Apple Inc.

Lg Display Co., Ltd.

Kuo-Hua Sung

John Z Zhong

Silvio Grespan

Casey J Feinstein

Brett W Degner

Dinesh C Mathew

Lynn Richard Youngs

Steve Porter Hotelling

Victor H Yin

Chris A Ligtenberg

Bryan W Posner

Thomas W Wilson, Jr

Peteris K Augenbergs

Steven Porter Hotelling

Steven James Martisauskas

Sang Ha Kim

Cyrus Y Liu

Po-Jui Chen

Joshua G Wurzel

Thayne M Miller

Hui Chen

Paul Stephen Drzaic

Michael Benjamin Wittenberg

Jean-Pierre Simon Guillou

Vasudha Gupta

Young Bae Park

Andrew Nelthropp Lauder

Romain A Teil

Troy Edwards

Heng-Hsi Wu

Ralf Horstkemper

Shih-Min Hsu

Chieh-Wei Chen

Sunggu Kang

Lili Huang

Bo Zhang

Soyoung Kim

Seung Jae Hong

Rui Qiao

Brian Shadle

To C Tan

Hsing Han Ho

Koohee Han

Yong-Soo Kim

An electronic device display may have a color filter layer and a thin film transistor layer. A layer of liquid crystal material may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin film transistor layer. A layer of polarizer may be laminated onto the surface of the color filter layer. Laser trimming may ensure that the edges of the polarizer are even with the edges of the color filter layer. The thin film transistor layer may have an array of thin film transistors that control pixels of the liquid crystal material in the display. Driver circuitry may be used to control the array. The driver circuitry may be encapsulated in a planarized encapsulant on the thin film transistor layer or may be mounted to the underside of the color filter layer. Conductive structures may connect driver circuitry on the color filter layer to the thin film transistor layer.

Methods for fabricating display structures

A sensor module can include a sensor that is configured to detect any given input or environmental conditions, such as, for example, touch or force inputs. The sensor module can be included in an electronic device. Methods for producing the sensor module are disclosed.

Methods for integrating a compliant material with a substrate

Methods for chemically strengthening the edges of glass sheets are provided. Voids can be formed in a mother sheet. The edges of these voids may correspond to a portion of the new edges that would normally be created during separation and free shaping of the mother sheet. The mother sheet can then be immersed in a chemical strengthener. The edges of the voids can be chemically strengthened in addition to the front and back sides of the mother sheet. After thin film processing and separation, each of the resulting individual sheets has been chemically strengthened on both sides and on a portion of its edges.

Perforated mother sheet for partial edge chemical strengthening and method therefor

Components may have substrates with metal traces that form mating contacts. The components may be bonded together using anisotropic conductive adhesive bonding techniques. During bonding, conductive particles may be concentrated over the contacts by application of magnetic or electric fields or by using a template transfer process. Gaps between the contacts may be at least partially free of conductive particles to help isolate adjacent contacts. Polymer between the substrates may attach the substrates together. The conductive particles may be embedded in the polymer and crushed or melted to short opposing contacts together.

System with field-assisted conductive adhesive bonds

A sensor includes a patterned compliant layer positioned between two substrates. Each substrate can include one or more conductive electrodes, with each electrode of one substrate paired with a respective electrode of the other substrate. Each pair of conductive electrodes forms a capacitor. Several methods are disclosed that can be used to produce the patterned compliant layer.

Methods for forming a patterned structure in a sensor

A lamination system () may be provided for attaching together display layers () for an electronic device display. The system may include one or more pressure-sensing lamination stages () for temporarily mounting the display layers during lamination operations. A pressure-sensing lamination stage () may include one or more pressure sensors () configured to sense pressures that are applied to the display layers during lamination operations. The pressure-sensing lamination stages may include a fixed mounting stage () and a movable mounting stage (). The movable mounting stage may be moved so that a first set of display layers is pressed against a second set of display layers to attach the first and second sets of display layers. The pressure with which the first set of display layers () is pressed against the second set of display layers may be adjusted based on pressure data gathered using the pressure sensors ().

Pressure-sensing stages for lamination systems

An electronic device may include a mechanical structure that mechanically supports the electronic device. One or more traces may be formed on one or more surfaces of the mechanical structure. Other electrical components may also be mounted on the surface of the mechanical structure and may or may not be connected to one or more of the traces. Additionally, one or more passivation layers may be formed on one or more of the surfaces, traces, and/or other electrical components and one or more traces and/or other electrical components may be intermixed with such passivation layers. In this way, the mechanical structure may be operable to function as an electrical component of the electronic device.

Mechanical structure with integrated electronic components

Anisotropic conductive film (ACF) structures and manufacturing methods for forming the same are described. The manufacturing methods include preventing clusters of conductive particles from forming between adjacent bonding pads and that are associated with electrical shorting of ACF structures. In some embodiments, the methods involve use of multiple layered ACF materials that include a non-electrically conductive layer that reduces the likelihood of formation of conductive particle clusters between bonding pads. In some embodiment, the methods include the use of ultraviolet sensitive ACF material combined with lithography techniques that eliminate conductive particles from between neighboring bonding pads. In some embodiments, the methods involve the use of insulation spacers that block conductive particles from entering between bonding pads. Any suitable combination of the described methods can be used.

Anisotropic conductive film structures

Flexible circuits for routing signals of a device, such as a touch sensor panel of a touch sensitive device, are provided. The flexible circuit can include a first set of traces for routing a first set of lines and a second set of traces for routing a second set of lines. The first set of traces can couple together the ends of at least a portion of the first set of lines. Additionally, the first set of traces can be non-intersecting or non-overlapping with the second set of traces. The flexible circuit can have a T-shape configuration and can be incorporated within a touch sensitive device, display device, printed circuit board, or the like. The flexible circuit can be placed over another flexible circuit, and can extend onto the device.

Touch sensitive display device comprising a flexible circuit routing having a set of drive lines and a set of sense lines wherein drive line traces and sense line traces are non-overlapping

An electronic device may be provided with an organic light-emitting diode display with minimized border regions. The border regions may be minimized by providing conductive structures that pass through polymer layers of the display and/or conductive structures that wrap around an edge of the display and couple conductive traces on the display to conductive traces on additional circuitry that is mounted behind the display.

Narrow border displays for electronic devices

Structures in an electronic device such as substrates associated with a display may be bonded together using liquid adhesive. Fiber-based equipment may be used to apply ultraviolet light to peripheral edges of an adhesive layer during bonding. There-dimensional adhesive shapes may be produced using nozzles with adjustable openings, computer-controlled positioners, and other adhesive dispensing equipment. Ultraviolet light may be applied to liquid adhesive through a mask with an opacity gradient. Adjustable shutter structures may control adhesive exposure to ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light exposure may be used to create an adhesive dam that helps create a well defined adhesive border. Multiple layers of adhesive may be applied between a pair of substrates.

Methods for bonding substrates using liquid adhesive

An electronic device may be provided with an organic light-emitting diode display with minimized border regions. The border regions may be minimized by providing the display with bent edge portions having neutral plane adjustment features that facilitate bending of the bent edge portions while minimizing damage to the bent edge portions. The neutral plane adjustment features may include a modified backfilm layer of the display in which portions of the backfilm layer are removed in a bend region. A display device may include a substrate, a display panel on the substrate having display pixels, and peripheral circuitry proximate the display panel and configured to drive the display pixels. A portion of the periphery of the substrate may be bent substantially orthogonal to the display panel to reduce an apparent surface area of the display device. The bent portion may include an electrode for communication with the peripheral circuitry.

Flexible displays

Delamination of a laminated multilayer stack is provided by generating a layer-specific energy distribution in the stack during delamination. A localized energy transferrer can generate localized heating, cooling heating, cooling, or other form of energy absorption or transmission, in a bonding layer of a multilayer stack. Localized energy transfer can include thermal energy transfer, such as heating and/or cooling, acoustic energy transfer, such as applying ultrasonic energy, electromagnetic energy transfer, such as applying laser light, directed microwaves, etc. Localized energy transfer can generate a layer-specific energy distribution that can weaken the bonding layer while reducing damage to other layers of the stack.

Layer-specific energy distribution delamination

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Kuo-Hua Sung