Device for contacting patterned electrodes on porous substrates

• US 7,333,257 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Berard, Mathieu, Aubert, Pierre Henri, Argun, Avni A., Reynolds, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang; Hung X.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARTINEZ, JOSEPH P
• Application Number:
  US10/992,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20050210672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265, 359/266, 359/269, 359/273, 359/271, 345/49, 345/105, 348/817
• US Class Current: 359/265
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/155 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/1555 Counter electrode
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/42 Arrangements for providing conduction through an insulating substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76898 formed through a semiconductor substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/123 Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/10 Substrates, e.g. flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/435 Solid dielectric type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49126 Assembling bases

Abstract

A method for contacting patterned electrode devices includes the steps of providing a porous substrate, depositing electrically conductive material to form at least one electrode on a front-side of the porous substrate and depositing at least one electrically conductive back-side contact trace on the back-side of the substrate. A portion of the electrically conductive material penetrates into the substrate. A device is formed including the electrode on the front side of the substrate, wherein the electrode is electrically coupled by a conducting channel including the electrically conductive material through the substrate to the back-side contact trace.

Claims

1. An electromagnetically active device, comprising:

a porous electrically insulating membrane substrate having a plurality of pores;

at least one frontside electrode disposed on a top-side of said substrate, said frontside electrode being a porous electrode;

at least one back-side contact trace disposed on the back-side of said substrate, wherein said frontside electrode is electrically coupled to said back-side contact trace by a plurality of electrically conducting channels extending through said pores, wherein at least a portion of the electrically conducting channels are open, and

an electromagnetically active layer electrically coupled to said frontside electrode.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of an electrically conductive polymer or a metal disposed as said at least one frontside electrode or said at least one back-side contact trace provides said conducting channels between said frontside electrode and said back-side trace.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrically conducting channels in said pores are formed from an electrically conducting material not clogging said electrically conducting open channels other than material forming said substrate.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of said frontside electrode is less than 60 nm.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said electromagnetically active device comprises an electrochromic device, wherein said electromagnetically active layer comprises an electrochromically active layer, further comprising an electrochemically active layer and an electrolyte layer having electrolyte disposed between said back-side trace and said electrochemically active layer within unfilled pores and partially filled pores of said substrate, and an electrically conductive contact layer in contact with said electrochemically active layer, said partially filled pores providing said electrically conducting channels of said substrate.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of said plurality of pores of said membrane are at least partially filled by said frontside electrode or said back-side contact trace to produce said electrically conducting channels and allow said electrolyte to travel in said partially filled pores between said electrochromically active layer and said electrochemically active layer.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said electrochromically active layer comprises a cathodically coloring polymer which provides a band gap (Eg) <

or =2.0 eV in its neutral state.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said cathodically coloring polymer comprises a poly (3,4-alkylenedioxyheterocycle).

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said alkylenedioxyheterocycle comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of an alkylenedioxypyrrole, an alkylenedioxythiophene and an alkylenedioxyfuran.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said poly (3,4-alkylenedioxyheterocycle comprises bridge-alkyl substituted poly (3,4-alkylenedioxythiophene).

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said bridge-alkyl substituted poly (3,4-alkylenedioxythiophene) is PProDOT-(methyl)₂, PProDOT-(hexyl)₂, or PProDOT-(ethylhexyl)₂.

12. The device of claim 5, wherein said at least one electrode comprises a plurality of electrodes, said electrochromically active layer comprising an anodically coloring polymer.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein said anodically coloring polymer providing a band gap (Eg) >

3.0 eV in its neutral state.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said anodically coloring polymer comprises a poly (3,4-alkylenedioxyheterocycle).

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of an alkylenedioxypyrrole, an alkylenedioxythiophene and an alkylenedioxyfuran.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein said poly (3,4-alkylenedioxyheterocycle) comprises N-alkyl substituted poly (3,4-alkylenedioxypyrrole).

17. The device of claim 16, wherein said N-alkyl substituted poly (3,4-alkylenedioxypyrrole) is N-Pr PProDOP, N-Gly PProDOP or N-propane sulfonated PProDOP (PProDOP-NPrS).

18. The device of claim 5, wherein said electrochromic device switches between an optically clear and a colored state in less than one second.

19. The device of claim 5, further comprising an optically transparent protecting window on said electrochromically active layer.

20. The device of claim 5, wherein said device comprises a plurality of electrically isolated pixels.

21. The device of claim 5, wherein said electrically conducting channels of said partially filled pores are electrically separated from one another by said non-electrically conducting substrate.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein said material forming said plurality of electrically conducting channels is other than materials forming said frontside electrode and said back-side contact trace.