Electronic component embedded in ceramic material

• US 9,632,537 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Adrian S
• Application Number:
  US14/033,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20150085429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 36167955, 36167956, 4555757, 343873
• 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;

a trench formed into a surface of the cover glass;

an electronic component disposed within a portion of the trench; and

a retention element that occupies a remainder of the trench, wherein the electronic component is interposed between the retention element and the cover glass and wherein the retention element is formed from sapphire.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the cover glass is formed from sapphire.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the retention element is molecularly bonded to the cover glass.

5. 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.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the via extends through a portion of the cover glass.

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

4. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a cover glass affixed to the housing;

a trench formed into a surface of the cover glass;

an electronic component disposed within a portion of the trench; and

a retention element that occupies a remainder of the trench, wherein the electronic component is interposed between the retention element and the cover glass and wherein the retention element is a frit that is fused to the cover glass after deposition in the trench.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a display in the housing;

a transparent element that covers the display and is affixed to the housing, wherein the transparent element has first and second opposing surfaces, wherein the first surface of the transparent element forms an exterior surface of the electronic device, wherein a trench is formed in the second surface of the transparent element;

an electronic component, wherein at least a portion of the electronic component is formed in the trench;

ink that is formed on the second surface of the transparent element in the trench, wherein the ink is interposed between the second surface of the transparent element and the electronic component; and

at least one electronic circuit within the housing, wherein the at last one electronic circuit is in electrical communication with the electronic component.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8, wherein the transparent element is formed from sapphire.