Insulating glass unit with crack-resistant low-emissivity suspended film

US8728636B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Southwall Technologies Inc. · US

Inventors

• Ronny Kleinhempel · Gelenau, DE
• Julius G. Kozak · Antioch, US
• Roland Thielsch · Dresden, DE
• Richard T. Wipfler · Menlo Park, US
• Christian H. Stoessel · Santa Rosa, US
• Lee Campbell Boman · Belmont, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 28, 2013
• Grant date: May 20, 2014
• Expiry date: May 28, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T428/31786
• WIPO field: Civil engineering
• WIPO sector: Other fields

Abstract

A low-e insulating glass unit has a suspended, coated IR reflecting polymer sheet under tension, e.g. from heat shrinkage. The polymer sheet is coated with a multilayer stack of dielectric and metallic layers, including at least one silver layer deposited upon a zinc oxide seed layer that is at most 15 nm thickness. The use of zinc oxide ensures good seeding for high quality silver layer growth, thereby providing low emissivity. The thinness of the zinc oxide ensures that it resists cracking when the polymer sheet is tensioned.