Solar control coatings with subcritical copper

1. A coated article having a tinted appearance in reflection and/or transmission, comprising:

a substrate;

a first dielectric layer;

a subcritical metallic layer having discontinuous metallic regions and having a thickness less than 90 Å, wherein the subcritical metallic layer consists of copper; and

a second dielectric layer over the subcritical metallic layer.

2. The article of claim 1 further comprising a primer positioned between the second dielectric layer and the subcritical metallic layer and is deposited directly onto the subcritical metallic layer, wherein the primer is selected from titanium, silicon-aluminum alloys, nickel alloys, alloys containing nickel and chromium, cobalt alloys, alloys containing cobalt and chromium, copper, aluminum, silicon, nickel-chromium alloy, zirconium, mixtures thereof, and alloys thereof, and wherein the primer is deposited as a metal and subsequently oxidized.

3. The article of claim 2 , wherein the primer comprises a nickel-chromium alloy.

4. The article of claim 2 , wherein the primer is deposited as a metal and subsequently oxidized.

5. The article of claim 2 wherein the article consists of the substrate, the first dielectric layer, the subcritical metallic layer, the primer, and the second dielectric layer, and further consists of a protective layer over the second dielectric layer.

6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the second dielectric layer comprises a zinc oxide layer, and a zinc stannate layer over the zinc oxide layer.

7. A coated article having a tinted appearance in reflection and/or transmission, comprising:

a substrate;

a first dielectric layer comprising zinc oxide;

a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer comprising zinc stannate;

a subcritical metallic layer over the second dielectric layer having discontinuous metallic regions and having a thickness less than 90 Å, wherein the subcritical metallic layer consists of copper; and

a primer layer over the subcritical metallic layer comprising a metal deposited as titanium and subsequently oxidized to titania;

a third dielectric layer over the primer layer comprising zinc oxide;

a fourth dielectric layer over the third dielectric layer comprising zinc stannate; and

a protective layer.

8. The article of claim 7 , wherein the article is clear.

9. The article of claim 7 , wherein the copper in the subcritical metallic layer is deposited at least at 300 watts of power.

10. A method of tinting or coloring an article without adding a special colorant to a glass batch comprising:

providing a clear float glass;

selecting a first dielectric layer, a subcritical metallic layer having discontinuous metallic regions and consisting of copper, a primer layer and a second dielectric layer that will provided a tint or color for the article;

depositing the first dielectric layer over the clear float glass;

depositing the subcritical metallic layer over the first dielectric layer;

depositing a primer layer as a metal over the subcritical metallic layer at a thickness in a range of 5 Å to 50 Å;

oxidizing the primer layer after it has been deposited over the subcritical metallic layer; and

depositing the second dielectric layer over the primer layer.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the metal for the primer layer comprising titanium.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the first dielectric comprises zinc-tin oxides or zinc oxide.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the second dielectric comprises zinc-tin oxides or zinc oxide.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the thickness for the subcritical metallic layer is less than 90 Å.