THINNED FINGER SENSOR AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20130119488A1
• Filed: 01/10/2013
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: AuthenTec Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: SHERLOCK, PETER E., SPLETTER, PHILIP J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,971,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/414
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1329 Protecting the fingerprint sensor against damage caused by the finger
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/84 controllable by variation of applied mechanical force, e.g. of pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0247 Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring

Abstract

An electronic device may include a housing with a connector member opening therein, electronic circuitry within the housing, and a finger sensor assembly carried by the housing. The finger assembly may include a thinned finger sensing integrated circuit (IC) secured to the housing that has a thickness less than 200 microns. The finger sensor assembly may also include a connector member extending through the connector member opening in the housing and coupling together the thinned finger sensing IC and the electronic circuitry. The thinned finger sensing IC may be adhesively secured to the housing, such as using a pressure sensitive adhesive, and the thinned finger sensing IC may conform to a non-planar surface.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. An electronic device comprising:

a housing having at least one connector member opening therein;

a thinned finger sensing integrated circuit (IC) carried by said housing and having a thickness less than 200 microns; and

at least one connector member coupled to said thinned finger sensing IC and extending through the at least one connector member opening in said housing.

34. The electronic device according to claim 33 wherein said thinned finger sensing IC comprises a monocrystalline substrate.

35. The electronic device according to claim 33 wherein said housing has a non-planar surface;

and wherein said thinned finger sensing IC is secured to the non-planar surface and conforms in shape thereto.

36. The electronic device according to claim 33 further comprising an adhesive layer adhesively securing said thinned finger sensing IC to said housing.

37. The electronic device according to claim 36 wherein said adhesive layer comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive.

38. The electronic device according to claim 33 wherein said thinned finger sensing IC has a thickness less than 50 microns.

39. The electronic device according to claim 33 wherein said thinned finger sensing IC comprises a finger sensing area and a plurality of bond pads adjacent thereto;

and wherein said at least one connector member comprises a flexible circuit including a flexible layer, and a plurality of conductive traces carried by said flexible layer and coupled to respective ones of said plurality of bond pads.

40. The electronic device according to claim 39 wherein said flexible layer covers both said finger sensing area and said plurality of bond pads.

41. The electronic device according to claim 39 wherein said flexible circuit comprises a connector portion extending outwardly beyond said finger sensing area and said plurality of bond pads.

42. The electronic device according to claim 39 further comprising at least one of a drive electrode and an electrostatic discharge (ESD) electrode carried by said flexible layer.

43. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a thinned finger sensing integrated circuit (IC) comprising a monocrystalline substrate having a thickness less than 200 microns; and

a pressure sensitive adhesive layer adhesively securing said thinned finger sensing IC to said housing.

44. The electronic device according to claim 43 wherein said housing has a non-planar surface;

and wherein thinned finger sensing IC is secured to the non-planar surface and conforms in shape thereto.

45. The electronic device according to claim 43 wherein said thinned finger sensing IC has a thickness less than 50 microns.

46. The electronic device according to claim 43 wherein said thinned finger sensing IC comprises a finger sensing area and a plurality of bond pads adjacent thereto;

and wherein said at least one connector member comprises a flexible circuit including a flexible layer, and a plurality of conductive traces carried by said flexible layer and coupled to respective ones of said plurality of bond pads.

47. The electronic device according to claim 46 wherein said flexible layer covers both said finger sensing area and said plurality of bond pads.

48. A finger sensor assembly comprising:

a thinned finger sensing integrated circuit (IC) having a thickness less than 200 microns;

a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on said thinned finger sensing IC; and

at least one connector member coupled to said thinned finger sensing IC.

49. The finger sensor assembly according to claim 48 further comprising a release layer temporarily covering said pressure sensitive adhesive layer.

50. The finger sensor assembly according to claim 48 wherein said thinned finger sensing IC comprises a monocrystalline substrate.

51. The finger sensor assembly according to claim 48 wherein said thinned finger sensing IC has a thickness less than 50 microns.

52. The finger sensor assembly according to claim 48 wherein said thinned finger sensing IC comprises a finger sensing area and a plurality of bond pads adjacent thereto;

and wherein said at least one connector member comprises a flexible circuit including a flexible layer, and a plurality of conductive traces carried by said flexible layer and coupled to respective ones of said plurality of bond pads.

53. The finger sensor assembly according to claim 52 wherein said flexible layer covers both said finger sensing area and said plurality of bond pads.

54. The finger sensor assembly according to claim 52 wherein said flexible circuit comprises a connector portion extending outwardly beyond said finger sensing area and said plurality of bond pads.

55. A method for making an electronic device comprising:

securing onto a housing a thinned finger sensing integrated circuit (IC) having a thickness less than 200 microns; and

extending at least one connector member, coupled to the thinned finger sensing IC, through at least one connector member opening in the housing.

56. The method according to claim 55 wherein the thinned finger sensing IC comprises a monocrystalline substrate.

57. The method according to claim 55 wherein securing the finger sensor assembly further comprises adhesively securing the thinned finger sensing IC to the housing with an adhesive layer.

58. The method according to claim 57 wherein the adhesive layer comprises a pressure sensitive adhesive.

59. The method according to claim 55 wherein the thinned finger sensing IC has a thickness less than 50 microns.

60. The method according to claim 55 wherein the thinned finger sensing IC comprises a finger sensing area and a plurality of bond pads adjacent thereto;

and wherein the at least one connector member comprises a flexible circuit including a flexible layer, and a plurality of conductive traces carried by the flexible layer and coupled to respective ones of the plurality of bond pads.

61. The method according to claim 60 wherein the flexible layer covers both the finger sensing area and the plurality of bond pads.

62. The method according to claim 60 wherein the flexible circuit comprises a connector portion extending outwardly beyond the finger sensing area and the plurality of bond pads.