Electrochromic multi-layer devices with composite electrically conductive layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9606411-B2
Application number	US-201514750576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2015
Priority date	Aug 8, 2012
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

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 patterned electrically conductive layer on a surface of the first substrate, the first patterned electrically conductive layer being transmissive to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet on a surface of the first substrate, the first patterned composite electrically conductive layer comprising a transparent electrically conductive material, the first patterned electrically conductive layer having an average sheet resistance wherein a ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, 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 first electrically conductive layer.

2. The multi-layer device of claim 1 wherein the first electrically conductive layer has a spatially varying sheet resistance, R s , that varies as a function of position in the first electrically conductive layer, a contour map of the sheet resistance, R s , 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 , the multi-layer device further comprising a first electrode layer on a surface of the first electrically conductive layer, the first electrically conductive layer being between the first electrode layer and the first substrate.

5. The multi-layer device of claim 4 wherein the first electrode layer comprises an electrochromic material.

6. The multi-layer device of claim 4 , the multi-layer device further comprising a second electrically conductive layer, the first electrode layer being transparent to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet and located between the first and second electrically conductive layers, the second electrically conductive layer having a sheet resistance, R s , to the flow of electrical current through the second electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the first 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 2.

7. The multi-layer device of claim 6 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 2, 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.

8. The multi-layer device of claim 6 wherein the second electrically conductive layer has a spatially varying sheet resistance, R s , that varies as a function of position in the second electrically conductive layer, a contour map of the sheet resistance, R s , 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.

9. The multi-layer device of claim 6 wherein (a) the first electrically conductive layer comprises a region A 1 and a region B 1 wherein region A 1 and region B 1 each comprise at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer, are each circumscribed by a convex polygon and are mutually exclusive, (b) a projection of region A 1 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 B 1 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 electrically conductive layer has an average sheet resistance in region A 1 corresponding to R A1 avg and an average sheet resistance in region B 1 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.

10. The multi-layer device of claim 6 , 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.

11. The multi-layer device of claim 10 wherein the second substrate is transparent to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of infrared to ultraviolet.

12. The multi-layer device of claim 4 , the multi-layer device further comprising an ion conducting layer, the first electrode layer being between the ion conducting layer and the first 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.

13. The multi-layer device of claim 12 , the multi-layer device further comprising a second electrode layer, the ion conducting layer being between the first and second electrode layers.

14. The multi-layer device of claim 13 wherein the second electrode layer comprises an electrochromic material.

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

16. The multi-layer device of claim 1 wherein the first electrically conductive layer comprises 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 .

17. An electrochromic device comprising a first substrate, a first electrically conductive layer, a first electrode layer, a second electrically conductive layer and a second substrate, at least one of the first and second electrically conductive layers comprising a patterned electrically conductive layer, the first and second electrically conductive layers eac

Assignees

• Kinestral Tech Inc

Inventors

• Bergh Howard S
• Ziebarth Jonathan
• Timmerman Nicolas

Classifications

• G02F2001/1536

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

• G02F1/1533

  structural features not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G02F1/153

  Constructional details · CPC title

• G02F1/163

  Operation of electrochromic cells, e.g. electrodeposition cells; Circuit arrangements therefor · CPC title

• G02F1/155 Primary

  Electrodes · CPC title