Light-weight strengthened, low-emittance vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) windows

Abstract

Vacuum-insulated glass windows include two or more glass panes, and glass-bump spacers formed in a surface of one of the panes. The glass-bump spacers consist of the glass material from the body portion of the glass pane. At least one of the glass panes comprises chemically-strengthened glass. Methods of forming VIG windows include forming the glass-bump spacers by irradiating a glass pane with a focused beam from a laser. Heating effects in the glass cause the glass to locally expand, thereby forming a glass-bump spacer. In embodiments where the glass-bump spacers are formed in a chemically-strengthened glass pane, the glass-bump spacers may be formed before or after the chemical strengthening. A second glass pane is brought into contact with the glass-bump spacers, and the edges sealed. The resulting sealed interior region is evacuated to a pressure of less than one atmosphere.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present disclosure is a continuation application and claims the priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 074,599, entitled “Light-Weight Strengthened, Low-Emittance Vacuum-Insulated Glass (VIG) Windows,” filed Mar. 29, 2011, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present disclosure relates generally to low-emittance (low-E) vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) windows, and more particularly to vacuum-insulated glass windows that include at least one chemically-strengthened pane of glass and which comprise glass-bump spacers formed in one or more of the glass panes.BACKGROUND[0003]Vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) windows typically include two or more glass panes with an evacuated space (i.e., vacuum) located between the panes. The overall construction provides improved thermal and noise insulating properties compared to ordinary glass windows. To prevent sagging and contact between adjacent glass pane...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a new type of window made up of two layers of glass separated by a vacuum. The first layer of glass has bumps on its surface, which are made of the same material as the glass. These bumps help hold the two layers of glass apart and create a vacuum inside the window. The window also has a coating on top of the bumps, which helps to reduce emissions. The method for making this window involves using strengthened glass and creating a vacuum inside the window using bumps on the inner layer of glass. The technical effect of this new window is that it has very low emissions and is more energy-efficient than traditional windows.

Problems solved by technology

While conventional spacers are effective in separating the panes, they tend to be visible when looking through the window, thereby making the window unsightly.

Moreover, in vacuum-insulated glass windows that comprise low emissivity coatings, conventional spacers can abrade the low-E coating, particularly when exposed to a thermal gradient where differential thermal expansion between the indoor and out door panes can cause relative movement of the glass panes and the spacers.

Abraded or otherwise damaged low-E coatings non-uniformly reflect incident light, which manifests as so-called “starlight emission” which is an undesired optical effect in window glass.

In addition, the need to dispose the discrete spacers between the panes and then fix the spacers to the panes adds cost and complexity to the VIG window manufacturing process.

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