Method for making contactless cards

• US 7,204,427 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemplus (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Patrice, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US11/244,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20060027668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 235/488, 257/679, 361/737, 438/125
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/1134 Stud bumping, i.e. using a wire-bonding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/13144 Gold [Au] as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16238 the bump connector connecting to a bonding area protruding from the surface of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/8114 Guiding structures outside the body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00013 Fully indexed content
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01057 Lanthanum [La]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49149 by metal fusion bonding

Abstract

A method for producing contact-free chip card includes embedding metallized bumps of the chip into an antenna as the chip is mounted on the antenna.

Claims

1. A contactless smart card, comprising:

an insulating substrate having a planar surface in a form factor of a smart card;

an antenna made from a conductive material disposed on said substrate, said antenna having a surface remote from said substrate that defines a plane parallel to said planar surface of said substrate;

an integrated circuit chip having a planar surface with contact pads thereon; and

metallized protrusions disposed on said contact pads, respectively, that extend away from said surface of said chip;

wherein said planar surface of said chip is contiguous with the plane defined by said surface of said antenna and said metallized protrusions are embedded in the material of said antenna.

2. The smart card of claim 1, wherein said protrusions have a thickness approximately equal to the thickness of the material forming said antenna.

3. The smart card of claim 1, wherein said protrusions have a substantially conical shape.

4. The smart card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material comprises a thermoplastic material having metallic particles dispersed therein.

5. The smart card of claim 1, wherein said conductive material comprises a thermosetting polymer having metallic particles dispersed therein.

6. The smart card of claim 1, further including an insulating substrate on the side of said chip opposite to said planar surface having said contact pads.

7. A contactless smart card, comprising:

an insulating substrate having the form factor of a smart card;

an antenna made from a conductive material disposed on said substrate, said antenna having a surface remote from said substrate that defines a plane;

an integrated circuit chip having a planar surface with contact pads thereon; and

metallized protrusions disposed on said contact pads, respectively, that extend away from said surface of said chip and have a thickness approximately equal to the thickness of the material forming said antenna;

wherein said planar surface of said chip is contiguous with the plane defined by said surface of said antenna and said metallized protrusions are embedded in the material of said antenna.

8. The smart card of claim 7, wherein said protrusions have a substantially conical shape.

9. The smart card of claim 7, wherein said conductive material comprises a thermoplastic material having metallic particles dispersed therein.

10. The smart card of claim 7, wherein said conductive material comprises a thermosetting polymer having metallic particles dispersed therein.

11. The smart card of claim 7 further including an insulating substrate on the side of said chip opposite to said planar surface having said contact pads.