in resolution of images from the cathode ray tube visible through said faceplate.

2. The faceplate of claim 1 wherein said coating is formed by depositing at least one layer of a film forming precursor solution onto said substrate, at least partially densifying said at least one layer to form a preliminary coating, depositing a further layer of a precursor solution onto said preliminary coating, and firing said preliminary coating and said further layer to form said reduced gloss, high resolution coating on said substrate.

3. The faceplate of claim 1 wherein said index matching medium is an index matching adhesive material.

4. The faceplate of claim 1 wherein said faceplate further comprises a transparent conductor coating.

5. The faceplate of claim 4 wherein said conductor coating comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, tin oxide, doped tin oxide, and doped zinc oxide.

6. The faceplate of claim 1 wherein said faceplate has a curvature.

7. The faceplate of claim 6 wherein said diffuser surface coating is disposed on the convex surface of said substrate.

8. The faceplate of claim 7 wherein said diffuser surface coating has a thickness of less than about 3 microns.

9. The faceplate of claim 7 wherein said diffuser surface coating provides at least one of the following propertiesconductivityanti-staticEMI/RFI shielding.

10. The faceplate of claim 1 wherein said coating is formed by depositing at least one layer of a film forming precursor solution, said precursor solution comprising at least one of an indium tin oxide precursor solution, a tin oxide precursor solution, a doped tin oxide precursor solution, a doped zinc oxide precursor solution, a silica precursor solution, and combinations thereof.

11. A faceplate mounted on a cathode ray tube screen said faceplate and cathode ray tube combination comprising:

a cathode ray tube screen;

said faceplate fabricated separately from said cathode ray tube screen and including a convex, transparent, curved glass substrate having a convex outer surface, a concave inner surface, and a diffuser surface coating disposed on said outer surface of said substrate, said diffuser surface coating comprising a metal oxide and having a thickness less than about 3 microns, a gloss reading less than about 80 gloss units and a resolution of at least 3 lines per millimeter; and

an index matching medium on said concave inner surface of said substrate, said index matching medium contacting said cathode ray tube screen and attaching said substrate to said screen;

said faceplate having reduced glare from ambient light without significant reduction in resolution of images from said cathode ray tube screen visible through said faceplate.

12. The face plate of claim 11, wherein said diffuser coated transparent substrate is further overcoated with a transparent conductor coating.

13. The face plate of claim 11, wherein said diffuser surface coated substrate is produced by spraying at least one layer of a precursor solution comprising a precursor of an inorganic metal oxide dissolved in an organic solvent onto a substrate and firing said at least one layer on said substrate to a temperature equal to or greater than about 250°

C., wherein said precursor is selected from the group consisting of one or more metal alkoxides, metal halides, metal oxyhalides, metal acetates, metal peroxyesters, metal nitrates and combinations thereof.

14. The face plate of claim 13, wherein said precursor is an alkoxide of the formula Si(OR)₄, wherein R is a C₁ to C₆ alkyl group.

15. The face plate of claim 13 wherein said precursor solution comprises about 18.75% tetraethylorthosilicate, about 2.23% acetic anhydride, about 3.63% water, about 0.08% phosphoric acid, about 0.91% 2,4-pentanedione, about 1.24% 1-pentanol, about 19.35% ethyl acetate, about 15% ethanol, about 17.5% methanol and about 21.25% acetone.

16. The face plate of claim 12, wherein said conductor coating comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, tin oxide, doped tin oxide, and doped zinc oxide.

17. A faceplate for mounting to a screen for a display device, said faceplate comprising:

a transparent glass substrate, said substrate having an outer surface and an inner surface; and

a reduced gloss, high resolution, diffuser surface coating comprising a metal oxide disposed on said outer surface of said substrate, said diffuser surface coating having a gloss reading less than about 80 gloss units and a resolution of at least 3 lines per millimeter;

said faceplate being formed separately from the fabrication of the screen for a display device and having reduced glare from ambient light without significant reduction in resolution of images from the display visible through said faceplate.

18. The faceplate of claim 17 wherein said diffuser surface coating has a thickness less than about 3 microns.

19. The faceplate of claim 18 wherein said diffuser surface coating has a thickness less than about 1 micron.

20. The faceplate of claim 18 wherein said diffuser surface coating has a thickness less than about 0.8 microns.

21. The faceplate of claim 17 wherein said diffuser coated transparent substrate is further overcoated with a transparent conductor coating.

22. The faceplate of claim 21 wherein said transparent conductor coating is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, tin oxide, doped tin oxide, and doped zinc oxide.

23. The faceplate of claim 17 wherein said transparent glass substrate is a curved substrate and said outer surface is convex, said diffuser surface coating being disposed on said convex surface.