This invention relates to a coated article including a low-E coating, which includes, for example, a graded layer (e.g., oxidation graded layer). In certain example embodiments, the graded layer is graded in a manner such that it becomes less oxidized closer to an infrared (IR) reflecting layer. In certain example embodiments, a sputtered layer comprising at least one metal may be ion beam treated in order to introduce oxygen into the layer thereby forming the oxidation graded layer. Coated articles according to certain example embodiments of this invention may be used in the context of vehicle windshields, insulating glass (IG) window units, other types of windows, or in any other suitable application.
Coated articles are known in the art for use in window application such as insulating glass (IG) window units, vehicle windows, and/or the like. It is known that in certain instances, it is sometimes desirable to heat treat (e.g., thermally temper, heat bend and/or heat strengthen) such coated articles for purposes of tempering, bending, or the like in certain example instances. Example non-limiting low-emissivity (low-E) coatings are illustrated and/or described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,723,211; 6,576,349; 6,447,891; 6,461,731; 3,682,528; 5,514,476; 5,425,861; and 2003/0150711, the disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In certain situations, designers of coated articles with low-E coatings often strive for a combination of high visible transmission, substantially neutral color, low emissivity (or emittance), and low sheet resistance (Rs). High visible transmission for example may permit coated articles to be more desirable in applications such as vehicle windshields or the like, whereas low-emissivity (low-E) and low sheet resistance characteristics permit such coated articles to block significant amounts of IR radiation so as to reduce for example undesirable heating of vehicle or building interiors.
The use of oxidation graded layer(s) in low-E coatings is known. For example, see commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,576,349 and 6,723,211, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. The '349 patent, for example, explains that a contact layer(s) is oxidation graded so as to become less oxidized closer to an IR reflecting layer of a material such as silver. The '349 patent explains, for example, that oxidation grading of contact layer(s) is advantageous in that it permits high visible transmission to be achieved in combination with optional heat treatability.
However, the oxidation grading of a NiCrOx contact layer(s) is typically formed by sputtering. For example, more oxygen gas may be introduced via one side of a NiCr sputtering target compared to another side of the target, thereby resulting in oxidation grading of the NiCrOx layer being sputter-deposited. While this typically works very well, there are certain drawbacks. First, while sputtering a NiCr target in an oxygen inclusive atmosphere tends to cause significant amounts of chromium oxide to form in the resulting layer, the nickel does not so easily become nickel oxide (i.e., much Ni may remain in metallic form in the resulting layer). This can sometimes be undesirable in that metallic Ni tends to reduce visible transmission of the resulted coated article. Second, the use of large amounts of oxygen in a sputtering zone of a sputter coater sometimes causes undesirable target flaking to occur.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there exists a need for a technique for forming an oxidation graded layer in a coating in a more efficient manner. In certain example instances, there exists a need for a technique for forming an oxidation graded layer in a coating in a manner which results in: (a) more oxidation of Ni if a NiCr target or the like is used in sputtering; (b) less oxygen being required in a given zone(s) or bay(s) of a sputter coater; and/or (c) reduction or elimination of the flaking effect problem.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, ion beam treatment is used to control and/or modify stoichiometry of a layer(s) in a coating (i.e., stoichiometry modification and/or control). The layer(s) to be modified may be deposited on a substrate such as a glass substrate, and other layer(s) may or may not be located between the glass substrate and the layer(s) to be modified by ion treatment. In certain example embodiments, the ion treatment may utilize at least oxygen ions. When oxygen ions are used to ion beam treat an originally deposited metal layer or slightly oxided layer, an oxidation graded layer may result.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, an oxidation graded layer in a solar control coating may be formed in the following manner. First, a layer is sputter-deposited on a substrate (either directly on the substrate, or alternatively on the substrate over other layer(s)). Then, the sputter-deposited layer is subjected to an ion beam treatment, wherein the ion beam includes at least oxygen ions. The oxygen inclusive ion beam treatment introduces oxygen ions into the sputter-deposited layer. The ion beam is directed at the layer in a manner so as to create an oxidation graded effect in the layer such that the layer following the ion beam treatment is more metallic closer to an infrared (IR) reflecting layer than at a location further from the IR reflecting layer. The oxidation graded layer has improved (higher) visible transmission, and due to its more metallic nature closer to the IR reflecting layer is able to better protect the IR reflecting layer during potential heat treatment such as thermal tempering or heat strengthening.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a method of making a coated article, the method comprising: providing a glass substrate; sputtering a layer comprising silver on the glass substrate; sputtering a layer comprising NiCr on the substrate over the layer comprising silver, so that the layer comprising NiCr contacts the layer comprising silver; ion beam treating at least an upper surface of the layer comprising NiCr with at least oxygen ions so that following said ion beam treating the layer comprising NiCr is more oxidized at a location further from the layer comprising silver than at a location closer to the layer comprising silver; and following said ion beam treating, sputtering at least a dielectric layer over the layer comprising NiCr.
In other example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a method of making a coated article, the method comprising: providing a glass substrate; sputtering an IR reflecting layer on the glass substrate; sputtering a layer comprising Ni and/or Cr on the glass substrate over the IR reflecting layer; and ion beam treating at least an upper surface of the layer comprising Ni and/or Cr with at least oxygen so that following said ion beam treating the layer comprising Ni and/or Cr is more oxidized at a location further from the IR reflecting layer than at a location closer to the IR reflecting layer.
In still other example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a method of making a coated article, the method comprising: providing a substrate; forming a layer comprising at least one metal on the substrate; ion beam treating at least an upper surface of the layer comprising the at least one metal so that following said ion beam treating the layer is more oxidized at a location further from the substrate than at a location closer to the substrate.
In other example embodiments of this invention, there is provided a method of making a coated article, the method comprising: providing a glass substrate; sputtering a layer on the glass substrate; ion beam treating at least an upper surface of the layer on the glass substrate with at least one reactive gas so as to modify a stoichiometry thereof; and following said ion beam treating sputtering at least another layer over the layer that has been ion beam treated.
a) is a graph illustrating the oxidation grading of a NiCrOx layer according to an example of the instant invention, following ion beam treatment with oxygen ions.
b) is a graph illustrating the relative amounts of oxided Cr as a function of depth comparing (a) an ion beam treated layer originally sputter-deposited as NiCr and then ion beam treated with oxygen ions, versus (b) a pair of sputter-deposited NiCrOx layers each sputter deposited in an oxygen inclusive atmosphere without ion beam treatment.
a) and 8(b) are cross sectional views of different oxidation graded layers according to different example embodiments of this invention.
Coated articles herein may be used in applications such as vehicle windshields, monolithic windows, IG window units, and/or any other suitable application that includes single or multiple glass substrates. In vehicle windshield applications, for example, a pair of glass substrates may be laminated together with a polymer based layer of a material such as PVB, and the coating is provided on the interior surface of one of the glass substrates adjacent the polymer based layer. In certain example embodiments of this invention, the coating includes a double-silver stack, although this invention is not so limited in all instances (e.g., single silver stacks may also be used in accordance with certain embodiments of this invention).
In certain example embodiments of this invention, ion beam treatment is used to control and/or modify stoichiometry of a layer(s) in a coating (i.e., stoichiometry modification and/or control). The layer(s) to be modified may be deposited on a substrate such as a glass substrate, and other layer(s) may or may not be located between the glass substrate and the layer(s) to be modified by ion beam treatment. In certain example embodiments, the ion beam treatment may utilize at least oxygen ions. When oxygen ions are used to ion beam treat an originally deposited metal layer or slightly oxided layer, an oxidation graded layer may result.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, an oxidation graded layer in a solar control coating may be formed in the following manner. First, a layer is sputter-deposited on a substrate (either directly on the substrate, or alternatively on the substrate over other layer(s)). This layer in certain example embodiments may be originally sputter-deposited as including or of NiCr of NiCrOx, although this invention is not so limited. Then, the sputter-deposited layer is subjected to an ion beam treatment, wherein the ion beam includes at least oxygen ions in certain example embodiments. The ion beam may be a focused ion beam, a collimated ion beam, or a diffused ion beam in different embodiments of this invention. The oxygen inclusive ion beam treatment introduces oxygen ions into the sputter-deposited layer, thereby creating an oxidation graded effect in the layer such that the layer following the ion beam treatment is more metallic closer to an infrared (IR) reflecting layer than at a location further from the IR reflecting layer. The portion of the layer closest to the IR reflecting layer may be entirely metallic in certain example instances or alternatively may be relatively less oxided compared to other parts of the layer in other example embodiments of this invention.
The oxidation graded layer has improved (higher) visible transmission (compared to a purely metallic layer), and due to its more metallic nature closer to the IR reflecting layer is able to better protect the IR reflecting layer during optional heat treatment such as thermal tempering, heat bending, and/or heat strengthening. Moreover, it has surprisingly been found that ion beam plasma (including at least oxygen) is able to oxidize a higher amount of Ni atoms compared to merely sputtering in an oxygen inclusive atmosphere. In particular, merely sputtering NiCr target(s) in an oxygen inclusive atmosphere tends to oxide Cr atoms more than Ni atoms. The use of the ion beam treatment herein tends to permit more Ni to be oxided in the end layer. Again, this helps to improve transmission characteristics of the coating, without sacrificing heat treatability in certain example embodiments of this invention. Moreover, another unexpected advantage of certain embodiments of this invention is that it has unexpectedly been found that a more metallic part of the oxidation graded layer sticks better to the IR reflecting layer (e.g., Ag layer), whereas a more oxidized part sticks better to the overlying dielectric layer(s). Thus, ion beam plasma irradiation herein improves adhesion and thus durability of the coated article as an additional advantage. Yet another advantage associated with certain embodiments of this invention is that growing NiCrOx from metallic NiCr target(s) in oxygen inclusive atmosphere can result in more particulates than originally sputtering NiCr in a substantially inert atmosphere to provide a substantially metallic layer of NiCr and then ion beam treating the substantially metallic layer in order to oxide the same.
This type of oxidation grading of a layer may be performed on one or more layers of a given coating in different embodiments of this invention.
Coated articles according to different embodiments of this invention may or may not be heat treated (HT) in different instances. The terms “heat treatment” and “heat treating” as used herein mean heating the article to a temperature sufficient to achieve thermal tempering, heat bending, and/or heat strengthening of the glass inclusive article. This definition includes, for example, heating a coated article in an oven or furnace at a temperature of least about 580 degrees C., more preferably at least about 600 degrees C., for a sufficient period to allow tempering, bending, and/or heat strengthening. In certain instances, the HT may be for at least about 4 or 5 minutes.
Still referring to
In monolithic instances, the coated article includes only one glass substrate 1 as illustrated in
In certain example embodiments of this invention, one or both of upper contact layer(s) 11′ and/or 21′ is oxidation graded. Thus, at least one of NiCr inclusive contact layers 11′ and/or 21′ has been ion beam treated with at least oxygen ions in order to oxidation graded the same in certain example embodiments of this invention.
Example details relating to layers 3, 7, 9, 13, 14, 17, 19, 23 and 25 of the
Infrared (IR) reflecting layers 9 and 19 are preferably substantially or entirely metallic and/or conductive, and may comprise or consist essentially of silver (Ag), gold, or any other suitable IR reflecting material. IR reflecting layers 9 and 19 help allow the coating to have low-E and/or good solar control characteristics. The IR reflecting layers may, however, be slightly oxidized in certain embodiments of this invention. Dielectric layer 13 may be of or include tin oxide in certain example embodiments of this invention. However, as with other layers herein, other materials may be used in different instances. Lower contact layers 7 and/or 17 in certain embodiments of this invention are of or include zinc oxide (e.g., ZnO). The zinc oxide of layer(s) 7, 17 may contain other materials as well such as Al (e.g., to form ZnAlOx). For example, in certain example embodiments of this invention, one or more of zinc oxide layers 7, 17 may be doped with from about 1 to 10% Al, more preferably from about 1 to 5% Al, and most preferably about 2 to 4% Al. The use of zinc oxide 7, 17 under the silver 9, 19 allows for an excellent quality of silver to be achieved.
Dielectric layer 23 may be of or include tin oxide in certain example embodiments of this invention. However, layer 23 is optional and need not be provided in certain example embodiments of this invention. Dielectric layer 25, which may be an overcoat including one or more layers in certain example instances, may be of or include silicon nitride (e.g., Si3N4) or any other suitable material in certain example embodiments of this invention. Optionally, other layers may be provided above layer 25. Optionally, a silicon nitride inclusive layer 25 may be located directly on an over oxidation graded layer 21′. Layer 25 is provided for durability purposes, and to protect the underlying layers during heat treatment and/or environmental use. In certain example embodiments, layer 25 may have an index of refraction (n) of from about 1.9 to 2.2, more preferably from about 1.95 to 2.05.
Other layer(s) below or above the illustrated coating may also be provided. Thus, while the layer system or coating is “on” or “supported by” substrate 1 (directly or indirectly), other layer(s) may be provided therebetween. Thus, for example, the coating of
While various thicknesses and materials may be used in layers in different embodiments of this invention, example thicknesses and materials for the respective layers on the glass substrate 1 in the
At least one of layers 11′ and 21′ is oxidation graded in certain example embodiments of this invention, by way of ion beam treatment thereof after original deposition of the layer by sputter-deposition. Thus, at least one of layers 11′ and 21′ is more oxidized at a location further from the adjacent IR reflecting layer than at another location closer to the adjacent IR reflecting layer. Stated another way, at least one of layers 11′ and 21′ is more metallic at a location closer to the adjacent IR reflecting layer than at another location further from the adjacent IR reflecting layer. By oxidation grading at least one of contact layers 11′ and 21′, the oxidation graded layer(s) has improved (higher) visible transmission (compared to non-oxided purely metallic layers), and due to its more metallic nature closer to the IR reflecting layer, is able to better protect the adjacent IR reflecting layer during optional heat treatment such as thermal tempering, heat bending, and/or heat strengthening. In certain example instances, it is also possible to provide another layer (e.g., metal layer, or the like) between the oxidation graded layer (11′, 21′) and the adjacent IR reflecting layer (9, 19).
Referring to
After the contact layer has been ion beam treated to form oxidation graded layer 11′ (see
In certain example embodiments of this invention, the ion beam treatment of the contact layer is performed in a manner so as to increase the sheet resistance (Rs) of the layer by at least about 15%, more preferably at least 20%, and most preferably from about 25 to 50%. For example, ion beam treatment with oxygen ions which increases the sheet resistance of the layer from 80 ohms/square to 115 ohms/square is an increase in sheet resistance of 44%. This is calculated by subtracting 80 from 115 to get 35, and then dividing 35 by 80 to obtain a 44% increase in sheet resistance of the layer due to the ion beam treatment with oxygen ions. In certain example embodiments, the ion beam treatment of the contact layer is performed in a manner so as to increase the sheet resistance (Rs) of the layer by at least about 20 ohms/square, more preferably by at least about 25 ohms/square, and most preferably from about 30 to 50 ohms/square. It is noted that the aforesaid increases may vary depending upon the thickness of the layer being ion beam treated and upon the ion energy used by the source. The purposes of this paragraph is to generally illustrate that ion beam treatment of metallic layer(s) with at least oxygen gas increases sheet resistance of the layer(s).
a) is a graph illustrating the relative oxidation grading of a NiCrOx layer, in terms of NiO and CrO, according to an example of the instant invention, following ion beam treatment with oxygen ions. In other words,
FIG. (b) is a graph illustrating the relative amounts of oxided Cr as a function of depth comparing (a) an ion beam treated layer originally sputter-deposited as NiCr and then ion beam treated with oxygen ions (triangle line), versus (b) a pair of sputter-deposited NiCrOx layers each sputter deposited in an oxygen gas inclusive atmosphere without ion beam treatment (square and circle lines, where kW indicates sputtering power and ml/kW is an indication of oxygen gas flow per power unit). It can be seen that the ion beam treated layer realizes significant oxidation grading, in that its oxygen content generally drops over the first 6 nm of the layer from the top of the layer downward. In other words, the ion beam treated layer is much more metallic nearer to the adjacent IR reflecting layer than are the other two layers which were sputtered in a constant oxygen inclusive atmosphere and not ion beam treated.
a) and 8(b) illustrate two different types of oxidation graded contact layers according to different embodiments of this invention. In
In contrast with the
It is noted that the oxidation graded nature of layer(s) 11′ and/or 21′ discussed herein occurs before heat treatment in certain example embodiments of this invention, and optionally also occurs after optional heat treatment such as thermal tempering, heat strengthening, or heat bending.
In each of
A linear source as long as 0.5 to 4 meters may be made and used in certain example instances, although sources of different lengths are anticipated in different embodiments of this invention. Electron layer 35 is shown in
In certain example embodiments of this invention, coated articles herein may have the following optical and solar characteristics when measured monolithically (before any optional HT). The sheet resistances (Rs) herein take into account all IR reflecting layers (e.g., silver layers 9, 19).
In certain example embodiments, coated articles herein may have the following characteristics, measured monolithically for example, after heat treatment (HT):
Moreover, in certain example laminated embodiments of this invention, coated articles herein which have been heat treated to an extent sufficient for tempering and/or heat bending, and which have been laminated to another glass substrate, may have the following optical/solar characteristics:
Moreover, coated articles including coatings according to certain example embodiments of this invention have the following optical characteristics (e.g., when the coating(s) is provided on a clear soda lime silica glass substrate 1 from 1 to 10 mm thick; e.g., 2.1 mm may be used for a glass substrate reference thickness in certain example non-limiting instances) (laminated). While multiple measurements may be taken at different locations across the laminate, this data is based on the average of such points.
The following hypothetical example is provided for purposes of example only, and is not intended to be limiting unless specifically claimed.
The following hypothetical Example 1 uses a 2.1 mm thick clear glass substrates so as to have approximately the layer stack set forth below and shown in
Both NiCrOx layers will be ion beam treated to create respective oxidation graded layers 11′ and 21′. The processes used in forming the coated article of the Example are set forth below. The sputtering gas flows (argon (Ar), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N)) in the below table are in units of sccm (gas correction factor of about 1.39 may be applicable for argon gas flows herein), and include both tuning gas and gas introduced through the main. The line speed was about 5 m/min. The pressures are in units of mbar×10−3. The silicon (Si) targets, and thus the silicon nitride layers, were doped with about 10% aluminum (Al). The Zn targets in a similar manner were doped with about 2% Al.
It can be seen that the lower NiCr inclusive contact layer was sputter-deposited as metallic NiCr with no oxygen gas flow during sputtering, whereas the upper NiCr inclusive contact layer was sputter-deposited in an oxygen inclusive atmosphere so as to be slightly oxided upon original deposition.
After being sputter deposited onto the glass substrates, and the NiCr inclusive layers ion beam treated as illustrated above to form oxidation graded layers 11′ and 21′, the Example coated article was heat treated in a manner sufficient for tempering and heat bending, and following this heat treatment had the following characteristics as measured in monolithic form.
The coated article of the Example 1 was then laminated to another corresponding heat treated and bent glass substrate to form a laminated vehicle windshield product. Following the lamination, the resulting coated article laminate (or windshield) had the following characteristics.
While the aforesaid example ion beam treats layers comprising NiCr, this invention is not so limited. Other layers may be ion beam treated for oxidation grading or otherwise ion beam treated in a similar manner. For examples, layers comprising at least one of Ni, Cr, NiCr, or any other suitable material may be ion beam treated as discussed herein in alternative embodiments of this invention.
In Example 2, six different NiCr inclusive layers were formed and tested as shown in
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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