LAMINATED ALUMINUM OXIDE COVER COMPONENT

• US 20140139978A1
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kwong, Kelvin
• Granted Patent: US 9,718,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/00 Layered products comprising a layer with external or internal discontinuities or unevennesses, or a layer of non-planar shape; Layered products comprising a layer having particular features of form
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/20 Aluminium oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 33/06 Joining of crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24322 Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24331 including nonapertured component

Abstract

A cover glass for an electronic display comprises a plurality of layers of sapphire material, each of the layers having a substantially single crystal plane orientation, with adjacent layers having different substantially single crystal plane orientations. One or more interface layers are defined between adjacent layers of the sapphire material, with the adjacent layers of sapphire material bonded together at the one or more interface layers. A display window is defined in the cover glass, and configured for viewing a viewable area of the electronic display through the plurality of layers of the sapphire material bonded together at the one or more interface layers.

Claims

1. A cover glass for an electronic display, the cover glass comprising:

a plurality of layers of substantially single-crystal sapphire, each of the layers having a substantially single crystal plane orientation, wherein adjacent layers of the substantially single-crystal sapphire have different substantially single crystal plane orientations;

one or more interface layers defined between the adjacent layers of substantially single-crystal sapphire, wherein the adjacent layers of substantially single-crystal sapphire are bonded together at the one or more interface layers; and

a display window defined in the cover glass, the display window configured for viewing the electronic display through the plurality of layers of substantially single crystal sapphire bonded together at the one or more interface layers.

2. The cover glass of claim 1, wherein the adjacent layers of substantially single crystal sapphire have substantially orthogonal crystal plane orientations.

3. The cover glass of claim 2, wherein the adjacent layers of substantially single crystal sapphire comprise alternating A plane and C plane orientations defined along the one or more interface layers.

4. The cover glass of claim 1, further comprising a metal component in one or more of the layers of substantially single-crystal sapphire, the metal component selected for one or more physical properties including color, hardness, and thermal or electrical conductivity and resistivity.

5. The cover glass of claim 1, further comprising a display window layer comprising substantially opaque window border portions and a substantially transparent window portion configured to define the display window in the cover glass.

6. The cover glass of claim 5, wherein the display window layer is provided between two of the plurality of layers of substantially single crystal sapphire.

7. The cover glass of claim 1, wherein the one or more interface layers define adhesive bonds between the adjacent layers of substantially single crystal sapphire.

8. The cover glass of claim 1, wherein the one or more interface layers define hydrogen bonds between the adjacent layers of substantially single crystal sapphire material.

9. The cover glass of claim 1, wherein the adjacent layers of substantially single crystal sapphire material are fused together across the one or more interface layers.

10. The cover glass of claim 9, wherein the one or more interface layers comprise polycrystalline or substantially amorphous aluminum oxide material fused between the adjacent layers of substantially single crystal sapphire.

11. A method of forming the cover glass of claim 9, comprising compressively loading the adjacent layers of substantially single crystal sapphire and fusing the adjacent layers together across the one or more interface layers while under the compressive loading.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein fusing the adjacent layers of substantially single crystal sapphire material together is performed at a fusion temperature between about 2000°

C. and about 2100°

C.

13. A device comprising:

a display;

a frame disposed about the display;

a back cover coupled to a back of the frame and positioned behind the display;

a front glass coupled to a front of the frame and positioned in front of the display, the front glass comprising a plurality of substantially single crystal sapphire layers having substantially single crystal plane orientations, wherein the plurality of sapphire layers are bonded together to form the front glass such that the substantially single crystal plane orientations of adjacent sapphire layers are different; and

a substantially transparent display window defined in the front glass, the display window configured for viewing the display through the plurality of sapphire layers.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising a display layer disposed between two of the plurality of substantially single crystal sapphire layers, the display layer comprising opaque border portions and a transparent window portion defining the display window in the front glass.

15. The device of claim 13, further comprising one or more interface layers defined between the adjacent sapphire layers, wherein the adjacent sapphire layers are bonded together across the one or more interface layers.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the adjacent sapphire layers have substantially orthogonal crystal plane orientations at the one or more interface layers.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the one or more interface layers comprise polycrystalline or substantially amorphous aluminum oxide material fused between the adjacent sapphire layers.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the one or more interface layers comprise hydrogen bonds between the adjacent sapphire layers.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein the back cover comprises a back cover glass formed by bonding two or more layers of substantially single crystal sapphire together across an interface, wherein the interface defines a transition between different crystal plane orientations in the two or more layers of substantially single crystal sapphire.

20. A cover glass for an electronic device having a display, the cover glass comprising:

a first sapphire layer having a first substantially single crystal plane orientation;

a second sapphire layer having a second substantially single crystal plane orientation, the second crystal plane orientation substantially orthogonal to the first crystal plane orientation;

an interface layer defined between the first and second sapphire layers, wherein the first and second sapphire layers are bonded together across the interface layer; and

a display window defined in the cover glass, the display window configured for viewing the display through the first and second sapphire layers bonded together across the interface layer.

21. The cover glass of claim 20, wherein the interface layer comprises a fusion bond between the first and second sapphire layers.

22. The cover glass of claim 20, further comprising a display window layer adjacent the second sapphire layer, the display window layer comprising substantially opaque side regions and a substantially transparent window region configured for a viewing a viewable area of the display through the cover glass.

23. The cover glass of claim 22, further comprising a third sapphire layer adjacent the display window layer on a side opposite the second sapphire layer, such that the display window layer is between the second sapphire layer and the third sapphire layer.

24. The cover glass of claim 23, wherein the first, second and third sapphire layers each have a thickness of about 0.2 mm to about 0.4 mm, and wherein the cover glass has a thickness of 1.0 mm or less.