Apparatus for housing an electronic component, a method

1. An apparatus comprising:

a deformable protective housing comprising transparent window and circumscribing deformable barrier side walls defining a variable volume internal hermetic chamber configured to house an electronic component in a protected atmosphere.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each barrier side wall is reversibly collapsible and reversibly expandable.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each barrier aide wall comprises at least one deformation zone that enables relative movement of portions of the barrier side wall.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the deformation zone comprises a returning bend.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the barrier side walls comprise at least one lateral offset in a material of the barrier side walls.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each barrier side wall defines a folded barrier.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each barrier side wall comprises at least one fixture zone configured to fix the barrier side wall in position.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the fixture zone configured to fix the barrier side wall in position is curved.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each barrier side wall comprises micro-machined surface features.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the barrier side walls comprise sheets of material that have been joined together.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one portion of at least one barrier side wall is an integral extension of a portion of the electronic component.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a module configured to be sealed while housing the electronic component.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the apparatus houses the electronic component and the apparatus is sealed to protect the electronic component.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the protective side walls are bonded directly to a portion of the electronic component.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the protective side walls are bonded indirectly via an electrical insulator to a portion of the electronic component.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic component is selected from the group comprising: a user-flexible component, an organic electronic component: a display, a battery, a touch panel, a solar panel, organic light emitting diode display.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the variable volume internal hermetic chamber further houses, inside the circumscribing deformable barrier side walls and within the first protected atmosphere, second circumscribing deformable barrier side walls defining a second, different, variable volume internal hermetic chamber configured to house a second electronic component in a second protected atmosphere, sealed from the first protected atmosphere.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one barrier side wall is configured to allow lateral transformation of upper and lower surfaces of a multi-layer apparatus.

19. An hermetic internal housing module of an electronic component comprising: an electronic component and an apparatus comprising a deformable protective housing comprising a transparent window and circumscribing deformable barrier side walls defining a variable volume internal hermetic chamber configured to house an electronic component in a protected atmosphere, wherein at least portions of the electronic component are encapsulated with a protected atmosphere.

20. A method comprising:

manufacturing deformable barrier side walls of a deformable protective housing comprising a transparent window, configured to house a electronic component in a controlled atmosphere.