Electrochromic multi-layer devices with composite electrically conductive layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11860499-B2
Application number	US-202017129333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2020
Priority date	Aug 8, 2012
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A multi-layer device comprising a first substrate and a first electrically conductive layer on a surface thereof, the first electrically conductive layer having a sheet resistance to the flow of electrical current through the first electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-layer device comprising a first substrate and a first composite electrically conductive layer on a surface of the first substrate, the first composite electrically conductive layer comprising a first material and a second material, the first material being a transparent conductive oxide and the second material having a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 2 , the first composite electrically conductive layer having resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the first electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position.

2. The multi-layer device of claim 1 wherein the first composite electrically conductive layer has a spatially varying sheet resistance, Rs, that varies as a function of position in the first composite electrically conductive layer, a contour map of the sheet resistance, Rs, as a function of position within the first electrically conductive layer contains a set of isoresistance lines and a set of resistance gradient lines normal to the isoresistance lines, and the sheet resistance along a gradient line in the set generally increases, generally decreases, generally increases until it reaches a maximum and then generally decreases, or generally decreases until it reaches a minimum and then generally increases.

3. The multi-layer device of claim 1 wherein the first substrate is transparent to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet.

4. The multi-layer device of claim 1 wherein the first substrate has an inner surface facing the first composite electrically conductive layer, the surface area of the inner surface of the first substrate being at least 0.1 meter 2 .

5. The multi-layer device of claim 1 , the multi-layer device further comprising a first electrode layer on a surface of the first composite electrically conductive layer, the first composite electrically conductive layer being between the first electrode layer and the first substrate.

6. The multi-layer device of claim 5 wherein the first electrode layer comprises an electrochromic material.

7. The multi-layer device of claim 5 , the multi-layer device further comprising a second electrically conductive layer, the first electrode layer located between the first composite electrically conductive layer and the second electrically conductive layer, the second electrically conductive layer having a sheet resistance, Rs, to the flow of electrical current through the second electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the second electrically conductive layer wherein the ratio of the value of maximum sheet resistance, R max , to the value of minimum sheet resistance, R min , in the second electrically conductive layer is at least about 10.

8. The multi-layer device of claim 5 , the multi-layer device further comprising an ion conducting layer, the first electrode layer being between the ion conducting layer and the first composite electrically conductive layer, the ion conducting layer being a dielectric material having an ionic conductivity for carrier ions of at least 10 −7 Siemens/cm at 25° C.

9. The multi-layer device of claim 8 , the multi-layer device further comprising a second electrode layer, the ion conducting layer being between the first and second electrode layers.

10. The multi-layer device of claim 9 wherein the second electrode layer comprises an electrochromic material.

11. The multi-layer device of claim 7 wherein the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 5, the first and second regions circumscribed by the first and second convex polygons, respectively, each comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer.

12. The multi-layer device of claim 7 wherein the second electrically conductive layer has a spatially varying sheet resistance, Rs, that varies as a function of position in the second electrically conductive layer, a contour map of the sheet resistance, Rs, as a function of position within the second electrically conductive layer contains a set of isoresistance lines and a set of resistance gradient lines normal to the isoresistance lines, and the sheet resistance along a gradient line in the set generally increases, generally decreases, generally increases until it reaches a maximum and then generally decreases, or generally decreases until it reaches a minimum and then generally increases.

13. The multi-layer device of claim 7 wherein (a) the first composite electrically conductive layer comprises a region A1 and a region B1 wherein region A1 and region B1 each comprise at least 25% of the surface area of the first composite electrically conductive layer, are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and are mutually exclusive, (b) a projection of region A1 onto the second electrically conductive layer defines a region A circumscribed by a convex polygon in the second electrically conductive layer comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive, (c) a projection of region B1 onto the second electrically conductive layer defines a region B circumscribed by a convex polygon in the second electrically conductive layer comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive, (d) the first composite electrically conductive layer has an average sheet resistance in region A1 corresponding to R A1 avg and an average sheet resistance in region B1 corresponding to R B1 avg (e) the second electrically conductive layer has an average sheet resistance in region A corresponding to R A avg and an average sheet resistance in region B corresponding to R B avg , (f) the ratio of R A1 avg to R B1 avg or the ratio of R B avg to R A avg is at least 1.5 and (g) the ratio of (R A1 avg /R A avg ) to (R B1 avg /R B avg ) is at least 1.5.

14. The multi-layer device of claim 7 , the multi-layer device further comprising a second substrate, the second electrically conductive layer being between the second substrate and the first electrically conductive layer.

15. The multi-layer device of claim 14 wherein the second substrate is transparent to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet.

16. A process for the preparation of a multi-layer device comprising forming a multi-layer structure comprising an electrochromic layer between and in electrical contact with a first composite electrically conductive layer and a second electrically conductive layer, the first composite electrically conductive layer having a first material and a second material, the first material being a transparent conductive oxide and the second material having a resistivity that is greater than the resistivity of the first material by a factor of at least 10 2 , wherein the first composite electrically conductive layer and/or the second electrically conductive layer have resistance to current flow substantially parallel to a major surface of the first composite electrically conductive layer and/or the second electrically conductive layer, respectively, that varies as a function of position in the first composite electrically conductive layer and/or the second electrically conductive layer, respectively.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein the first composite ele

Assignees

• Kinestral Tech Inc
• Halio Inc

Inventors

• Bergh Howard S
• Ziebarth Jonathan
• Timmerman Nicolas

Classifications

• G02F1/1524 Primary

  Transition metal compounds · CPC title

• G02F1/153

  Constructional details · CPC title

• G02F1/155 Primary

  Electrodes · CPC title

• G02F1/1523

  comprising inorganic material · CPC title

• G02F1/1533

  structural features not otherwise provided for · CPC title