Process for making a curved, conductively coated glass member and the product thereof

The process for making an electrically conductive bent glass which includes sputter coating a generally unheated, generally flat glass with indium-tin oxide and subsequently bending same, said process including:

• conducting said sputter coating in a reduced oxygen environment so that the initial light transmittance of the coating following completion of the coating step is between about 10 and about 40%;
• bending said substrate in air;
• and thereafter heating the bent substrate to in excess of 400.degree. C. in a reducing environment.

The process for making an electrically conductive bent glass which includes sputter coating a generally flat glass substrate with indium-tin oxide and subsequently bending same, said process further comprising:

• said coating step including initially coating the substrate to an initial light transmittance of greater than 40%;
• said bending step including exposing the metallic oxide layer to a reducing environment as the substrate is heated to bending.

A process for fabricating a curved windshield having an electrically conductive coating suitable for generating approximately 0.6 watts per square inch using a 60 volt power source and having at least 70% minimum visible light transmission at an angle of 90 degrees, comprising:

• coating a relatively thin indium-tin oxide film of a thickness of between one-half to about three wavelengths based on the median wavelength of visible light on a generally flat glass windshield blank;
• heating and bending the thus-coated glass windshield blank while said indium-tin oxide film is in an oxygen substoichiometric state of sufficient degree that said film bends in substantial conformity with said glass windshield blank without crazing to form said curved windshield.