COMMUNICATION ENABLED PATTERN IN ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICES

An electrochromic device is disclosed. The electrochromic device can include a stack of layers. The stack of layers can include a first transparent conductive layer on a substrate, a second transparent conductive layer, a cathodic electrochromic layer between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer, and an anodic electrochromic layer between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer. The stack of layers can be patterned. In one embodiment, the pattern can be parallel to a voltage gradient of the electrochromic device. In another embodiment, the pattern can extend through all layers of the stack of layers of the electrochromic device.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is related to electrochemical devices and method of forming the same.

BACKGROUND

An electrochemical device can include an electrochromic stack where transparent conductive layers are used to provide electrical connections for the operation of the stack. Electrochromic (EC) devices employ materials capable of reversibly altering their optical properties following electrochemical oxidation and reduction in response to an applied potential. Electrochromic devices alter the color, transmittance, absorbance, and reflectance of energy by inducing a change the electrochemical material. Specifically, the optical modulation is the result of the simultaneous insertion and extraction of electrons and charge compensating ions in the electrochemical material lattice. Advances in electrochromic devices seek to have devices with telecommunication enabled features that do not interfere with switching speeds of the electrochromic device.

As such, further improvements are sought in manufacturing electrochromic devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The use of “a” or “an” is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural, or vice versa, unless it is clear that it is meant otherwise.

The use of the word “about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” is intended to mean that a value of a parameter is close to a stated value or position. However, minor differences may prevent the values or positions from being exactly as stated.

Patterned features, which include bus bars, holes, holes, etc., can have a width, a depth or a thickness, and a length, wherein the length is greater than the width and the depth or thickness. As used in this specification, a diameter is a width for a circle, and a minor axis is a width for an ellipse.

In accordance with the present disclosure,FIG.1illustrates a cross-section view of a partially fabricated electrochemical device100having an improved film structure. For purposes of illustrative clarity, the electrochemical device100is a variable transmission device. In one embodiment, the electrochemical device100can be an electrochromic device. In another embodiment, the electrochemical device100can be a thin-film battery. In another embodiment, the electrochemical device100can be used within an insulated glazing unit, window, or other laminate structure. However, it will be recognized that the present disclosure is similarly applicable to other types of scribed electroactive devices, electrochemical devices, as well as other electrochromic devices with different stacks or film structures (e.g., additional layers). With regard to the electrochemical device100ofFIG.1, the device100may include a substrate110and a stack overlying the substrate110. The stack may include a first transparent conductor layer122, a cathodic electrochemical layer124, an anodic electrochemical layer128, and a second transparent conductor layer130. In one embodiment, the stack may also include an ion conducting layer126between the cathodic electrochemical layer124and the anodic electrochemical layer128, and a UV reflective laminate layer150over the entire stack.

In an embodiment, the substrate110can include a glass substrate, a sapphire substrate, an aluminum oxynitride substrate, or a spinel substrate. In another embodiment, the substrate110can include a transparent polymer, such as a polyacrylic compound, a polyalkene, a polycarbonate, a polyester, a polyether, a polyethylene, a polyimide, a polysulfone, a polysulfide, a polyurethane, a polyvinylacetate, another suitable transparent polymer, or a co-polymer of the foregoing. The substrate110may or may not be flexible. In a particular embodiment, the substrate110can be float glass or a borosilicate glass and have a thickness in a range of 0.5 mm to 12 mm thick. The substrate110may have a thickness no greater than 16 mm, such as 12 mm, no greater than 10 mm, no greater than 8 mm, no greater than 6 mm, no greater than 5 mm, no greater than 3 mm, no greater than 2 mm, no greater than 1.5 mm, no greater than 1 mm, or no greater than 0.01 mm. In another particular embodiment, the substrate110can include ultra-thin glass that is a mineral glass having a thickness in a range of 50 microns to 300 microns. In a particular embodiment, the substrate110may be used for many different electrochemical devices being formed and may referred to as a motherboard.

Transparent conductive layers122and130can include a conductive metal oxide or a conductive polymer. Examples can include a tin oxide or a zinc oxide, either of which can be doped with a trivalent element, such as Al, Ga, In, or the like, a fluorinated tin oxide, or a sulfonated polymer, such as polyaniline, polypyrrole, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), or the like. In another embodiment, the transparent conductive layers122and130can include gold, silver, copper, nickel, aluminum, or any combination thereof. The transparent conductive layers122and130can include indium oxide, indium tin oxide, doped indium oxide, tin oxide, doped tin oxide, zinc oxide, doped zinc oxide, ruthenium oxide, doped ruthenium oxide and any combination thereof. The transparent conductive layers122and130can have a thickness between 10 nm and 600 nm. In one embodiment, the transparent conductive layers122and130can have a thickness between 200 nm and 500 nm. In one embodiment, the transparent conductive layers122and130can have a thickness between 320 nm and 460 nm. In one embodiment the first transparent conductive layer122can have a thickness between 10 nm and 600 nm. In one embodiment, the second transparent conductive layer130can have a thickness between 80 nm and 600 nm.

The layers124and128can be electrode layers, wherein one of the layers may be a cathodic electrochemical layer, and the other of the layers may be an anodic electrochromic layer (also referred to as a counter electrode layer). In one embodiment, the cathodic electrochemical layer124is an electrochromic layer. The cathodic electrochemical layer124can include an inorganic metal oxide material, such as WO3, V2O5, MoO3, Nb2O5, TiO2, CuO, Ni2O3, NiO, Ir2O3, Cr2O3, Co2O3, Mn2O3, mixed oxides (e.g., W—Mo oxide, W—V oxide), or any combination thereof and can have a thickness in a range of 40 nm to 600 nm. In one embodiment, the cathodic electrochemical layer124can have a thickness between 100 nm to 400 nm. In one embodiment, the cathodic electrochemical layer124can have a thickness between 350 nm to 390 nm. The cathodic electrochemical layer124can include lithium, aluminum, zirconium, phosphorus, nitrogen, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine, boron; a borate with or without lithium; a tantalum oxide with or without lithium; a lanthanide-based material with or without lithium; another lithium-based ceramic material; or any combination thereof.

The anodic electrochromic layer128can include any of the materials listed with respect to the cathodic electrochromic layer124or Ta2O5, ZrO2, HfO2, Sb2O3, or any combination thereof, and may further include nickel oxide (NiO, Ni2O3, or combination of the two), and Li, Na, H, or another ion and have a thickness in a range of 40 nm to 500 nm. In one embodiment, the anodic electrochromic layer128can have a thickness between 150 nm to 300 nm. In one embodiment, the anodic electrochromic layer128can have a thickness between 250 nm to 290 nm. In some embodiments, lithium may be inserted into at least one of the first electrode130or second electrode140.

In another embodiment, the device100may include a plurality of layers between the substrate110and the first transparent conductive layer122. In one embodiment, an antireflection layer can be between the substrate110and the first transparent conductive layer122. The antireflection layer can include SiO2, NbO2, Nb2O5and can be a thickness between 20 nm to 100 nm. The device100may include at least two bus bars with one bus bar144electrically connected to the first transparent conductive layer122and the second bus bar148electrically connected to the second transparent conductive layer130.

The electrochromic stack, which may include the first transparent conductor layer122, the cathodic electrochemical layer124, the anodic electrochemical layer128, and the second transparent conductor layer130, can all be patterned as described below. While employing a telecommunication device in conjunction with the electrochromic stack, the transparent conductive layers122and130of the stack can reflect frequencies used in 5G communication such as between 450 MHz to 39 GHz. As such, laser ablating the electrochromic stack in certain patterns so as to minimally impact the performance of the electrochromic device can also increase the amount of signals that pass through the electrochromic device. The specific patterns will be discussed in more detail below.

FIGS.2A-2Dare schematic top views of one or more electrochromic with a patterned electrochromic stack. The one or more electrochromic devices electrochromic devices200can be the same as the electrochromic device200described above. In one embodiment, as seen inFIG.2A, the pattern210can be a striped pattern. In one embodiment, the stripes can be uniform in width. In another embodiment, the stripes can be non-uniform. In another embodiment, the stripes can be in a horizontal orientation. The pattern210can be formed by selectively etching the first transparent conductor layer122, the cathodic electrochemical layer124, the anodic electrochemical layer128, and the second transparent conductor layer130. In one embodiment, the pattern210can be formed in both the transparent conductive layer130and the transparent conductive layer122. In one embodiment, the pattern can be non-uniform. The pattern210can be orthogonal to the bus bars and extend the length of the bus bars. In one embodiment, the bus bar is between 80-99% a length of a side of a substrate the includes an electrochromic device. In one embodiment, the patterned area210can allow 5G frequencies to pass through while the non-patterned area reflects those frequencies. In one embodiment, as seen inFIG.2A, the pattern210can be on one side of the electrochromic device. In other words, the pattern210can be closer to the bus bar148than to bus bar144. In one embodiment, the pattern210can have one or more lines, where each line has a length that extends between ⅙ and 1/10 the length of the electrochromic device. In one embodiment, the one or more lines of the pattern210can each have a length that is the same as all other lines within the pattern210. In one embodiment, the pattern210can have one or more lines that are between 0.5 mm and 1 mm in thickness.

In another embodiment, the one or more lines have spaces between each line. In another embodiment, as seen inFIG.2B, the pattern210can be centered or equally spaced between the two bus bars. In another embodiment, as seen inFIG.2C, the pattern210can include two columns, each column containing one or more lines. In one embodiment, each column is closer to the edge of the electrochromic than to the center of the electrochromic device. In another embodiment, as seen inFIG.2D, the pattern210can include one or more lines with a length that is between 60% and 80% the length of the side of the electrochromic device. In another embodiment, the pattern can have a height that is between 10% and 90% a length of a first bus bar. In one embodiment, the pattern210can be patterned using laser ablation.

In an electrochromic device, the two transparent conductors122,130create a voltage gradient that is generally perpendicular to the bus bars. If a laser pattern that ablated the whole film is perpendicular to voltage gradient, electrons flow may be hindered by these obstacles. As such, the electrochromic device is laser ablated in a pattern that is parallel to the voltage gradient of the electrochromic device. Laser patterns that ablate the whole film generate electron paths that are longer than normal. Thus, the effective resistance of a patterned region tends to increase and leads to slower switching areas. In the worst case, the area that is patterned may not tint at all because the voltage within that area is not sufficient. However, by making the pattern210in uniform, horizontal lines, leakage current between the lines can offset the increased path such that the areas that are ablated still look tinted as the electrochromic device switches from a clear state to a tinted state.

Any of the electrochromic devices can be subsequently processed as a part of an insulated glass unit.FIG.3is a schematic illustration of an insulated glazing unit300according to the embodiment of the current disclosure. The insulated glass unit300can include a first panel305, an electrochemical device320coupled to the first panel305, a second panel310, and a spacer315between the first panel305and second panel310. The first panel305can be a glass panel, a sapphire panel, an aluminum oxynitride panel, or a spinel panel. In another embodiment, the first panel can include a transparent polymer, such as a polyacrylic compound, a polyalkene, a polycarbonate, a polyester, a polyether, a polyethylene, a polyimide, a polysulfone, a polysulfide, a polyurethane, a polyvinylacetate, another suitable transparent polymer, or a co-polymer of the foregoing. The first panel305may or may not be flexible. In a particular embodiment, the first panel305can be float glass or a borosilicate glass and have a thickness in a range of 2 mm to 20 mm thick. The first panel305can be a heat-treated, heat-strengthened, or tempered panel. In one embodiment, the electrochemical device320is coupled to first panel305. In another embodiment, the electrochemical device320is on a substrate325and the substrate325is coupled to the first panel305. In one embodiment, a lamination interlayer330may be disposed between the first panel305and the electrochemical device320. In one embodiment, the lamination interlayer330may be disposed between the first panel305and the substrate325containing the electrochemical device320. The electrochemical device320may be on a first side321of the substrate325and the lamination interlayer330may be coupled to a second side322of the substrate. The first side321may be parallel to and opposite from the second side322.

The second panel310can be a glass panel, a sapphire panel, an aluminum oxynitride panel, or a spinel panel. In another embodiment, the second panel can include a transparent polymer, such as a polyacrylic compound, a polyalkene, a polycarbonate, a polyester, a polyether, a polyethylene, a polyimide, a polysulfone, a polysulfide, a polyurethane, a polyvinylacetate, another suitable transparent polymer, or a co-polymer of the foregoing. The second panel may or may not be flexible. In a particular embodiment, the second panel310can be float glass or a borosilicate glass and have a thickness in a range of 5 mm to 30 mm thick. The second panel310can be a heat-treated, heat-strengthened, or tempered panel. In one embodiment, the spacer315can be between the first panel305and the second panel310. In another embodiment, the spacer315is between the substrate325and the second panel310. In yet another embodiment, the spacer315is between the electrochemical device320and the second panel310.

In another embodiment, the insulated glass unit300can further include additional layers. The insulated glass unit300can include the first panel, the electrochemical device320coupled to the first panel305, the second panel310, the spacer315between the first panel305and second panel310, a third panel, and a second spacer between the first panel305and the second panel310. In one embodiment, the electrochemical device may be on a substrate. The substrate may be coupled to the first panel using a lamination interlayer. A first spacer may be between the substrate and the third panel. In one embodiment, the substrate is coupled to the first panel on one side and spaced apart from the third panel on the other side. In other words, the first spacer may be between the electrochemical device and the third panel. A second spacer may be between the third panel and the second panel. In such an embodiment, the third panel is between the first spacer and second spacer. In other words, the third panel is couple to the first spacer on a first side and coupled to the second spacer on a second side opposite the first side.

The embodiments described above and illustrated in the figures are not limited to rectangular shaped devices. Rather, the descriptions and figures are meant only to depict cross-sectional views of a device and are not meant to limit the shape of such a device in any manner. For example, the device may be formed in shapes other than rectangles (e.g., triangles, circles, arcuate structures, etc.). For further example, the device may be shaped three-dimensionally (e.g., convex, concave, etc.).

Embodiment 1. An electrochromic device can include a stack of layers. The stack of layers can include a first transparent conductive layer on a substrate, a second transparent conductive layer, a cathodic electrochromic layer between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer, and an anodic electrochromic layer between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer. The stack of layers can be patterned. The pattern can be parallel to a voltage gradient of the electrochromic device.

Embodiment 2. The electrochromic device of embodiment 1, where the pattern can include one or more lines.

Embodiment 3. The electrochromic device of embodiment 2, where the one or more lines are uniform and extend through all layers of the stack of layers of the electrochromic device.

Embodiment 4. The electrochromic device of embodiment 1, further including a first bus bar and a second bus bar.

Embodiment 5. The electrochromic device of embodiment 4, where the pattern is closer to the first bus bar than to the second bus bar.

Embodiment 6. The electrochromic device of embodiment 4, where the pattern is evenly spaced between the first bus bar and the second bus bar.

Embodiment 7. The electrochromic device of embodiment 1, where the pattern can include at least two columns.

Embodiment 8. The electrochromic device of embodiment 7, where each of the at least two columns is closer to a side of the electrochromic device than to a center of the electrochromic device.

Embodiment 9. The electrochromic device of embodiment 7, where each of the two columns include one or more lines that are each parallel to the voltage gradient of the electrochromic device.

Embodiment 11. The electrochromic device of embodiment 1, where each of the one or more electrochromic devices further can include an ion conducting layer between the cathodic electrochemical layer and the anodic electrochemical layer.

Embodiment 15. The electrochromic device of embodiment 1, where the second transparent conductive layer can include indium oxide, indium tin oxide, doped indium oxide, tin oxide, doped tin oxide, zinc oxide, doped zinc oxide, ruthenium oxide, doped ruthenium oxide and any combination thereof.

Embodiment 16. The electrochromic device of embodiment 1, where the anodic electrochemical layer can include a an inorganic metal oxide electrochemically active material, such as WO3, V2O5, MoO3, Nb2O5, TiO2, CuO, Ir2O3, Cr2O3, Co2O3, Mn2O3, Ta2O5, ZrO2, HfO2, Sb2O3, a lanthanide-based material with or without lithium, another lithium-based ceramic material, a nickel oxide (NiO, Ni2O3, or combination of the two), and Li, nitrogen, Na, H, or another ion, any halogen, or any combination thereof.

Embodiment 17. An electrochromic device can include a stack of layers. The stack of layers can include a first transparent conductive layer on a substrate, a second transparent conductive layer, a cathodic electrochromic layer between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer, and an anodic electrochromic layer between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer. The stack of layers can be patterned. The pattern can go through each of the first transparent conductive layer, the second transparent conductive layer, the cathodic electrochromic layer, and the anodic electrochromic layer.

Embodiment 18. The electrochromic device of embodiment 17, where pattern can include one or more lines in parallel.

Embodiment 19. The electrochromic device of embodiment 18, where each of the one or more parallel lines have a length that is between 60% and 80% a length of a side of the electrochromic device.

Embodiment 20. The electrochromic device of embodiment 18, where each of the one or more parallel lines have a length that is between 5% and 20% a length of a side of the electrochromic device.

Embodiment 21. The electrochromic device of embodiment 18, where the pattern has a height that is between 10% and 90% a length of a first bus bar.

Embodiment 22. The electrochromic device of embodiment 17, where the pattern is non-uniform.

Embodiment 23. An electrochromic device can include a stack of layers. The stack of layers can include a first transparent conductive layer on a substrate, a second transparent conductive layer, a cathodic electrochromic layer between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer, and an anodic electrochromic layer between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer. The stack of layers can be patterned. 5G frequencies can pass through a patterned area but are blocked in a non-patterned area.

Embodiment 24. The electrochromic device of embodiment 23, where the 5G frequencies range from 450 MHz to 39 GHz.