LIGHT-WEIGHT STRENGTHENED, LOW-EMITTANCE VACUUM-INSULATED GLASS (VIG) WINDOWS

摘要

Vacuum-insulated glass windows include two or more glass panes, and glass-bump spacers formed in a surface of one of the panes. The glass-bump spacers consist of the glass material from the body portion of the glass pane. At least one of the glass panes comprises chemically-strengthened glass. Methods of forming VIG windows include forming the glass-bump spacers by irradiating a glass pane with a focused beam from a laser. Heating effects in the glass cause the glass to locally expand, thereby forming a glass-bump spacer. In embodiments where the glass-bump spacers are formed in a chemically-strengthened glass pane, the glass-bump spacers may be formed before or after the chemical strengthening. A second glass pane is brought into contact with the glass-bump spacers, and the edges sealed. The resulting sealed interior region is evacuated to a pressure of less than one atmosphere.

主权项

1. A vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) window, comprising:
a first glass pane having a first outer edge; a second glass pane spaced apart from and disposed substantially parallel to the first glass pane at a first distance, the second glass pane having a second outer edge; a first edge seal formed around at least respective portions of the first and second outer edges to define a first sealed interior region between the first and second glass panes, wherein the first sealed interior region has a vacuum pressure of less than one atmosphere; a first plurality of glass-bump spacers integrally formed from a first surface of the first glass pane and consisting of glass material from the first glass pane, and a first optical coating formed over both the first plurality of glass-bump spacers and the first surface in which the first plurality of glass-bump spacers are formed, wherein at least one of the first glass pane and the second glass pane comprises a chemically-strengthened glass material, the optical coating comprises a polymer layer or a dielectric layer, and the first plurality of coated glass-bump spacers contact the second glass pane so as to maintain said spaced apart first distance.