Electrochromic devices

• US 6,906,842 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2001
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dritte Patentportfolio Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: SCHOTT North America, Inc. (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung), Magna Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Holdmann, Torsten, Gudgel, Todd J., Hansen, Stephan G., Zhang, Raymond L., Ingle, Andrew R., Agrawal, Anoop, Tonazzi, Juan Carlos L., Cronin, John P., Feinstein, Yelena
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US10/276,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20030227664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265, 359/266, 359267-271
• US Class Current: 359/265
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1524 Transition metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1533 structural features not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/155 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/157 Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/1555 Counter electrode
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/48 Variable attenuator

Abstract

The invention includes many applications for electrochromic devices that require neutral colors and patterned electrodes. It uses novel materials, ways of making the materials, device configurations and applications. In one aspect, the device also includes electrical leads (115,116), transparent conductor layers (135,136), patterned EC layers (143,144), an etch line (99) and a substrate (125).

Claims

1. An electrochromic device having an electrochromic layer including an electrochromic coating and a counterelectrode, wherein the electrochromic coating includes tungsten oxide and at least one dopant selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal oxide and transition metal oxides, the alkali metal oxide dopant being lithium oxide, sodium oxide or potassium oxide, and wherein the counterelectrode comprises vanadium oxide doped with at least one dopant selected from the group consisting of tin oxide and antimony oxide.

2. An electrochromic device according to claim 1 wherein the transition metal oxide dopant is vanadium oxide, molybdenum oxide, cobalt oxide, chromium oxide or copper oxide.

3. An electrochromic device according to claim 1 wherein the electrochromic coating has an atomic ratio of vanadium and molybdenum to tungsten in the range of 0.03 to 0.4 and an atomic ratio of molybdenum to vanadium in the range of 0.2 to 2.

4. An electrochromic device having an electrochromic layer comprising a patterned tungsten oxide coating and having a patterned, planar substrate.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein at least in one state of coloration the pattern on the coating and the pattern on the substrate interfere to provide Moiré

fringes.

6. A device according to claim 4 or 5 wherein the pattern on the coating is selected from the group of patterns consisting of concentric circles, wavy lines, circular dots of non-uniform size, spots, straight lines and straight lines converging toward center.

7. A device according to claim 4 or 5 wherein the pattern on the coating and the pattern on the substrate are selected from the group of patterns consisting of concentric circles, wavy lines, circular dots of non-uniform size, spots, straight lines and straight lines converging toward center.

8. A lens, prism, optical or photographic filter comprising the device of claim 4 or 5.

9. A microscope, gunsight, telescope, binocular, endoscope, periscope, theodilite or microwave attenuation device including the device of claim 4 or 5.

10. An electrochromic device comprising a lens having two piano-convex substrates having faces disposed in opposing relation to each other and being coated with a transparent conducting material, an electrochromic layer coating the inside face of at least one of the substrates, an electrolyte layer containing an electrolyte disposed between the substrates and a seal for sealing the lens.

11. An electrochromic lens device comprising two concave substrates having faces disposed in opposing relation to each other and being coated with a layer of transparent conductor material, an electrochromic layer coating at least one of the layers of transparent conductor material, an electrolyte layer containing an electrolyte and being disposed between the electrochromic layer and the layer of transparent conductor material, and a seal for sealing the lens.

12. A reflective modulator device comprising a first substrate having a planar face coated with a reflective coating layer and an electrochromic layer coating the reflective coating layer, a second substrate having a planar face disposed in opposing relation to the electrochromic layer of the first substrate and being coated with a conductive coating layer, the conductive coating layer having at least one aperture with a dimension less than the thickness of the electrolyte layer, an electrolyte layer containing an electrolyte and being disposed between the electrochromic layer coating the first substrate and the conductive coating layer coating the second substrate, and a seal for sealing the device.

13. A reflective modulator device according to claim 12 wherein the at least one aperture is a single hole, a single slit or a multiplicity of holes.

14. An electrochromic device comprising two planar substrates having inside faces disposed in opposing relation to each other, an electrode layer comprising two parallel stripes disposed along the edges of one of the inside faces and having a plurality of interdigitated fingers, an electrochromic layer coating the electrode layer, an insulating layer between the electrode layer and the electrochromic layer, and an electrolyte layer containing electrolyte disposed between the electrochromic layer and the inside face of the opposed substrate.