One of the most significant uses of glass is in architecture—building applications accounted for ~70% of worldwide glass sales in 2012. If we consider that ~40% of the world’s energy demand is used to heat, cool, and light buildings, then glass coatings become a significant source of potential energy savings. Suitable glazings can reduce energy demand, helping keep buildings warm in cold climates and cool in hot climates, while allowing transmission of light. For this reason, demand for energy-efficient glazings is increasing.

Glass is mostly opaque to ultraviolet light, but transparent to visible and infrared light. For energy efficiency, glass needs to decrease infrared transmission without compromising visible light transmission. Low emissivity or energy-efficient glazings usually are based on a thin, transparent conducting layer, which may be a single layer or part of a multilayer stack with surrounding antireflection and barrier coatings. The main design factor is optical performance of the coating, but mechanical damage, particularly caused by transport or storage, also is a consideration. In most cases, a supplier produces the coatings, and the supplier delivers the coated product to a fabricator who cuts and assembles the glass into windows. Coated glass may be rejected if it is damaged in transit and if the damage affects optical performance. Therefore, an understanding of the mechanical response of multilayer coatings on glass is essential to reduce losses from damage.