RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) ANTENNA CONTAINING ELEMENT AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME

• US 20090199966A1
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: DIMALANTA, Eric, COLEMAN, James P., AKHAVE, Jay
• Granted Patent: US 8,191,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07718 the record carrier being manufactured in a continuous process, e.g. using endless rolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07728 the record carrier comprising means for protection against impact or bending, e.g. protective shells or stress-absorbing layers around the integrated circuit
• 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 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0271 Arrangements for reducing stress or warp in rigid printed circuit boards, e.g. caused by loads, vibrations or differences in thermal expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0191 Using tape or non-metallic foil in a process, e.g. during filling of a hole with conductive paste
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0522 Using an adhesive pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1545 Continuous processing, i.e. involving rolls moving a band-like or solid carrier along a continuous production path
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/041 by using a die for cutting the conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/046 by selective transfer or selective detachment of a conductive layer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/386 by the use of an organic polymeric bonding layer, e.g. adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1082 Partial cutting bonded sandwich [e.g., grooving or incising]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/11 Methods of delaminating, per se; i.e. , separating at bonding face
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1994 Means for delaminating from release surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) antenna containing element is provided. The RF antenna containing element includes a reinforced metal foil laminate antenna bonded to a carrier layer. The reinforced metal foil laminate antenna includes a metal foil layer bonded to a reinforcement layer. The reinforcement layer can mitigate tearing of the metal foil layer during formation of the antenna.

Claims

1. A method of forming a radio frequency (RF) antenna containing element, the method comprising:

providing a reinforced metal foil laminate comprising a metal foil layer bonded to a reinforcement layer, and a carrier layer bonded to the metal foil laminate;

cutting an antenna pattern through the metal foil laminate to the carrier layer; and

removing an undesired matrix portion of the reinforced metal foil laminate to provide a metal foil laminate antenna disposed on the carrier layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cutting an antenna pattern through the metal foil laminate to the carrier layer comprises performing a partial die cut with a die cutter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the performing a partial die cut comprises performing a cross-cut with a die having a generally X-shaped gap portion that separates a gap area into four distinct quadrants, wherein the removing an undesired matrix portion of the reinforced metal foil laminate comprises removing two of the four distinct quadrants to provide opposing generally painted antenna contact end tips.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising registering a through hole within the gap area to remove portions of the antenna contact end tips to define a gap of a desired width between the antenna contact end tips.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal foil laminate bonded to a carrier layer is unwound from a web and fed to a die cutter for repeatedly die cutting antenna patterns through the metal foil laminate to the carrier layer to form a plurality of reinforced metal foil laminate antenna structures, the web being stripped by a stripper that separates the undesired matrix portion from the plurality of reinforced metal foil laminate antenna structures, the plurality of reinforced metal foil laminate antenna structures being wound into an antenna/carrier roll via a first rewinder and the undesired matrix portion being wound into a matrix roll via a second rewinder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal foil layer is formed from aluminum foil that has a thickness in the range of about 1.5 microns to about 20 microns, the reinforcement layer is formed from a polymeric film having a thickness in the range of about 1 mils to about 1 mil, and an adhesive layer that bonds the metal foil layer to the reinforcement layer has a thickness in the range of about 1 micron to about 3 microns.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the cutting an antenna pattern through the metal foil laminate to the carrier layer further comprises cutting the antenna pattern through an adhesive layer that bonds the reinforced metal foil laminate to the carrier layer, the carrier layer including a release layer to facilitate removing of the undesired matrix portion.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming contact extensions that extend between antenna contact ends into a gap between the antenna contact ends to allow for direct RFID chip placement.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the forming contact extensions comprises:

bonding a first foil strip to a first antenna contact end, such that the first copper foil strip overlies a portion of the gap;

bonding a second foil strip to a second antenna contact end, such that the second copper foil strip overlies a portion of the gap;

concurrently shaping the first foil strip to have a generally right angle bend at the first antenna contact end and a generally right angle bend at a top surface of the carrier layer, and the second foil strip to have a generally right angle bend at the second antenna contact end and a generally right angle bend at the top surface of the carrier layer, such that ends of the first and second foil strips at the top surface of the carrier layer provide bonding pads for direct chip placement.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the concurrently shaping the first foil strip and the second foil strip further comprises welding the first foil strip to the first antenna contact end and the top surface of the carrier layer and the second foil strip to the second antenna contact end and the top surface of the carrier layer with a weld head having a desired shape for shaping the first and second foil strips into first and second contact extensions.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the forming contact extensions comprises electroplating copper contact extensions via an electroplating process.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the forming contact extensions comprises building layers of at least one of copper, conductive ink and conductive adhesive from the carrier layer to the respective antenna contact ends.

13. A method of forming a radio frequency (RF) antenna containing element, the method comprising:

providing a metal foil laminate having a metal foil layer bonded to a reinforcement layer;

providing a carrier layer;

patterning an antenna adhesive pattern to one of the reinforcement layer and carrier layer;

laminating the carrier layer and the reinforcement layer;

cutting an antenna pattern in registration with the antenna adhesive pattern through the metal foil laminate to the carrier layer; and

removing an undesired matrix portion of the reinforced metal foil laminate to provide a metal foil laminate antenna disposed on the carrier layer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein antenna adhesive pattern is formed from a ultra-violet (UV) curable adhesive, the antenna adhesive pattern being exposed to a UV light source prior to the cutting an antenna pattern.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the cutting an antenna pattern through the metal foil laminate to the carrier layer comprises performing a partial die cut with a die cutter.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the performing a partial die cut comprises performing a cross-cut with a die having a generally X-shaped gap portion that separates a gap area into four distinct quadrants, wherein the removing an undesired matrix portion of the reinforced metal foil laminate comprises removing two of the four distinct quadrants to provide opposing generally painted antenna contact end tips.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising registering a through hole within the gap area to remove portions of the antenna contact end tips to define a gap of a desired width between the antenna contact end tips.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the metal foil laminate is unwound from a first web and a carrier layer is unwound from a second web, one of the first web and second web being fed to an adhesive pattern coater for patterning an antenna adhesive pattern to one of the reinforcement layer and the carrier layer and laminated the carrier layer and the reinforcement layer to provide a resultant web, the resultant web is fed to a die cutter for repeatedly die cutting antenna patterns in registration with the adhesive antenna patterns through the metal foil laminate to the carrier layer to form a plurality of reinforced metal foil laminate antenna structures, the resultant web being stripped to separate an undesired matrix portion from the plurality of reinforced metal foil laminate antenna structures, the plurality of reinforced metal foil laminate antenna structures being wound into an antenna/carrier roll via a first rewinder and the undesired matrix portion being wound into a matrix roll via a second rewinder.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the metal foil layer is formed from one of aluminum foil that has a thickness in the range of about 1.5 microns to about 20 microns, the reinforcement layer is formed from one of a polymeric film and paper, the reinforcement layer having a thickness in the range of about 0.1 mils to about 1 mil, and an adhesive layer that bonds the metal foil layer to the reinforcement layer, the adhesive layer has a thickness in the range of about 1 micron to about 3 microns.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming contact extensions that extend between antenna contact ends into a gap between the antenna contact ends to allow for direct chip placement.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the forming contact extensions comprises:

bonding a first foil strip to a first antenna contact end, such that the first copper foil strip overlies a portion of the gap;

bonding a second foil strip to a second antenna contact end, such that the second copper foil strip overlies a portion of the gap;

concurrently shaping the first foil strip to have a generally right angle bend at the first antenna contact end and a generally right angle bend at a top surface of the carrier layer, and the second foil strip to have a generally right angle bend at the second antenna contact end and a generally right angle bend at the top surface of the carrier layer, such that ends of the first and second foil strips at the top surface of the carrier layer provide bonding pads for direct chip placement.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the concurrently shaping the first foil strip and the second foil strip further comprises welding the first foil strip to the first antenna contact end and the top surface of the carrier layer and the second foil strip to the second antenna contact end and the top surface of the carrier layer with a weld head having a desired shape for shaping the first and second foil strips into first and second contact extensions.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the forming contact extensions comprises electroplating copper contact extensions via an electroplating process.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the forming contact extensions comprises building layers of at least one of copper, conductive ink and conductive adhesive from the carrier layer to the respective antenna contact ends.