Color-modifying treatment of thin films

• US 6,500,287 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ChromoGenics Sweden AB
• Original Assignee: Forskarpatent I Uppsala AB
• Inventors: Kullman, Lisen, Granqvist, Claes Goran, Azens, Andris
• Primary Examiner(s): Ball, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haran, John T.
• Application Number:
  US09/686,747
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 156/150, 156/272.2, 204/192.1, 359/265, 427/532, 427/553, 427/558
• US Class Current: 156/150
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3239 Vanadium oxides, vanadates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. magnesium vanadate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3279 Nickel oxides, nickalates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/42 based on chromites C04B35/047 and C04B35/105 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/495 based on vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum or tungsten oxides or solid solutions thereof with other oxides, e.g. vanadates, niobates, tantalates, molybdates or tungstates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1524 Transition metal compounds

Abstract

The present invention discloses a color-modifying method, which comprises the provision of a metal oxide thin film (14) based on Ni and/or Cr. The method is characterized in that, when coloring the metal oxide film (14), exposing the metal oxide thin film to ozone, and when bleaching the metal oxide film, exposing the metal oxide film to UV radiation (18). A lamination process or a deposition of another thin film may follow the exposure. Preferably, exposing the metal oxide thin film (14) to ultraviolet radiation (18) in an oxygen-containing atmosphere (20) provides the ozone exposure and exposing the metal oxide thin film to ultraviolet radiation (18) in an oxygen-free atmosphere (20) provides the ultraviolet exposure.

Claims

1. A method of charge control of anodes in manufacturing of electrochromic thin film devices, comprising the steps of:

providing an electrochromic thin film of a metal oxide on a substrate, said metal oxide being based on at least one of the elements Ni and Cr;

exposing said metal oxide thin film to ozone, and

laminating said metal oxide thin film with at least a second thin film on said substrate, after said exposing step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said exposing step comprises the step of exposing said metal oxide thin film to ultraviolet radiation in an oxygen-containing atmosphere.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of:

NiCr_zO_x,

NiCr_zO_xH_y,

NiV_zO_x,

NiV_zO_xH_y,

CrO_x,

CrO_xH_y,

Ni_qCrO_x, and

Ni_qCrO_xH_y

where x>

0,y>

0, 0≦

z≦

1 and q<

1.

4. A method of charge control of anodes in manufacturing of electrochromic thin film devices, comprising the steps of:

providing an electrochromic thin film of a metal oxide, said metal oxide being based on at least one of the elements Ni and Cr;

exposing said metal oxide thin film to ozone; and

depositing at least a second thin film onto said metal oxide thin film, after said exposing step.

5. A method of charge control of anodes in manufacturing of electrochromic thin film devices, comprising the steps of:

providing an electrochromic thin film of a metal oxide on a substrate, said metal oxide being based on at least one of the elements Ni and Cr; and

exposing said metal oxide thin film to ultraviolet radiation in an oxygen-free atmosphere.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

laminating said metal oxide thin film with at least a second thin film on said substrate, after said exposing step.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

depositing at least a second thin film onto said metal oxide thin film on said substrate, after said exposing step.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein said metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of:

NiCr_zO_x,

NiCr_zO_xH_y,

NiV_zO_x,

NiV_zO_xH_y,

CrO_x,

CrO_xH_y,

Ni_qCrO_x, and

Ni_qCrO_xH_y

where x>

0, y>

0, 0≦

z≦

1 and q<

1.