The present disclosure relates generally to methods for the integration of electrochromic films onto a substrate, such as a glass window, and the systems/structures formed via such methods.

In various embodiments, electronic devices such as touch-panel displays incorporate interconnects featuring a conductor layer and, disposed above the conductor layer, a capping layer comprising an alloy of Cu and one or more refractory metal elements selected from the group consisting of Ta, Nb, Mo, W, Zr, Hf, Re, Os, Ru, Rh, Ti, V, Cr, and Ni.

An electronic device may have transparent housing structures such as walls formed of glass or sapphire. Housing structures such as transparent housing structures may have a colored coating. The colored coating may include an absorptive layer and a metal layer. The coating may exhibit a color that can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the thin absorptive layer. A colored layer such as a layer of colored polymer may be incorporated into the colored coating to further adjust the color of the coating. The colored coating may be formed on an inner or outer housing structure surface. The surface may have a texture to provide the coating with a matte appearance. When formed on an outer surface, a diamond-like carbon layer may protect the colored coating. When formed on an inner surface, a passivation layer may be used to prevent oxidation of the metal layer.

A method of manufacturing a glass article comprises: (A) forming a first layer of catalyst metal on a glass substrate; (B) heating the glass substrate; (C) forming a second layer of an alloy of a first metal and a second metal on the first layer; (D) heating the glass substrate, thereby forming a glass article comprising: (i) the glass substrate; (ii) an oxide of the first metal covalently bonded thereto; and (iii) a metallic region bonded to the oxide, the metallic region comprising the catalyst, first, and second metals. In embodiments, the method further comprises (E) forming a third layer of a primary metal on the metallic region; and (F) heating the glass article thereby forming the glass article comprising: (i) the oxide of the first metal covalently bonded the glass substrate; and (ii) a new metallic region bonded to the oxide comprising the catalyst, first, second, and primary metals.

An electronic device may have transparent housing structures such as walls formed of glass or sapphire. Housing structures such as transparent housing structures may have a colored coating. The colored coating may include an absorptive layer and a metal layer. The coating may exhibit a color that can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the thin absorptive layer. A colored layer such as a layer of colored polymer may be incorporated into the colored coating to further adjust the color of the coating. The colored coating may be formed on an inner or outer housing structure surface. The surface may have a texture to provide the coating with a matte appearance. When formed on an outer surface, a diamond-like carbon layer may protect the colored coating. When formed on an inner surface, a passivation layer may be used to prevent oxidation of the metal layer.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to methods and apparatus of processing transparent substrates, such as glass substrates. In one implementation, a film stack for optical devices includes a glass substrate including a first surface and a second surface. The film stack includes a device function layer formed on the first surface, a hard mask layer formed on the device function layer, and a substrate recognition layer formed on the hard mask layer. The hard mask layer includes one or more of chromium, ruthenium, or titanium nitride. The film stack includes a backside layer formed on the second surface. The backside layer formed on the second surface includes one or more of a conductive layer or an oxide layer.

A through-glass via (TGV) formed in a glass substrate may comprise a metal plating layer formed in the TGV. The TGV may have a three-dimensional (3D) topology through the glass substrate and the metal plating layer conformally covering the 3D topology. The TGV may further comprise a barrier layer disposed over the metal plating layer, and a metallization layer disposed over the barrier layer. The metallization layer may be electrically coupled to the metal plating layer through the barrier layer. The barrier layer may comprise a metal-nitride film disposed on the metal plating layer that is electrically coupled to the metallization layer. The barrier layer may comprise a metal film disposed over the metal plating layer and over a portion of glass surrounding the TGV, and an electrically-insulating film disposed upon the metal film, the electrically-insulating film completely overlapping the metal plating layer and partially overlapping the metal film.

A conductive layer includes a microwave transformer for scaling the intensity of a microwave signal of a first frequency by a scaling factor. The transformer includes a first physical area delimited with a closed curve on the conductive layer for receiving the microwave signal from a first space angle and re-emitting a ray of the microwave signal to a second space angle. A ratio of the first physical area to the second physical area is smaller than 0.5. The ratio of the first effective area to the first physical area is larger than the ratio of the second effective area to the second physical area. The scaling factor is the ratio of the maximal intensity of the re-emitted ray and the intensity of a ray through an open aperture having a physical area equivalent to the second physical area in the same direction than the re-emitted ray.

Provided are an adhesion promoting layer, a method for depositing a conductive layer on an inorganic or organic-inorganic hybrid substrate and a conductive structure. The adhesion promoting layer is suitable for depositing a conductive layer on an inorganic or organic-inorganic hybrid substrate, which includes a metal oxide layer and an interface layer. The metal oxide layer is disposed on the inorganic or organic-inorganic hybrid substrate. The interface layer is disposed between the metal oxide layer and the inorganic or organic-inorganic hybrid substrate. The metal oxide layer includes metal oxide and a chelating agent. The interface layer includes the metal oxide, the chelating agent and metal-nonmetal-oxide composite material.

A material includes a transparent substrate coated with a stack of thin layers including at least one silver-based functional metallic layer, at least one blocking layer located directly in contact with a silver-based functional metallic layer, and at least one zinc-based metallic layer located above or below this silver-based functional metallic layer, directly in contact or separated by one or more layers having a total thickness of less than or equal to 20 nm.