Battery-operated wireless-communication apparatus and method

An apparatus, comprising:

• a thin-film battery affixed to a substrate;
• an integrated circuit affixed to and overlying and facing said thin-film battery;
• at least one internal electrical connection that electrically connects the integrated circuit to the battery;
• an encapsulant that encapsulates the integrated circuit, the thin-film battery, and the at least one internal electrical connection in a single package;
• and
• a plurality of external electrical connections exposed external to the encapsulant, wherein and at least one of the plurality of external electrical connections is connected to the battery, and wherein at least one of the plurality of external electrical connections is connected to the integrated circuit.

A method comprising:

• providing a substrate;
• affixing a thin-film battery to the substrate;
• providing an integrated circuit;
• attaching the integrated circuit to the thin-film battery, wherein the integrated circuit overlies the thin-film battery;
• electrically connecting at least one electrical terminal on a surface of the integrated circuit to at least one electrical terminal on a surface of the battery with an electrical conductor;
• depositing an encapsulant that encapsulates the integrated circuit, the thin-film battery, and the at least one internal electrical connection in a single package;
• providing a plurality of external electrical connections exposed external to the encapsulant;
• and
• electrically connecting at least one of the plurality of external electrical connections to the battery and electrically connecting at least one of the plurality of external electrical connections to the integrated circuit.

An apparatus comprising:

• a substrate;
• an integrated circuit;
• means for affixing a thin-film battery to the substrate;
• means for attaching the integrated circuit to the thin-film battery, wherein the integrated circuit overlies and faces the thin-film battery;
• means for internally electrically connecting at least one electrical terminal on a surface of the integrated circuit to at least one electrical terminal on a surface of the battery;
• means for encapsulating the integrated circuit, the thin-film battery, and the means for internally electrically connecting in an encapsulant, wherein the means for internally electrically connecting the at least one electrical terminal on the surface of the integrated circuit to the at least one electrical terminal on the surface of the battery is internal to the means for encapsulating;
• and
• means for externally electrically connecting to the battery and means for externally electrically connecting to the integrated circuit, wherein the means for externally electrically connecting to the integrated circuit and the means for externally electrically connecting to the battery are each exposed external to the encapsulant.