Defect-mitigation layers in electrochromic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10288969-B2
Application number	US-201615086438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2011
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

Electrochromic devices and methods may employ the addition of a defect-mitigating insulating layer which prevents electronically conducting layers and/or electrochromically active layers from contacting layers of the opposite polarity and creating a short circuit in regions where defects form. In some embodiments, an encapsulating layer is provided to encapsulate particles and prevent them from ejecting from the device stack and risking a short circuit when subsequent layers are deposited. The insulating layer may have an electronic resistivity of between about 1 and 10 8 Ohm-cm. In some embodiments, the insulating layer contains one or more of the following metal oxides: aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silicon aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, tungsten oxide, nickel tungsten oxide, and oxidized indium tin oxide. Carbides, nitrides, oxynitrides, and oxycarbides may also be used.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrochromic device comprising:
a substrate;
a first electrode layer disposed on the substrate, the first electrode layer comprising a first transparent electronically conductive material;
an electrochromic stack comprising an electrochromic layer of electrochromic material, an ion conducting layer, and a counter electrode layer of counter electrode material;
a second electrode layer disposed on the electrochromic stack, the second electrode layer comprising a second transparent electronically conductive material; and
at least one defect-mitigating insulating layer (DMIL) comprising a substantially transparent material, wherein:
(i) the at least one DMIL is adjacent to the electrochromic layer and interposed between the electrochromic layer and the ion conducting layer or;
(ii) the at least one DMIL is adjacent to the counter electrode layer and interposed between the counter electrode layer and the ion conducting layer; or
(iii) at least a first DMIL of the at least one DMIL is adjacent to the electrochromic layer and interposed between the electrochromic layer and the ion conducting layer and at least a second DMIL of the at least one DMIL is adjacent to the counter electrode layer and interposed between the counter electrode layer and the ion conducting layer.

2. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer comprises a metal oxide, a metal nitride, a metal carbide, a metal oxynitride, or a metal oxycarbide.

3. The electrochromic device of claim 2 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer comprises a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silicon aluminum oxide, tungsten oxide, nickel tungsten oxide, and oxidized indium tin oxide.

4. The electrochromic device of claim 2 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer comprises titanium oxide.

5. The electrochromic device of claim 2 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer comprises a metal nitride selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, tantalum nitride, and tungsten nitride.

6. The electrochromic device of claim 2 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer comprises a metal carbide selected from the group consisting of titanium carbide, aluminum carbide, silicon carbide, tantalum carbide, and tungsten carbide.

7. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer comprises a material that is different than material in the ion conducting layer.

8. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer has a thickness of between about 5 and 500 nm.

9. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer comprises two distinct materials.

10. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulation layer is ionically conductive.

11. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulation layer is conductive to lithium ions.

12. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulation layer has an ionic conductivity between about 10-7 Siemens/cm and 10-12 Siemens/cm.

13. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the defect-mitigating insulating layer has an electronic resistivity of between about 1 and 1015 ohm-cm.

14. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the ion conducting layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a silicate, a silicon oxide, a tungsten oxide, a tantalum oxide, a niobium oxide, and a borate.

15. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the ion conducting layer is doped with lithium.

16. The electrochromic device of claim 1 , wherein the ion conducting layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of lithium silicate, lithium aluminum silicate, lithium aluminum borate, lithium aluminum fluoride, lithium borate, lithium nitride, lithium zirconium silicate, lithium niobate, lithium tungstate, lithium borosilicate, lithium phosphosilicate, and lithium silicon-oxide.

17. A method of fabricating an electrochromic device, the method comprising:
forming an electrochromic stack on a first electrode layer disposed on a substrate, the electrochromic stack comprising an electrochromic layer of electrochromic material, an ion conducting layer, and a counter electrode layer of counter electrode material;
forming at least one defect-mitigating insulating layer (DMIL) within the electrochromic stack, wherein the DMIL comprises a substantially transparent material; and
forming a second electrode layer over the electrochromic stack, the second electrode layer comprising a second transparent electronically conductive material, wherein:
(i) the at least one DMIL is adjacent to the electrochromic layer and interposed between the electrochromic layer and the ion conducting layer; or
(ii) the at least one DMIL is adjacent to the counter electrode layer and interposed between the counter electrode layer and the ion conducting layer; or
(iii) at least a first DMIL of the at least one DMIL is adjacent to the electrochromic layer and interposed between the electrochromic layer and the ion conducting layer and at least a second DMIL of the at least one DMIL is adjacent to the counter electrode layer and interposed between the counter electrode layer and the ion conducting layer.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein forming the DMIL comprises performing chemical vapor deposition or physical vapor deposition.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the DMIL comprises a metal oxide, a metal nitride, a metal carbide, a metal oxynitride, or a metal oxycarbide.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the DMIL comprises a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silicon aluminum oxide, tungsten oxide, nickel tungsten oxide, and oxidized indium tin oxide.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the DMIL comprises titanium oxide.

22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the DMIL comprises a metal nitride selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, tantalum nitride, and tungsten nitride.

23. The method of claim 17 , wherein the DMIL comprises a material that is different than the material in the ion conducting layer.

24. The method of claim 17 , wherein the DMIL has a thickness between about 5 and 500 nm.

25. The method of claim 17 , wherein the DMIL comprises two distinct materials.

26. The method of claim 17 , wherein the DMIL has an ionic conductivity between about 10-7 Siemens/cm and 10-12 Siemens/cm.

27. The method of claim 17 , wherein the ion conducting layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a silicate, a silicon oxide, a tungsten oxide, a tantalum oxide, a niobium oxide, and a borate.

28. The method of claim 17 , wherein the ion conducting layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of lithium silicate, lithium aluminum silicate, lithium aluminum borate, lithium aluminum fluoride, lithium borate, lithium nitride, lithium zirconium silicate, lithium niobate, lithium tungstate, lithium borosilicate, lithium phosphosilicate, and lithium silicon-oxide.

29. The method of

Assignees

• View Inc

Inventors

• Kailasam Sridhar K
• Friedman Robin
• Gillaspie Dane
• Pradhan Anshu A
• Rozbicki Robert
• Mehtani Disha

Classifications

• C23C14/0635

  Carbides · CPC title

• H01J37/3429

  Plural materials · CPC title

• C23C14/083

  of refractory metals or yttrium · CPC title

• C23C14/08

  Oxides (C23C14/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02F2001/1536

  additional, e.g. protective, layer inside the cell · CPC title