DURABLE ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICE INCLUDING TUNGSTEN OXIDE FILM PREPARED IN HIGH ION BOMBARDMENT AND LOW PRESSURE DEPOSITION ENVIRONMENT, AND/OR METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME

摘要

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to electrochromic devices (100, 1500), assemblies incorporating electrochromic devices, and methods of making the same. Highly-durable electrochromic devices include tungsten oxide (e.g., WO₃ or other suitable stoichiometry) films (102, 1510) prepared using high-rate bias-enhanced sputter deposition. The sputtering is performed in a low-pressure (e.g., 1 mTorr) environment, and the biasing is very high (e.g., greater than −400 V, more preferably greater than −500 V), which causes high energy ion bombardment that in turn leads to partial nanocrystallization of the WO₃ matrix, while simultaneously generating the porous microstructure desirable for ionic diffusion.