Apparatuses and methods for forming wireless RF labels

• US 7,559,486 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RUIZHANG TECHNOLOGY LIMITED COMPANY
• Original Assignee: Alien Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Jacobsen, Jeffrey Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; Howard
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAO, SHRINIVAS H
• Application Number:
  US11/641,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 238/385, 361/737, 385/2, 385/4, 385/8, 385/14, 385/15, 385/42
• US Class Current: 238/365
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95085 being a liquid, e.g. for fluidic self-assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/95 at chip-level, i.e. with connecting carried out on a plurality of singulated devices, i.e. on diced chips
• 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 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01029 Copper [Cu]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01047 Silver [Ag]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01049 Indium [In]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12044 OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1306 Field-effect transistor [FET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1461 MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15153 the die mounting substrate comprising a recess for hosting the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15155 the shape of the recess being other than a cuboid
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15165 : Monolayer substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 : Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 : Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/129 : Chiplets
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 : Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 : Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 : Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 : Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 : Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for forming wireless RF labels are claimed. In one embodiment, a flexible layer may be made to receive an array of integrated circuit chips The integrated circuit chips may be powered by a signal from a transmitter which beams the information to the wireless RF labels. The method includes coupling a plurality of integrated circuit chips to a flexible web material and advancing the flexible web material through a web processing apparatus. A metallization material is patterned on the flexible web material. The flexible web material can be coupled to a second web material.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an RF transponder label comprising:

placing a plurality of integrated circuit chips onto a flexible web material, the integrated circuit chips each being a wireless RF transponder device;

advancing the flexible web material through a web processing apparatus that performs a continuous web process;

patterning a metallization material onto the flexible web material to form interconnects for each wireless RF transponder device;

separating the flexible web material; and

coupling the flexible web material to a second web material in a further continuous web process and wherein the placing is performed by a robotic arm.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising viewing the surface of the flexible web material with an electronic eye to check for empty recessed regions.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising laser etching the flexible web material.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the metallization material includes at least one of a conductive polymer, conductive oxide, aluminum, copper, silver, gold, metal particles, and teflon with metallic particles.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit chips are configured to be powered by a signal from a transmitter.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the transmitter is a portable device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the RF transponder comprises a flexible antenna.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a length of the flexible material is more than ten times greater than a width of the flexible material.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit chips include at least one of detector, comparator, bias generator, and plurality of amplifiers.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the RF transponder further comprises a photo-voltaic cell.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit chip requires a security code before an update.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit chip is configured to compare an address in a received signal to an address stored in the integrated circuit chip.

13. A method for manufacturing an RF transponder comprising:

viewing a surface of a flexible web material with an electronic eye;

placing with a robotic arm a plurality of integrated circuit chips onto the surface of the flexible web, the integrated circuit chips each being a wireless RF transponder device;

advancing the flexible web material through a web processing apparatus that performs a continuous web process;

patterning a conductive material onto the flexible web material to form interconnects for each wireless RF transponder device;

separating the flexible web material; and

coupling the flexible web material to a second web material in a further continuous web process.

14. A method for manufacturing an RF transponder comprising:

placing a plurality of integrated circuit chips onto a web material, the integrated circuit chips each comprising a wireless RF transponder device being configured to be powered by a signal from a transmitter;

advancing the web material through a web processing apparatus that performs a continuous web process;

patterning a metallization material onto the web material to form interconnects for each wireless RF transponder device;

separating the web material;

and coupling the web material to a second web material in a further continuous web process and wherein the placing is performed by a robotic arm.