Surface-treated glass and process for producing the same

1. A process for producing a surface-treated glass, which comprises exposing a glass heated in the range from strain point (° C.) to strain point +250 (° C.) to an atmosphere containing water in a concentration of 0.01 to 20 g/L and SO 2 or NO 2 in a concentration not more than 100 ppm which is sufficient to accelerate formation of a plurality of concave portions in the glass surface;

wherein the glass contains an alkali component in the range of 1 to 30 mass % in terms of an oxide and has a plate shape, and the exposure time for exposing the glass to the atmosphere is 1 minute to no more than 30 minutes.

2. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 1 , wherein SO 2 is contained in the atmosphere.

3. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 1 , wherein the exposure time for exposing the glass to the atmosphere is 3 to 30 minutes.

4. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 1 , wherein exposing the glass to the atmosphere is performed in a slow cooling step after a forming step on a glass plate production line.

5. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 1 , wherein the glass has a temperature in the range from 510° C. to 760° C.

6. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 1 , wherein the glass has a temperature in the range from 550° C. to 700° C.

7. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 1 , wherein a plane of the glass surface, excluding a region in which the concave portions are formed, is a flat plane, and the concave portions have an average open pore diameter of 10 nm to less than 1 μm in a cross-sectional view thereof.

8. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 7 , wherein an area ratio of an open pore area of the concave portions to the unit area of the glass surface is from 5 to 80%, and an average pitch between respective concave portions is 1 μm or less in a cross-sectional view of the plurality of the concave portions.

9. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 8 , wherein the surface-treated glass having a plate shape transmits at least 99% of light in the visible light range in comparison to untreated glass having a plate shape.

10. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 1 , wherein the surface-treated glass having a plate shape transmits at least 99% of light in the visible light range in comparison to untreated glass having a plate shape.

11. A process for producing a surface-treated glass, which comprises exposing a glass heated in the range from strain point (° C.) to strain point +250 (° C.) to an atmosphere containing water in a concentration of 0.01 to 20 g/L to form a plurality of concave portions in the glass surface;

wherein the glass contains an alkali component in the range of 1 to 30 mass % in terms of an oxide and has a plate shape,

the atmosphere containing water further contains SO 2 or NO 2 in a concentration sufficient to accelerate reaction of forming a product which contributes to the production of the plurality of concave portions in the glass surface by an alkali metal in the glass together with water, and

the exposure time for exposing the glass to the atmosphere is 1 minute to no more than 30 minutes.

12. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 11 , wherein the atmosphere contains SO 2 in a concentration of 0.1 to 100 ppm.

13. The process for producing a surface-treated glass according to claim 11 , wherein the surface-treated glass having a plate shape transmits at least 99% of light in the visible light range in comparison to untreated glass having a plate shape.