Method of manufacturing a hybrid chip card

• US 5,671,525 A
• Filed: 10/04/1995
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gemplus International SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemplus International SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Fidalgo, Jean-Christophe
• Primary Examiner(s): Arbes, Carl J.
• Application Number:
  US08/539,322
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 29/827, 29/600, 235/488, 235/492
• US Class Current: 29/600
• 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: G06K 19/07769 the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48228 the bond pad being disposed in a recess of the surface of the item
• 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 2924/00014 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 2924/30107 Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49121 Beam lead frame or beam lead device

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a hybrid chip card comprises the steps of providing a card body; forming a cavity in the card body; mounting the electronic module in the cavity of the card body; and connecting an antenna to the electronic module. The cavity opens out on a face of the card body and is adapted for receiving an electronic module. The electronic module includes an integrated circuit chip. The mounting step further includes the step of exposing a plurality of contact pads of the electronic module on the outer surface of the card. The plurality of contact pads permit contact communication between the electronic module and the chip card reader, and the antenna permits contact-free communication between the electronic module and the chip card reader. The hybrid chip card thus manufactured is capable of both contact and contact-free communication with a chip card reader.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a chip card, the method comprising the steps of:

attaching an antenna to a lower thermoplastic sheet, the antenna having two contact terminals;

covering the antenna with an upper thermoplastic sheet, the upper thermoplastic sheet and the lower thermoplastic sheet forming a chip card body, the upper thermoplastic sheet having a cavity formed therein such that, after the antenna is covered with the upper thermoplastic sheet, the cavity reveals the two contact terminals of the antenna and the cavity opens out on a face of the chip card body;

and then mounting an electronic module in the cavity of the chip card body, the electronic module having two contact zones connected to an integrated circuit, and connecting the two contact zones of the electronic module to the two contact terminals of the antenna.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is attached to the thermoplastic sheet in the form of a spiral whose ends, namely the two contact terminals, are localized in a position where they face each other, one terminal being on the inside of the spiral and the other terminal being on the outside of the spiral.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the attaching step comprises the step of bonding the antenna on the lower thermoplastic sheet.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the attaching step comprises the step of depositing an adhesion-promoting product on the lower thermoplastic sheet by way of a silk-screen printing operation, and then depositing a chemical for metallization.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of coating the antenna, except for the two contact terminals, with a thermoactivable bonder.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the attaching step comprises the step of negative-molding the upper thermoplastic sheet on the lower thermoplastic sheet and the antenna by molding, using a mold that has a core covering the contact terminals of the antenna.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is formed with a plane drilled with apertures at the bottom of which there appear the two contact terminals of the antenna.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the antenna permits contact-free communication between the electronic module and a first chip card reader, wherein the mounting step further includes the step of exposing a plurality of contact pads of the electronic module on the outer surface of the chip card body, and wherein the plurality of contact pads permit contact communication between the electronic module and a second chip card reader.

9. A method of manufacturing a hybrid chip card, the hybrid chip card being capable of both contact and contact-free communication, the method comprising the steps of:

attaching an antenna to a lower thermoplastic sheet, the antenna having two contact terminals, and the antenna being adapted for contact-free communication with a first chip card reader;

coveting the antenna with an upper thermoplastic sheet, the upper thermoplastic sheet and the lower thermoplastic sheet forming a chip card body, the upper thermoplastic sheet having a cavity formed therein such that, after the antenna is covered with the upper thermoplastic sheet, the cavity opens out on a face of the chip card body;

and then mounting the electronic module in the cavity of the card body, and connecting the two contact terminals of the antenna to two contact zones of the electronic module, the two contact zones of the electronic module being connected to an integrated circuit chip and being located on respective lower faces of two contact pads of the electronic module, the two contact pads being adapted for contact communication with a second chip card reader.

10. A method of manufacturing a hybrid chip card, the hybrid chip card being capable of both contact and contact-free communication, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a card body;

forming a cavity in the card body, the cavity opening out on a face of the card body and being adapted for receiving an electronic module;

mounting the electronic module in the cavity of the card body, the electronic module including an integrated circuit chip, the mounting step further including the step of exposing a plurality of contact pads of the electronic module on the outer surface of the card, the plurality of contact pads permitting contact communication between the electronic module and a first chip card reader; and

,

connecting an antenna to the electronic module, the antenna permitting contact-free communication between the electronic module and a second chip card reader;

and wherein the electronic module is mounted in the cavity and connected to the antenna after the card body is provided and the cavity is formed.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of providing the card body includes the steps of

providing first and second plastic sheets, the first plastic sheet having the cavity pre-formed therein.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of connecting the antenna further comprises the steps of

providing the antenna between the first and second plastic sheets, and

drilling an aperture in the first plastic sheet, the aperture extending from a bottom of the cavity of the first plastic sheet to an opposite side of the first plastic sheet, the aperture permitting an electrical connection to be established between the antenna and the electronic module.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of connecting an antenna comprises the steps of

providing a length of metal having two ends, and

forming the length of metal in the shape of a spiral, the spiral having two ends defined by the two ends of the length of metal, and the two ends of the spiral being disposed beneath the cavity formed in the card body.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the antenna is formed using a silk screening process.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of coating the antenna, except for the two contact terminals, with a thermoactivable bonder.