FABRICATION OF LOW DEFECTIVITY ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICES

• US 20170097552A1
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: View Incorporated
• Original Assignee: View Incorporated
• Inventors: ROZBICKI, Robert T., PRADHAN, Anshu A., GILLASPIE, Dane, KAILASAM, Sridhar K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,261,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/94 Transparent conductive oxide layers [TCO] being part of a multilayer coating
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 10/28 using solids, e.g. powders, pastes
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/08 Oxides C23C14/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/083 of refractory metals or yttrium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/185 by cathodic sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/568 Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations C23C14/562 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5806 Thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5853 Oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1523 comprising inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1524 Transition metal compounds

Abstract

Prior electrochromic devices frequently suffer from high levels of defectivity. The defects may be manifest as pin holes or spots where the electrochromic transition is impaired. This is unacceptable for many applications such as electrochromic architectural glass. Improved electrochromic devices with low defectivity can be fabricated by depositing certain layered components of the electrochromic device in a single integrated deposition system. While these layers are being deposited and/or treated on a substrate, for example a glass window, the substrate never leaves a controlled ambient environment, for example a low pressure controlled atmosphere having very low levels of particles. These layers may be deposited using physical vapor deposition. In certain embodiments, the device includes a counter electrode having an anodically coloring electrochromic material in combination with an additive.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an electrochromic stack, the method comprising:

forming a cathodically coloring layer comprising a cathodically coloring electrochromic material; and

forming an anodically coloring layer comprising an anodically coloring electrochromic material and one or more additives, wherein the anodically coloring material comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), rhodium (Rh), ruthenium (Ru), Vanadium (V), and iridium (Ir), and wherein the additive comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), arsenic (As), gold (Au), boron (B), cadmium (Cd), cesium (Cs), copper (Cu), europium (Eu), gallium (Ga), gadolinium (Gd), germanium (Ge), mercury (Hg), osmium (Os), lead (Pb), palladium (Pd), promethium (Pm), polonium (Po), platinum (Pt), radium (Ra), rubidium (Rb), terbium (Tb), technetium (Tc), thorium (Th), thallium (Tl), and combinations thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Rh, Ir, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mn, Ni, Rh, Ir, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is selected from the group consisting of Ni, Ir, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is Ni.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the additive comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Ga, Gd, Ge, Cu, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the additive comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Ga, Gd, Ge, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the additive comprises Ge.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the additive comprises Cu.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the additive comprises Ga.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the additive comprises Gd.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is present in the anodically coloring layer at an atomic ratio equal to or greater than an atomic ratio of the metal in the additive.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the anodically coloring layer further comprises a halogen.

14. An electrochromic stack, comprising:

a cathodically coloring layer comprising a cathodically coloring material; and

an anodically coloring layer comprising an anodically coloring electrochromic material and one or more additives, wherein the anodically coloring material comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), rhodium (Rh), ruthenium (Ru), Vanadium (V), and iridium (Ir), and wherein the additive comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), arsenic (As), gold (Au), boron (B), cadmium (Cd), cesium (Cs), copper (Cu), europium (Eu), gallium (Ga), gadolinium (Gd), germanium (Ge), mercury (Hg), osmium (Os), lead (Pb), palladium (Pd), promethium (Pm), polonium (Po), platinum (Pt), radium (Ra), rubidium (Rb), terbium (Tb), technetium (Tc), thorium (Th), thallium (Tl), and combinations thereof.

15. The electrochromic stack of claim 14, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Rh, Ir, and combinations thereof.

16. The electrochromic stack of claim 15, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mn, Ni, Rh, Ir, and combinations thereof.

17. The electrochromic stack of claim 16, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is selected from the group consisting of Ni, Ir, and combinations thereof.

18. The electrochromic stack of claim 17, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is Ni.

19. The electrochromic stack of claim 14, wherein the additive comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Ga, Gd, Ge, Cu, and combinations thereof.

20. The electrochromic stack of claim 19, wherein the additive comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Ga, Gd, Ge, and combinations thereof.

21. The electrochromic stack of claim 20, wherein the additive comprises Ge.

22. The electrochromic stack of claim 19, wherein the additive comprises Cu.

23. The electrochromic stack of claim 20, wherein the additive comprises Ga.

24. The electrochromic stack of claim 20, wherein the additive comprises Gd.

25. The electrochromic stack of claim 14, wherein the metal in the anodically coloring electrochromic material is present in the anodically coloring layer at an atomic ratio equal to or greater than an atomic ratio of the metal in the additive.

26. The electrochromic stack of claim 14, wherein the anodically coloring layer further comprises a halogen.

27. The electrochromic stack of claim 14, wherein the anodically coloring layer is substantially amorphous.

28. The electrochromic stack of claim 14, wherein the anodically coloring layer comprises an amorphous matrix of a first material having domains of a second material scattered throughout the amorphous matrix.

29. An integrated deposition system for fabricating an electrochromic stack, the system comprising:

a plurality of deposition stations aligned in series and interconnected and operable to pass a substrate from one station to the next without exposing the substrate to an external environment, wherein the plurality of deposition stations comprise

(i) a first deposition station containing one or more material sources for depositing a cathodically coloring layer;

(ii) a second deposition station containing one or more material sources for depositing an anodically coloring layer, wherein the one or more material sources for depositing the anodically coloring layer comprise at least a first metal and an additive, the first metal selected from the group consisting of chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), rhodium (Rh), and iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), and vanadium (V), and the additive selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), arsenic (As), gold (Au), boron (B), cadmium (Cd), cesium (Cs), copper (Cu), europium (Eu), gallium (Ga), gadolinium (Gd), germanium (Ge), mercury (Hg), osmium (Os), lead (Pb), palladium (Pd), promethium (Pm), polonium (Po), platinum (Pt), radium (Ra), rubidium (Rb), terbium (Tb), technetium (Tc), thorium (Th), and thallium (Tl); and

a controller containing program instructions for passing the substrate through the plurality of stations in a manner that deposits on the substrate (i) the cathodically coloring layer, and (ii) the anodically coloring layer to form a stack comprising at least the cathodically coloring layer and the anodically coloring layer.

30. The integrated deposition system of claim 29, wherein at least one of the one or more material sources for depositing the anodically coloring layer further comprise a halogen.

31. The integrated deposition system of claim 29, wherein the first metal is selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Rh, Ir, and combinations thereof.

32. The integrated deposition system of claim 31, wherein first metal is selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mn, Ni, Rh, Ir, and combinations thereof.

33. The integrated deposition system of claim 32, wherein the first metal is selected from the group consisting of Ni, Ir, and combinations thereof.

34. The integrated deposition system of claim 33, wherein the first metal comprises Ni.

35. The integrated deposition system of claim 29, wherein the additive comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Ga, Gd, Ge, Cu, and combinations thereof.

36. The integrated deposition system of claim 35, wherein the additive comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Ga, Gd, Ge, and combinations thereof.

37. The integrated deposition system of claim 36, wherein the additive comprises Ge.

38. The integrated deposition system of claim 35, wherein the additive comprises Cu.

39. The integrated deposition system of claim 36, wherein the additive comprises Ga.

40. The integrated deposition system of claim 36, wherein the additive comprises Gd.