U.S. patent application number 13/139508 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-15 for laminated electrically tintable windows.
This patent application is currently assigned to Applied Materials, Inc.. Invention is credited to Stefan Bangert, Dieter Haas, Nety M. Krishna, Byung-Sung Leo Kwak.
Application Number | 20110304899 13/139508 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42124864 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110304899 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kwak; Byung-Sung Leo ; et
al. |
December 15, 2011 |
LAMINATED ELECTRICALLY TINTABLE WINDOWS
Abstract
A method of manufacturing electrically tintable window glass
with a variety of sizes and functionalities is described. The
method comprises: (a) providing a large format glass substrate; (b)
fabricating a plurality of electrically tintable thin film devices
on the large format glass substrate; (c) cutting the large format
glass substrate into a plurality of electrically tintable pieces,
each electrically tintable piece including one of the plurality of
electrically tintable thin film devices; (d) providing a plurality
of window glass pieces; (e) matching each one of the plurality of
electrically tintable pieces with a corresponding one of the
plurality of window glass pieces; and (f) laminating each of the
matched electrically tintable pieces and window glass pieces. The
lamination may result in the electrically tintable device either
being sandwiched between the glass substrate and the window glass
piece or on the surface of the laminated pieces. The electrically
tintable device is an electrochromic device.
Inventors: |
Kwak; Byung-Sung Leo;
(Portland, OR) ; Haas; Dieter; (San Jose, CA)
; Bangert; Stefan; (Hessen, DE) ; Krishna; Nety
M.; (Sunnyvale, CA) |
Assignee: |
Applied Materials, Inc.
Santa Clara
CA
|
Family ID: |
42124864 |
Appl. No.: |
13/139508 |
Filed: |
December 1, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
December 1, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US09/66255 |
371 Date: |
August 30, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12333676 |
Dec 12, 2008 |
7710671 |
|
|
13139508 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
359/275 ;
156/264; 156/510 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B 3/6722 20130101;
E06B 2009/2464 20130101; B32B 17/10055 20130101; Y10T 156/1075
20150115; B32B 17/10513 20130101; E06B 9/24 20130101; B32B 17/10788
20130101; B32B 17/10981 20130101; G02F 1/1533 20130101; Y10T 156/12
20150115; B32B 17/10761 20130101; B32B 17/10045 20130101; Y10S
359/90 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
359/275 ;
156/264; 156/510 |
International
Class: |
G02F 1/153 20060101
G02F001/153; B32B 37/14 20060101 B32B037/14; B32B 38/10 20060101
B32B038/10 |
Claims
1. A method of manufacturing electrically tintable window glass
with a variety of sizes and functionalities, said method
comprising: providing a large format glass substrate; fabricating a
plurality of electrically tintable thin film devices on said large
format glass substrate; cutting said large format glass substrate
into a plurality of electrically tintable pieces, each electrically
tintable piece including one of said plurality of electrically
tintable thin film devices; providing a plurality of window glass
pieces; matching each one of said plurality of electrically
tintable pieces with a corresponding one of said plurality of
window glass pieces; and laminating each of the matched
electrically tintable pieces and window glass pieces.
2. A method as in claim 1, wherein, during said lamination, said
electrically tintable thin film device is facing the surface of
said corresponding one of said plurality of window glass
pieces.
3. A method as in claim 1, wherein, during said lamination, said
electrically tintable thin film device is facing away from the
surface of said corresponding one of said plurality of window glass
pieces.
4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said window glass pieces
comprise, heat treated glass pieces, tinted glass pieces, laminated
glass pieces or high strength glass pieces.
5. A method as in claim 1, wherein said electrically tintable thin
film device is an electrochromic device, a suspended particulate
device or a polymer dispersed liquid crystal device.
6. A method as in claim 1, wherein said fabricating includes vacuum
deposition of a thin film on said large format glass substrate.
7. A method as in claim 6, wherein said fabricating includes plasma
deposition of a thin film on said large format glass substrate.
8. A method as in claim 1, wherein said fabricating includes
heating said large format glass substrate.
9. A method as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of electrically
tintable pieces include pieces of different sizes.
10. A method of manufacturing electrically tintable window glass
with a variety of sizes and functionalities, said method
comprising: providing a multiplicity of identical large format
glass substrates; fabricating a plurality of electrically tintable
thin film devices on said multiplicity of large format glass
substrates; cutting said multiplicity of large format glass
substrates into a plurality of electrically tintable pieces, each
electrically tintable piece including one of said plurality of
electrically tintable thin film devices; providing a plurality of
window glass pieces; matching each one of said plurality of
electrically tintable pieces with a corresponding one of said
plurality of window glass pieces; and laminating each of the
matched electrically tintable pieces and window glass pieces.
11. A method as in claim 1 or 10, wherein said window glass pieces
include pieces with different glass sizes.
12. A method as in claim 1 or 10, wherein said window glass pieces
include pieces with different glass thicknesses.
13. An electrically tintable window comprising: a piece of window
glass; a glass substrate; an electrochromic thin film device formed
on said glass substrate; and a lamination layer between said
electrochromic thin film device and said window glass, said
lamination layer attaching said electrochromic thin film device to
said window glass.
14. An electrically tintable window as in claim 13, wherein said
lamination layer includes a bonding agent selected from the group
consisting of polyvinyl butyral and ethylene vinyl acetate.
15. An apparatus for forming electrically tintable window glass
with a variety of sizes and functionalities, comprising: a first
system to fabricate a plurality of electrically tintable thin film
devices on a large format glass substrate; a second system to cut
said large format glass substrate into a plurality of electrically
tintable pieces, each electrically tintable piece including one of
said plurality of electrically tintable thin film devices; and a
third system to laminate matched electrically tintable pieces and
window glass pieces, wherein each one of said plurality of
electrically tintable pieces is matched with a corresponding one of
a plurality of window glass pieces.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to electrically
tintable windows and more specifically to improved manufacturing
methods for electrically tintable windows that accommodate a
variety of window sizes and functionalities while maintaining high
yield, high throughput and low cost.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Smart windows are glazing units that incorporate devices
which have controllable optical and thermal transmission
properties. The devices are generally in the form of layers either
directly deposited on, or laminated to, the glass surface.
Integration of the so-called smart windows into a building provides
the opportunity to control internal light levels and temperature by
adjusting the optical and thermal properties of the windows.
Electrochromic devices, suspended particle devices (SPDs) and
polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) devices are all examples of
devices that are incorporated in smart windows; light transmission
in these particular devices is electrically controllable, and smart
windows incorporating these devices are also known as electrically
tintable windows.
[0003] Electrochromic devices are currently incorporated in a range
of products, including smart windows, rear-view mirrors, and
protective glass for museum display cases. Electrochromic devices
are devices that change light (and heat) transmission properties in
response to voltage applied across the device. Electrochromic
devices can be fabricated which electrically switch between
transparent and translucent states (where the transmitted light is
colored). Furthermore, certain transition metal hydride
electrochromic devices can be fabricated which switch between
transparent and reflective states. A more detailed discussion of
the functioning of electrochromic devices is found in Granqvist,
C.-G., Nature Materials, v5, n2, February 2006, p 89-90.
Electrochromic devices are currently the most promising
electrically tintable devices for use in smart windows.
[0004] SPDs and PDLC devices have also been incorporated into smart
windows. SPDs are devices which have a thin film containing a
suspension of numerous microscopic particles and transparent
electrodes on either side of the film. The particles are randomly
oriented and reduce the transmittance of the film. However, when an
electric field is applied across the film, the particles align with
the field, increasing the optical transmittance of the film. PDLCs
comprise a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between transparent
conductors on a thin plastic film. The liquid crystal particles are
randomly oriented in the layer and scatter light--the layer is
translucent. However, when a field is applied across the liquid
crystal layer, the crystals are aligned to provide an optically
transparent film. The degree of transparency is controlled by the
voltage applied across the liquid crystal layer.
[0005] When electrochromic devices are incorporated in smart
windows there is a need for the electrochromic devices to have a
guaranteed lifetime of at least ten years and preferably thirty
years or more. However, exposure of the electrochromic devices to
atmospheric oxygen and water can degrade the performance of the
devices and reduce the lifetime of the devices. Incorporation of
the electrochromic device on an interior surface of an insulated
glass unit (IGU) may provide the protected environment required for
satisfactory performance over thirty years or more. SPDs and PDLC
devices also benefit from the environmental protection afforded by
an IGU.
[0006] Smart windows are generally in the form of an IGU. An IGU
100 including an electrically tintable device 220 is shown in FIGS.
1-3. Controller and power supply 190 is attached to the
electrically tintable device 220 by electrical leads 195. FIG. 3
shows a cross section of the IGU, not to scale, which is comprised
of two pieces of glass 210 and 330 spaced apart by a frame 340
along all four edges and sealed together along all four edges by
sealant 350. The interior volume 380 is filled with an inert gas,
such as argon, so as to provide thermal insulation and a
non-oxidizing ambient. When an electrically tintable device 220 is
incorporated into the IGU it is fabricated on the exterior piece of
glass 210 (the outdoors facing piece) and is positioned on the
interior facing surface thereof. See FIG. 2, which is a top view of
the interior surface of the exterior piece of glass 210. The inert
environment within the IGU does not affect the performance of an
electrically tintable device 220.
[0007] The exterior piece of glass 210 in an IGU may be tinted,
laminated, tempered, heat strengthened, etc. When an electrochromic
device 220 is incorporated into an IGU as described above, the
exterior piece of glass 210 will be subject to thermal stress.
Furthermore, if the exterior piece of glass 210 is also tinted this
will increase the thermal stress in the glass. Consequently,
tempered or heat strengthened glass is often specified and
needed.
[0008] Currently, the underlying philosophy for manufacturing smart
windows including electrically tintable devices is to incorporate
all glass functionalities--tintable device, color/tint, thickness,
strength, size, etc. into a single sheet of glass. However, this
philosophy leads to an inflexible and costly manufacturing process,
with a limited range of integratable functionalities, which are a
consequence of the conflicting manufacturing requirements for the
different functionalities. For example, consider the problems with
a manufacturing process for smart windows with tempered glass and
an electrically tintable electrochromic device, where a range of
window sizes is desired. The processing requirements for the two
features--tempered glass and an electrochromic device--are
incompatible with an integrated process including glass sizing.
This is because after the glass has been tempered it cannot be cut
to produce different size pieces, and if the electrochromic device
is deposited on the glass prior to tempering, then the
electrochromic device cannot withstand the process required to
temper the glass. Therefore, the glass must be cut and tempered
prior to deposition of the electrochromic device layers. This
results in the requirement for the manufacturing equipment to
handle a variety of glass sheet sizes, which results in costly
manufacturing equipment and processes. Furthermore, handling a
variety of different substrate sizes may have a negative impact on
yield. For example, different sizes of glass sheet will present a
different electric field distribution in a deposition chamber which
may negatively impact the uniformity of deposited layers. (This is
significant in deposition techniques involving ionized species--for
example, plasma enhanced deposition.) Another example is that of
combining different glass thicknesses with deposition of an
electrochromic device. When depositing the layers of an
electrochromic device, as for most typical thin film deposition
processes, control of the substrate temperature is desirable;
however, different thicknesses of glass will heat and cool at
different rates, leading to lower throughput for thicker glass and
to difficulties in controlling process uniformity. Clearly, there
is a need for manufacturing processes for smart windows that are
more flexible and compatible with lower cost, high yield and high
throughput manufacturing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Embodiments of this invention are based on the concept of
(1) separating out various glass functionalities into a number of
pieces of glass and (2) exploiting glass lamination technologies to
combine the glass pieces to provide an integrated glass product
with enhanced functionality. This approach is particularly valuable
when the desired different functionalities lead to incompatible
processing requirements and/or compromised performance. A method of
manufacturing electrically tintable window glass is provided which
readily allows for a wide variety of window sizes and
functionalities. The method includes fabricating the electrically
tintable device independently of the window glass, and lastly
laminating the electrically tintable device to the window glass.
This approach allows for much greater process flexibility when
fabricating the electrically tintable device, as well as providing
greater flexibility in the specification of the window glass. These
concepts and methods allow for cost effective, high yield and high
throughput manufacturing of electrically tintable windows. The
electrically tintable window glass fabricated using the methods
described herein may be incorporated into IGUs, and other types of
architectural glass.
[0010] The approach of embodiments of this invention allows for the
electrically tintable devices to be fabricated on a standard size
and thickness substrate--all of the thin film processing is done on
a single size of glass substrate. This provides a stable production
environment suitable for high volume manufacturing with good
process control, high throughput and high yield. Only after the
individual electrically tintable devices are cut from the substrate
is there a need to handle different sized substrates.
[0011] According to aspects of this invention, a method of
manufacturing electrically tintable window glass with a variety of
sizes and functionalities comprises: (a) providing a large format
glass substrate; (b) fabricating a plurality of electrically
tintable thin film devices on the large format glass substrate; (c)
cutting the large format glass substrate into a plurality of
electrically tintable pieces, each electrically tintable piece
including one of the plurality of electrically tintable thin film
devices; (d) providing a plurality of window glass pieces; (e)
matching each one of the plurality of electrically tintable pieces
with a corresponding one of the plurality of window glass pieces;
and (f) laminating each of the matched electrically tintable pieces
and window glass pieces. The lamination may result in the
electrically tintable device either being sandwiched between the
glass substrate and the window glass piece or on the surface of the
laminated pieces. The electrically tintable device may be an
electrochromic device; although, the electrically tintable device
may be a SPD, a PDLC device or a gasochromic device. The
electrically tintable device is typically a thin film device and
may be manufactured using processes requiring: robotic handling of
substrates; processing in vacuum; plasma processing; and/or
substrate heating. The glass pieces may be heat treated, tempered,
tinted, laminated, high strength, etc. and may be chosen from a
variety of different sizes and thicknesses.
[0012] Furthermore, manufacturing methods of embodiments of this
invention embrace the concept of fabricating the electrically
tintable devices on a production line where a standard large format
glass substrate is used, irrespective of the sizes of the ultimate
electrically tintable device. Accordingly, further aspects of this
invention include a method of manufacturing electrically tintable
window glass with a variety of sizes and functionalities
comprising: (a) providing a multiplicity of identical large format
glass substrates; (b) fabricating a plurality of electrically
tintable thin film devices on the multiplicity of large format
glass substrates; (c) cutting the multiplicity of large format
glass substrates into a plurality of electrically tintable pieces,
each electrically tintable piece including one of the plurality of
electrically tintable thin film devices; (d) providing a plurality
of window glass pieces; (e) matching each one of the plurality of
electrically tintable pieces with a corresponding one of the
plurality of window glass pieces; and (f) laminating each of the
matched electrically tintable pieces and window glass pieces.
[0013] According to yet further aspects of this invention, an
electrically tintable window comprises: a piece of window glass; a
glass substrate; an electrochromic thin film device formed on the
glass substrate; and a lamination layer between the electrochromic
thin film device and the window glass, the lamination layer
attaching the electrochromic thin film device to the window glass.
The lamination layer may include a bonding agent such as polyvinyl
butyral (PVB) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).
[0014] According to further aspects of this invention, an apparatus
for forming electrically tintable window glass with a variety of
sizes and functionalities, comprises: a first system to fabricate a
plurality of electrically tintable thin film devices on a large
format glass substrate; a second system to cut the large format
glass substrate into a plurality of electrically tintable pieces,
each electrically tintable piece including one of the plurality of
electrically tintable thin film devices; and a third system to
laminate matched electrically tintable pieces and window glass
pieces, wherein each one of the plurality of electrically tintable
pieces is matched with a corresponding one of a plurality of window
glass pieces. The apparatus may further comprise a fourth system to
build IGUs from each of the laminated pieces.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] These and other aspects and features of the present
invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the
art upon review of the following description of specific
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying
figures, wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an insulating glass unit
incorporating an electrically tintable device;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a top view of the interior face of the external
glass pane of the insulating glass unit of FIG. 1, showing the
electrically tintable device;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the insulating glass
unit of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the insulating glass
unit of FIG. 1, with a configuration according to a first
embodiment of the invention;
[0020] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the insulating glass
unit of FIG. 1, with a configuration according to a second
embodiment of the invention;
[0021] FIG. 6 shows a process flow for fabricating insulating glass
units with electrically tintable devices, according to embodiments
of the invention; and
[0022] FIG. 7 shows an apparatus for fabricating insulating glass
units with electrically tintable devices, according to embodiments
of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The present invention will now be described in detail with
reference to the drawings, which are provided as illustrative
examples of the invention so as to enable those skilled in the art
to practice the invention. Notably, the figures and examples below
are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention to a
single embodiment, but other embodiments are possible by way of
interchange of some or all of the described or illustrated
elements. Moreover, where certain elements of the present invention
can be partially or fully implemented using known components, only
those portions of such known components that are necessary for an
understanding of the present invention will be described, and
detailed descriptions of other portions of such known components
will be omitted so as not to obscure the invention. In the present
specification, an embodiment showing a singular component should
not be considered limiting; rather, the invention is intended to
encompass other embodiments including a plurality of the same
component, and vice-versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise
herein. Moreover, applicants do not intend for any term in the
specification or claims to be ascribed an uncommon or special
meaning unless explicitly set forth as such. Further, the present
invention encompasses present and future known equivalents to the
known components referred to herein by way of illustration.
[0024] In general, embodiments of this invention are based on the
concept of (1) separating out various glass functionalities into a
number of pieces of glass and (2) exploiting glass lamination
technologies to combine the glass pieces to provide an integrated
glass product with enhanced functionality. The examples provided
herein are directed to the lamination of two glass pieces with
different functionalities; however, the concepts are applicable to
the lamination of three or more glass pieces with different
functionalities.
[0025] Embodiments of the present invention contemplate an
alternative method of manufacturing electrically tintable windows
where the electrically tintable device is fabricated independently
of the window glass, and then the window glass is laminated to the
electrically tintable device. The method allows for flexibility in
the choice of process conditions for fabrication of the
electrically tintable device, flexibility in the choice of
functionalities of the window glass, and a wide choice of window
sizes. These concepts and methods allow for cost effective
manufacturing of electrically tintable windows for incorporation
into architectural glass, such as IGUs. The examples provided in
the detailed description are directed to thin film electrochromic
electrically tintable devices; however, the concepts are applicable
to other electrically tintable devices, including SPDs and PDLC
devices.
[0026] FIG. 4 shows electrically tintable window glass, not to
scale, fabricated according to embodiments of the present
invention, incorporated into an IGU, such as the IGU of FIG. 1. The
electrically tintable device 420 is on a glass substrate 460. The
glass substrate 460, with the electrically tintable device 420, is
laminated to the exterior piece of glass 410 (also referred to
herein as the window glass). The electrically tintable device 420
is facing away from the exterior piece of glass 410 in the
laminated structure. The lamination layer 470 may include bonding
agents such as polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and ethylene vinyl acetate
(EVA). The lamination process will preferably be a vacuum
lamination process in which the stack of the exterior piece of
glass 410 and the electrically tintable device 420, with the
bonding agent in between, are placed in a vacuum bag, the vacuum
bag is evacuated to apply uniform pressure over the stack, and then
the bag is placed in a high temperature and high pressure furnace
or an autoclave. The process temperature and pressure will depend
on the type of electrically tintable device. For electrochromic
devices, the temperature ranges typically from 125.degree. C. to
175.degree. C. The temperature range may be broader, although the
range will still typically be centered at approximately 150.degree.
C. The pressure may be up to 20 bar (and possibly higher), as
needed--a typical pressure may be approximately 13 bar. This
process is controlled to avoid damaging the electrically tintable
device during lamination. The use of a vacuum bag is only one
example of a method for providing uniform pressure without damaging
the electrically tintable device 420. Other methods may be used
providing the pressure and temperature can be applied without
damaging the electrically tintable device 420.
[0027] FIG. 5 shows an alternative configuration to that of FIG. 4.
In FIG. 5, the electrically tintable device is facing the exterior
piece of glass 410 in the laminated structure--the electrically
tintable device 420 is in contact with the lamination layer 470. In
this embodiment, the lamination process may be a vacuum lamination
process as described above, or the stack may be rolled at an
intermediate temperature and then placed in a high temperature and
high pressure furnace or autoclave for final lamination. (Rolling
at an intermediate temperature, rather than higher temperature, is
expected to provide a more uniform pressure on the device and thus
better quality lamination in terms of adhesion strength and
physical appearance.)
[0028] When the electrically tintable device is an electrochromic
device, protection of the device from environmental oxidants should
also be considered, as discussed above. This protection may be
provided by incorporation into an IGU. Alternatively, or in
addition, an encapsulation layer (not shown) may be provided, as
described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. No. 12/134,437 to
Kwak et al. Such an encapsulation layer acts as a diffusion barrier
to undesirable oxidants.
[0029] FIG. 6 shows a process flow for the manufacture of
electrically tintable window glass according to embodiments of the
present invention. The method comprises: providing a large format
glass substrate (610); fabricating a plurality of electrically
tintable thin film devices on the large format glass substrate
(620); cutting the large format glass substrate into a plurality of
electrically tintable pieces, each electrically tintable piece
including one of the plurality of electrically tintable thin film
devices (630); providing a plurality of window glass pieces, which
may be of varying sizes and with different properties (640);
matching each one of the plurality of electrically tintable pieces
with a corresponding one of the plurality of window glass pieces
(650); laminating each of the matched electrically tintable pieces
and window glass pieces (660); and (optionally) fabricating a
plurality of insulating glass units (IGUs), which may be of
different sizes and functionalities (670).
[0030] The electrically tintable device is a thin film device, such
as an electrochromic device, and may be manufactured using
processes requiring: robotic handling of substrates; processing in
vacuum; plasma processing; and/or substrate heating. More details
of thin film electrochromic devices and fabrication methods for
such devices can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/134,437 to Kwak et al. Some examples of relevant thin film
deposition processes include vacuum deposition techniques such as
physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
and plasma enhanced deposition techniques. It may be desirable to
heat the substrate during thin film deposition. The window glass
pieces may be heat treated, tempered, tinted, laminated, high
strength, etc. and may be chosen from a variety of different sizes
and thicknesses. Since the fabrication of the electrically tintable
device is done on a separate substrate, there is much greater
flexibility in the processing of the device and in the
specification of the window glass pieces. For example, in the
preparation of the window glass pieces, sheets of glass may be cut
into pieces of the desired sizes and then tempered. Multiple
electrically tintable devices may be manufactured efficiently on a
large glass substrate, and then the individual devices can be cut
from the sheet. The tempered pieces and the devices can then be
laminated to form an electrically tintable window, suitable for
integrating into an IGU.
[0031] The electrically tintable pieces may all be the same size,
or they may be different sizes. See process 630 in FIG. 6. In other
words, the glass substrate with the electrically tintable devices
may have been cut into a plurality of equally sized pieces, or into
a plurality of differently sized pieces, depending on the
electrically tintable devices that have been fabricated on the
substrate. The window glass pieces will be provided in sizes to
correspond to the sizes of the electrically tintable pieces, all
according to the specification of the electrically tintable window
glass. See processes 640 and 650 in FIG. 6. Generally, the
electrically tintable pieces will be smaller than or equal to the
window glass pieces, as shown in FIGS. 2-5. (In an alternative
embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 4, the glass substrate 460
is the same size as the window glass piece 410, and the frame 340
sits on the surface of the glass substrate 460. Although, the
electrically tintable device 420 should still be smaller than the
window glass piece 410, so as to fit within the frame 340 and
sealant 350.)
[0032] Furthermore, according to embodiments of the present
invention the process flow of FIG. 6 can be extended to
manufacturing processes for electrically tintable windows where a
multiplicity of identical large format substrates are processed.
Accordingly, a method of manufacturing electrically tintable window
glass with a variety of sizes and functionalities comprises:
providing a multiplicity of identical large format glass
substrates; fabricating a plurality of electrically tintable thin
film devices on the multiplicity of large format glass substrates;
cutting the multiplicity of large format glass substrates into a
plurality of electrically tintable pieces, each electrically
tintable piece including one of the plurality of electrically
tintable thin film devices; providing a plurality of window glass
pieces; matching each one of the plurality of electrically tintable
pieces with a corresponding one of the plurality of window glass
pieces; laminating each of the matched electrically tintable pieces
and window glass pieces; and (optionally) fabricating a plurality
of insulating glass units (IGUs), which may be of different sizes
and functionalities. The manufacturing process includes both serial
processing of multiple identical substrates, and where processing
permits, parallel processing of multiple identical substrates.
[0033] FIG. 7 shows a schematic of an apparatus for fabricating
electrically tintable window glass with a variety of sizes and
functionalities, and IGUs, according to some embodiments of the
present invention. The apparatus of FIG. 7 may be used to fabricate
IGUs according to the process flow of FIG. 6, for example. The
apparatus of FIG. 7 comprises four systems. The first system 720
fabricates a plurality of electrically tintable thin film devices
on a large format glass substrate. The second system 730 cuts the
large format glass substrate into a plurality of electrically
tintable pieces, each electrically tintable piece including one of
the plurality of electrically tintable thin film devices. The third
system 760 laminates matched electrically tintable pieces and
window glass pieces, wherein each one of the plurality of
electrically tintable pieces is matched with a corresponding one of
a plurality of window glass pieces. The fourth system 770 builds
IGUs from each of the laminated pieces. The dashed line in FIG. 7
indicates the apparatus which handles large format, standard size,
glass (above the line), and the apparatus which handles smaller
glass pieces with a variety of different sizes (below the
line).
[0034] The manufacturing methods of the present invention are also
applicable to IGUs which control light transmission using suspended
particle devices (SPDs), polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)
devices and gasochromic devices.
[0035] Although the present invention has been particularly
described with reference to embodiments thereof, it should be
readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes
and modifications in the form and details may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is
intended that the appended claims encompass such changes and
modifications. The following claims define the present
invention.
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