Chromaticity and Optical Characteristics of RF Magnetron-Sputtered Colored Glass for BIPV Applications

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) require front-glass materials that satisfy both aesthetic and functional requirements. In this study, colored glass for BIPV applications was fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrates using Radio-Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering with various ceramic targets, including metal oxides (MoO3, WO3, and SiO2), a nitride (TiN), and Si. The fabricated samples were classified into red, yellow, and blue color families and evaluated in terms of optical transmittance, sheet resistance, and colorimetric properties. The color characteristics were quantitatively analyzed using CIELAB coordinates (L*, a*, and b*) and CIE 1931 chromaticity coordinates (x, y). The results showed that the chromaticity distributions followed continuous material-dependent trajectories rather than random dispersion. Oxide-based coatings generally shifted toward the yellow region with relatively high lightness, whereas TiN-based coatings shifted toward the blue region with reduced lightness. In addition, transmittance analysis in the photovoltaic-relevant spectral range indicated that Si-based coatings exhibited relatively high optical transparency. The observed color variations are consistent with thin-film interference and the optical properties of the coating materials. This study focuses on the comparative evaluation of optical, electrical, and colorimetric characteristics. This study provides a comparative framework for color realization analysis and offers practical guidance for material selection in colored BIPV glass design.