Non-light-emitting variable transmission device and a method of forming the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11714327-B2
Application number	US-201816124744-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2018
Priority date	Sep 12, 2017
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A non-light-emitting variable transmission device can include an active stack; a transparent conductive layer overlying the active stack; an antireflective layer overlying the transparent conductive layer and defining a hole; and a bus bar comprising a conductive tape that extends into the hole and contacts the transparent conductive layer. Proper selection of materials and design of a bus bar can allow an electrical connection to be made to the transparent conductive layer without the need to cut an underlying transparent conductive layer. A method of forming the non-light-emitting variable transmission device can include patterning the antireflective layer to define the hole that extends to the transparent conductive layer. Improved control in patterning allows the antireflective layer to be relatively thin and not remove too much of the underlying transparent conductive layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-light-emitting variable transmission device, comprising:
an active stack;
a first transparent conductive layer overlying the active stack;
a second transparent conductive layer, wherein the active stack is between the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer;
an intermediate layer overlying the first transparent conductive layer and defining a first hole;
a first bus bar comprising a first backing substrate and a first adhesive layer, wherein the first bus bar extends into the first hole and contacts the first transparent conductive layer, wherein both the first backing substrate and the first adhesive layer extend above the intermediate layer, wherein only the first adhesive layer extends into the first hole, and wherein the first adhesive layer comprises conductive material;
a second bus bar extending into a second hole of the intermediate layer and contacting the second transparent conductive layer, wherein each of the first bus bar and the second bus bar extend above the intermediate layer; and
a substrate, wherein the active stack is between the intermediate layer and the substrate, wherein the intermediate layer has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the substrate, and wherein the intermediate layer has a thickness that is less than 100 nm.

2. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 1 , wherein the second bus bar comprises a second conductive tape, the second conductive tape of the second bus bar extending into the second hole of the intermediate layer and contacting the second transparent conductive layer, wherein the first hole is spaced apart from the second hole.

3. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first hole and the second hole includes a pattern of holes extending through the intermediate layer to the first transparent conductive layer.

4. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first and second bus bars has a backing substrate having a resistivity in a range of 1 μΩ-cm to 7 μΩ-cm.

5. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 1 , wherein the first bus bar does not contact any layer of the active stack or the second transparent conductive layer.

6. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 1 , wherein the first transparent conductive layer has a first thickness at a location under the first hole and a second thickness at another location spaced apart from the first hole, wherein the first thickness is less than the second thickness.

7. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 6 , wherein the first thickness is at least 90% of the thickness of the second thickness.

8. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 6 , wherein a difference between the first thickness and the second thickness is no greater than 2 nm.

9. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 1 , wherein the conductive material does not contain silver.

10. A non-light-emitting variable transmission device, comprising:
an active stack;
a first transparent conductive layer overlying the active stack;
an intermediate layer overlying the first transparent conductive layer and defining a first hole;
a first bus bar comprising a first backing substrate and a first adhesive layer, wherein the first bus bar extends into the first hole and contacts the first transparent conductive layer, wherein both the first backing substrate and the first adhesive layer extend above the intermediate layer, wherein only the first adhesive layer extends into the first hole, and wherein the first adhesive layer comprises conductive material;
a second bus bar comprising a second conductive tape, the second conductive tape of the second bus bar extending into a second hole of the intermediate layer and contacting a second transparent conductive layer, wherein the first hole is spaced apart from the second hole; and wherein each of the first bus bar and the second bus bar extend above the intermediate layer; and
a substrate, wherein the active stack is between the intermediate layer and the substrate, wherein the intermediate layer has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the substrate, and wherein the intermediate layer has a thickness that is less than 100 nm.

11. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 10 , wherein the conductive material does not contain silver.

12. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 10 , wherein the first bus bar does not contact the second transparent conductive layer.

13. The non-light-emitting variable transmission device of claim 10 , further comprising a third hole between the first hole and the second hole to electrically isolate the first bus bar.

Assignees

• Sage Electrochromics Inc

Inventors

• Sarrach Sebastian Marius
• Giron Jean-Christophe
• Reutler Pascal
• Murphy Sean
• Bocek Peter

Classifications

• G02F1/1533 Primary

  structural features not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G02F1/155 Primary

  Electrodes · CPC title

• G02F1/1523

  comprising inorganic material · CPC title

• G02F2001/1536

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

• G02F1/157

  Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices · CPC title