Light-weight strengthened, low-emittance vacuum-insulated glass (vig) windows

Abstract

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of forming a vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) window, comprising:
 in a first glass pane having a first body portion with a first surface and a first edge and comprising a first glass material, integrally forming in the first surface a first plurality of glass-bump spacers consisting of the first glass material from the first body portion;   forming a first optical coating over both the first surface and the first plurality of glass-bump spacers;   bringing a chemically strengthened second glass pane having a second surface and a second edge and comprising a second chemically strengthened glass material in contact with the first plurality of coated glass-bump spacers so that the first and second glass panes are spaced apart by a first distance between the first and second surfaces;   sealing the first and second edges to define an interior region between the first and second glass panes; and   forming a vacuum pressure of less than one atmosphere in the interior region.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming the first plurality of glass-bump spacers further comprises:
 a) irradiating the first glass pane at a location with a focused laser beam, and terminating the irradiating to fix the glass-bump spacer; and   b) repeating act a) a plurality of times for different locations to form the first plurality of glass-bump spacers.   
     
     
         3 . A method of forming a vacuum-insulated glass (VIG) window, comprising:
 in a first glass pane having a first body portion with a first surface and a first edge and comprising a first glass material, integrally forming in the first surface a first plurality of glass-bump spacers consisting of the first glass material from the first body portion;   chemically strengthening the first glass pane;   forming a first optical coating over both the first surface and the first plurality of glass-bump spacers;   bringing a second glass pane having a second surface and a second edge and comprising a second glass material in contact with the first plurality of coated glass-bump spacers so that the first and second glass panes are spaced apart by a first distance between the first and second surfaces;   sealing the first and second edges to define an interior region between the first and second glass panes; and   forming a vacuum pressure of less than one atmosphere in the interior region.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the forming of the first plurality of glass-bump spacers precedes the chemical strengthening of the first glass pane. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the chemical strengthening of the first glass pane precedes the forming of the first plurality of glass-bump spacers. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising chemically strengthening the second glass pane prior to bringing the second glass pane in contact with the first plurality of coated glass-bump spacers.