Apple Inc.

Other

Dennis R Pyper

Amir Salehi

Shawn Xavier Arnold

Joseph R Fisher, Jr

Sean Anthony Mayo

Scott P Mullins

Gloria Lin

Meng Chi Lee

Jeffrey M Thoma

Vu Thanh Vo

David A Pakula

Daniel William Jarvis

Ian A Spraggs

Kyle H Yeates

Lan H Hoang

Gregory N Stephens

Yazan Z Alnahhas

Derek J Walters

Alex J Crumlin

Wyeman Chen

Paul L Nangeroni

Michael Victor Yeh

James W Bilanski

Corey S Provencher

Venkataram R Raju

Bryson Gardner, Jr

Jose Mantovani

Douglas P Kidd

Kenyu Tojima

Scott A Myers

Zheng Gao

Matthew Phillip Casebolt

Hong Peng Wang

Jun Zhai

Benjamin J Pope

Christopher Matthew Werner

Mahmoud R Amini

Christopher R Wilk

Michael Nikkhoo

Brad G Boozer

Steven P Cardinali

Ruchir M Dave

Flynn P Carson

Barry J Corlett

Nicholas George Merz

Nikolas T Vitt

Leilei Zhang

Daniel K Boothe

Shakti Singh Chauhan

Neal D Evans

Nicholas G L Merz

Chang Liu

James H Foster

Jesse A Lippert

Shankar S Pennathur

Xingqun Li

James R Krogdahl

Siddharth Nangia

Anne M Mason

Takayoshi Katahira

William Bryson Gardner, Jr

Scott L Gooch

Carlos Ribas

Bryan McDonald

Dave Goh

Hong Wang

Michael M Nikkhoo

Flexible modules and methods of manufacture are described. In an embodiment, a flexible module includes a flex board formed in which a passivation layer is applied in liquid form in a panel level process, followed by exposure and development. An electronic component is then mounted onto the flex board and encapsulated in a molding compound that is directly on a top surface of the passivation layer.

Flex board and flexible module

The present disclosure is related to printed circuit board packages and methods of assembly that may be used in the fabrication of electrical devices. Printed circuit board packages may be manufactured by stacking printed circuit board assemblies. Each printed circuit board assembly may have multiple printed circuit boards supported by a resin mold. The printed circuit board assemblies may be shaped to improve space utilization efficiency and to accommodate large electrical components that are attached to the printed circuit board package.

Stacked printed circuit board packages

Readily manufactured structures for sealing or encapsulating devices in system-in-a-package modules, such that the modules are easily assembled, have a low-profile, and are space efficient. One example may provide readily manufactured covers for SIP modules. These modules may be easily assembled by attaching the cover to a top side of a substrate. These SIP modules may have a low-profile, for example when their height is reduced using one or more recesses in a bottom surface of a top of the recess, where the one or more recesses are arranged to accept one or more components. These SIP modules may be made space efficient by placing an edge of a cover near an edge of the substrate and connecting the plating of the cover using side plating on, or vias through, the substrate.

Low-profile space-efficient shielding for SIP module

An apparatus includes a main substrate, a device, and a heat spreader. The main substrate is configured for mounting the device in a mounting location thereon and having a cavity located below the mounting location. The device is mounted in the mounting location, and the heat spreader is fitted into the cavity and coupled to the device and to a heat sink. The heat spreader is configured to conduct heat from the device to the heat sink and to provide electrical insulation between the device and the heat sink.

Circuit substrate with embedded heat sink

A circuit board assembly in an electronic is disclosed. To conserve space in the electronic device, the circuit board assembly includes stacked circuit boards in electrical communication with each other, such as a first circuit board stacked over a second circuit board. Each circuit board may include multiple surfaces that carry operational components. Moreover, the first circuit board may include a first surface and the second circuit board may include a second surface facing the first surface. The first and second surfaces may include operational components in corresponding locations. Also, the operational components may include corresponding shapes such that one component is positioned in another component. The components may electrically connect to each other. Also, the circuit board assembly may include EMI shields around an outer perimeter in order to shield the operational components form EMI and to components in the electronic device from EMI emanating from the operational components.

Stacked circuit board architecture in an electronic device

Connector inserts and other structures that have a high signal integrity and low insertion loss, are reliable, and are readily manufactured. One example may provide a connector insert formed primarily using a printed circuit board. Contacts on the connector insert may be akin to contacts on a printed circuit board and they may connect to traces having matched impedances on the printed circuit board in order to improve signal integrity and reduce insertion loss. The printed circuit board may be manufactured in a manner for increased reliability. Plating, solder block, and other manufacturing steps that are native to printed circuit board manufacturing may be employed to improve manufacturability. Specialized tools that may provide a chamfered edge on the connector inserts may be employed.

Connector inserts and receptacle tongues formed using printed circuit boards

An electronic device having a microphone behind a water resistant, air-impermeable membrane is disclosed. Embodiments include a trapped volume of air between the membrane and the microphone. A barometric equalization element may define an acoustic leak path, e.g., a tortuous leak path, between the trapped volume of air and an encased space within a casing of the electronic device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Microphone assembly having an acoustic leak path

Readily modifiable and customizable, low-area overhead interconnect structures for forming connections between a system-in-a-package module and other components in an electronic device. One example may provide an interposer for providing an interconnection between a system-in-a-package module and other components in an electronic device. Another may provide a plurality of conductive pins or contacts to form interconnect paths between a module and other components.

Low-area overhead connectivity solutions to SIP module

Electronic devices may contain electrical systems in which electrical components are mounted on a substrate such as a printed circuit board. The electrical components may include surface mount technology components. Multiple surface mount technology components may be stacked on top of each other and beside each other to form an electrical component that minimizes the amount of area that is consumed on a printed circuit board. Noise suppression circuits and other circuits may be implemented using stacked surface mount technology components. Surface mount technology components placed on the printed circuit board may be pushed together and subsequently injection molded to form packed component groups. An integrated circuit may be mounted to the printed circuit board via an interposer and may cover components mounted to the printed circuit board. An integrated circuit may be mounted over a recessed portion of the printed circuit board on which components are mounted.

Printed circuit board with compact groups of devices

A printed circuit board may have embedded strain gauges. A strain gauge may be formed from a metal trace on a polymer substrate. The metal trace may form a variable strain gauge resistor that is incorporated into a bridge circuit for a strain gauge. The printed circuit may have a rigid printed circuit layer with a recess that receives the polymer substrate. Metal pads on the polymer substrate may be coupled to respective ends of the variable strain gauge resistor. The rigid printed circuit substrate with the recess may be laminated between additional rigid printed circuit layers. Vias may be formed through the additional rigid printed circuit layers to contact the metal pads. Embedded strain gauges may be used in gathering strain data when strain is imparted to a printed circuit during use of the printed circuit in an electronic device or during testing.

Printed circuits with embedded strain gauges

An electronic device may be provided with electronic device structures such as housing structures, antenna structures, printed circuits, and structures associated with electrical components. The structures may be attached to each other using adhesive. A liquid pressure sensitive adhesive precursor material is deposited onto one or more surfaces of structures to be bonded. Light or heat can be applied to cure the liquid adhesive material and form pressure sensitive adhesive layers. During curing, chemical bonds are formed between the adhesive material and the structures. Assembly equipment may press the structures together to form pressure sensitive adhesive bonds that can be reworked without disturbing the chemically bonded portions of the adhesive material. The pressure sensitive adhesive may include conductive particles for forming conductive paths.

Liquid-based pressure sensitive adhesive for grounding applications

Electrical components such as integrated circuits may be mounted on a printed circuit board. To prevent the electrical components from being subjected to electromagnetic interference, radio-frequency shielding structures may be formed over the components. The radio-frequency shielding structures may be formed from a layer of metallic paint. Components may be covered by a layer of dielectric. Channels may be formed in the dielectric between blocks of circuitry. The metallic paint may be used to coat the surfaces of the dielectric and to fill the channels. Openings may be formed in the surface of the metallic paint to separate radio-frequency shields from each other. Conductive traces on the surface of the printed circuit board may be used in connecting the metallic paint layer to internal printed circuit board traces.

Printed circuit board with integral radio-frequency shields

An electronic device may be provided with antenna structures. Circuitry such as radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and impedance matching and filter circuitry may be implemented using one or more circuit components and embedded within an insulator to form packaged circuitry. The insulator may be formed from multiple layers of printed circuit board material or from plastic molded onto a printed circuit board substrate over the circuitry. A metal shield layer may be interposed between the packaged circuitry and the antenna structures. The metal shield layer may be mounted on the surface of the packaged circuitry using a layer of adhesive. A layer of polymer may be interposed between the layer of adhesive and the metal shielding layer. The metal shield layer may have an opening through which conductive paths may pass to couple the packaged circuitry to antenna terminals on the antenna structures.

Antenna structures and shield layers on packaged wireless circuits

Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for fabricating a printed circuit board (PCB) having electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and also having reduced volume over conventional frame-and-shield approaches. Some embodiments include fabricating the PCB by mounting an integrated circuit to the PCB, outlining an area corresponding to the integrated circuit with a number of grounded vias, selectively applying an insulating layer over the PCB such that at least one of the grounded vias are exposed, and selectively applying a conductive layer over the PCB such that the conductive layer covers at least a portion of the integrated circuit and such that the conductive layer is coupled to the at least one of the grounded vias that are exposed.

Electromagnetic interference shielding techniques

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Dennis R Pyper