Integrated circuit protection layer used in a capacitive capacity
View Patent ↗In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, an apparatus includes: at least one functional circuit; and an electrically-conductive protective layer on a protected surface of the apparatus, where the protective layer is arranged to be substantially opaque to incident light, where at least one portion of the protective layer is electrically isolated from a remainder of the protective layer, where the at least one portion is a plate of a capacitor for coupling at least one signal to said at least one functional circuit.
1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one functional circuit; and
an electrically-conductive protective layer on a protected surface of the apparatus, where the protective layer is arranged to be substantially opaque to incident light, where at least one portion of the protective layer comprises a plate of a capacitor for coupling at least one signal to said at least one functional circuit; and
a second electrically-conductive protective layer on the protected surface of the apparatus, where the second protective layer is arranged to be substantially opaque to the incident light, where at least one second portion of the second protective layer is electrically isolated from a remainder of the protective layer, where the at least one second portion comprises a second plate of the capacitor, where the second protective layer and the first protective layer are electrically isolated from each other by an insulating material, where at least one gap in the first protective layer and at least one gap in the second protective layer are in a staggered arrangement and do not overlap such that together the first and second protective layers create a seamless protective layer against incident light.
2. An apparatus as in claim 1 , where the at least one signal comprises at least one of a data signal and a clock signal.
3. An apparatus as in claim 1 , where the protective layer comprises a metal-containing layer.
4. An apparatus as in claim 3 , where the metal-containing layer comprises Aluminum.
5. An apparatus as in claim 1 ,. where the at least one functional circuit comprises a display driver circuit.
6. An apparatus as in claim 1 , where the at least one portion is one of a plurality of portions that are electrically isolated from each other and from the remainder of the protective layer.
7. An apparatus as in claim 1 , further comprising at least one connector for coupling at least power to the at least one functional circuit.
8. An apparatus as in claim 7 , where the at least one connector is on the protective side and protrudes beyond the protective layer.
9. An apparatus as in claim 1 , where the protective layer is arranged to be substantially opaque to light emitted from a light source illuminating a display.
10. An apparatus as in claim 9 , where a wavelength at which the protective layer is substantially opaque is selected based on a wavelength of the light emanating from the light source.
11. An apparatus as in claim 1 , where the protected surface of the apparatus is between the first protective layer and a second plate of the capacitor.
12. An apparatus as in claim 1 , where the apparatus comprises an integrated circuit module.
13. An apparatus as in claim 1 , where the at least one portion of the protective layer comprises an entirety of the protective layer.
14. An apparatus as in claim 1 , where the at least one portion of the protective layer is electrically isolated from a remainder of the protective layer.