Electrochromic devices on non-rectangular shapes

• US 10,481,458 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: View Incorporated
• Original Assignee: View Incorporated
• Inventors: Dixit, Abhishek Anant, Martin, Todd, Pradhan, Anshu A., Jack, Gordon, Bhatnagar, Yashraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Brandi N
• Application Number:
  US14/893,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20160097960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,981 Days
• Field of Search: 359237, 359265-267, 359273-275, 359290-292, 359295, 359296, 359298
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/082 Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 59/16 by wave energy or particle radiation , e.g. infrared heating B29C59/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2011/00 Optical elements, e.g. lenses, prisms
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/02 for measuring length, width, or thickness G01B21/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/20 for measuring contours or curvatures, e.g. determining profile
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0012 Optical design, e.g. procedures, algorithms, optimisation routines
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/153 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1533 structural features not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/163 Operation of electrochromic cells, e.g. electrodeposition cells; Circuit arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/56 Substrates having a particular shape, e.g. non-rectangular

Abstract

This present invention relates to bus bar configurations and fabrication methods of non-rectangular shaped (e.g., triangular, trapezoidal, circular, pentagonal, hexagonal, arched, etc.) optical devices. The optical device comprises a first side, a second side, and a third side adjacent to the second side and two bus bars spanning a portion of the optical device.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an optically switchable device on a non-rectangular substrate, the method comprising:

(a) receiving at a laser tool the non-rectangular substrate having disposed thereon one or more layers of the optically switchable device; and

(b) directing a laser spot according to two or more non-rectangular laser patterns onto a region at the periphery of the optically switchable device along two straight edges of the non-rectangular substrate to remove at least one of the one or more layers of the optically switchable device from the region without re-orienting the non-rectangular substrate as it passes through the laser tool, wherein the two straight edges meet at a corner that is not a right angle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser spot is circular in shape.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser spot is directed to remove the one or more layers of the optically switchable device at the region in a single pass of the non-rectangular substrate through the laser tool.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser spot is circular and the two or more non-rectangular laser patterns comprise overlapping circles formed by a circular laser spot.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the laser spot is rectangular, and

wherein the rectangular laser spot is oriented at an angle with respect to a path of the non-rectangular substrate through the laser tool when the rectangular laser spot is directed along one of the two straight edges oriented at the angle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more non-rectangular laser patterns are differently shaped.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the region of the non-rectangular substrate where the at least one of the one or more layers is removed comprises a bus bar pad expose area;

and

further comprising forming a bus bar on the bus bar pad expose area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of the non-rectangular substrate where the at least one of the one or more layers is removed comprises an edge deletion area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the non-rectangular laser patterns comprises lines at an angle to a path of the non-rectangular substrate through the laser tool.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser spot is directed according to at least one of the two or more non-rectangular laser patterns at an angle to a path of the non-rectangular substrate through the laser tool.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser spot is directed along the corner of the two straight edges.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one of the two or more non-rectangular laser patterns bridges the corner of the two straight edges.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of the non-rectangular substrate where the at least one of the one or more layers is removed includes a bus bar pad expose area or an edge deletion area, located outside a viewable area of the optically switchable device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the substrate with the optical switchable device in a linear path through the laser tool.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the optically switchable device is an electrochromic device having a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and an electrochromic layer between the first and second conductive layers.

16. The method of claim 1,

wherein the region of the non-rectangular substrate where the at least one of the one or more layers is removed includes a bus bar pad expose area;

and

further comprising forming a bus bar on the bus bar pad expose area.