Vacuum Cathodic Arc-Plasma Deposition for Electrochromic Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for fabricating electrochromic devices are costly due to the use of magnetic plasma sputters, leading to high manufacturing costs and inferior yield, and face challenges with organic gel or liquid electrolytes that are not durable across temperature changes, limiting their applicability in domestic and commercial settings.
Innovation Solution
The method employs vacuum cathodic arc-plasma deposition to create a multi-layer electrochromic device with an ionic conduction layer, ion storage layer, and electrochromic layer, using materials like gallium zinc oxide, tantalum pentoxide, and tungsten trioxide, which enhances electric capacity, coloring efficiency, and durability, eliminating the need for high-melting-point target materials and providing a solid-state structure resistant to temperature changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If magnetic plasma sputters are used to fabricate electrochromic devices, then the deposition quality can be maintained, but the manufacturing cost increases and yield decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the deposition method from magnetic plasma sputtering to vacuum cathodic arc plasma deposition, altering the physical parameters of the deposition process. This parameter change achieves comparable or superior deposition quality while significantly reducing manufacturing costs and eliminating target poisoning issues associated with high-melting-point materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the magnetic plasma sputtering system with a vacuum cathodic arc plasma deposition system. This substitution eliminates the need for complex magnetic field generation equipment and target materials with high melting points, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining deposition quality.
2Ease of operation
If organic gel or liquid electrolytes are used in electrochromic devices, then the device can function, but the endurance and leakage performance deteriorate under drastic temperature changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the electrolyte from organic gel or liquid to solid state. This parameter change fundamentally improves the electrolyte's thermal stability and eliminates leakage issues, while the solid-state structure maintains ionic conduction functionality through crystal lattice pathways.
3Quantity of substance
If high-melting-point target materials are used in magnetic plasma sputtering, then the electrochromic materials can be deposited, but target poisoning occurs and yield decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces magnetic plasma sputtering with vacuum cathodic arc plasma deposition. This substitution eliminates the target poisoning phenomenon that plagues sputtering of high-melting-point electrochromic materials, as the arc discharge mechanism directly vaporizes material without the intermediate sputtering processes that cause contamination and target degradation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces manufacturing costs, improves deposition efficiency, and extends the lifetime of electrochromic devices, making them more practical and applicable for power-saving applications in various environments.
Implementation Method 1
The purposes of the present invention are to improve the high cost and low efficiency of the current processes and to enhance the electric capacity, color changing efficiency, the crystallization uniformity of thin film structures, and the adhesion therebetween of electrochromic devices. The arc plasma is adopted to deposit materials on a substrate sequentially
Implementation Method 2
Electrochromism can produce interesting phenomenon based on redox reaction that owns a reversible and persistent changing in color and optical transmittance by a small applied electric voltage pulse difference
Implementation Method 3
Electrochromism can produce interesting phenomenon based on redox reaction that owns a reversible and persistent changing in color and optical transmittance
Implementation Method 4
The electrochromic device comprises an electrolyte layer, which is a conductive layer and for facilitating electron transport
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a method for fabricating an electrochromic device, which adopts the vacuum cathodic arc-plasma deposition to comprise five layers with an ionic conduction layer (electrolyte) in contact with an electrochromic (EC) layer and an ion storage (complementary) layer, all sandwiched between two transparent conducting layers sequentially on a substrate. The method owns superior deposition efficiency and the fabricated thin film structures have higher crystalline homogeneity. In addition, thanks to the nanometer pores in the thin film structures, the electric capacity as well as the ion mobility are greater. Consequently, the reaction efficiency for bleaching or coloring is enhanced.