Electrochromic window fabrication methods

• US 9,995,985 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• 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:
  US15/364,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20170115544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 359265-275, 359277, 359245-247, 359242, 345 49, 345105, 345107, 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 processing an EC device coating on a substrate, the method comprising:

1) removing the EC device coating from a peripheral region of the substrate, wherein the peripheral region is between about 1 mm and about 20 mm wide and spans the entire perimeter of the substrate; and

2) sealing the entire perimeter edge of the EC device coating within the primary seal of an insulated glass unit (IGU), wherein the EC device coating is configured to tint to its perimeter edge, wherein the perimeter edge is sandwiched between a spacer of the IGU and the substrate where the primary seal is disposed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral region is between about 5 mm and about 15 mm wide.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the peripheral region is between about 8 mm and about 10 mm wide.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the substrate surface is also removed from the peripheral region.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a thickness of between about 0.5 μ

m and about 3 μ

m of the substrate surface is removed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein removing the EC device coating from the peripheral region of the substrate comprises using laser ablation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the energy density of the laser ablation is between about 2 J/cm² and about 6 J/cm².

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the laser ablation comprises overlapping laser scanning lines by between about 5% and about 75%.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the laser ablation has a frequency in the range of between about 11 KHz and about 500 KHz.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the laser ablation has a pulse duration of between about 100 fs and about 100 ns.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the EC device coating comprises no electrical isolation scribes.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying one or more bus bars, wherein the one or more bus bars are configured to deliver power to the EC device coating and are also sealed within the primary seal of the IGU.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to 2):

i) forming a bus bar pad expose by exposing a portion of a lower transparent conducting oxide layer, closest to the substrate, of the EC device coating, the EC device coating perimeter edge extending to the bus bar pad expose;

ii) applying a first bus bar to the bus bar pad expose; and

iii) applying a second bus bar to an upper transparent conducting oxide layer of the EC device coating.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second bus bars are backset by between about 1 mm and about 5 mm from the inner perimeter of a spacer used to form the IGU.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the spacer width is between about 5 mm and about 15 mm.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the spacer width is between about 5 mm and about 10 mm.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the spacer is a foam spacer.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the bus bar pad expose is also sealed within the primary seal of the IGU.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary seal of the IGU comprises polyisobutylene.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a secondary seal of the IGU, around the outer perimeter of a spacer used to form the IGU.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises annealed glass.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a hermetic layer to the EC device coating.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the EC device coating is all solid state and inorganic.