Transparent substrate provided with a stack of thin layers

• US 6,042,934 A
• Filed: 07/31/1997
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vitrage
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Vitrage
• Inventors: Guiselin, Olivier, Petit, Pascal, Brochot, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Crispino, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAY, LINDA LAMEY
• Application Number:
  US08/903,976
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 428/432, 428/426, 428/213, 428/215, 428/216, 428/433, 428/434, 428/472, 428/428, 428/913, 359/360, 359/585, 359/589
• US Class Current: 428/213
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3613 Coatings of type glass/inorganic compound/metal/inorganic compound/metal/other
• 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 17/3639 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 17/3681 the multilayer coating being used in glazing, e.g. windows or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 Thickness [relative or absolute]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24967 Absolute thicknesses specified
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24975 No layer or component greater than 5 mils thick

Abstract

A substrate having the following layers in the following order thereon; first dielectric layer, first layer with infrared reflection properties, second dielectric layer, second layer having infrared reflection properties, and third dielectric layer. The thickness of the first layer with infrared reflection properties is 50% to 64% of that of the second layer having infrared reaction properties. The optical thickness of the first dielectric layer is greater than the thickness of the third dielectric layer by at least 100%. The substrate and the layers together exhibit an external reflection color in the range of blue to blue-green at both 0° and 60° incidence angles.

Claims

1. An article comprising a transparent rigid substrate having multiple thin layers thereon comprising successively:

i) a first dielectric material layer on said substrate;

ii) a first layer having infrared reflection properties on said layer i);

iii) a second dielectric material layer on said layer ii);

iv) a second layer having infrared reflection properties on said layer iii); and

v) a third dielectric material layer on said layer iv);

wherein a thickness of said first layer having infrared reflection properties is 50 to 64% of that of said second layer having infrared reflection properties; and

wherein the first dielectric material layer has an optical thickness which is greater than an optical thickness of the third dielectric material layer;

said optical thickness of said first layer corresponding to at least 110% of the optical thickness of said third layer; and

further wherein said transparent substrate having multiple thin layers thereon exhibits an external reflection color in the range of blue to blue-green at both 0°

C. and 60°

C. incidence angles.

2. A article of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric material layer has an optical thickness which is equal to or greater than 110% of the sum of optical thicknesses of said first and third dielectric material layers.

3. The article of claim 1, wherein the optical thickness of said second dielectric material layer is about equal to the sum of the optical thicknesses of said first and third dielectric layers.

4. The article of claim 1, wherein each of said layers having infrared reflection properties is surmounted by a thin, partly oxidized, barrier metal layer.

5. The article of claim 4, wherein said barrier metal layer is based on a material selected from the group consisting of titanium and nickel-chromium alloy.

6. The article of claim 4, wherein said barrier metal layer has a thickness of from 1 to 3 nanometers.

7. The article of claim 1, wherein each of said layers having infrared reflection properties is based on silver.

8. The article of claim 1, wherein at least one of said three dielectric material layers is a material selected from the group consisting of tantalum (V) oxide, tin (IV) oxide and mixtures of said oxides, or is constituted by a first tin (IV) oxide layer surmounted by a second layer selected from the group consisting of tantalum (V) oxide, niobium (V) oxide and titanium (IV) oxide.

9. The article of claim 1, wherein the thickness of said first layer having infrared reflection properties is between 7 and 9 nanometers.

10. The article of claim 1, wherein the thickness of said second layer having infrared reflection properties is between 11 and 13 nanometers.

11. The article of claim 1, wherein the optical thickness of said first and third dielectric material layers is between 60 and 90 nanometers;

and

wherein the optical thickness of said second dielectric material is between 140 and 170 nanometers.

12. The article of claim 1 wherein a thickness of said first layer having infrared reflection properties is 60 to 64% of that of said second layer having infrared reflection properties.

13. The article of claim 1, wherein the optical thickness of said second dielectric material layer is between about 110% to 120% of the sum of the optical thicknesses of said first and third dielectric material layers.

14. The article of claim 1, wherein the optical thickness of said first dielectric material layer corresponds to about 110% to 140% of the optical thickness of said third dielectric material layer.

15. The article of claim 1, wherein the optical thickness of said first dielectric material layer corresponds to about 125% of the optical thickness of said third dielectric material layer.

16. A laminated glazing comprising the article of claim 1, wherein said laminated glazing has a light transmission T_L of about 70% and a color in external reflection in the blues or greens.

17. A multiple glazing, comprising the article of claim 1, wherein said multiple glazing has a light transmission (T_L) between 60 and 70% and a solar factor of 0.32 to 0.42.

18. The multiple glazing of claim 17, wherein said multiple glazing is a double glazing.

19. A multiple glazing, comprising the article of claim 1, wherein said multiple glazing has a color in external reflection in the blues.

20. The multiple glazing of claim 19, wherein said multiple glazing has a color in external transmission in the blues.

21. The multiple glazing of claim 19, wherein said dielectric material layers are tantalum (V) oxide.

22. The multiple glazing of claim 19, wherein said multiple glazing is a double glazing.

23. The multiple glazing according to claim 19, wherein said multiple glazing has an optical appearance in external reflection which remains virtually identical irrespective of incidence angle, having values of a* and b* in the colorimetry system remaining uncharged and below 3 and having a negative sign.

24. The article of claim 1, which has a color in external reflection such that a value of λ

-dom-r is between 462 nm and 510 nm.

25. The article of claim 1, which has a color in external reflection such that a value of p.r. is between 0.8 and 9.

26. The article of claim 1, wherein said p.r. value is from 0.8 to 6.

27. The article of claim 1, wherein said transparent rigid substrate is glass.