Conventional electrochromic devices frequently suffer from poor reliability and poor performance. Improvements are made using entirely solid and inorganic materials. Electrochromic devices are fabricated by forming an ion conducting electronically-insulating interfacial region that serves as an IC layer. In some methods, the interfacial region is formed after formation of an electrochromic and a counter electrode layer. The interfacial region contains an ion conducting electronically-insulating material along with components of the electrochromic and/or the counter electrode layer. Materials and microstructure of the electrochromic devices provide improvements in performance and reliability over conventional devices.

Thin film deposition systems with in situ, real-time RHEED monitoring of films deposited via off-axis magnetron sputtering are provided. Also provided are methods of using the systems to grow the films and methods to monitor their growth in real-time. Using the deposition systems, thin films of a sputtered material are grown and monitored in a single vacuum sputtering chamber that houses components of both the magnetron sputtering system and the RHEED system arranged about the substrate onto which the film is grown.

Conventional electrochromic devices frequently suffer from poor reliability and poor performance. Improvements are made using entirely solid and inorganic materials. Electrochromic devices are fabricated by forming an ion conducting electronically-insulating interfacial region that serves as an IC layer. In some methods, the interfacial region is formed after formation of an electrochromic and a counter electrode layer. The interfacial region contains an ion conducting electronically-insulating material along with components of the electrochromic and/or the counter electrode layer. Materials and microstructure of the electrochromic devices provide improvements in performance and reliability over conventional devices.

According to the invention, a device is provided for coating substrates having planar or shaped surfaces by means of magnetron sputtering, by means of which device surfaces having any shape, for examples lenses, aspheres or freeform surfaces which have an adjustable layer-thickness profile, can be coated such that a layer function is maintained on the substantially complete surface. A method for coating substrates having planar or shaped surfaces by means of magnetron sputtering is also provided.