Abstract: An electronic device may include electrical components and other components mounted within an interior of a housing. The device may have a display on a front face of the device and may have a glass layer that forms part of the housing on a rear face of the device. The glass layer may be provided with regions having different appearances. The regions may be textured, may have coatings such as thin-film interference filter coatings formed from stacks of dielectric material having alternating indices of refraction, may have metal coating layers, and/or may have ink coating layers. Textured surfaces may be formed on thin glass layers and polymer films that are coupled to the glass layer. A glass layer may be formed from a pair of coupled glass layers. The coupled layers may have one or more recesses or other structures to visually distinguish different regions of the glass layer.

Abstract: A cover glass assembly comprises a sheet having a first surface and a second surface below the first surface. The second surface comprises a textured portion. The cover glass assembly also includes a pigment layer below the textured portion, and a mirror layer below the pigment layer. The textured portion diffusely reflects a first portion of light that enters the cover glass assembly through the first surface. The pigment layer diffusely reflects a second portion of the light. The mirror layer reflects, onto the pigment layer, a third portion of the light. The cover glass assembly provides a high-luminance surface. A method of forming the cover glass assembly is also disclosed.

Abstract: A heating system includes a conductive layer disposed on a pane surface of a glass pane, a first busbar extending along a first pane edge portion of the glass plane in electrical contact with the conductive layer, and a second busbar extending along a second pane edge portion of the glass plane in electrical contact with the conductive layer. Applying power to the first busbar causes current to travel from the first busbar along the conductive layer to the second busbar, heating the pane surface.

Abstract: An electronic device may include electrical components and other components mounted within an interior of a housing. The device may have a display on a front face of the device and may have a glass layer that forms part of the housing on a rear face of the device. The glass layer may be provided with regions having different appearances. The regions may be textured, may have coatings such as thin-film interference filter coatings formed from stacks of dielectric material having alternating indices of refraction, may have metal coating layers, and/or may have ink coating layers. Textured surfaces may be formed on thin glass layers and polymer films that are coupled to the glass layer. A glass layer may be formed from a pair of coupled glass layers. The coupled layers may have one or more recesses or other structures to visually distinguish different regions of the glass layer.

Abstract: An electronic device may include electrical components and other components mounted within an interior of a housing. The device may have a display on a front face of the device and may have a glass layer that forms a housing wall on a rear face of the device. The glass housing wall may be provided with regions having different appearances. The regions may be textured, may have coatings such as thin-film interference filter coatings formed from stacks of dielectric material having alternating indices of refraction, may have metal coating layers, and/or may have ink coating layers. Textured surfaces, cavities, coatings, and other decoration may be embedded in glass structures that are joined with chemical bonds at diffusion-bonding interfaces.

Abstract: An electronic device may include electrical components and other components mounted within an interior of a housing. The device may have a display on a front face of the device and may have a glass layer that forms part of the housing on a rear face of the device. The glass layer may be provided with regions having different appearances. The regions may be textured, may have coatings such as thin-film interference filter coatings formed from stacks of dielectric material having alternating indices of refraction, may have metal coating layers, and/or may have ink coating layers. Textured surfaces may be formed on thin glass layers and polymer films that are coupled to the glass layer. A glass layer may be formed from a pair of coupled glass layers. The coupled layers may have one or more recesses or other structures to visually distinguish different regions of the glass layer.

Abstract: Substrates such as transparent glass layers or other transparent substrates may be used to form protective display cover layers, windows, housing structures, camera windows, and other structures. Coatings may be formed on the substrates, on pixel arrays such as flexible organic light-emitting diode pixel arrays, housing structures, and other structures. The coatings may have optical properties arising from the inclusion of pigment flakes in a clear polymer binder. The pigment flakes may be formed from a thin-film interference layer. The thin-film interference filter layer may have a stack of dielectric layers with a pattern of refractive index values selected to adjust the optical properties of the pigment flakes. The stack of dielectric layers may be configured to form an infrared-light-blocking-and-visible-light-transmitting optical characteristic for the coatings and/or may have other desired spectral properties.

Abstract: Substrates having structured optical appearances are disclosed. The substrate can include a surface having a photonic crystal coating disposed on the surface. The photonic crystal coating comprising capsules, each capsule comprising particles disposed in a medium and the particles are configured to align in an order array upon application of an electromagnetic field.

Abstract: An electronic device may have transparent structures. The transparent structures may include a transparent member such as a transparent button member, a transparent member that serves as a display cover layer, a transparent member that covers a sensor such as a touch sensor, or other transparent member. The transparent member may have an inner surface that is covered with an opaque masking layer that is free of materials that discolor upon light exposure and that is formed from a layer of polymer and light-scattering inclusions such as solid particles, hollow microspheres, porous particles, and voids. A protective layer such as an inorganic layer may be formed over the polymer layer. A fingerprint sensor, touch sensor, or other structures may be attached to the opaque masking layer using a layer of adhesive.

Abstract: A method for improving the efficiency and durability of reversible solid oxide cells during electrical energy storage is disclosed. The method utilizes a specific set of operating conditions that produces a storage chemistry where approximately thermal-neutral operation can be achieved at low cell over-potentials. Also disclosed are reversible solid oxide cell energy storage system configurations, including one that utilizes storage in natural gas and water storage/distribution networks, thereby reducing storage cost.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display. The display may have a display cover layer. The display may have an active area with pixels and an inactive area without pixels. An opaque masking layer such as a layer of black ink may be formed on the underside of the display cover layer in the inactive area. Windows may be formed from openings in the opaque masking layer. Optical components such as infrared-light-based optical components may be aligned with the windows. The windows may include coatings in the openings that block visible light while transmitting infrared light. The window coatings may be formed from polymer layers containing pigments, polymer layers containing dyes that are coated with antireflection layers, thin-film interference filters formed from stacks of thin-film layers, or other coating structures.

Abstract: Metallic coatings containing metallic flakes with optical coatings are provided. The metallic flakes can be coated with multiple optical layers or a photonic crystal layer. The metallic flakes can also be coated with a pigment layer.

Abstract: Substrates having structured optical appearances are disclosed. The substrate can include a surface having a photonic crystal coating disposed on the surface. The photonic crystal coating comprising capsules, each capsule comprising particles disposed in a medium and the particles are configured to align in an order array upon application of an electromagnetic field.

Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with a transparent layer such as a cover layer. An ambient light sensor may be aligned with an ambient light sensor window formed from an opening in a masking layer on the transparent layer in an inactive portion of the display. To help mask the ambient light sensor window from view, the ambient light sensor window may be provided with a black coating that matches the appearance of surrounding masking layer material while allowing light to reach the ambient light sensor. The black coating may include multiple pigments and may have a flat spectrum to enhance color ambient light measurements made with the ambient light sensor. The black coating may include a polymer binder or other binder that contains multiple pigments. The pigments may include a black pigment, a blue pigment, and an infrared-light-transparent pigment and/or other pigments.

Abstract: A toughened ceramic component having a residual compressive stress and methods of forming the toughened ceramic component is disclosed. The ceramic component may include an internal portion having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and an external portion substantially surrounding the internal portion and forming an exterior surface of the ceramic component. The external portion may have a second CTE that is less than the first CTE. Additionally, the external portion may be in compressive stress.

Abstract: Surfaces having structured optical appearances are disclosed. The surface can include substrate, a first optical coating disposed on the substrate having a first refractive index; and a second optical coating disposed on the first optical coating having a second refractive index. The first refractive index is different than the second refractive index. Other surfaces can include a substrate having a visible surface, wherein the visible surface comprises a plurality of structural features, wherein each of the structural features is configured to transmit a light wave that optically interacts with waves of light of other structural features to create a visual appearance. Still other surfaces can include a substrate and an optical coating disposed on the substrate. The optical coating comprising particles in an ordered array within a matrix, wherein the matrix has a first refractive index and the particles have a second refractive index.

Abstract: A refractive coating such as a white layer is disposed on a housing component of a portable electronic device. The refractive coating includes pigment particles such as titanium dioxide suspended in a carrier medium such as a polymer matrix. The pigment particles each define air pores or other voids formed by at least partially sintering the pigment particles. A difference in refractive index between the air pores and the pigment particles is greater than that between the carrier medium and the pigment particles. Incident light is refracted at interfaces between the pigment particles and the air pores, increasing light refracted by the refractive coating compared to refractive coatings including pigment particles lacking the air pores.

Abstract: Flexible photonic crystal structures capable of changing color in response to strain are described. Methods for forming two-dimensional and three-dimensional flexible photonic crystal structures are described. In some aspects, the flexible photonic crystal structures include an array of holes or voids formed within a flexible material. The flexible material changes dimensions of the array when the flexible photonic crystal structures is stretched, pulled, pushed or bent. In some aspects, the flexible photonic crystal structures include an array of features made of a first material, such as a first type of polymer, embedded within a matrix material made of a second material, such as a second type of polymer. The flexible photonic crystal structures can be used in the manufacture of consumer products, such as electronic products, electronic product accessories, thin films, flexible displays and wearable products.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an infrared reflective coating for use on an electronic device. More specifically, the infrared reflective includes an array of polymer structures spaced and sized in such a manner as to reflect infrared light. Thus, when the coating is placed on one or more surfaces or components of the electronic device, that surface or component reflects infrared light and the heat associated with the infrared light instead of absorbing it.

Abstract: A cover glass assembly comprises a sheet having a first surface and a second surface below the first surface. The second surface comprises a textured portion. The cover glass assembly also includes a pigment layer below the textured portion, and a mirror layer below the pigment layer. The textured portion diffusely reflects a first portion of light that enters the cover glass assembly through the first surface. The pigment layer diffusely reflects a second portion of the light. The mirror layer reflects, onto the pigment layer, a third portion of the light. The cover glass assembly provides a high-luminance surface. A method of forming the cover glass assembly is also disclosed.