Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-30
2001-09-11
Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S767000, C361S770000, C361S777000, C361S783000, C257S668000, C257S669000, C257S691000, C257S786000, C438S110000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288904
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chip modules. Specifically, the invention pertains to a chip module that is particularly suited for implantation in a smart card body. The module has a carrier and a chip mounted on the carrier.
Chip modules of this type are known in a large number of greatly varying embodiments.
The core of any chip module is, as already indicated by the designation, a (semiconductor) chip. The chip is bonded with an adhesive onto a carrier. Generally, the carrier is produced from epoxy resin or the like, and the chip is electrically connected by means of bonding or the like to conductive structures provided on the carrier.
If the chip module is provided for use in a smart card having external contact points (provided with contacts), then the conductive structures of the carrier comprise at least the contact areas (surface contacts) of the smart card to be produced. If the chip module is provided for use in a smart card not provided with contacts, that is to say a contactless smart card, then the conductive structures of the carrier comprise at least those structures which are provided for the purpose of connection to an antenna which is arranged outside the chip module, put more precisely, to an antenna integrated in the smart card body.
In order to protect the chip, as a rule a stiffening frame, which surrounds the the chip and is normally metallic, is bonded onto the carrier and filled with a compound protecting the chip and the bonding wires (against mechanical damage and against optical analyses).
The finished chip module is finally inserted (implanted) into an appropriate cut-out in a smart card body, which results in the production of a smart card that is ready to use.
If the smart card to be produced is a smart card provided with contacts, then the implantation of the chip module into the smart card body can be performed merely by means of mechanical joining (bonding) of chip module and smart card body. Chip modules designed for such applications specifically contain, as has already been mentioned above, not only the chip itself but also the contact areas (surface contacts) located on the outside on the finished smart card, so that no electrical connection is necessary between the chip module and the smart card body.
If the smart card to be produced is a smart card which can be operated without contact, then the implantation of the chip module into the smart card body requires, in addition to the mechanical joining of chip module and smart card body, also an electrical connection of the same (in order to connect an antenna that is integrated in the smart card body to the chip contained in the chip module).
Experience has shown that, so far, contactless smart cards are not usable at all or usable only to a limited extent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a chip module, in particular a chip module for integration into a smart card, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which allows smart cards to be operated without direct physical contact can be reliably produced without faults in an extremely simple way by using the chip module.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a chip module, particularly for integration in a smart card or the like, comprising:
carrier and a chip disposed on the carrier;
the carrier being formed with a pedestal-type elevation running at least partly, or completely, around the chip.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the elevation is formed by an electrically conductive structure fitted onto the carrier.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the elevation is a frame carrier essentially running completely around the chip, and a stiffening frame is placed on the frame carrier.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the elevation is adapted to have casting molds placed thereon for forming a chip covering on the chip.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, a plurality of conductor tracks and/or contact areas are formed on the carrier, and wherein the elevation is produced in concomitant production steps together with the electric conductor tracks and/or contact areas.
In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, the electric conductor tracks and/or contact areas form a constituent part of the elevation at mutual intersection points where the electric conductor tracks and/or contact areas encounter the elevation.
In accordance with again an additional feature of the invention, the elevation is formed with interruptions disposed such that parts of the elevation formed by the electric conductor tracks and/or the contact areas cannot be short-circuited by parts of the elevation not formed by the electric conductor tracks and/or contact areas.
In accordance with again another feature of the invention, the interruptions are respectively formed between the parts of the elevation formed by the electric conductor tracks and/or the contact areas and the parts of the elevation not formed by the electric conductor tracks and/or the contact areas.
In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, the interruptions are formed so as to be substantially impenetrable by a covering compound forming a chip covering.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the interruptions are formed so as to be filled with an adhesive bonding a stiffening frame onto the elevation;
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, parts of the elevation formed by the electric conductor tracks and/or contact areas have a height that is equal to or smaller than a height of the parts of the elevation not formed by the electric conductor tracks and/or contact areas.
As a result of the provision of the elevation, it is possible to provide for the stiffening frame a bearing surface on which the frame can be placed over a large area and in a precisely defined position, irrespective of other structures on the relevant surface of the carrier of the chip module.
It is thus possible reliably to rule out the situation in which conductive structures such as conductor tracks and the like, which run on that surface of the carrier of the chip module on which the stiffening frame is to be arranged, can be electrically short-circuited or negatively influenced in any other way by the latter.
This applies even when at least parts of the elevation are formed by the conductive structures which are to be protected against short circuits, and the stiffening frame is “only simply” bonded onto the elevation. The possibility of being borne over a large area and uniformly, which the elevation for the stiffening frame can offer, in particular ensures that the stiffening frame can form a connection to the elevation all round only indirectly via the (preferably insulating) adhesive.
The bearing surface, which runs all around essentially without interruption and in planar fashion and which can be provided for the elevation for the stiffening frame, moreover ensures that it is not possible for any gaps, or in any case no such gap as cannot be more or less completely filled by the adhesive by means of which the stiffening frame is bonded onto the elevation, to be produced between the stiffening frame and the bearing surface on which the former is placed. This achieves the situation where a covering compound provided in order to produce a so-called globe top and with which the interior of the stiffening frame is more or less completely filled, cannot escape to the outside. This has in turn the positive effect that, otherwise than hitherto, there is no risk that conductive structures which run outside the stiffening frame and which are to be connected electrically to smart card components located outside the chip module, will be covered by a covering compound escaping from the stiffening frame, and hence made unusable for electrical connections.
Con
Heitzer Josef
Houdeau Detlef
Huber Michael
Stampka Peter
Dinh Tuan
Gaffin Jeffrey
Greenberg Laurence A.
Infineon - Technologies AG
Lerner Herbert L.
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