A low-E coating has good color stability (a low E* value) upon heat treatment (HT). Thermal stability may be improved by the provision of an as-deposited crystalline or substantially crystalline layer of or including zinc oxide, doped with at least one dopant (e.g., Sn), immediately under an infrared (IR) reflecting layer of or including silver; and/or by the provision of at least one dielectric layer of or including an oxide of zirconium. These have the effect of significantly improving the coating's thermal stability (i.e., lowering the E* value). An absorber film may be designed to adjust visible transmission and provide desirable coloration, while maintaining durability and/or thermal stability. The dielectric layer (e.g., of or including an oxide of Zr) may be sputter-deposited so as to have a monoclinic phase in order to improve thermal stability.

An article that includes: a substrate having a glass, glass-ceramic or a ceramic composition and comprising a primary surface; and a protective film disposed on the primary surface. The protective film comprises a thickness of greater than 1.5 microns and a maximum hardness of greater than 15 GPa at a depth of 500 nanometers, as measured on the film disposed on the substrate. Further, the protective film comprises a metal oxynitride that is graded such that an oxygen concentration in the film varies by 1.3 or more atomic %. In addition, the substrate comprises an elastic modulus less than an elastic modulus of the film.

Optically transparent articles and structures that include or are otherwise disposed on a substantially transparent substrate. These articles and structures also include a stack of N (N>2) bi-layers on the substrate, the stack having a thickness of at least 5 nm. Each bi-layer is defined by (a) a first layer; and (b) a second layer disposed on the first layer, the layers having at least one of different compositions and different microstructures. The stack has a stack refractive index between about 1.2 and about 2.2 or between about 100% and about 150% of a refractive index of the substrate, and a stack hardness of 15 GPa or greater when measured with a Berkovich Indenter Hardness Test along an indentation depth in the range from about 10% to about 50% of the thickness of the stack disposed on a glass test substrate having a hardness between 6.5 and 8 GPa.

A material includes a transparent substrate coated on one face with a stack of thin layers successively including, starting from the face, an alternation of three silver-based functional metal layers denoted, starting from the substrate, first, second and third functional layers respectively Ag1, Ag2 and Ag3, and of four dielectric coatings denoted, starting from the substrate, M1, M2, M3 and M4, with optical thicknesses respectively To1, To2, To3 and To4. Each functional metal layer is positioned between two dielectric coatings. The geometrical thickness of the second functional layer Ag2 is less than the thickness of the first functional layer Ag1. The geometrical thickness of the second functional layer Ag2 is less than the thickness of the third functional layer Ag3. The dielectric coating M2 exhibits a lower optical thickness To2 than the optical thicknesses To1, To3 and To4 respectively of the dielectric coatings M1, M3 and M4.

The present invention relate to a transparent substrate laminate (10) having a transparent substrate (12), an antireflection layer (14) and an antifouling layer (16) in this order, the antireflection layer (14) contains a low-refractive index layer (142) and a high-refractive index layer (144) laminating alternately, the antifouling layer (16) contains a fluorine-containing organic compound, and when washing with ethanol and washing with a fluorine solvent under specific conditions are carried out on the antifouling layer (16) in this order, the antifouling layer (16) satisfies a ratio (i)/(ii) being more than 1 in which (i) represents a fluorine amount after the washing with ethanol and (ii) represents a fluorine amount after the washing with the fluorine solvent, and in which the fluorine amount (F amount) is measured by using an X-ray fluorescence instrument (XRF).

Provided is a transparent structure having improved wear resistance and flexibility, and a structure according to the present invention is a nanolayered structure in which a nitride nanofilm of one or more elements selected from metals and metalloids; and a boron nitride nanofilm are alternately layered.

The invention provides a glass sheet or another transparent substrate on which there is provided a static-dissipative coating. The static-dissipative coating includes a film comprising titania. The film comprising titania preferably is exposed so as to define an outermost face of the static-dissipative coating. The static-dissipative coating is characterized by an indoor dust collection factor of less than 0.145.

Embodiments of a scratch-resistant and optically transparent material comprising silicon, aluminum, nitrogen, and optionally oxygen are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, the material exhibits an extinction coefficient (k) at a wavelength of 400 nm of less than about 110.sup.3, and an average transmittance of about 80% or greater, over an optical wavelength regime in the range from about 380 nm to about 780 nm, as measured through the material having a thickness of about 0.4 micrometer. In one or more embodiments, the material comprises an intrinsic maximum hardness of about 12 GPa or greater as measured on a major surface of the material having a thickness of about 400 by a Berkovich Indenter Hardness Test along an indentation depth of about 100 nm or greater, low compressive stress and low roughness (Ra). Articles and devices incorporating the material are also disclosed.

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.

An electrochromic film and an electrochromic device including the electrochromic film are disclosed. The electrochromic film includes an electrochromic layer and a passivation layer on one side of the electrochromic layer. The coloration level of the electrochromic film is different from the coloration level of the passivation layer. The film may change optical properties as a result of electrochromism according to an electrochemical reaction. The electrochromic film and the electrochromic device have improved electrochromism, excellent durability, excellent color-switching speed, and stepwise control of optical properties.