PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12074244-B2
Application Number: US-202117473745-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Optical sensor package with magnetic component for device attachment

Abstract:
An integrated sensor package for an electronic device may include a matrix material defining a body structure of the integrated sensor package, a light emitting diode at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, a photodiode at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material and configured to detect light emitted by the light emitting diode and reflected by an object external to the integrated sensor package, a via structure at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, a permanent magnet at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, a first conductive member on a first side of the integrated sensor package and conductively coupling the light emitting diode to a first end of the via structure, and a second conductive member on a second side of the integrated sensor package opposite the first side and conductively coupled to a second end of the via structure.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An integrated sensor package for an electronic device, comprising:
 a matrix material defining a body structure of the integrated sensor package; 
 a light emitting diode at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; 
 a photodiode at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material and configured to detect light emitted by the light emitting diode and reflected by an object external to the integrated sensor package; 
 a via structure at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; 
 a permanent magnet at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; 
 a first conductive member on a first side of the integrated sensor package and conductively coupling the light emitting diode to a first end of the via structure; and 
 a second conductive member on a second side of the integrated sensor package opposite the first side and conductively coupled to a second end of the via structure. 
 
     
     
       2. The integrated sensor package of  claim 1 , wherein the light emitting diode and the photodiode are configured to operate as an optical emitter-receiver pair for an optical sensing system. 
     
     
       3. The integrated sensor package of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the permanent magnet defines a hole extending through a body of the permanent magnet; 
 the integrated sensor package further comprises an electronic component at least partially within the hole defined in the permanent magnet; and 
 the matrix material extends into the hole defined in the permanent magnet and at least partially encapsulates the electronic component. 
 
     
     
       4. The integrated sensor package of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first conductive member is a first conductive trace; and 
 the second conductive member is a second conductive trace. 
 
     
     
       5. The integrated sensor package of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the integrated sensor package further comprises:
 a first dielectric layer on a first surface of the body structure of the integrated sensor package; and 
 a second dielectric layer on a second surface of the body structure, the second surface opposite the first surface; 
 
 the first conductive trace is positioned on the first dielectric layer; and 
 the second conductive trace is positioned on the second dielectric layer. 
 
     
     
       6. The integrated sensor package of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a third dielectric layer positioned on the second dielectric layer; and 
 a third conductive trace positioned on the third dielectric layer and conductively coupled to the second conductive trace. 
 
     
     
       7. The integrated sensor package of  claim 1 , further comprising a solder ball soldered to the second conductive member. 
     
     
       8. A wearable electronic device comprising:
 a housing member at least partially defining an internal volume of the wearable electronic device; 
 a front cover coupled to the housing member; 
 a display positioned under the front cover; and 
 an integrated sensor package within the internal volume of the wearable electronic device and comprising:
 a matrix material defining a body structure of the integrated sensor package; 
 an integrated circuit at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; and 
 a permanent magnet at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material and configured to magnetically align the wearable electronic device with a docking device external to the wearable electronic device. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The wearable electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the integrated sensor package further comprises a light emitting diode at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; and 
 the integrated circuit is a photodiode configured to detect light emitted by the light emitting diode and reflected by a wearer of the wearable electronic device. 
 
     
     
       10. The wearable electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the wearable electronic device further comprises a rear cover coupled to the housing member and configured to contact a body of the wearer of the wearable electronic device when the wearable electronic device is being worn, the rear cover defining:
 a first surface defining an exterior surface of the wearable electronic device; and 
 a second surface opposite the first surface; 
 
 the integrated sensor package is attached to the second surface of the rear cover; 
 the light emitting diode is configured to direct the light through the rear cover; and 
 the photodiode is configured to detect the light through the rear cover. 
 
     
     
       11. The wearable electronic device of  claim 10 , further comprising an inductive coil within the internal volume of the wearable electronic device and configured to wirelessly receive power from the docking device, through the rear cover, when the wearable electronic device is magnetically attached to the docking device. 
     
     
       12. The wearable electronic device of  claim 11 , wherein the inductive coil is positioned around an outer periphery of the integrated sensor package. 
     
     
       13. The wearable electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein the light emitting diode and the photodiode are components of an optical sensing system of the wearable electronic device. 
     
     
       14. The wearable electronic device of  claim 8 , further comprising a passive circuit component at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material. 
     
     
       15. An integrated sensor package for an optical sensing system of an electronic device, comprising:
 a matrix material defining a body structure of the integrated sensor package; 
 an array of light emitting diodes positioned around a central region of the body structure, the light emitting diodes of the array of light emitting diodes at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; 
 an array of photodiodes positioned around the central region of the body structure, the photodiodes of the array of photodiodes at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; and 
 a permanent magnet positioned in the central region of the body structure and at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material. 
 
     
     
       16. The integrated sensor package of  claim 15 , wherein the permanent magnet is a neodymium iron boron magnet having a thickness of about 500 microns or less. 
     
     
       17. The integrated sensor package of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the integrated sensor package further comprises:
 a substrate at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; and 
 a via extending through the substrate from a first surface of the substrate to a second surface of the substrate; and 
 
 a photodiode of the array of photodiodes is coupled to the substrate and conductively coupled to the via. 
 
     
     
       18. The integrated sensor package of  claim 15 , wherein the array of light emitting diodes comprises:
 a first light emitting diode configured to emit visible light; and 
 a second light emitting diode configured to emit infrared light. 
 
     
     
       19. The integrated sensor package of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a via structure at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material; 
 a first conductive trace on a first side of the integrated sensor package and conductively coupling a photodiode of the array of photodiodes to a first end of the via structure; and 
 a second conductive trace on a second side of the integrated sensor package and conductively coupled to a second end of the via structure. 
 
     
     
       20. The integrated sensor package of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 a first dielectric layer between the matrix material and the first conductive trace; and 
 a second dielectric layer between the matrix material and the second conductive trace.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a nonprovisional of and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Patent Application No. 63/078,220, filed Sep. 14, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully disclosed herein. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The subject matter of this disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices with sensing systems that are integrated with magnetic attachment components. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Modern consumer electronic devices take many shapes and forms, and have numerous uses and functions. Wearable electronic devices, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, may provide functions that are particularly suited for devices that are in contact with or otherwise closely coupled to a user&#39;s body. For example, smartwatches and fitness trackers may provide workout tracking functions, timekeeping functions, audio (e.g., music) storage and playback functions, biometric sensing functions (e.g., heart rate monitoring), and the like. Such devices may also employ built-in rechargeable batteries so that the devices can be easily charged for frequent use. 
     SUMMARY 
     An integrated sensor package for an electronic device may include a matrix material defining a body structure of the integrated sensor package, a light emitting diode at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, a photodiode at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material and configured to detect light emitted by the light emitting diode and reflected by an object external to the integrated sensor package, a via structure at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, a permanent magnet at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, a first conductive member on a first side of the integrated sensor package and conductively coupling the light emitting diode to a first end of the via structure, and a second conductive member on a second side of the integrated sensor package opposite the first side and conductively coupled to a second end of the via structure. 
     The light emitting diode and the photodiode may be configured to operate as an optical emitter-receiver pair for an optical sensing system. The permanent magnet may define a hole extending through a body of the permanent magnet, the integrated sensor package may further include an electronic component at least partially within the hole defined in the permanent magnet, and the matrix material may extend into the hole defined in the permanent magnet and at least partially encapsulate the electronic component. 
     The first conductive member may be a first conductive trace, and the second conductive member may be a second conductive trace. The integrated sensor package may further include a first dielectric layer on a first surface of the body structure of the integrated sensor package, and a second dielectric layer on a second surface of the body structure, the second surface opposite the first surface. The first conductive trace may be positioned on the first dielectric layer and the second conductive trace may be positioned on the second dielectric layer. The integrated sensor package may include a third dielectric layer positioned on the second dielectric layer and a third conductive trace positioned on the third dielectric layer and conductively coupled to the second conductive trace. The integrated sensor package may further include a solder ball soldered to the second conductive member. 
     A wearable electronic device may include a housing member at least partially defining an internal volume of the wearable electronic device, a front cover coupled to the housing member, a display positioned under the front cover, and an integrated sensor package within the internal volume of the wearable electronic device. The integrated sensor package may include a matrix material defining a body structure of the integrated sensor package, an integrated circuit at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, and a permanent magnet at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material and configured to magnetically attach the wearable electronic device to a docking device external to the wearable electronic device. 
     The integrated sensor package may further include a light emitting diode at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, and the integrated circuit may be a photodiode configured to detect light emitted by the light emitting diode and reflected by a wearer of the wearable electronic device. The integrated sensor package may further include a passive circuit component at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material. 
     The wearable electronic device may further include a rear cover coupled to the housing member and configured to contact a body of the wearer of the wearable electronic device when the wearable electronic device is being worn. The rear cover may define a first surface defining an exterior surface of the wearable electronic device and a second surface opposite the first surface. The integrated sensor package may be attached to the second surface of the rear cover, the light emitting diode may be configured to direct the light through the rear cover, and the photodiode is configured to detect the light through the rear cover. 
     The wearable electronic device may further include an inductive coil within the internal volume of the wearable electronic device and configured to wirelessly receive power from the docking device, through the rear cover, when the wearable electronic device is magnetically attached to the docking device. The inductive coil may be positioned around an outer periphery of the integrated sensor package. 
     The light emitting diode and the photodiode may be components of an optical sensing system of the wearable electronic device. The optical sensing system may be configured to detect a heart rate of the wearer of the wearable electronic device. 
     An integrated sensor package for an optical sensing system of an electronic device may include a matrix material defining a body structure of the integrated sensor package, an array of light emitting diodes positioned around a central region of the body structure, the light emitting diodes of the array of light emitting diodes at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, an array of photodiodes positioned around the central region of the body structure, the photodiodes of the array of photodiodes at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, and a permanent magnet positioned in the central region of the body structure and at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material. 
     The permanent magnet may be a neodymium iron boron magnet, a samarium cobalt magnet, an aluminum nickel cobalt magnet, a ferrite magnet, or the like, having a thickness between about 200 microns and about 2000 microns. The integrated sensor package may further include a substrate at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material and a via extending through the substrate from a first surface of the substrate to a second surface of the substrate. A photodiode of the array of photodiodes may be coupled to the substrate and conductively coupled to the via. The array of light emitting diodes may include a first light emitting diode configured to emit visible light and a second light emitting diode configured to emit infrared light. The integrated sensor package may further include a via structure at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material, a first conductive trace on a first side of the integrated sensor package and conductively coupling a photodiode of the array of photodiodes to a first end of the via structure, and a second conductive trace on a second side of the integrated sensor package and conductively coupled to a second end of the via structure. The integrated sensor package may further include a first dielectric layer between the matrix material and the first conductive trace and a second dielectric layer between the matrix material and the second conductive trace. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
         FIGS.  1 A- 1 C  depict an example electronic device; 
         FIG.  2    depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the example electronic device of  FIGS.  1 A- 1 C ; 
         FIGS.  3 A- 3 B  depict top views of an example integrated sensor package; 
         FIG.  4    depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the integrated sensor package of  FIGS.  3 A- 3 B ; 
         FIG.  5    depicts a schematic cross-sectional view of an example integrated sensor package; 
         FIGS.  6 A- 6 F  depict schematic cross-sectional views of the integrated sensor package of  FIG.  5    at various stages of manufacturing; and 
         FIG.  7    depicts a schematic diagram of an example electronic device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims. 
     Wearable electronic devices may be configured to be attached to (or aligned with) external chargers, such as a charging docks, in order to facilitate recharging so that the devices can be used frequently and without having to replace batteries. Electronic devices as described herein may use magnetic alignment/attachment systems to releasably couple wearable devices to charging docks that can recharge the wearable devices via a wireless connection between the device and the dock. 
     Because they are intended to be worn for long periods of time and during exercise and other activities, it is beneficial for wearable devices to be small and lightweight. Accordingly, described herein are wearable electronic devices, such as smartwatches, that incorporate various components into a single package to increase packing efficiency in the devices and allow for lighter and smaller devices. In some cases, the particular components that are incorporated together and how they are incorporated together may have a compounding effect on the size and weight reductions that can be achieved. For example, some biometric sensors (such as photoplethysmographs for heart rate sensing, electrodes for ECG sensing, optical systems for pulsatile sensing or other health sensing, and so on) operate better when positioned in close proximity to the rear side of the device so that they have direct optical access to the user&#39;s skin. The magnets for aligning or attaching the device to a docking system, therefore, may be positioned further within the device so as to avoid blocking or interfering with the optical sensor and/or components thereof. However, this places the magnet further away from the corresponding magnets or magnetic materials in the docking devices, ultimately reducing the strength of the magnetic attraction between them. 
     The integrated sensor packages described herein combine components of a rearward-mounted sensing system (e.g., an optical sensor positioned on the rear of the watch) with a magnet for aligning and/or attaching the wearable device to a docking device (referred to herein as an “attachment magnet,” although in some embodiments the magnet is used for alignment with a docking device instead of or in addition to attachment to a docking device). In this way, not only can packaging efficiency be increased due to the reduction in the number of different components, but the size of the magnet can be reduced while still producing the same attraction force between the wearable device and a dock. More particularly, integrating the magnet with the rearward-mounted sensing system allows the magnet to be positioned closer to the rear surface of the device, and because the strength of a magnetic field follows an inverse cube law (in which the magnetic field strength varies with the inverse cube of the distance from the magnet), the positioning of the magnet closer to an external surface of the device may allow the use of a smaller magnet while producing the same or greater magnetic attraction to external docking devices. 
     The integrated sensor package(s) may be formed by encapsulating sensor components, such as photodiodes, light emitting diodes, and the like, as well as a magnet, in a matrix material such as a cured epoxy resin. The matrix material may define the main structural component of the integrated sensor package such that a common, structural circuit board may be omitted from the integrated sensor package. Redistribution layers, which may include dielectric layers and conductive traces, may be applied and/or formed directly on surfaces of the matrix material to facilitate interconnection of the circuit elements in the integrated sensor package and to facilitate interconnection of the integrated sensor package to other components of the device. 
     While the instant application describes integrated sensor packages with respect to an example type of sensor (e.g., an optical sensing system), it will be understood that other types of sensors or even other components of a device may be integrated with an attachment magnet. For example, components of an electrocardiograph sensor may be integrated with a magnet to form an integrated sensor package. As another example, non-sensor components such as an inductive coil (for wireless charging) may be encapsulated in a matrix material along with an attachment magnet. Other implementations and component integrations are also contemplated. 
       FIG.  1 A  depicts an electronic device  100  (also referred to herein simply as a device  100 ) and a docking device  130  (also referred to herein simply as a dock  130 ). The device  100  is depicted as a watch, though this is merely one example embodiment of an electronic device, and the concepts discussed herein may apply equally or by analogy to other electronic devices, including mobile phones (e.g., smartphones), tablet computers, notebook computers, head-mounted displays, headphones, earbuds, digital media players (e.g., mp3 players), or the like. The dock  130  may be a charging device to which the device  100  may be magnetically coupled, and which may charge the device  100  via a wireless coupling between the dock  130  and the device  100 . While the dock  130  is shown as a round, puck-style charger, this is merely one example embodiment of a docking device, and the concepts discussed herein may apply equally or by analogy to other docking devices, including charging mats, docks, electronic devices with built-in wireless charging functionality (e.g., alarm clocks, another electronic device such as a mobile phone or tablet computer), differently shaped chargers, or the like. 
     The device  100  includes a housing member  102  and a band  104  coupled to the housing member. The housing member  102  may at least partially define an internal volume in which components of the device  100  may be positioned. The housing member  102  may also define one or more exterior surfaces of the device, such as all or a portion of one or more side surfaces, a rear surface, a front surface, and the like. The housing member  102  may be formed of any suitable material, such as metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, titanium, or the like), ceramic, polymer, glass, or the like. The band  104  may be configured to attach the device  100  to a user, such as to the user&#39;s arm or wrist. The device  100  may include battery charging components within the device  100 , which may interact with the dock  130  (or other external charging device) to receive power, charge a battery of the device  100 , and/or provide direct power to operate the device  100  regardless of the battery&#39;s state of charge (e.g., bypassing the battery of the device  100 ). The device  100  may include a magnet, such as a permanent magnet, that is configured to magnetically couple to a magnet (e.g., a permanent magnet, electromagnet) or magnetic material (e.g., a ferromagnetic material such as iron, steel, or the like) in the dock  130 . 
     The dock  130  may represent an example of an external source of power that may be configured to wirelessly couple (e.g., via inductive coupling) to the device  100  to provide power to the device  100 . The device  100  may define a rear surface  114  (e.g., along a rear side of the device opposite a front side or face of the device), and the dock  130  may define a charging surface  132 . When the device  100  is placed on the dock  130  so that the rear surface  114  of the device  100  and the charging surface  132  of the dock are in proximity to one another (e.g., in contact), the magnet within the device  100  is attracted to the magnet or magnetic material in the dock  130  to magnetically attach the device  100  to the dock  130 . When the device  100  is on the dock  130 , a coil of the dock  130  may inductively couple with an inductive coil of the device  100  through the device  100  (e.g., through the rear cover  136  and/or another rear-facing structure), thereby facilitating charging of the device  100  without having to plug a charging cable into a charging port of the device  100 . This type of charging operation may be referred to herein as wireless charging of the device  100 . 
     The device  100  also includes a front cover  108 , a display  109 , input devices such as a crown  112  and a button  110 , a haptic actuator, and other components. Such components are described herein. 
       FIGS.  1 B and  1 C  show a rear side of the device  100 . The device  100  includes a rear cover  136  coupled to the housing member  102  and defining at least a portion of the rear exterior surface of the device  100 . The rear cover  136  may be formed of or include any suitable material(s), such as sapphire, polymer, ceramic, glass, or any other suitable material. 
     The rear cover  136  may define a plurality of windows to allow light to pass through the rear cover  136  to and from sensor components within the device  100 . For example, the rear cover  136  may define emitter windows  148  and  144  and receiver windows  146 . The emitter and/or receiver windows  144 ,  146 ,  148  may be defined by the material of the rear cover  136  (e.g., they may be light-transmissive portions of the material of the rear cover  136 ), or they may be separate components that are positioned in holes formed in the rear cover  136 . A mask or coating may be applied to the rear cover  136  to define masked regions, and the emitter and/or receiver windows  144 ,  146 ,  148  may correspond to unmasked or differently masked regions of the rear cover  136  (e.g., holes in an opaque mask). The mask may be optically transparent, transparent to infrared light, transparent to ultraviolet light, or otherwise selectively transparent to permit wavelengths of light emitted from emitters beneath the emitter windows  144 ,  148  to penetrate the mask and reach receivers beneath the receiver windows  146 . In some embodiments, the receiver windows  146  may be invisible to the human eye but pass light from the emitters, insofar as they are covered by an optically opaque mask that is transmissive within the wavelengths of light emitted by the emitter(s). 
     The emitter windows  148 ,  144  may be aligned with or otherwise configured to pass light emitted by emitters, such as light emitting diodes in an integrated sensor package. The emitted light may be any suitable type of light for facilitating sensing functions, and may include visible light, infrared light, or the like. The receiver windows  146  may be aligned with or otherwise configured to pass light onto sensors, such as photodiodes, in the integrated sensor package. The light that passes through the receiver windows  146  and is incident on the sensors may be light that is emitted by the light emitters (e.g., through the emitter windows  144 ,  148 ) and reflected by the body of the user (or whatever object is the target of the sensor). For example, the light from the emitters may be directed onto the skin of a user&#39;s wrist. Some portion of the light may be absorbed or scattered, while another portion of the light may be reflected towards or otherwise be detected by the sensors of the integrated sensor package. Characteristics of the light detected by the sensors (e.g., the intensity or amount of detected light) may be used to determine biometric information such as heart rate, blood oxygen concentrations, and the like, as well as information such as a distance from the device to an object. In some cases, the emitter and receiver windows  144 ,  146 ,  148  may include filters, coatings, lenses, or the like, to condition the light that is emitted and/or received through the windows. 
     The particular arrangement of windows in the rear cover  136  shown in  FIG.  1 B  is one example arrangement, and other window arrangements (including different numbers, sizes, shapes, and/or positions of the windows) are also contemplated. As described herein, the window arrangement may be defined by or otherwise correspond to the arrangement of components in the integrated sensor package. 
     The rear cover  136  may also be configured to contact the dock  130  when the device  100  is attached to the dock  130 . A magnet within the device  100  may magnetically couple to a magnet or magnetic material in the dock  130 . The rear cover  136  may be formed from a nonconductive material that does not significantly impede or reduce magnetic flux. 
       FIG.  2    is a partial cross-sectional view of the device  100 , viewed along line  2 - 2  in  FIG.  1 C .  FIG.  2    illustrates an example arrangement of components within the device  100 . Some components and structures of the device  100  may not be shown in  FIG.  2    for simplicity, though it will be understood that additional components and structures may be present in the device  100 . 
     As noted above, the device  100  includes a housing member  102  to which a front cover  108  is coupled. A display  109  may be positioned below the front cover and configured to display graphical outputs that are visible through the cover  108 . The device may also include a battery  118  which provides electrical power to the device, and which may be recharged by a charging system that includes an inductive coil  124 . The inductive coil  124  may be positioned proximate the interior surface of the rear cover  136  (which may be opposite the exterior surface of the rear cover  136 ) and configured to inductively couple to a coil in a dock or wireless charger (e.g., the dock  130 ,  FIG.  1 A ). 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the rear cover  136  may be attached to a rear housing member  138 , which is in turn attached to the housing member  102 . Accordingly, the rear housing member  138  may define a first portion of a rear surface of the device  100 , and the rear cover  136  may define a second portion of the rear surface of the device  100 . The rear housing member  138  may be formed from any suitable material, such as plastic, glass, sapphire, metal, ceramic, or the like. 
     The device  100  may also include a logic board  120 . The logic board  120  may include a substrate, and processors, memory, and other circuit elements coupled to the substrate. The logic board  120  may be wholly or partially encapsulated to reduce the chance of damage due to an ingress of water or other fluid. The logic board  120  may provide processing and other electrical functions of the device. 
     The device  100  may also include an integrated sensor package  126 , which may be attached to the interior surface of the rear cover  136 . The integrated sensor package  126  may include sensor components  137  and one or more magnets (e.g., a magnet  134 ,  FIG.  2   ) at least partially encapsulated in a matrix material, which forms a body structure of the integrated sensor package  126  and structurally retains the sensor components  137  and the magnet  134  together in a single integrated assembly. 
     In some cases, the sensor components  137  correspond to light emitters, and may be aligned with or positioned proximate the emitter windows  144  and  148  (as shown in  FIG.  2   ). Light emitted by the sensor components  137  may pass through the emitter windows  144  and  148  and, when the device is being worn, be incident on the user&#39;s body. As shown, the emitter windows  144  and  148  are defined by transparent portions of the rear cover  136 . In some cases, the size and shape of the emitter windows  144  and  148  (and the receiver windows) may be defined at least in part by an opaque mask (e.g., ink, dye, films, coatings, metallized layers, etc.) formed on or applied to the rear cover  136 . While the instant application describes the windows as sensor or receiver windows, and includes sensor components such as light emitters and light receivers, it will be understood that other types of sensing components may be used in an integrated sensor package, and in such circumstances the windows may provide different functions, may be differently configured, and/or may not be used at all. For example, in some cases an integrated sensor package may include components of an electrocardiograph, such as electrodes that are configured to contact a user&#39;s skin. In such cases, the electrodes may be part of the integrated sensor package, and may extend through holes in the rear cover or otherwise have access through the housing structure of the device to access the user&#39;s skin. 
     The integrated sensor package  126  may be attached to a circuit board  128  (e.g., via a ball grid array or other conductive coupling), which may be conductively coupled to the logic board  120  via a conductive component  135  (e.g., a flexible circuit element). Other electrical components of the device  100  may also be attached to or conductively coupled to the circuit board  128 . 
       FIG.  3 A  illustrates an example integrated sensor package  300 , which may be an embodiment of the integrated sensor package  126 , and may be part of an optical sensing system. The optical sensing system may be used to detect a distance between the integrated sensor package  300  (or the device housing the package) and an external object (such as a body part of a person), to sense fluid flow within an object (such as blood flow within a limb or digit), to detect temperature of an object, and so on.  FIG.  3 A  shows the surface of the integrated sensor package  300  that is configured to face the interior surface of the rear cover of a device. More particularly, the depicted surface of the integrated sensor package  300  may include optical components, such as photodiodes, light emitting diodes, etc., that are configured to transmit and/or receive light through the windows of the rear cover. 
     As shown in  FIG.  3 A , the integrated sensor package  300  may include a matrix material that defines a body structure  302  of the integrated sensor package  300 . The matrix material may be a cured epoxy or other suitable polymer material. The body structure  302  may be formed by flowing an epoxy (or other suitable curable material in a flowable state) onto an arrangement of components such that the epoxy at least partially encapsulates the components, and then allowing the epoxy to cure. The cured epoxy may form a rigid body structure  302  that retains the components together and provides structural integrity to the integrated sensor package  300 . The process of forming an integrated sensor package, including flowing an epoxy or other curable material onto the components of the package, is described with respect to  FIGS.  6 A- 6 F . 
     The integrated sensor package  300  may include integrated circuits (e.g., integrated circuit dies) that are part of the sensing system and are at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material. The specific type of integrated circuits may depend on the type of sensor or other component that is being formed into an integrated package. In the case of the integrated sensor package  300 , which may be an optical sensing system, the integrated circuits may include photodiodes (e.g., photodiodes  304 ), light emitting diodes (LEDs)  306 ,  308 ,  312 , and  314 , or the like. The LEDs  306 ,  308 ,  312 , and  314  may be configured to emit light onto a user&#39;s body (through the rear cover), and the photodiodes  304  may be configured to sense or detect light from the LEDs that is reflected by the user&#39;s body. The photodiodes and LEDs of the integrated sensor package  300  may operate as optical emitter-receiver pairs for the optical sensing system. The photodiodes need not be functionally linked to any specific LEDs, as the LEDs may provide a flood-style illumination that may be detected by any of the photodiodes. In some cases, however, a photodiode may be functionally linked to one or more specific LEDs and configured to detect light only from those LEDs. 
     The photodiodes  304  may be arranged in an array of photodiodes  304  positioned around a central region of the body structure  302 . For example, as shown in  FIG.  3 A , four photodiodes  304  may be positioned in a radial array about the central region. Light emitting diodes may also be arranged in an array of LEDs positioned around the central region of the body structure  302 . For example, as shown in  FIG.  3 A , LEDs  306 ,  308 , and  312  may be positioned in radial arrays about the central region of the body structure  302 . The LEDs  306 ,  308 , and  312  may be positioned proximate each other in groups, and as such the array of LEDs may be understood as an array of LED groups. In some cases one or more additional LEDs are also included in the integrated sensor package  300 . For example, an LED  314  may be positioned at or proximate a center of the body structure  302 . 
     The LEDs  306 ,  308 ,  312 , and  314  may be configured to emit light having particular wavelengths, colors, and/or other characteristics. For example, the LEDs  306  may emit red light, the LEDs  308  and  314  may emit infrared light, and the LEDs  312  may emit green light. The particular wavelengths, colors, and/or other characteristics of the LEDs may be selected for the particular type of sensor and/or photodiodes being used, the type of sensing provided by the integrated sensor package  300 , or other factors. Although particular shapes and positions of the LEDs are shown, it should be appreciated that such shapes and positions (as well as relative positions) of the LEDs may vary in embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this document. Accordingly, the particular configurations shown in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  are illustrative rather than necessarily limiting. 
     The radial arrays of LEDs may provide a large, relatively homogenous or continuous area of illumination, while the radial array of photodiodes may help cover a large area of potential sensing locations. In some cases, by providing multiple emitters and receivers, the integrated sensor package can accommodate misalignments between the rear surface of the device and the wearer&#39;s skin. For example, in a smartwatch implementation, at least one of the photodiodes (or the window region corresponding to that photodiode) is likely to be flush against (or near) the user&#39;s skin even during movement of the user and/or the smartwatch or if the smartwatch is loose. While  FIG.  3 A  illustrates one example arrangement of LEDs and photodiodes, the locations of the arrays of photodiodes and LEDs (and the position of the individual components in those arrays) may differ from those shown in  FIG.  3 A . 
     The integrated sensor package  300  may also include other components at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material. For example, the integrated sensor package  300  may include via structures (such as the via structures  310 ), surface-mount circuit components, or the like. Components of the integrated sensor package  300  may be electrically coupled together via electrically conductive members, such as the conductive traces  316 . The conductive traces  316  may be electrically conductive materials that are deposited or otherwise formed on the integrated sensor package  300 . For example, the conductive traces  316  may be formed on or in conjunction with dielectric layers that are formed on surfaces of the body structure  302 . The conductive traces  316  may be formed from copper, gold, silver, or any other suitable electrically conductive material. 
     The integrated sensor package  300  may also include one or more permanent magnets, such as the permanent magnet  322 .  FIG.  3 A  shows the outline of the permanent magnet  322  in broken lines, as the permanent magnet  322  may be within the matrix material and/or covered by dielectric layers that are formed on the surfaces of the matrix material. The permanent magnet  322  may be configured to magnetically attach an electronic device to a docking device external to the electronic device, as described above. The permanent magnet  322  may be formed of any suitable material, such as neodymium iron boron, samarium cobalt, aluminum nickel cobalt, ferrite, or the like. In some cases, the permanent magnet  322  is coated or covered with a coating such as an epoxy coating (which may be black). The permanent magnet  322  in  FIG.  3 A  (as well as the magnet  134  in  FIG.  2   , the permanent magnet  522  in  FIG.  5   , or other magnets depicted in the figures) may represent a single magnet or multiple magnets (e.g., two or more discrete magnets). In the case where multiple magnets are used, they may be positioned in an array or other arrangement in the same area within the integrated sensor package as the magnets shown in the figures, or elsewhere in the integrated sensor package  300 . 
     The use of multiple magnets may allow a high level of system packing efficiency, because a given attractive force (e.g., between the device  100  and the docking device  130 ) may be achieved without requiring a single continuous volume within the integrated sensor package  300  for a single magnet. For example, the individual magnets (each of which may be smaller than a single magnet that provides an attractive force equivalent to the combined force of the individual magnets) may be strategically placed in the integrated sensor package  300  at locations that would otherwise be unoccupied (e.g., where photodiodes, LEDs, or other components of the integrated sensor package  300  are not located). Additionally, the relative positioning of the individual magnets may be used to shape the magnetic field provided by the integrated sensor package  300 . In some instances, the individual magnets may be positioned as close to the center of the integrated sensor package  300  as possible, which may improve the attachment force to a peripheral device such as the docking device  130  (e.g., by concentrating the magnetic force in a single central area). Additionally or alternatively, the individual magnets may be symmetrically positioned in the integrated sensor package  300  (e.g., symmetric across one or more axes, in a radially symmetric arrangement, or the like). 
     The permanent magnet  322  may define a hole  323  extending through a body of the permanent magnet  322  (or, in the case of multiple magnets, they may be arranged to define a hole or unoccupied space in the area of the hole  323  in  FIG.  3 A ). An electronic component, such as the LED  324 , may be positioned in the hole  323 , and the matrix material may extend into the hole and at least partially encapsulate the electronic component, as shown in greater detail in  FIG.  4   . In some cases, a different component, such as a different LED, a photodiode, or other component, may be positioned in the hole  323 . In an implementation where multiple discrete magnets are used, the magnets may be arranged around a central area in which an electronic component, such as the LED  324 , may be positioned. 
     In some cases, the permanent magnet  322  (or multiple permanent magnets) may be electrically grounded to an electrical ground plane of a device. In such cases, a conductive trace  320  may be conductively coupled to a surface of the permanent magnet  322  and to a via structure  318 , which may be conductively coupled to a ground plane of a device (e.g., via a ball grid array on an opposite side of the integrated sensor package  300 ). Grounding the permanent magnet  322  may result in the permanent magnet  322  functioning as an electromagnetic shield (e.g., shielding internal components of a device from electromagnetic interference), and/or may help reduce electrical crosstalk between the permanent magnet  322  and other circuitry of the integrated sensor package  300  and/or the device. 
     The permanent magnet  322  may have a thickness between about 200 microns and about 2000 microns. In some cases, the permanent magnet  322  has a thickness between about 400 microns and about 700 microns, or between about 450 microns and about 650 microns. In some cases, the permanent magnet  322  has a thickness less than about 650 microns, or less than about 500 microns. Where multiple permanent magnets are used, they may all have the same thickness, or they may have different thicknesses. In some cases, magnets having a thickness below about 700 microns (and optionally below about 500 microns) is feasible due to the proximity of the permanent magnet  322  to the rear cover of a device. For example, if the permanent magnet were located above a sensor package (rather than integrated with the sensor package as described herein), a larger magnet may be required to provide sufficient force for aligning and/or attaching the device to a docking device. For example, in order to produce the same alignment and/or attachment force as the permanent magnet  322 , a permanent magnet that is not integrated in an integrated sensor package (and is instead positioned above the circuit board  128  in  FIG.  2   , for example) may require a thickness greater than about 1.0 mm. Accordingly, the integration of the magnet into the integrated sensor package may facilitate the use of smaller (e.g., less than about 700 microns) magnets. The use of a smaller magnet may allow for the inclusion of other components into the device without changing the outside dimensions of the device, or make more internal space for larger components (e.g., a larger battery) without changing the outside dimensions of the device. 
     As shown in  FIG.  3 A , the permanent magnet  322  may have a generally square shape, with an outer periphery having four sides (which may be straight or substantially straight). The photodiodes and LEDs may be arranged around the outer periphery of the permanent magnet  322 . For example, the photodiodes  304  may be positioned adjacent the sides of the permanent magnet  322 , and the LEDs (e.g., the LEDs  306 ,  308 ,  312 ) may be positioned adjacent the corners of the permanent magnet  322 . The corners of the permanent magnet  322  may be rounded or curved, as shown, or they may be sharp (e.g., a 90 degree corner where two straight sides meet). The shape of the permanent magnet  322  may vary in different embodiments and need not be generally square; it may be rectangular, circular, oval, irregular, have more or fewer sides than four, and so on. 
       FIG.  3 B  illustrates the integrated sensor package  300  with a mask  326  on a surface of the integrated sensor package  300 . The mask  326  may be an opaque mask, and may be formed of ink, dye, solder mask materials, epoxy, sheets or films, coatings, or the like. The mask  326  may be a single layer of material, or multiple layers. The mask  326  may define holes  328  that are positioned over the photodiodes, and holes  330  that are positioned over the LEDs. The holes  328 ,  330  may allow optical access for the photodiodes and LEDs, while the mask  326  helps prevent optical crosstalk between the LEDs and photodiodes. For example, the mask  326  may prevent or limit light from the LEDs from being detected by the photodiodes before the light has been directed onto a user&#39;s skin and reflected back onto the photodiodes. The mask  326  may also prevent optically inactive components of the integrated sensor package  300  (e.g., the body structure  302 , conductive traces, vias, etc.) from being visible through the rear cover of a device. As mentioned above, the mask  326  may extend over one or both of the photodiodes or the LEDs, thereby eliminating one or both of the holes  328 ,  330 . 
       FIG.  4    is a partial cross-sectional view of the integrated sensor package  300 , viewed along line  4 - 4  in  FIG.  3 B .  FIG.  4    illustrates example configurations of the components of the integrated sensor package  300  and how the components are at least partially encapsulated in the matrix material that forms the body  302 . 
     The photodiodes  304 , which may be or may include semiconductor dies, may be coupled to carriers  338 . The carriers may include conductive vias  340  that extend through the carriers from a first surface, where a photodiode  304  is mounted, to a second surface, where a conductive pad  341  is mounted. The carriers  338  may each include multiple conductive vias, which may increase thermal coupling between the photodiodes  304  (or other semiconductor on the carriers  338 ) to the conductive pads  341 . The conductive vias may be formed from any suitable conductive material, such as gold, copper, silver, or the like, and the carriers may be formed of a ceramic, such as Al 2 O 3  (aluminum oxide), AlN (aluminum nitride), silicon, or the like. The photodiodes  304  may be attached to the carriers  338  via a solder or conductive adhesive, such as an AuSn solder, a silver epoxy, or the like. The conductive pads  341  may be copper, gold, or any other suitable conductive material. The conductive vias  340  and pads  341  may allow conductive coupling to the photodiodes  304  from a bottom surface of the integrated sensor package  300 , which may include a redistribution layer  332  that can be soldered to a circuit board to conductively couple the integrated sensor package  300  and its components to other electrical components of a device. 
     Other electrical components in the integrated sensor package  300  may have a similar construction to the photodiode assemblies. For example,  FIG.  4    illustrates the LED  314 , which is positioned in a hole  323  defined through the permanent magnet  322 . The LED  314 , which may be or may include a semiconductor die, may be coupled to a carrier  344 . The carrier  344  may include one or more conductive vias  346  that conductively couple the LED  314  to a conductive pad  347  (which in turn may be conductively coupled to conductive traces of a redistribution layer  332 ). The materials of the carrier, conductive pads, vias, and the die attach (the material for coupling the semiconductor die to the carrier) may be the same for the LED assembly as for the photodiode assembly. Other components of the integrated sensor package  300 , such as the LEDs  306 ,  308 ,  312 , and/or other electrical components, may have the same or a similar construction. 
     The optical components of the integrated sensor package  300  may be exposed along the top surface of the integrated sensor package  300 , or otherwise positioned near the top surface, so that light can be emitted and/or received by the components. As used herein, the terms top and bottom are used in reference to the orientation of the component in the figure being discussed, and does not necessarily correspond to the final orientation of a component when integrated into a device. For example, the “top” of the integrated sensor package  300  as shown in  FIG.  3 A  (e.g., the portion facing out of the page) may be positioned along a rear cover of a smartwatch. 
     The components may also be conductively coupled to the redistribution layer  332  on the bottom surface of the integrated sensor package  300 . However, the semiconductor dies of the various optical components may not be the same thickness. In order to produce an integrated sensor package having a substantially uniform thickness, the thicknesses of the carriers and/or conductive pads may be varied so that each assembly has substantially a same height. Thus, as shown in  FIG.  4   , for example, the photodiodes  304  have a greater thickness than the LED  314 . Accordingly, the carrier  344  for the LED  314  may be thicker than the carrier  338  for the photodiodes  304 . In this way, the integrated sensor package  300  may have a uniform or substantially uniform thickness, while the LED  314  and photodiode  304  may be correctly positioned along the top surface of the integrated sensor package  300 . (In the case of components that do not need to be flush with or close to the top surface, those assemblies may be thinner.) 
     As noted above, the ability to mount the permanent magnet  322  closer to the rear cover of a device (or whichever surface of the device couples to, or aligns with, an external docking device) allows the use of a thinner and/or less powerful magnet, while still providing the same magnetic coupling strength of a thicker magnet that is positioned further from the rear cover. Thus, incorporating the permanent magnet  322  into the same package as the optical sensor affords a more rearward positioning of the permanent magnet  322  than would otherwise be achieved. In order to further maximize the rearward positioning of the permanent magnet  322 , the permanent magnet may be biased towards the top surface of the integrated sensor package  300 , as shown in  FIG.  4   . In some cases, a surface of the permanent magnet  322  is flush with the top surface of the body structure  302  of the integrated sensor package  300 . 
     As noted above, the integrated sensor package  300  may include a redistribution layer  332  on a bottom side of the integrated sensor package  300 . The redistribution layer  332  may include one or more dielectric layers (e.g., dielectric layers  333 ,  335 ), which may be passivation layers, as well as conductive traces  334 . The conductive traces  334  may be conductively coupled to the conductive pads of the photodiode assemblies, LED assemblies, or other components of the integrated sensor package  300 , and may also be conductively coupled to solder balls  336  (or solder pads or other conductive materials) that are exposed along the bottom side of the integrated sensor package  300 . The redistribution layer  332  may allow the conductive connections to the components of the integrated sensor package  300  to be rearranged as compared to their locations within the integrated sensor package  300 . Thus, for example, the redistribution layer  332  (which, as shown, may include multiple sub-layers) may define a ball grid array of solder balls along a bottom side of the integrated sensor package  300 , thereby facilitating simple soldering and/or reflow processes to conductively couple the integrated sensor package  300  to a circuit board or other component. 
     The integrated sensor package  300  may also include a redistribution layer on the top side of the integrated sensor package  300 .  FIG.  4   , for example, illustrates a dielectric layer  329  (which may be a passivation layer) on the top side of the integrated sensor package. (As noted above, the “top” surface in  FIG.  4    may face outwardly through a rear surface of a device such as a smartwatch.) The dielectric layer  329  may also define holes that coincide with or are aligned with the holes of the mask  326  to allow optical access to the optical components of the integrated sensor package  300 . While conductive traces are not shown in the cross-section of  FIG.  4   , conductive traces of a top-side redistribution layer are shown schematically in  FIG.  5   .  FIG.  4    also shows a mask  311  on the bottom side of the integrated sensor package  300 . The mask  311  may be formed of the same or similar material as the mask  326 , and may help prevent oxidization of the conductive traces and prevent accidental shorting of the conductive traces during soldering or other operations. 
       FIG.  5    is a schematic cross-sectional view of an integrated sensor package  500 . While the components in the integrated sensor package  500  are not in the same positions as the components in the integrated sensor package  300 , the integrated sensor package  500  is provided to illustrate examples of a variety of different components that may be included in an integrated sensor package, as well as how they may be at least partially encapsulated in a matrix material and interconnected using redistribution layers. 
     The integrated sensor package  500  includes a variety of components that are at least partially encapsulated in a matrix material  502 . The matrix material  502  may be a cured epoxy or another suitable material (e.g., a nonconductive material that can be flowed or otherwise introduced onto the components and then hardened or cured). The integrated sensor package  500  may include components such as a permanent magnet  522  (which, as noted above, may represent multiple permanent magnets), LEDs  514 ,  516 , and  524 , a photodiode  526 , via structures  510 ,  518 , and an additional component  528  (which may be a circuit element (e.g., a capacitor, inductor, etc.), a processor, an integrated circuit, a surface-mount component, or any other suitable electrical component. In some cases, the additional component  528  may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), analog and/or passive circuit components (e.g., inductors, capacitors, resistors, etc.), heat sinks, mechanical stiffening members, reinforcing members, or the like. Heat sinks and/or mechanical stiffening/reinforcing members may be formed from or include materials such as copper, stainless steel, nickel, ceramics (e.g., Si3N4, SiO2, AlOx, AlN), or the like. 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , in some cases more than one component may be coupled to one carrier. For example, both LEDs  514  and  516  may be coupled to a single carrier  515 . In some cases, the LEDs  514 ,  516  correspond to LEDs  306  and  308  of the integrated sensor package  300  of  FIG.  3 A . LEDs  520  and  524  (which may correspond to LEDs  312  and  314 , respectively, in the integrated sensor package  300 ) may be coupled to their own distinct carriers. Whether components share carriers or are coupled to their own carrier may depend on factors such as the thickness of the components, the proximity of the components to one another in the integrated sensor package, electrical and/or cooling requirements of the components, or the like. 
     The photodiode  526  may correspond to the photodiodes  304  of the integrated sensor package  300 . Details of the photodiodes  304  therefore apply equally to the photodiode  526 , and for brevity those details are not repeated here. 
     The integrated sensor package  500  also includes via structures  510 ,  518 . The via structures may include carriers (e.g., the carrier  511  of the via structure  510 ) and conductive vias extending through the carriers (e.g., the conductive via  513  of the via structure  510 ). While the carrier and conductive vias of the via structures  518  are not separately labeled, the details of the carrier  511  and conductive via  513  apply equally to those of the via structures  518 . Further, the carrier  511  and conductive via  513  may be embodiments of the carriers  338  and conductive vias  340  in  FIG.  4   , and the details of those components therefore apply equally to the carrier  511  and conductive via  513 . For brevity those details are not repeated here. 
     The via structures may include a single conductive via, as shown in the via structure  510 , or multiple conductive vias, as shown in the via structures  518  (which each include two conductive vias, though more are also contemplated). The via structures may be used to conductively couple electrical components such as integrated circuit dies, photodiodes, LEDs, and the like, which may be positioned proximate a first side of the integrated sensor package  500 , to a redistribution layer on the opposite side of the integrated sensor package  500 . To that end, conductive members (e.g., conductive traces of the redistribution layers on the first and second sides of the intergrade sensor package) may be conductively coupled to the ends of the via structures. 
     In some cases, instead of or in addition to encapsulating pre-fabricated via structures in a matrix material, vias may be formed by forming holes in and/or through a matrix material after it has been at least partially cured, and positioning conductive material in the hole (e.g., conductive rods, conductive plating along the holes&#39; surfaces). 
     The integrated sensor package  500  also includes a first redistribution layer  530  on a first (e.g., top) side of the body structure (e.g., the cured matrix material  502 ), and a second redistribution layer  532  on a second (e.g., bottom) side of the body structure. The first and second redistribution layers  530 ,  532  are configured to conductively couple the components of the integrated sensor package  500  via conductive traces and dielectric layers. For example, the first redistribution layer includes at least one dielectric layer (e.g., the dielectric layer  506 ) and conductive traces (e.g., the conductive trace  508  conductively coupling the LED  514  to the via structure  510 ). The second redistribution layer  532  may also include at least one dielectric layer (e.g., the dielectric layers  534 ,  536 ) and conductive traces (e.g., the conductive traces  535 ). The first redistribution layer  530  may be used to conductively couple the components of the integrated sensor package  500  to one another and/or to via structures, and the second redistribution layer  532  may be used to conductively couple the components and/or via structures to solder balls (e.g., the solder ball  540 ), or other conductive pads or surfaces, which may in turn be conductively coupled to other circuit boards, wires, or conductors of a device. The second redistribution layer  532  may also allow the solder balls  540  to be positioned in locations other than directly below the electrical components to which they are conductively coupled, thereby allowing the solder balls  540  (or solder pads) to be positioned in a more suitable spatial distribution, such as a grid. 
     The integrated sensor package  500  may also include a first mask  504 , which may be positioned over the first redistribution layer  530 , and a second mask  538 , which may be positioned over the second redistribution layer  532 . The first and second masks  504 ,  538  may be opaque, and may be formed of ink, dye, solder mask materials, epoxy, sheets or films, coatings, or the like. The masks may be a single layer of material, or multiple layers, and may define holes that are positioned over the photodiodes, LEDs, and conductive traces to which the solder balls are attached. 
       FIGS.  6 A- 6 F  illustrate an integrated sensor package at various stages of an assembly or production process. In  FIG.  6 A , components  606  of the integrated sensor package  600  are coupled to a carrier wafer  602  via an adhesive  604 . The carrier wafer  602  may be formed from glass, silicon, or any other suitable material, such as a ceramic, polymer, metal, or the like. The adhesive  604  may be a double-sided tape, adhesive film, or the like. 
     The components  606  are coupled to the carrier wafer  602  in the intended final arrangement for the integrated sensor package  600 . Thus, for example, the permanent magnet may be positioned in a central region, an array of photodiodes may be positioned about the outer periphery of the permanent magnet, and an array of LEDs may be positioned about the outer periphery of the permanent magnet. Other components, such as via structures, may be positioned in their intended final positions. The components  606  may be positioned such that the sides that are intended to be exposed (e.g., without overlying matrix material to interfere with the emission or receipt of light) are facing and/or in contact with the adhesive  604 . In this way, when the adhesive  604  and carrier wafer  602  are removed, the active sides of the components  606  are not covered by matrix material. 
     Once the components  606  are arranged and coupled to the carrier wafer  602 , a matrix material  608  ( FIG.  6 B ) may be flowed or otherwise introduced over the components  606 . The matrix material  608  may at least partially encapsulate the components  606 , and may flow into a hole defined in the permanent magnet (as described above), thereby at least partially encapsulating components positioned in the hole. As noted above, the matrix material  608  may be a flowable epoxy or other suitable material. In some cases, a mold may be used to form and contain the matrix material  608  in a desired shape. For example, a mold may be positioned such that the components  606  are within a mold cavity having a desired shape and size, and the matrix material  608  may be introduced into the mold cavity. When the matrix material  608  is in place, and optionally in a mold, it may be at least partially cured (e.g., hardened) to form a body structure of the integrated sensor package  600 . The mold may also apply a pressure to the matrix material  608  during the forming and/or curing processes (e.g., a compression molding process may be used). Curing the matrix material  608  may include allowing the matrix material  608  to cure at ambient temperature and conditions. In some cases, the matrix material  608  may be heated, exposed to particular light or radiation (e.g., ultraviolet light), or otherwise subjected to additional curing operations. 
     Once the matrix material  608  is at least partially cured (and optionally fully cured), the carrier wafer  602  and the adhesive  604  may be removed from the matrix material  608 . This may include using mechanical and/or chemical means (e.g., a solvent) to remove or dissolve the adhesive. Before or after the carrier wafer  602  and adhesive  604  are removed, the matrix material  608  may be fully cured and the surface of the integrated sensor package  600  from which the adhesive was removed may be subject to surface treatments, such as polishing, washing, cleaning, or the like. 
     As shown in  FIG.  6 C , a first redistribution layer  610  may be formed on a first side  605  of the integrated sensor package  600 . The redistribution layer  610  may include one or more sub-layers, which may include dielectric layers and conductive traces, as described above. A mask, shown in  FIG.  6 C  as part of the redistribution layer  610 , may also be applied. The dielectric layers may be formed by passivation processes or deposition processes such as chemical vapor deposition, plasma vapor deposition, or the like. The conductive traces may be formed via sputtering, printing, photolithography, or other suitable deposition or formation techniques. The first redistribution layer  610  may conductively couple components of the integrated sensor package  600  along the first side of the integrated sensor package  600  (e.g., the side that is intended to face towards the exterior of a device such as a smartwatch). 
     As shown in  FIG.  6 D , a portion of the matrix material  608  (e.g., the portion  612 ) may be removed from a second side of the integrated sensor package  600  to expose conductive pads on a second side  607  of the integrated sensor package  600 . The matrix material  608  may be removed using grinding, polishing, machining, or other suitable material removal operations. The removal of the portion  612  of the matrix material  608  may also ensure a substantially flat surface along the second side of the integrated sensor package  600 , and also help produce a uniform thickness of the body structure. 
     After removal of the portion of the matrix material  608  to expose the conductive pads of the components along the second side of the integrated sensor package  600 , a second redistribution layer  614  may be formed, as shown in  FIG.  6 E . As noted above, the second redistribution layer  614  may conductively couple the components of the integrated sensor package  600  to solder balls  616 , as shown in  FIG.  6 F . In some cases, instead of or in addition to the solder balls  616 , the second redistribution layer  614  may include solder pads or other conductive members to facilitate conductive coupling to circuit boards or the like. The second redistribution layer  614  may include multiple sub-layers, as described above, such as multiple dielectric layers and conductive traces. A mask, shown in  FIG.  6 C  as part of the redistribution layer  610 , may also be applied. The second redistribution layer  614  may be formed in the same or similar manner as the first redistribution layer  610 . The completed integrated sensor package  600 , as shown in  FIG.  6 F , may then be conductively coupled to a circuit board or other component of a device, as described above. 
     In cases where vias are formed through the matrix material  608 , holes for the vias may be formed after the matrix material  608  is at least partially cured. The holes may be formed by laser drilling, mechanical punching, or the like. The holes may then be plated and/or at least partially filled with a conductive material. Conductive pads or rings may then be applied to the first and second sides of the matrix material and in contact with the conductive material to complete the vias, which may then be conductively coupled to the components  606  when the redistribution layers are formed. 
     While  FIGS.  6 A- 6 F  illustrate a schematic view of a single, discrete integrated sensor package, the same or similar manufacturing process may be used to form multiple integrated sensor packages on a single carrier wafer. In such cases, after the integrated sensor package  600  is completed (e.g., at the stage shown in  FIG.  6 F ), a singulation process may be performed to cut through the matrix material to form individual sensor packages. Singulation may be performed by laser singulation, mechanical cutting operations (e.g., a saw), water jet, or the like. 
       FIG.  7    depicts an example schematic diagram of an electronic device  700 . By way of example, the device  700  of  FIG.  7    may correspond to the electronic device  100  shown in  FIGS.  1 A- 2   , or to any other electronic device that may include an integrated sensor package as described herein. For example, the device  700  may be a wearable electronic device (e.g., a watch, smartwatch, fitness tracker, biometric sensing device), a mobile phone, a stylus, a tablet computer, a case for storing an electronic device (e.g., an earbud storage and charging case), a laptop computer, a wirelessly locatable device, or the like. 
     As shown in  FIG.  7   , a device  700  includes a processing unit  702  operatively connected to computer memory  704  and/or computer-readable media  706 . The processing unit  702  may be operatively connected to the memory  704  and computer-readable media  706  components via an electronic bus or bridge. The processing unit  702  may include one or more computer processors or microcontrollers that are configured to perform operations in response to computer-readable instructions. The processing unit  702  may include the central processing unit (CPU) of the device. Additionally or alternatively, the processing unit  702  may include other processors within the device including application specific integrated chips (ASIC) and other microcontroller devices. 
     The memory  704  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. The memory  704  is configured to store computer-readable instructions, sensor values, and other persistent software elements. Computer-readable media  706  also includes a variety of types of non-transitory computer-readable storage media including, for example, a hard-drive storage device, a solid-state storage device, a portable magnetic storage device, or other similar device. The computer-readable media  706  may also be configured to store computer-readable instructions, sensor values, and other persistent software elements. 
     In this example, the processing unit  702  is operable to read computer-readable instructions stored on the memory  704  and/or computer-readable media  706 . The computer-readable instructions may adapt the processing unit  702  to perform the operations or functions described above. For example, the processing unit  702 , the memory  704 , and/or the computer-readable media  706  may be configured to operate an optical sensor that employs an integrated sensor package as described above. The computer-readable instructions may be provided as a computer-program product, software application, or the like. 
     As shown in  FIG.  7   , the device  700  also includes a display  708 . The display  708  may include a liquid-crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a light emitting diode (LED) display, or the like. If the display  708  is an LCD, the display  708  may also include a backlight component that can be controlled to provide variable levels of display brightness. If the display  708  is an OLED or LED type display, the brightness of the display  708  may be controlled by modifying the electrical signals that are provided to display elements. The display  708  may correspond to any of the displays shown or described herein. 
     The device  700  may also include a battery  709  that is configured to provide electrical power to the components of the device  700 . The battery  709  may include one or more power storage cells that are linked together to provide an internal supply of electrical power. The battery  709  may be operatively coupled to power management circuitry that is configured to provide appropriate voltage and power levels for individual components or groups of components within the device  700 . The battery  709  may store received power so that the device  700  may operate without connection to an external power source for an extended period of time, which may range from several hours to several days. 
     In some embodiments, the device  700  includes one or more input devices  710 . An input device  710  is a device that is configured to receive user input. The one or more input devices  710  may include, for example, a crown input system, a push button, a touch-activated button, a keyboard, a key pad, or the like (including any combination of these or other components). In some embodiments, the input device  710  may provide a dedicated or primary function, including, for example, a power button, volume buttons, home buttons, scroll wheels, and camera buttons. 
     The device  700  may also include a touch sensor  720  that is configured to determine a location of a touch on a touch-sensitive surface of the device  700  (e.g., an input surface defined by the portion of a cover  108  that covers a display  109 ). The touch sensor  720  may use or include capacitive sensors, resistive sensors, surface acoustic wave sensors, piezoelectric sensors, strain gauges, or the like. In some cases the touch sensor  720  associated with a touch-sensitive surface of the device  700  may include a capacitive array of electrodes or nodes that operate in accordance with a mutual-capacitance or self-capacitance scheme. The touch sensor  720  may be integrated with one or more layers of a display stack (e.g., the display  109 ) to provide the touch-sensing functionality of a touchscreen. 
     The device  700  may also include a force sensor  722  that is configured to receive and/or detect force inputs applied to a user input surface of the device  700  (e.g., the display  109 ). The force sensor  722  may use or include capacitive sensors, resistive sensors, surface acoustic wave sensors, piezoelectric sensors, strain gauges, or the like. In some cases, the force sensor  722  may include or be coupled to capacitive sensing elements that facilitate the detection of changes in relative positions of the components of the force sensor (e.g., deflections caused by a force input). The force sensor  722  may be integrated with one or more layers of a display stack (e.g., the display  109 ) to provide force-sensing functionality of a touchscreen. 
     The one or more communication channels  728  may include one or more wireless interface(s) that are adapted to provide communication between the processing unit(s)  702  and an external device. The one or more communication channels  728  may include antennas (e.g., antennas that include or use the housing members of a housing as radiating members), communications circuitry, firmware, software, or any other components or systems that facilitate wireless communications with other devices. In general, the one or more communication channels  728  may be configured to transmit and receive data and/or signals that may be interpreted by instructions executed on the processing unit(s)  702 . In some cases, the external device is part of an external communication network that is configured to exchange data with wireless devices. Generally, the wireless interface may communicate via, without limitation, radio frequency, optical, acoustic, and/or magnetic signals and may be configured to operate over a wireless interface or protocol. Example wireless interfaces include radio frequency cellular interfaces (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 4G long-term evolution (LTE), 5G, GSM, CDMA, or the like), fiber optic interfaces, acoustic interfaces, Bluetooth interfaces, infrared interfaces, USB interfaces, Wi-Fi interfaces, TCP/IP interfaces, network communications interfaces, or any conventional communication interfaces. The one or more communication channels  728  may also include ultra-wideband interfaces, which may include any appropriate communications circuitry, instructions, and number and position of suitable UWB antennas. 
     The device  700  may also include a haptic output system  718 . The haptic output system  718  may be configured to produce haptic outputs that are detectable by a user of the device, such as vibrations, oscillations, pulses, translations, or the like. The haptic output system may include any suitable actuators and/or devices that produce haptic outputs, such as linear actuators, resonant linear actuators, solenoids, voice coil motors, reluctance force actuators, or the like. 
     The device  700  may also include a charging system  726  that charges the battery  709  of the device. The charging system  726  may be configured to wirelessly receive power via an inductive coupling between an inductive coil in the device  700  and an output coil of a charger, as described herein. In some cases, the coil of a charging system may be part of an integrated sensor package, as described herein (e.g., it may be at least partially encapsulated in a common matrix material that defines the principal structural body of a component that includes sensor components, an inductive coil, and optionally a permanent magnet for removably coupling the device  700  to a docking device external to the device  700 ). 
     The device  700  may also include a positioning system  711 . The positioning system  711  may be configured to determine the location of the device  700 . For example, the positioning system  711  may include magnetometers, gyroscopes, accelerometers, optical sensors, cameras, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, inertial positioning systems, or the like. The positioning system  711  may be used to determine spatial parameters of the device  700 , such as the location of the device  700  (e.g., geographical coordinates of the device), measurements or estimates of physical movement of the device  700 , an orientation of the device  700 , or the like. 
     The device  700  may also include one or more additional sensors  712  to receive inputs (e.g., from a user or another computer, device, system, network, etc.) or to detect any suitable property or parameter of the device, the environment surrounding the device, people or things interacting with the device (or nearby the device), or the like. For example, a device may include temperature sensors, biometric sensors (e.g., fingerprint sensors, optical sensing systems, blood-oxygen sensors, blood sugar sensors, electrocardiographs, or the like), eye-tracking sensors, retinal scanners, humidity sensors, buttons, switches, or the like. 
     To the extent that multiple functionalities, operations, and structures described with reference to  FIG.  7    are disclosed as being part of, incorporated into, or performed by the device  700 , it should be understood that various embodiments may omit any or all such described functionalities, operations, and structures. Thus, different embodiments of the device  700  may have some, none, or all of the various capabilities, apparatuses, physical features, modes, and operating parameters discussed herein. Further, the systems included in the device  700  are not exclusive, and the device  700  may include alternative or additional systems, components, modules, programs, instructions, or the like, that may be necessary or useful to perform the functions described herein. 
     As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from various sources, such as to provide health-related or other personal information to the user. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter ID&#39;s, home addresses, data or records relating to a user&#39;s health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying or personal information. 
     The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver or provide health-related information that is of greater interest to the user. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may be used to provide insights into a user&#39;s general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals. 
     The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving the informed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country. 
     Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in the case of advertisement delivery services, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In another example, users can select not to provide mood-associated data for targeted content delivery services. In yet another example, users can select to limit the length of time mood-associated data is maintained or entirely prohibit the development of a baseline mood profile. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an app that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app. 
     Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user&#39;s privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods. 
     Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing such personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, content can be selected and delivered to users by inferring preferences based on non-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personal information, such as the content being requested by the device associated with a user, other non-personal information available to the content delivery services, or publicly available information. 
     As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series of items, with the term “and” or “or” to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list. The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection of at least one of each item listed; rather, the phrase allows a meaning that includes at a minimum one of any of the items, and/or at a minimum one of any combination of the items, and/or at a minimum one of each of the items. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and/or one or more of each of A, B, and C. Similarly, it may be appreciated that an order of elements presented for a conjunctive or disjunctive list provided herein should not be construed as limiting the disclosure to only that order provided. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not targeted to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Also, when used herein to refer to positions of components, the terms above, below, over, under, left, or right (or other similar relative position terms), do not necessarily refer to an absolute position relative to an external reference, but instead refer to the relative position of components within the figure being referred to. Similarly, horizontal and vertical orientations may be understood as relative to the orientation of the components within the figure being referred to, unless an absolute horizontal or vertical orientation is indicated.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210913
Publication Date: 20240827
Grant Date: 20240827
Priority Date: 20200914
Inventors: LIU, SAIJIN
JIANG, TONGBI T.
MEHRA, SAAHIL
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H10F55/25", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10F77/50", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10F55/25", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G04G21/025", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/681", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G04C10/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/0059", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J2310/23", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B2562/166", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/7475", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B2560/0456", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/1112", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/256", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/02416", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/14551", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/681", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/0059", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/005", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G04G17/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G04G21/025", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G04C10/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1635", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1632", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G04G21/025", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G04C10/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/681", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "A61B5/0059", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L31/167", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 80627133