Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package – Smart card package
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-21
2002-10-22
Cuneo, Kamand (Department: 2827)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
Smart card package
C174S260000, C361S737000, C361S783000, C235S492000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06469371
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-contact type IC card, comprising a plane coil and a semiconductor element, wherein terminal portions of the plane coil and electrode terminals of the semiconductor element are electrically connected to each other, and a process for manufacturing the IC card.
2. Description of the Related Art
A structure of a prior art non-contact type IC card will be described with reference to FIGS.
6
(
a
) and
6
(
b
).
The plane coil
52
is prepared by etching a metallic foil (for example, a copper foil) formed on one surface of a thin insulating resinous substrate, such as a resinous film, to have a generally rectangular coil shape or by printing a electro-conductive paste in a coil shape on line surface of the thin insulating resinous substrate
54
and drying the same. Opposite ends of the plane coil
52
define terminal portions
52
a
, respectively.
A semiconductor element
56
has two electrode terminals
58
projected from one surface thereof to be connected with the respective terminal portions
52
a
of the panel coil
52
.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the semiconductor element
56
is positioned and attached onto one surface of the thin insulating resinous substrate
54
so that two electrode terminals
58
of the semiconductor element
56
are extended over a part of the plane coil
52
and are located in alignment with the respective terminal portions
52
a
of the plane coil
52
.
More concretely, as shown in
FIG. 8
, the semiconductor element
56
is press-fitted onto the thin insulating resinous substrate
54
via an anisotropic conductive film
60
. Thereby, an electro-conductive path is formed between the projected electrode terminal
58
and the terminal portion
52
a
opposite thereto so that the electrode terminal
58
is electrically connected to the terminal portion
52
a
of the plane coil
52
.
A pair of resinous over-sheets
62
, each carrying an adhesive layer on one surface thereof, are placed, respectively, on both sides on the thin insulating resinous substrate
54
on which are disposed the plane coil
52
and the semiconductor element
56
, and heated under pressure to form a non-contact type IC card
50
, as shown in FIGS.
6
(
a
) and
6
(
b
).
Recently, as the semiconductor element
56
has become increasingly smaller in size, the gap between the pair of electrode terminals
58
formed on the semiconductor element
56
has also become smaller, whereby it is impossible to locate the semiconductor element
56
so that the electrode terminals
58
thereof are arranged inside and outside the plane coil
52
.
As a countermeasure to this problem, it has been proposed that one of the terminal portions
52
a
of the plane coil
52
(for example, the inside terminal portion
52
a
) can be located at a position outside the plane coil
52
in the vicinity of the other terminal portion
52
a
, while the plane coil
52
is bridged via the opposite surface of the thin insulating resinous substrate
54
as shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
.
According to this structure, even if the semiconductor element
56
only has a small gap between the electrode terminals
58
, it is possible to locate the semiconductor element
56
at a position on the one surface of the thin insulating resinous substrate
54
without bridging over the plane coil
52
, and to electrically connect the electrode terminals
58
to the terminal portions
52
a
of the plane coil
52
while using the same mounting structure as in the preceding example.
In this regard, the above-mentioned IC card relating to the prior art is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,852 (issued on Jan. 6, 1998).
However, in the structure shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
, it is necessary to adhere metallic foils onto both surfaces of the thin insulating resinous substrate
54
, form the plane coil
52
as well as an extension wiring pattern
64
by etching the metallic foils and provide a through hole
66
to electrically connect the plane coil
52
formed on one surface with the extension wiring pattern
64
formed on the other surface. This results in an increase in production steps. Also, since it is necessary to use the thin insulating resinous substrate having the metallic foils adhered to the opposite surfaces thereof, there is a problem in that a material cost becomes higher to increase the product cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact type IC card capable of mounting thereon a small-sized semiconductor element having a narrow gap between electrode terminals, without forming a circuit pattern on a surface of an thin insulating resinous substrate opposite to the surface on which a plane coil is formed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact type IC card which solves the above-mentioned problems in the prior art.
According to the present invention, there is provided a non-contact type IC card comprising: an insulating film having first and second surfaces; a plane coil arranged on the first surface of the film, the plane coil having terminals; a semiconductor element arranged on the first surface of the film, the semiconductor element having electrode terminals; the film having through holes which expose the terminals of the plane coil and the electrode terminals of the semiconductor element to the second surface of the film; and a wiring pattern consisting of conductive paste, filled in the through holes and extending therebetween along the second surface of the film so that the terminals of the plane coil are electrically connected to the electrode terminals of the semiconductor element by means of the wiring pattern.
A gold-bump is provided on the electrode terminal of the semiconductor element and arranged within the through hole to facilitate an electrical connection between the conductive paste and the electrode terminal.
The terminal of the plane coil, exposed in the through, is plated with gold to facilitate an electrical connection between the conductive paste and the terminal of the plane coil.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-contact type IC card comprising: an insulating film having first and second surfaces; a plane coil arranged on the first surface of the film, the plane coil having terminals; a semiconductor element arranged on the second surface of the films the semiconductor element having electrode terminals; the film having through holes at positions where the electrode terminals of the semiconductor element are exposed by means of the through holes; and a wiring pattern consisting of conductive paste, filled in the through holes and extending therefrom to the terminals of the plane coil so that the terminals of the plane coil are electrically connected to the electrode terminals of the semiconductor element by means of the wiring pattern. In this connection, the plane coil where the wiring pattern is to cross the plane coil is covered with an insulator and the wiring pattern is formed on the insulator
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for manufacturing a non-contact type IC card comprising the following steps of: forming a plane coil on a first surface of an insulating film; forming a film with through holes at positions where terminals of the plane coil and electrode terminals of a semiconductor element are to be exposed by the through holes to a second surface of the film; mounting the semiconductor element on the first surface of the film so that electrode terminals thereof are positioned in the through holes; and printing conductive paste so as to be filled in the through holes and extending therebetween along the second surface of the film to form a wiring pattern for electrically connecting the terminals of the plane coil to the electrode terminals of the semiconductor element.
According to further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for manufacturing a non-contact IC card comprising the following steps of: formin
Alcala Jose′ H.
Cuneo Kamand
Paul & Paul
Shinko Electric Industries Co. Ltd.
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