ELECTRONIC COMPONENT EMBEDDED IN CERAMIC MATERIAL

• US 20150085429A1
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Memering, Dale N., de Jong, Erik G., Rothkopf, Fletcher R., Weiss, Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 9,632,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/06 comprising glass as the main or only constituent of a layer, next to another layer of a specific material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1271 for mounting on windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2258 used with computer equipment
• 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: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly

Abstract

A ceramic material having an electronic component embedded therein, and more particularly to a sapphire surface having an electrically energized component embedded within. In some embodiments, the sapphire surface may take the form of a portion of a housing for an electronic device. Since sapphire may be substantially transparent, it may form a cover glass for a display within or forming part of the electronic device, as one example. The cover glass may be bonded, affixed, or otherwise attached to a remainder of the housing, thereby forming an enclosure for the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a cover glass affixed to the housing; and

an electronic component embedded within the cover glass.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

a trench is defined within the cover glass;

the electronic component is located within the trench; and

a retention element occupies a remainder of the trench, thereby embedding the electronic component with the cover glass.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the cover glass is formed from sapphire; and

the retention element is formed from one of sapphire or alumina.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the retention element is molecularly bonded to the cover glass.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the retention element is a frit that is fused together after deposition in the trench.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one electronic circuit;

at least one via in electrical communication with the electronic circuit and the electronic component, the via defining an electrical connection between the electronic circuit and the electronic component.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the via extends through a portion of the cover glass.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the cover glass is formed from a first and second cover glass section, the first and second cover glass sections bonded together.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the second cover glass section fits within the first cover glass section.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:

the first cover glass section overlies the second cover glass section; and

the first and second cover glass sections abut at a planar interface.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a display stack operative to display at least one image through the cover glass.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a ceramic element affixed to the housing, the ceramic element defining a void;

an electronic component affixed within the void; and

at least one electronic circuit within the housing and in electrical communication with the electronic component.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the void is formed on an exterior surface of the ceramic element.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein a section of the electronic component is exposed to an exterior of the electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising a coating extending over a segment of the ceramic element and a segment of the electronic component.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the ceramic element is transparent.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising an ink adjacent to at least a portion of the ceramic element.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein:

the ceramic element comprises a first ceramic segment and a second ceramic segment; and

an optically clear adhesive bonds the first and second ceramic segments to one another.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the void is formed on a surface of the first ceramic segment that is otherwise bonded to the second ceramic segment.

20. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the ceramic element is formed from sapphire or alumina.