RF identification device with near-field-coupled antenna

• US 9,191,072 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Finocchiaro, Alessandro, Girlando, Giovanni, Palmisano, Giuseppe, Ferla, Giuseppe, Pagani, Alberto
• Primary Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US13/415,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20120168520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5727, 340 101- 105, 343/893, 235375-385
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06531 Non-galvanic coupling, e.g. capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/73 Means for bonding being of different types provided for in two or more of groups H01L24/10, H01L24/18, H01L24/26, H01L24/34, H01L24/42, H01L24/50, H01L24/63, H01L24/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0655 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0657 Stacked arrangements of devices
• 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 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• 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 2924/10253 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• 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 2924/181 Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 : for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

An embodiment of a RF identification device is formed by a tag and by a reader. The tag is formed by a processing circuit and a first antenna, which has the function both of transmitting and of receiving data. The reader is formed by a control circuit and by a second antenna, which has the function both of transmitting and of receiving data. The processing circuit is formed by a resonance capacitor, a modulator, a rectifier circuit, a charge-pump circuit and a detection circuit. The antenna of the tag and the processing circuit are integrated in a single structure in completely monolithic form. The first antenna has terminals connected to the input of the rectifier circuit, the output of which is connected to the charge-pump circuit. The charge-pump circuit has an output connected to the detection circuit.

Claims

1. An RF device comprising a processing circuit, a first antenna, a substrate having upper and lower faces, and an electromagnetic expansion, said electromagnetic expansion comprising a third antenna, a fourth antenna and an electrical network connected to said third and fourth antennas;

wherein said first antenna is configured to be magnetically or electromagnetically coupled to said fourth antenna and said third antenna is configured to be magnetically or electromagnetically coupled with a second antenna, the electromagnetic expansion being configured to generate a replica of each electromagnetic signal received by said third antenna;

wherein the third and fourth antennas include conductive lines formed on the upper face of the substrate and at least one crossing point at which a first one of the conductive lines has an interruption point defining two facing ends, said facing ends being capacitively coupled, and the third and fourth antennas further include a second one of the conductive lines having a transverse connection portion extending between said facing ends of the first one of the conductive lines to provide a conductive electrical connection of a first segment of the second one of the conductive lines to a second segment of the second one of the conductive lines.

2. The RF device according to claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic expansion is configured to resonate in response to said each electromagnetic signal received by said third antenna.

3. The RF device according to claim 1, wherein said electrical network comprises a reactive element or a power matching network matching the impedances of said third and fourth antenna at a given operating frequency.

4. The RF device according to claim 3, wherein said first antenna and said fourth antenna are loop antennas, one of said first and fourth antennas surrounding another of said first and fourth antennas.

5. The RF device according to claim 4, wherein said first antenna and said fourth antenna are arranged in a stacked geometry.

6. The RF device according to claim 5, wherein said fourth antenna is formed on a substrate bonded to a die through an insulating layer, said first and fourth antenna facing each other and being electrically insulated by said insulating layer.

7. The RF device according to claim 4, further comprising a substrate having a surface, wherein said first antenna and said fourth antenna are bonded to said surface.

8. The RF device according to claim 4, wherein said third antenna is a λ

/2 dipole or a loop antenna.

9. The RF device according to claim 4, wherein said third antenna and said fourth antenna are multi-loop antennas, each loop comprising a conductive line, at least a first and a second conductive line having reciprocal crossing points.

10. The RF device according to claim 1, wherein each of said facing ends have a comb-like shape including a plurality of tines, and said connection portion of said second line has stubs protruding from said connection portion and interleaved with said tines.

11. The RF device of claim 1, wherein the first conductive line has a longitudinal axis and wherein the transverse connection portion extends orthogonal to the longitudinal axis between the facing ends of the said first conductive line.

12. The RF device of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic expansion further comprises a magnetic core.

13. The RF device of claim 12, wherein the RF device is contained in a package and wherein the magnetic core protrudes outside the package.

14. An RF system comprising an external system including a control circuit and a second antenna, a plurality of RF devices and a plurality of electromagnetic expansions, each RF device comprising a processing circuit and a first antenna, said first antenna and said processing circuit being integrated in a single chip in completely monolithic form;

each electromagnetic expansion comprising a third antenna, a fourth antenna and an electrical network connected to said third and fourth antenna, wherein each third antenna is configured to be magnetically or electromagnetically coupled with said second antenna, each electromagnetic expansion being configured to generate a replica of each electromagnetic signal received by the corresponding third antenna and generated by the second antenna, and wherein the third and fourth antennas include at least one crossing point formed by two facing ends of a first conductive line formed on a first surface of the chip that are capacitively coupled and by a second conductive line formed on the first surface and having a conductive connection portion also formed on the first surface and extending between the facing ends of the first conductive line.

15. The RF system of claim 14 further comprising at least one magnetic core positioned to increase the electromagnetic coupling between the antennas on two or more of the plurality of electromagnetic expansions.

16. The RF system of claim 15, wherein at least two of the electromagnetic expansions are contained with a package and wherein the magnetic core includes a portion that protrudes outside the package to allow sensing from outside the package of electromagnetic signals communicated between the antennas one the at least two of the electromagnetic expansions.