Thin smart card module having strap on carrier
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A Smart Card chip module comprising:
- a semiconductor Smart Card chip having a first length, a width, a first thickness, and first and second metallic contact bumps of a height;
a substrate consisting of an insulating bottom layer and an metal top layer adhering continuously to the insulating bottom layer, the metal layer patterned into a strap having a first and a second half separated by a hiatus smaller than the first length;
a sheet-like metallic carrier, the carrier having a second thickness about equal to the sum of the first thickness and the bump height, the carrier patterned into a first and a second portion separated by a gap having a width at least equal to the first length for receiving the chip wherein a top of the carrier is substantially the same height from the substrate as the mounted chip;
the carrier conductively contacting the substrate so that the first carrier portion rests on and is electrically connected to the first strap half, the second carrier portion rests on and is electrically connected to the second strap half, and the hiatus is approximately in the center of the gap, wherein the insulating substrate layer bridges the carrier gap;
the chip in contact with the substrate so that the first length is within the carrier gap, the first bumps contacting the first strap half and the second bumps contacting the second strap half, wherein the chip spans over the hiatus between the halves and wherein the chip is electrically connectable to an external circuit via the strap and the carrier;
an adhesive polymer compound filling the space under the chip span and filling the hiatus; and
an encapsulation compound filling any space of the carrier gap not occupied by the chip.
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Abstract
A Smart Card module with flip-assembled chip (101) on a metallic strap (112) adhering to an insulating substrate (111). Chip (101) is in the gap (122) of a metal carrier (120), strap (112) conductively attached to the carrier. Carrier (120) is designed to practically surround the chip, and has a thickness about equal to the chip thickness. Overall module thickness is less than 250 μm without dangerously thinning the chip. Additional strength may be acquired by filling any space of gap (122) not occupied by chip (101) with encapsulation compound (150). Metal carrier (120) further provides contact areas (120a, 120b) for higher level system interconnection (stacking of modules).
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A Smart Card chip module comprising:
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a semiconductor Smart Card chip having a first length, a width, a first thickness, and first and second metallic contact bumps of a height; a substrate consisting of an insulating bottom layer and an metal top layer adhering continuously to the insulating bottom layer, the metal layer patterned into a strap having a first and a second half separated by a hiatus smaller than the first length; a sheet-like metallic carrier, the carrier having a second thickness about equal to the sum of the first thickness and the bump height, the carrier patterned into a first and a second portion separated by a gap having a width at least equal to the first length for receiving the chip wherein a top of the carrier is substantially the same height from the substrate as the mounted chip; the carrier conductively contacting the substrate so that the first carrier portion rests on and is electrically connected to the first strap half, the second carrier portion rests on and is electrically connected to the second strap half, and the hiatus is approximately in the center of the gap, wherein the insulating substrate layer bridges the carrier gap; the chip in contact with the substrate so that the first length is within the carrier gap, the first bumps contacting the first strap half and the second bumps contacting the second strap half, wherein the chip spans over the hiatus between the halves and wherein the chip is electrically connectable to an external circuit via the strap and the carrier; an adhesive polymer compound filling the space under the chip span and filling the hiatus; and an encapsulation compound filling any space of the carrier gap not occupied by the chip. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A Smart Card chip module comprising:
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a semiconductor Smart Card chip having a first length, a width, a first thickness, and first and second metallic contact bumps of a height; a substrate consisting of an insulating bottom layer and an metal top layer adhering continuously to the insulating bottom layer, the metal layer patterned into a strap having a first and a second half separated by a hiatus smaller than the first length; a sheet-like metallic carrier, the carrier having a second thickness about equal to the sum of the first thickness and the bump height, the carrier patterned into a first and a second portion separated by a gap having a width at least equal to the first length; the carrier conductively contacting the substrate so that the first carrier portion rests on and is electrically connected to the first strap half, the second carrier portion rests on and is electrically connected to the second strap half, and the hiatus is approximately in the center of the gap, wherein the insulating substrate layer bridges the carrier gap; the chip in contact with the substrate so that the first length is within the carrier gap, the first bumps contacting the first strap half and the second bumps contacting the second strap half, wherein the chip spans over the hiatus between the halves and wherein the chip is electrically connectable to an external circuit via the strap and the carrier; an adhesive polymer compound filling the space under the chip span and filling the hiatus; and an encapsulation compound filling any space of the carrier gap not occupied by the chip, wherein the insulating bottom layer of the substrate is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in the thickness range from about 25 to 75 μ
m, and the metallic top layer is made of aluminum in the thickness range from about 5 to 25 μ
m.
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12. A method for fabricating a Smart Card module comprising the steps of:
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providing a plurality of semiconductor chips having a first length, a first thickness, and first and second metallic contact bumps of a height; providing a first reel loaded with an insulating tape having an adhering metal layer configured as an array of straps in strap locations, each strap consisting of a first and a second half separated by a hiatus smaller than the first length; assembling one chip to each strap by attaching the first bumps to the first metal half and the second bumps to the second metal half so that the chip spans over the hiatus; filling the space under the chip span, and the strap hiatus, with an adhesive polymer compound; re-loading the first reel with the assembled insulating tape; providing a second reel loaded with a metallic tape patterned as rails holding carriers in the strap locations, each carrier consisting of a first and a second portion separated by a gap of a width at least equal to the first length, the metallic tape having a second thickness about equal to the sum of the first thickness and the bump height; providing an assembly station to perform the steps of; feeding the assembled insulating tape and the metallic tape concurrently through the equipment; aligning each carrier over the respective strap so that the first carrier portion faces the first strap half, the second carrier portion faces the second strap half, and the strap hiatus, spanned by the chip, is approximately in the center of the carrier gap; forming permanent contacts between the aligned carrier portions and strap halves to create modules with the chip positioned in the carrier gap; filling encapsulation material into any space of the carrier gap not occupied by the assembled chip, thereby creating assembled modules; and trimming the combined tapes by severing the supporting rails and cutting the insulating tape at the exposed edges of the carrier portions, thereby singulating the assembled modules into discrete modules. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification