Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Making device or circuit emissive of nonelectrical signal – Having diverse electrical device
Patent
1998-06-19
2000-05-09
Graybill, David E.
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Making device or circuit emissive of nonelectrical signal
Having diverse electrical device
438 51, 438107, 257679, 257724, H01L 2100, H01L 2144, H01L 2302, H01L 2334
Patent
active
060603321
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a hybrid device which can operate like a smartcard (microprocessor card) with flush contacts and/or for the production of acoustic signals which can be transmitted by telephone.
Such a device is very useful, in particular for the transfer of data over a telephone line, in encrypted form to a server for example, in a secure manner. Also data stored in its memory can be accessed by the use of an external reader.
The acoustic signals are produced in accordance with the data encoding principle, by a pair of frequencies between 697 and 1633 Hz, and are better known by the English name of DTMF (Dual Tone Modulation Frequency). In telephony, these DTMF signals are used for dialling, transmission of codes, etc.
At the present time, it is known how to create the DTMF signal production devices. Thus, patent application ES 95 470 001.9, for example, describes a DTMF signal production device of very low thickness which can be held in a wallet.
For their part, the smartcards with flush contacts are very well known nowadays, and are produced in large numbers. The are of very low thickness, standardised to some 0.8 mm.
On the other hand, no hybrid device of very low thickness has yet been produced which has a double use, namely as a smartcard with flush contacts and as a DTMF signal production device.
In fact, to contemplate combining at one and the same time the format constraints imposed by a very low thickness and these two distinct functions, in which the creation of a DTMF signal production device, presented an obstacle which was difficult to surmount without the inventive process of the applicant.
This invention therefore aims to supply a hybrid device which comes in the form of a card of very low thickness, capable of functioning as a smartcard with flush contacts and/or for the production of acoustic signals which can be transmitted by telephone. This device is mainly characterised in that it includes:
a first sheet, comprising the rear surface, bearing an interconnection pattern reserved for securing of the electronic components, and including a perforation suitable for the acceptance of a double-faced micromodule in such a manner that the metal contacts belonging to the first face, called the external face, of the micromodule, come flush with the lower face of the rear surface, and come into contact with an external reader in order to establish communication in the manner of a smartcard.
a second sheet comprising the front surface, and
an insert sheet placed between these two sheets, comprising the cut-outs which are suitable for housing the electronic components fixed to the rear surface, together with the metal coatings used to make an electrical connection, firstly with the metal contacts belonging to the second face, known as the internal face, of the micromodule, and secondly with a circuit for the production of sound signals, by means of an interconnection pattern on the rear surface, in order to establish communication by means of acoustic signals which can be transmitted over a telephone line.
A conventional micromodule, having only a single face, is generally specified as being formed from a set of elements, notably composed of an integrated-circuit chip, metal contacts used as the point of contact of the micromodule with an external device, and protection formed from a resin covering the chip, the connecting wires linking the chip to the metal contacts, and partially the metal contacts.
In addition, although it is possible to reduce, in a known manner, the thickness of most of the electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, integrated-circuit chip, sound transducer or battery, for example, to value below 0.8 mm, it is nevertheless very difficult to reduce the thickness of a resonator.
A resonator constitutes a time and frequency base, and is used to determine the two frequencies used for production of the DTMF signals. The thickness of a conventional resonator is of the ordeal of 1.6 mm, so that it is impossible to use it in a device with a thickness of some 0.8 mm.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5418688 (1995-05-01), Hertz
Gemplus
Graybill David E.
Plottel Roland
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