Low-maintenance coatings

• US RE44,155 E1
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardinal CG Company (Cardinal Glass Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cardinal CG Company (Cardinal Glass Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Krisko, Annette J., Myli, Kari B., Pfaff, Gary L., Brownlee, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAMPLE, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US13/271,776
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 428/432
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3423 at least one of the coatings comprising a suboxide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/212 TiO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/213 SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/71 Photocatalytic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/155 by reactive sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/156 by magnetron sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/083 of refractory metals or yttrium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/10 Glass or silica
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/568 Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations C23C14/562 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate bearing a low-maintenance coating. The coating includes at least two films: a base film optionally comprising silica (e.g., silicon dioxide) and a film comprising titania (e.g., titanium dioxide). The invention also provides methods of depositing such coatings.

Claims

1. A low-maintenance coating on a substrate, the coating comprising a base film positioned directly over a first major surface of the substrate and a film comprising titania positioned directly over the base film, wherein the base film has a thickness of less than about 100 angstroms, and wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of less than 50 angstroms.

2. The low-maintenance coating of claim 1 wherein the film comprising titania includes titanium dioxide or substoichiometric titanium oxide.

3. The low-maintenance coating of claim 1 wherein the base film comprises silica.

4. The low-maintenance coating of claim 3 wherein the base film consists essentially of silicon dioxide.

5. The low-maintenance coating of claim 1 wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of less than 35 angstroms.

6. The low-maintenance coating of claim 1 wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of between about 5 angstroms and about 30 angstroms.

7. The low-maintenance coating of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a window pane mounted in a window frame, and wherein the coated first major surface is exposed to an outdoor environment.

8. The low-maintenance coating of claim 1 wherein the base film and film comprising titania are both sputtered films.

18. The low-maintenance coating of claim 3 wherein the base film further comprises an oxidized electrically conductive material.

19. The low-maintenance coating of claim 18 wherein the electrically conductive material is aluminum.

20. The low-maintenance coating of claim 1 wherein the film comprising titania further comprises a material selected from the group consisting of oxides of iron, silver, copper, tungsten, aluminum, zinc, strontium, palladium, gold, platinum, nickel, and cobalt.

21. The low-maintenance coating of claim 1 wherein the film comprising titania is an outermost film of the coating.

9. A low-maintenance coating on a glass sheet, the coating comprising a base film positioned over a first major surface of the glass sheet and a film comprising titania positioned directly over the base film, wherein the base film comprises silica and has a thickness of less than 100 angstroms, and wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of less than 100 angstroms.

10. The low-maintenance coating of claim 9 wherein the film comprising titania comprises titanium dioxide or substoichiometric titanium oxide.

11. The low-maintenance coating of claim 9 wherein the base film consists essentially of silicon dioxide.

12. The low-maintenance coating of claim 9 wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of less than 50 angstroms

13. The low-maintenance coating of claim 9 wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of less than 35 angstroms.

14. The low-maintenance coating of claim 9 wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of between about 5 angstroms and about 30 angstroms.

15. The low-maintenance coating of claim 9 wherein the glass sheet is a window pane mounted in a window frame, and wherein the coated first major surface is exposed to an outdoor environment.

16. The low-maintenance coating of claim 9 wherein the silica base film and film comprising titania are both sputtered films.

22. The low-maintenance coating of claim 9 wherein the film comprising titania is an outermost film of the coating.

17. An insulating glass unit comprising two spaced-apart panes bounding a between-pane space, wherein at least one of the panes has a desired major surface bearing a low-maintenance coating, wherein said desired major surface is an exterior surface of the unit and faces away from the between-pane space, the coating comprising a base film positioned directly over said desired major surface and a film comprising titania positioned directly over the base film, wherein the base film comprises silica has a thickness of less than 100 angstroms and the film comprising titania has a thickness of less than 50 angstroms.

23. The low-maintenance coating of claim 17 wherein the film comprising titania is an outermost film of the coating.

24. A low-maintenance coating on a glass sheet, the coating comprising a base film extending directly from a first major surface of the glass sheet to a thickness of less than about 100 angstroms, and a film comprising titania extending directly from a surface of the base film to a thickness of less than 50 angstroms.

25. The low-maintenance coating of claim 24 wherein the film comprising titania includes titanium dioxide or substoichiometric titanium oxide.

26. The low-maintenance coating of claim 24 wherein the base film comprises silica.

27. The low-maintenance coating of claim 26 wherein the base film consists essentially of silicon dioxide.

28. The low-maintenance coating of claim 24 wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of less than 35 angstroms.

29. The low-maintenance coating of claim 24 wherein the film comprising titania has a thickness of between about 5 angstroms and about 30 angstroms.

30. The low-maintenance coating of claim 24 wherein the glass sheet is a window pane mounted in a window frame, and wherein the coated first major surface is exposed to an outdoor environment.

31. The low-maintenance coating of claim 24 wherein the base film and film comprising titania are both sputtered films.

32. A low-maintenance coating on a glass sheet, the coating comprising a base film deposited directly over a first major surface of the glass sheet and having a thickness of less than 100 angstroms but greater than about 30 angstroms, and a film comprising titania deposited directly over the base film and having a thickness of less 100 angstroms but greater than about 30 angstroms.

33. The low-maintenance coating of claim 32 wherein the base film comprises silica that includes an electrically conductive material present in an oxidized form.

34. The low-maintenance coating of claim 33 wherein the base film consists essentially of silicon dioxide.

35. The low-maintenance coating of claim 32 wherein the base film is a silica film containing aluminum oxide.

36. The low-maintenance coating of claim 32 wherein the film comprising titania includes titanium dioxide or substoichiometric titanium oxide.

37. The low-maintenance coating of claim 32 wherein the glass sheet is a window pane mounted in a window frame, and wherein the coated first major surface is exposed to an outdoor environment.

38. The low-maintenance coating of claim 32 wherein the base film and film comprising titania are both sputtered films.

39. The low-maintenance coating of claim 32 wherein the glass sheet is soda-lime glass.

40. The low-maintenance coating of claim 32 wherein the glass sheet is part of an insulating glass unit.