COATED ARTICLE INCLUDING METAL ISLAND LAYER(S) FORMED USING STOICHIOMETRY CONTROL, AND/OR METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME
Certain example embodiments relate to techniques for improving the uniformity of, and/or conformance to a desired pattern for, metal island layers (MILs) formed on a substrate (e.g., a glass or other substrate), and/or associated products. Certain example embodiments form MILs using a laser or other energy source or magnetic field assisted technique, e.g., to compensate for non-uniformities that otherwise likely would result in the MIL diverging from its desired configuration. For example, a laser or other energy source may introduce heat onto a substrate, enable pulsed laser deposition, raster a target including the MIL metal to be deposited, raster a substrate where the MIL is to be formed, etc. These and/or other techniques may be used to enable the MIL to be formed on the substrate in a desired pattern, e.g., by compensating for implicit non-uniformities of the substrate and/or by selectively creating non-uniformities in how the MIL is formed.
1 . A method of making a coated article comprising a metal island layer supported by a substrate, the substrate having a surface to be coated, the method comprising:
selectively modifying local surface stoichiometry at one or more areas of the surface to be coated; and
forming the metal island layer, directly or indirectly, on the surface of the substrate in a desired pattern defined, at least in part, as a result of the selective modifying.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired pattern is a substantially uniform pattern for the metal island layer.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the coated article simulates tinted glass.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selective modifying delineates, at least in part, a first area where the metal island layer is to be formed and a second area where the metal island layer is not to be formed, the first and second areas conforming to the desired pattern.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the coated article has an optically visible appearance, in conformance with the desired pattern, created by a surface plasmon effect of the metal island layer.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising prior to the exposing, pre-heating the substrate to a temperature greater than room temperature and less than 300 degrees C.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein islands of the metal island layer have an average size distribution of 5-15 nm or 100-300 nm in diameter or major distance.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal island layer comprises a continuous but interrupted layer of islands formed from a noble or inert metal.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a glass substrate.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selective modifying is performed by scanning a laser across the surface to be coated.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a sputtering target is the source metal in the metal island layer.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming of the metal island layer and the selective modifying include co-sputtering from first and second targets that are different from one another, and using a laser to enhance sputtering of material from exactly one of the first and second targets.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the use of the laser to enhance the sputtering enhances chemical interaction between the surface to be coated and the metal island layer.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface to be coated is a major surface of the substrate.
15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a thin film coating directly or indirectly on the substrate, wherein the surface to be coated is a major surface of the thin film coating.
16 . A method of making a coated article comprising a substrate having a surface to be coated, a layer comprising a plurality of islands being formed on the surface to be coated in making the coated article, the method comprising:
co-sputtering first and second targets that are different from one another; and
selectively adjusting the sputtering of material, using a laser, to adjust chemical interactions taking place at the surface to be coated in forming the layer comprising islands on the substrate,
wherein each of the islands comprises metal, the islands collectively creating a surface plasmon effect the causes the coated article to have a desired optical appearance.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the selective adjusting includes focusing the laser on exactly one of the first and second targets.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the selective adjusting enhances the sputtering of the material on which the laser is focused.
19 . A coated article made by the method of claim 1 .
20 . A coated article made by the method of claim 16 .