Coated article with low-e coating having low visible transmission which may be used in ig window unit for grey appearance.

(54) Title: ARTICLE COATED WITH LOW-E COATING THAT HAS A VISIBLE TRANSMISSION UNDER WHICH IT CAN BE USED IN AN IG WINDOW UNIT FOR A GRAY APPEARANCE.

(54) Title: COATED ARTICLE WITH LOW-E COATING HAVING LOW VISIBLE TRANSMISION WHICH MAY BE USED IN IG WINDOW UNIT FOR GRAY APPEARANCE.

(57) Summary

This invention relates to a coated article that includes a low emissivity (low-E) coating. In certain exemplary embodiments, the low-E coating is provided on a substrate (eg, glass substrate) and includes at least a first and second infrared (IR) reflective coating (eg, silver-based coatings) they are separated by contact layers (eg, NICr based layers) and a dielectric layer of or including a material such as silicon nitride. In certain exemplary embodiments, the coated article has a low visible transmission (eg, not more than 60%, more preferably not more than about 55%, and much more preferably not more than about 50%). The most representative figure of the Invention is number 1.

(57) Abstract

Thls invention relates to a coated article includlng a low-emissivity (low-E) coating. In certaln example implementations, the low-E coating Is provlded on a substrate (eg, glass substrate) and Includes at least flrst and second ¡nfrared (IR) reflectlng layers (eg, sllver based layers) that are spaced apart by contad layers ( eg, NICr based layers) and a dielectric layer of or ncludlng a material such as slllcon nitride. In certaln example implementations, the coated article has a low visible transmission (eg, no greater than 60%, more preferably no greater than about 55%, and most preferably no greater than about 50%).

ITEM COATED WITH LOW-E COATING THAT HAS

VISIBLE TRANSMISSION UNDER WHICH CAN BE USED IN A

IG WINDOW UNIT FOR A GRAY APPEARANCE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a coated article including a low emissivity (low-E) coating to allow a coated glass article to have a desirable gray glass side reflective coloration without necessarily having to have a gray glass substrate. In certain exemplary embodiments, the low-E coating is provided on a substrate (eg, a glass substrate) and includes at least first and second infrared (IR) reflective layers (eg, layers based on silver) that are separated by contact layers (eg, NiCr-based layers) and a dielectric layer of or that includes a material such as silicon nitride. In certain exemplary embodiments, the coated article (in monolithic and / or IG window unit form) has low visible transmission (eg, not greater than 55%, more preferably not greater than about 50%, more preferably not more than about 45% and much more preferably not more than about 4 0%). In certain exemplary embodiments, the coated article may be heat treated (eg, it may be heat tempered and / or heat folded) and is designed to be essentially thermally stable in heat treatment (HT). English) since its value ΔΕ * (glass side reflective) due to HT is not greater than 5.0, and more preferably it is not greater than 4.5 and much more preferably it is not greater than 4.1. Articles coated in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments of this invention can be used in the context of insulating glass (IG) units, vehicle windows, or other types of windows.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Coated articles are known in the field for use in window applications such as insulating glass (IG) window units, vehicle windows, and / or the like. It is known that in certain cases it is desirable to heat treat (eg, heat temper, heat bend, and / or heat cure) these coated articles for quenching, bending, or the like. Heat (HT) treatment of coated articles typically requires the use of temperature (s) of at least 580 ° C, more preferably of at least about 6 00 ° C and even more preferably of at least 620 ° C. These high temperatures (for example, for 5-10 minutes or more) frequently cause coatings to be damaged and / or deteriorate or change in an unpredictable way. Thus, it is desirable that the coatings be able to withstand these heat treatments (eg, thermal tempering), if desired, in a predictable manner that will not significantly damage the coating.

In certain situations, designers of coated articles strive to achieve a combination of desirable visible transmission, desirable color, low emissivity (or emittance), and low sheet resistance (R_s). The low emissivity (low-E) and low sheet resistance characteristics allow these coated articles to block significant amounts of IR radiation in order to reduce eg undesirable heating of vehicle or building interiors.

United States Patent No. 7,521,096, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a low-E coating which uses zinc oxide (ZnO) contact layers underneath IR reflective layers based on silver, and above the bottom silver (Ag) based IR reflective layer uses a NiCrOx contact layer followed by a tin oxide dielectric layer (Sn0₂) central. While the ZnO contact layers underneath the silver IR reflective layers provide good structural properties for silver growth, ZnO has been found to degrade the chemical, environmental and mechanical durability of the coating in certain cases.

United States Patent No. 5,557,462 discloses a low-E coating with a stack of SiN / NiCr / Ag / NiCr / SiN / NiCr / Ag / NiCr / SiN layers. However, the coated article of the '462 patent is designed for a high visible transmission of at least 63%. The '462 patent in column 3, lines 12-15, indicates that a visible transmission of less than 70% (monolithic coated article) and less than 63% (IG window unit) are undesirable. In this way, the teachings of the '462 patent depart directly from coated articles with a visible transmission of less than 63%. On the other hand, as explained largely in US Patent No. 8,173,263, the coated articles of the '462 patent are not heat treatable because with heat treatment the laminar strength (R_s) rises such as from about 3-5 to much more than 10, the opacity tends to appear and the reflective value ΔΕ * on the glass side is undesirable because it is greater than 5.0.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a coated article that is characterized by one, two, three, or all four of; (i) low visible transmission, (ii) good durability, (iii) desirable coloration and / or (iv) thermal stability in HT in order to develop a reflective ΔΕ * value on the glass side of not more than about 5.0, more preferably not greater than about 4.5. On the other hand, it may also be desirable for IG window units which include these coated articles to have a low solar factor (SF) and / or low outer side reflectance such as not greater than about 12 %, more preferably not more than about 11%, even more preferably not more than about 10% and much more preferably not more than about 9%. See EN 410 regarding calculation of SF and visible transmission of an IG unit.

The term ΔΕ * (and ΔΕ) is well understood in the field and is reported, along with various techniques to determine it, in ASTM 2244-93 as well as reported in Hunter et al., The Measurement of Appearance, 2^to Ed. Chapter 9, page 162 et seq. [John Wiley & Sons, 1987]. As used in the field, ΔΕ * (and ΔΕ) is a way to adequately express the change (or lack thereof) in reflectance and / or transmittance (and thus color appearance, too) in an article after from or due to heat treatment. ΔΕ can be calculated using the ab technique, or using the Hunter technique (designed using a subscript Η). ΔΕ corresponds to the Hunter Lab L, a, b (or Lh, ah, bh) scale. Similarly, ΔΕ * corresponds to the CIE LAB L * Scale, a *, b *. Both are considered useful and equivalent for the purposes of this invention. For example, as reported in Hunter et al. Referred to above, the rectangular / scale coordinate technique (CIE LAB 1976) known as the L *, a *, b * scale can be used, where: L * is units of brightness (CIE 1976); a * is units of red-green (CIE 1976); b * is yellow-blue units (CIE 1976); and the distance ΔΕ * between L * oa * ob * o and L * ia * ib * i is: ΔΕ * = [(AL *)² + (Aa *)² + (Ab *)²]¹/², where: AL * = L * i - L *_or; Aa * = a * i - a * o; Ab * = b * i - b * o; where subscript 0 represents the coating (coated article) before heat treatment and subscript 1 represents the coating (coated article) after heat treatment; and the numbers used (for example, a *, b *, L *) are those calculated by the coordinate technique L · *, a *, b * (CIE LAB 1976) mentioned above. When, for example, the glass-side reflective ΔΕ * values ​​are measured, then the glass-side reflective a *, b * and L * values ​​are used. In a similar way, ΔΕ can be calculated using the equation above for ΔΕ *, that is, ΔΕ * = [(AL *)² + (Aa *)² + (Δό *)²]^1/2, by replacing a *, b *, L * with Hunter Lab values ​​ah, bh, Lh. Equivalent numbers si are also within the scope of this invention and the quantification of ΔΕ *. they are converted to those calculated by any other technique that uses the same concept of ΔΕ * as defined above.

The U-value (sometimes referred to as a factor

U) is a measure of heat loss in a building element such as a wall, floor, window, or ceiling. It can also be referred to as a total heat transfer coefficient and measures how well parts of a building transfer heat. This means that the more envelope the building. A low U value usually indicates high levels of insulation. In other words, the U-value measures how well a product prevents heat from escaping from a home or building. The lower the U-value, the better a product is maintaining heat inside the building. The U value in this document is measured in units of W / m²K) unless otherwise stated. See

EN 673 regarding the calculation of the U value.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EXEMPLARY MODALITIES OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a coated article including a low emissivity (low-E) coating to allow a coated glass article to have a desirable gray glass side reflective coloration without necessarily having to have a gray glass substrate. In certain exemplary embodiments, the low-E coating is provided on a substrate (eg, a glass substrate) and includes at least first and second infrared (IR) reflective layers (eg, silver-based layers). ) that are separated by contact layers (eg, NiCr-based layers) and a dielectric layer of or that includes a material such as silicon nitride. In certain exemplary embodiments, the coated article has a low visible transmission (eg, not more than 55%, more preferably not more than about 50%, more preferably not more than about 45%, and much more preferably not more than about 40% , measured monolithically and / or in a GI unit). In certain exemplary embodiments, the coated article may be heat treated (eg, it may be heat tempered and / or heat folded) and is designed to be essentially thermally stable in heat treatment (HT) since its value ΔΕ * (glass side reflective) measured monolithically due to HT is not greater than 5.0, more preferably is not greater than 4.5, and even more preferably is not greater than preferably is not greater than 4.1. This low ΔΕ * value indicates that the coated article has approximately the same transmission and color characteristics observed with the naked eye both before and after heat treatment (eg, thermal tempering). Articles coated in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments of this invention can be used in the context of insulating glass (IG) window units, vehicle windows, or other types of windows.

It is desirable to provide a coated article that is characterized by one, two, three, or all four qualities consisting of: (i) low visible transmission, (ii) good durability, (iii) coloration of the desirable gray glass side, and (iv) thermal stability in HT in order to develop a reflective value ΔΕ * on the glass side of not more than 5.0, more preferably not more than 4.5. On the other hand, it is desirable that IG window units which include these coated articles have one, two, or all three qualities consisting of: (a) a low solar factor (SF) such as not more than about 33%, more preferably not more than about 31%, even more preferably not more than about 29%, and even more preferably not more than about 27%, (b ) low outer side reflectance such as not more than about 12%, more preferably not more than about 11%, even more preferably not more than about 10% and much more preferably not more than about 9% and / or (c) reflective gray coloration on the outer side.

In certain exemplary embodiments of this invention, there is provided an insulating glass (IG) window unit comprising: a coated article including a coating supported by a first glass substrate; the first glass substrate with the coating thereon is coupled to a second glass substrate with an opening therebetween, and wherein the first glass substrate is adapted to be on an outer / outer side of the IG window unit and the second glass substrate is adapted to be on an inner / inner side of the IG window unit adjacent to an interior side of a building in which the IG window unit is mounted or is to be mounted, and wherein the coating is on a main surface of the first glass substrate that is oriented towards the opening between the substrates; wherein the coating supported by the first glass substrate comprises: a first and second infrared (IR) reflective layers comprising silver, the first IR reflective layer is located closer to the glass substrate than the second IR reflective layer ; a first contact layer comprising NiCr located on top of and directly contacting the first reflective IR layer comprising silver; a dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride located on top of and directly contacting the first contact layer comprising NiCr; a second contact layer located on top of and directly contacting the layer comprising silicon nitride; the second IR reflective layer comprising silver located on top of and directly contacting the second contact layer; a third contact layer comprising NiCr located on top of and directly contacting the second IR reflective layer; another dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride located on top of and directly contacting the third contact layer comprising NiCr; wherein the second reflecting silver IR layer is at least 3 0 angstroms thicker than the first silver reflecting IR reflective layer; wherein the IG window unit has a visible transmission not greater than 50% and an external visible reflectance not greater than 12%; and where the IG window unit has a gray or dark gray appearance when viewed from the outside and where the first and second glass substrates of the IG window unit are clear glass substrates that are not gray.

In certain exemplary embodiments of this invention, a coated article is provided that includes a coating supported by a glass substrate, the coating comprising: a first and second infrared (IR) reflective layers comprising silver, the first IR reflective layer it is located closer to the glass substrate than the second IR reflective layer; a first contact layer comprising NiCr located on top of and directly contacting the first reflective IR layer comprising silver; a dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride located on top of and directly contacting the first contact layer comprising NiCr; a second contact layer comprising NiCr located on top of and directly contacting the layer comprising silicon nitride; the second reflective IR layer comprising silver located on top of and directly contacting the second contact layer comprising NiCr; a third contact layer comprising NiCr located on top of and directly contacting the second IR reflective layer; another dielectric layer comprising silicon nitride located on top of and directly contacting the third contact layer comprising NiCr; wherein the second silver comprising IR reflective layer is at least twice as thick as the first silver comprising IR reflective layer; and wherein the coated article has a visible transmission, monolithically measured, not greater than 55% and a glass side visible reflectance, monolithically measured, not greater than 11%.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a coated article according to an exemplary embodiment of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the coated article of Figure 1 provided in an IG window unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY MODALITIES OF THE INVENTION

The coated articles described in this document can be used in applications such as IG window units, laminated window units (for example, for use in vehicle or building applications), vehicle windows, monolithic architectural windows, residential windows and / or any other suitable window application including single or multiple glass substrates.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the external color (glass side) of an IG window unit that includes a coated article will be gray or dark gray, and the coating is capable of allowing IG window units to develop visible transmission Low, low solar factor, low external visible reflection, low emissivity and low U value. In certain exemplary embodiments, very low external reflection can be achieved in IG window units with an external reflective gray coloration when a clear base glass is used in a coated article which may constitute the exterior glass part of the window unit of IG. Thus, it is not necessary to use a gray base glass for the aforementioned external impression. Clear glass is less expensive and has much better availability than gray base glass. While gray glass substrates could possibly be used in exemplary embodiments of this invention, preferred embodiments utilize neutral or light colored glass substrates and achieve the desired gray coloration due to the coating design without the need for gray colored glass. While the coated articles described herein can be heat treated (eg, heat tempered), the articles coated in accordance with exemplary embodiments of this invention do not

<td>They need to be</td><td>heat treated and can be already</td><td>be</td><td>HT or</td>

<td>not HT.</td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>In</td><td>certain exemplary modalities</td><td>of</td><td>this</td>

<td>invention the</td><td>coating includes a pile</td><td>of</td><td>double</td>

silver. Referring to Figure 1 for example, in certain exemplary embodiments of this invention, a coated article is provided that includes a coating 30 supported by a glass substrate 1, coating 30 comprising: a first reflective layer of infrared radiation (IR) 9 and a second reflective layer of IR 19 comprising or consisting essentially of silver, the first reflective layer of IR 9 is located closer to the glass substrate 1 than the second reflective layer of IR 19; a first contact layer comprising NiCr 7 located below and directly contacting the first silver reflecting IR layer 9;

a second contact layer 11 located on top of and directly contacting the first reflective IR layer comprising silver 9; a transparent dielectric layer of or including silicon nitride 14 located on top of and directly contacting the second contact layer comprising

NiCr 11; a third contact layer comprising NiCr 17 located on top of and directly contacting the layer comprising silicon nitride 14; the second IR reflecting layer comprising silver 19 located on top of and directly contacting the third contact layer comprising NiCr 17; a fourth contact layer comprising NiCr 21 located on top of and directly contacting the second IR reflective layer 19 and wherein the second silver reflecting IR reflective layer 19 is at least as thick 10 as the first reflective layer of IR comprising silver

9. In certain preferred embodiments, it has been found that surprisingly beneficial results can be achieved when the second IR reflecting layer of or including silver 19 is thicker than the first IR reflecting layer of or including silver 9, more preferably when the second reflective layer of IR 19 is at least 10 angstroms (Á) thicker (more preferably at least angstroms thicker, even more preferably at least 30 angstroms thicker, even more preferably at least 40 angstroms thicker, even more preferably at least 50 angstroms thicker, and much more preferably at least 65 angstroms thicker) than the first IR reflective layer comprising silver 9. The coating on the Figure 1 includes three transparent dielectric layers 25 3, 14 and 24 of or including silicon nitride, as shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, the coating may optionally include an outer coating layer (which is not shown) of or including zirconium oxide and / or zirconium oxynitride, where this optional outer coating layer can be located on top of and making contact directly with the silicon nitride 24 based coating. In certain exemplary embodiments, this zirconium oxide or / or zirconium oxynitride outer coating layer 27 may be thinner than one or both IR reflective layers 9, 19. In certain exemplary embodiments of this invention, each of the silver-reflecting IR reflective layers 9 and 19 can be at least twice as thick, and more preferably at least three times as thick, as the optional outer coat layer. of or including zirconium oxide and / or zirconium oxynitride. In certain exemplary embodiments of this invention, the coating 30 includes only two IR reflective layers 9, 19 of or including silver or the like.

In order to increase durability, along with optical and thermal properties, and to avoid significant structural changes before and after HT, articles coated in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments of this invention have a central dielectric layer 14 of or including silicon nitride and the lower contact layers 7, 17 are based on NiCr (as opposed to ZnO). The use of metallic or substantially metallic (perhaps partially nitrided) NiCr for layers 7, 11, 17 and / or 21 has also been found to improve chemical, mechanical and environmental durability (compared to the use of lower contact layers of ZnO below silver and / or highly oxidized NiCr top contact layers above silver). Ion spray deposition of the silicon nitride inclusive layer 14 in an amorphous state, such that it is amorphous in the coated and HT states, has also been found to assist with the overall stability of the coating. For example, 5% HCI at 65 ° C for one hour will remove the coating from US Patent No. 7,521,096, while the coating shown in Figure 1 and the examples in this document will survive this HCI test. . And in a high temperature and high humidity environment, there is less damage to the coating of Figure 1 and the examples in this document after ten days of exposure, than to the coating of the '096 patent after two days of exposure. And with respect to highly corrosive chemicals such as those used to wash bricks, the resistance to corrosion is such that it is not necessary to perform edge removal in certain exemplary GI and laminate modalities. On the other hand, it has been found that making the top Ag based IR reflective layer 19 thicker than the bottom Ag based IR reflective layer 9 improves certain optical characteristics of the coating. The coating can be used as coated, or heat treated, due to the relatively low ΔΕ * values ​​outlined in this document. For example, when coating 30 is localized surface # 2 of an IG window unit (as shown in Figure 2), the low glass-side reading values ​​ΔΕ * ref due to heat treatment indicate that the article Coated has approximately the same transmission and color characteristics observed with the naked eye both before and after heat treatment (for example, thermal tempering) and thus can be used either as coated or heat treated without significantly affecting its optical characteristics.

In certain exemplary embodiments of this invention such as Figure 1, heat treated or non heat treated coated articles having multiple IR reflective layers (eg, two separate silver-based layers 9 and 19) are capable of developing a laminar resistance (R_s) less than or equal to 5.0 (more preferably less than or equal to 4.0 ohms / square). The terms heat treating and heat treating used herein mean heating the article to a temperature sufficient to achieve thermal tempering, heat bending and / or heat hardening of the glass inclusive article. This definition includes, for example, heating a coated article in an oven or incinerator to a temperature of at least about

580 ° C, more preferably at least about

600 ° C, for a period sufficient to allow heat tempering, bending and / or hardening. In certain cases, the HT can be for at least about 4 to 5 minutes. The coated article may or may not be heat treated in different embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a coated article according to an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment of this invention. The coated article includes substrate 1 (eg, a clear, green, bronze, gray, or teal colored glass substrate approximately 1.0 to 12.0 mm thick, more preferably approximately 4 mm to 8 mm thick) and a low-E coating (or a layer system) 30 provided on the substrate 1 either directly or indirectly. The coating (or layer system) 30 includes, for example: a bottom dielectric silicon nitride layer 3 which may be S13N4 or Si-rich type silicon nitride for opacity reduction, or any other silicon nitride of suitable stoichiometry in different embodiments of this invention, bottom contact layer 7 (which contacts the bottom IR reflective layer 9), first conductive and preferably metallic or substantially metallic infrared (IR) reflective layer 9, upper contact layer 10 11 (which contacts the layer

9), dielectric silicon nitride based and / or inclusive layer 14, bottom contact layer 17 (which contacts the IR reflective layer 19), second conductive and preferably metallic or substantially metallic IR reflective layer 19 , upper contact layer 21 (which makes contact with layer 19) and transparent dielectric silicon nitride layer 24 which can be Si₃N_4/ of the Si-rich type for reducing opacity or any other suitable stoichiometric silicon nitride 20 in different embodiments of this invention. Each of the contact layers 7, 11, 17, and 21 contacts an IR reflective layer (eg, an Ag-based layer). The aforementioned layers 3-24 constitute the low-E (i.e., low emissivity) coating 30 that is provided on the glass substrate 1. Layers 3-24 can be spray-deposited onto substrate 1 in certain exemplary embodiments of this invention, where each layer is spray-deposited in vacuo using one or more targets as necessary (the targets of the spray can be be ceramic or metallic). Metallic or substantially metallic layers

<td>(for example layers 7,</td><td> 9,</td><td> 11,</td><td> 17, 19</td><td>and 21) can be</td>

<td>ion spray</td><td>in</td><td>a</td><td colspan="2">atmosphere containing</td>

<td>gaseous argon, while</td><td>than</td><td>the</td><td>layers</td><td>nitrided (for</td>

<td>example layers 3, 7,</td><td> 11,</td><td> 14,</td><td> 17, 21</td><td>and 24) can</td>

<td>ion spray on</td><td>a</td><td colspan="2">atmosphere</td><td>which contains a</td>

mixture of gaseous nitrogen and argon. Contact layers 7, 11, 17 and 21 may or may not be nitrided in different exemplary embodiments of this invention.

In monolithic cases, the coated article includes only a glass substrate 1 as illustrated in Figure 1. However, the monolithic coated articles described herein can be used in devices such as laminated vehicle windshields, IG window units and the like. As far as IG window units are concerned, an IG window unit can include two separate glass substrates. An exemplary IG window unit is illustrated and described, for example, in US Patent Document No. 2004/0005467, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Figure 2 shows an exemplary GI window unit including the coated glass substrate 1 shown in Figure 1 which is coupled to another glass substrate 2 through spacer (s), sealant (s) 40 or the like, in where an opening 50 is defined therebetween. This opening 50 between the substrates in the IG window unit embodiments may in certain cases be filled with a gas such as argon (Ar). An exemplary glass IG unit may comprise a pair of separate gap substrates 1 and 2 each approximately

3-4 mm thick, one of which is coated with certain exemplary cases, coating 30 on it in

<td colspan="6">where the opening 50 between the substrates can be</td>

<td>approximately</td><td>5 a</td><td> 30</td><td>mm, more</td><td>preferably</td><td>of</td>

<td>approximately</td><td>10 to 20</td><td>mm</td><td colspan="2">and much more preferably</td><td>of</td>

<td>approximately</td><td>16 mm.</td><td>In</td><td>some</td><td>exemplary cases,</td><td>the</td>

<td>coating of</td><td>low aE</td><td> 30</td><td>It can</td><td>provide about</td><td>the</td>

<td colspan="2">inner surface of</td><td>already</td><td>be the</td><td colspan="2">substrate that is</td>

oriented towards the opening (the coating is shown on the main interior surface of the substrate shown in Figure 2 which is oriented towards the opening

50, but instead could be on the main interior surface of the substrate 2 which is oriented towards the opening 50). Either substrate 1 or substrate 2 can be the outermost substrate of the IG window unit on the exterior of the building (for example, in Figure 2 substrate 1 is the substrate closest to the exterior of the building and the Coating 30 is provided on surface # 2 of the IG window unit). In preferred embodiments of this invention, coating 30 is provided on surface # 2 of the IG lead unit as shown in Figure 2.

In certain exemplary embodiments of this invention, one, two, three or all four contact layers 7, 11, 17, 21 may be of or may include NiCr (any suitable Ni: Cr ratio) and may or may not be nitrided (NiCrN_x). In certain exemplary embodiments, one, two, three, or all four inclusive NiCr layers. 7, 11, 17, 21 are not substantially or completely oxidized. In certain exemplary embodiments, all layers 7, 11, 17 and 21 can be of

NiCr metallic or

Substantially metallic NiCr (although trace amounts of these elements may be present).

In certain exemplary embodiments, one, two, three, or all four NiCr-based layers 7, 11, 17, 21 may comprise 0-10% oxygen, more preferably 0-5% oxygen, and much more preferably 0- 2% oxygen (atomic%). In certain exemplary embodiments, one, two, three, or all four layers 7, 11, 17, 21 may contain 0-20% nitrogen, more preferably 115% nitrogen, and most preferably approximately 1-12% nitrogen (atomic%). NiCr 7, 11, 17 and / or 21 based layers may or may not be doped with other material (s) such as stainless steel, Mo or the like. The use of NiCr 7 and / or 17 based contact layer (s) under the silver based IR reflective layers 9, 19 has been found to improve the durability of the coated article (compared to whether the layers 7 and 17 were in place of ZnO). Furthermore, it was surprisingly found that fabrication of layers 7, 11, 17 and 21 of or consisting essentially of NiCr provided improved durability, as the introduction of amounts greater than traces of oxygen resulted in undesirable opacity and reduced durability compared to whether layers 7, 11, 17 and 21 consist essentially of NiCr,

Dielectric layers 3, 14, and 24 may be of or may include silicon nitride in certain embodiments of this invention. Silicon nitride layers 3, 14, and 24 can improve, among other things, the heat-treating ability of coated articles and can protect the other layers during optional HT, for example, such as thermal tempering or the like . One or (i.e. S13N4), or

Si invention silicon nitride. The Dresencia inclusive layer of silicon nitride 14 can allow, for example, that as sodium (Na) which migrates towards 1 during HT, more of the silicon nitride of layers 3, 14 are stopped, 24 they can be of the stoichiometric type alternatively of the type rich in in different modalities of this free Si in a rich in Si 3 and / or certain atoms such outside the glass efficiently by the inclusive layer (s) of nitride of Si-rich silicon before they can reach silver and damage it. In this way, it is believed that the Si_xN_and rich in Si can reduce the amount of damage done to the silver layer (s) during HT in certain exemplary embodiments of this invention thereby allowing laminar strength (R_s) decrease or remain approximately the same in a satisfactory manner. Furthermore, it is believed that the Si_xNy rich in Si in layers 3, 14 and / or 24 can reduce the amount of damage (eg oxidation) done to silver and / or NiCr during HT in certain optional examples of this invention, exemplary modalities, when uses Si-rich silicon, the Si-rich silicon nitride layer (3, 14 and / or 24) as deposited can be characterized by the Si layer (s)_xN_and, where x / y can be from 0.76 to 1.5, more preferably from 0.8 to 1.4, even more modalities. In certain nitride, preferably from 0.82 to 1.2. Any and / or all of the silicon nitride layers raised in this document can be doped with other materials such as stainless steel or aluminum in certain exemplary embodiments of this invention. For example, any and / or all of the 3, 14, 24 silicon nitride layers discussed herein may optionally include from about 0-15% aluminum, more preferably from about 1 to 10% aluminum, in certain exemplary embodiments of this invention. The silicon nitride in layers 3, 14, 24 can be deposited by ion spraying a Si or SiAl target in an atmosphere that has argon and

<td>nitrogen</td><td>carbonated,</td><td>in</td><td>certain</td><td>modalities</td><td>this</td>

<td>15 invention.</td><td>Too</td><td>I know</td><td>they can</td><td>provide</td><td>little</td>

<td>quantities</td><td>oxygen</td><td>in</td><td>some</td><td>cases in</td><td>layers of</td>

<td>nitride</td><td>silicon.</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

Reflective infrared (IR) radiation layers 9 and 19 are preferably substantially or completely metallic and / or conductive, and may comprise or consist essentially of silver (Ag), gold or any other suitable IR reflective material. Reflective IR layers 9 and 19 help allow the coating to have a low E and / or good solar control characteristics.

Another layer (s) may also be provided under or above the illustrated coating. In this way, while the layer or coating system is on or is supported by the substrate 1 (directly or indirectly), another layer (s) can be provided between them. In this way, for example, the coating of Figure 1 can be considered over and supported by substrate 1 even if other layer (s) is provided between layer 3 and substrate 1. On the other hand, certain layers of the illustrated coating can be removed in certain modalities, while other layers can be added between the various layers or the diverse layer (s) can be divided with other layer (s). ) Aggregate layer (s) between sections divided into other embodiments of this invention without departing from the whole spirit of certain embodiments of this invention. As another example, a zirconium oxide outer coating layer can be provided in coating 30.

While various thicknesses and materials can be used in layers in different embodiments of this invention, the exemplary thicknesses and materials for the respective layers on the glass substrate 1 in the embodiment of Figure 1 are as follows, from the substrate of glass out (physical thickness is exposed):

Exemplary Materials / Thicknesses; Mode of Fig. 1

<td>Cap</td><td>Preferred Interval (A)</td><td>Most Preferred (A)</td><td>Example (A)</td>

<td>Glass (1-10mm thick)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>SixNy (layer 3)</td><td>100-500 A</td><td>250-450 A</td><td>380 A</td>

<td>NiCr or NiCrN (layer 7)</td><td>10-30 A</td><td>11-20 A</td><td>15Á</td>

<td>Ag (layer 9)</td><td>30-150 A</td><td>30-70 A</td><td>50 A</td>

<td>NiCro NiCrN (layer 11)</td><td> 10-30 A</td><td>11-20 A</td><td>15 A</td>

<td>SixNy (layer 14)</td><td>300-1400 A</td><td>650-1100 A</td><td>740 A</td>

<td>NiCro NiCrN (layer 17)</td><td>7-30 A</td><td>9-20 A</td><td>10A</td>

<td>Ag (layer 19)</td><td>80-225 A</td><td>110-180 A</td><td>130 A</td>

<td>NiCr or NiCrN (layer 21)</td><td>8-30 A</td><td>9-20 A</td><td>10 A</td>

<td>YES3N4 (layer 24)</td><td>120-360 A</td><td>250-340 A</td><td>290 A</td>

<td>ZrÜ2 (not shown; optional)</td><td>25-80 A</td><td>25-50 A</td><td>35 A</td>

The second silver reflecting IR reflective layer 19 is at least as thick as the first silver comprising IR reflective layer 9. In certain preferred embodiments, surprisingly beneficial results have been found to be achieved when the second silver-containing IR reflective layer 19 is thicker than the first silver-comprising IR reflective layer 9, more preferably when the second IR reflective layer 19 is at least 10 angstroms (Á) thicker, more preferably at least 20 angstroms thicker, even more preferably at least 30 angstroms thicker, even more preferably at least 40 angstroms thicker, even more preferably at least 50 angstroms thicker, and much more preferably at least 65 angstroms thicker) than the first silver-reflecting IR reflective layer 9. In certain exemplary embodiments, the second IR reflecting layer 19 of or including Ag is at least twice as thick as the first IR reflecting layer 9 of or including Ag. All thicknesses in this document are physical thicknesses.

In optional embodiments that include an outer coating (which is not shown) of or that includes zirconium oxide and / or zirconium oxynitride, that outer coating may be thinner than each of the IR reflective layers 9, 19 that comprise silver in coating 30. In examples of these embodiments, each of the IR reflective layers 9 and 19 is at least twice as thick, and more preferably at least three times as thick, as the outer coating layer of or including zirconium oxide. and / or zirconium oxynitride.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the core silicon nitride-based layer 14 is thicker than each of the other silicon nitride-based layers 3 and 24, preferably by at least 100 angstroms, more preferably by at least 200 angstroms, and much more preferably for at least 300 angstroms. Furthermore, in certain exemplary embodiments, each of the silicon nitride-based layers 3, 14, and 24 is at least twice as thick as one or both of the Ag 9 and 19-based IR reflective layers.

Coating 30 offers good durability and allows for lower external glass and visible reflection compared to a single silver-based low-E coating.

In certain exemplary embodiments of this invention, the coated articles described herein may have the following optical and solar characteristics when measured monolithically (before and / or after the optional HT). Lamellar resistors (R_s) described in this document take into account all IR reflective layers (eg silver layers 9, 19). It should be noted that before heat treatment means tempering, but before high temperature heat treatment, such as thermal tempering as described herein. It should also be noted that E_n refers to the normal emissivity, T_Vis refers to the visible transmission, R_gY refers to the reflective visible reflectance of the glass side and 'the posterior a * and b * values ​​with a subscript g refer to the reflective color values ​​a * and b * of the glass side respectively.

Optical / Solar Features; (Monolithic - Before Heat Treatment)

<td>Characteristic</td><td>general</td><td>Most Preferred</td><td>Much More Preferred</td>

<td>R_s (ohms / square):</td><td> &lt;= 5.0</td><td> &lt;=4.0</td><td> &lt;= 3.6</td>

<td>In:</td><td> &lt;= 0.08</td><td> &lt;= 0.05</td><td> &lt;= 0.04</td>

<td>Tvis (III. C 2^or):</td><td> 25-55%</td><td> 30-50%</td><td> 35-45%</td>

<td>R_gAnd (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> &lt;=11%</td><td> &lt;=10%</td><td>&lt;= 9% or &lt;= 8%</td>

<td>to'_B (III. C, 2^or):</td><td>-4 to + 2</td><td>-3a + 1</td><td>-2a0</td>

<td>b '_g (III. C, 2^or):</td><td>-7 to + 2</td><td>-6a0</td><td>-5 to-3</td>

Optical / Solar Features; (Monolithic - After Heat Treatment)

<td>Characteristic</td><td>general</td><td>Most Preferred</td><td>Much More Preferred</td>

<td>Rs (ohms / square):</td><td> &lt;= 5.0</td><td> &lt;=4.0</td><td> &lt;= 3.0</td>

<td>In:</td><td> &lt;= 0.08</td><td> &lt;= 0.05</td><td> &lt;= 0.04</td>

<td>T «_s (III. C 2^or):</td><td> 25-60%</td><td> 25-55%</td><td> 35-50%</td>

<td>R_gAnd (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> &lt;=11%</td><td> &lt;=10%</td><td>&lt;= 9% or &lt;= 8%</td>

<td>to*_g (III. C, 2 °):</td><td>-4 to + 5</td><td>-3 to +3</td><td>-2 to + 2</td>

<td>b * g (III. C, 2^or):</td><td>-8 to +6</td><td>-6 to +5</td><td>-3 to +3</td>

<td colspan="2">It can be seen</td><td>starting</td><td>from the above that the</td>

<td>treatment with</td><td>heat (for</td><td>example,</td><td>thermal tempering)</td>

Slightly increases the visible transmission of the coated article.

In certain exemplary embodiments of the IG window of this invention, the articles coated herein which have optionally been heat treated to a sufficient degree for tempering and which have been coupled to another glass substrate to form a unit of IG, may have the optical / solar characteristics subsequently exposed in a structure as shown in Figure 2 (for example, where the two sheets of glass are each approximately 3.5 to 6 mm thick of clear glass with approximately a 13-16 opening between them filled with 90/10 argon / air).

Optical / Solar Features; (IG unit - without HT)

<td>Characteristic</td><td>general</td><td>Most Preferred</td><td>Much More Preferred</td>

<td>R_s (ohms / square):</td><td> &lt;= 5.0</td><td> &lt;=4.0</td><td> &lt;= 3.6</td>

<td>AND_n:</td><td> &lt;= 0.08</td><td> &lt;= 0.05</td><td> &lt;= 0.04</td>

<td>Tvis (III. C 2^or):</td><td> 25-55%</td><td> 25-50%</td><td> 30-45%</td>

<td>RYexternal (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> &lt;=11%</td><td> &lt;=10%</td><td>&lt;= 9% or &lt;= 8%</td>

<td>a * external (III. C, 2 °):</td><td>-5 to + 2</td><td>-4a + 1</td><td>-3a0</td>

<td>b * external (III. C, 2 °):</td><td>-7 to + 2</td><td>-6a0</td><td>-5 to-3</td>

<td>U value_g (W / m²K):</td><td> &lt;= 1.20</td><td> &lt;= 1.17</td><td> &lt;=1.16</td>

Optical / Solar Features; (IG Unit - Thermally Treated)

<td>Characteristic</td><td>general</td><td colspan="2">More Preferred Much More Preferred</td><td></td>

<td>R_s (ohms / square):</td><td> &lt;= 5.0</td><td> &lt;=4.0</td><td> &lt;= 3.0</td><td></td>

<td>AND_n:</td><td> &lt;= 0.08</td><td> &lt;= 0.05</td><td> &lt;= 0.04</td><td></td>

<td>Tvis (III. C 2^or):</td><td> 25-60%</td><td> 25-50%</td><td> 30-45%</td><td></td>

<td colspan="2">RYexternal (III · C, 2 gT3dOS) í &lt;—11%</td><td> &lt;=10%</td><td>&lt;= 9% or &lt;= 8%</td><td></td>

<td>a * external (III. C, 2 °):</td><td>-5 to +5</td><td>-4 to + 2</td><td>-3a0</td><td></td>

<td>b * external (III. C, 2 °):</td><td>-8 to + 6</td><td>-6 to +5</td><td>-5 to +3</td><td></td>

<td>U value_g (W / m²K):</td><td> &lt;= 1.20</td><td> &lt;=1.17</td><td> &lt;= 1.16</td><td></td>

<td>The</td><td>following</td><td>examples</td><td>of this invention</td><td>I know</td>

<td>provide ion</td><td>with ends</td><td>exemplary</td><td>only and not</td><td>I know</td>

<td>pretends that</td><td colspan="2">be limiting to</td><td colspan="2">unless you claim</td>

specifically.

EXAMPLES 1-3

The following Examples 1-3 were made by sputtering coatings onto 6 mm thick clear and transparent glass substrates in order to have approximately the thickness of the layers shown in the example column in the diagram above with regarding the thickness of the layers.

Below are the optical characteristics of Examples 1-3 measured for a monolithic coated article as shown in Figure 1. All values ​​measured on the table immediately below are pre-HT. It should be noted that f refers to film reflection, that is, film side reflection of the coated article, while g refers to glass side reflection. The optics were 111.C, 2 degree observer taken, unless otherwise indicated.

<td></td><td colspan="3">Monolithic (Pre-HT)</td>

<td>Characteristic</td><td>Example 1</td><td>Example 2</td><td>Example 3</td>

<td>Tvis (or TY) (III. C 2^or):</td><td> 39.5%</td><td> 39.7%</td><td> 40.2%</td>

<td>a * (III. C 2^or):</td><td> -4.1</td><td> -6.6</td><td> -4.0</td>

<td>b * t (III. C 2^or):</td><td> -13.7</td><td> -12.2</td><td> -13.5</td>

<td>R_FAnd (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> 11.0%</td><td> 13.2%</td><td> 6.7%</td>

<td>a'f (III. C, 2 °):</td><td> 18.3</td><td> 18.8</td><td> 24.6</td>

<td>b * f (HIC.2 °):</td><td> 28.2</td><td> 8.5</td><td> 27.9</td>

<td>R_gAnd (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> 6.6%</td><td> 8.7%</td><td> 6.5%</td>

<td>to*_g (III. C, 2^or):</td><td> -1.4</td><td> -0.3</td><td> 3.6</td>

<td>b * g (III. C, 2^or):</td><td> -3.0</td><td> -5.5</td><td> -1.2</td>

<td>^L*_g:</td><td> 30.9</td><td> 35.4</td><td> 30.6</td>

<td>R_s (ohms / square):</td><td> 3.6</td><td>n / a</td><td>n / a</td>

It can be seen from the above examples that the monolithically measured coated articles had a desirable low visible transmission and had a desirable low glass side visible reflectance and desirable glass side reflective color values. The visible glass side reflection (RgY) was good because it was less than 10%, more preferably not more than 9%. These are desirable features, especially when the coated article is to be placed in an IG lead unit as shown in Figure 2.

Monolithic (Pos-HT)

<td>Characteristic</td><td>Example 1</td><td>Example 2</td><td>Example 3</td>

<td>TV_s (or TY) (III. C 2^or):</td><td> 44.5%</td><td> 43.9%</td><td> 45.8%</td>

<td>a't (III. C 2^or):</td><td> -6.7</td><td> -7.9</td><td> -6.8</td>

<td>b * t (III. C 2 °):</td><td> -16.3</td><td> -15.0</td><td> -15.9</td>

<td>RrY (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> 13.6%</td><td> 15.6%</td><td> 10.1%</td>

<td>a'f (III.C.2 °):</td><td> 17.4</td><td> 17.3</td><td> 21.2</td>

<td>b *_F (III. C, 2 °):</td><td> 32.4</td><td> 15.0</td><td> 28.6</td>

<td>R_gAnd (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> 7.2%</td><td> 9.4%</td><td> 8.6%</td>

<td>to*_g (III. C, 2^or):</td><td> -1.1</td><td> -1.8</td><td> 5.6</td>

<td>b * g (III. C, 2 °):</td><td> -0.8</td><td> -3.3</td><td> 4.9</td>

<td>L *_g:</td><td> 32.3</td><td> 36.7</td><td> 35.2</td>

It can be seen from the previous examples that the monolithically measured coated articles had a desirable low visible transmission (T_Vis or TY), a desirable low glass side visible reflectance (R_gY) and had quite desirable glass-side reflective color. The visible reflectance on the glass side was good because it was less than 10%. These are desirable features, especially when the coated article is to be placed in an IG window unit as shown in Figure 2 so that the coating ends on surface two of the IG window unit.

The coated articles of Examples 1-3 were placed in IG window units, as shown in Figure 2, while glass substrate 1 was 6 mm thick and was Guardian ExtraClear glass^MR, glass substrate 2 was 4 mm thick and was Guardian ExtraClear ^ ® glass, opening 50 was 16 mm thick and opening 50 was filled with 90% argon gas and 10% air. The following are the optical characteristics of IG window units, which include the coated articles of Examples 1-3, specifically when the coated articles are located in IG window units as shown in Figure 2 (on the surface # 2 of the IG unit, so the reflective values ​​on the glass side are indicative of the outer side.) The respective tables below demonstrate both the HT and HT versions of the coated articles in respective IG window units. The HT-free version refers to tempered coated articles and glass substrates in the IG units, while HT refers to thermally tempered coated articles and glass substrates in the IG units. The IG window units were gray / dark gray in appearance and this appearance was achieved without using gray glass substrates (instead clear glass substrates were used, but the gray appearance was still achieved due to the design of the coating). IG units were also desirable because they developed low visible transmission, low external side visible reflectance, low U values, and low solar factors.

IG unit (without HT)

<td>Characteristic</td><td>Example 1</td><td>Example 2</td><td>Example 3</td>

<td>Ks (or TY) (III. C 2^or):</td><td> 36.2%</td><td> 36.4%</td><td> 36.7%</td>

<td>a * t (III. C 2^or):</td><td> -4.3</td><td> -6.6</td><td> -4.2</td>

<td>b't (III. C 2 °):</td><td> -12.9</td><td> -11.6</td><td> -13.9</td>

<td>RinternoY (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> 17.5%</td><td> 19.4%</td><td> 13.5%</td>

<td>a * internal (III. C, 2^or):</td><td> 11.1</td><td> 12.0</td><td> 12.9</td>

<td>b * internal (III. C, 2 °):</td><td> 13.6</td><td> 4.7</td><td> 10.1</td>

<td>RextemoY (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> 7.9%</td><td> 10.1%</td><td> 7.9%</td>

<td>a * external (III. C, 2^or):</td><td> -1.7</td><td> -1.1</td><td> 2.7</td>

<td>b * external (III. C, 2^or):</td><td> -5.8</td><td> -7.3</td><td> -4.4</td>

<td>U value_g (W / m²K):</td><td> 1.168</td><td> 1.151</td><td> 1.151</td>

<td>Solar factor (g value)</td><td> 25.8%</td><td> 24.8%</td><td> 25.5%</td>

<td>Solar factor (g value, inside)</td><td> 49.9%</td><td> 48.0%</td><td> 50.7%</td>

IG unit (HT)

<td>Characteristic</td><td>Example 1</td><td>Example 2</td><td>Example 3</td>

<td>Tvis (or TY) (III. C 2^or):</td><td> 40.8%</td><td> 40.3%</td><td> 41.8%</td>

<td>a * (III. C 2 °):</td><td> -6.9</td><td> -7.9</td><td> -6.8</td>

<td>b * (III. C 2 °):</td><td> -15.3</td><td> -14.3</td><td> -15.1</td>

<td>RintemoY (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> 19.5%</td><td> 21.3%</td><td> 16.7%</td>

<td>a * internal (III. C, 2 °):</td><td> 11.2</td><td> 11.4</td><td> 12.6</td>

<td>b * internal (III. C, 2^or):</td><td> 17.4</td><td> 9.0</td><td> 13.1</td>

<td>RextemoY (III. C, 2 degrees):</td><td> 8.9%</td><td> 11.1%</td><td> 10.4%</td>

<td>a * external (III. C, 2 °):</td><td> -2.0</td><td> -2.7</td><td> 4.1</td>

<td>b * external (III. C, 2^or):</td><td> -5.0</td><td> -6.3</td><td> -0.3</td>

<td>Ug value (W / m²K):</td><td> 1.151</td><td> 1.151</td><td> 1.151</td>

<td>Solar factor (g value)</td><td> 27.5%</td><td> 26.5%</td><td> 27.4%</td>

<td>Solar factor (g value, inside)</td><td> 48.6%</td><td> 47.3%</td><td> 49.2%</td>

While the invention has been described in

<td>relationship</td><td>with</td><td>what I know</td><td>considers</td><td>currently that</td><td>is</td><td>the</td>

<td>modality</td><td>plus</td><td>practice and</td><td>preferred,</td><td>it must be understood</td><td>than</td><td>the</td>

<td>invention</td><td>not</td><td>must be</td><td>limited to</td><td>modality</td><td>Dadaist</td><td>to</td>

to know, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements that are included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.