Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package – Smart card package
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2001-07-03
Clark, Sheila V. (Department: 2815)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
Smart card package
C257S678000, C257S692000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06255725
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an IC card, more particularly to a non-contact type IC card, and a plane coil used for such an IC card.
The non-contact type IC card includes: a plane coil in which a conductor is wound around a sheet-shaped card material a plurality of times; and a semiconductor electrically connected to the plane coil. The plane coil functions as an antenna by which information can be transmitted between a card processor and the IC card. When the plane coil is disposed between the card processor and the IC card, it is possible to transmit information between the card processor and a semiconductor element provided on the IC card in the non-contact condition.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART
Concerning the method of manufacturing a plane coil to be formed on an IC card, various methods are known. Examples of these methods are: a method in which a plane coil is formed in such a manner that a covered wire, which is covered with electrically insulating material, is wound so as to form the plane coil; a method in which a surface of a resin film is covered with a layer of metallic foil by means of sputtering, and then the layer of metallic foil is etched so as to form a plane coil; and a method in which a metallic sheet is subjected to punching so as to form a plane coil as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-310324.
FIG. 11
is a view showing an example of the arrangement of an IC card in which the semiconductor element
102
is mounted on the plane coil
100
. As shown in the drawing, the plane coil
100
is composed in such a manner that the conductor is wound on a face so that it cannot cross itself and the terminals
100
a
,
100
b
of the plane coil
100
are electrically connected with the electrodes of the semiconductor element
102
. Concerning the method of connecting the semiconductor element
102
with the plane coil
100
, the following methods can be provided. One of the methods is that the conductor of the plane coil
100
is put on the semiconductor element
102
as shown in FIG.
11
and the terminals
100
a
,
100
b
of the plane coil
100
are connected to the electrodes of the semiconductor element. The other method is that the terminals
100
a
,
100
b
of the plane coil
100
are drawn out to the inside or the outside of the plane coil, and the semiconductor element
102
is connected to the ends of the terminals
100
a
,
100
b
which have been drawn out.
However, as shown in
FIG. 11
, when the semiconductor element
102
is arranged in such a manner that it is put on the plane coil
100
, the thickness of the IC card is increased to a value corresponding to a total of the thickness of the plane coil
100
and the thickness of the semiconductor element
102
. Since the thickness is increased as described above, problems may be caused in the case where the thickness of the IC card must be restricted. Further, in order to connect the terminals
100
a
,
100
b
of the plane coil
100
to the electrodes of the semiconductor element
102
as they are, a distance between the electrodes of the semiconductor element
102
must be larger than the arrangement width of the plane coil
100
. Accordingly, in the case of a semiconductor element
102
, the size of which is smaller than the arrangement width of the plane coil
100
, it is impossible to adopt such an arrangement as shown in FIG.
11
.
In this connection, in some cases, a chip module is used instead of the semiconductor element
102
, and the terminals
100
a
,
100
b
of the plane coil
100
are connected to the electrodes of the chip module. In this case, the same problem may occur.
On the other hand, in the case where the terminals
100
a
,
100
b
of the plane coil
100
are arranged inside or outside of the plane coil
100
, it is necessary to bend end portions of the plane coil so that they can cross the plane coil
100
. Accordingly, the manufacturing process of the plane coil
100
would become complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an IC card characterized in that: a semiconductor element of any size can be easily mounted on the IC card; the thickness of the IC card can be appropriately reduced; and the IC card can be easily manufactured. It is another object of the present invention to provide a plane coil appropriately applied to the above IC card.
The present invention provides an IC card comprising: a semiconductor element having electrodes; a plane coil, formed in such a manner that a conductor is wound on the same face, having terminals at respective ends; an electrical connecting means for electrically connecting terminals at respective ends of the plane coil to the electrodes of the semiconductor element; and resin films for sealing the semiconductor element, plane coil and connecting means when they are interposed between the resin films, wherein the thickness of the semiconductor element is smaller than the thickness of the plane coil, the semiconductor element is arranged in a plane region which is in a range of the thickness of the plane coil and does not interfere with the conductor of the plane coil, and a thin wall thickness portion is formed on a front face of the conductor of the plane coil through which the connecting means can pass without protruding beyond the thickness of the plane coil.
The conductor of the plane coil is formed by punching a metallic sheet, and a thin wall thickness portion is formed in a predetermined portion of the conductor of the plane coil.
The conductor of the plane coil is formed by etching a metallic sheet, and a thin wall thickness portion is formed in a predetermined portion of the conductor of the plane coil.
The connecting means is composed of bonding wires, and bonding connection is made by end portions of the bonding wires between terminals at both ends of the plane coil and the electrodes of the semiconductor element.
An outer circumferential surface of the bonding wire is covered with an electrically insulating covering material.
The connecting means is composed of a film carrier in which an electrical conductive pattern is formed on an insulating film, and the electrical conductive pattern is electrically connected with the terminals at the respective ends of the plane coil and the electrodes of the semiconductor element.
The semiconductor element is arranged between the conductors, which are adjacent to each other, of the plane coil in which the conductors are wound.
The plane coil is composed in such a manner that the conductors, which are adjacent to each other, are curved on the same plane, and a region in which the semiconductor element is arranged is specified between the conductors which are adjacent to each other.
The semiconductor element is arranged outside the outer circumferential edge portion of the plane coil in which the conductors are wound or inside the inner circumferential edge portion.
The present invention provides a plane coil, for an IC card comprising a conductor, at respective ends of which terminals electrically connected with the semiconductor element, via the electrical connecting means, are arranged, wound on the same plane, wherein a thin wall thickness portion is formed in a surface portion of the conductor through which the electrical connecting means can pass without protruding from a range of the thickness of the conductor.
A surface of the thin wall thickness portion is covered with an insulating layer having an electrically insulating property.
The plane coil has a space in which the conductors, which are adjacent to each other, are curved on the same plane, and the semiconductor element is arranged between the conductors which are adjacent to each other.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5598032 (1997-01-01), Fidalgo
patent: 5705852 (1998-01-01), Orihara et al.
patent: 5710458 (1998-01-01), Iwasaki
patent: 5909050 (1999-01-01), Furey et al.
patent: 5986341 (1999-11-01), Usami et al.
patent: 6049461 (2000-04-01), Haghiri-Tehrani et a
Akagawa Masatoshi
Ito Daisuke
Clark Sheila V.
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Shinko Electric Industries Co. Ltd.
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