JP2001034725A - Non-contact ic module, production thereof and non- contact information medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the design and production of an LSI by forming a coil pattern around a circuit pattern on a substrate and connecting the coil pattern to the circuit pattern. SOLUTION: A non-contact IC module 10 is provided with a coil pattern 14 for demarcating an antenna coil, a capacitor 15 for resonance and a circuit pattern 16 for demarcating various kinds of semiconductor circuits on a substrate 12. Then, that coil pattern 14 is formed around the circuit pattern 16 on the substrate 12 and connected with that circuit pattern 16 by contact terminals 14a and 14b. Thus, the capacitor 15 for resonance has electrostatic capacitance C and forms a resonance circuit to be resonated at the carrier frequency of a radio wave for transmission/reception in cooperation with inductance L of the coil pattern 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to an information and power transmission system, and more particularly, to an information communication system using a non-contact information medium having a built-in IC chip. Here, the “non-contact information medium incorporating an IC chip” is a medium that includes an IC chip as an information recording module and communicates with an external device such as a reader / writer in a non-contact manner. Therefore, if there is no contact, communication is possible using wireless communication, and the wavelength of the radio wave and the length of the communication distance are not limited.

[0002] A typical non-contact information medium having a built-in IC chip is, for example, a non-contact IC card which communicates with a reader / writer using microwaves. In the present application, the “IC card” includes a smart card, an intelligent card, a chip-in card, a microcircuit (microcomputer) card, a memory card, a super card, a multi-function card, a combination card, and the like.

The shape of a non-contact information medium incorporating an IC chip is not limited to a card. Therefore, it also includes so-called IC tags. Here, "IC
The "tag" has the same function as the IC card, but includes all information recording media having a stamp size, a size smaller than that of a stamp, and a shape such as a coin.

[0004] Non-contact IC cards and IC tags are non-contact ICs.
Sometimes expressed as a module. Here, the term "non-contact IC module" generally means a combination of an IC chip and a coil or an antenna which is a non-contact communication means between the IC chip and an external device, and includes an on-coil IC chip or an IC having a monolithic IC structure. The chip and the coil are all mounted on the surface of an IC or on the same substrate to have an integrated structure. In the broad sense, the non-contact IC module may be any communication means, but in the present application, it is assumed that communication is performed via electric (magnetic) waves.

[0005]

2. Description of the Related Art An IC card or an IC tag can be classified into a contact type and a non-contact type according to a communication method between an IC chip built in the card and a reader / writer. Of these, the non-contact type has no contact with the reader / writer, so there is no contact failure, and several cm to several tens cm from the reader / writer.
Because of its features such as being able to be used at a distance, being resistant to dirt, rain, and static electricity, and having high security, it is expected that its demand and spread will increase further in the future.

For example, a non-contact IC card obtains operating power by electromagnetic induction using an electromagnetic wave of a carrier frequency received from a reader / writer, and exchanges data with the reader / writer by using radio waves. The non-contact IC card and the reader / writer usually have built-in antennas for transmitting and receiving such radio waves.

[0007] This IC card or IC tag usually forms a module by connecting an antenna coil for transmitting and receiving radio waves to the terminal of the IC chip on a substrate, and forms a module on the module with a casing made of a plastic sheet or the like. It is produced by punching into a shape. Here, as a method of connecting the IC chip terminal to the antenna coil, a method of directly attaching the IC chip terminal and the bulk end of the antenna coil by welding or the like, or a method of forming a coil pattern by printing or etching in advance on a substrate Then, there is a method of connecting the coil pattern and the IC chip terminal by wire bonding or flip chip mounting.

In the conventional method of manufacturing an IC card or an IC tag, the antenna coil and the IC chip terminal are externally connected to each other in any of the above connection methods. The connection was broken by the load. In particular, since the area occupied by an external antenna coil of an IC tag is generally larger than that of an IC chip, the dimensions of the tag component itself increase accordingly, and the demand for a small component used for embedding is reduced. There were restrictions.

Therefore, an on-coil IC chip in which an antenna coil is formed on a circuit pattern of the IC chip has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-157896 and US Pat. No. 5,308,967. An example of the on-coil IC chip is schematically shown in FIG. On-coil IC chip 500
Has a spiral coil-shaped coil pattern 520 and a circuit pattern 530 on a substrate 510, and the coil pattern 520 and the circuit pattern 530
2 and 524. The on-coil IC chip 500 solves problems such as disconnection because the contacts 522 and 524 are inside the IC chip.

[0010]

However, the on-coil I
The C chip 500 is superposed on the circuit pattern 530 via an insulating film or the like (not shown) and
Is formed, it is necessary that the contact 522, which is the end of the spiral coil, be located in the vicinity of the center of the circuit pattern 530, which causes a significant restriction in laying out the circuit pattern in LSI design. And LS
This complicates the manufacturing process of I. As a result, the yield and cost of IC cards or IC tags have been reduced.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a new and useful non-contact information medium which solves the above-mentioned problems and a method for manufacturing the same.

More specifically, the present invention provides an on-coil I
An exemplary object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact information medium which uses a C chip, which makes it easier to design and manufacture an LSI than before, and which can be reduced in size and cost, and a method of manufacturing the same.

In order to achieve the above object, a non-contact IC module as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, a circuit pattern formed on the substrate, and a circuit pattern formed on the substrate around the circuit pattern. And a coil pattern connected to the circuit pattern and capable of wirelessly communicating with an external device using electromagnetic induction.

[0014] A non-contact information medium according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a booster section having a first coil capable of performing wireless communication with an external device using electromagnetic induction, and a non-contact information medium that does not contact the booster section. A non-contact information medium comprising an IC module which is electromagnetically coupled to the booster unit and wirelessly communicates with the external device via the booster unit, the IC module comprising:
The C module is formed around the circuit pattern on the substrate, the circuit pattern formed on the substrate, and connected to the circuit pattern on the substrate, and is generated in the first coil by the external device. And a coil pattern defining a second coil capable of generating an induced current from the induced current by electromagnetic induction.

Non-contact IC as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
A method for manufacturing a module includes forming a circuit pattern substantially at the center of a substrate larger than a circuit pattern, and using an external device and electromagnetic induction between the circuit pattern and an outer edge of the substrate on the substrate. Forming a coil pattern capable of performing wireless communication and connecting to the circuit pattern.

According to the non-contact IC module of the present invention and the non-contact information medium including the same, since the coil patterns are arranged around the circuit patterns, these pattern areas do not overlap.

Further objects and other features of the present invention will become apparent in preferred embodiments thereof described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS.
Non-contact IC module 1 as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
0 will be explained. In the accompanying drawings, the members having the same reference numerals represent the same members, and the members having the same reference numerals with the alphabets represent the corresponding deformed members, and the repeated description will be omitted. Unless otherwise noted, reference numbers are intended to summarize all the same reference numbers with uppercase alphabets.

The non-contact IC module 10 of the present embodiment
It is configured as a so-called on-coil IC chip in which an antenna coil is built in a C chip. FIG. 1 shows non-contact I
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the C module 10, and FIG. 2 is a schematic see-through enlarged plan view of the non-contact IC module 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the non-contact IC module 10 includes a substrate 12 having a coil pattern (or an antenna pattern) 14 for defining an antenna coil and a resonance capacitor 15.
And a circuit pattern 16 defining various semiconductor circuits. FIG. 1 conceptually shows a coil pattern 14. In an actual non-contact IC module 10, as shown in FIG.
2 and formed around the circuit pattern 16 and connected to the circuit pattern 16 by contacts (terminals) 14a and 14b. The substrate 12 is composed of a crystal substrate such as Si or GaP.

As shown in FIG.
Are provided outside and around the circuit pattern 16. Since the conventional on-coil IC chip 500 shown in FIG. 22 uses the substrate 510 having substantially the same size as the circuit pattern 530, it is necessary to form the spiral coil-shaped coil pattern 520 on the circuit pattern 530. However, if the coil pattern area and the circuit pattern area overlap on the same plane in this way, the contact 522
Is located near the center of the upper part of the circuit pattern 530, and there is a problem that the LSI design becomes complicated. Therefore, the present inventors have decided to arrange a circuit pattern 16 at substantially the center thereof using a substrate 12 larger than usual to form a blank area, and to form a coil pattern 14 in such a blank area. . With such a configuration,
Since the coil pattern 14 can be formed larger than before, the communication distance has an additional effect of being longer than before.

The coil pattern 14 has a circuit pattern 16
Are electrically connected via the contacts 14a and 14b, and can wirelessly communicate with an external device. In the present embodiment, the substrate 12 has an outer dimension of 2.6 mm square and the coil pattern 14.
Means that the number of coil turns is 20, the line width and the gap are 10μ each.
m, the height is 10 μm, the line length is 176.6 mm, the inductance L is set to 1.35 μH, and the resistance is set to 29.5Ω.

The resonance capacitor 15 has a capacitance C and is used in cooperation with the inductance L of the coil pattern 14 to form a resonance circuit that resonates with the carrier frequency fc of the transmission / reception radio wave. The resonance frequency fr is fr
= (1 / 2π) (LC)-／. If this is matched with the carrier frequency fc, a large resonance current can be passed through the coil 14 and the capacitor 15. Can be supplied. The position of the capacitor 15 corresponds to the circuit pattern 1 described below.
6 in the same plane as each component (ie, monolayer)
It may be formed, or may be formed thereon (ie, in a multilayered manner).

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 3 shows an insulating film 180 and a protective film 190 in addition to the components of FIG. Insulating film 18
For 0, for example, a PIQ film is used, and in the case of this embodiment, it is used for separation between conductive layers. The protective film 190 is formed on the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the completed non-contact IC module 10 by using, for example, a UV curable resin, and physically and chemically protects the surface. The insulating film 180 and the protective film 190 have desired durability against chemical treatment or heat treatment.

FIG. 4 is a more detailed block diagram of each component included in the circuit pattern 16. FIG.
4, the circuit pattern 16 includes a power supply circuit 102, a reset signal generation circuit 103, a transmission / reception circuit 104 (that is, 104a to 104d), a logic control circuit 106, and a timing circuit (TIM) 107.
And a memory 108. Circuit pattern 16
Can communicate with an external device via the coil pattern 14.

A reset signal generating circuit 103 is connected to the power supply circuit (PS) 102. The reset signal generating circuit 103 is connected to a reset terminal (R) of a logic control circuit 106.
ST). The circuit pattern 16 is provided with an operating voltage Vcc (for example, 5 V) of a communication system by electromagnetic induction from a radio wave W (carrier frequency fc) received from an external device.
Is supplied to the logic control circuit 106. Operating power V
When cc is generated, the reset signal generation circuit 103 resets the logic control circuit 106 to prepare for a new operation.

The transmission / reception circuit 104 includes a detector (DET) 1
04a, modulator (MOD) 104b, demodulator (DEM)
104c and an encoder (ENC) 104d.
The demodulator 104c and the encoder 104d are connected to the data terminals DI and DO of the logic control circuit 106, respectively. If necessary, a decoder including a D / A converter or the like may be arranged as an independent member at a stage subsequent to the demodulator 104c. Such a decoder may form one codec circuit with the encoder 104d. The timing circuit 107 is used to generate various timing signals, and is connected to a clock terminal (CLK) of the logic control circuit 106.

The receiving section of the transmitting / receiving circuit 104 includes the detector 10
4a and a demodulator 104c. The received radio wave W is detected by the detector 104a and
04c restores the baseband signal to obtain data from the detected signal. The restored baseband signal (and, if necessary, a decoded signal thereafter) is sent to the logic control circuit 106 as a data signal DI.

The transmitting section of the transmitting / receiving circuit 104 includes the modulator 10
4b and an encoder 104d. Any configuration known in the art can be used for the modulator 104b and the encoder 104d. In order to transmit the data, the carrier is changed according to the transmission data and transmitted to the coil 14. As the modulation method, for example, ASK for changing the amplitude of the carrier (carrier) frequency, PSK for changing the phase, and the like can be used, but load modulation can also be used. Load modulation refers to a method of modulating medium power (load) according to subcarriers (subcarriers). Encoder 10
4d transmits the data DO to be transmitted to the antenna coil 14 after encoding (bit encoding) with a predetermined code (for example, Manchester encoding or PSK encoding).

The transmission / reception circuit 104 is a logic control circuit 10
6 and operates in synchronization with a timing signal (clock) generated by the timing circuit 107. The logic control circuit 106 can be realized by a CPU. Memory 108 stores RO data
M, RAM, EEPROM and / or FRAM. The circuit pattern 16 can communicate with an external device based on the data, and the logic control circuit 106 can perform a predetermined process. For example, the memory 108
Logic control circuit 106 can store ID information, a value of a predetermined amount of electronic money, a transaction record, and the like, and increase or decrease the value by a predetermined transaction (for example, purchase of a ticket or deposit of electronic money). be able to. Since the configuration and operation of these components can be easily understood by those skilled in the art, detailed description will be omitted.

Hereinafter, the non-contact IC module 10 of the present invention will be described.
The non-contact information medium 300 in which is incorporated will be described with reference to FIGS. The non-contact information medium 300 has, for example, a card-shaped substrate 310, further includes a booster section 30 for extending the communication distance of the non-contact IC module 10, and is electrically connected to the reader / writer 20 which is an external device. )
Communicate using waves. The substrate 310 is made of, for example, plastic. In this case, the non-contact information medium 30
0 is the so-called I with the same dimensions as the credit card
SO (International Organization for Standardization: International)
Organization for Standard
size) (height 54mm, width 85.6m)
m, thickness 0.76 mm).

Optionally, the non-contact information medium 300 may further have a display, a keyboard, and the like (not shown) on the substrate 310 to achieve further multifunctionality. In addition,
The non-contact information medium 300 is not limited to a card shape, and may have an arbitrary shape (for example, a pendant shape, a coin shape, a key shape, a card shape, a tag shape, and the like) according to the application.

As described above, the contactless information medium 300 can wirelessly communicate with an external device without contact, but this does not exclude the function of the present invention to contact and communicate with the external device. For example, the non-contact information medium 300 can be configured as a combination card having both functions of a contact IC card and a non-contact IC card by incorporating a contact IC chip.

The present invention does not prevent the non-contact information medium 300 from being applied to a card medium having a magnetic stripe. In this case, the non-contact information medium 3 of the present invention
00 has a function as a magnetic card such as a credit card and a cash card. Further, an emboss, a sign panel, a hologram, a stamp, a hot stamp, an image print, a photograph, and the like may be selectively formed on the non-contact information medium 300.

The reader / writer 20, as shown in FIG.
It has a control interface unit 22 and an antenna unit 24, both of which are connected by a cable 26. Here, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the reader / writer 20. The reader / writer 20 transmits and receives the radio wave W having the carrier frequency fc to and from the non-contact IC card 10, and communicates with the non-contact IC card 10 using wireless communication. Note that the radio wave W has a carrier frequency f in an arbitrary frequency band.
c (eg, 13.56 MHz) can be used. The reader / writer 20 is further connected to an external host device (not shown) (a processing device, a control device, a personal computer, a display, etc.) via the control interface unit 22.
It is connected to the.

The control interface unit 22 includes a transmission circuit (modulation circuit) 202 and a reception circuit (demodulation circuit) 204
And a controller 206. Transmission circuit 2
02 modulates data from a further external host device using a carrier frequency fc, converts the data into a transmission signal, and transmits the transmission signal to the antenna unit 24. Reader / writer 2
When data is transmitted from 0 to the non-contact IC card 10, the carrier frequency fc of high intensity is used for modulation. Modulation methods include Modified Miller and N
A modulation scheme available in the industry such as RZ can be used.

The receiving circuit 204 converts a signal received from the contactless information medium 300 through the antenna section 24 into a baseband signal to obtain data, and transmits the data to a further external host device (not shown). The transmission circuit 202 and the reception circuit 204
In an actual circuit, as shown in FIG.
08 and 210 and are driven by these drive circuits. Here, FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective plan view of the reader / writer 20. It should be noted that those skilled in the art
02, since the operation and configuration of the receiving circuit 204 and the driving circuits 208 and 210 can be easily understood and realized, detailed description is omitted here. Antenna unit 24
Has, for example, an antenna coil 212 and a matching circuit 214 as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a specific configuration in which the matching circuit 214 includes a resistor and a capacitor.

Hereinafter, the booster section 30 provided in the non-contact information medium 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. The booster unit 30 includes the non-contact IC module 1
0 and electromagnetically coupled to the reader / writer 20, and provided on the base 310. Booster part 30
Receives the radio wave W from the reader / writer 20 and transmits it to the non-contact IC module 10, and receives the radio wave W from the non-contact IC module 10 and transmits it to the reader / writer 2.
0 can be sent. Therefore, the booster section 30
Has a function as a relay unit between the reader / writer 20 and the non-contact IC module 10. As described later, the booster unit 30 utilizes electromagnetic induction. As long as such a function is achieved, the booster unit 30 can adopt any configuration.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG.
A configuration example will be described. As shown in the figure, the booster unit 30 includes at least one antenna coil 32,
Preferably, the capacitor 34 is provided on a base material 36 made of, for example, a thin foil. Radio wave W received by reader / writer 20
Generates an induced current in the coil 32 as a change in magnetic flux.
Such an induced current generates an induced current in the coil pattern 14 of the non-contact IC module 10 electromagnetically coupled to the coil 32. Further, the coil 32 generates a radio wave W from an induced current induced by a change in the current flowing through the coil pattern 14.
Can be generated and transmitted to the reader / writer 20.

As described above, the coil 32 is connected to the booster section 3
0 functions as a communication unit capable of communicating with the reader / writer 20 and the non-contact IC module 10. The coil 32 has a predetermined communication distance at which the coil 32 can communicate with the reader / writer 20, and its size is adjustable, so that the predetermined communication distance can be adjusted as needed. For this reason, the non-contact information medium 3 of the present invention
If 00 is applied as a substitute for a conventional non-contact IC card using microwaves, the predetermined communication distance can be set to a distance similar to the communication distance required for a conventional non-contact IC card. . For example, if the communication distance is 10
mm, make the coil 32 small,
If it is about several cm, it is medium-sized, and if it is 10 cm or more, it is large. The coil 32 can be configured as a spiral planar coil or a multiple spiral coil that is an air-core coil. Further, the coil 32 can be configured as a flat coil with a ferrite core or a ferrite bar antenna.

FIG. 9 shows a booster section 30A in which the coil 32 is formed as a ferrite bar antenna coil 32A.
Is shown. Regardless of the shape shown in the figure, the ferrite bar antenna coil 32A can adopt any shape such as a round shape, a square shape, and a flat shape. FIG. 10 shows a non-contact information medium 300B in which the coil 32 is configured as two ferrite bar antenna coils 32B and 32C.

The coil 32 can be formed by any method known in the art, such as etching using copper, aluminum, or the like, printing by a printed wiring method, or formation using a wire. The configuration of the antenna used as the communication unit of the booster unit 30 is not limited to the antenna coil 22 as long as the booster unit 30 has a predetermined communication distance capable of communicating with the reader / writer 20. . For example, an antenna known in the art such as a dipole antenna, a monopole antenna, a loop antenna, a slot antenna, and a microstrip antenna can be used. Thus, the coil 32 can be conceptually understood as broadly including communication means.

The booster section 30 can further include a condenser 34. The capacitor 34 cooperates with the coil 32 to form a resonance circuit that resonates at the carrier frequency fc. The capacitor 34 can be formed simultaneously with the coil 32. Further, the capacitor 34 may be integrated with the coil 32 on a ceramic substrate (not shown).

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 14, a booster section 30C as a specific configuration example of the booster section 30 will be described. Here, FIG. 11 is a top view of the booster section 30C, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the booster section 30C of FIG. 11 taken along line BB. FIG. 13 is an equivalent circuit of the booster unit 30C shown in FIG. FIG.
5 shows an equivalent circuit of a booster unit 30D which is another specific configuration example applicable to the booster unit 30 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, the booster section 30C
Is a thin dielectric film 38 of, for example, several tens of microns.
A pair of capacitors 34A and 34B facing each other with the dielectric film 38 interposed therebetween; a coil 32D formed between the capacitors 34A and 34B on one surface of the dielectric film 38; Coil 32E formed between 34a and 34b
And As shown in FIG. 12, the coils 32D and 32E face each other with the dielectric film 38 interposed therebetween.
By adopting a configuration having the two capacitors 34A and 34B, the booster unit 30C has an advantage that it is not necessary to provide a connection means such as a through hole. The dielectric film 38 is made of, for example, polyethylene or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The capacitors 34A and 34B are, for example,
It is composed of a copper plate. Further, the coils 32D and 32E
Is formed, for example, by etching.

FIG. 13 shows an equivalent circuit of the components shown in FIG.
Shown in Here, if the self-inductance of the coil 32D is L1 and the self-inductance of the coil 32E is L2, the combined self-inductance Lr is (L1 + L2). Such a combined self-inductance Lr corresponds to the self-inductance of the coil 32 shown in FIG. Similarly, the capacitance of the capacitor 34A is set to C1,
Assuming that the capacitance of 4B is C2, the combined capacitance Cr is
{C1C2 / (C1 + C2)}. The combined capacitance Cr is the capacitance Cr of the capacitor 34 shown in FIG.
Is equivalent to

Now, the resonance frequency fr of the circuit shown in FIG.
Is (1 / 2π) (LrCr) − ／. Assuming that L1 = L2 = L and C1 = C2 = C for simplicity, the combined self-inductance becomes Lr = 2L, Cr = C / 2, and fr = (1 / 2π) (LC) −1/2. Become. If this value is made to match the carrier frequency fc, the circuit shown in FIG. 13 resonates at fc and the capacitors 34A and 34B
And a large resonance current can be passed through the coils 32D and 32E.
It can be supplied to the module 10.

It goes without saying that the booster section 30 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, the booster unit 20 may employ an equivalent circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 14 shows an equivalent circuit of a booster unit 30D in which the coil 32E shown in FIG. 11 is replaced with a straight metal line and only the coil 32D (coil 22) is used. 13, the coil 32E in FIG. 13 is replaced with a straight line, and the coil 32D is the coil 32. It will be appreciated that if L2 is omitted, the resonance frequency can be determined immediately.

Alternatively, a plurality of capacitors may be provided as a matching circuit instead of the capacitor 34 shown in FIG. 8, and the coil 32 may be provided with a shield for removing noise.

Hereinafter, the positional relationship between the coil pattern 14 and the coil 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the coil is not only formed in a planar shape, but also
A three-dimensional structure may be used. FIG. 15 and FIG.
It is sectional drawing which shows the different positional relationship of the coil pattern 14 and the coil 32, respectively. In FIGS. 15 and 16, the coil pattern 14 is enlarged for convenience of drawing.

Referring to FIG. 15, the coil pattern 14
The coil 32 and the coil 32 are adhered to the respective surfaces of the support 40 so that their center lines are aligned. The support 40 is, for example,
It is composed of a film made of polypropylene, polyerythylene, polyethylene terephthalate or the like having a thickness of about 10 microns. Although the coil pattern 14 is small, the magnetic flux linking the coil pattern 14
Support 40 and coil 32 so that
Is located. Thus, the coil 32 and the coil pattern 14 are electromagnetically coupled to each other, and a change in the current flowing in one coil generates an induced current in the other. Alternatively, the non-contact IC module 10 may be arranged inside the coil 32 as shown in FIG. In this case, coil 3
2 and the non-contact IC module 10 include a substrate (base material) 31
0 (or a support plate other than a substrate made of polyimide or the like).

Since the non-contact IC module 10 has the coil pattern 14 and the circuit pattern 16 mounted on one substrate 12, the non-contact IC module 10 is functionally different from the conventional non-contact IC module itself. It has the same function as a card or an IC tag. However, it is different from the conventional non-contact IC card in the following points. In the conventional non-contact IC card, since a portion corresponding to the coil pattern 14 is an antenna coil for communicating with the reader / writer 20, it needs to have substantially the same size and communication distance as the coil 32. In addition, since such an antenna coil is much larger than an IC chip, it is manufactured separately without being mounted on the IC chip, and a wire bonding method or a TAB
(Tape Automated Bonding) method or face-down method using anisotropic conductive film by forming bumps on an IC chip.
It was connected to the C chip. As will be understood, the non-contact IC module 10 of the present invention has a short communication distance due to the small coil pattern 14, and cannot be used as a conventional non-contact IC card as it is. According to the present invention, the communication distance of the non-contact IC module 10 is extended by disposing the booster section 30 near the non-contact IC module 10. Non-contact IC module 1 of the present invention
0 is characteristically capable of independently checking performance and connection.

On the other hand, in the conventional non-contact IC card, the IC chip and the antenna coil are separately manufactured and inspected, mounted on the card, and then connected to each other. Thereafter, the above-described performance and connection inspection were performed as a whole, and defective products were replaced. Therefore, the conventional non-contact IC card cannot perform these inspections until the IC chip and the antenna coil are mounted on the card and connected thereto, so that the manufacturing efficiency is low. On the other hand, the non-contact IC module 10 of the present invention is itself unitized, and as a single unit, communication performance, processing performance, storage performance,
Functional inspection such as connection status is possible before implementation. Therefore, it has a higher manufacturing efficiency than the conventional non-contact IC card in that only the non-contact module 10 that has passed the inspection need be mounted.

The present invention also relates to a non-contact IC module 10 which cannot be applied to a conventional non-contact IC card due to its short communication distance. Making it possible. Therefore, the contactless IC module 10 of the present invention can be an independent transaction medium having economic value. That is, non-contact IC
The module 10 can have various shapes and can be housed in a package (molded body) having a desired shape. Therefore, the wireless communication I
The C chip is not limited to an IC card or an IC tag, but can be widely applied to a device that performs wireless communication with an external device. Hereinafter, such an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a resin molding 50 as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the resin molded body 50A of the present invention in which the coil forming portion 52 has been removed from the resin molded body 50 shown in FIG. FIG. 19 shows a resin molded body 50B of the present invention, which is a modification of the resin molded body 50A shown in FIG. FIG. 20 shows a resin molded product 50C of the present invention, which is still another modified example of the resin molded product 50A shown in FIG.

The resin molding 50 of the present invention shown in FIG.
The non-contact IC module 10 is housed in a bobbin-shaped resin 54 and functions as a package of the non-contact IC module 10. In addition, the constricted side surface serves as a coil forming portion 52, in which the coil 32 is provided.
Is wound. The resin molding 50 supports the coil 22 on the coil forming portion 52. Note that in FIG.
It is exemplary that 2 is wound three times. Resin 54 is
It has a function of sealing and protecting the non-contact IC module 10. The arrangement of the coil 32 and the non-contact IC module 10 is substantially the same as the relationship between the two shown in FIG. 15, and the two are electromagnetically coupled.

Since the non-contact IC module 10 is sealed in the resin molded body 50, there is no problem such as breakage or inspection accompanying handling of the bare chip. Since the resin molded body 50 is covered with a resin that is easy to process, the non-contact information medium 3 of the present invention has a shape and a size that meet various requirements.
00 can be provided. For example, when the reader / writer 20 and a processing device connected to the reader / writer 20 are provided in the vehicle by being embedded together with the booster unit 30 at the tip of a key of the vehicle, the processing device
By obtaining the ID information stored in 08 from the reader / writer 20 and checking it by a predetermined method, it can be determined whether the owner or a permitted person is going to drive. Thereby, the resin molded body 50
Can achieve an anti-theft function. At this time, the resin molded body 50 has an arbitrary shape that matches the shape of the car key,
Can be processed to size.

The resin molded body 50A shown in FIG.
5 corresponds to the resin molded body 50 shown in FIG. In FIG. 17, the coil 32 is wound around and supported by the coil forming portion 52. The resin molded body 50A shown in FIG.
It can be used in an arrangement as shown in FIG. 15 or FIG.

The resin molded body 50B shown in FIG.
A resin molded body 50A shown in FIG.
Are included. The function and usage of the resin molded body 50B are the same as those of the resin molded body 50A shown in FIG. As will be understood, such a resin molding 50
B functions as an independent IC package without pins. The substrate 55 shown in the resin molded body 50B has only the same function as a mere support base, but this can be replaced with a lead frame 57 as shown in FIG. The lead frame 57 includes test terminals (pins) and the like, and has the advantage that it can be used for inspection during assembly. That is, the resin molded body 50C shown in FIG.
Function as an independent IC package having pins. After the inspection, the end surface of the lead frame 57 is cut. That is, the lead frame 57 in the resin molded body 50C shown in FIG. 20 shows a state before cutting, and the protruding lead frame 57 is placed on the end face of the resin molded body 50C (in FIG. End)
Is cut at Of course, the resin molded body 50C may be selectively used with the lead frame 57 protruding.
Note that the lead frame 57 is similar to the substrate 55 in having a function as a support base, so that the substrate 55 and the lead frame 57 can be replaced with each other not only in FIG. 19 but also in other drawings.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the non-contact IC module 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the configuration of the booster unit 30 is simply composed of a communication unit including a coil (or an antenna) or the like and a capacitor, those skilled in the art can use a method for manufacturing the non-contact IC module 10 and a method for manufacturing the non-contact information medium 300. Will also understand. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing steps of manufacturing the non-contact IC module 10 of FIG.

First, a 6-inch Si wafer substrate 12 is formed, and a circuit pattern 16 is formed thereon (step 1).
002). Next, a PIQ insulating film 180 is formed on the circuit pattern 16 by spin coating (step 1004).
Then, the terminals 14A and 14B are exposed by mask etching (step 1006). A Cr film is formed on the insulating film 180 as an adhesion reinforcing agent to a thickness of about 0.05 μm (Step 1008). Thereafter, a Cu film serving as a seed film is formed to a thickness of about 1 μm by sputtering (step 1010). Next, a photoresist is spin-coated on the Cu film (step 1012) and patterned by mask etching to form a spiral partition for providing a gap between the coils (step 1014). After the partition walls are formed, a Cu plating layer is grown in a predetermined amount in gaps between the partition walls by electric field casting (step 1016), and then the resist is removed (step 1018). Next, the Cu seed layer other than the coil pattern 14 is removed by etching to form the coil pattern 14 (step 102).
0). After the cleaning (step 1022), as a final step, a UV curable resin protective layer 190 is formed on the coil pattern 14 by a roll coater (step 1024), and individual modules are cut out by dicing to obtain a non-contact I
The C module 10 is formed (Step 1026).

The non-contact IC module 10 manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method has a circuit pattern 16 on a substrate 12 as shown in FIG. Terminals 14A and 14B are connected. An insulating film (hereinafter referred to as a PIQ film) 180 is applied on one surface of the substrate 12 irrespective of the area of the circuit pattern 16, and the terminals 14A and 14B penetrate the PIQ film 180 for electrical connection. I have. The antenna coil 14 is formed in a spiral shape on the upper surface of the PIQ film 180 and outside the area occupied by the circuit pattern 16.

Hereinafter, the operation of the non-contact information medium 300 will be described. Referring to FIG. 5, a non-contact information medium 300
Are expected to have various multi-purpose uses like non-contact IC cards and IC tags. These fields include finance (cash card, credit card, electronic money management, farm banking, home banking, etc.) distribution (shopping cards, gift certificates, etc.), medical care (medical consultation tickets, health insurance cards, health handbooks, etc.), transportation (Stored Fair (S
F) Cards, coupons, licenses, commuter passes, passports, etc.), insurance (such as insurance policies), securities (such as securities), education (such as student ID cards, transcripts), companies (such as ID cards), and government (such as seals) Certification, resident's card, etc.). For example,
When the non-contact IC module 10 stores the ID information in its memory, the non-contact information medium 300
It can be used as an input / output management medium for laboratories and universities.

In this case, first, the user places the non-contact information medium 300 on the reader / writer 20 provided near the door.
For example, hold over a distance of 10 to 50 cm. In response, the reader / writer 20 transmits the radio wave W at the carrier frequency fc to urge the non-contact information medium 300 to return the ID number. The electric wave W is preferably applied to the coil 3 of the booster unit 30 which resonates at the carrier frequency fc.
2 and simultaneously transmitted to the coil 14 of the non-contact IC module 10 electromagnetically coupled to the coil 32. As a result, an induced current is generated in the coil 14, and the induced current is supplied to the IC 16. Since the induced current is an alternating current, the IC 16 converts the power into a direct current to obtain a constant voltage for operation of each unit.

On the other hand, in response to a signal (induced current) received through the coil 14 and a demodulation circuit (not shown), the control section 106 reads out ID information from a memory (not shown) and sends the information from the coil 14 so as to transmit the ID information. Make it work. As a result, the ID information is read from the memory 108 and transmitted to the outside via the transmission / reception circuit 104 and the coil 14. This ID information from the coil 14 is transmitted to the coil 32 of the booster unit 30 and the antenna unit 24 of the reader / writer 20 electromagnetically coupled to the coil 32 by electromagnetic induction. The antenna unit 24 transmits the received ID information to the control interface unit 2
2, and the control interface 22 requests a host computer or the like connected thereto to check the validity.

Optionally, reader / writer 20 may prompt the user to enter a password or supply fingerprint, voiceprint, and iris information. This makes it possible to simultaneously check whether the user is a valid owner of the non-contact information medium 300. In this case, the reader / writer 20 uses a fingerprint reader (not shown) or the like. Thereafter, if it is confirmed that the ID information is correct, the door is unlocked and the user can open the door and enter inside. The same applies when the door is a safe door. If the ID information is incorrect, the door lock is maintained.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the invention.

For example, the non-contact IC module 10 can be configured as a unit that can be separated from the booster unit 30. Such a unit can be mechanically engaged with the reader / writer 20, and the non-contact IC module 10 can also directly and non-contact with the antenna unit 24 on condition that such a mechanical engagement exists.

For example, the non-contact information medium 300 transmits data by radio waves (eg, microwaves) to the reader / writer 20.
There is a possibility of eavesdropping because it exchanges with. Also, if a device that performs the function of the reader / writer 20 is brought close to the non-contact information medium 300 in the pocket, it may communicate with the IC 16 and the value (for example, electronic money) stored in the IC 16 may be stolen. Therefore, in the case of using for settlement purposes, if the communication distance with the reader / writer 20 is made small and the communication is performed in a close contact type, system security can be enhanced.

[0069]

Non-contact I as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
According to the C module and the method of manufacturing the same, since the inner peripheral end of the coil pattern is provided outside the circuit pattern, layout problems in LSI design can be solved, and cost can be reduced by simplifying the LSI design process. Can be greatly reduced. In addition, since the coil pattern can be enlarged, the communication distance increases.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a non-contact IC module as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective enlarged plan view of the non-contact IC module shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the non-contact IC module shown in FIG. 2, taken along line AA.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of components included in a circuit pattern of the non-contact IC module shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a relationship between a non-contact information medium and a reader / writer that is an external device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a schematic block diagram of the reader / writer shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram showing a more specific configuration example of the reader / writer shown in FIG. 6;

8 is a circuit configuration diagram applicable to the booster section of the contactless information medium shown in FIG.

9 is another circuit configuration diagram applicable to the booster section of the non-contact information medium shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is still another circuit configuration diagram applicable to the non-contact information medium shown in FIG. 5;

11 is a schematic block diagram showing a more specific configuration of a booster section of the non-contact information medium shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the booster unit of FIG. 11 taken along line BB.

FIG. 13 is an equivalent circuit of the booster section shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is another specific circuit diagram applicable to the booster unit shown in FIG.

15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the arrangement of a non-contact IC module and a booster unit of the non-contact information medium shown in FIG.

16 is another schematic sectional view showing an example of the arrangement of the non-contact IC module and the booster section of the non-contact information medium shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a resin molded body as one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic sectional view of a resin molded body as another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic sectional view of a modified example of the resin molded body shown in FIG.

20 is a schematic sectional view of still another modification of the resin molded product shown in FIG.

21 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing the non-contact IC module shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is an exemplary schematic plan view of a conventional on-coil IC chip.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Non-contact IC module 12 Substrate 14 Coil pattern 16 Circuit pattern 20 Reader / writer 30 Booster part 40 Support body 50 Resin molding 300 Non-contact information medium

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A substrate, a circuit pattern formed on the substrate, and formed around the circuit pattern on the substrate and connected to the circuit pattern, and wirelessly communicates with an external device using electromagnetic induction. Non-contact IC module having a coil pattern capable of performing the following. 2. The non-contact IC module according to claim 1, wherein said circuit pattern and said coil pattern are formed to face each other with respect to said substrate. 3. A booster unit having a first coil capable of wirelessly communicating with an external device using electromagnetic induction, and wirelessly communicating with the booster unit by being electromagnetically coupled to the booster unit in a non-contact manner. A non-contact information medium comprising an IC module capable of communicating with the external device in a non-contact manner via the booster section, wherein the non-contact IC module includes a substrate, and a circuit pattern formed on the substrate. And formed on the substrate around the circuit pattern and connected to the circuit pattern to generate an induced current by electromagnetic induction from an induced current generated in the first coil by the external device. A non-contact information medium having a coil pattern defining a second coil. 4. A step of forming the circuit pattern substantially at the center of a substrate larger than the circuit pattern, and utilizing an external device and electromagnetic induction between the circuit pattern and an outer edge of the substrate on the substrate. Forming a coil pattern capable of performing wireless communication with the circuit pattern and connecting the coil pattern to the circuit pattern.