Abstract: An electronic device configured to provide localized haptic feedback to a user on one or more regions or sections of a surface of the electronic device. A support structure is positioned below the surface, and one or more haptic actuators are coupled to the support structure. In some examples, the support structure is shaped or configured to amplify a response to a haptic actuator. When a haptic actuator is actuated, the support structure deflects, which causes the surface to bend or deflect at a location that substantially corresponds to the location of the activated haptic actuator. In some examples, prior to providing haptic feedback, at least one haptic actuator is electrically pre-stressed to place the haptic actuator(s) in a pre-stressed state. When haptic feedback is to be provided, at least one haptic actuator transitions from the pre-stressed state to a haptic output state to produce one or more deflections in the surface.

Abstract: An electronic device is provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display. The display has a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between an upper display layer such as a color filter layer and a lower display layer such as a thin-film-transistor layer. An upper polarizer is formed on the upper surface of the color filter layer. A lower polarizer is formed on the lower surface of the thin-film-transistor layer. To protect display layers such as the color filter layer and the thin-film-transistor layer, a coating is deposited on a peripheral edge of the display layer. A laser is used to cut through portions of the polarizer that overhang the display layer while also cutting through the coating on the peripheral edge of the display layer. Following laser trimming operations, the coating is flush with an edge surface of the polarizer.

Abstract: An electronic device with a force sensing device is disclosed. The electronic device comprises a user input surface defining an exterior surface of the electronic device, a first capacitive sensing element, and a second capacitive sensing element capacitively coupled to the first capacitive sensing element. The electronic device also comprises a first spacing layer between the first and second capacitive sensing elements, and a second spacing layer between the first and second capacitive sensing elements. The first and second spacing layers have different compositions. The electronic device also comprises sensing circuitry coupled to the first and second capacitive sensing elements configured to determine an amount of applied force on the user input surface. The first spacing layer is configured to collapse if the applied force is below a force threshold, and the second spacing layer is configured to collapse if the applied force is above the force threshold.

Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided with displays. A display may have a light guide plate. Backlight for the display may be launched into the light guide plate from an array of light-emitting diodes. The light-emitting diodes may be mounted on a metal core printed circuit board having a dielectric layer and a metal layer. The metal core printed circuit board may have an elongated shape that extends along the surface of a metal structure. A weld may be formed along a seam between the metal layer of the metal core printed circuit board and the metal structure. The metal structure may be an electronic device housing, a display chassis member, a heat spreader, a heat pipe, or other structures in an electronic device.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display having substrate layers such as a color filter layer, thin-film transistor layer, or other display layers. An array of pixels may be formed from thin-film circuitry on a display layer. A color filter layer may be formed from an array of color filter elements on a display layer. The color filter elements may provide the array of pixels with the ability to display color images. In a liquid crystal display configuration, a liquid crystal layer may be interposed between the substrate layers. A ring of sealant may surround the liquid crystal layer and may be interposed between the substrate layers. The display may have a periphery. The substrate layers may be welded with a glass weld such as a laser glass weld or other weld on an edge surface of the substrate layers running along the periphery.

Abstract: Laser processing techniques may be used to form structures for electronic devices. A laser processing system may be provided with lasers and positioners for moving laser beams across a structure to be processed such as a layer of glass or other material. A laser such as a pulsed infrared laser may be move along a path across the layer of material. The laser may create a series of damaged regions along the path. A portion of the layer may be removed from other portions of the layer by breaking off the portion of the layer along the path. Laser-induced heating techniques and mechanical stress-inducing techniques may be used to impart stress to the layer of material to help break off the portion. The layer may include one or more sublayers such as layers of glass substrate material in a display.

Abstract: An electronic device is provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display mounted in an electronic device housing. The display has a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between an upper display layer such as a color filter layer and a lower display layer such as a thin-film-transistor layer. An upper polarizer is formed on the upper surface of the color filter layer. A lower polarizer is formed on the lower surface of the thin-film-transistor layer. To protect display layers such as a glass color filter layer substrate for the color filter layer from damage during polarizer trimming operations, a coating is deposited on a peripheral edge of the glass color filter layer substrate. The coating may be formed from an elastomeric polymer such as silicone and may remain in place or may be removed following trimming operations.

Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided with displays that have polarizers. A polarizer may have a polymer layer that has a portion covered with a dichroic dye to form a polarized region and a portion that is free of dichroic dye to form an unpolarized region. The unpolarized region may be formed by masking the polymer layer during a dye coating process. Masks may be formed from polymers. The shape of the mask may define the shape of the unpolarized region. The mask may be left in place within the polarizer or may be removed from the polarizer during fabrication. Unpolarized regions may also be formed by light bleaching, chemical bleaching, and material removal techniques. Bleached areas may be chemically stabilized. A moisture barrier layer may be incorporated into the polarizer to help prevent the unpolarized region from reverting to a polarized state.

Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. The display may be mounted in a housing and may have a window to accommodate a camera or other electrical component. The display may have multiple substrate layers. A hole may be formed in one of the substrate layers to form additional space within the housing to accommodate the electrical component. The hole may be drilled partway through a substrate layer to form an annular thinned region. The annular thinned region may be cracked to release a disk-shaped portion of the substrate layer and form the hole. A ring of sealant may surround the hole to help cushion the display substrate layers during drilling operations. Column spacer structures may be formed on a portion of a display substrate that is overlapped by the hole.

Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided with displays that have polarizers. A polarizer may have a polymer layer that has a portion covered with a dichroic dye to form a polarized region and a portion that is free of dichroic dye to form an unpolarized region. The unpolarized region may be formed by masking the polymer layer during a dye coating process. Masks may be formed from polymers. The shape of the mask may define the shape of the unpolarized region. The mask may be left in place within the polarizer or may be removed from the polarizer during fabrication. Unpolarized regions may also be formed by light bleaching, chemical bleaching, and material removal techniques. Bleached areas may be chemically stabilized. A moisture barrier layer may be incorporated into the polarizer to help prevent the unpolarized region from reverting to a polarized state.

Abstract: An electronic device is provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display mounted in an electronic device housing. The display has a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between an upper display layer such as a color filter layer and a lower display layer such as a thin-film-transistor layer. An upper polarizer is formed on the upper surface of the color filter layer. A lower polarizer is formed on the lower surface of the thin-film-transistor layer. To protect display layers such as a glass color filter layer substrate for the color filter layer from damage during polarizer trimming operations, a coating is deposited on a peripheral edge of the glass color filter layer substrate. The coating may be formed from an elastomeric polymer such as silicone and may remain in place or may be removed following trimming operations.

Abstract: An electronic device is provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display mounted in an electronic device housing. The display has a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between an upper display layer such as a color filter layer and a lower display layer such as a thin-film-transistor layer. An upper polarizer is formed on the upper surface of the color filter layer. A lower polarizer is formed on the lower surface of the thin-film-transistor layer. To protect display layers such as a glass color filter layer substrate for the color filter layer from damage during polarizer trimming operations, a coating is deposited on a peripheral edge of the glass color filter layer substrate. The coating may be formed from an elastomeric polymer such as silicone and may remain in place or may be removed following trimming operations.

Abstract: A display may have a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between a color filter layer and a thin-film transistor layer. A ring of adhesive sealant may surround the liquid crystal layer. Columns spacers may extend between the color filter and thin-film transistor layers through the liquid crystal layer to help ensure that the color filter and thin-film transistor layers are appropriately spaced apart from each other. A ring-shaped polymer spacer may surround the ring of adhesive sealant and may help protect display structures form exposure to etchant that is used to treat the edges of glass layers in the display. The spacer may be formed from the same layer of material that forms the column spacers. A black masking layer may be formed on the underside of the color filter layer using techniques that prevent the formation of protruding edge portions.

Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided with display structures such as glass and polymer layers in a liquid crystal display. The glass layers may serve as substrates for components such as a color filter layer and thin-film transistor layer. The polymer layers may include films such as a polarizer film and other optical films. During fabrication of a display, the polymer layers and glass layers may be laminated to one another. Portions of the polymer layers may extend past the edges of the glass layers. Laser cutting techniques may be used to trim away excess portions of the polymer layer that do not overlap underlying portions of the glass layers. Laser cutting may involve application of an adjustable infrared laser beam.

Abstract: A display characterization system may be used to gather display flatness data and light leakage data from a display. The display characterization system may include a camera system that includes flatness measurement cameras and a light leakage measurement camera. The camera system may include a light guide plate covered with a patterned opaque layer or other planar light-emitting structures for emitting patterned light that is reflected from the display. A controller may use the light leakage measurement camera to capture light leakage data while a display backlight unit is on, a reference light source is on, and the planar light-emitting structures are not emitting light. The controller may use the flatness measurement cameras to capture flatness data while the backlight unit is off, the reference light source is off, and the light-emitting structures are reflecting light from the display.

Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided with displays. A display may have a light guide plate. Backlight for the display may be launched into the light guide plate from an array of light-emitting diodes. The light-emitting diodes may be mounted on a metal core printed circuit board having a dielectric layer and a metal layer. The metal core printed circuit board may have an elongated shape that extends along the surface of a metal structure. A weld may be formed along a seam between the metal layer of the metal core printed circuit board and the metal structure. The metal structure may be an electronic device housing, a display chassis member, a heat spreader, a heat pipe, or other structures in an electronic device.

Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided with displays that have polarizers. A polarizer may be provided with an unpolarized strip. The unpolarized strip may extend across the width of the polarizer and may overlap a light-based component such as a camera that is located in an inactive border area of a display. The polarizer may have a polarizer layer formed form a polymer with a dichroic dye. A strip-shaped opening may be formed in the polarizer layer by cutting out a strip of the polarizer layer with a laser cutting tool or other equipment, a strip of unpolarized material may be formed in the polarizer layer using chemical bleaching, or light-based bleaching techniques may be used to form an unpolarized strip in the polarizer layer.

Abstract: An electronic device is provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display mounted in an electronic device housing. The display has a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between an upper display layer such as a color filter layer and a lower display layer such as a thin-film-transistor layer. An upper polarizer is formed on the upper surface of the color filter layer. A lower polarizer is formed on the lower surface of the thin-film-transistor layer. To protect display layers such as a glass color filter layer substrate for the color filter layer from damage during polarizer trimming operations, a coating is deposited on a peripheral edge of the glass color filter layer substrate. The coating may be formed from an elastomeric polymer such as silicone and may remain in place or may be removed following trimming operations.

Abstract: A display such as a liquid crystal display has a display substrate that includes a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between a color filter layer and a thin-film-transistor layer. An oversized polarizer is laminated to the surface of the display substrate. Laser-based polarizer trimming equipment is used to trim away excess portions of the polarizer from the display substrate. A thickness gauge gathers thickness information from the laminated polarizer and display substrate. The thickness information is used to adjust the position of a laser relative to the polarizer during polarizer trimming operations. The laser beam moves along a cutting path that is unique to the display substrate. A vision system performs an inspection to determine whether the display substrate is damaged following polarizer trimming operations. Based on the inspection, laser parameters may be adjusted prior to performing polarizer trimming operations on additional polarizers and display substrates.

Abstract: Structures such as display structures and other electronic device structures may be shaped using water jet cutting equipment. The water jet cutting equipment may be used to produce a water jet. The water jet may be used to cut layer of material such as display layers and other structures. Water jet cutting may form edge cuts, cuts for openings in the structures, chamfers, and other features. Multiple layers may be simultaneously cut using water jet cutting. Positioning equipment may be used to control the position of a workpiece relative to a water jet nozzle. The positioning equipment may be controlled using a control unit. During water jet cutting operations, the workpiece may be trimmed, openings may be formed, and features such as chamfers may be created. A workpiece may include a cover glass, a color filter array, a thin-film transistor layer, and other display layers and device structures.