Method of making coated article with high visible transmission and low emissivity

• US 6,916,408 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Issued: 07/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Centre Luxembourgeois de Recherches pour le Verre et la Ceramique SA, Guardian Industries Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kriltz, Uwe, Laird, Carole, Laird, Ronald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris, Terrel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Piziali, Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US10/921,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20050025917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 428/428, 428/448, 428/472, 428/673, 428/697, 428/698, 428/699, 428/432, 428/701, 428/702, 427/165, 204/192.1, 204/192.26
• US Class Current: 204/192.26
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• 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 17/3626 one layer at least containing a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3636 one layer at least containing silicon, hydrogenated silicon or a silicide
• 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 17/366 Low-emissivity or solar control coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12896 Ag-base component

Abstract

A coated article that can be used in applications such as insulating glass (IG) units, so that resulting IG units can achieve high visible transmission of at least 70% (e.g., when using clear glass substrates from 1.0 to 3.5 mm thick), combined with at least one of: (a) SHGC no greater than about 0.45, more preferably no greater than about 0.40; (b) SC no greater than about 0.49, more preferably no greater than about 0.46; (c) chemical and/or mechanical durability; (d) neutral transmissive color such that transmissive a* is from −5.0 to 0 (more preferably from −3.5 to −1.5), and transmissive b* is from −2.0 to 4.0 (more preferably from 1.0 to 3.0); and (e) neutral reflective color from the exterior of the IG unit (i.e., Rg/R_out) such that reflective a* is from −3.0 to 2.0 (more preferably from −2.0 to 0.5), and reflective b* is from −5.0 to 1.0 (more preferably from −4.0 to −1.0). In certain example non-limiting embodiments, coated articles herein comprise:

substrate/TiO_x/ZnO_x/Ag/NiCrO_x/SnO_x/ZnO_x/Ag/NiCrO_x/SnO_x/Si_xN_y.

Claims

1. A method of making a coated article, the method comprising:

providing a glass substrate;

using at least sputtering in forming at least the following layers on the glass substrate, from the glass substrate outwardly;

a) a layer comprising a metal oxide;

b) a layer comprising zinc oxide;

c) a layer comprising silver contacting the layer comprising zinc oxide b);

d) a layer comprising nickel chrome oxide contacting the layer comprising silver c);

e) a layer comprising tin oxide;

f) a layer comprising zinc oxide;

g) a layer comprising silver contacting the layer comprising zinc oxide f);

h) a layer comprising nickel chrome oxide; and

i) a layer comprising tin oxide;

wherein the coated article has a visible transmission of at least about 70% and the coating or layer system has a sheet resistance (R_s) of no greater than 5.0 ohms/square.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises an insulating glass (IG) window unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coated article is not heat treated.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a layer comprising silicon nitride over and contacting the layer comprising tin oxide i).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the layers are formed so as to have the following thicknesses:

a) 100-400 Å

b) 40-150 Å

c) 50-250 Å

d) 15-60 Å

e) <

=1,000 Å

f) 40-150 Å

g) 50-250 Å

h) 15-60 Å

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises an IG window unit and has the following characteristics:

a*_t (transmissive);

−

5.0 to 0.0

b*_t (transmissive);

−

2.0 to 4.0

R_gY (outside reflectance);

7 to 13%

a*_g (outside reflective);

−

3.0 to 2.0

b*_g (outside reflective);

−

5.0 to 1.0

SHGC;

<

=0.45

SC;

<

=0.49

T_ultraviolet;

<

=0.36.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the coated article comprises an IG window unit and has the following characteristics:

a*_t (transmissive);

−

3.5 to 1.5

b*_t (transmissive);

1.0 to 3.0

R_gY (outside reflectance);

9 to 11%

a*_g (outside reflective);

−

2.0 to 0.5

b*_g (outside reflective);

−

4.0 to −

1.0

SHGC;

<

=0.40

SC;

<

=0.46

T_ultraviolet;

<

=0.33.