Low emissivity coating with low solar heat gain coefficient, enhanced chemical and mechanical properties and method of making the same

A method of making a low-emissivity coating having a low solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), said method comprising depositing on a substrate the coating comprising:

• a first dielectric layer;
• a first nucleation layer;
• a first Ag layer;
• a first absorbing barrier layer;
• a second dielectric layer;
• a second nucleation layer;
• a second Ag layer;
• a second absorbing barrier layer;
• a third dielectric layer;
• and
• optionally, a topcoat layer;
• wherein the coating does not contain a separate absorbing layer;
• and
• further wherein at least one of the first and the second absorbing barrier layers is not fully oxidized, wherein the oxidation state of the absorbing barrier layer that is not fully oxidized is based on sputtering the layer using a ratio of oxygen flow to sputtering power (in kilowatts) that is from 7.5:1 to 8.0:1.