Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package – Smart card package
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-24
2001-01-30
Clark, Sheila V. (Department: 2815)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
Smart card package
C257S678000, C257S687000, C257S723000, C257S724000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06181001
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to circuit chip mounted cards and circuit chip modules and in particular to circuit chip mounted cards and circuit chip modules using an antenna-integrated circuit chip to enhance reliability and reduce the cost for manufacturing the same.
BACKGROUND ART
Non-contact IC cards are used at automatic ticket gates for ski-lifts, railroads and the like, for automatic load sorting, and the like.
FIG. 13
shows one example of conventional, non-contact IC cards. An IC card
2
shown in
FIG. 13
is a single-coil IC card comprised of a coil
4
used as an antenna, capacitors C
1
, C
2
, and an IC chip
8
.
Capacitors C
1
, C
2
and IC chip
8
are mounted to a substrate of synthetic resin in the form of a film. The substrate with capacitors C
1
, C
2
and IC chip
8
mounted thereto is referred to as a tape automated bonding (TAB)
10
.
FIG. 14A
is a cross section of IC card
2
. A core member
12
of synthetic resin is sandwiched between paired surface members
14
and
16
. TAB
10
with capacitors C
1
, C
2
and IC chip
8
mounted thereto is fixed to surface member
14
exposed in a hollow portion
18
provided in core member
12
. A portion binding TAB
10
and IC chip
8
together is covered with a sealing member
9
of epoxy resin or the like.
Coil
4
is arranged between surface member
14
and core member
12
. Coil
4
and TAB
10
are connected together by a wire
20
.
FIG. 14B
is a circuit diagram of IC card
2
. In IC card
2
, an electromagnetic wave sent from a reader/writer (not shown) is received at a resonance circuit
22
comprised of coil
4
and capacitor C
1
and is used as a power source. It should be noted that capacitor C
2
is a power smoothing capacitor.
Furthermore, a control unit (not shown) provided in IC chip
8
interprets information superposed on the electromagnetic wave to provide a response to the information. The response is provided by varying an impedance of resonance circuit
22
. The reader/writer appreciates the response by detecting an impedance variation (or impedance reflection) of the reader/writer's resonance circuit (not shown) that is associated with the impedance variation of resonance circuit
22
of IC card
2
.
Thus IC card
2
is dispensed with a power supply therein and can also provide non-contact communication of information.
However, the above conventional IC card has the following disadvantages. In IC card
2
, coil
2
and TAB
10
must be connected together by wire
20
.
IC card
2
is often put into a purse, a pocket of pants and the like so that it can receive considerably strong bending, twisting and pressing forces. IC card
2
shown in
FIG. 14A
is, however, not sufficiently thick, having a thickness t of a standard dimension. Thus IC card
2
does not have so large rigidity against bending, twisting and pressing forces. Accordingly IC card
2
is flexed significantly when it receives intense bending force or the like. When IC card
2
is thus flexed, wire
20
can be cut off or wire
20
can be disconnected from coil
4
or TAB
10
. Wire
20
and coil
4
or TAB
10
can also be mutually connected unsatisfactorily in the operation to connect them together.
Furthermore, the position of TAB
10
is limited in order to ensure the space for coil
4
. Thus, arranging TAB
10
at a position which suffers significant flexure, can sometimes not be avoided. As a result, IC chip
8
will also be deformed significantly. Such deformation cracks IC chip
8
and thus degrades the function of the IC card.
Thus conventional IC cards are difficult to handle and are not reliable.
Furthermore, the necessity of connecting coil
4
and TAB
10
together by wire
20
also results in cumbersome fabrication of the card and increases the cost or manufacturing the card. Furthermore, the necessity of mounting capacitors C
1
, C
2
and the like to TAB
10
further increases the cost for manufacturing the card.
A first object of the present invention is therefore to provide a circuit chip mounted card which is reliable and reduces the cost for manufacturing the same.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a circuit chip module which is reliable and reduces the cost for manufacturing the same.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A circuit chip mounted card in a first aspect of the present invention includes an antenna using an electromagnetic wave to allow communication and a processing unit providing a process associated with the communication, characterized in that outside or inside the circuit chip including the processing unit a terminal of the antenna is directly connected to a terminal of the circuit chip, that the circuit chip has a surface provided with a terminal electrically connected to the incorporated processing unit, that the antenna is a metal wire fixed on a film, and that the antenna is arranged in contact with a surface of the circuit chip and also electrically connected to a terminal on the surface of the circuit chip.
With the configuration, communicating function can be completely provided merely by a single circuit chip with the function of the processing unit and that of the antenna substantially integrated therewith. Thus, the circuit chip does not require external wiring and is thus free of unsatisfactory connection associated with an operation to connect external wires. Furthermore, such accidents as cutting-off, disconnection and the like of external wires cannot happen if the card is flexed.
Furthermore the substantial integration of the antenna with the circuit chip can prevents the position of the circuit chip from being limited to ensure the space for the antenna. Thus the small-area circuit chip with the antenna integrated can be arranged at any position free of significant flexure. As a result, the circuit chip is not deformed significantly if the card receives significant force.
Furthermore the elimination of the operation to connect external wires can significantly facilitate the fabrication of the card to reduce the cost for manufacturing the same. Furthermore, incorporating the capacitors into the circuit chip can save the trouble of mounting the capacitors to further reduce the cost for manufacturing the card.
Thus a circuit chip mounted card can be provided which is highly reliable and reduces the cost for manufacturing the same.
This configuration also allows relatively simple techniques, such as printing, etching, to be used in forming the antenna on the film. It also allows relatively simple bonding techniques, such as bumping, soldering, to be used to connect the terminal and the antenna together. Thus the antenna and the circuit chip can relatively readily be integrated together.
A circuit chip mounted card in a second aspect of the present invention includes an antenna using an electromagnetic wave to allow communication and a processing unit providing a process associated with the communication, characterized in that outside or inside the circuit chip including the processing unit a terminal of the antenna is directly connected to a terminal of the circuit chip, that the circuit chip has a surface provided with a terminal electrically connected to the incorporated processing unit, and that the antenna is a metal wire wound around the circuit chip and also electrically connected to a terminal on a surface of the circuit chip.
This configuration eliminates the necessity of previously constructing a dedicated antenna. Simply winding a metal wire around the circuit chip and connecting the metal wire to the terminal facilitates the integration of the antenna with the circuit chip.
A circuit chip mounted card in a third aspect of the present invention includes an antenna using an electromagnetic wave to allow communication and a processing unit providing a process associated with the communication, characterized in that outside or inside the circuit chip including the processing unit a terminal of the antenna is directly connected to a terminal of the circuit chip, that the circuit chip has a surface provided with a terminal electrically connected
Chimura Shigemi
Ikefuji Yoshihiro
Okada Hiroharu
Clark Sheila V.
Kintner Arent Fox
Plotkin & Kahn PLLC
Rohm & Co., Ltd.
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