DE4345455B4 - Contactless chip card, linked to scanner - has a structured laminated assembly which avoids tension peaks especially on bending - Google Patents

Abstract

The contactless chip card has an antenna coil (7) and leads and/or contact points (10) on a conductor path film (6) of flexible and electrically insulating material. Each semiconductor chip is in a chip housing (1) centrally in the laminated structure of the chip card. A housing film (4) is in a central layer, of flexible and electrically insulating material, extending from the housing (1), for external electrical conductors (3) with the outer connections (5). Also claimed is a mfg. process where the connection points (5) are brought to a chip housing (1) for the external electrical conductors (3), with the contact points (10) of the conductor film (6). They are bonded by lamination.

Description

The invention relates to a chip card according to the preamble of patent claim 1 and to a corresponding manufacturing method. A chip card according to the preamble of claim 1 is made DE 41 05 869 A1 known.

The The invention relates to a contactless chip card with antenna coil and a process for their preparation.

The Data and energy transfer between contactless smart cards and the writing and reading stations is by means of inductive Coupling, microwave or capacitive coupling realized. Send- or receiving means are antennas or metallic surfaces in the chip card. To the existing dimensional standards and requirements to meet the mechanical load capacity of plastic cards is It requires that those occurring when using the smart card mechanical forces no damage of the semiconductor chip (s), the electrical connections or the transmitting and receiving means, called in the following antenna will cause.

in the The state of the art, it is known, for example, according to DE-OS 32 35 650, the chips on a flexible conductor foil by means of bonding method too Fasten.

Further, it is known from DE-OS 29 20 012 to mount the chips by means of Direktkontaktierungsverfahren. In these methods, the mechanical protection of the chip and the contact lines between the chip and printed circuit board is made with a curable casting or covering compound. For mechanical protection of the chip and for ease of assembly will be after DE 89 09 027 U1 respectively. G 89 09 027.6 DE-OS 34 20 051 and after EP 0 211 360 Protective rings, tissue platelets and similar materials or arrangements applied.

adversely in these arrangements and procedures is that the circuit board Layer is symmetrically laminated in the plastic card, resulting in increased Tensile stresses on the conductor tracks in the bending case leads. It is also disadvantageous that the chip is not exactly centered in the laminate. The material stratification of entire plastic card and especially in the chip area is unbalanced based on the central layer plane of the plastic card. In bending and torsion case of plastic card occur due to this material and arrangement inhomogeneities mechanical Voltage spikes, which destroy certain materials and thus can lead to the functional failure of the entire Plastikkar te. One Another disadvantage is that a layer and materialunsymmetric Built-up plastic card tends to sag.

in the Prior art has attempted to overcome these disadvantages by using very flat miniature housing partially bypass. Such solutions are described in IEE, Nov. 1991, pp. 46-49, Title: "Technology Eucourages Memory card. Market Growth. "Are unfavorable here the costly tape automatic bonding process and the relatively high housing costs. A similar Geometry and manufacturing technology are from Siemens propagated micropack (Siemens document B 1-83166).

Out DE 43 11 493 A For example, a multi-layer non-contact smart card is known with an antenna coil connected between these layers and connected to a chip.

Out EP 0 481 776 A2 is also a non-contact smart card is known in which the chip is mounted on a conductor foil and there with electrical components 23 , a battery 24 and an antenna coil is connected. The conductor foil 35 is then encapsulated in resin to form a module 39 manufacture. The module 39 is then placed in a plastic tub 26 inserted, which from above through another layer of plastic 28 is closed.

From WO 92/21105 a contactless chip card is also known in which a chip 4 and the associated antenna coil is enclosed between two internal layers of the card body.

It The object of the present invention is a solution for a lighter to be manufactured non-contact Chip card and specify a corresponding manufacturing process.

These Task is performed by the objects of Claims 1 and 5 solved. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

In the method, a conductor foil of flexible, electrically insulating carrier material, preferably with a thickness of greater than or equal to 25 microns, on one side with conductor tracks for the antenna and for contacting capacitors or resistors and chip housings provided. The conductor film has at least one opening for one-sided recording of the chip housing. If the conductor foil consists of a material which can not be welded to the other laminate layers of the plastic card, the conductor foil becomes smaller at least by a marginal zone which is wider than or equal to 2 mm wide along the future card edge the map surface is formed. The semiconductor chip is located in a layer-symmetrical chip housing, from which a housing film of flexible, electrically insulating material of the thickness of preferably less than or equal to 100 μm projects centrally. The housing film carries at least one side conductor tracks for contacting the chip, wherein the conductor tracks terminate in outer connection points.

The chip housing is placed on one side in the opening of the conductor foil so that the outer connection points of the housing film and the associated contact points of the conductor foil lie on each other. Housing film and conductor film are stapled together by gluing or welding. Subsequently, according to the intended thickness and design of the plastic card laminate film layers are provided according to the housing thickness with openings and laminated with laminate films without breakthroughs under or on the stitched conductor track and housing films and laminated together. Preferably, it is layered as follows:
Strip conductor film with a thickness of preferably 50 μm; Housing film, preferably 70 microns thick; Supporting a laminate film on the conductor film, preferably in the thickness of the upper half of the housing preferably of 200 microns and with a breakthrough in the size of the housing surface; Pad of a laminate film in the thickness of the lower half of the housing, preferably 200 microns with an opening, preferably in size of the housing surface and layering or overlaying the resulting laminate package with other, not perforated films.

The Arrangement and the procedure allow it, the layer structure of the chip card and the one or more included in it Chips, the electrical wires and additional protective layers completely symmetrical based on the middle of the layer make the chip card, and thus eventual, caused by design and material-related asymmetries mechanical stress peaks under mechanical stress of the chip card, especially with bending loads to avoid.

The Laminate exists over all layers of the same or similar material; the Leitbahnebenen are almost in the ideal middle layer of the laminate composite, the chip package is in the ideal middle of the layer composite, and all Layers are firmly welded together, at least at the edge edges, if the track and housing film made of non-weldable with the laminate films material. It is complete Layer symmetry of all materials in all places of the plastic card.

by virtue of the possible large-area design of the outer connection points and the contact points as well as the mechanical adjustment and locking the housing halves in the breakthroughs, is a simple matching of the slides possible.

One Another advantage is that double-sided conductor tracks for realization of intersections of conductor tracks in the crossing area or the partial isolation of one-sided traces on the relatively small, thus cheaper, housing film can be attached and that the conductor foil only on one side with conductor tracks and without additional Insulations cost-effective accomplished can be.

By the separation of the printed circuit board in conductor foil and housing film The chip contacting process and package fabrication can be cost effective Housing foil strips accomplished become. This antenna sizes and Chip types can be combined as desired until shortly before the laminate assembly process.

Farther It is beneficial to the housing film or in the breakthroughs the housing film capacitors or resistors to fix. A pre-check of the chip with elements of the external wiring is possible, the assembly and testing process can be performed on easily handled, endless conductor strips.

Also is it cheap All laminate layers with the exception of the housing film in multiple use to achieve high productivity in lamination.

Becomes a non-weldable with the material of the laminate layers carrier material for the Conductor film used, the multiple benefits of the conductor foil so with breakthroughs be provided that the individual antenna coils with each other in the edge zones through breakthroughs separated and outward only over narrow holding webs are interconnected.

Farther it is appropriate in the conductor foil in the not by the antenna conductor tracks or the housing film covered areas to provide networking breakthroughs. In these breakthroughs welded the material of the upper and lower laminate layer and improved so the overall strength of the card.

Advantageous is further to improve the adhesion between the thermoplastic laminate layer and the housing surface, on the housing surface thermoplastic material, preferably thermoplastic dissolved in solvent Material to apply.

Farther it is advantageous to use the housing surface with an electrostatic shielding material to occupy.

Finally is it cheap, several chips and their housing films to arrange in a chip card; the scope of functions and the memory area From smart cards can be flexible to install easy Increase fashion.

All The procedures and advantages mentioned can also be applied accordingly the production of contact smart cards and in the production laminated products with laminated electronic circuits, whose shape differs from a chip card and similar Apply products.

The Invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment. In the associated Drawings show:

1 the top view of a conductor foil,

2a the housing film in plan view with shorted connecting cables,

2 B the housing film in side view,

3 the conductor film after placing the housing film,

4 the position of the chip housing with housing film in section

5 a strip conductor foil on which a plurality of strip conductors are arranged in rows and columns,

6 a cross-section through a laminate film assembly immediately prior to lamination.

1 shows the top view of the conductor foil 6 for a contactless chip card. Along the chip card periphery is the antenna coil 7 with the supply line 8th and the contact points 10 arranged. The breakthrough 11 has the increased by a tolerance allowance size of the chip package 1 , The breakthrough 11 lies outside of the most flexurally-stressed zones (central axes) of the chip card.

In 2a is the housing film 4 in plan view and in 2 B shown in side view. In the chip housing 1 is located in a central position the semiconductor chip 2 , All-sided from the chip housing 1 protrudes the housing film 4 on the top of the outer electrical wires 3 carries, which with the outer connection points 5 that lie on the bottom of the housing film 4 already contacted by the manufacturing process of the film. The sides of the chip housing 1.1 and 1.2 are in the example ever 200 microns thick. The thickness of the housing film 4 is 80 microns, the size of the external junctions and pads each 1.0 × 1.0 mm ² . The housing film pieces 4 are in the manufacturing process in the form of a housing film strip 19 arranged.

Furthermore, the housing film 4 shown at the on the connecting lines 3 a shorting bridge 21 is appropriate. Disconnecting the shorting bridge 21 from the outer electrical wires 3 expediently takes place through the separating cut of the housing film 4 from the housing film tape 19 that by the divisional cut lines 23 is shown. This case can housing film 4 and / or the connection points 5 be connected during the assembly and Prüfarbeitsgänge with a provided with electrical contacts transducer. The connection is for example during the separation and during placement on the conductor foil 6 possible. In addition, the electrically conductive sensor can be switched so that the outer electrical lines 3 shorted and grounded. Sometimes it is also appropriate that the housing film 4 after separation and during handling and, if appropriate, fitting by the transducer provided with electrical contacts, it is picked up in such a way that, during the handling of the housing film 4 the electrical testing and / or programming of the housing film 4 located semiconductor chips 2 can be performed.

It is also possible that the antenna coil 7 on the conductor foil 5 before and during the installation of the housing film 4 is grounded and / or that the electrical contacts of the transducer before and / or after the electrical testing and / or programming of the semiconductor chip 2 be switched so that the electrical wires 3 the housing film 4 are grounded.

In 3 is the conductor foil 6 after positioning and placing the housing film 4 shown. One half of the case 1.1 fits in the breakthrough 11 the conductor foil 6 , Right on the contact points 10 the conductor foil 6 are congruent the outer connection points 5 the housing film 4 , The housing film 4 became thermally on the conductor foil 6 at the consortium 13 attached to.

4 shows in the section the position of the chip housing 1 and its housing film 4 after positioning on the conductor foil 6 and pinning over the compound sites 13 , At the contact point 10 the conductor foil 6 is directly the outer junction 5 the housing film 4 , The outer on circuit stelle 5 and the external electrical line 3 the housing film 4 are interconnected via the via 22 through the housing film 4 electrically connected. This makes it possible, the outer electrical lines 3 the housing film 4 electrically isolated over the intersecting turns of the antenna coil 7 the conductor foil 6 respectively.

If several strip of conductor pieces arranged line by line and column by column, the results in 5 illustrated conductor track benefits 18 , The separation of benefits 18 into individual plastic cards takes place after laminating the benefits 18 ,

6 illustrates an example of a laminafilm assembly immediately prior to lamination. The top laminate foil 17 and the bottom laminate film 16 are thermoplastic, clear laminate films of the thickness of 50 ... 80 microns. You are on laminate films 15 the thickness of 100 microns. These slides 15 . 16 and 17 have no breakthroughs 11 on. On the - seen from below - second laminate foil 15 is a 200 micron thick laminate film 15 in whose breakthrough 11 a page 1.2 of the chip housing 1 lies. The conductor foil 6 lies on the housing film 4 so the contact points 10 the conductor foil 6 and the connection points 5 the housing film 4 touch. This is followed by a 200 micron thick laminate film 15 with a breakthrough 11 in the size of the area of a page 1.1 of the chip housing 1 , In the example, the slides exist 15 . 16 and 17 made of polycarbonate and the films 4 and 6 made of polyester or epoxy glass fabric FR4. The surface of the chip housing 1 wears a coating 20 for improving the adhesion of the polycarbonate layers on the housing 1 ,

1

chip package

1.1

pages of the chip housing

 1.2

pages of the chip housing

2

Semiconductor chip

3

external electrical management

4

housing film

5

interchanges

6

Printed circuit film

7

antenna coil

8th

leads the antenna coil

9

border zone

10

contact points

11

breakthrough

12

resistance

13

Networking breakthroughs

14

connection

15

 laminate film

16

lowest laminate film

17

top laminate film

18

Use

19

Housing foil tape

20

Housing surface coating

21

Shorting

22

via

23

Separation line

24 retaining webs

Claims (14)

Chip card with a semiconductor chip ( 2 ), which is in a chip housing ( 1 ), an antenna coil ( 7 ) and a chip card housing and the antenna coil receiving laminated card body, characterized in that with the chip housing ( 1 ) a laterally excellent housing film ( 4 ), on the surface of which connection points ( 5 ) are provided, which via electrical lines ( 3 ) are connected to the semiconductor chip present in the chip housing, the antenna coil ( 7 ) on a conductor foil ( 6 ) is applied inside the card body and contact points ( 10 ), the housing film ( 4 ) with which the connection points ( 5 ) on the conductor sheet, and the contact points ( 10 ) of the conductor foil are arranged so that they coincide with the connection points ( 5 ) of the mounted housing film ( 4 ) and via an electrical connection is a contact between the contact points and the connection points. Chip card according to claim 1, characterized in that to avoid electrical contact between the on the housing film ( 4 ) extending electrical lines ( 3 ) and windings of the antenna coil ( 7 ) the electrical leads on the of the conductor foil ( 6 ) facing away from the housing film ( 4 ) and an electrical connection to the connection points ( 5 ) of the housing film via plated-through holes ( 22 ) through the housing film ( 4 ) he follows. Chip card according to claim 2, characterized in that the conductor foil ( 6 ) a breakthrough ( 11 ) in size of the chip housing ( 1 ) and the chip housing ( 1 ) protrudes into this breakthrough. Chip cards according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the housing film ( 4 ) and the conductor foil ( 6 ) at least partially by gluing or thermal processes at their joints ( 13 ) are interconnected. Method for producing a contactless chip card with an antenna coil ( 7 ), a plastic body laminated from multiple layers of thermoplastic material and a semiconductor chip ( 2 ), the method comprising the steps of: Application of the antenna coil, corresponding supply lines and contact points ( 10 ) on a layer of an electrically insulating material ( 6 ), preferably a conductor foil, providing a housing film ( 4 ) with connection points ( 5 ) and associated electrical lines ( 3 ), Connecting the electrical leads to the chip contacts and capsules of the chip in a housing ( 1 ) such that the housing film projects laterally therefrom, bringing the connection points ( 5 ) with the contact points ( 10 ) and then bonding by lamination. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the lamination takes place in two stages, wherein in a first stage on the conductor foil ( 6 ) perforated laminate films ( 15 ) and laminated until a thickness of the laminate is greater than or equal to the thickness of the chip package ( 1 ) and wherein in a second stage in a further lamination further laminate films ( 15 . 16 . 17 ) are laminated with no breakthroughs, wherein the second stage lamination temperature is preferably selected to be less than or equal to the first stage lamination temperature. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the conductor foil ( 6 ) and the other laminate films ( 15 . 16 . 17 ) in the longitudinal and transverse directions several times side by side in a use ( 18 ) are arranged and separated after lamination in chip card-sized areas. Method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the housing film ( 4 ) with the chip housing ( 1 ) in band form ( 19 ) and before positioning the housing film ( 4 ) and chip housing ( 1 ) to the conductor foil ( 6 ) a housing film section ( 4 ) with chip housing ( 1 ) from the band ( 19 ) is cut. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that after the positioning of the housing film ( 4 ) and the chip housing ( 1 ) on the conductor foil ( 6 ) or in their breakthroughs ( 11 ) the housing film ( 4 ) and the conductor foil ( 6 ) at least partially by gluing or thermal processes at the composite sites ( 13 ). Method according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the outer electrical lines ( 3 ) of the housing film ( 4 ) electrically with each other by a shorting bridge ( 21 ) and the shorting bridge ( 21 ) before placing the housing film on the conductor film ( 6 ) is separated. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that the separation of the shorting bridge ( 21 ) from the outer electrical lines ( 3 ) through the separating cut of the housing film ( 4 ) from the housing film strip ( 19 ) he follows. Method according to one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the housing film ( 4 ) and / or the conductor foil ( 6 ) are connected during the assembly and testing operations with a provided with electrical contacts transducer. Method according to one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that the conductor foil ( 6 ) in the longitudinal and transverse directions several times side by side in a use ( 18 ) is arranged and each with retaining webs ( 24 ) connected is. Method according to one of claims 6 to 13, characterized in that the conductor foil ( 6 ) Networking breakthroughs ( 14 ) having.