Method of manufacturing an IC coil mounted in an information carrier

• US 7,129,145 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2004
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Maxell, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Maxell, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Shin, Kawamura, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Picardat, Kevin M.
• Application Number:
  US10/969,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20050051872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 438/238, 438/329, 438/330, 438/381, 438/382, 438/384, 438/460, 438/462, 438/463, 438/669, 438/674, 257/531
• US Class Current: 438/381
• 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 19/07775 the antenna being on-chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49855 for flat-cards, e.g. credit cards cards per se G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5227 Inductive arrangements or effects of, or between, wiring layers other inductive arrangements H01L23/645
• 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 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

An information carrier in which an IC element formed integrally with a coil is mounted and which has an extended communication range and a method of manufacturing the same and a structure of the IC element appropriately suited for this sort of information carrier and a method of manufacturing the same. In the IC element, a conductor constituting the coil 3 is implemented in a multilayer structure including a metal-sputtered layer or alternatively a metal-evaporated layer 6 and a metal-plated layer 7. In the method of manufacturing the IC element, a precision electroforming method is employed as a means for forming the metal-plated layer 7. The information carrier is implemented in such a structure in which the IC element 1 is disposed at a center portion in a planar direction of a substrate 21. In a method of manufacturing the information carrier, strip material or materials 41 to 45 a given one of which has mounted thereon desired parts inclusive of the IC elements are manufactured, whereon desired information carriers 20a, . . . , 20h are formed by punching the strip material(s).

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an IC element, characterized in that said method comprises a step of forming uniformly a metal-sputtered layer or alternatively a metal-evaporated layer on a surface passivation film of a finished wafer manufactured through a predetermined process, a step of forming uniformly a photoresist layer on said metal-sputtered layer or alternatively on said metal-evaporated layer, a step of forming in said photoresist layer a predetermined pattern inclusive of a coil for contactless data communication with external equipment through light exposure and development to thereby expose said metal-sputtered layer or alternatively said metal-evaporated layer through said predetermined pattern, a step of laminating a metal-plated layer on exposed portions of said metal-sputtered layer or alternatively said metal-evaporated layer through an electroless plating method or alternatively an electroplating method or alternatively a precision electroforming method, a step of eliminating the photoresist layer deposited on said finished wafer, a step of forming a predetermined conductor pattern corresponding to said predetermined pattern by etching said metal-sputtered layer or alternatively said metal-evaporated layer exposed through said metal-plated layer, and a step of obtaining concerned IC elements each formed integrally with a coil by scribing said finished wafer.

2. A method of manufacturing an IC element, characterized in that said method comprises a step of forming uniformly a photoresist layer on a surface passivation film of a finished wafer manufactured through a predetermined process, a step of forming in said photoresist layer a predetermined pattern inclusive of a coil for contactless data communication with external equipment through light exposure and development to thereby expose said surface passivation film in said predetermined pattern, a step of mounting the finished wafer undergone a development processing on a sputtering apparatus or alternatively a vacuum evaporation apparatus and forming a metal-sputtered layer or alternatively a metal-evaporated layer on exposed portions of said surface protection film, a step of eliminating the photoresist layer deposited on said finished wafer, a step of forming a metal-plated layer on said metal-sputtered layer or alternatively on said metal-evaporated layer by resorting to an electroless plating method or alternatively an electroplating method, and a step of obtaining concerned IC elements each formed integrally with a coil by scribing said finished wafer.

3. A method for manufacturing an IC element in which antenna for wireless communication is uniformly formed, said method comprising at least steps of:

forming uniformly a conductive pattern at least including plurality of antenna for wireless communication over a surface protection film of a finished wafer formed by a predetermined process; and

obtaining an IC element in which at least one antenna is uniformly formed by way of a scriber wafer on which said conductive pattern is formed.

4. A method for manufacturing an IC element in accordance with claim 3, wherein said step of forming a conductive pattern further comprises at least steps of:

forming a metal sputtering layer or a metal deposition layer, and

forming metal plating on said metal sputtering layer or metal deposition layer.

5. A method for forming an IC element in an IC element according to claim 4, wherein said metal plating layer is formed by non-electrolytic plating, electrolytic plating or precision electroforming.