Integrated circuit wireless tagging

• US 6,525,410 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1999
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: DʼArrigo, Sebastiano, Marotta, Giulio G., Gelsomini, Tito
• Primary Examiner(s): CLARK, JASMINE JHIHAN B
• Application Number:
  US09/354,262
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 257/678, 257/664, 257/734, 434/855
• US Class Current: 257/678
• 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 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07775 the antenna being on-chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil

Abstract

A semiconductor device comprising an integrated circuit and an information unit, said unit being electrically separate from said integrated circuit; an integrated antenna electrically connected with said unit; and an electronic data bank integral with said unit. A method of fabricating an information unit into an integrated circuit chip comprising forming an integrated circuit into a semiconductor substrate using a plurality of process steps; concurrently forming an information unit using a selection of said process steps so that said unit becomes integrated into said chip but remains electrically separate from said integrated circuit; concurrently forming an antenna using a selection of said process steps so that said antenna becomes integrated into said chip and electrically connected to said information unit; providing a data bank within said information unit; and encoding electronic data permanently into said data bank.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a semiconductor chip comprising therein an integrated circuit and an information unit having a programmable data bank, said information unit being electrically isolated from said integrated circuit; and

an integrated antenna electrically disposed on said chip connected with said information unit.

2. A semiconductor chip comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

an integrated circuit in said substrate;

an information unit having a data bank disposed in said substrate electrically isolated from said integrated circuit; and

an antenna integrated into said substrate and electrically connected to said information unit.

3. The semiconductor chip according to claim 2 wherein said information unit comprises means for irreversibly encoding electronic data therein for tagging the chip.

4. The semiconductor chip according to claim 2 wherein said antenna is made of electrically conductive material of sufficient length which is positioned so that it remains electrically separate from the integrated circuit.

5. The semiconductor chip according to claim 2 wherein said antenna and said connected information unit comprise means for receiving constant radio-frequency signals from cooperating interrogation devices.

6. The semiconductor chip according to claim 2 wherein said information unit comprises means for modulating said received signals by encoding wave forms from said electronic data stored in said data bank.

7. The semiconductor chip according to claim 2 wherein said antenna and said connected information unit comprise means for sending said modulated signals, thereby responding to cooperating interrogation devices.

8. The semiconductor chip according to claim 2 wherein said semiconductor substrate comprises silicon, gallium arsenide or any other semiconductor material customarily used in electronic device production.

10. The semiconductor chip according to claim 4 wherein said fuses are made of metal as used for circuit interconnection or a doped polycrystalline semiconductor material.

12. The semiconductor chip according to claim 4, said chip further including dicing lines at its periphery, wherein said antenna is made of electrically conductive material used in sacrificial structures positioned in proximity to the dicing lines and electrically separate from the integrated circuit.

13. The semiconductor chip according to claim 5 wherein said means for receiving constant signals comprise continuous wireless powering of the information unit, thereby avoiding the need for storing operational energy in a capacitor.

14. The semiconductor chip according to claim 6 wherein said means for modulating said received signals comprise a rectifier bridge circuit, an electronic clock extraction circuit, and an electronic encoder/modulator circuit.

9. A semiconductor chip comprising:

a semiconductor substrate;

an integrated circuit in said substrate, defining the circuit surface;

an information unit, integrated into said circuit surface while remaining electrically separate from said integrated circuit;

said information unit having an electronic data bank; and

an antenna integrated into said circuit surface and electrically connected to said information unit;

said information unit comprising means for permanently encoding electronic data while said integrated circuit is being fabricated and characterized, thereby tagging the chip unchangeably;

said means for encoding data comprising a plurality of electrical fuses which can be irreversibly opened by laser pulses.

11. The semiconductor chip according to claim 9 wherein said electronic data comprise identifying information about design, fabrication, characteristics, and performance.