Abstract: An electronic device may have a display such as a liquid crystal display. The display may have multiple display layers for generating display light such as a color filter layer and a thin-film transistor layer. The display may include first and second layers of optical fibers formed over the display layers. The first and second layers of optical fibers may guide display light generated in the display layers to an outer surface of the display. The first layer of optical fibers may include optical fibers having a first numerical aperture. The second layer of optical fibers may include optical fibers having a second numerical aperture. The first numerical aperture may be smaller than the second numerical aperture. The second layer of optical fibers may include vertical and angled optical fibers. The angled optical fibers may help reduce the size of an inactive region around the center of the display.

Abstract: A protective film configured to protect a substrate such as a glass panel for a display is provided. The protective film may include a discontinuous outer layer including a multitude of panels and gaps positioned therebetween. Further, the protective film may include a flexible layer positioned between the discontinuous outer layer and the substrate. When panels of the discontinuous outer layer are impacted by a foreign object, the force may be transferred to the flexible layer, rather than propagating through the outer layer. In this regard, the gaps between the panels of the discontinuous outer layer may prevent the formation of cracks that may otherwise occur. Related assemblies and methods are also provided.

Abstract: A strengthened film for a substrate such as a glass panel is provided. The strengthened film may be formed by implanting sodium in the film, and then performing an exchange through which the sodium is replaced by potassium. The film may be an anti-reflective coating. Related assemblies and methods are also provided.

Abstract: A layered coating for a sapphire component is described herein. The sapphire component comprises one or more layers of alumina adhered to the surface of a sapphire member. At least the first layer of alumina adheres to the surface of the sapphire member filling all defects in the surface forming a pristine new layer that also provides isolation from damage.

Abstract: Systems and methods for strengthening a sapphire part are described herein. One method may take the form of orienting a first surface of a sapphire member relative to an ion implantation device, selecting an ion implantation concentration and directing ions at the first surface of the sapphire member. The ions are embedded under the first surface to create compressive stress in the sapphire surface.

Abstract: This is directed to a cable structure for use with an electronic device. The cable structure can include one or more conductors around which a sheath is provided. To prevent the cable structure from tangling, the cable structure can include a core placed between the conductors and the sheath, where a stiffness of the core can be varied along different segments of the cable structure to facilitate or hinder bending of the cable structure in different areas. The size and distribution of the stiffer portions can be selected to prevent the cable from forming loops. The resistance of the core to bending can be varied using different approaches including, for example, by varying the materials used in the core, varying a cross-section of portions of the core, or combinations of these.

Abstract: Systems and methods for continuous sapphire growth are disclosed. One embodiment may take the form of a method including feeding a base material into a crucible located within a growth chamber, heating the crucible to melt the base material and initiating crystalline growth in the melted base material to create a crystal structure. Additionally, the method includes pulling the crystal structure away from crucible and feeding the crystal structure out of the growth chamber.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of display pixels that provide image light to a user. The array of display pixels may form active display structures with a rectangular shape. The rectangular active display structures may be surrounded by an inactive border region. Liquid crystal light distribution structures may be used to distribute light that is emitted from peripheral portions of the active display structures to a portion of the display overlapping the inactive border region, thereby increasing the apparent area of the display. The light distribution structures may include a liquid crystal cell, a reflecting polarizer, and a reflector that reflects light from the peripheral portions of the active display structures vertically upwards after the light has passed through the liquid crystal cell and has reflected off of the reflecting polarizer.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of display pixels that provide light to a user. The array of display pixels may form active display structures with a rectangular shape. The rectangular active display structures may be surrounded by an inactive border region. Reflector structures may be used to reflect light that is emitted from peripheral portions of the active display structures to a portion of the display overlapping the inactive border region, thereby providing the display with an effective active area that is larger than the area of the active display structures. The reflector structures may include rotatable reflectors. Control circuitry may use a rotatable positioner to rotate rotatable reflector structures in synchronization with controlling which pixel data is displayed by the display pixels in the peripheral portions of the active display structures.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of display pixels that provide image light to a user. The array of display pixels may form an active display structure with a rectangular shape. The rectangular active display structure may be surrounded by an inactive border region. Optical structures such as upper structures formed from a sheet of glass and lower optical structures that lie beneath the sheet of glass may be configured to bend light from the display pixels along the periphery of the active display structure. The upper optical structures may have an area that is larger than the area of the active display structure, so that the presence of the optical structures may serve to enlarge the apparent size of the display. The lower and upper optical structures may have curved surfaces for bending the light.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of display pixels that provide image light to a user. The array of display pixels may form an active display structure with a rectangular shape. The rectangular active display structure may be surrounded by an inactive border region. Optical structures such as a sheet of glass or another optical member may have portions that are configured to bend light from the display pixels along the periphery of the active display structure. The optical member may have an area that is larger than the area of the active display structure, so that the presence of the optical member may serve to enlarge the apparent size of the display. Solidified liquid polymer may be used to support the optical structures and may be interposed between the optical structures and the active display structures.

Abstract: Systems and method for creating crystalline parts having a desired primary and secondary crystallographic orientations are provided. One embodiment may take the form of a method of manufacturing a part having a crystalline structure. The method includes melting aluminum oxide and drawing the melted aluminum oxide up a slit. Additionally, the method includes orienting the seed crystal relative to a growth apparatus such that a crystalline structure grows having a desired primary plane and a desired secondary plane orientation. Moreover, the method includes pulling the crystal as it forms to create a ribbon shaped crystalline structure and cutting a part from the crystalline structure.

Abstract: Methods related to efficient processing of sapphire are discussed which are expected to both speed manufacture of corundum for applications and make the use of conundrum cost effective. In particular, one embodiment may take the form of a method of cutting a hard transparent material having a polished surface. The method includes roughening the polished surface, directing a laser beam at the hard transparent material to melt the material and removing the melted hard material.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for efficient heating during production of corundum. One embodiment takes the form of a system for processing corundum including a first furnace and a second furnace. The first and second furnaces are sequentially arranged and heat from the first furnace is subsequently used to heat the second furnace.

Abstract: A display may have an array of display pixels that generate an image. A coherent fiber bundle may be mounted on the display pixels. The coherent fiber bundle may have a first surface that is adjacent to the display pixels and a second surface that is visible to a viewer. The coherent fiber bundle may contain fibers that carry light from the first surface to the second surface. The second surface may be planar or may have a central planar region and curved edge regions that run along opposing sides of the central planar region. The fibers may have cross-sectional surface areas with a first aspect ratio on the first surface and a second aspect ratio that is greater than the first aspect ratio on the second surface.

Abstract: Methods for creating sapphire windows are provided herein. In particular, one embodiment may take the form of a method of manufacturing sapphire windows. The method includes obtaining a polished sapphire wafer and applying decoration to the sapphire wafer. The method also includes cutting the sapphire wafer into discrete windows. In some embodiments, the cutting step comprises laser ablation of the sapphire.

Abstract: Techniques for attachment of sapphire substrates with other materials and the resulting structures are provided. One embodiment may take the form of an attachment method including creating an aperture within a sapphire substrate and filling the aperture with an attachment material. The method also includes mechanically coupling a member to the sapphire substrate using the attachment material.

Abstract: An electronic device may have a display such as a liquid crystal display. The display may have multiple display layers for generating display light such as a color filter layer and a thin-film transistor layer. The display may include first and second layers of optical fibers formed over the display layers. The first and second layers of optical fibers may guide display light generated in the display layers to an outer surface of the display. The first layer of optical fibers may include optical fibers having a first numerical aperture. The second layer of optical fibers may include optical fibers having a second numerical aperture. The first numerical aperture may be smaller than the second numerical aperture. The second layer of optical fibers may include vertical and angled optical fibers. The angled optical fibers may help reduce the size of an inactive region around the center of the display.

Abstract: Various components of an electronic device housing and methods for their assembly are disclosed. The housing can be formed by assembling and connecting two or more different sections together. The sections of the housing may be coupled together using one or more coupling members. The coupling members may be formed using a two-shot molding process in which the first shot forms a structural portion of the coupling members, and the second shot forms cosmetic portions of the coupling members.

Abstract: Various sapphire and laminate structures are discussed herein. One embodiment may take the form of a sapphire structure having a first sapphire sheet with a first sapphire plane type forming the major surface and a second sapphire sheet having a second different sapphire plane type forming the major surface. The first and second sapphire sheets are fused together to form the sapphire structure.