JP2013097652A - Non-contact communication medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-contact communication medium which is excellent in surface smoothness for reducing the influence of an impact or the like from the outside to an IC module, and for reducing possibility that any failure or communication failure occurs even with configurations in which the mold part of the IC module is exposed from an opening formed in a base material of an inlay.SOLUTION: The non-contact communication medium includes: a first base material and a second base material; an antenna formed in the second base material; and an IC module connected to the antenna. The non-contact communication medium is characterized such that an opening from which the mold part of the IC module is exposed is formed, and that the width of the front insulation layer surface of a protective tape for sealing the opening is larger than the width of the back adhesive layer surface.

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact communication medium used for an electronic passport or the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a non-contact communication medium in which an antenna is provided on a substrate, which is connected to an IC module, and capable of data communication with an external read / write device.

Conventionally, a technology for laying a wound antenna coil on a substrate and connecting it to an IC module to form a contactless communication medium such as an IC card or IC tag capable of data communication with an external read / write device is known. (See Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
When manufacturing non-contact communication media such as electronic passports using these technologies, some problems remain in terms of thinning the shape and physical resistance to static electricity and external force.

  In the above prior art, when an insulating base material is bonded to a member called an inlet in which an IC module is mounted on an antenna sheet provided with an antenna and used as a non-contact communication medium, a mold in which an IC chip is sealed Since the bonded base material swells due to the thickness of the part, etc., an inlay base material having an opening corresponding to the mold part is attached to the inlet mounted with the IC module, and the mold part is attached to the base material. An inlay exposed from the opening is used.

  Since the outermost layer of the inlay is sandwiched and laminated by an insulating resin base material, an IC card or the like has few problems even with the above-described configuration using the inlay in which the mold part is exposed from the opening. In particular, when the inlay is the outermost layer and the IC module part is exposed to the outside air, such as an electronic passport, or when the inlay is only covered with a paper medium or the like that is electrically weak, the IC module part is exposed from the outside. It is easy to be affected by the impact of the mobile phone, causing failure and poor communication.

  Even if the mold part of the IC module is exposed from the opening provided in the base material of the inlay, the impact of external impact on the IC module can be reduced, causing failure and poor communication. As a non-contact communication medium with reduced performance, in Patent Document 2, the opening provided in the base material of the inlay is sealed with a sealing material having electrical insulation, heat resistance, and moisture resistance. A method has been proposed.

The sealing material provided for improving the module resistance is, for example, a tape in which an adhesive is applied to one side of a polyester film substrate, and is provided on the mold part surface of the module for protection.
As the base film constituting the sealing material, polyester resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polystyrene resin, polyimide resin, or the like can be used, and it is particularly preferable to use a biaxially stretched polyester resin.
In addition, an adhesive such as an epoxy resin may be used as the pressure-sensitive adhesive applied to one side of the base film. The dielectric constant of the sealing material is preferably about 1εS to about 5εS, for example.

When using a tape-like material (protective tape) coated with adhesive on one side of a polyester film substrate as a sealing material used to improve module resistance, the necessary electrical insulation, heat resistance, and moisture resistance are achieved. In order to secure a non-contact communication medium that can withstand external shocks, the external stress is dispersed by making the size of the protective tape slightly smaller than the opening provided in the base material of the inlay. Thus, there has been a proposal to prevent destruction due to impact (Patent Document 3).

According to this configuration, the cross-sectional length in the MD direction of the protective tape is substantially the same as the opening provided in the inlay base material.
In this case, the adhesive oozes out from the end face of the protective tape and oozes out to the product surface in the heating and pressurizing process at the time of manufacturing in which the protective tape is pressure-bonded to the module surface. As a result, the smoothness and flatness required for the product surface are lost, the surface is not only contaminated, but also the resistance is lowered.

Japanese Patent No. 3721520 Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-41134 Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-195556

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and even if the mold part of the IC module is exposed from the opening provided in the base material of the inlay, the IC module can be externally connected to the IC module. It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-contact communication medium with excellent surface smoothness that reduces the influence of impact and the like and reduces the possibility of occurrence of failure or communication failure.

In order to solve the above problems, the non-contact communication medium of the present invention is:
A non-contact communication medium having a first substrate and a second substrate, an antenna formed on the second substrate, and an IC module connected to the antenna,
The IC module has at least a lead frame, an IC chip mounted on the lead frame, and a mold part formed by sealing the IC chip.
The first substrate has an opening that exposes the mold part,
The second base material has a hole having a larger area than the mold part for accommodating at least the mold part,
A protective tape formed by laminating an insulating layer and an adhesive layer is disposed in a shape covering the mold part,
The width of the insulating layer surface on the front surface of the protective tape is larger than the width of the back adhesive layer surface.

Further, the non-contact communication medium of the present invention is such that the horizontal width of the protective tape is x, the vertical width is y, the horizontal width of the opening of the first base material is a, and the vertical width is b. Where d is the thickness of
x <a + 2d (1)
y <b + 2d (2)
Is a non-contact communication medium characterized by satisfying at least one of the conditions.

  The non-contact communication medium of the present invention is a non-contact communication medium characterized by satisfying only the condition (2).

In the non-contact communication medium of the present invention, the protective tape further includes:
x <a + 2d−0.2 mm (3)
y <b + 2d−0.2 mm (4)
Is a non-contact communication medium characterized by satisfying at least one of the conditions.

The non-contact communication medium of the present invention is a non-contact communication medium characterized by satisfying only the condition (4).

  The non-contact communication medium of the present invention is a non-contact communication medium characterized in that the outer surface of the first base material and the outer surface of the protective tape are formed substantially flat.

  The contactless communication medium of the present invention is a contactless communication medium characterized in that a step between the outer surface of the first substrate and the outer surface of the protective tape is 20 μm or less.

  The contactless communication medium of the present invention is characterized in that the longitudinal elastic modulus of at least one of the insulating layer and the adhesive layer of the protective tape is smaller than the longitudinal elastic modulus of the mold part. It is.

  According to the present invention, even when the mold part of the IC module is exposed from the opening provided in the base material of the inlay, the adverse effect such as external impact on the IC module part is reduced, It is possible to provide a non-contact communication medium excellent in surface smoothness with reduced possibility of occurrence of communication failure.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example embodiment of a contactless communication medium. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of an IC module portion of a contactless communication medium. FIG. (A) is a top view, (b) is sectional drawing in MD direction of (a), (c) is sectional drawing in CD direction of (a). It is the schematic of one embodiment of the antenna sheet | seat which is a 2nd base material. (A) is a front view, (b) is a back view. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the form example of the protective tape in a non-contact communication medium. (A) is sectional drawing in MD direction, (b) is sectional drawing in CD direction. It is sectional drawing which shows the embodiment example of the protective tape in this invention. (A) is sectional drawing in MD direction, (b) is sectional drawing in CD direction. It is a figure for demonstrating numerical formula (1) to (4) in this invention. It is a schematic diagram in case the non-contact communication medium in this invention is an electronic passport. It is an IC module partial cross section (MD direction) with the conventional protective tape. The top shows before pressure welding by heating and pressurization, and the bottom shows after pressure welding. It is an IC module partial cross section (MD direction) of the non-contact communication medium using the protective tape of this invention. The top shows before pressure welding by heating and pressurization, and the bottom shows after pressure welding.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as necessary.
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an embodiment of a non-contact communication medium according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the non-contact communication medium includes a first base material, a second base material, and an IC module. As will be described later, an antenna is formed on the second base material and connected to the IC module.
The first base is provided with an opening for exposing the IC module, and a protective tape is disposed so as to cover the mold part of the IC module.

A non-contact communication medium (1) shown in FIG. 1 includes an antenna sheet (3) as a second base material, an inlet having an antenna and an IC module, and a first base material (2) and an inlay sheet (7). ).
A hole is formed in the antenna sheet (3), and the antenna and the IC module are connected so that the IC module (41) is fitted therein. This non-contact communication medium is formed in a desired thickness by sandwiching an inlet between the inlay sheet and the first base material, and laminating and integrating them.

  Examples of the first base material and the inlay sheet include an insulating plastic film (PET-G: amorphous copolyester, PVC: polyvinyl chloride, etc.) or insulating synthetic paper (polyolefin-based synthesis manufactured by PPG). Paper: Insulating sheets such as trade name “Teslin” (registered trademark) or polypropylene synthetic paper (trade name “YUPO” (registered trademark)) manufactured by YUPO Corporation are used.

Here, the above-described insulating sheet is desirably a flexible plastic film. Further, for example, a thickness of about 100 μm to about 1000 μm, preferably about 100 μm to about 500 μm can be used.
In addition, this makes it possible not only to sufficiently exhibit the functions as a base material such as strength, but also to be applied to a booklet-shaped application by providing the base material with sufficient flexibility.

The opening of the first substrate and the hole of the second substrate can be formed by punching or the like. Moreover, after bonding a 1st base material and a 2nd base material, you may seal the hole of a 2nd base material similarly to the opening part of a 1st base material.
For this sealing, an insulating resin material or the like can be used. An adhesive such as a two-component curable epoxy resin can also be used.
In particular, by using an impact-resistant elastic epoxy resin, the IC module can be protected from impact.

  FIG. 8 shows an IC module partial cross section (MD direction) of a non-contact communication medium using a conventional protective tape. FIG. 9 shows an IC module partial cross section (MD direction) of a non-contact communication medium using the protective tape of the present invention.

As a protective tape (5) which is a sealing material which covers a mold part (42), for example, a protective tape substrate (51) made of an insulating layer having electrical insulation, heat resistance and moisture resistance, and an adhesive layer (52 ) Is used.
As such an insulating layer, a resin material such as a polyester resin, a polypropylene resin, a polystyrene resin, or a polyimide resin can be used alone or in combination, and it is particularly preferable to use a biaxially stretched polyester resin.

As the adhesive layer, for example, EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate resin) -based, EAA (ethylene acrylic acid copolymer resin) -based, polyester-based, polyurethane-based thermoplastic resins, or the like can be used. Moreover, it is possible to use common adhesives, such as acrylic resin.
The thickness of the adhesive layer is desirably 20 μm or more in order to obtain sufficient adhesive strength, but may be appropriately adjusted in consideration of the adhesive strength of the adhesive layer, the thickness of the entire protective tape, and the like.

  The thickness of the protective tape as a whole is preferably about 25 μm to 100 μm, and more preferably 80 μm or less. This is because if the protective tape is too thin, the sealing effect is reduced, and if it is too thick, a step may be generated when it is bonded to the first substrate.

The protective tape used for the non-contact communication medium of the present invention is formed so that the outer surface of the first substrate and the outer surface of the protective tape are continuously flat, and the outer surface of the first substrate It is formed so that the surface and the outer surface of the sealing material are substantially flush.
Specifically, it is preferable that the level difference between the outer surface of the substrate and the outer surface of the sealing material is 20 μm or less.

In order to make the outer surface of the non-contact communication medium substantially flat and substantially flush, the shape of the protective tape of the present invention is different from the conventional one.
An IC module partial cross section (MD direction) of a non-contact communication medium using a conventional protective tape is shown in FIG. 8 for reference.

As shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 8, the protective tape used in the conventional non-contact communication medium has a cross-sectional dimension in the MD direction substantially equal to the inner side surface of the opening formed in the first base material (2). Equally slightly smaller.
Further, the angle of the cut surface is usually a right angle. For this reason, when the protective tape (5) is joined to the surface of the mold part (42) by heating and pressing, the adhesive layer (52 softened in a slight gap between the inner surface of the opening and the outer periphery of the protective tape) ) Intrudes into the outermost surface and solidifies, forming irregularities and steps on the product surface (see the lower figure in FIG. 8).

  If the size of the protective tape is made smaller and the gap between the inner surface of the opening and the outer periphery of the protective tape is widened, it is possible to prevent the softened adhesive layer from spraying to the outermost surface. If the gap is left unfilled, the prevention of intrusion of static electricity and moisture, which is one of the purposes of using the protective tape, may be incomplete, leading to a decrease in resistance.

On the other hand, in the non-contact communication medium of the present invention, as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 9, the cross-sectional shape of the protective tape (5) is the same as the width of the protective tape substrate (51) which is an insulating layer. By making it larger than the width of the adhesive layer (52), when the protective tape (5) is bonded to the surface of the mold part (42) by heating and pressing, the inner surface of the opening and the outer periphery of the protective tape Even if the softened adhesive layer (52) penetrates into a slight gap between them, it will be solidified in a state where it does not reach the outermost surface, so that no irregularities or steps are formed on the product surface ( (See the lower figure in FIG. 9).
As a result, it is possible to provide a non-contact communication medium with excellent surface smoothness that reduces adverse effects such as external impact on the IC module portion, and reduces the possibility of failure and communication failure. .

As a method of making the cross-sectional shape of the protective tape (5) the width of the protective tape substrate (51) as an insulating layer larger than the width of the adhesive layer (52), the angle of the slit blade during normal slitting The easiest way to change is
Depending on the material of the adhesive layer, other methods such as applying an adhesive with a narrower width to the slitted protective tape insulating layer may be appropriate, but both ends of the insulating layer are made as thin as necessary. Any method can be used as long as it is a simple method.

  Further, when a resin material is used as the protective tape, it is preferable to use a resin material whose longitudinal elastic modulus is smaller than that of the mold part of the IC module. When using a resin tape having an adhesive layer as the protective tape, use a resin material or an adhesive layer in which at least one of the longitudinal elastic modulus is smaller than the longitudinal elastic modulus of the mold part of the IC module. Is preferred.

  FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an IC module used for the non-contact communication medium of the present invention. The upper part (a) of FIG. 2 is a plan view of the IC module of this embodiment, the middle part (b) of FIG. 2 is a sectional view in the MD direction of (a), and the lower part (c) of FIG. ) Is a cross-sectional view in the CD direction of (a).

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the IC module (4) seals the lead frame (43), the IC chip (41) mounted on the lead frame, and the IC chip. And a mold part (42).

  The lead frame (43) is formed of, for example, a copper thread metal film formed by knitting a copper thread into a film shape and silver plating. The lead frame (43) includes a die pad (431) for supporting and fixing the IC chip and a terminal portion (432) connected to the input / output pad of the IC chip.

The die pad (431) is formed slightly larger than the outer shape of the IC chip, and is fixed to the bottom of the IC chip. A gap is formed between the die pad and the terminal portion and is electrically insulated.
The terminal portion is connected to an input / output pad (not shown) of the IC chip via a bonding wire (44) such as gold (Au).

The mold part (42) is formed of a resin material such as an epoxy resin, for example, and includes an IC chip (41), an input / output pad of the IC chip, a bonding wire (44), and a terminal part (432) and the bonding wire. It is formed so as to cover the connection portion and the like.
The mold part is also filled in the gap between the die pad and the terminal part.
Here, the thickness of the IC module (4) is, for example, about 0.3 mm.

In FIG. 3, the example of the antenna sheet | seat which is a 2nd base material used for the non-contact communication medium of this invention is shown. FIG. 3A is a front view of the antenna sheet, and FIG. 3B is a rear view.
The antenna sheet (3) is made of, for example, a flexible material formed of PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate).
The thickness of the antenna sheet is appropriately selected from a range of about 0.02 mm to about 0.10 mm, for example. The antenna sheet shown in FIG. 2 is an example in which an etching antenna is formed as an antenna. An antenna (61) is formed on the front surface of the antenna sheet, and a jumper wire (62) is formed on the back surface.

The antenna (61) and the jumper wire (62) are electrically connected by a conductive portion (63) provided in each. In order to ensure reliable conduction, it is desirable that the conduction part has a large area.
The continuity between the antenna and the jumper wire is performed by crimping by applying pressure so as to be sandwiched from both sides, or by performing a crimping process to break the antenna sheet, or by forming a through hole and filling with a conductive paste such as a silver paste. However, the method is not limited as long as the antenna and the jumper wire are physically or electrically connected to each other.

The antenna (61) is formed with a connection portion (64) for connection with the IC module (41). In order to facilitate the connection with the IC module, it is desirable that the connection portion has a large area.
The shape of the antenna (61) may be formed in a shape corresponding to the communication characteristics used by the non-contact communication medium. Depending on the type of antenna, a jumper wire may be formed on the surface of the antenna sheet, or a jumper wire is unnecessary. In some cases, the shape is not limited to that shown in FIG.

For example, the antenna and the jumper wire are formed by forming a conductive metal such as aluminum, copper, silver or the like on the surface of the antenna sheet (3) into a thin film having a thickness of about 0.02 mm to 0.05 mm. It is preferable that the etching antenna is formed by patterning with etching.
The reason is that when bending is repeatedly applied to the inlet, stress due to repeated bending is applied to the portion where the terminal portion of the IC module and the connection portion of the antenna sheet are connected. This is because stress can be prevented from being concentrated on a specific part.
However, the antenna in the present invention is not limited to the etching antenna, and a winding coil made of a conductive wire, a printed antenna provided with conductive ink by printing, or the like can be used.

In the non-contact communication medium of the present invention, it is desirable to provide a hole for accommodating the IC module (41) in the antenna sheet (3). As a result, the contactless communication medium is further reduced in thickness and thickness is uniformed, local stress is prevented from acting, and resistance to bending is improved.
Further, the IC module can be fixed by accommodating up to the lead frame of the IC module in the hole. Further, it is preferable to form a connection portion in the portion of the antenna connected to the IC module, for example, by increasing the area in order to facilitate connection.

Further, it is desirable that the width of the connection portion (64) of the antenna (61) is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the width of the terminal portion of the IC module (41). Thereby, stress can be dispersed in the width direction and concentration of stress can be prevented.
In addition, the connection portion of the antenna can be connected over the entire width in the width direction of the terminal portion of the IC module, and the connection can be made reliably, and the reliability of the antenna and the inlet can be improved.

  Further, it is desirable that the length of the antenna connection portion be larger than the length of the portion where the terminal portion of the IC module and the antenna connection portion overlap. Thereby, the edge of a terminal part is connected so that it may be located in the approximate center part inside an edge part of an antenna connection part. For this reason, the edge of a terminal part contact | abuts to the approximate center part of the connection part of the antenna by which the width | variety was expanded rather than the width of the antenna coil.

  Further, a reinforcing pattern for reinforcing the antenna connection portion may be formed on the back surface of the second substrate corresponding to the area where the antenna connection portion is formed (not shown). Thereby, the connection part of the antenna can be supported and reinforced by both the second substrate and the reinforcing pattern formed on the back surface thereof.

Therefore, when the bending portion is repeatedly applied to the portion where the terminal portion of the IC module and the connection portion of the antenna are connected, the edge of the terminal portion can be received by the substantially central portion of the connection portion of the antenna whose width is expanded. .
Thereby, concentration of stress on the antenna can be prevented, and disconnection of the antenna can be prevented.

Here, as an example of the conventional non-contact communication medium, FIG. 4 is illustrated as an example of the non-contact communication medium of the present invention, with respect to different examples of the dimensions and arrangement of the protective tape used for the non-contact communication medium of the present invention. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
In FIG.4 and FIG.5, the antenna sheet | seat (3) which is a 2nd base material, the inlet (not shown) which consists of an antenna and an IC module, the 1st base material (2), and an inlay sheet | seat (7) ) And the cover sheet (8), a cross section of the non-contact communication medium is shown.
4A shows a cross section in the MD direction, and FIG. 4B shows a cross section in the CD direction. The same applies to FIG.

In the non-contact communication medium shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inlay sheet is provided with a hole for accommodating the IC module in order to reduce the thickness of the IC module portion. The hole does not necessarily have to penetrate the inlay sheet, and may be a recess having a depth for storing the IC module.

  When the protective tape (5) is bonded to not only the mold part (42) but also a part of the antenna sheet (3) as shown in FIGS. The bonding strength with the antenna sheet is increased. Particularly, the CD direction is desirable because the bonding strength between the IC module and the antenna connection portion is increased. On the other hand, since the protective tape (5) is widely covered, When the linear pressure test is performed, stress is easily applied to the mold portion in the MD direction, and when the linear pressure test is performed in the MD direction, the mold part is easily stressed, which causes cracks.

This is because when the linear pressure is applied from the lower surface of the IC module, a force is applied to push the IC module upward, but when the protective tape (5) is bonded to the antenna sheet (3), the antenna This is because the sheet is sandwiched between the first base material (2) and the inlay sheet (7) and fixed firmly, so that there is no place for the force to escape and stress is applied to the mold part.
On the other hand, if the end portion of the protective tape (5) is not joined to the antenna sheet (3), the IC module has a certain degree of mobility and can prevent stress concentration on the mold portion. Become.

For the reasons described above, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, it is desirable that at least one of the MD direction and the CD direction has a size such that the protective tape does not contact the antenna sheet.
For this purpose, the horizontal width (CD direction) of the protective tape is x, the vertical width (MD direction) is y, the horizontal width of the opening of the first base material is a, and the vertical width is b. Where d is the thickness of
x <a + 2d (1)
y <b + 2d (2)
It is preferable to use a protective tape that satisfies at least one of the conditions.
6 shows the relationship between the horizontal width x and the vertical width y of the protective tape (5), and the lower portion shows the relationship between the horizontal width a and the vertical width b of the opening of the first base material. A surface view of an example of the sheet is shown.
The protective tape (5) is heated and pressure bonded to the surface of the IC module (41).

The above conditions (1) and (2) take into account that the protective tape is pressed against both side surfaces of the mold part by the inner side surface of the opening of the first base material, thereby adhering to both side surfaces of the mold part. It is a thing.
If these conditions are satisfied, the end of the protective tape is not joined to the antenna sheet as shown in FIG. 4, and the portion not pressed down by the inner surface of the opening of the first substrate is as shown in FIG. If it hangs naturally, or adheres to the side surface of the mold part by some means, it does not naturally touch the antenna sheet, even if it takes a form spreading straight in the horizontal direction, it does not touch the antenna sheet. Absent.

  Therefore, when a protective tape that satisfies at least one of the conditions (1) and (2) is used, it is possible to reliably prevent the antenna sheet from being contacted in at least one of the MD direction and the CD direction. Thus, when a linear pressure test is performed, it is possible to prevent stress from being applied to the mold part and cracking.

Further, (1) and (2) may satisfy at least one of the conditions, but it is more desirable to satisfy only the condition (2). This is because the CD direction is the long side direction of the die pad, and the terminal part is formed so as to protrude from the mold part. Since the terminal part is connected to the antenna connection part here, the intrusion of static electricity is prevented by covering with a protective tape. This is because it is desirable to give priority to ensuring.

  If the condition in the MD direction is satisfied, it becomes possible to prevent the mold part from cracking when a linear pressure is applied from the CD direction. In such a case, the direction in which the IC module is arranged on the non-contact communication medium may be determined with the CD direction as the direction in which linear pressure due to being pressed by a roller is often applied.

  In addition, this condition is that the surface of the first substrate and the surface of the protective tape are formed substantially flat, and the thickness of the protective tape is very fine compared to the width of the mold part, etc. And so on.

From the above (1) and (2), the accuracy of the manufacturing equipment is further considered.
The accuracy of attaching the IC module to the second base material is typically ± 0.1 mm at maximum, and the accuracy of attaching the protective tape to the IC module is generally ± 0.1 mm at maximum. In consideration of the fact, the accuracy of attaching the protective tape to the second base material is ± 0.2 mm at the maximum.

Therefore, the horizontal width x and the vertical width y of the protective tape are x <a + 2d−0.2 mm (3)
y <b + 2d−0.2 mm (4)
It is more desirable to use a protective tape that satisfies at least one of the conditions.
Thereby, even if the bonding of the protective tape to the second base material is shifted by 0.2 mm at the maximum, it is possible to reliably prevent the protective tape from contacting the antenna sheet.
It is sufficient that the formulas (3) and (4) satisfy at least one of the conditions as in the formulas (1) and (2), but it is more preferable that only the formula (4) is satisfied. .

  The protective tape preferably covers the entire outer surface of the mold part, and at least 90% of both the vertical and horizontal widths of the surface of the mold part are preferably covered. This is the same even when the bonding of the protective tape is shifted due to the accuracy of the manufacturing equipment.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
In the non-contact communication medium of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an opening for exposing the mold part of the IC module is formed in the first base material, and a protection having an insulating layer is provided so as to cover the mold part. Tape is stuck.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of adverse effects due to the intrusion of static electricity into the IC module portion.

Further, the cross-sectional shape of the protective tape (5) is such that the width of the protective tape substrate (51), which is an insulating layer, is larger than the width of the adhesive layer (52), so that the protective tape is placed on the surface of the mold part. When heated and pressurized to be joined, even if a softened adhesive layer penetrates into a slight gap between the inner surface of the opening and the outer periphery of the protective tape, it solidifies in a state that does not reach the outermost surface, No irregularities or steps are formed on the product surface.
As a result, it is possible to provide a non-contact communication medium with excellent surface smoothness that reduces adverse effects such as external impact on the IC module portion, and reduces the possibility of failure and communication failure. .

  In addition, by filling the gap between the opening of the first base material and the mold part with the protective tape, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of catching by the gap during a flatness test such as a ball-point pen test and the like. The flatness and smoothness of the outer surface of the non-contact communication medium composed of the surface and the outer surface of the sealing material can be improved.

The protective tape (5) is disposed so as to cover the outer surface of the IC module, and the outer surface of the first base material (2) and the outer surface of the protective tape are continuously flat and substantially flush. Is formed.
Therefore, even if there is a step between the outer surface of the first substrate and the outer surface of the IC module including the outer surface of the mold part, the outer surface of the first substrate and the protective tape The outer surface can be made substantially flush.
Therefore, the flatness and smoothness of the outer surface of the non-contact communication medium composed of the outer surface of the first substrate and the outer surface of the protective tape can be improved.

Moreover, since the level | step difference of the outer surface of a 1st base material and the outer surface of a protective tape is formed in 20 micrometers or less, the non-contact communication medium which consists of the outer surface of a 1st base material and the outer surface of a protective tape The outer surface can be made substantially flat and flush, and the acceptance criteria for flatness tests such as a ballpoint pen test can be sufficiently satisfied.
Further, the step is more preferably 15 μm or less. Thereby, the defect rate of a ball-point pen test can be made almost 0%.

  In addition, since the resin tape is used as the protective tape, it is possible to facilitate the arrangement of the protective tape, simplify the manufacturing process of the non-contact communication medium, improve the yield, and reduce the manufacturing cost.

In addition, when a resin tape whose longitudinal elastic modulus of the insulating layer or adhesive layer is smaller than that of the mold part of the IC module is used as the protective tape, the impact applied to the non-contact communication medium is dispersed as elastic energy in the protective tape. To do. As a result, the effect of reducing the impact applied to the IC module can also be obtained.

In addition, since the protective tape is more easily elastically deformed than the mold part of the IC module, in the ballpoint pen test, the outer surface of the first base material is deformed and submerged by the external force received from the penpoint of the ballpoint pen. However, when the pen tip moves from the outer surface of the first base material to the outer surface of the protective tape, the protective tape makes a step between the outer surface of the first base material and the outer surface of the protective tape. Elastically deforms in a decreasing direction.
Thereby, the stress to the pen point advancing direction of a ball-point pen by the level | step difference of the outer surface of a 1st base material and the outer surface of a protective tape can be reduced.

Furthermore, by limiting the size of the protective tape to a size that does not contact the second base material in at least one of the MD direction and the CD direction, when a linear pressure test is performed, stress is applied to the mold part, It becomes possible to prevent a crack from occurring.
In addition, when the size of the protective tape in consideration of the deviation caused by the accuracy of the manufacturing equipment, which occurs when the IC module is bonded to the second substrate, the protective tape is bonded to the IC module, It becomes possible to more reliably prevent the protective tape from coming into contact with the second substrate.

  As described above, according to the non-contact communication medium of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the intrusion of static electricity into the IC module, satisfy the requirement of flatness of the outer surface, It becomes possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing a non-contact communication medium according to the present embodiment will be described.
Here, the non-contact communication medium has a first base as shown in FIG. 1, an inlet provided with an antenna and an IC module on the antenna sheet as the second base, and an inlay sheet Will be described.

Here, as a method of manufacturing a non-contact communication medium, for example, first, an IC module is placed in a hole portion of an antenna sheet on which an antenna is formed and connected to the antenna to form an inlet. Cover with.
As the protective tape, a film obtained by laminating an adhesive layer on an insulating layer is used in which the width of the insulating layer is widened so that the cross sections at both ends are at an angle of 45 degrees.
Next, this is sandwiched between the inlay sheet and the first base material, and is superposed so as to accommodate the IC module in the opening provided in the first base material.

Next, the press process which presses a 1st base material and an inlay sheet from the outside, and mutually presses and compresses is performed.
By this pressing step, the first base material, the inlet, the inlay sheet, and the protective tape in the opening are compressed, and the outer surface of the first base material and the outer surface of the protective tape are substantially flat and substantially flush. It is formed.
At this time, since the thickness of the adhesive layer is small at both ends of the protective tape, the protective tape does not overflow from the gap and jet out to the surface.

  In the case of using synthetic paper as the first base material and the inlay sheet, as a method of joining the inlet to the first base material and the inlay sheet, an adhesive is used as the antenna sheet of the inlet, or the first base material and An adhesive laminating method is used in which the inlay sheet is applied to the surface in contact with the antenna sheet and bonded at a relatively low temperature of about 70 ° C. to 140 ° C., for example.

  As the adhesive, for example, EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate resin) type, EAA (ethylene acrylic acid copolymer resin) type, polyester type, polyurethane type and the like can be used. Further, instead of applying an adhesive, an adhesive sheet using a resin used for the above-described adhesive may be sandwiched between the antenna sheet, the first base material, and the inlay sheet.

  When the above thermoplastic plastic film is used as the first base material and the inlay sheet, the first base material and the inlay sheet are pressed while pressure is applied to the inlet, the first base material, and the inlay sheet. A thermal laminating method is used in which melt bonding is performed by heating to a temperature exceeding the softening temperature of the sheet, for example, about 130 ° C to 170 ° C. In addition, when using a heat laminating method, the above-described adhesive may be used in combination in order to ensure fusion bonding.

After the inlet, the first base material, and the inlay sheet are joined, the integrated first base material, inlay sheet, and inlet are processed into a desired shape.
As described above, the non-contact communication medium shown in FIG. 1 can be manufactured.

In the above-described embodiment, the pressing process is introduced when the non-contact communication medium is manufactured. However, the pressing process may not be performed.
Even without performing the pressing step, it is possible to fill the gap between the IC module and the inner surface of the opening of the base material with a protective tape. In addition to the pressing step, for example, the outer surface of the substrate and the outer surface of the protective tape can be formed flat by using a roller, a scraper, or the like.

Here, the softening temperatures of the first base material and the inlay sheet are about 100 ° C. to 150 ° C. for PET-G and about 80 ° C. to 100 ° C. for PVC.
On the other hand, the antenna sheet which is the second substrate is formed of PEN or PET as described in the above embodiment. The softening temperature of PEN is about 269 ° C., and the softening temperature of PET is about 258 ° C. Therefore, the heat resistant temperature can be increased as compared with a thermoplastic material having a low softening point such as PET-G that has been used as an antenna sheet.

  In this case, when the first base material, the antenna sheet as the second base material, and the inlay sheet are heated to about 130 ° C. to 170 ° C., the first base material and the inlay sheet are softened, but the antenna sheet is Does not soften. As a result, the antenna sheet is plasticized even when heat is applied to the antenna sheet when the inlet provided with the antenna sheet and the first base material and the inlay sheet are laminated and bonded by the thermal laminating method. Can be prevented from flowing. Therefore, the movement of the antenna due to the flow of the antenna sheet can be prevented, and the reliability of data communication can be improved.

  Also, if the antenna sheet is heated above the softening temperature and plasticized and flows, if the antenna coil is formed of an etched antenna, the contact area between the antenna and the antenna sheet increases, The flow resistance can be increased. Therefore, the movement of the antenna due to the flow of the antenna sheet can be prevented, and the reliability of data communication can be improved.

Next, an electronic passport will be described as an example of a non-contact communication medium in the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 7, the electronic passport includes the above-described non-contact communication medium (1) as a cover, and a booklet portion (9) is sandwiched between the covers. In the non-contact communication medium, a cover material serving as a cover of an electronic passport is bonded to one surface.

Appearance and texture of an electronic passport with a non-contact communication medium by using an inlay sheet below the antenna sheet, which is the second base material of the non-contact communication medium, and using a sheet with a cover sheet bonded to the lower layer. Can be equivalent to a conventional passport.
In addition, the non-contact communication medium prevents the intrusion of static electricity and improves the flatness of the outer surface, so the reliability of data communication is high, the text entry and stamp printability are improved, and the appearance is good An electronic passport can be provided.

Further, if only the cover sheet is used as the second base material and the antenna is directly formed on the cover sheet, the non-contact communication medium can be made thinner and more flexible.
The contactless communication medium of the present invention can be used, for example, for electronic identification documents, various activity history electronic confirmation documents, etc. in addition to an electronic passport.

<Example 1>
Polyolefin-based synthetic paper having a thickness of 178 μm as the first base material and having an opening at the portion where the IC module is disposed, an antenna sheet as the second base material, and a polyolefin-based synthetic material having a thickness of 178 μm as the inlay sheet A non-contact communication medium was created using paper.
First, an IC module was fitted into a hole portion of an antenna sheet in which an antenna and a hole portion were formed, and connected to the antenna to obtain an inlet.

  After that, an emulsion adhesive (EAA) is applied to the first substrate and the inlay sheet, and a protective tape made of an insulating layer and an adhesive layer is disposed on the IC module of the inlet so as to cover the mold part. A non-contact communication medium was created by attaching and pressing the antenna sheet between the first substrate and the inlay sheet so that the positions of the openings of the one substrate matched.

As the protective tape, a resin tape obtained by slitting a film obtained by laminating an adhesive layer having a thickness of 25 μm on an insulating layer made of a polyester film having a thickness of 25 μm so that the end surface is 45 degrees and the insulating layer side is widened is used.
In this non-contact communication medium, the size of the mold part is 4.8 mm x 5.1 mm in length x width, and the size of the opening of the first substrate is 5.2 mm x 5.3 mm. The size of was 5 mm × 13 mm.

<Comparative Example 1>
As a protective tape, a film in which an adhesive layer of 25 μm thickness is laminated on an insulating layer made of a polyester film of 25 μm thickness is subjected to normal slits with an end face of 90 degrees and the same width on the insulating layer side and the adhesive layer side. A non-contact communication medium was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the prepared resin tape was used.

When the cross section of the obtained non-contact communication medium was measured with an electron microscope, there was no gap between the inner surface of the opening of the first base material and the mold part of the IC module in the non-contact communication medium of Example 1. The level difference between the outer surface of the protective tape covering the IC module and the outer surface of the first base material was 20 μm or less, and there was no oozing to the surface of the adhesive layer of the protective tape.
On the other hand, in the non-contact communication medium of Comparative Example 1, there is no gap between the inner surface of the opening of the first base and the mold part of the IC module, and the outer surface of the protective tape covering the IC module and the first The level difference from the outer surface of the base material was 20 μm or less, but the seepage of the protective tape to the surface of the adhesive layer was significant.

Next, the obtained non-contact communication medium was subjected to an electrostatic test in accordance with ISO 10373-7 and JIS X6305-7.
First, with the first base facing upward, the long side direction of the rectangular shape of the non-contact communication medium is the left and right direction, the short side direction is the up and down direction, and the opening is positioned at the upper right corner of the rectangle in plan view Deploy.
And the voltage of +6 kV, -6 kV, +8 kV, and -8 kV was sequentially applied from the outer surface of the base material in which the opening was formed.
At this time, each time a different voltage was applied, the basic operation of the IC chip was confirmed, and the communication response of the non-contact communication medium was measured.

The position where the voltage is applied is each of a total of 20 areas (position 20) of 4 × 5 in length × width obtained by dividing a horizontally long rectangular area around the antenna coil into 4 in the vertical direction and 5 in the horizontal direction. The center of the mold part of the IC module (position center), the base material on the left side of the opening (position left), the base material on the right side of the opening (position right), and the base material on the upper side of the opening Measurement was performed sequentially for a total of 25 locations (on the position) and on the base material below the opening (below the position).
As a result of the above-described electrostatic test measurement, good communication responses were obtained at all applied voltages and at all locations in both Example 1 and Comparative Example 1.

Next, a ballpoint pen test was performed on the obtained non-contact communication medium. In the ballpoint pen test, the ballpoint pen was run on the outer surface of the first substrate so as to pass over the IC module along the long side direction of the antenna coil.
Using a commercially available ballpoint pen with a ball diameter of 1 mm, the ballpoint pen was run at a load of 600 g and a speed of 25 mm / sec. After 25 reciprocations, the basic operation of the IC chip was confirmed and the communication response of the non-contact communication medium was measured.
As a result of the above ball-point pen test, the communication response was good in Example 1, but a communication response failure occurred in Comparative Example 1.

Further, a stamp test was performed on the obtained non-contact communication medium, and a load was applied to the outer surface of the first base material in which the opening was formed using the stamp.
The punch tip diameter of the stamp used was 10 mm, the impact was 50 times at a load of 250 g and a drop height of 320 mm, the basic operation of the IC chip was confirmed, and the communication response of the non-contact communication medium was measured.
As a result of the above stamp test, communication response was good in Example 1, but communication response failure occurred in Comparative Example 1.

Furthermore, a linear pressure test in the CD direction was performed on the obtained non-contact communication medium.
In this linear pressure test, the mold center portion was arranged so as to be the center of the side of the jig in the direction in which the cover sheet of the sample was in contact with the jig, and the sample was pulled from the end portion of the sample with a load.
The jig used was made of a right-angle metal having a width of 50 mm and r = 2.5. After pulling with a load of 250 N, the basic operation of the IC chip was confirmed, and the presence or absence of cracks in the mold portion was inspected.
As a result of the above linear pressure test, no cracks occurred in the mold part in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1.

From the above results, according to the non-contact communication medium of the example using the protective tape whose both ends were cut at 45 degrees, it was possible to prevent static electricity from entering the IC chip.
Furthermore, by satisfying the requirements for flatness and smoothness of the outer surface, it was possible to prevent the occurrence of defects in the ballpoint pen test and stamp test.
Furthermore, it was possible to prevent the protective tape from coming into contact with the second base material and to prevent occurrence of cracks in the mold part in the linear pressure test.

  On the other hand, according to the non-contact communication medium of the comparative example using the normal protective tape whose both ends are cut at right angles, after performing each test other than the electrostatic test and the linear pressure test, there is a probability that a communication response failure occurs. Extremely high.

  In the above-described embodiment, the electronic passport has been described as an example of the non-contact communication medium. However, the non-contact communication medium of the present invention is not limited to the electronic passport, for example, electronic identification documents, various activities. It can be used for historical electronic confirmation documents.

1 ... Non-contact communication medium 2 ... First substrate 3 ... Second substrate (antenna sheet)
4 ... IC module 41 ... IC chip 42 ... Mold part 43 ... Lead frame 431 ... Die pad 432 ... Terminal part 44 ... Bonding wire 5 ... ... Protection tape 51 ... Protection tape insulating layer 52 ... Protection Tape adhesive layer 61 ... Antenna 62 ... Jumper wire 63 ... Conducting part 64 ... Connection part 7 ... Inlay sheet 8 ... Cover sheet 9 ... Booklet part

Claims (8)

A non-contact communication medium having a first substrate and a second substrate, an antenna formed on the second substrate, and an IC module connected to the antenna,
The IC module has at least a lead frame, an IC chip mounted on the lead frame, and a mold part formed by sealing the IC chip.
The first substrate has an opening that exposes the mold part,
The second base material has a hole having a larger area than the mold part for accommodating at least the mold part,
A protective tape formed by laminating an insulating layer and an adhesive layer is disposed in a shape covering the mold part,
And the width of the insulating layer surface of the front surface of the protective tape is larger than the width of the back adhesive layer surface. When the horizontal width of the protective tape is x, the vertical width is y, the horizontal width of the opening of the first base material is a, the vertical width is b, and the thickness of the first base material is d,
x <a + 2d (1)
y <b + 2d (2)
The non-contact communication medium according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the conditions is satisfied.   The non-contact communication medium according to claim 2, wherein only the condition (2) is satisfied. The protective tape further includes
x <a + 2d−0.2 mm (3)
y <b + 2d−0.2 mm (4)
The non-contact communication medium according to claim 2 or 3, wherein at least one of the conditions is satisfied.   The contactless communication medium according to claim 4, wherein only the condition (4) is satisfied.   The contactless communication medium according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the first base material and an outer surface of the protective tape are formed to be substantially flat.   The contactless communication medium according to claim 6, wherein a step between the outer surface of the first substrate and the outer surface of the protective tape is 20 μm or less.   8. The non-contact according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal elastic modulus of at least one of the insulating layer and the adhesive layer of the protective tape is smaller than the longitudinal elastic modulus of the mold part. Communication medium.