Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-26
2003-02-18
Clark, Jasmine J B (Department: 2815)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
C257S666000, C257S679000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06521985
ABSTRACT:
This disclosure is based upon French Application No. 99/06585, filed on May 25, 1999 and International Application No. PCT/FR00/01268, filed May 11, 2000, which was published on Nov. 30, 2000 in a language other than English, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the manufacture of a portable electronic device including at least one integrated-circuit chip embedded in a support and electrically connected to interface elements consisting of a connection terminal block and/or an antenna.
These portable electronic devices constitute for example smart cards with and/or without contacts or electronic labels.
Smart cards with and/or without contacts are intended for performing various operations such as, for example, banking operations, telephone communications, various identification operations, or operations of the cash dispensing type.
Contact cards have metallisations flush with the surface of the card, disposed at a precise point on the card body, defined by the usual standard ISO 7816. These metallisations are intended to come into contact with a reading head of a reader with a view to an electrical transmission of data.
Contactless cards have an antenna for exchanging information with the outside by means of an electromagnetic coupling between the electronics of the card and a receiving appliance or reader. This coupling can be effected in read mode or in read/write mode, and the data transmission takes place by radio frequency or microwave.
There are also hybrid cards or “combicards” which have both metallisations flush with the surface of the card and an antenna embedded in the body of the card. This type of card can therefore exchange data with the outside either in contact mode or without contact.
As currently produced, the cards, with or without contact, are thin portable elements of standard dimensions. The standard ISO 7810 corresponds to a card with a standard format 85 mm long, 54 mm wide and 0.76 mm thick.
The majority of smart card manufacturing processes are based on the assembly of the integrated-circuit chip in a subassembly referred to as a micromodule which is connected to a communication interface and inset, that is to say placed in a cavity provided in a card body, using techniques known to experts.
A conventional manufacturing method is illustrated in FIG.
1
. Such a method consists in gluing an integrated-circuit chip
10
, disposing its active face with its contact pads
11
upwards, and gluing its opposite face to a dielectric support sheet
15
. The dielectric sheet
15
is itself disposed on a contact grid
18
such as a metallic plate made from nickel- and gold-plated copper for example. Connection wells
16
are formed in the dielectric sheet
15
in order to enable connection wires
17
to connect the contact pads
11
on the chip
10
to the contact areas on the grid
18
.
According to some variants, it is possible to glue the chip
10
, active face upwards, directly on the contact grid
18
, and then to connect it by hard wiring
17
.
In such a variant, the grid
18
is deposited on a dielectric support
15
and the contact connection areas on the said grid are defined by chemical etching or any other known means.
A protection or encapsulation step then protects the chip
10
and the soldered connection wires
17
. Use is generally made of a technique known as “glob top” in English terminology, which designates the coating of the chip from above. This technique consists in pouring a drop of resin
20
, based on epoxy for example, thermosetting or cross-linking under ultraviolet, on the chip
10
and its connection wires
17
.
FIG. 2
illustrates a variant embodiment in which the chip
10
is connected to the metallic grid
18
according to a “flip chips” method, which designates a known technique in which the chip is turned over.
In the example illustrated, the chip
10
is connected to the metallic grid
18
by means of a glue
350
with anisotropic electrical conduction which is well known and often used for mounting passive components on a surface. The output pads
11
on the chip
10
are placed opposite the connection areas on the grid
18
. This glue
350
in fact contains elastically deformable conductive particles which make it possible to establish electrical conduction along the z axis (that is to say along the thickness) when they are pressed between the output pads
11
and the connection areas on the grid
18
, whilst providing insulation in the other directions (x,y).
In a variant embodiment, the electrical connection between the chip
10
and the grid
18
can be improved by protrusions
12
, made from hot-melt alloy of the Sn/Pb type or conductive polymer, produced on the pads
11
on the chip
10
.
The dielectric support
15
with the chip
10
glued and protected by the resin
20
is cut in order to constitute a micromodule
100
.
In the case of a smart card with contact, the micromodule
100
is inset in the cavity in a previously decorated card body. This insetting operation can be effected by depositing a liquid glue in the cavity of the card body before attaching the micromodule.
FIG. 3
illustrates another insetting technique. The card body
110
is produced according to a conventional method, for example by injecting plastics material into a mould. The cavity
120
is obtained either by milling the card body, or by injection at the time of the manufacture of the card body in an adapted mould.
A heat-activated adhesive film
23
is deposited by hot lamination on the dielectric film
15
preferentially before the cutting out of the micromodule
100
. The latter is inset in the cavity
120
in the card body
110
and glued by reactivating the heat-activated adhesive
23
by hot pressing by means of a press
24
whose shape is adapted to that of the cavity
120
.
These known technologies for manufacturing contact cards have many drawbacks.
They require in fact a large number of operations. When protection by resin is effected, it is generally necessary to mill the resin in order to adapt its shape and thickness, which constitutes a tricky and expensive operation and one which places a stress on the chip.
In particular, the standard technology uses expensive techniques and a high-quality dielectric. The dielectric used is generally made from a glass epoxy composite or Kapton.
This is because the dielectric chosen must have properties of good resistance to temperature in order to be compatible with the insetting techniques described above.
In addition, the geometric definition of the different contacts and connection areas is generally obtained by chemical etching of the metallic grid deposited uniformly on the insulating support. However, chemical etching is an expensive operation.
In the case of a contactless smart card or an electronic label, the micromodule
100
is connected to an antenna
55
, as illustrated for example in FIG.
4
.
The antenna
55
is produced on an insulating support
52
consisting of PVC or PE or any other suitable material (polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene).
The antenna
55
is produced from a conductive material, in a coil, by screen printing with conductive ink, or by chemical etching of a metal deposited on an insulating support. It can have the shape of a spiral or any other pattern according to the required applications.
The chip
10
is glued and connected to connection areas on a metallic grid
18
by hard wiring
17
or according to any other known method, such as “flip chip” for example.
The chip
10
and its connection wires
16
are then protected by a resin
20
deposited according to the “glob top” technique described above, for example.
The connection between the antenna
55
and the metallic grid
18
can be effected by tin/lead soldering or by conductive gluing or lamination.
The body of the contactless card is then produced by hot lamination of plastic films in order to have the final thickness or by lining a resin between the two dielectric sheets
15
and
52
separated by a strut.
In the case of an
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Clark Jasmine J B
Gemplus
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