Patent ID: 7961375

Claim:
A multi-cell electrochromic device, comprising: a plurality of solid-state electrochromic cells arranged in an optical alignment, each electrochromic cell being separated from an adjacent electrochromic cell in the optical alignment by a transparent conductive layer that is shared by the two adjacent electrochromic cells, a first electrochromic cell of the plurality of solid-state electrochromic cells comprising: a first transparent conductive layer; a counter electrode layer formed in contact with the first transparent conductive layer; an ion conductor layer formed in contact with the counter electrode layer; an electrochromic layer formed in contact with the ion conductor layer; and the shared transparent conductive layer formed in contact with the electrochromic layer; and a second electrochromic cell of the plurality of solid-state electrochromic cells comprising: an electrochromic layer formed in direct contact with the shared transparent conductive layer; an ion conductor layer formed in contact with the electrochromic layer; a counter electrode layer formed in contact with the ion conductor layer; and a second transparent conductive layer formed in direct contact with counter electrode layer, each electrochromic layer comprises tungsten oxide WO 3 , vanadium oxide V 2 O 5 , niobium oxide Nb 2 O 3 or iridium oxide IrO 2 , each counter electrode layer comprises nickel oxide NiO, tungsten-doped nickel oxide, or iridium oxide IrO 2 , each ion conductor layer comprises silicon oxide SiO 2 , titanium oxide TiO 2 , aluminum oxide Al 2 O 3 , or tantalum oxide Ta 2 O 5 , and a first voltage being applied between the first transparent conductive layer and the shared transparent conductive layer, and a second voltage being applied between the shared transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer, the first and second voltages being different from each other.