Low-E Panel Metal Oxynitride Dielectric Layer Crack Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional low-e panels suffer from cracking along grain boundaries when bent or shaped and exhibit significant changes in color during heat treatment due to instability in dielectric layers, leading to increased manufacturing costs from slow deposition rates and the need for additional dielectric layers.
Innovation Solution
The use of a metal oxynitride dielectric layer, such as binary metal oxynitride based on tin or zinc with additional metals like magnesium, aluminum, or silicon, which forms an amorphous phase that is stable during heat treatments, reducing grain boundary cracking and maintaining optical stability, and incorporating nitrogen for enhanced barrier properties against sodium diffusion and moisture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional dielectric layers (silicon nitride, tin oxide, zinc oxide) are used in low-e panels, then the panels provide barrier protection and optical functionality, but the panels develop cracks along grain boundaries when bent or shaped
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the dielectric layer from crystalline to amorphous by modifying deposition parameters and material composition. This parameter change eliminates grain boundaries entirely, preventing crack formation during bending while maintaining barrier and optical properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite amorphous dielectric layer combining multiple metal oxides (such as tin oxide, zinc oxide, and silicon oxide) in specific ratios. This composite approach provides both crack resistance and the necessary barrier properties against sodium diffusion and moisture
2Reliability
If conventional dielectric layers are used in low-e panels, then the panels provide barrier protection, but the panels exhibit significant color changes during heat treatment due to layer instability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material state from crystalline to amorphous, which fundamentally alters the thermal behavior. The amorphous structure remains stable during heat treatment temperatures, preventing the color changes that occur in crystalline materials whose grain boundaries and crystal structures are sensitive to thermal processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a single amorphous dielectric layer instead of multiple crystalline layers, simplifying the structure and eliminating the need for complex multi-layer configurations that are prone to color instability during heat treatment
3Reliability
If silicon nitride layers are used to provide stable barrier protection, then the panels resist sodium diffusion and moisture, but the deposition rate is slow and additional dielectric layers are required, increasing manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite amorphous dielectric layer combining multiple metal oxides (such as tin oxide, zinc oxide, and silicon oxide) in specific ratios. This composite approach provides both crack resistance and the necessary barrier properties against sodium diffusion and moisture
Solution Approach 2:
The single amorphous dielectric layer performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides barrier protection against sodium diffusion and moisture, offers crack resistance during bending, and maintains optical stability during heat treatment, eliminating the need for separate specialized layers
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides low-e panels with improved structural reliability and optical stability, preventing cracking and color changes during heat treatment, while reducing manufacturing costs by using fewer targets for layer deposition.
Implementation Method 1
The resulting dielectric layer forms an amorphous phase, which is stable after subsequent processes, such as heat treatments
Implementation Method 2
the addition of nitrogen into the dielectric layer, results in a material with a lower energy state. As a result, the low-e stack described herein provides a stable barrier against sodium diffusion, as well as moisture and air in the environment
Implementation Method 3
A physical vapor deposition (PVD) tool and method for forming a low-e stack on a glass substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provided herein describe a low-e panel and a method for forming a low-e panel. A transparent substrate is provided. A metal oxynitride layer is formed over the transparent substrate. The metal oxynitride layer includes a first metal and a second metal. A reflective layer is formed over the transparent substrate.