阅读说明：本技术 用于改进的电接触的透明导电氧化物(tco)薄膜的预处理 (Pretreatment of Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) films for improved electrical contact ) 是由 托德·马丁 阿比什克·阿南特·迪克西特 费边·斯特朗 安舒·A·普拉丹 于 2014-06-12 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请涉及用于改进的电接触的透明导电氧化物(TCO)薄膜的预处理。某些实施方案涉及光学器件和制造光学器件的方法,所述方法预处理子层以实现所述预处理的子层和覆盖层的选择性移除。其他实施方案属于制造光学器件的方法,所述方法施加牺牲材料层。(The present application relates to the pretreatment of Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) films for improved electrical contact. Certain embodiments relate to optical devices and methods of fabricating optical devices that pretreat sub-layers to enable selective removal of the pretreated sub-layers and overlying layers. Other embodiments pertain to methods of manufacturing optical devices that apply a layer of sacrificial material.)

1. A method of manufacturing an optical device, the method comprising:

i) applying a layer of sacrificial material into a portion of a region of one or more sub-layers of the optical device;

ii) depositing one or more material layers of the optical device on the sacrificial material layer and the one or more sub-layers of the optical device; and

iii) applying a laser to the portion so as to ablate the optical device to at least substantially remove the layer of sacrificial material and any overlying layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical device is an electrochromic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sub-layers comprise a metal oxide, a metal nitride, a metal carbide, a metal oxynitride, or a metal oxycarbide.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sub-layers comprise TiO₂。

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sub-layers comprise a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, TiO₂Tantalum oxide, cerium oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silicon aluminum oxide, tungsten oxide, nickel tungsten oxide, and indium tin oxide.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sub-layers comprise a metal nitride selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, tantalum nitride, and tungsten nitride.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sub-layers comprise a metal carbide selected from the group consisting of titanium carbide, aluminum carbide, silicon carbide, tantalum carbide, and tungsten carbide.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical device comprises WO₃An electrochromic layer and a nickel-based counter electrode layer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the nickel-based counter electrode layer comprises NiWO or NiTaO.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sub-layers are on top of and directly adjacent to a lower conductor layer of the electrochromic device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the lower conductor layer comprises SnO₂。

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the lower conductor layer is substantially intact after iii).

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising fabricating a bus bar on the lower conductor layer exposed in iii).

14. An optically switchable device, comprising:

a substantially transparent substrate;

a lower conductor layer disposed over the substantially transparent substrate; and

a bus bar on the lower conductor layer over a portion of an area of the substantially transparent substrate where a layer of sacrificial material has been at least substantially removed by laser ablation, wherein a remaining portion of the area has an electrochromic device stack with the layer of sacrificial material and/or sub-layer on top of the lower conductor layer.

15. The optically switchable device of claim 14, wherein the electrochromic device stack further comprises one or more material layers, and wherein the one or more material layers comprise WO₃An electrochromic layer and a nickel-based counter electrode layer.

16. The optically switchable device of claim 15, wherein the nickel-based counter electrode layer comprises NiWO or NiTaO.

17. The optically switchable device of claim 14, wherein the optically switchable device is an electrochromic device.

18. The optically switchable device of claim 17, wherein the sub-layer is on top of and directly adjacent to the lower conductor layer of the electrochromic device.

19. The optically switchable device of claim 14, wherein the lower conductor layer comprises tin oxide.

20. The optically switchable device of claim 14, wherein the energy source has been applied to the layer of sacrificial material.