A method of manufacturing VIGUs and IGUs comprises providing a first lite; providing a second lite spaced apart from the first lite to form a cavity therebetween; and encircling the lites with a one piece band. Spacers of a metal solder alloy or other reflowable material are inserted between the band and the perimeter edges of the lites. The assembly is heated in an evacuated environment, causing the spacers to melt and hermetically bond to the lites, but not until the cavity has been substantially evacuated.

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units having improved seals made using two different frit-based edge seal materials, and/or methods of making the same. In certain example embodiments, a first frit material is applied around peripheral edges of first and second glass substrates. The first frit material, which may be bismuth-based in certain example embodiments, is fired with a heat treatment (e.g., thermal tempering) process. A second frit material, which may be VBZ-based in certain example embodiments, is applied and at least partially overlaps with the fired first frit material. The first frit material acts as a primer, and the second frit material helps seal together the VIG unit. The second frit material is fired at a significantly lower temperature that enables the glass to retain the temper or other strength imparted by the heat treatment.

Certain embodiments of this invention relates to a writable window (e.g., IG window unit), where images (e.g., advertisements, logos, designs, pictures and/or words) can be selectively written into the window and are designed to be viewed by humans and/or animals. A substrate (e.g., glass substrate) supports a solar coating such as a low emissivity (low-E) coating which may include at least one infrared (IR) reflecting layer of or including silver that is located on and directly contacting a contact/seed layer of or including a material such as zinc oxide and/or zinc stannate. A radiation source (e.g., laser(s) and/or lamp(s)) may be used to selectively expose certain areas of the coating to radiation (e.g., UV radiation). The exposed area(s) of the coating, after being exposed and heated, have different optical characteristic(s) (e.g., higher visible transmission) than the area(s) of the coating not exposed to the radiation, so that following the laser exposure the exposed area(s) form an image(s) designed to be viewed by humans and/or animals.

A window includes a vacuum insulating glass (VIG) window unit in a window frame. The window frame includes at least one vacuum insulated structure (VIS) for improving the insulating functionality of the frame, so that the frame can adequately insulate the periphery of the VIG unit. Such windows may be used in residential and/or commercial window applications for buildings. The use of a window frame having at least one VIS is advantageous in that allows for improved window frame thermal performance and a narrow frame design if desired for improved aesthetics.

A method of manufacturing VIGUs and IGUs comprises providing a first lite; providing a second lite spaced apart from the first lite to form a cavity therebetween; and encircling the lites with a one piece band. Spacers of a metal solder alloy or other reflowable material are inserted between the band and the perimeter edges of the lites. The assembly is heated in an evacuated environment, causing the spacers to melt and hermetically bond to the lites, but not until the cavity has been substantially evacuated.

A Vacuum Insulating Glazing Unit (VIGU) comprises two or more glass lites (panes) spaced apart from one another and hermetically bonded to an edge seal assembly therebetween. The resulting cavity between the lites is evacuated to create at least one insulating vacuum cavity within which are disposed a plurality of stand-off members to maintain separation between the lites. The edge seal assembly is preferably compliant in the longitudinal (i.e., edgewise) direction to allow longitudinal relative motion between the two lites (e.g., from thermal expansion). The longitudinal compliance may be obtained by imprinting a three-dimensional pattern into the edge seal material. The edge seal assembly is preferably bonded to the lites with a first bond portion that is hermetic and a second bond portion that is load-resistant. Methods for producing VIGUs and/or compliant edge seal assemblies and VIGU and edge seal apparatus are disclosed.

Certain example embodiments relate to vacuum insulating glass units having pump-out hole seals formed in connection with solder alloys that, when reactively reflowed, wet pre-coated metallic coatings, and/or associated methods. The alloys may be based on materials that form seals at temperatures that will not de-temper glass and/or decompose a laminate, and/or remain hermetic and lack porous structures in their bulks. SAC, InAg, and/or other preform materials may be used in different example embodiments.

A method of manufacturing a glass sheet assembly for a vacuum insulated glass unit includes applying an edge seal made of a first material to a perimeter of a first surface of a first glass sheet. The edge seal defining a discontinuity. The method also includes disposing a first surface of a second glass sheet on the edge seal such that a gap is defined between the first surface of the first glass sheet and the first surface of the second glass sheet. The method further includes evacuating the gap through the discontinuity and locally heating the edge seal to at least partially seal the discontinuity.

High-strength vacuum glass is provided. The vacuum glass includes an air-cooled tempered first glass plate; an air-cooled tempered second glass plate that faces the first glass plate via a depressurized layer; and an outer peripheral sealing portion joining an outer peripheral edge portion of the first glass plate and an outer peripheral edge portion of the second glass plate together so as to seal the depressurized layer. The outer peripheral sealing portion contains solder.

A method of making a vacuum insulating panel, the vacuum insulating panel including a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, a plurality of spacers provided in a gap between at least the first and second glass substrates, and a seal provided between at least the first and second glass substrates, the seal comprising a first seal layer. The method may include: providing first seal material for the first seal layer in a location at least partially between at least the first and second glass substrates; laser heating, using a laser beam from a continuous wave near-IR laser, the first seal material in order to form the first seal layer; wherein said laser heating may comprise using the laser beam, having a size of from about 2-15 mm, so that the laser beam at least partially passes through at least one of the glass substrates to fire and/or sinter the first seal material thereby forming the first seal layer, in a manner so that the first seal layer a density of from about 2.8-4.0 g/cm.sup.3; and after forming the first seal layer, evacuating the gap to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure.