Electrochromic window fabrication methods

• US 10,241,375 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: View Incorporated
• Original Assignee: View Incorporated
• Inventors: Collins, Mark A., Parker, Ronald M., Rozbicki, Robert T., Shrivastava, Dhairya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkney, Dawayne A
• Application Number:
  US15/226,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20160342060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 359265-275, 359277, 359245-247, 359254, 359242, 345 49, 345105, 250 70, 348817, 438929
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10055 with at least one intermediate air space
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10128 Treatment of at least one glass sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10183 being not continuous, e.g. in edge regions
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10513 Electrochromic layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10697 being cross-linked
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10908 in liquid form
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/1099 After-treatment of the layered product, e.g. cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2333/12 Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/2464 featuring transparency control by applying voltage, e.g. LCD, electrochromic panels
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/6722 with adjustable passage of light
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/673 Assembling the units E06B3/677 takes precedence ; making hollow glass sheets or bricks C03B23/24
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/24 Screens or other constructions affording protection against light, especially against sunshine; Similar screens for privacy or appearance; Slat blindsoperating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures E06B9/56; free-hanging flexible screens A47H23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/14 Protective coatings, e.g. hard coatings
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133311 Environmental protection, e.g. against dust or humidity
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/153 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1533 structural features not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/155 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/161 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells; Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 : Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49004 : including measuring or testing of device or component part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49124 : On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc.

Abstract

Methods of manufacturing electrochromic windows are described. An electrochromic device is fabricated to substantially cover a glass sheet, for example float glass, and a cutting pattern is defined based on one or more low-defectivity areas in the device from which one or more electrochromic panes are cut. Laser scribes and/or bus bars may be added prior to cutting the panes or after. Edge deletion can also be performed prior to or after cutting the electrochromic panes from the glass sheet. Insulated glass units (IGUs) are fabricated from the electrochromic panes and optionally one or more of the panes of the IGU are strengthened.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing one or more electrochromic panes, the method comprising, in order:

(a) depositing an electrochromic device on a transparent substrate;

(b) inspecting one or more physical features of the electrochromic device on the transparent substrate;

(c) defining a cutting pattern for cutting the transparent substrate based on the one or more physical features of the electrochromic device; and

(d) cutting the transparent substrate with the electrochromic device deposited thereon according to the defined cutting pattern to create the one or more electrochromic panes.

2. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein (b) comprises inspecting one or more of a transparent conducting oxide layer, an ion conducting layer, an electrochromic layer, and a counter electrode layer of the electrochromic device.

3. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein (b) comprises one or more of an optical inspection, an electrical inspection, a chemical inspection and a mechanical inspection.

4. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical features includes optical density, sheet resistance, thickness, defectivity and morphology of the electrochromic device.

5. The method of manufacturing of claim 4, wherein (b) comprises inspecting the uniformity, across the transparent substrate, of one or more of optical density, sheet resistance, thickness, defectivity and morphology.

6. The method of manufacturing of claim 1,

wherein the transparent substrate is non-tempered glass;

and

further comprising strengthening each of the one or more electrochromic panes by laminating with another transparent substrate.

7. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein (b) comprises inspecting for defects and/or non-uniformities in the electrochromic device.

8. The method of manufacturing of claim 7, wherein inspecting for defects and/or non-uniformities in the electrochromic device comprises applying polarized light to the transparent substrate.

9. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, wherein (b) comprises inspecting for defects and/or non-uniformities at one or more edges of the transparent substrate.

10. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, further comprising performing edge deletion to remove the electrochromic device at the periphery of each electrochromic pane created in (d).

11. The method of manufacturing of claim 1, further comprising individually inspecting one or more physical features of each electrochromic pane created in (d).

12. A method of manufacturing one or more electrochromic panes, the method comprising, in order:

(a) depositing a first electrochromic device on a first transparent substrate, the first electrochromic device comprising two transparent conducting oxide electrode layers;

(b) detecting one or more areas of the electrochromic device having defects and/or non-uniformities;

(c) mapping data sets across the transparent substrate of the areas having defects and/or non-uniformities in the first electrochromic device;

(d) defining a cutting pattern by excluding or relegating the one or more areas of the electrochromic device having defects and/or non-uniformities from the one or more electrochromic panes in the cutting pattern; and

(e) cutting the first transparent substrate with the electrochromic device deposited thereon according to the defined cutting pattern to create the one or more electrochromic panes.

13. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, wherein (b) comprises applying polarized light to the first transparent substrate.

14. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, further comprising scribing the first electrochromic device to expose the two transparent conducting oxide electrode layers of the first electrochromic device.

15. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, further comprising:

applying temporary bus bars to the two transparent conducting oxide electrode layers of the first electrochromic device; and

applying electrical energy to the temporary bus bars to change optical properties of the first electrochromic device to detect the one or more areas of the first electrochromic device having defects and/or non-uniformities in (b).

16. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, wherein (b) comprises automated scanning of the electrochromic device to detect the one or more areas of the electrochromic device having defects and/or non-uniformities.

17. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, wherein (b) comprises classifying the type and/or severity of the defects and/or non-uniformities.

18. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, further comprising mitigating one or more electrical short defects detected in (b) by applying electrical or optical energy to the first electrochromic device.

19. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, wherein (c) comprises:

(i) creating a first mapping data set based on the one or more areas having defects and/or non-uniformities in the first electrochromic device;

(ii) creating a second mapping data set based on one or more areas having defects and/or non-uniformities in a second electrochromic device on a second transparent substrate; and

(iii) comparing the first mapping data set to the second mapping data set; and

wherein (d) uses the comparison in (iii).

20. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, further comprising registering a first pane of the one or more electrochromic panes with a second pane of the one or more electrochromic panes into a single insulated glass unit such that respective areas of defects and/or non-uniformities do not align.

21. The method of manufacturing of claim 19, wherein (iii) comprises comparing the one or more areas having defects and/or non-uniformities in the first electrochromic device with one or more areas having defects and/or non-uniformities in the second electrochromic device, creating the one or more electrochromic panes from both the first and second electrochromic devices and registering two panes of the one or more electrochromic panes in an insulated glass unit such that respective areas of defects and/or non-uniformities do not align.

22. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, wherein the cutting pattern is defined to cut one or more electrochromic panes with different sizes and/or defectivity levels.

23. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, wherein the cutting pattern is defined to cut one or more electrochromic panes for different types of windows and/or end users.

24. A method of manufacturing one or more electrochromic panes, the method comprising, in order:

(a) depositing an electrochromic device on a transparent substrate;

(b) cutting the transparent substrate with the electrochromic device deposited thereon according to a cutting pattern to create the one or more electrochromic panes; and

(c) performing edge deletion to remove an edge portion of the electrochromic device at the periphery of each of the one or more electrochromic panes created in (b).

25. The method of manufacturing of claim 24, further comprising performing an edge trim by removing a perimeter portion of the transparent substrate prior to (b), the perimeter portion comprising a width in a range of about 1 to about 10 inches.

26. The method of manufacturing of claim 24, further comprising testing the electrochromic device after (c).