Rigorous coupled-wave analysis has been used to design a glazing for hot climates. The designed glazing is relatively simple and it transmits most of the visible light and reflects most of the infrared radiation. It does not need any external source of energy to control its optical properties. It consists of ITO and four periodic pairs of Si/SiO2, deposited on a glass sheet. The optimum thicknesses of ITO, Si and SiO2 are 0.1 μm, 0.15 and 0.4 μm, respectively. The glazing acts as an optically selective filter. It transmits about 80% of the visible light and reflects almost all the infrared radiation. The performance of the glazing is almost independent of the angle of incidence of solar radiation. This makes it suitable for all hours of the day. The fabrication of the glazing and the testing have been performed at the laboratories of the Faculty of Science, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Magnetron sputtering technique has been used for the fabrication. ITO, Si and SiO2 have been used as sputtering targets. The experimental results are almost identical to the simulation results.
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