Capacitive antenna and method for making same

• US 20060164312A1
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: FCI
• Original Assignee: FCI
• Inventors: Mathieu, Christophe
• Application Number:
  US10/521,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20060164312A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for making a capacitive antenna (4) by performing a gravure process on the antenna comprising a single turn (9) connected to a capacitor (10), the turn and the capacitor being printed by a gravure process with a conductive ink. The use of a dielectric ink for the gravure process also enables a dielectric thickness (16) to be obtained between two conductive electrodes (14, 17) printed by gravure process. The capacitance of the capacitor is determined on the basis of the antenna inductance, the frequency of communication and the law of resonance whereto a chip (3) connected to said antenna (4) is subjected.

Claims

1. A coupling antenna comprising at least one loop present on a support, and connected to a capacitor present on this same support, the capacitor being mounted in parallel on both contact zones of the antenna, characterized in that the antenna and the capacitor are printed by gravure printing on the same support.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, further characterized in that the antenna comprises a single loop and is tuned to a medium-frequency carrier wave for transmission and reception.

3. The antenna according to claims 1, further characterized in that the antenna is tuned for a frequency of around 13.56 MHz.

4. The antenna according to claims 1, further characterized in that an insulating thickness between two electrodes of the flat capacitor is less than 10 micrometers.

5. The antenna according to one of claims 1, further characterized in that it is connected to an electronic chip.

6. A production process for an antenna comprising at least one loop connected to a capacitor, the antenna and the capacitor being present on the same insulating support, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

creating a first gravure printing of a conductive ink in order to obtain an open loop of the antenna, a lower electrode of the capacitor, and a connection between a first contact zone of the antenna and the lower electrode,

creating a second printing by gravure printing with a dielectric ink to cover the lower electrode with an insulating film,

creating a third printing by gravure printing with a conductive ink to obtain an upper electrode for the capacitor covering the insulating film, and to obtain a connection between a second contact zone of the antenna and the upper electrode.

7. The process according to claim 6, further characterized in that the insulating film is obtained by successive deposition of two dielectric ink layers printed by gravure printing.

8. The process according to one of claims 6, further characterized in that it comprises a final step consisting of:

depositing a metallized film by electrolysis onto the conductive ink layers belonging to the open loop of the antenna, the connection between the first contact zone of the antenna and the lower electrode, the upper electrode and the connection between the second contact zone of the antenna and this upper electrode.

9. The process according to claims 6, further characterized in that the surface of the capacitor to be printed by gravure printing is determined as a function of the thickness of the dielectric layer that can be deposited during the second printing.

10. The process according to claims 6, further characterized in that the two contact zones of the antenna are directly connected to an electronic chip with which the antenna cooperates.