Method for making contactless portable objects

• US 8,409,928 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yannick Grasset
• Original Assignee: Yannick Grasset
• Inventors: Grasset, Yannick
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUSTAPHA, ABDULFATTAH B
• Application Number:
  US13/063,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20110171783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 438 14- 18, 438/118, 257/783, 257/E21.499, 257/E21.505
• US Class Current: 438/118
• 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 23/49855 for flat-cards, e.g. credit cards cards per se G06K19/00
• 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

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing contactless portable objects with an integrated circuit. The method of the invention is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: providing a silicon wafer (1) having integrated circuits (2) comprising plates (7) for connecting said circuits by capacitive coupling to the contact terminals of an antenna conductor circuit (5) provided at the surface of a dielectric substrate (4) of the contactless object; cutting the integrated circuits from said silicon wafer; grasping the integrated circuits using a gripping means of an integrated circuit transfer machine; and transferring the grasped integrated circuits onto the dielectric substrate so that the plates of said circuits are positioned substantially opposite the contact terminals of the antenna circuits. The invention can particularly be used for manufacturing UHF RFID objects.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing contactless portable objects with integrated circuits, comprising the steps of:

providing a silicon wafer having integrated circuits including at least one group of two plates with a large surface area for connecting said integrated circuits by capacitive coupling to contact terminals of an antenna conductor circuit provided at the surface of a dielectric substrate of a contactless object, wherein said connection plates are arranged on an active side of said integrated circuits, and wherein a combined surface area of the plates of the at least one group is greater than one-half of a surface area of said active side of the integrated circuits;

cutting the integrated circuits from the silicon wafer;

grasping the integrated circuits using a gripping means of an integrated circuit transfer machine; and

transferring the grasped integrated circuits onto the dielectric substrate so that the plates of said integrated circuits are positioned substantially facing the contact terminals of the antenna conductor circuit, wherein the transferring of the integrated circuits onto the dielectric substrate is carried out with positioning tolerances of 30 microns or more.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer of the integrated circuits onto the dielectric substrate is carried out with a production rate of more than 15,000 transfers per hour, for a yield of three sigma.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the transfer of the integrated circuits onto the dielectric substrate is carried out with a production rate of 30,000 transfers per hour, for a yield of three sigma.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer machine is a machine for the mounting of surface-mounted components.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a glue is dispensed between the contact terminals of the antenna circuits prior to the transfer of the integrated circuits, and in that the integrated circuits are glued to said substrate by means of the dispensed glue.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuits are arranged in the wafer with their active side facing upwards, and the grasped integrated circuits are flipped over prior to being transferred onto the dielectric substrate, using a gripping means of the transfer machine.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuits are arranged in the wafer with their active side facing towards a carrier tape.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuits are provided with contact pads, the surface area of which is much smaller than the surface area of the active side of said circuits, and the surface area of the connection plates is much larger than that of said contact pads.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising using a transfer machine which provides positioning tolerances for the integrated circuits of 30 μ

m or more, with a production rate of more than 15,000 transfers per hour for a yield of 3 sigma.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the production rate is greater than 30,000 transfers per hour.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the positioning tolerances lie in the range between 30 and 60 μ

m.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the transfer machine is intended for the mounting of surface-mounted components.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer of the integrated circuits onto the dielectric substrate is carried out with positioning tolerances in the range between 30 and 60 μ

m.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein a surface area of each of the plates corresponds to approximately ⅓

of the surface area of said active side of the integrated circuits.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plates are positioned facing the active surface of the integrated circuits, the plates being disposed on opposite sides of a central portion of the active surface, said central portion being uncovered by any of the plates.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plates are positioned facing the active surface of the integrated circuits, the plates being disposed on opposite sides of a central portion of the active surface, said central portion being uncovered by any of the plates.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface area of one of the plates on the active surface of the integrated circuits is substantially equal to the surface area of the other of the plates on said active surface.