Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package – Smart card package
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-12
2004-11-09
Cao, Phat X. (Department: 2814)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
Smart card package
C257S684000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06815809
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a portable electronic device, substantially in the form of a card, provided with an integrated circuit which has a first side and an opposite second side, comprising on the first side a first electrically conductive face and on the second side a second electrically conductive face, the device further comprising a first and a second electrically conductive structure, the first structure being situated on the first side of the integrated circuit and the second structure being situated on the second side of the integrated circuit, data and energy being transferable to the integrated circuit from a base station via said structures and faces.
The invention also relates to an integrated circuit which has a first and an opposite second side, on the first side having a substrate with a first electrically conductive face and on the second side a second electrically conductive face, the faces being suitable for transferring data and energy.
The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing a portable electronic device substantially in the form of a card, which device comprises an integrated circuit with a first and a second side, the first side having a first electrically conductive face and the second side a second electrically conductive face and a carrier.
The invention further relates to a carrier.
Such an electronic device is known from NL9200885. The known device is a single-use chip card. The integrated circuit in the known device is arranged in a through-hole in a substrate. The electric faces of the circuit are electrically connected to the structures i.e. contact points for contact with a base station. The contact points are preferably arranged as thin pieces of metal foil on the surfaces on both sides of the substrate, which contact points are connected to the faces of the integrated circuit via electrically conductive glue.
A disadvantage of the known device is that it is highly vulnerable to variations of thickness of either the integrated circuit or the substrate. Such variations may cause the contact to the contact points—the first and second structures—to be lost, so that the device no longer functions. It is probably for this reason that the known device according to the state of the art is a disposable article which is suitable for single use.
Therefore, it is a first object of the invention to provide an electronic device of the type defined in the opening paragraph, which is much less vulnerable to variations of thickness of either the integrated circuit or the carrier and in which nevertheless there is proper contact between the integrated circuit and the first and second structures of the device.
It is a second object of the invention to provide an integrated circuit of the type defined in the opening paragraph, which may be applied in portable electronic devices irrespective of its thickness.
It is a third object of the invention to provide a method of the type defined in the opening paragraph with which a multitude of the electronic device according to the invention can be manufactured efficiently.
It is a fourth object of the invention to provide a carrier which may be used in the method according to the invention.
The first object is achieved in that the first structure and the first face together with an intermediate layer of dielectric material form a capacitor. Data and energy may be transferred in the device according to the invention from the first structure to the first face with the aid of capacitive coupling. The first face may be made sufficiently large to provide an acceptable transfer of data and energy. The first face preferably covers one side of the integrated circuit and has a face of the order of 0.1 to 0.5 mm
2
. A favorable thickness of the intermediate layer of dielectric material is of the order of 1 &mgr;m to 1 mm. When there is a capacitive coupling between the first structure and a base station, the thickness is preferably of the order of 1 to 50 &mgr;m. This thickness further depends on the dielectric constant of the dielectric material. It then turns out that the current flowing through parasitic capacitors is small relative to the current flowing through the capacitor according to the invention. A parasitic capacitor is, for example, the capacitor that is formed by the first and second structures with the intermediate layers. Thanks to a favorable choice of patterns forming these structures, parasitic capacitors may further be avoided to a very large extent. The dielectric layer between the integrated circuit and the first structure then prevents the problems with a contact between the first structure and the first face. For example, it is not necessary for a through-hole to be present in the card to arrange the integrated circuit in. Neither is it desirable for the integrated circuit to slightly protrude from to the card. Furthermore, it is not necessary for the conductive structure to be situated on the outside of the card.
In an advantageous embodiment, the device according to the invention has between the second structure and the second face also a layer of dielectric material which together form a second capacitor. The presence of a second capacitor is advantageous for the isolation of the integrated circuit from moist and other external influences. This presence is furthermore advantageous in that the manufacturing of the device can be simplified; a means of attachment of the integrated circuit to the conductive structures may be provided on the conductive structures. It is then particularly advantageous for the conductive structures to be part of a single layer of conductive material which envelops the integrated circuit as part of a carrier. The means of attachment is preferably glue.
On the other hand, the integrated circuit may be connected on its second face to the second structure with the aid of a layer of electrically conductive glue. It is particularly favorable for a layer of—possibly electrically conductive—glue to be spread over substantially the whole second structure and/or the whole first structure. The glue provides a firm connection of the first side to the second side of the device. Moreover, the glue provides that the integrated circuit has a stable position, so that the capacitors function well. Such a stable position can obviously also be realized with different means such as, for example, a clamp, a through-hole in which the IC is situated or glue on the first and second faces of the IC. An advantage of glue on the first and/or second structure is, however, that this may be realized in a simple manner in vast amounts.
The coupling between the device according to the invention and the base station may take place both with an electric contact and in a contactless manner. Examples of contactless coupling are capacitive and inductive couplings. In case inductive coupling is applied, for example the first structure has a helical pattern in which capacitor electrodes are included at at least two locations. These capacitor electrodes form part of the first capacitor between the first structure and the integrated circuit and of a capacitor between the first structure and the second structure.
In an advantageous embodiment the first and second structures are covered on both sides by an enveloping layer of dielectric material which extends as an envelope on the first and second sides of the integrated circuit. The enveloping layer in this example of embodiment has the advantages of both large robustness and simple manufacture. As a result of the complete envelope there is a good protection of the device against the effects of moist, oxygen and other sources of corrosion or pollution. The enveloping layer is preferably flexible. This can be realized, for example, by making the enveloping layer of a polymer dielectric material.
In a further embodiment the first structure and the second structure form part of a layer of electrically conductive material and form the enveloping layer, the layer of electrically conductive material and the layer of glue together forming a carrier. An advant
Bordes Bente Adriaan
Hart Cornelis Maria
Cao Phat X.
Koninklijke Philips Electronics , N.V.
Simons Kevin
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