CN117315728A - Electronic device with biometric input system including composite cover element - Google Patents
Electronic device with biometric input system including composite cover element Download PDFInfo
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- CN117315728A CN117315728A CN202310767662.0A CN202310767662A CN117315728A CN 117315728 A CN117315728 A CN 117315728A CN 202310767662 A CN202310767662 A CN 202310767662A CN 117315728 A CN117315728 A CN 117315728A
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Classifications
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- G06V40/10—Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
- G06V40/12—Fingerprints or palmprints
- G06V40/13—Sensors therefor
- G06V40/1306—Sensors therefor non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
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- G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
- G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
- G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
- G06F3/044—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G06V40/00—Recognition of biometric, human-related or animal-related patterns in image or video data
- G06V40/10—Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
- G06V40/12—Fingerprints or palmprints
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to electronic devices having biometric input systems including composite cover elements. A biometric input system for an electronic device is provided. The biometric input system may be a fingerprint sensing system. The biometric input system includes a biometric sensing component, which may be a capacitive sensing component. The biometric input system further includes a composite cover element, which may be a dielectric cap or coating, and the biometric sensing component is capable of receiving biometric input from a user through the composite cover element. An electronic device including the biometric input system is also provided.
Description
Cross Reference to Related Applications
This application is a non-provisional application, U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/356,447, entitled "Electronic Device Having aBiometric Input System Including a Composite Cover Element," filed on month 28 of 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, and claims the benefit of such a U.S. provisional patent application.
Technical Field
The described embodiments relate generally to biometric input systems (such as biometric keys or buttons) for electronic devices. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a biometric input system that includes a biometric sensing component and a composite material that at least partially covers the biometric sensing component and defines an input surface.
Background
Some electronic devices include sensors or electronics for detecting touch inputs or other inputs. However, these sensors may be formed of materials or elements that may not be suitable for the exterior surfaces of some electronic devices. Additionally, conventional coatings or protective layers may interfere with the operation of the sensor and reduce or inhibit sensor performance.
Disclosure of Invention
The present disclosure provides a biometric input system for an electronic device that includes a biometric sensing component and a composite cap. The biometric sensing component may sense biometric input from a user through the composite cap. In some cases, the biometric input system may be configured to receive both biometric input and conventional force-based input (e.g., touch input or press input). An electronic device including the biometric input system is also disclosed.
In some examples, the composite cap may be defined by a coating of composite material disposed over the biometric sensing component. In other examples, a composite cap is formed and then attached to the biometric sensing component. The composite material may be a dielectric material such that the composite cap is a dielectric cap.
The composite cap may be formed of a composite material that is different from conventional molding compounds used to encapsulate electronic components. In some cases, the size of the particles in the composite is smaller than the size of the filler material used in some conventional molding compounds. The fine particles in the composites described herein may help provide a more uniform medium through which the biometric sensing component may sense biometric input. In some cases, the composite material may include pigment particles that are different from pigment particles used in some conventional molding compounds.
To provide strength and scratch resistance to the composite cap, the particles may be formed of an abrasion resistant material such as a metal oxide or silicon oxide (e.g., silica or silica) having suitable dielectric properties. The composite may include high loadings of these particles (such as 80 wt% to 90 wt%) in the polymeric binder to provide the composite with desired mechanical and dielectric properties. The composite material also includes pigment particles to provide the desired color.
The biometric input system may be used as a biometric authentication system for authorizing a user. Once the user is authenticated through the biometric input system (and optionally after receiving a force-based input through the biometric input system), the device may take actions such as unlocking the device, activating a display of the device, opening or launching an application, initiating payment, and the like.
In some cases, the biometric input system is a fingerprint sensing system and the biometric sensing component is a fingerprint sensing component. In some examples, the fingerprint sensing component comprises a capacitive sensing component and the composite cap is a dielectric cap. In some cases, the dielectric particles may have a size of less than one micron in order to provide a sufficiently uniform dielectric permeability across the sensor element of the capacitive sensing element.
In an embodiment, the biometric input system comprises a biometric button assembly, which in turn comprises a package comprising a composite of a biometric sensing component and one or more sensor elements at least partially encapsulating the biometric sensing component. The composite material defines a cap of the biometric button assembly. The biometric button assembly may further comprise a carrier structure supporting the package. In some cases, the carrier structure is configured to translate in response to a user press input. In other cases, the carrier structure may remain substantially stationary in response to user press input.
In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides an electronic device comprising: a housing; a display positioned within the housing; and a biometric button assembly positioned along one side of the display. The biometric button assembly includes: a carrier structure configured to translate in response to a user press input; a switch assembly configured to detect translation of the carrier structure in response to the user press input; a biometric sensing component coupled to the carrier structure and including an array of sensing elements configured to sense a fingerprint in response to the user press input; a dielectric coating at least partially encapsulating the array of sensing elements of the biometric sensing component, defining an input surface for the biometric button assembly, and formed of a composite material comprising oxide particles having an average particle size (mean particle size) greater than or equal to 50nm and less than 1 micron and a binder comprising a thermoset polymer material.
In an additional embodiment, the present disclosure provides an electronic device that includes a housing defining an opening, a biometric button assembly positioned at least partially within the opening. The biometric button assembly includes a capacitive sensing member defining a member surface, a cap defining a touch input surface and disposed over the member surface, the cap formed of a composite material including dielectric particles having an average particle size greater than or equal to 50nm and less than or equal to 500nm and a binder comprising a dielectric polymeric material. The electronic device further includes a processor positioned within the housing, operatively coupled to the capacitive sensing element, and configured to authenticate a user based on an output of the capacitive sensing element.
In a further embodiment, the present disclosure provides an electronic device comprising: a housing defining an opening along a side surface of the electronic device; and a touch-sensitive biometric button assembly extending through the opening; and a switch assembly positioned inside the touch-sensitive biometric button assembly and configured to detect a user press input. The touch-sensitive biometric button assembly includes: a biometric sensing component including a sensing layer; an outer packaging layer defining an input surface of the touch-sensitive biometric button assembly, at least partially encapsulating an outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component, and formed of a dielectric material comprising 80 to 95 weight percent oxide particles having an average particle size greater than or equal to 50nm and less than or equal to 500nm and 5 to 20 weight percent binder comprising a thermosetting polymer material.
Drawings
The present disclosure will be more readily understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like elements.
Fig. 1A shows a front side of an electronic device including a biometric input system.
FIG. 1B illustrates the back side of an electronic device that includes a biometric input system.
Fig. 2 shows a detailed view of the biometric input system of the device of fig. 1A and 1B.
Fig. 3 illustrates a partially exploded view of an exemplary biometric button assembly.
Fig. 4 illustrates a partially exploded view of another exemplary biometric button assembly.
Fig. 5 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a biometric input system.
Fig. 6A shows an example of a package for a biometric input system.
Fig. 6B illustrates an example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system.
Fig. 7 illustrates another example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system.
Fig. 8 illustrates another example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system.
Fig. 9 illustrates another example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system.
Fig. 10 illustrates another example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system.
Fig. 11 shows a flow chart of a process for manufacturing a package.
Fig. 12 shows a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device.
The use of cross-hatching or shading in the drawings is generally provided to clarify the boundaries between adjacent elements and also to facilitate legibility of the drawings. Thus, the presence or absence of a non-cross-hatching or shading does not indicate or indicate any preference or requirement for a particular material, material property, proportion of an element, dimension of an element, commonality of similar illustrated elements, or any other feature, attribute, or characteristic of any element shown in the drawings.
Additionally, it should be understood that the proportions and dimensions (relative or absolute) of the various features and elements (and sets and groupings thereof) and the limitations, spacings, and positional relationships presented therebetween are provided in the drawings, merely to facilitate an understanding of the various embodiments described herein, and thus may be unnecessarily presented or shown to scale and are not intended to indicate any preference or requirement of the illustrated embodiments to exclude embodiments described in connection therewith.
Detailed Description
Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It should be understood that the following description is not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred implementation. On the contrary, the described embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure and defined by the appended claims.
The present disclosure provides a biometric input system for an electronic device that includes a composite cover, which may also be referred to herein as a composite cap or composite coating. The biometric input system may include a biometric sensing component that may receive biometric input from a user through a composite cap. In some cases, the biometric input system may be configured to receive both biometric input and conventional force-based input (e.g., touch input or press input). An electronic device including the biometric input system is also disclosed.
In some examples, the composite cap may be defined by a coating of composite material disposed over the biometric sensing component. In other examples, a composite cap is formed and then attached to the biometric sensing component. The composite material may be a dielectric material such that the composite cap is a dielectric cap. The dielectric cap may be defined by a dielectric coating formed of a dielectric composite material.
The composite cap may be formed of a composite material that is different from conventional molding compounds used to encapsulate electronic components. In some cases, the size of the particles in the composite is smaller than the size of the filler material used in some conventional molding compounds. The fine particles in the composites described herein may help provide a more uniform medium through which the biometric sensing component may sense biometric input.
To provide strength and scratch resistance to the composite cap, the particles may be formed of an abrasion resistant material having suitable dielectric properties. In some cases, the wear resistant material is a metal oxide, such as a metal oxide or silicon oxide. The composite may include high loadings of these particles (such as 80 wt% to 90 wt%) in the polymeric binder to provide the composite with desired mechanical and dielectric properties. The composite cap may also include pigment particles to provide a desired color.
The biometric input system may be used as a biometric authentication system for authorizing a user. The biometric input system may authenticate the user for operation of the device. Once the user is authenticated through the biometric input system (and optionally after receiving a force-based input through the biometric input system), the device may take actions such as unlocking the device, activating a display of the device, opening or launching an application, initiating a payment or purchase, and so forth. The biometric input system may be used as a power button to power on or off the device, a sleep/wake button to put the device in a sleep state or wake the device from a sleep state, or a combination of these buttons.
The biometric sensing component may use any of a variety of sensing techniques. In some embodiments, the biometric sensing component relies on electric field sensing technology. Capacitive sensing techniques may be examples of electric field sensing techniques. In additional embodiments, the biometric sensing component relies on another sensing technique, such as an ultrasonic sensing technique, an optical sensing technique, and the like. In some cases, the biometric sensing component is a semiconductor die that includes a sensing layer. The sensing layer may be an electric field sensing layer, a capacitive sensing layer, or a sensing layer that relies on another sensing technology. The sensing layer may include a plurality of sensing elements. The sensing element may be an electric field sensing element. In some implementations, the sensing element is a capacitive sensing element, which may be an example of an electric field sensing element. In some cases, the output signal from a given electric field sensing element may be affected by the distance between the electric field sensing element and a feature of the user's fingerprint (such as a ridge or valley of the fingerprint).
In some cases, the biometric input system is a fingerprint sensing system and the biometric sensing component is a fingerprint sensing component. In some examples, the fingerprint sensing component comprises a sensing layer and the composite cap is a dielectric cap. The sensing layer may be an electric field sensing layer, a capacitive sensing layer, or another sensing technique described herein may be used. In some cases, the dielectric particles may have a size of less than one micron in order to provide a sufficiently uniform dielectric permeability to allow good fingerprint sensing performance through a composite cap of 120 microns or greater thickness through the composite layer. For example, the composite cap may provide a sufficiently uniform dielectric permeability across the array of sensing elements of the sensing layer. As previously described, the sensing element may be an electric field sensing element, which in some cases may be a capacitive sensing element. The size of the dielectric particles can be characterized by an average diameter.
In an embodiment, the biometric input system comprises a biometric button assembly, which in turn comprises a package comprising a composite of a biometric sensing component and one or more sensor elements at least partially encapsulating the biometric sensing component. The composite material defines a cap of the biometric button assembly. The biometric button assembly may further comprise a carrier structure supporting the package. In some cases, the carrier structure is configured to translate in response to a user press input. In other cases, the carrier structure may remain substantially stationary in response to a touch input or a press input.
The composite caps for biometric input systems described herein may have advantages over conventional caps such as sapphire caps. For example, because pigments can be incorporated into the composite cap, desired coloration of the composite cap can be achieved without the need for one or more decorative layers, such as ink layers, paint layers, film stacks, and the like. Accordingly, the process for forming the composite cap may be simplified by omitting one or more operations of forming the decorative layer. Furthermore, the coloration of the cap, including pigment particles dispersed within the cap, may be more abrasion resistant than the decorative layer applied to the outer surface of the cap. The process for forming the composite cap may also be simpler in other respects than the process for forming the sapphire cap, and provides cost savings in terms of input materials.
These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to fig. 1A-12. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.
Fig. 1A shows a front side of an electronic device 100. The electronic device of fig. 1A may be a tablet computer or a telephone. However, the concepts presented herein may be applied to any suitable electronic device, including wearable devices, such as smartwatches, laptop computers, handheld gaming devices, or any other electronic device that includes a biometric input system.
As shown in fig. 1A, the electronic device 100 includes a housing 105 that includes a shell 110 and a front cover 118. The front cover 118 may define at least a portion of the front surface 102 of the electronic device 100. The front cover 118 may be positioned over the display 106, and at least a portion of the front cover 118 may be transparent to define a transparent window for the display 106. The front cover 118 may be coupled to the display 106 and, in some cases, may be integrated with or coupled to a touch sensor configured to detect or estimate a touch location along an exterior surface of the front cover 118. In some examples, the front cover 118 may be formed of glass, glass-ceramic, transparent ceramic (such as sapphire), plastic, or a combination thereof. The glass of the front cover 118 may be chemically strengthened by ion exchange.
In the example of fig. 1B, the housing 105 also includes a rear cover 119. The rear cover 119 may define at least a portion of the rear surface 104 of the electronic device 100. In some examples, the back cover 119 may be formed of glass, glass-ceramic, transparent ceramic (such as sapphire), plastic, metal, or a combination thereof. The glass of the rear cover 119 may also be chemically strengthened by ion exchange. The rear cover 119 may transmit one or more frequency ranges of the internal antenna or the internal charging unit. When the rear cover is transparent to the optical frequency, an opaque coating may be provided along the interior of the rear cover to conceal the interior components. In some cases, the housing 110 may define a rear cover 119 such that the housing 110 defines side surfaces and a rear wall of the device 100.
As shown in the examples of fig. 1A and 1B, the housing 110 at least partially defines a side surface 103 of the electronic device 100. The housing 110 also at least partially encloses or surrounds the display 106. Each of the front cover 118 and the rear cover 119 may be coupled to the housing. The housing may comprise one or more metal members, one or more glass-ceramic members, one or more ceramic members, or a combination of these members. In some cases, housing 110 is formed from a series of metal segments separated by a dielectric that provides electrical isolation between adjacent metal segments. For example, a dielectric segment (e.g., 111) may be disposed between a pair of adjacent metal segments. One or more of the metal segments may be coupled to internal circuitry of the electronic device 100 and may serve as an antenna for sending and receiving wireless communications. The dielectric segment may be formed of one or more dielectric materials such as a polymer, glass, or ceramic material.
The housing may define one or more openings or ports, such as openings 116 and 117. The opening 116 may allow (audio) input or output from a device component such as a microphone or speaker. The opening 117 may contain an electrical port or connector. The housing 110 may also define one or more openings to accommodate one or more input devices. For example, an input device in the form of a button may extend into an opening in the housing 110 and may be flush with or protrude from the housing 110 in some cases.
The electronic device 100 may include multiple input devices as shown in the examples of fig. 1A and 1B. The input device may be used to control various operations and functions of the device 100. In some cases, the input device 124 is a biometric input system, such as a fingerprint button or another type of biometric sensing button. In the example of fig. 1A and 1B, the biometric input device 124 is positioned along a side surface of the electronic device 100. Thus, the biometric input device 124 may be described as being positioned along one side of the display 106. Each of the buttons 126 and 128 is operable to control features such as speaker volume, ring tone mute, call forwarding, etc. Each of the buttons 126 and 128 is also typically located along a side surface of the electronic device, although these buttons are located on opposite sides in the example of fig. 1A and 1B.
The biometric input system of the input device 124 includes a biometric sensing component. In some examples, the biometric sensing component may be configured to capture an image of a fingerprint of the user to authenticate the user. For example, the biometric sensing component, along with other components of the fingerprint sensing system, may detect physical characteristics of the user's fingerprint, such as ridges and valleys and/or other patterns of the fingerprint. In some cases, the biometric sensing component relies on electric field sensing and may be referred to as an electric field sensing component. In some examples, the biometric sensing component is a capacitive sensing component. In other cases, the biometric sensing component relies on another sensing technique, such as an ultrasonic sensing technique, an optical sensing technique, or the like. The biometric sensing component may be configured to sense a fingerprint in response to a touch input or a press input from a user.
In embodiments, the biometric sensing component is at least partially enclosed by a package (e.g., packages 342 and 442 of fig. 3 and 4) comprising a composite material as described herein. The outer layer of the package formed of the composite material may define a cap for the biometric input system. The outer layer of the package may be defined by a dielectric coating. The package may also include one or more other components of the biometric input system, such as a circuit layer, a circuit component (e.g., a processor) operatively coupled to the biometric sensing component, or a passive component. The cross-sectional views of fig. 6B-10 illustrate examples of the types and configurations of components that may be included in the package.
The biometric sensing component may define a component surface, and the cover element may be disposed over the component surface. The component surface may be a surface along which input may be provided to pixels or sensing elements of the biometric sensing component. In an embodiment, the component surface is an outward facing surface (e.g., an outward facing surface) of the biorecognition sensing component, and the composite cap is disposed generally over the outward facing surface. Thus, the composite cap may define an exterior face of the biometric button assembly. The composite cap may be formed of a composite material that is different from conventional materials used to encapsulate electronic devices. For example, the size of the particles in the composite material may be smaller than the micron-sized filler material used in some conventional molding compounds. For example, the particles in the composite material may have a size of less than one micron. In some cases, the size may be characterized by the average diameter of the particles. The average diameter may be determined by the number, mass or volume distribution.
In order to provide strength and scratch resistance to the composite cap, the particles may be particles of an abrasion resistant material having suitable dielectric properties. In some cases, the wear resistant material is a metal oxide, such as a metal oxide or silicon oxide. The composite material may include high loadings of these particles (such as 80 wt% to 90 wt% or 80 wt% to 95 wt%) in the polymeric binder in order to provide the desired mechanical and dielectric properties to the composite cap. The composite cap may also include pigment particles to provide a desired color. In some cases, the composite cap may be free of a coating configured to provide color to the cap. However, the composite cap may include one or more of an oleophobic coating, an antistatic coating, and the like. Additional description of the composite material provided with respect to fig. 6A and 6B is generally applicable herein and is not repeated here.
In an embodiment, the biometric input system includes a biometric button assembly. In some cases, the biometric button assembly is a biometric button assembly. The biometric button assembly may then include a package comprising a composite of the biometric sensing component and one or more sensor elements at least partially encapsulating the biometric sensing component. The composite material defines a cover element or "cap" of the biometric button assembly. The biometric button assembly may further comprise a carrier structure supporting the package. In some cases, the carrier structure is configured to translate (i.e., move) in response to a user press input. In other cases, the carrier structure may remain stationary.
The biometric input system may further include one or more components, such as an input sensor that allows the biometric input system to be sensitive to touch input or press input from a user. In some cases, the biometric input system further includes a compressible component configured to compress in response to a force input (e.g., a press input) from a user. The compressible assembly may be coupled to the carrier structure and configured to transfer an input force applied to the composite cap to the input sensor. A description of these additional components of the biometric input system is provided with respect to fig. 5 and is not repeated here.
As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the apparatus 100 includes a forward optical assembly 132 and backward optical assemblies 134 and 136. The optical component may be part of a sensor component, a camera component, or the like. For example, the forward optical component 132 may be a forward camera component. The rearward optical component 134 may be a rearward camera component. The backward optics 136 may be a flash. These examples are not limiting, and in additional examples, the optical assembly may include multiple optical components, such as multiple camera components, multiple sensor components, or a combination of camera components and sensor components. The sensor assembly, sensor array, and camera assembly are described in further detail with respect to fig. 12, and the description is not repeated here.
The electronic device 100 may include one or more of a processing unit, control circuitry, a display, memory, input/output devices, a power source (e.g., a battery), a charging component (e.g., a wireless charging component), a network communication interface, an accessory (e.g., a camera), and a sensor. The components of the sample electronics are discussed in more detail below in connection with fig. 12, and the description provided in connection with fig. 12 applies generally herein. The description provided with respect to fig. 1A and 1B applies generally herein.
Fig. 2 shows a detailed view of the biometric input system 224 of the electronic device 200. The biometric input system 224 may be an example of the biometric system 124 of fig. 1A and 1B, and in some cases may be a fingerprint sensing system. The biometric input system 224 includes an input surface 252 through which a user may provide biometric input to the biometric sensing component.
As previously discussed with respect to fig. 1A and 1B, in some embodiments, the biometric sensing component is at least partially encapsulated by a composite material to form the package 242. In some cases, the outer layer of the package 242 is formed from a composite material and at least partially defines the input surface 252. The outer layer (which may also be referred to as an outward layer or outer layer) may define a cover element or "cap" for the biometric input system. As shown in the example of fig. 2, the package defines an outward facing surface having an elongated shape. The elongated shape shown in the example of fig. 2 has generally parallel sides and rounded ends, which may be referred to as a diamond shape. In additional examples, the elongated shape may be an oval shape or a rectangular shape with rounded corners.
As described in more detail with respect to the cross-sectional views of fig. 6B-10, the outer layer of the package 242 may encapsulate the outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component and, in some cases, also the side surfaces of the biometric sensing component. The description of the package including the biometric sensing component provided with respect to fig. 6B-10 is generally applicable herein and will not be repeated here. The electronic device 200, the housing 205, the enclosure 210, the bezel 218, and the display 206 may be similar to the electronic device 100, the housing 105, the enclosure 110, the bezel 118, and the display 106, and these details are not repeated here.
At least a portion of the biometric input system may extend into an opening 215 in the housing 210 (as shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 5). In some embodiments, the input surface 252 protrudes from an adjacent exterior surface of the housing 210, while in other embodiments, the input surface 252 is substantially flush or slightly recessed relative to an adjacent exterior surface of the housing 210.
Fig. 3 illustrates a partially exploded view of an exemplary biometric button assembly 330. The biometric button assembly 330 may be part of a biometric input system as previously described with respect to fig. 1A, 1B, and 2. As shown in fig. 3, the biometric button assembly 330 includes a package 342 and a carrier structure 344.
In an embodiment, package 342 includes a biometric sensing component that is at least partially encapsulated by a composite material as described herein. The outer layer of the package may be formed from the composite material and define an input surface 352 for the biometric input system. The outer layer of the package may also be referred to herein as the outer layer or as the outer layer. Thus, the composite material may form a composite cap (alternatively, a cover) for the biometric button assembly. In some cases, when the input surface 352 protrudes from an opening in the housing, at least a portion of the side surface and the outer surface of the biometric sensing component may also protrude from the opening. The package 342 also defines a lower surface 353. The package may also include one or more other components of the biometric input system, such as a circuit layer, a circuit component (e.g., a processor) operatively coupled to the biometric sensing component, or a passive component. The cross-sectional views of fig. 6B-10 illustrate examples of the types and configurations of components that may be included in the package, and the description provided with respect to fig. 6B-10 applies generally herein. The packages described herein may have advantages over conventional molded packages due to the use of the composite materials described herein in the packages. The packages described herein may also have shapes that may include low draft angles, which may create relatively sharp transitions between surfaces.
The carrier structure 344 is generally coupled to the package 342. For example, an area of the lower surface 353 of the package 342 may be coupled to the carrier structure 344 by an adhesive. The carrier structure 344 may be formed of a conductive material such as a metal (including metal alloys) and thus may be referred to as a conductive carrier structure. In some cases, the carrier structure 344 may be conductively coupled to a circuit ground. In other cases, a voltage may be applied between the carrier structure 344 and circuit ground. In some embodiments, the carrier structure 344 may be substantially stationary in response to input from a user, while in other embodiments, the carrier 344 may translate in response to input from a user.
In the example of fig. 3, the carrier structure 344 includes a frame portion 354. Frame portion 354 may define an opening 355, and package 342 may span opening 355. In the example of fig. 3, the entire frame portion 342 is positioned inside the package 342 (alternatively, below the package). The carrier structure 344 also includes a plurality of raised features (e.g., bosses) 358 coupled to the frame portion 342. In some cases, the frame portion 342 and the raised features 358 may be formed as a single piece. The protruding feature may be coupled to an additional portion of the biometric system. For example, the protruding features may be coupled to a compressible assembly configured to transfer an input force applied to the input surface 352 to the input sensor. In other examples, the carrier structure 344 may have a different form, such as the form of the carrier structure 444, the form of omitting the protruding portion 358, or the form of protruding features having a different shape than shown in fig. 3.
Fig. 4 illustrates a partially exploded view of another biometric button assembly 430. The biometric button assembly 430 is part of a biometric input system that may be similar to the biometric input systems 124 and 224 described with respect to fig. 1A, 1B, and 2. The biometric button assembly 430 includes a package 442 and a carrier structure 444.
In an embodiment, the package 442 includes a biometric sensing component at least partially encapsulated by a composite material as described herein. The outer layer of the package may be formed from the composite material and define an input surface 352 for the biometric input system. The outer layer of the package may be formed of a composite material as described herein and defines an input surface 452 for a biometric input system. The outer layer of the package may also be referred to herein as the outer layer or as the outer layer. Thus, the composite material may form a composite cap (alternatively, a cover) for the biometric button assembly. The package 442 also defines a lower surface 453 and side surfaces 454. The package may also include one or more other components of the biometric input system, such as a circuit layer, a circuit component (e.g., a processor) operatively coupled to the biometric sensing component, or a passive component. The cross-sectional views of fig. 6B-10 illustrate examples of the types and configurations of components that may be included in the package, and the description provided with respect to fig. 6B-10 applies generally herein.
The carrier structure 444 is generally coupled to the package 442. For example, an area of the lower surface 453 of the package 442 may be coupled to the carrier structure 444 by an adhesive. In some cases, an area of the side surface 454 of the package 442 may be coupled to the carrier structure 444. The carrier structure 444 may be formed of a conductive material such as a metal (including metal alloys). In some cases, the carrier structure 444 may be coupled to a circuit ground of the electronic device. In other cases, a voltage may be applied between the carrier structure 444 and circuit ground. In some embodiments, the carrier structure 444 may be substantially stationary in response to input from a user, while in other embodiments, the carrier 444 may translate in response to input from a user.
In the example of fig. 4, the carrier structure 444 includes a frame portion 454. The frame portion 454 may define an opening 455, and the package 442 may span the opening 455. In the example of fig. 4, a central region 456 of the frame 454 defines the opening 455 and is positioned inside (alternatively, below) a lower surface 453 of the package 442. The peripheral region 457 of the frame 442 extends along a side surface 454 of the package 442. The peripheral region 457 may define a ring around the package 442. In some cases, the peripheral region 457 may extend to the height of the package's input surface 452 such that a user's finger may be in contact with the peripheral region 457. In such cases, the peripheral region 457 may provide a connection between a user's finger (when the finger is in contact with the peripheral region 457 of the frame 442) and a circuit ground of the electronic device. When the carrier structure 444 is substantially stationary in response to input from a user, the ring defined by the peripheral region 457 may also be substantially stationary in response to input from a user.
In the example of fig. 4, the carrier structure 444 further includes a plurality of raised features (e.g., bosses) 458 coupled to the frame portion 442. In some cases, the frame portion 442 and the raised feature 458 are formed as one piece. The protruding feature 458 may be coupled to additional portions of a biometric system. For example, the protruding feature may be coupled to a compressible component configured to transfer an input force applied to the input surface 452 to the input sensor. In other examples, the carrier structure may have no protruding features or may have protruding features that are different in shape than shown in fig. 4.
Fig. 5 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of biometric input system 524. The cross-section may be taken along A-A in fig. 2. The biometric input system 524 includes a button assembly 530 that includes a package 542 coupled to a carrier structure 544. As previously discussed, the outer layer of the package may define a button cap for the button assembly. The biometric input system 524 also includes an input sensor 548 that can be actuated in response to a force applied to the button cap. In some cases, the input sensor 548 may be a switch assembly that may include a dome switch (dome switch) or another type of electromechanical switch. In other cases, the input sensor 548 may be a force sensor or a component of a force sensor (e.g., a strain gauge, piezoelectric or piezoresistive material, capacitive force sensor, etc.). The force sensor may produce an output that varies according to the amount of force applied. For example, the force sensor may have a continuous output or a variable output. The force sensor may have one or more programmable thresholds that trigger corresponding actions.
In an embodiment, the button cap is capable of translating (i.e., moving) inwardly in response to a force-based input. In the example of fig. 5, the carrier structure 544 includes a plate 546 configured to interact with an input sensor 548 when the button cap is depressed. In some cases, the input sensor 548 includes a compressible element (such as a compressible dome) that allows the button cap to move inward in response to the force-based input and a biasing force can be applied to return the button cap to an un-depressed condition after the force-based input is removed. The input sensor 548 is supported by a support 549. The support 549 may be coupled to the housing 510. In additional examples, the biometric input system may include a compressible component configured to compress in response to a user force input (e.g., a press input). The compressible assembly may be coupled to the carrier structure and help control movement of the button cap when a force input is provided. The compressible assembly may include springs, scissor mechanisms, butterfly mechanisms, and the like. In some cases, the compressible assembly may provide a restoring force.
As previously discussed with respect to fig. 1A and 1B, package 542 includes a biometric sensing component. Package 542 may also include other components as described with respect to fig. 6A-10. Carrier structure 544 includes a frame 555 and posts 558. The carrier structure 544, the frame 555, and the posts 558 may be similar to the carrier structures 344 and 444, the frames 355 and 455, and the posts 358 and 458 previously described with respect to fig. 3 and 4.
The button assembly 530 is positioned at least partially within the opening 515 of the housing 510. The opening 515 may be defined by a bore extending through the housing. In the example of fig. 5, the exterior surface of the housing 510 defines a recessed portion, wherein the recessed portion defines a recess 514. The recessed portion of the exterior surface also defines the perimeter of opening 515. In the example of fig. 5, the input surface 552 is positioned within the recess, which may help protect the input surface 552 from impact with an exterior surface of the housing, while still allowing a user to provide touch or press inputs to the input surface 552. In other examples, the input surface 552 may be positioned at the bottom of a recess, or the exterior surface of the housing 510 need not define a recess.
Fig. 6A shows an example of a package for a biometric input system. The package 642 includes a biometric sensing component 662 and a composite 682 at least partially encasing the biometric sensing component, as shown in the partial cross-sectional view of fig. 6B. The package 642 may be coupled to a carrier structure as previously described with respect to the biometric button assembly of fig. 3 and 4.
The package 642 defines an input surface 652 of the biometric input system. The input surface 652 may be positioned along an outer surface of the package, which may also be referred to herein as an outward facing surface or an exterior surface. The composite 682 may define an outer surface of the package. The composite material may also define an outer layer of the package, which may also be referred to herein as an outer facing layer or an outer layer. In some cases, the outer layer of the package may be in the form of a coating (e.g., a dielectric coating) of the composite 682.
Package 642 further includes a circuit layer 664. As shown in fig. 6A, the circuit layer 664 is at least partially encapsulated by the composite material 682. The circuit layer 664 may be a printed circuit board and the biometric sensing component 662 may be mounted to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The printed circuit board may include one or more conductive trace layers and one or more substrate layers.
The inward (i.e., interior) surface of the circuit layer is at least partially encapsulated by a molding compound 684, which may be a conventional encapsulation material. The biometric input system may also include an input sensor, a plate or compressible assembly, and/or other components as previously described with respect to the biometric input system of fig. 5.
The composite material 682 may be different from conventional materials used to encapsulate electronic devices. For example, the size of the particles in the composite material may be smaller than the micron-sized filler material used in some conventional molding compounds. In some examples, the average particle size of the particles in the composite 682 is greater than or equal to 50nm and less than or equal to 1 micron.
In some cases, the composite material may be formulated to provide a balance of mechanical and dielectric properties. The composite material may also be formulated to provide a suitable coefficient of thermal expansion and resistance to water absorption. For example, the composite material may be formulated to provide a substantially uniform relative permittivity over the biometric sensing component. In some cases, the relative permittivity above the biometric sensing component is uniform within +/-1%, +/-2%, +/-5%, or +/-10%. The desired level of uniformity of the relative dielectric constant may be achieved by one or more of the following: using particles of smaller size relative to the pixels or sensing elements of the biometric sensing component; providing a substantially uniform distribution of primary particles (e.g., wear resistant particles described below) within the composite; or providing a composite material of substantially uniform thickness over the biorecognition sensing elements. In some cases, the pixel or sensing element may have a lateral dimension of 20 microns to 100 microns, 40 microns to 80 microns, or about 50 microns. In some examples, the particles have an average particle size of 20nm to 750nm, greater than or equal to 50nm and less than or equal to 1 micron, greater than or equal to 50nm and less than or equal to 500nm, 100nm to 750nm, or 100nm to 500nm. As previously mentioned, the desired level of uniformity may be provided at least in part by providing a substantially uniform thickness of the composite material over the biorecognition sensing elements. In some embodiments, thicker composite layers may have less allowable thickness variation than thinner composite layers. In some cases, the allowable thickness variation is +/-1% or +/-2% (e.g., for the thicker layers described at paragraph [0087 ]). In other cases, the allowable thickness variation may be as high as +/-5% or +/-10% (e.g., for the thinner layers described with respect to paragraph [0087 ]).
To provide strength and scratch resistance to the composite cap, the particles may be formed of an abrasion resistant material. The wear resistant material may be an inorganic material such as ceramic or mineral. The inorganic material may be a dielectric material. In some cases, the particles may be oxide particles. The oxide particles may be silica particles (such as silica, siO 2 ) Or one or more of the metal oxide particles. In some cases, the metal oxide particles may be alumina particles (e.g., alumina, al 2 O 3 ) Titanium oxide particles, and the like. The particles are distributed in a polymeric material, also referred to herein as a polymeric binder, that binds the particles together.
The composite may include high loadings of these particles (such as 80 wt% to 90 wt% or 80 wt% to 95 wt%) in the polymeric binder in order to provide the composite with desired mechanical and dielectric properties. In some cases, the strength may be characterized by a modulus indicative of the resistance to deformation. For example, the composite material may have a modulus (e.g., young's modulus) ranging from 10GPa to 25GPa, or 15GPa to 20 GPa. In some examples, the composite material may have a dielectric constant (relative dielectric constant) ranging from 3 to 10, 3 to 5, or 7 to 10.
The polymeric binder of the composite also contributes to the dielectric and mechanical properties of the composite. The polymeric binder may be a dielectric polymeric material. The polymeric binder may also help provide a suitable coefficient of thermal expansion and help provide resistance to water absorption. In some cases, the polymeric binder includes or is formed from a thermoset polymeric material, such as an epoxy-based polymer material or polyurethane-based polymeric material. The composite material may be formed by curing a polymerizable mixture of a prepolymer of a polymeric binder and wear resistant particles. The polymerizable mixture may have a viscosity low enough to flow around the wire joint 663 without interfering with the joint. The polymerizable mixture may also include pigment particles to provide a desired color to the composite cap. In some cases, the color provided by the pigment particles may be stable to exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) light. The weight percent of the polymeric binder may be 10% to 20% or 5% to 20%. In some cases, the particles and the polymeric binder may together comprise 90% to 95% of the composite.
The electrical connector 656 may be electrically coupled to the circuit layer 664. In some cases, the electrical connector 656 is a flexible circuit element, such as a flexible circuit board. The electrical connector 656 can conductively couple the biometric sensing component and the circuit layer 664 to other electronic components of the device.
Fig. 6B shows a partial cross-sectional view of a package 642 for a biometric input system. The view of fig. 6B may be an example of a partial cross-sectional view of the package 642 shown in fig. 6A. As shown in fig. 6B, package 642 includes a biometric sensing component 662. The package 642 further includes a composite 682 that at least partially encapsulates the biometric sensing component and defines an input surface 652 of the biometric input system. Package 642 may also include an electrical connector 656 as shown in fig. 6A, although this connector is not shown in the partial cross-sectional view of fig. 6B.
In an embodiment, the biometric sensing component 662 relies on an electric field sensing technique, which may be a capacitive sensing technique. In other cases, the biometric sensing component relies on another sensing technology, such as an ultrasonic sensing technology, a Radio Frequency (RF) sensing technology, a thermal sensing technology, an optical sensing technology, and the like. As mentioned previously, in some embodiments, the biometric sensing component is a field fingerprint sensing component for sensing details of a user's fingerprint. In some cases, the biometric sensing component may be a capacitive fingerprint sensing component.
In an embodiment, biometric sensing component 662 includes at least one sensing element and associated circuitry. At least one sensing element may be disposed in the sensing layer. For example, when the biometric sensing component 662 is an electric field sensing component, the biometric sensing component 662 may include a plurality of electric field sensing elements that may be provided as an array in one or more layers of the biometric sensing component 662. The capacitive sensing element may be an example of an electric field sensing element. When the biometric sensing component 662 includes an array of capacitive sensing elements, the biometric sensing component may be referred to as a capacitive sensing component. The biometric sensing component may be provided in the form of a semiconductor die. As shown in fig. 6B, the biometric sensing component 662 defines an outward facing surface 692, which may also be referred to as an exterior surface. The biometric sensing component 662 also defines an inward facing surface 693 generally opposite the outward facing surface and a side surface 694 extending between the surfaces 692 and 693.
The package 642 of fig. 6B further comprises a composite 682 at least partially encasing the biometric sensing component 662. The composite 682 defines an outer layer of the package, which may also be referred to herein as an outer facing layer or outer layer. Thus, the composite material 682 may define a composite cap for the biometric input system. As shown in fig. 6B, the composite material 682 substantially encapsulates the outward facing surface 692 and the side surface 694 of the biometric sensing component 692. The composite material 682 also substantially encapsulates a wire bond 663 extending from the outward surface 692. In some cases, the composite material may be molded over the biorecognition sensing component 662 and optionally over other elements of the package. In other cases, the composite material may be provided as a molded part that is then disposed over and coupled to at least a portion of the outward facing surface 692 and the side surface 694 of the biometric sensing component.
As shown in fig. 6B, the composite layer 682 has a substantially uniform thickness T over at least a portion of the outward surface 692 of the biometric sensing component 662 6 . The substantially uniform thickness of the cap may help provide reduced tolerances for the stack-up of components comprising the biometric input system. In the example of FIG. 6B, the layerThickness T of (2) 6 May be large enough to protect wire bond 663. In some cases, thickness T 6 Is at least 90 microns and may be in the range of 90 microns to 200 microns or 90 microns to 180 microns. In additional examples where a wire bond or other connector is bonded to the inward (interior) surface 693 of the biometric sensing component, the thickness may be less, but may be greater than 1 micron, greater than 5 microns, or greater than 10 microns. For example, the thickness may be in the range of 40 microns to less than 90 microns. The composite 682 may be similar in composition, mechanical properties, and other properties to the composite described with respect to fig. 6A, and the description will not be repeated here.
Package 642 further includes a circuit layer 664. The circuit layer 664 may be provided by a printed circuit board, and the biometric sensing component 662 may be mounted to the Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The biometric sensing component 662 is typically mounted to an outward facing surface (also referred to as an exterior surface) 696 of the circuit layer 664. More specifically, an inward facing surface 693 of the biometric sensing component is mounted to an outward facing surface 696 of the circuit layer 664, as shown in FIG. 6B. In the example of fig. 6B, a composite material 682 is also disposed over a portion of the outward facing surface 696 of the circuit layer 664. The circuit layer also defines an inward-facing surface 697, and in some cases, other components may be coupled to the inward-facing surface 697, and/or a molding compound different from the composite material 682 may be disposed over the inward-facing surface 697, as shown in fig. 7-9.
In the example of fig. 6B, wire bond 663 conductively couples outward facing surface 692 of biometric sensing component 662 to outward facing surface 696 of circuit layer 664. However, this example is not limiting, and in additional examples, the inward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component may be conductively coupled to the inward-facing (inner) surface of the circuit layer by one or more wire bonds, or to the outward-facing surface of the circuit layer by one or more solder bumps, as shown in the examples of fig. 7-9. In a further example, the circuit layer may be at least partially disposed on the biometric sensing component, as shown in the example of fig. 10.
In some embodiments, package 642 may include additional electronic components. For example, the package may include one or more additional active electronic components and/or one or more passive electronic components. One or more of these additional electronic components may be mounted on the circuit layer 664. In some cases, the package 642 may include a circuit component (e.g., circuit component 772 of fig. 7) that may be conductively coupled to the biometric sensing component 642. The circuit component may be in the form of a semiconductor die and may include a processor, memory, and/or other circuitry in examples. When the biometric sensing component is a fingerprint sensing component, the circuit component may be conductively coupled to the capacitive element (and/or other components of the fingerprint sensing component) to facilitate fingerprint sensing.
In some embodiments, package 642 may include a molding compound in addition to the composite material used to form the composite cap. The molding compound may constitute an inner layer of the package, which may also be referred to herein as an inner packaging layer. For example, the molding compound may be used to encapsulate additional electronic components included in the package, flip chip connections between the underfill biometric sensing component and the printed circuit board, and the like. The molding compound may be a conventional molding compound. In some cases, the molding compound includes filler particles distributed in a polymer matrix or bound together by a polymer binder, and thus may be a composite. However, the molding compound is generally different from the composite material 682 in one or more respects. As previously discussed, the molding compound may include a filler that is sized larger than the particles included in the composite 682. The molding compound may also differ in one or more of filler composition and/or loading, binder composition, presence and/or composition of any pigments, thermal properties, mechanical properties, or dielectric properties.
In some embodiments, the package 642 may be manufactured by a process that includes the operation of mounting the biometric sensing component 662 and other components of the package on the circuit layer 664. The assembly of biometric sensing component 662, these other components, and circuit layer may then be at least partially encapsulated by the molding compound to form an encapsulated assembly. As shown in the example of fig. 6B, the molding compound 684 may encapsulate the inward-facing surface of the circuit layer 664 and a portion of the inward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component 662 while exposing at least a portion of the outward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component 662 and the outward-facing surface of the circuit layer 664. This process may be referred to as an open-faced molding process because the outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component 662 is not covered by the molding compound 684.
The process then includes an operation of disposing the composite material over the packaging assembly, which includes the outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component 662. When a coating of composite material is disposed over the biometric sensing component, this operation may be referred to as an over-molding operation. In other examples, a composite cap is formed and then attached to the biometric sensing component. In some cases, the composite material 682 may encapsulate the outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component 662. For example, the composite material may be in direct contact with and may conform to an outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component. The composite material may also encapsulate a portion of the outward facing surface of the circuit layer 664. A portion of the molding material 684 may be removed at a later stage to allow conductive connection, such as when the molding material 684 encapsulates solder balls.
The process may further include the operation of machining the composite material after the composite material has been disposed over the biometric sensing component. For example, machining operations may be used to control the thickness of the composite layer over the outward surface and/or side surfaces of the biometric sensing component. In addition, machining operations may be used to control the shape of the cap, such as the shape of the perimeter of the exterior surface, the radius at the transition between the exterior surface and the side surface of the cap, the radius at the transition between the side surface of the cap and the composite layer disposed over the circuit layer, and the like. The machining operation may allow for sharp features and low draft angles (or no draft angles) (e.g., as compared to cap shapes formed by a molding process alone).
The package 642 may be coupled to a carrier structure as previously described with respect to the biometric button assembly of fig. 3 and 4. The biometric input system may also include an input sensor, a plate, or a compressible assembly and/or other components as previously described with respect to the biometric input system of fig. 5, and the description will not be repeated here.
Fig. 7 illustrates another example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system, which may be another example of a partial cross-sectional view of package 642 of fig. 6A. As shown in fig. 7, the package 742 includes a biometric sensing component 762. The package 742 also includes a composite material 782 that at least partially encapsulates the biometric sensing component and defines an input surface 752 of the biometric input system. The package 742 may also include an electrical connector that may be similar to the electrical connector shown in fig. 6A, although this connector is not shown in the partial cross-sectional view of fig. 7.
In some examples, the biometric sensing component 762 is an electric field sensing component, as previously discussed with respect to fig. 6A and 6B. In some cases, the biometric sensing component 762 may be a capacitive sensing component. The biometric sensing component 762 is mounted to an outward facing surface of the circuit layer 764, which may be a circuit board as discussed with respect to fig. 6A. In the example of fig. 7, an inward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component 763 is conductively coupled to an inward-facing surface of the circuit layer 764 with a wire bond 763. In contrast to the example of fig. 6B, this internal positioning of wire bond 763 does not require composite 782 to encapsulate wire bond 763, and thus may allow for the provision of a thinner composite layer 782 over biorecognition sensing component 762. In some cases, thickness T of composite layer 782 7 May be less than 90 microns, such as 40 microns to 90 microns. In the example of fig. 7, wire bond 763 is coupled to bond pad 766 on circuit layer 764.
The circuit component 772 is mounted to the inward facing surface of the circuit layer 764. The circuit component may be in the form of a semiconductor die and in examples may include a processor, memory, and/or other circuitry as previously discussed with respect to fig. 6B. The package also includes passive components 774. The number, size, and positioning of these active and passive components are exemplary and not limiting. The description of the biometric sensing component, circuit component, and passive component previously provided with respect to fig. 6B is generally applicable herein and will not be repeated here. Package 782 also includes solder balls 778, which in this example are coupled to bond pads 779.
The package 782 also includes an inward facing surface that encapsulates the circuit layer 774 and a molding compound 784 that mounts to and/or connects to the various components and electrical connections of the inward facing surface. For example, the molding compound 784 encapsulates the circuit component 772, the passive component 774, the wire bond 763, and at least partially encapsulates the solder ball 778. As previously discussed with respect to fig. 6A, the molding compound 784 may be different from the composite 782 and may be a conventional molding compound. The description of the composite material and molding compound provided with respect to fig. 6A is generally applicable herein and will not be repeated here.
The package 742 may be coupled to the carrier structure as previously described with respect to the biometric button assembly of fig. 3 and 4. The biometric input system may also include an input sensor, a plate or compressible assembly, and/or other components as previously described with respect to the biometric input system of fig. 5.
Fig. 8 illustrates another example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system, which may be another example of a partial cross-sectional view of package 642 of fig. 6A. As shown in fig. 8, package 842 includes a biometric sensing feature 862. Package 842 also includes a composite 882 that at least partially encapsulates the biometric sensing component. The composite 882 defines an input surface 852 of the biometric input system. Package 842 may also include an electrical connector that may be similar to the electrical connector shown in fig. 6A, although this connector is not shown in the partial cross-sectional view of fig. 8.
In some examples, the biometric sensing component 862 is an electric field sensing component, as previously discussed with respect to fig. 6A and 6B. In some cases, the biometric sensing component 862 may be a capacitive sensing component. The biometric sensing component 862 is mounted to an outward facing surface of the circuit layer 864, which may be a circuit board as discussed with respect to fig. 6A. In the example of fig. 8, an inward-facing surface of biometric sensing component 862 is conductively coupled to an inward-facing surface of circuit layer 864 with wire bond 863. As previously explained with respect to fig. 7, the lines This internal positioning of bond 863 does not require that composite 882 encapsulate wire bond 863, and thus may allow for the provision of a thinner layer of composite 882 over biorecognition sensing component 862 than in the example of fig. 6B. In some cases, the thickness T of the composite layer 882 8 May be less than 90 microns, such as 40 microns to 90 microns.
Package 842 is similar in many respects to package 742. However, in the example of fig. 8, the package includes a first circuit layer 864 and a second circuit layer 865, and the elements are arranged on both circuit layers. The circuit component 872 is mounted to an inward-facing surface of the first circuit layer 864. The circuit component may be in the form of a semiconductor die and in examples may include a processor, memory, and/or other circuitry as previously discussed with respect to fig. 6B. The package also includes a passive component 874 that is mounted to a second circuit layer 865 in the example of fig. 8, which may be similar to the first circuit layer 864. The number, size, and positioning of these active and passive components are exemplary and not limiting. The description of the biometric sensing component, circuit component, and passive component previously provided with respect to fig. 6B is generally applicable herein and will not be repeated here.
Package 842 also includes a molding compound 884 encapsulating the inward-facing surface of first circuit layer 864 and the various components and electrical connections mounted to and/or connected to the inward-facing surface and the outward-facing surface of second circuit layer 865. For example, in the example of fig. 8, the molding compound 884 encapsulates the circuit component 872, the solder balls 878a, and the wire bonds 863. Package 842 also includes a molding compound 885 that encapsulates the inward-facing surface of second circuit layer 865, passive component 874, and at least partially encapsulates solder balls 878 b. As previously discussed with respect to fig. 6A, the molding compounds 884 and 885 may be different from the composite 882 and may be conventional molding compounds. The molding compounds 884 and 885 can be the same material, or in some cases can be different materials. The description of the composite material and molding compound provided with respect to fig. 6A is generally applicable herein and will not be repeated here.
In some embodiments, package 842 may be manufactured by a process that begins with mounting biometric sensing feature 862 and a first set of additional features of the package on first circuit layer 864 and mounting a second set of additional features on second circuit layer 864. The components of the biometric sensing component 862, the first and second sets of additional components, and the first and second circuit layers 864 and 865 may then be at least partially encapsulated by the molding compounds 884 and 885 in one or more encapsulation operations. The process then includes an operation of disposing the composite material over a packaging assembly that includes an outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component 862. This operation may be referred to as an overmolding operation. In some cases, composite 882 may encapsulate an outward-facing surface of biological recognition sensing component 862 and a portion of an outward-facing surface of first circuit layer 864.
The package 842 may be coupled to a carrier structure as previously described with respect to the biometric button assembly of fig. 3 and 4. The biometric input system may also include an input sensor, a plate or compressible assembly, and/or other components as previously described with respect to the biometric input system of fig. 5.
Fig. 9 illustrates another example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system, which may be another example of a partial cross-sectional view of package 642 of fig. 6A. As shown in fig. 9, the package 942 includes a biometric sensing component 962. The package 942 also includes a composite 982 that at least partially encapsulates the biometric sensing component and defines an input surface 952 of the biometric input system. The composite material has a thickness T 9 . The package 942 may also include an electrical connector that may be similar to the electrical connector shown in fig. 6A, although this connector is not shown in the partial cross-sectional view of fig. 9.
Package 942 is similar in many respects to package 742. However, in the example of fig. 9, the biometric sensing component 962 is mounted to the outward facing surface of the circuit layer 964 using flip chip connectors, and the package 982 includes an underfill molding compound 985. The underfill molding compound 985 may encapsulate the solder joint 977, a portion of the inward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component 962, and at least a portion of the outward-facing surface of the circuit layer 964. The molding compound 984 has similar functionality and may be similar in composition to the molding compound 684 described with respect to fig. 6A. A composite material 982 may be disposed over a portion of the underfill molding compound and an outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component 962 and over at least a portion of the side surfaces of the circuit layer 964. The description of the composite material and molding compound provided with respect to fig. 6A is generally applicable herein and will not be repeated here. In some cases, the underfill molding compound 985 may have a different composition than the molding compound 984 in order to facilitate its flow into the gap between the biometric sensing component 962 and the circuit layer 964. In some embodiments, package 942 may be manufactured by a process similar to that described for package 742.
Circuit component 972 is mounted to an inward facing surface of circuit layer 964. In the example of fig. 9, wire bond 963 conductively couples circuit component 972 to circuit layer 964. The package also includes passive components 974. Package 982 also includes solder balls 978, which in this example are coupled to bond pads 979. The description of the biometric sensing component, circuit component, and passive component previously provided with respect to fig. 6B is generally applicable herein and will not be repeated here.
The package 942 may be coupled to a carrier structure as previously described with respect to the biometric button assembly of fig. 3 and 4. The biometric input system may also include an input sensor, a plate or compressible assembly, and/or other components as previously described with respect to the biometric input system of fig. 5.
Fig. 10 illustrates another example of a partial cross-sectional view of a package for a biometric input system, which may be another example of a partial cross-sectional view of package 642 of fig. 6A. As shown in fig. 10, package 1042 includes a biometric sensing feature 1062. Package 1042 also includes a composite 1082 that at least partially encapsulates the biometric sensing component and defines an input surface 1052 of the biometric input system. The composite 1042 may also include an electrical connector, which may be similar to the electrical connector shown in fig. 6A, although this connector is not shown in the partial cross-sectional view of fig. 10.
In the example of fig. 10, package 1042 does not include a circuit layer in the form of a circuit board. Instead, the circuit layer 1064 is formed at least partially along the inward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component 1062. Additional components of the package, such as circuit component 1072 and passive component 1074, are mounted on the inward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component 1062 such that these components are conductively coupled to the circuit layer 1064. Wire bond 1063 couples circuit component 1072 to circuit layer 1064. The package 1042 also includes solder balls 1078 coupled to the bond pads 1079. Molding compound 1084 at least partially encapsulates the inward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component and composite material 1082 at least partially encapsulates the outward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component. The biometric sensing component 1062, the circuit component 1072, the passive component 1074, the composite material 1082, and the molding compound 1084 may be as previously described with respect to fig. 6A and 6B, and the description is not repeated here.
The package 1042 may be coupled to a carrier structure as previously described with respect to the biometric button assembly of fig. 3 and 4. The biometric input system may also include an input sensor, a plate or compressible assembly, and/or other components as previously described with respect to the biometric input system of fig. 5.
Fig. 11 shows a flow chart of a process 1100 for manufacturing a package. In process 1100, the circuit layer is formed on the wafer instead of being provided by the circuit board. In some examples, process 1100 may be used to manufacture package 1042 shown in fig. 10.
Process 1100 begins with an operation 1110 of mounting a wafer including a sensing layer on a carrier. Typically, the wafer includes multiple sensing layers, and the wafer is diced to produce individual biometric sensing components, as described in further detail with respect to operation 1160. One side of the wafer on which the outer surface of the biometric sensing component is to be formed is mounted on a carrier film. With respect to fig. 11, this side of the wafer may be referred to as the front side.
In operation 1120, one side of the wafer that will form the interior surface of the biometric sensing component may be lapped to remove material. With respect to fig. 11, this side of the wafer may be referred to as the backside. In some cases, operation 1120 may expose conductive vias in the wafer.
In operation 1130, a circuit layer may be deposited on the back side of the wafer. The circuit layer may be formed by alternating deposition of dielectric material and conductive material. For example, the first conductive layer may be formed of copper or a copper alloy, and the second conductive layer may be formed of nickel, a nickel alloy, gold, or a gold alloy. In some cases, the circuit layer may define or include a redistribution layer.
In operation 1140, components may be mounted to the back side of the wafer and conductively coupled to the circuit layer. For example, operation 1140 may include mounting the circuit components and the passive components to the back side of the wafer (the inward facing surface of the biometric sensing component in the example of fig. 10). One or more connectors (e.g., solder balls) may be conductively coupled to the circuit layer.
In operation 1150, the back side of the wafer and components mounted to the wafer (e.g., circuit components and passive components) may be packaged using a molding compound. In some cases, the molding compound may be ground after curing to expose a portion of the solder balls or other connectors. If desired, a portion of the molding compound immediately surrounding the solder ball may be removed to allow the ground solder to reform into a spherical shape. Fig. 10 shows an example of a package in which the molding compound immediately surrounding the solder balls has been removed.
In operation 1160, the wafer may be diced to form a plurality of package assemblies, each package assembly including a biometric sensing component. After dicing, the package assembly may be removed from the carrier. The outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component is exposed, rather than encapsulated, because the front side of the wafer is in contact with the carrier during operation 1150.
In operation 1170, a composite material is molded over the outside-out side of the biorecognition sensing element. As shown in the example of fig. 10, the composite material may form a layer over the outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component, and the composite material layer may define an input surface for a biometric input system. The composite layer may also define a cap for the biometric input system. In some cases, the cap may extend over a side surface of the biometric sensing component, as shown in the example of fig. 10. The composite material may be as previously described with respect to fig. 6A, and the description is not repeated here.
Process 1100 may also include an operation of machining the composite material after operation 1170. For example, machining operations may be used to control the thickness of the composite layer over the outward surface and/or side surfaces of the biometric sensing component. The thickness of the composite layer may be similar to that previously described with respect to fig. 6B and 7 and the description will not be repeated here. In addition, the machining operation may be used to control the shape of the cap in a manner similar to that previously described with respect to fig. 6B.
Fig. 12 shows a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device. The schematic diagram depicted in fig. 12 may correspond to the components of the apparatus as depicted in fig. 1A-2 described above. However, FIG. 12 may also more generally represent other types of electronic devices that include a biometric input system as described herein.
In an embodiment, the electronic device 1200 may include sensors 1220 to provide information about the configuration and/or orientation of the electronic device in order to control the output of the display. For example, a portion of the display 1208 may be turned off, disabled, or placed in a low-energy state when all or a portion of the viewable area of the display 1208 is blocked or substantially obscured. As another example, display 1208 may be adapted to rotate display of graphical output based on a change in orientation of device 1200 (e.g., 90 degrees or 180 degrees) in response to rotation of device 1200.
The electronic device 1200 also includes a processor 1206 operatively coupled to the computer-readable memory 1202. The processor 1206 may be operatively connected to the memory 1202 via an electronic bus or bridge. The processor 1206 may be implemented as one or more computer processors or microcontrollers configured to perform operations in response to computer readable instructions. The processor 1206 may include a Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the apparatus 1200. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 1206 may include other electronic circuitry within the device 1200, including an Application Specific Integrated Chip (ASIC) and other microcontroller devices. The processor 1206 may be configured to perform the functions described in the examples above.
Memory 1202 may include a variety of types of non-transitory computer-readable storage media including, for example, read Access Memory (RAM), read Only Memory (ROM), erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM and EEPROM), or flash memory. Memory 1202 is configured to store computer readable instructions, sensor values, and other persistent software elements.
The electronic device 1200 may include a control circuit 1210. The control circuit 1210 may be implemented in a single control unit and need not be implemented as distinct circuit elements. As used herein, "control unit" will be used synonymously with "control circuit". Control circuit 1210 may receive signals from processor 1206 or from other elements of electronic device 1200.
As shown in fig. 12, the electronic device 1200 includes a battery 1214 configured to provide power to the components of the electronic device 1200. The battery 1214 may include one or more power storage units coupled together to provide an internal power supply. The battery 1214 may be operably coupled to power management circuitry configured to provide appropriate voltages and power levels for various components or groups of components within the electronic device 1200. The battery 1214 may be configured to receive power from an external power source, such as an ac power outlet, via power management circuitry. The battery 1214 may store the received power such that the electronic device 1200 may operate without being connected to an external power source for an extended period of time, which may range from several hours to several days.
In some implementations, the electronic device 1200 includes one or more input devices 1218. The input device 1218 is a device configured to receive input from a user or environment. For example, the input device 1218 may include a push button, a touch activated button, a capacitive touch sensor, a touch screen (e.g., a touch sensitive display or a force sensitive display), a capacitive touch button, a dial, a crown, and the like. In some implementations, the input device 1218 can provide dedicated or primary functionality including, for example, a power button, a volume button, a home button, a scroll wheel, and a camera button.
The device 1200 may also include one or more sensors or sensor components 1220, such as force sensors, capacitive sensors, accelerometers, barometers, gyroscopes, proximity sensors, light sensors, and the like. In some cases, the device 1200 includes a sensor array (also referred to as a sensing array) that includes a plurality of sensors 1220. For example, the sensor array associated with the raised features of the cover member may include an ambient light sensor, a lidar sensor, and a microphone. As previously discussed with respect to fig. 1B, one or more camera components may also be associated with the raised feature. The sensor 1220 is operably coupled to the processing circuitry. In some embodiments, the sensor 1220 may detect deformation and/or a change in configuration of the electronic device and is operably coupled to processing circuitry that controls the display based on the sensor signals. In some implementations, the output from sensor 1220 is used to reconfigure the display output to correspond to the orientation or folded/unfolded configuration or state of the device. Exemplary sensors 1220 for this purpose include accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and other similar types of position/orientation sensing devices. Further, sensors 1220 may include microphones, acoustic sensors, light sensors (including ambient light, infrared (IR) light, ultraviolet (UV) light, optical facial recognition sensors, depth measurement sensors (e.g., time-of-flight sensors), health monitoring sensors (e.g., electrocardiogram (erg) sensors, heart rate sensors, photoplethysmogram (ppg) sensors, pulse oximeters, biometric sensors (e.g., fingerprint sensors), or other types of sensing devices.
In some implementations, the electronic device 1200 includes one or more output devices 1204 configured to provide output to a user. The output device 1204 may include a display 1208 that presents visual information generated by the processor 1206. The output device 1204 may also include one or more speakers to provide audio output. The output device 1204 may also include one or more haptic devices configured to produce haptic or tactile output along an external surface of the device 1200.
The display 1208 may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, an LED backlight LCD display, an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display, an active layer organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, an organic Electroluminescent (EL) display, an electrophoretic ink display, and the like. If the display 1208 is a liquid crystal display or an electrophoretic ink display, the display 1208 may also include a backlight component that may be controlled to provide a variable display brightness level. If the display 1208 is an organic light emitting diode or an organic electroluminescent display, the brightness of the display 1208 may be controlled by modifying the electrical signal provided to the display element. Further, information regarding the configuration and/or orientation of the electronic device may be used to control the output of the display, as described with respect to input device 1218. In some cases, a display is integrated with the touch sensors and/or force sensors to detect touches and/or forces applied along the external surface of the device 1200.
The electronic device 1200 may also include a communication port 1212 configured to transmit and/or receive signals or electrical communications from an external device or a separate device. The communication port 1212 may be configured to couple to external devices via a cable, an adapter, or other type of electrical connector. In some implementations, a communication port 1212 may be used to couple the electronic device 1200 to a host computer.
The electronic device 1200 may also include at least one accessory 1216, such as a camera, a flash for a camera, or other such devices. The camera may be part of a camera array or a sensing array that may be connected to other portions of the electronic device 1200, such as the control circuit 1210.
As used herein, the terms "about," "approximately," "substantially," "similar," and the like are used to explain relatively small changes, such as +/-10%, +/-5%, +/-2%, or +/-1% changes. Furthermore, the term "about" with respect to the endpoints of the ranges may be used to indicate a variation of +/-10%, +/-5%, +/-2%, or +/-1% of the endpoint value. Further, disclosing ranges wherein at least one endpoint is described as "about" a particular value includes disclosing ranges wherein the endpoint is equal to the particular value.
As used herein, the phrase "one or more of" or "at least one of" after separating a series of items of any of the items with the term "and" or "is a modification of the list as a whole, rather than modifying each member of the list. The phrase "one or more of" or "at least one of" does not require the selection of at least one of each item listed; rather, the phrase allows for the inclusion of a minimum of any of the items and/or a minimum of any combination of the items and/or a minimum of each of the items. For example, the phrase "one or more of A, B and C" or "one or more of A, B or C" each refer to a alone, B alone, or C alone; A. any combination of B and C; and/or one or more of each of A, B and C. Similarly, it should be understood that the order of elements presented for a combined list or a separate list provided herein should not be construed as limiting the disclosure to only the order provided.
The following discussion applies to the electronic devices described herein insofar as these devices may be used to obtain personally identifiable information data. It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be specified to the user.
For purposes of explanation, the foregoing descriptions use specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above teachings.
Claims (20)
1. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a display positioned within the housing; and
a biometric button assembly positioned along a side of the display and comprising:
a carrier structure configured to translate in response to a user press input;
a switch assembly configured to detect translation of the carrier structure in response to the user press input;
a biometric sensing component coupled to the carrier structure and comprising an array of sensing elements configured to sense a fingerprint in response to the user press input; and
A dielectric coating at least partially encapsulating the array of sensing elements of the biometric sensing component, the dielectric coating defining an input surface for the biometric button assembly, and the dielectric coating being formed from a composite material comprising:
oxide particles having an average particle size of greater than or equal to 50nm and less than 1 micron; and
a binder comprising a thermosetting polymeric material.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:
the housing includes a shell and a cover defining a transparent window over the display;
at least a portion of the biometric button assembly is positioned in an opening in the housing;
each of the sensing elements of the array of sensing elements is a field sensing element; and is also provided with
The dielectric coating has:
a thickness above an outer surface of the biometric sensing component of greater than 5 microns and less than or equal to 200 microns; and is also provided with
Oxide particles falling within the range of 80% to 90% by weight are supported.
3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:
at least portions of the outer surface and side surfaces of the biometric sensing component protrude from the opening; and is also provided with
The dielectric coating encapsulates the outer surface and the portion of the side surface of the biometric sensing component.
4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:
the biometric button assembly further includes a circuit layer conductively coupled to the biometric sensing component;
the biometric sensing component is mounted to an outward facing surface of the circuit layer;
the biometric button assembly further includes a circuit component mounted to an inward facing surface of the circuit layer and conductively coupled to the biometric sensing component through the circuit layer; and is also provided with
A molding compound different from the composite material at least partially encapsulates the circuit component and the inward-facing surface of the circuit layer.
5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein:
a connector conductively couples the outer surface of the biometric sensing component to the inward surface of the circuit layer;
the dielectric coating at least partially encapsulates the connector and the outward facing surface of the circuit layer; and is also provided with
The thickness of the coating ranges from 90 microns to 200 microns.
6. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein:
The dielectric coating defines an exterior face of the biometric button assembly; and is also provided with
The outer face defines an elongated shape.
7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the switch assembly comprises a dome switch.
8. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing defining an opening;
a biometric button assembly positioned at least partially within the opening and comprising:
a capacitive sensing member defining a member surface; and
a cap defining a touch input surface and disposed over the component surface, the cap formed from a composite material comprising:
dielectric particles having an average particle size greater than or equal to 50nm and less than or equal to 500 nm; and
a binder comprising a dielectric polymeric material; and
a processor is positioned within the housing, the processor being operatively coupled to the capacitive sensing component and configured to authenticate a user based on an output of the capacitive sensing component.
9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:
The touch input surface of the cap defines an elongated shape; and is also provided with
The biometric authentication button assembly further comprises:
a conductive carrier structure coupled to the capacitive sensing element; and
a force sensor configured to detect a force applied to the touch input surface.
10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein:
the touch input surface of the cap protrudes from the opening; and is also provided with
The composite material has a Young's modulus in the range of 15GPa to 20 GPa.
11. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein a portion of the conductive carrier structure extends along a side surface of the capacitive sensing element.
12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:
the biometric authentication button assembly further comprises a circuit layer;
an inward facing surface of the capacitive sensing element is conductively coupled to the circuit layer; and is also provided with
The cap has a thickness ranging from 40 microns to 120 microns above an outward facing surface of the capacitive sensing element opposite the inward facing surface.
13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein:
The housing includes a shell and an at least partially transparent cover coupled to the shell and positioned over a display; and is also provided with
The opening is defined by a bore extending through the housing.
14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein:
an exterior surface of the housing defining a recessed portion; and is also provided with
The recessed portion defines a perimeter of the opening.
15. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing defining an opening along a side surface of the electronic device;
a touch-sensitive biometric button assembly extending partially through the opening and comprising:
a biometric sensing component comprising a sensing layer; and
an outer packaging layer defining an input surface of the touch-sensitive biometric button assembly, the outer packaging layer at least partially encapsulating an outward facing surface of the biometric sensing component, and the outer packaging layer being formed of a dielectric material comprising:
80% to 95% by weight of oxide particles having an average particle size greater than or equal to 50nm and less than or equal to 500 nm; and
From 5% to 20% by weight of a binder comprising a thermosetting polymeric material; and
a switch assembly positioned inside the touch-sensitive biometric button assembly and configured to detect a user press input.
16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:
the touch-sensitive biometric button assembly further includes a carrier structure; and is also provided with
The switch assembly includes:
an electromechanical switch; and
a compressible assembly coupled to the carrier structure and configured to compress in response to the user press input.
17. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the sensing layer comprises an array of field sensing elements.
18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the touch-sensitive biometric button assembly further comprises:
a circuit layer; and
an inner packaging layer formed from a molding compound different from the dielectric material and at least partially encapsulating the circuit layer.
19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein an inward-facing surface of the biometric sensing component defines a substrate for the circuit layer.
20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:
the oxide particles are silica particles; and is also provided with
The thermosetting polymer material is an epoxy-based polymer material.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US63/356,447 | 2022-06-28 | ||
| US18/202,620 US20230418421A1 (en) | 2022-06-28 | 2023-05-26 | Electronic device having a biometric input system including a composite cover element |
| US18/202,620 | 2023-05-26 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN117315728A true CN117315728A (en) | 2023-12-29 |
Family
ID=89236114
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202310767662.0A Pending CN117315728A (en) | 2022-06-28 | 2023-06-27 | Electronic device with biometric input system including composite cover element |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN117315728A (en) |
-
2023
- 2023-06-27 CN CN202310767662.0A patent/CN117315728A/en active Pending
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