CUPERTINO, CA -- The US Patent Technology Office has issued Apple a patent covering a systems and methods for providing a system-on-a-substrate.

In its application, Apple describes the invention as a method for creating a system comprising coupling a microchip to a first surface of a substrate, wherein the microchip comprises every system component of the system; coupling a second surface of the substrate to a flexible printed circuit board ("flex"); coupling at least one test point to at least one system component of the microchip, wherein the test point is operable to indicate the quality of the at least one system component; and separating a first portion of the system from a remaining portion of the system, wherein the first portion comprises the at least one test point and the at least one system component.

"This relates to systems and methods for providing a system-on-a-substrate. For example, rather than including the components of a system as discrete entities (e.g., as discrete microchips or as discrete parts), the components of a system can be formed together in "bare die" form. In other words, the components can be formed together on a single substrate, such as a silicon die or a die of other suitable material. In this manner, the components of an entire system can be densely and efficiently packed together, thus allowing the system to achieve a smaller size than a system using components that are discrete entities," the filing reads.

The named inventors are Gloria Lin, Bryson Gardner, Jr., Joseph Fisher, Jr., Dave Goh, Barry Corlett, Dennis Pyper and Amir Salehi.