Radio frequency identification tag

• US 5,682,143 A
• Filed: 09/09/1994
• Issued: 10/28/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Walker, George Frederick, Heinrich, Harley Kent, Brady, Michael John, Moskowitz, Paul Andrew, Cofino, Thomas, Johnson, Glen Walden
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US08/303,976
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572, 342/42, 342/44, 342/51, 343/795, 343/803-804, 343/808, 343/797, 343/742, 343/701, 343/793
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00
• 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: G06K 19/0775 arrangements for connecting the integrated circuit to the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07786 the antenna being of the HF type, such as a dipole
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4813 Connecting within a semiconductor or solid-state body, i.e. fly wire, bridge wire
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 Electromagnetic shielding
• 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 21/26 Turnstile or like antennas comprising arrangements of three or more elongated elements disposed radially and symmetrically in a horizontal plane about a common centre
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• 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: H01Q 9/16 with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1089 of discrete laminae to single face of additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1093 with covering of discrete laminae with additional lamina

Abstract

A radiofrequency identification tag has a semiconductor chip with radio frequency circuit, logic, memory circuits, and further includes an antenna that is mounted on a substrate. The antenna may be used by the chip to modulate an incident RF signal to transfer information to a base station. The antenna comprises one or more lengths of thin wire that are connected directly to the chip by means of wire bonding. The chip and antenna combination can be sealed with an organic film covering.

Claims

1. A radio frequency tag apparatus comprising:

a. a semiconductor having logic, an impedance, and memory, the semiconductor being mounted on a substrate;

b. a first and a second connection on the semiconductor, the impedance being between the first and second connection, the impedance being varied by the logic to modulate a radio frequency signal, the radio frequency signal having a frequency;

c. at least two spoolable first wires each having a bound end connected to the first connection by a wire bond connection and an open end that is unconnected;

d. at least two spoolable second wires each having a bound end connected to the second connection by a wire bond connection and an open end that is unconnected; and

e. an organic cover that surrounds the semiconductor, the first and second connections, and the first and second wires,

whereby the first and second wires form an antenna that transmits or reflects the radio frequency signal and the length of the first and second wires being determined by the frequency.

2. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 1, where the first and second wires are between 25 to 250 microns in diameter.

3. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 2, where the first and second wires are made of any one of the following:

aluminum alloy, gold plated copper, gold, gold alloy, copper, and copper alloy.

4. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 1, where the first and second wires are between 10 mm and 1000 mm in length.

5. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 1, where the antenna is resonant at the frequency.

6. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 1, that has an adhesive between the substrate and the cover, the adhesive fixedly connecting the wire, substrate and cover together.

7. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 6, where the adhesive is any one of the co-polymers including ethyl-vinyl-acetate epoxy, silicone and phenolic-butyral.

8. A radio frequency tag apparatus comprising:

a. a semiconductor having logic, at least two impedances, and memory, the semiconductor being mounted on a substrate;

b. more than one pair of a first and a second connection on the semiconductor, one of the impedances being between each pair of the first and second connections, the impedances being varied by the logic to modulate a radio frequency signal, the radio frequency signal having a frequency;

c. two or more pairs of wires, each pair having a first wire having a bound end connected to one of the first connections by a wire bond connection and an open end that is unconnected, a second wire having a bound end connected to one of the second connections by a wire bond connection and an open end that is unconnected, each pair of first and second wires forming an antenna that transmits or reflects the radio frequency signal and the length of the first and second wires being determined by the frequency; and

d. an organic cover that surrounds the semiconductor, the first and second connections, and the first and second wires.

9. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 8, where the first and second wire lengths are equal and each one is a quarter wavelength of the frequency in length.

10. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 8, where a first pair of wires is resonant at the frequency and a second pair of wires is resonant at a second frequency.

11. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 8, where at least one first pair of first and second wires is non parallel to at least one second pair of first and second wires.

12. A radio frequency tag apparatus comprising:

a. a semiconductor having logic, at least two impedances, and memory, the semiconductor being mounted on a substrate;

b. at least two pairs of first and second connections on the semiconductor, one of the impedances being between each pair of the first and second connections, the impedances being varied by the logic to modulate a radio frequency signal, the radio frequency signal having a frequency;

c. a spoolable wire corresponding to each said pair of connections and having a first bound end connected to the first connection thereof by a wire bond connection and a second bound end that is connected to the second connection thereof by a wire bond connection; and

d. an organic cover that surrounds the semiconductor, the first and second connections, and the wire,

whereby the wires form an antenna that transmits or reflects the radio frequency signal and the length of the wires is determined by the frequency.

13. A tag, as in claim 12, where the total length of each of the wires is such that the antenna is resonant at the frequency.

14. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 12, where a first one of said wires is resonant at a first frequency and a second one of said wires is resonant at a second frequency.

15. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 12, where the wires are between 25 to 250 microns in diameter.

16. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 15, where the wires are made of any of the materials including gold, copper, gold plated copper, aluminum alloy, copper alloy, and gold alloy.

17. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 12, where the wires are between 10 mm and 1000 mm in length.

18. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 12, where the wires are held to the substrate by one or more tabs.

19. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 12, where the wires are looped around one or more studs.

20. A radio frequency tag, as in claim 12, where the semiconductor has a first and second battery connection that are connected to a battery for semiconductor power.