Substrate which is made from paper and is provided with an integrated circuit

• US 7,032,828 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2004
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Arjowiggins Sas (UFK Management Holding GmbH)
• Original Assignee: VHP Veiligheidspapierfabriek Ugchelen B.V. (Antalis Ltd.), Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: De Leeuw, Dagobert Michel, Krul, Johannes, Matters, Marco, Hart, Cornelis Maria, de Hesse, Wilhelm Bernardus
• Primary Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US10/983,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20050109851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/492, 235/441, 235/451, 902/1, 902/25, 902/26, 902/29, 283/72, 283/83, 283/98, 283/86, 283/70, 162/163, 340/572.7, 340/572.1, 340/572.8, 257/40, 257/774, 361/725, 359/2
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: D21H 21/48 Elements suited for physical verification, e.g. by irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/02 characterised by the selection of materials, e.g. to avoid wear during transport through the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07743 External electrical contacts

Abstract

The invention relates to a substrate which is made from paper and is provided with at least one integrated circuit which is produced from a semiconductive organic polymer. A semiconductive organic polymer of this nature, when used as the base material for the integrated circuit, leads to the possibility of directly producing the substrate in the required thickness, to the need for support layers and/or protective layers being eliminated, and to the possibility of reducing the cost price of the substrate compared to substrates which comprise an integrated circuit of the silicon type.

Claims

1. A substrate which is made from paper, comprising:

an optically active element connected to at least one integrated circuit, wherein the integrated circuit is flexible and comprises a semiconductive organic polymer, the optically active element providing conductive parts for readout and current supply of the integrated circuit.

2. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the organic polymer is at least one conjugated polymer.

3. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the organic polymer is at least one selected from the group consisting of oligomeric pentacene, poly(thienylene vinylene) and poly-3 alkylthiophene.

4. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is a contactlessly readable integrated circuit which can be read in an inductive or capacitive manner.

5. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a conductive security thread which is connected to the integrated circuit wherein the security thread is at least one of a contact for readout operations and a contact for current supply.

6. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit comprises a code of an intrinsic property of the substrate, which code, after the security paper has been produced, is arranged in the integrated circuit.

7. The substrate according to claim 6, wherein the code is an encrypted code.

8. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises one or more additional security features.

9. The substrate according to claim 1, further comprising at least one additional security feature selected from the group consisting of a dye, a fluorescence material, a luminescent material and a phosphorescent material.

10. The substrate according to claim 1, which is a banknote.

11. The substrate according to claim 10 having a thickness up to 100 μ

m.

12. The substrate according to claim 1, which is a security paper.

13. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the paper comprises natural fibers.

14. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the optically active element is connected to the integrated circuit by one or more conductive connections.

15. The substrate according to claim 14, wherein the conductive connection is at least one of a conductive metal and a conductive polymer.

16. The substrate according to claim 1, comprising, in the following order, a paper substrate, the integrated circuit, and the optically active element covering the integrated circuit,

wherein the optically active element comprises at least two conductive portions separated by a non-conductive portion.

17. The substrate according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the conductive portions is covered by a chemically inert layer and the integrated circuit is powered capacitively.

18. The substrate according to claim 16, wherein the integrated circuit is in direct contact with the substrate, both conductive portions of the optically active element, the non-conductive portion separating the conductive portions of the optically active elements are in contact with the integrated circuit, and the optically active element is further in direct contact with the substrate.

19. The substrate according to claim 16, further comprising a security thread having a conductive portion in contact with each conductive portion of the optically active element and separated by the non-conductive portion of the optically active element.

20. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the conductive portions are protected by a chemically inert, electrically non-conductive layer.

21. An optically active element, comprising:

a flexible integrated circuit made from a semiconductive organic polymer,

wherein one or more parts of the optically active element are conductive parts for read out and current supply of the integrated circuit.

22. The optically active element according to claim 21, wherein the conductive parts are protected by a chemically inert, electrically non-conductive layer.