Low thermal conducting spacer assembly for an insulating glazing unit and method of making same

An insulating unit having a low thermal edge, comprising:

• a first glass sheet having a first major surface, the first major surface of the first sheet having a marginal edge defined as an outer marginal edge and an opposite second major surface, the second major surface of the first sheet having a marginal edge defined as an inner marginal edge;
• a second glass sheet having a first major surface, the first major surface of the second sheet having a marginal edge defined as an outer marginal edge and an opposite second major surface, the second major surface of the second sheet having a marginal edge defined as an inner marginal edge;
• an edge assembly between the second major surface of the first and second sheets with the edge assembly adhered to the inner marginal edge of the first and second sheets to space the sheets and provide a sealed compartment between the sheets, the edge assembly terminating short of the outer marginal edges of the first and second sheets and having a RES-value of at least 10 as determined using the ANSYS program, the edge assembly comprising:
• a moisture and gas impervious, structurally sound metal spacer spaced from and out of contact with the first and second sheets, the metal spacer having a first outer leg and a second outer leg joined to a middle leg with the outer legs spaced from one another and only structurally interconnected to one another by way of the middle leg, to provide the spacer with a generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration, the spacer having inner surface portions facing the sealed compartment;
• the outer surface of the first outer leg of the spacer spaced from inner marginal edge of the first sheet and the outer surface of the second leg of the spacer spaced from the inner marginal edge of the second sheet;
• a moisture and gas impervious sealant contacting the outer surface of the first leg of the spacer and the inner marginal edge of the first sheet and the outer surface of the second leg of the spacer and the inner marginal edge of the second sheet to adhere the spacer to the glass sheets to provide the sealed compartment between the sheets wherein the moisture and gas impervious sealant is sized to provide a high resistance to the passage of the gas through the space between the outer surfaces of the first and second legs of the spacer and the inner marginal edges of the first and second glass sheets;
• and
• a layer of a moisture pervious material having a desiccant therein on at least a portion of the inner facing surface portions of the spacer;
• a gas in the sealed compartment;
• and
• wherein the only thermally conducting path between the outer marginal edges of the first and second sheets of the insulating unit is the edge assembly to provide the insulating unit with a low thermal conducting edge and wherein each of the first and second sheets has a peripheral edge connecting the outer marginal edge and the inner marginal edge of the first and second sheets and the spacer is recessed inwardly from the peripheral edges of the sheets to define a recess around the peripheral edge of the unit.