RFID tag in a substrate

• US 20060109120A1
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Posamentier, Joshua, Burr, Jeremy, Adams, Lew, Kommandur, Badari, Tyo, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US10/993,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20060109120A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/34 Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line switching, multiplexing, gating devices G01R19/25; process control with lithography, e.g. dose control, G03F7/20; structures for alignment control by optical means G03F7/70633
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna and/or RFID tag circuit may be fabricated on a substrate. The substrate may be a wafer, a die created from a wafer, or an integrated circuit package substrate. The RFID tag may also be distributed between the die and the package substrate in an integrated circuit package. In some embodiments the RFID tag may be fabricated in the lower layers of the substrate and become operational before the rest of the circuitry on the substrate has been fabricated.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

a wafer comprising

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit fabricated on the wafer;

and

an RFID antenna fabricated on the wafer and electrically coupled to the RFID tag circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the wafer further comprises a second circuit; and

the RFID tag circuit is contained in fabrication layers that enable the RFID tag circuit to be operational before completion of fabrication of the second circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the second circuit is electrically coupled to the RFID tag circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag circuit and the RFID antenna are disposed external to a die fabrication area on the wafer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag circuit is disposed internal to a single-die area on the wafer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the RFID antenna is at least partially disposed on a scribe line for the single-die area.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the RFID antenna is disposed inside scribe lines for the single-die area.

8. A method, comprising:

performing fabrication operations on a wafer sufficient to produce an operational radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in each of multiple single-die areas of the wafer and sufficient to partially produce circuits in each of the multiple single-die areas of the wafer;

wherein the fabrication operations are insufficient to complete fabrication of the circuits.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising operating the RFID tags subsequent to said performing fabrication operations to determine identifiers of the RFID tags.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising performing, subsequent to said operating, additional fabrication operations on the wafer to further produce the circuits.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising cutting the wafer into individual dice subsequent to said performing additional fabrication operations.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising operating the RFID tags again subsequent to said cutting.

13. An apparatus comprising

an integrated circuit package comprising:

a integrated circuit die including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit;

an integrated circuit package substrate coupled to the integrated circuit die; and

an RFID antenna coupled to the RFID tag circuit.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the RFID antenna comprises a metal trace disposed on the integrated circuit package substrate.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the RFID antenna comprises a wire substantially not in physical contact with the integrated circuit package substrate.

16. An apparatus, comprising

a substrate comprising an antenna for a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag fabricated thereon.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the substrate is one of an integrated circuit die and an integrated circuit package substrate.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the substrate further comprises an RFID tag circuit.