Large Area Coatings for Architectural Glass – Design, Manufacturing, Process Faults

The physical properties of architectural sputtered coatings are considered in the context of their design, manufacture, transport and processing. The design constraints of high optical and thermal performance lead to the use of thin metal layers in interference coating stacks. This, in turn, determines the chemical and mechanical property challenges. In-service examples of film failure are presented along with practical countermeasures. Laboratory methods for ranking development coating systems are also discussed.