Electrochromic multi-layer devices with current modulating structure
AssigneeKinestral Technologies, Inc.
InventorsHoward S. Bergh, Jonathan Ziebarth, Nicolas Timmerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-layer device comprising a first substrate, a first electrically conductive layer on a surface thereof, and a first current modulating layer, the first electrically conductive layer having a sheet resistance to the flow of electrical current through the first electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position.
Claims20
An electrochromic device comprising a first substrate, a first electrically conductive layer, a first current modulating structure, a first electrode layer, a second electrically conductive layer and a second substrate, the electrically conductive layer and the first current modulating structure each covering at least 0.01 m2 of the surface of the first substrate, the first current modulating structure being between the first electrically conductive layer and the first electrode layer, the first current modulating structure comprising a material having a resistivity of at least 104 Ω·cm, the first electrically conductive layer having a sheet resistance, Rs, to the flow of electrical current through the first electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the first electrically conductive layer, wherein a first contour map of the sheet resistance, Rs, as a function of position within the first electrically conductive layer contains a first set of isoresistance lines and a first set of resistance gradient lines normal to the first set of isoresistance lines;
- and the sheet resistance along a gradient line in the first set of gradient lines generally increases, generally decreases, generally increases until it reaches a maximum and then generally decreases, or generally decreases until it reaches a minimum and then generally increases.
The electrochromic device of 1 wherein (i) the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the first electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the first electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, the first and second regions of the first electrically conductive layer each comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the first electrically conductive layer and (ii) the ratio of the average sheet resistance in a first region of the second electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a first convex polygon to the average sheet resistance in a second region of the second electrically conductive layer circumscribed by a second convex polygon is at least 2, the first and second regions of the second electrically conductive layer each comprising at least 25% of the surface area of the second electrically conductive layer.
A process for the preparation of a multi-layer device comprising forming a multi-layer layer structure comprising an electrochromic layer between and in electrical contact with a first and a second electrically conductive layer, and a first current modulating structure between the first electrically conductive layer and the electrochromic layer, the first current modulating structure comprising a material having a resistivity of at least 104 Ω·cm, the first and/or the second electrically conductive layer having a spatially varying sheet resistance, Rs, to the flow of electrical current through the first and/or the second electrically conductive layer that varies as a function of position in the first and/or the second electrically conductive layer, respectively, wherein a contour map of the sheet resistance, Rs, as a function of position within the first or the second electrically conductive layer contains a set of isoresistance lines and a set of resistance gradient lines normal to the isoresistance lines, and the sheet resistance along a gradient line in the set generally increases, generally decreases, generally increases until it reaches a maximum and then generally decreases, or generally decreases until it reaches a minimum and then generally increases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.