Fabric With Embedded Electrical Components

• US 20190013274A1
• Filed: 08/20/2015
• Published: 01/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sunshine, Daniel D., Drzaic, Paul S., Podhajny, Daniel A., Kindlon, David M., Kim, Hoon Sik, Crews, Kathryn P., Hsu, Yung-Yu
• Granted Patent: US 10,910,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2500/20 Woven
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 27/205 Pockets adapted to receive a mobile phone or other electronic equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/02 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/03 Microengines and actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 7/007 Interconnections between the MEMS and external electrical signals
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0088 Fabrics having an electronic function
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 11/02 Fabrics formed with pockets, tubes, loops, folds, tucks or flaps fabrics consisting of a single tube D03D3/02
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/16 antistatic; conductive
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/18 including electronic components
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16227 the bump connector connecting to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5386 Geometry or layout of the interconnection structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5387 Flexible insulating substrates H01L23/5388 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/16 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1461 MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls

Abstract

A fabric-based item may include fabric such as woven fabric having insulating and conductive yarns or other strands of material. The conductive yarns may form signal paths. Electrical components can be embedded within pockets in the fabric. Each electrical component may have an electrical device such as a semiconductor die that is mounted on an interposer substrate. The electrical device may be a light-emitting diode, a sensor, an actuator, or other electrical device. The electrical device may have contacts that are soldered to contacts on the interposer. The interposer may have additional contacts that are soldered to the signal paths. The fabric may have portions that form transparent windows overlapping the electrical components or that have other desired attributes.

Claims

1. A fabric-based item comprising:

fabric having a pocket and having conductive paths; and

an electrical component embedded in the pocket, wherein the electrical component has pads that are coupled to the conductive paths.

2. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 wherein the pads comprise solder pads and wherein the solder pads are soldered to the conductive paths.

3. The fabric-based item defined in claim 2 wherein the fabric has opaque yarns and has transparent yarns that are patterned to form a transparent window in the fabric that is aligned with the electrical component.

4. The fabric-based item defined in claim 3 wherein the electrical component comprises:

an interposer; and

an electrical device soldered to the interposer.

5. The fabric-based item defined in claim 4 wherein the electrical device comprises a semiconductor die.

6. The fabric-based item defined in claim 5 wherein the conductive paths comprise conductive yarns.

7. The fabric-based item defined in claim 6 wherein the interposer has first solder pads that are soldered to the solder pads of the electrical component and has second solder pads that are soldered to the conductive yarns.

8. The fabric-based item defined in claim 7 wherein the electrical device comprises a light-emitting diode.

9. The fabric-based item defined in claim 8 wherein the interposer comprises a substrate with opposing first and second surfaces and wherein the first solder pads and the second solder pads are formed on the first surface.

10. The fabric-based item defined in claim 1 wherein the electrical component comprises:

a semiconductor die; and

an interposer to which the semiconductor is mounted.

11. The fabric-based item defined in claim 10 wherein the conductive paths comprise conductive yarns and wherein the interposer comprises:

a substrate with opposing first and second surfaces;

first solder pads on the first surface that are soldered to the conductive yarns; and

second solder pads on the first surface that are soldered to the semiconductor die.

12. A fabric-based item, comprising:

woven fabric having strands of material including at least some conductive strands of material; and

an electrical component that is mounted in a pocket in the woven fabric, wherein the electrical component comprises an electrical device that has contact pads and that is mounted on an interposer, wherein the interposer has first pads that are coupled to the conductive strands of material and has second pads that are coupled to the contact pads of the electrical device.

13. The fabric-based item defined in claim 12 wherein the first pads comprise first solder pads that are soldered to the conductive strands and wherein the second pads comprise second solder pads that are soldered to the contact pads.

14. The fabric-based item defined in claim 13 wherein the woven fabric includes opaque strands of material and transparent strands of material.

15. The fabric-based item defined in claim 14 wherein the electrical component comprises a light-emitting diode that emits light that passes through a transparent region formed from the transparent strands of material.

16. The fabric-based item defined in claim 12 wherein the electrical device comprises an actuator.

17. The fabric-based item defined in claim 12 wherein the electrical device comprises a sensor.

18. The fabric-based item defined in claim 12 wherein the electrical device comprises a semiconductor die on which the contact pads are formed.

19. Apparatus, comprising:

a semiconductor die having a contact pad;

a printed circuit substrate having a first pad, a second pad, and a metal trace that interconnects the first and second pads, wherein the first pad is coupled to the contact pad of the semiconductor die; and

fabric having a cavity that receives the semiconductor die and at least part of the printed circuit substrate, wherein the fabric includes at least one conductive path that is coupled to the second pad.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 19 wherein the first pad is a solder pad that is soldered to the contact pad of the semiconductor die and wherein the second pad is a solder pad that is soldered to the conductive path.

21. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the fabric comprises woven fabric and wherein the fabric includes conductive yarn that forms the conductive path.

22. The apparatus defined in claim 21 wherein the printed circuit substrate comprises a flexible printed circuit substrate having a main portion and a serpentine arm that extends from the main portion, wherein the first solder pad is on the main portion adjacent to a first end of one of the serpentine arm, and wherein the second solder pad is on an opposing second end of the serpentine arm.

23. The apparatus defined in claim 22 wherein the fabric comprises opaque yarn and transparent yarn and wherein the fabric is woven so that a portion of the transparent yarn overlaps the semiconductor die.

24. The apparatus defined in claim 20 further comprising a bead of polymer that covers the semiconductor die.

25. The apparatus defined in claim 24 wherein the printed circuit substrate has an opening and wherein the conductive path is soldered to the second solder pad with solder that penetrates into the opening.