Electrochromic window fabrication methods

• US 10,409,130 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2018
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• 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:
  US15/934,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20180210307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 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 fabricating an electrochromic window comprising:

i. coating a rectangular transparent substrate with an electrochromic device;

ii. edge deleting a perimeter portion, between about 5 mm and about 15 mm wide, of the electrochromic device about the perimeter of the rectangular transparent substrate;

iii. removing a portion of the electrochromic device along one edge to expose a lower transparent conducting oxide layer to form a bus bar pad expose area; and

iv. sealing the peripheral edge of the electrochromic device within the primary seal of an insulated glass unit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a first bus bar to the bus bar pad expose area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the bus bar pad expose area is substantially rectangular, the length approximating said one edge of the electrochromic device and where the width is between about 5 mm and about 10 mm.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first bus bar and the electrochromic device edge proximate the first bus bar are separated by a gap 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 a top transparent conducting oxide layer of the electrochromic device and the rectangular transparent substrate is incorporated into an insulated glass unit.

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

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the bus bar pad expose area is sealed within the primary seal of the insulated glass unit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge deletion is performed before the forming the bus bar pad expose area.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a first bus bar to the bus bar pad expose area, where the first bus bar overlaps the edge of the bus bar pad expose area and touches the rectangular transparent substrate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a gap between the first bus bar and the edge of the electrochromic device proximate the first bust bar is between about 1 mm and about 3 mm.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein iii comprises using laser ablation to selectively remove materials above the lower transparent conducting oxide layer based on absorption characteristics of the materials above the lower transparent conducting oxide layer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein ii and/or iii comprise using laser ablation from either the electrochromic device side or the opposite side of the rectangular transparent substrate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the energy density of a laser beam used for laser ablation is between about 0.5 J/cm² and about 4 J/cm².

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the spacer is an electrically insulated spacer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the electrically insulated spacer is a metal spacer coated with an electrically insulating material.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the electrically insulated spacer is a polymeric spacer.

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

19. The method of claim 7, wherein the spacer includes a desiccant inside it.

20. The method of claim 7, wherein the distance between the edge of the rectangular transparent substrate and the outer edge of the spacer is between about 2 mm and about 15 mm.