A material includes a transparent substrate coated with a stack of thin layers including an alternation of three functional silver-based metallic layers. This material makes it possible to obtain a multiple glazing having good thermal performance results, in particular a selectivity greater than 2, excellent color neutrality and low optical sensitivity.

A window structure includes a metal layer that transmits microwave signals and reflects infrared signals. A microwave signal is a signal that has a frequency in the microwave spectrum of frequencies (a.k.a. the microwave frequency spectrum). The microwave frequency spectrum extends from 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). An infrared signal is a signal that has a frequency in the infrared spectrum of frequencies (a.k.a. the infrared frequency spectrum, which extends from 300 GHz to 430 terahertz (THz)). The metal layer may be a discontinuous metal layer that's an electrically discontinuous metal layer and/or a physically discontinuous metal layer.

An improved glazing unit including a glass panel which is low in reflectance for RF radiation, a coating system which is high in reflectance for RF radiation disposed on the glass panel and creating onto the glazing unit a dual band bandpass filter. The glazing unit further includes at least one frequencies selective decoated portion of the coating system extending along a plane, P; having a width, DW, and a length, DL. The at least one frequencies selective decoated portion features a first decoated element with a plurality of unit cells, and a plurality of second decoated elements where a second decoated element is placed in a unit cell of the first decoated element, but no second decoated element is in contact with the first decoated element and at least one unit cell of the first decoated element has no second decoated element.

A low-E (low emissivity) coating includes a multilayer overcoat designed for reducing fingerprints. The multilayer overcoat includes a layer comprising an oxide of zirconium (e.g., ZrO.sub.2) sandwiched between and contacting first and second layers of or including silicon nitride (e.g., Si.sub.3N.sub.4, SiO.sub.xN.sub.y, SiZrO.sub.xN.sub.y, or the like). The uppermost layer comprising silicon nitride modifies the surface energy of the layer comprising the oxide of zirconium so as to make the uppermost surface of the coating more hydrophilic, thereby reducing or minimizing interaction between zirconium oxide and finger oil to reduce fingerprints on the uppermost surface of the coating.

A laminated body includes a transparent substrate having a laminated film. The laminated film includes a dielectric layer containing silicon nitride, a barrier layer composed of a single film or two or more films, and a metal layer containing silver. The barrier layer has a thickness of from 0.1 nm to 10 nm. Each film of the barrier layer includes a material having a crystal structure of a face-centered cubic structure with a lattice constant of from 3.5 to 4.2, a hexagonal close-packed structure with a lattice constant of from 2.6 to 3.3, a body-centered cubic structure with a lattice constant of from 2.9 to 3.2, or a tetragonal crystal with a lattice constant of from 2.9 to 4.4. The metal layer has a thickness of from 7 nm to 25 nm. An orientation index P of the metal layer falls within a range from 4.5 to 20.

A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate and its method of formation is disclosed. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate comprises a solid support, a first noble metal nanoparticles is disposed on the solid support, a porous oxide layer comprising transition metal oxide nanoparticles is disposed on the first noble metal nanoparticles and a second noble metal nanoparticles is disposed on the porous oxide layer. The porous oxide layer prevents contact between the first noble metal nanoparticles and the second noble metal nanoparticles and has a mean pore size of 2 to 30 nm.

A process for obtaining a material including a substrate coated on one of its sides with a coating including a functional layer, includes depositing the functional layer on the substrate, then depositing an absorbent layer on top of the functional layer, then performing a heat treatment by radiation, the radiation having at least one treatment wavelength between 200 and 2500 nm, the absorbent layer being in contact with air during the heat treatment, wherein the ab sorb ent layer ab sorbs at least 80% of the radiation used during the heat treatment and transmits less than 10% thereof.

A sensitizing solution, especially a sensitizing solution for sensitizing surfaces, containing a solution of tin(II) chloride SnCl.sub.2 and distilled water, especially for sensitizing non-conductive surfaces, which further contains glycerine. A method of preparation of the sensitizing solution, especially the method of preparation of the sensitizing solution, according to which the solution of tin(II) chloride SnCl.sub.2 and distilled water is mixed with a reducing agent, which is glycerine.

A material includes a transparent substrate on the surface of which is deposited a stack of layers which itself includes a plurality of functional layers making it possible to influence the solar and/or infrared radiation capable of striking said surface. The material has high thermal performance qualities and also an attractive shiny surface appearance of neutral color.

A glass-based preform for a mirror of a heads-up display (HUD) system, including a glass-based substrate having a first major surface, a second major surface opposite to the first major surface, and a minor surface connecting the first and second major surfaces; a first chamfer at an edge of the first major surface, the first chamfer having a first end at an intersection of the first chamfer and the first major surface and having a second end at an intersection of the first chamfer and the minor surface; and a second chamfer at an edge of the second major surface, the second chamfer having a first end at an intersection of the second chamfer and the second major surface and having a second end at an intersection of the second chamfer and the minor surface. The first chamfer has a different size or shape from the second chamfer.