The invention relates to a glass substrate including a stack of coating layers having control properties, in which stack comprises at least one niobium metal layer located between a layer of a dielectric material selected from Si.sub.3N.sub.4 or TiOx and a layer of a protective metal material selected from TIN or NiCr, conferring solar control and heat resistance properties on the glass substrate.

A coated article includes a low-emissivity (low-E) coating. The low-E coating includes at least one infrared (IR) reflecting layer of a material such as silver, gold, or the like, and a dielectric overcoat designed to increase solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of the coated article. A dielectric undercoat may also be designed to increase SHGC of the coated article in certain example embodiments. In certain example embodiments, the overcoat and/or undercoat are designed to increase SHGC while also providing for desirably high visible transmission (TY or T.sub.vis) and desirably low normal emittance (E.sub.n).

There are provided coated articles that include two or more infrared (IR) reflecting layers (e.g., of or including NbZr, Nb, NiCr, NiCrMo, and/or a nitride thereof) sandwiched between at least dielectric layers, and/or a method of making the same. The coating may be designed so that the coated articles realize blue glass side reflective coloration in combination with a low glass side visible reflectance, acceptable film side coloration, and low solar factor (SF) and/or a low solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC). Such coated articles may be used in the context of monolithic windows, insulating glass (IG) window units, laminated windows, and/or other suitable applications, and may optionally be heat treated (e.g., thermally tempered) in certain instances.

The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a decoration element, the method including depositing a light reflective layer having a structure of two or more islands separated from each other on one surface of a light absorbing layer; and dry etching the light absorbing layer using the island as a mask, wherein a resistance value of the decoration element after the dry etching of the light absorbing layer increases by two times or more compared to before the dry etching of the light absorbing layer.

Absorbing layers of a low-emissivity (low-E) coating are designed to cause the coating to have a reduced film side reflectance which is advantageous for aesthetic purposes. In certain embodiments, the absorbing layers are metallic or substantially metallic (e.g., NiCr or NiCrN.sub.x) and are each provided between first and second nitride layers (e.g., silicon nitride based layers) in order to reduce or prevent oxidation of the absorbing layers during optional heat treatment thermal tempering, heat bending, and/or heat strengthening). Coated articles according to certain example embodiments of this invention may be used in the context of insulating glass (IG) window units, other types of windows, etc.

The invention is directed to protective layers that protect functional layers applied over a substrate. The protective layer has a first protective film over at least a portion of the functional layer. The first protective film is titania, alumina, zinc oxide, tin oxide, zirconia, silica or mixtures thereof. A second protective film over at least a portion of the first protective film. The second protective film contains titania and alumina and is an outermost film.

Transparent conductive coatings are polished using particle slurries in combination with mechanical shearing force, such as a polishing pad. Substrates having transparent conductive coatings that are too rough and/or have too much haze, such that the substrate would not produce a suitable optical device, are polished using methods described herein. The substrate may be tempered prior to, or after, polishing. The polished substrates have low haze and sufficient smoothness to make high-quality optical devices.

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to techniques for laser ablating/scribing peripheral edges of a coating (e.g., a low-emissivity, mirror, or other coating) on a glass or other substrate in a pre- or post-laminated assembly, pre- or post-assembled insulated glass unit, and/or other product, in order to slow or prevent corrosion of the coating. For example, a 1064 nm or other wavelength laser may be used to scribe lines into the metal and/or metallic layer(s) in a low-emissivity or other coating provided in an already-laminated or already-assembled insulated glass unit or other product, e.g., around its periphery. The scribe lines decrease electron mobility from the center of the coating to the environment and, thus, slow and sometimes even prevent the onset of electrochemical corrosion. Associated products, methods, and kits relating to same also are contemplated herein.

The invention concerns reflective opaque panels that can be used as facing panels or decorative panels. They consist of a substrate coated with a stack of layers comprising, in the following order, at least (i) a transparent substrate (S), (ii) a first dielectric layer which is a high refractive index dielectric layer (H1), (iii) a second dielectric layer which is a low refractive index dielectric layer (L1), and (vi) a single chromium-based layer.

A substrate is coated on one face with a thin-films stack having reflection properties in the infrared and/or in solar radiation including a single metallic functional layer, based on silver or on a metal alloy containing silver, and two antireflection coatings. The coatings each include at least one dielectric layer. The functional layer is positioned between the two antireflection coatings. At least one of the antireflection coatings includes an intermediate layer including zinc tin oxide Sn.sub.xZn.sub.yO.sub.z with a ratio of 0.1x/y2.4, with 0.75(2x +y)z 0.95(2x +y) and having a physical thickness of between 2 nm and 25 nm, or even between 2 nm and 12 nm.