Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
  • H01L23/48—Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the solid state body in operation, e.g. leads, terminal arrangements ; Selection of materials therefor
  • H01L23/488—Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the solid state body in operation, e.g. leads, terminal arrangements ; Selection of materials therefor consisting of soldered or bonded constructions
  • H01L23/498—Leads, i.e. metallisations or lead-frames on insulating substrates, e.g. chip carriers
  • H01L23/49855—Leads, i.e. metallisations or lead-frames on insulating substrates, e.g. chip carriers for flat-cards, e.g. credit cards
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
  • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
  • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
  • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
  • G06K19/077—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
  • G06K19/07749—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
  • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
  • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
  • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
  • G06K19/077—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
  • G06K19/07749—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
  • G06K19/0775—Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card arrangements for connecting the integrated circuit to the antenna
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
  • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
  • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for manufacturing non-contact integrated circuit portable objects, and the use of transfer machines for the implementation of such a manufacturing method.
• the portable non-contact objects referred to in the present invention are card-sized objects, called smart cards, having a non-contact mode of operation, or else objects of various format, intended in particular for radio frequency identification (RFID). ), for example, replacing the bar codes.
• RFID radio frequency identification
• These last objects of various formats are commonly known as electronic tags ("tags" in English) or inlay (English).
• the portable non-contact objects of the prior art comprise, on the one hand, an integrated circuit and, on the other hand, an object holder provided with a conductive circuit forming an antenna. Terminals of the antenna forming circuit are connected to the integrated circuit for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals between a remote reader and said integrated circuit.
• connection of the contact pads of the integrated circuit to the terminals of the antenna forming circuit may be carried out according to different methods.
• this connection can be made according to the so-called wire bonding method.
• the contact pads of the integrated circuit are connected to the contact terminals of the antenna forming circuit by means of connection wires generally made of gold. Two welding operations are then necessary for each connection wire.
• a drop of protective resin must be deposited on the integrated circuit connected, so as to ensure the protection of said circuit and said connection son.
• the production rates of non-contact objects according to this first method of manufacture are particularly low, especially with regard to the multiple stages of welding.
• the objects thus produced are thick, given the presence of the connection son included in the protective resin.
• connection of the contact pads of the integrated circuit to the terminals of the antenna forming circuit may be carried out according to the method known as "bumps" in English.
• a protuberance usually gold
• This is subsequently returned (“flip-chip” in English) for a connection to the terminals of the antenna forming circuit carried by the object carrier.
• the positioning tolerance of the integrated circuits on the support carrying the conducting circuit according to this method is particularly low. Indeed, in RFID applications, more particularly, in RFID applications operating at Ultra High Frequencies
• the dimensions of the integrated circuits are small, as are the contact areas of said circuits and the protuberances which overlap. It follows from the foregoing that, in order to ensure the desired optimum efficiency of 3 sigmas, the precision required for the assembly of the integrated circuits must be very high, of the order of 15 ⁇ m of deviation from the nominal position.
• the machines used to provide such precision have cadences mounting relatively weak circuits.
• the nominal rates are of the order of 10 000 pieces per hour (for example the rates announced for the reporting machine DATACON & MECO TM referenced 8800 FC Smart Line TM or Quantum TM are 10,000 pieces per hour). This is insufficient, in particular, in comparison with the rates obtained for the mounting of circuits mounted on the surface (CMS).
• CCS surface
• a problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing portable objects without contact, which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks of existing methods, and which allows in particular the rates of transfer of major integrated circuits, using machines with high production rates, for acceptable yields.
• the proposed solution of the invention to this problem has as its first object a method of manufacturing non-contact portable objects with an integrated circuit, characterized in that it comprises steps of: supplying a silicon wafer provided with integrated circuits comprising plates for a connection of said circuits, by capacitive coupling, to contact terminals of an antenna-forming conductive circuit arranged on the surface of a dielectric support of the object without contact ; cutting integrated circuits of the silicon wafer; capture of the integrated circuits by means of a gripping means of an integrated circuit transfer machine; and transferring the integrated circuits captured on the dielectric support, so that the plates of said circuits are positioned substantially opposite the contact terminals of the antenna circuits.
• Its second object is the use of a transfer machine whose positioning tolerances of the integrated circuits are greater than or equal to 30 ⁇ m, for the manufacture of non-contact objects according to the aforementioned method, with a rate of greater than 30,000 deferrals. per hour for a yield of 3 sigmas.
• the transfer of the integrated circuits to the dielectric support is carried out according to positioning tolerances greater than or equal to 30 ⁇ m, in particular between 30 and 60 ⁇ m; - The transfer of integrated circuits on the dielectric support is performed at a rate greater than 15,000 or more than 30,000 reports per hour, for a yield of three sigmas; the transfer machine is a machine intended for mounting surface-mounted components;
• the glue is dispensed between the contact terminals of the antenna circuits prior to the transfer of the integrated circuits, and said integrated circuits are glued to said support by means of the dispensed glue; the integrated circuits are arranged in the slab, with their active face facing upward, and in that the integrated circuits entered are returned before their transfer to the dielectric support, by means of a gripping means of the transfer machine; and the integrated circuits are arranged in the wafer with their active face oriented towards the support fabric.
• FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the method for manufacturing non-contact objects according to FIG. invention
• FIG. 2 schematizes the transfer of an integrated circuit on a support carrying a conductive circuit forming an antenna, for the manufacture of a portable non-contact object according to the invention
• FIGS. 3A and 3B compare the positioning tolerances of integrated circuits according to the method of the invention with those of the prior art.
• the portable non-contact objects according to the invention are standardized objects whose format can be any. They are for example in card format, or, in smaller formats, and then constitute RFID tags. In some cases, the format of the non-contact objects of the invention is greater than that of a card. This is the case, for example, of so-called electronic portfolios.
• the RFID objects more particularly targeted in the present invention are RFID-UHF objects meeting EPC Class 1 Gen II or ISO 18000-6c standards. The operating frequency of said UHF RFID objects is greater than 400 MHz, in particular 433 MHz, from 800 to 900 MHz and beyond GHz.
• the integrated circuit or chip is in the form of a parallelepiped of more or less a hundred microns thick, and a few hundred microns wide and long, including a so-called active face. It comprises a silicon substrate composed of a superposition of layers comprising integrated circuits interconnected by means of vias.
• the last metal layer of the integrated circuit according to the invention which defines its active face, has contact pads of a limited area - for example of the order of 80 ⁇ m x 80 ⁇ m - although less than the surface of the active face of the integrated circuit.
• This last metal layer is covered with a dielectric layer: the passivation layer made for example of insulating silicon.
• the passivation layer has openings located opposite the contact pads, so as to allow access to said pads for connection.
• the integrated circuit further comprises connection plates. These plates are positioned on the active face of the integrated circuit, on the surface of the passivation layer. They are therefore part of this active face and fit within the limits of this one. They are electrically connected to the contact pads of the integrated circuit, through the openings.
• connection plates are much greater than those of the contact pads, at least as regards the width and the length of these plates.
• the surface of the connection plates is much greater than that of the contact pads.
• the integrated circuit comprises two connection plates
• the area defined by said plates positioned at the active face of the integrated circuit is greater than 1/2 of the surface of this active face.
• the surface of each plate is likely to correspond to the third about the total area of the integrated circuit.
• the thickness of the plates is relatively small, of the order of a few microns, for example 6 ⁇ m.
• the connection plates themselves are at least partly covered by a dielectric layer formed, as is the passivation layer of silicon.
• connection plates are made at the active face of the integrated circuit, at the level of the last metal layer of the integrated circuit, directly below the passivation layer. Also, unlike the first embodiment, the integrated circuits made according to this second embodiment do not include a contact pad connected to the plates, but only contact plates covered with a passivation layer.
• the support of the non-contact object is, for example, a dielectric support of flexible material. It will then be paper, cardboard, or plastic. In another example, the support is a support made of rigid material. It will be hard plastic or resin.
• the antenna circuit defines a track on the object carrier, the terminal ends of which constitute connection terminals intended to be connected to the connection plates of the integrated circuit, by capacitive coupling.
• This conductive circuit is for example printed on the surface of the support, in particular by screen printing, flexography or gravure, offset or ink jet.
• the conductive ink used is preferably a polymer ink loaded into elements conductors such as silver, copper or carbon.
• the antenna circuit consists of a stamped metal strip laminated to the surface of the support or a wound wire.
• the support may be a dielectric bridge ("strap") provided with connection terminals, these connection terminals being intended to make a connection between tracks in a contactless object.
• a wafer 1 of silicon (“wafer” in English).
• This silicon wafer 1 comprises a plurality of integrated circuits 2. It rests on a support web 3 of blue color ("blue tape” in English) or a UV-type support fabric ("UV tape", in English language) .
• this silicon wafer 1 has undergone a preliminary sawing step. This sawing has the effect of separating the integrated circuits 2 from each other, so that they can be grasped by means of a gripping means of a suitable circuit transfer machine.
• the slab 1 has generally undergone a prior stage of refining ("backgrinding" in English).
• the integrated circuits are positioned, in the wafer 1, with their active face facing upwards, or downwards, that is, oriented against the support fabric 3. In the latter case, the support fabric 3 is treated so that the active face of said integrated circuits is not polluted by glue residues.
• the defective integrated circuits are marked and / or a wafer-map file, describing the defective circuits, is associated with the silicon wafer. When the integrated circuits are arranged so that their active face is oriented upwards, then the marking is performed on the active face of said integrated circuits and the identification of the defective circuits is optical or from the card-cake file. When the integrated circuits are arranged so that their active face is oriented downwards, or against the support fabric, the file card-cake is used to separate these circuits manufacturing.
• Post-treatment of slabs 1 is possible.
• the object support 4 provided with the conducting circuit 5 forming an antenna whose terminals are intended for connection to the contact plates of the integrated circuit 2 by capacitive connection.
• the supports 4 are provided in strips 6 which will be the subject of subsequent cuts.
• This machine comprises at least one arm or at least one tool provided with a suction cup, said arm and said suction cup forming a gripping means of the machine.
• the gripping means allow the capture of an integrated circuit 2 of the integrated circuit wafer 1 and, if necessary, the reversal of said integrated circuit 2 captured on the silicon wafer (wafer, then the transfer of the integrated circuit seized and possibly returned to the object support 4.
• the manufacturing method according to the invention therefore comprises a step of capturing an integrated circuit 2 by means of a gripping means of an integrated circuit transfer machine.
• this first gripping means grasps the integrated circuit and performs a 180 ° rotation of the integrated circuit so that the active face thereof is directed downwards.
• the integrated circuits captured and possibly returned are brought one by one vertically of the antenna support. They are then transferred to said support, between the terminals of the antenna forming circuit.
• non-conductive adhesive for example of the cyanolite or epoxy type, has previously been dispensed.
• the transfer step is more particularly shown schematically in FIG. 2.
• the integrated circuit 2 provided with the connection plates 7, is brought to the vertical of the support 4 carrying the antenna. 5, a drop of glue 8 having previously been deposited between the antenna terminals 5, for fixing the circuit 2 to the support 4.
• the force applied to the circuit 2 and / or the temperature and / or the fluidity of the glue are adjusted so as to ensure adequate fixation of the circuit.
• a subsequent step of drying or polymerization of the glue is carried out, if necessary.
• the integrated circuits are finally positioned flip-chip, namely that the last layer, that is to say the dielectric layer, is found in front of the conductor printed on the support.
• the protuberances be positioned facing the antenna, with a sufficient margin so that the contact electrical quality is good, that is to say, the access resistance is low.
• the precision required for assembly must be of the order of plus or minus 15 ⁇ m for a production yield of 3 sigmas.
• FIG. 3B when removing integrated circuits having plates for a capacitive connection, it suffices, as shown in FIG. 3B, for all or some of the plates constituting the connection capacitance to be opposite the conductor forming an antenna. .
• the precision required for mounting can be between 35 and 60 microns.
• the increase in mounting tolerances provides access to production machines for the transfer of integrated circuits whose rates are greater than for example at least a factor of ten to the machines used in the prior art.
• transfer machines providing positioning tolerances of between 35 and 60 ⁇ m for a production yield of 3 sigmas.
• These machines are especially CMS editing machines that allow to do advance production rates in a ratio of ten or more.
• a CMS mounting machine which would assemble 40,000 pieces per hour in nominal capacity, for example a Universal TM machine for mounting tolerances of 35 to 60 ⁇ m, over the same period of 6,000 hours a year, we would produce 240 million pieces.
• the most powerful CMS removal machines report speeds of over 150,000 deposits per hour. This implies that the method according to the invention has a cadence potential multiplied by 15 when compared to the state of the art machines used in RFID according to the prior art.
• the dispersions of the positioning induce very variable parasites by the addition of the antenna forming conductor above the integrated circuit, without its position is accurate, given the dimensions of the integrated circuit.
• a driver thus forming a modification of the field lines, is present or absent above the functions (among other things radio frequency functions, but also oscillators or demodulators, ...) of the integrated circuit, this directly impacts the performances. of these functions. This can influence both the central operating frequency of the electronic tag (dispersion or additional offset, non-mastery, non-reproducible), as the operating distance, an impact on the performance of radio frequency functions).
• the invention by depositing a large metal plate on the integrated circuit, it is perfectly identical from one integrated circuit to another, ensuring the constancy and control of parasites.
• these plates are removed from the rest of the conductors of the integrated circuit and the parasites are further reduced, compared to the solution or the plates are in the last metal layer of the integrated circuit .

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)
• Wire Bonding (AREA)
• Semiconductor Integrated Circuits (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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• 2008
  • 2008-09-12 FR FR0805015A patent/FR2936096B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2009
  • 2009-09-14 WO PCT/FR2009/001091 patent/WO2010029233A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2009-09-14 US US13/063,629 patent/US8409928B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2009-09-14 EP EP09740171A patent/EP2324498A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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