Mobile electronic device comprising a multilayer sapphire cover plate

• US 9,655,293 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GTAT Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GTAT Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmid, Kurt
• Primary Examiner(s): Ewald, Maria Veronica
• Assistant Examiner(s): FIGG, TRAVIS M
• Application Number:
  US14/100,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20140162043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 359580-582, 359586-590, 428212-220, 428426, 428432-433, 428688
• 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: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension

Abstract

An electronic device comprising a cover plate is disclosed. The cover plate comprises one or more glass layers and one or more sapphire layers, wherein the layers are refractive index matched. Also disclosed are methods for preparing the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic display device comprising:

at least one display element having a display surface; and

a cover plate having at least one transparent display region, the cover plate comprising a glass layer having a refractive index n_g and one or more free standing sapphire layers having a refractive index n_s, wherein (n_s−

n_g) is not more than 0.05, wherein the cover plate is directly affixed to the display surface to operate as a touch screen,

wherein the sapphire layer has a back surface, and the glass layer is directly coated to the back surface of the sapphire layer.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein (ns−

ng) is not more than 0.03.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein (ns−

ng) is not more than 0.02.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the refractive index of the glass layer is substantially the same as the refractive index of the sapphire layer.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sapphire layer has a thickness of less than about 2 mm.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the cover plate has thickness between about 0.3 mm and 3.0 mm.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the cover plate has thickness between about 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sapphire layer is an exterior layer of the cover plate.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the cover plate is a protective layer removably positioned on top of the display surface.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, where the back surface of the sapphire layer is unpolished.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the cover plate comprises two glass layers each affixed to opposite surfaces of the sapphire layer.

12. The electronic device, of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is an electronic media player, a mobile telephone, a personal data assistant, a pager, a tablet, a laptop computer, or an electronic notebook.