SBIR Phase I: Scalable Manufacturing Technology for Mobile Signal Penetrating Energy-Efficient Low-Emissivity Windows

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是能够允许无线信号通过的低发射窗口。目前，几乎所有商用低辐射窗户都严重阻碍了移动信号进入建筑物，这是当今世界要求快速和不间断移动连接的一个严重问题。所提出的低发射窗口的制造成本具有竞争力，并显著降低安装室内蜂窝辅助设备（如路由器和天线）的成本。这项技术将加速低辐射窗口的进一步采用，以减少温室气体排放，并支持5G技术的进一步部署。该SBIR一期项目建议在低发射率真空镀膜之前，在玻璃基板上平版沉积光刻胶结构，研究可扩展的移动、信号传输、低发射率窗口的制造。该项目建议在玻璃基板上沉积具有非导电间隔的光刻胶结构，以降低低发射率涂层的导电性，从而阻止无线信号通过。介电层将沉积在侧壁上，在低发射率涂层上形成保护层，以防止氧化腐蚀。光刻胶结构的宽度将在2到5微米之间，以最大限度地减少低发射率涂层的降解至小于2%，以保持热性能。在低发射率涂层沉积后，非平面间隔层随后塌陷到光刻胶层中，将低发射率涂层恢复到其原始平面位置，从而使光刻胶结构对眼睛不可见。此外，该团队将探索其他光刻胶设计，以解决可能在成品窗口上形成的潜在照明衍射。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be low-emissivity windows capable of allowing wireless signals to pass through. Presently, almost all commercial low-emissivity windows severely block mobile signals from entering buildings - a serious problem in today's world that demands fast and uninterrupted mobile connectivity. The proposed low-emissivity windows can be manufactured cost-competitively and significantly reduce the costs of installing indoor cellular aids such as routers and antennas. This technology will accelerate the further adoption of low-emissivity windows to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as support the further deployment of 5G technologies.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to investigate scalable manufacturing of mobile, signal transmissive, low-emissivity windows by using lithographic deposition of photoresist structures on the glass substrate prior to low-emissivity vacuum coating. The project proposes to deposit photoresist structures with non-conductive spacers on glass substrate, reducing the low-emissivity coating’s electric conductivity that prevents wireless signal passthrough. Dielectric layers will be deposited over the sidewalls to form protective layers over the low-emissivity coatings to protect against oxidative corrosion. The width of the photoresist structures will range between 2 to 5 micrometers to minimize the degradation of low-emissivity coatings to less than 2%, to maintain thermal performance. After low-emissivity coating deposition, the non-planar spacers will subsequently collapse into the photoresist layer restoring low-emissivity coatings to their original planar position thereby rendering the photoresist structure invisible to the eye. Furthermore, the team will explore additional photoresist designs to address potential lighting diffractions that may form on the finished window.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.