U.S. Philips Corporation

Johan Van De Ven

Erik Paul Boonekamp

Petrus H Notten

Leo H Krings

A description is given of an electro-optical switching device (1) comprising a transparent substrate (3), a switching layer (5) of yttrium hydride as a first electrode, a palladium layer (7), an electrolyte layer of, e.g. Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5 (9), a layer of WO.sub.3 hydride as the second electrode (11), and a transparent ITO-layer (13). Under the influence of a potential difference or direct current between the electrodes (5) and (11), the yttrium hydride is electrochemically converted from a low-hydrogen-content state to a high-hydrogen-content state, or vice versa. The conversion between both compositions is reversible, and is accompanied by a change in optical transmission. Apart from Y, other trivalent metals may be used, such as Gd and La.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Johan Van De Ven