Electrochromic devices

摘要

Conventional electrochromic devices frequently suffer from poor reliability and poor performance. Improvements are made using entirely solid and inorganic materials. Electrochromic devices are fabricated by forming an ion conducting electronically-insulating interfacial region that serves as an IC layer. In some methods, the interfacial region is formed after formation of an electrochromic and a counter electrode layer. The interfacial region contains an ion conducting electronically-insulating material along with components of the electrochromic and/or the counter electrode layer. Materials and microstructure of the electrochromic devices provide improvements in performance and reliability over conventional devices.

主权项

1. A method of fabricating an electrochromic device, the method comprising:
(a) forming either an electrochromic layer including an electrochromic material or a counter electrode layer including a counter electrode material by sputtering with a first sputter gas having an oxygen concentration; (b) forming an intermediate layer over the electrochromic layer or the counter electrode layer by sputtering with a second sputter gas, wherein the second sputter gas has a higher concentration of oxygen than the first sputter gas, to thereby form a stack comprising a bilayer or a graded layer, the bilayer or graded layer comprising (i) the electrochromic layer or the counter electrode layer formed in (a), and (ii) the intermediate layer, where the intermediate layer includes an oxygen rich form of the electrochromic material or the counter electrode material, wherein the intermediate layer is in direct physical contact with the electrochromic or counter electrode layer formed in (a); (c) exposing the intermediate layer to lithium; and (d) heating the stack to convert at least part of the intermediate layer to an ion conducting region, coextensive with the intermediate layer, comprising an electronically-insulating ionically-conducting material.