Electrochromic window fabrication methods

• US 9,958,750 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: View Incorporated
• Original Assignee: View Incorporated
• Inventors: Parker, Ronald M., Rozbicki, Robert T., Bhatnagar, Yashraj, Dixit, Abhishek Anant, Pradhan, Anshu A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PINKNEY, DAWAYNE
• Application Number:
  US13/456,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20120327499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,197 Days
• Field of Search: 359265-275, 359277, 359245-247, 359254, 359242, 345 49, 345105, 250 70, 248817, 438929
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10055 with at least one intermediate air space
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10128 Treatment of at least one glass sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10183 being not continuous, e.g. in edge regions
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10513 Electrochromic layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10697 being cross-linked
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10908 in liquid form
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10917 between two pre-positioned glass layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/1099 After-treatment of the layered product, e.g. cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2333/12 Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/20 Displays, e.g. liquid crystal displays, plasma displays
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/18 involving the assembly of discrete sheets or panels only
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0008 Electrical discharge treatment, e.g. corona, plasma treatment; wave energy or particle radiation heat treatment B32B38/0036
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/105 on edges
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13458 Terminal pads
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1533 structural features not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/155 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/161 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells; Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2419 Fold at edge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24231 At opposed marginal edges
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0304 : Grooving

Abstract

Methods of manufacturing electrochromic windows are described. Insulated glass units (IGU'"'"'s) are protected, e.g. during handling and shipping, by a protective bumper. The bumper can be custom made using IGU dimension data received from the IGU fabrication tool. The bumper may be made of environmentally friendly materials. Laser isolation configurations and related methods of patterning and/or configuring an electrochromic device on a substrate are described. Edge deletion is used to ensure a good seal between spacer and glass in an IGU and thus better protection of an electrochromic device sealed in the IGU. Configurations for protecting the electrochromic device edge in the primary seal and maximizing viewable area in an electrochromic pane of an IGU are also described.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an electrochromic (EC) device of an insulated glass unit (IGU) comprising:

1) coating a substrate with the EC device, wherein either no patterning or only one substantially straight scribe line is used to pattern the EC device;

2) edge deleting a perimeter portion, between about 5 mm and about 15 mm wide, of the EC device about the perimeter of the substrate;

3) removing a portion of the EC device along one edge to form a BPE to expose the lower conducting layer; and

4) sealing the perimeter edge of the EC device within the primary seal of the IGU, wherein the peripheral edge is located between a spacer and the substrate along with an adhesive, wherein the EC device coating is tintable to its perimeter edge which is directly between the spacer and the substrate where the primary seal is disposed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a first bus bar to the exposed lower conducting layer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the BPE is substantially rectangular, the length approximating said one edge of the EC device and the width is between about 5 mm and about 10 mm.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a space between the first bus bar on the BPE and the EC device is between about 1 mm and about 3 mm.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first bus bar is a non-penetrating bus bar.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein a second bus bar is applied to the top conducting layer of the EC device and the substrate is incorporated into an IGU.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second bus bars are obscured from the viewable area of the IGU by a spacer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the BPE is sealed by the primary seal of the IGU.

9. An insulated glass unit (IGU) comprising:

a) two transparent substrates;

b) a spacer between the two transparent substrates, said spacer forming a primary seal with the two transparent substrates with an adhesive therebetween; and

c) an electrochromic (EC) device coating on at least one of the two transparent substrates;

wherein the EC device coating is tintable to its perimeter edge which is directly between the spacer and the at least one of the two transparent substrates where the primary seal is disposed.

10. The IGU of claim 9, wherein any patterning lines in the EC device coating are sealed within the primary seal.

11. The IGU of claim 10, wherein any bus bars associated with the EC device coating are sealed within the primary seal.

12. The IGU of claim 11, wherein the spacer is made of metal coated with an electrically insulating material.

13. The IGU of claim 11, wherein the width of the spacer is between about 5 mm and about 10 mm.

14. The IGU of claim 11, further comprising a secondary seal having a width of between about 3 mm and about 10 mm.

15. The IGU of claim 11, wherein a backset is between about 1 mm and about 5 mm.

16. The IGU of claim 11, further comprising an edge delete which is between about 5 mm and about 15 mm wide.

17. The IGU of claim 16, wherein the edge delete includes removal of between about 0.5 μ

m and about 3 μ

m of the transparent substrate on which it is formed.

18. The IGU of claim 11, wherein the spacer is between about 7 mm and about 8 mm wide, a secondary seal is between about 4 mm and about 8 mm wide, a backset is between about 2 mm and about 3 mm, an edge delete is between about 8 mm and about 10 mm and the two transparent substrates are glass.

19. The IGU of claim 18, wherein the distance between interior faces of the two transparent substrates is between about 12 mm and about 13 mm.

20. The IGU of claim 9, wherein the spacer is made of a polymeric material.

21. The IGU of claim 20, wherein the polymeric material is foam.

22. The IGU of claim 9, wherein the spacer is disposed within the outer edges of the two transparent substrates.