JP7535236B2 - IC element with loop-shaped conductor and manufacturing method thereof, and article with IC chip and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor and a method for manufacturing the same, as well as an article with an IC chip and a method for manufacturing the same.

Conventionally, non-contact RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags equipped with IC chips have been used on products and the like for the purpose of managing and identifying product information. Information about the product and the like is written to the IC chip of the RFID tag, and when managing or selling the product and the like, the information on this IC chip can be wirelessly read and used with a reader/writer. Such RFID tags bring great benefits such as improving the convenience and safety of product management and eliminating human error.

There are two types of RFID tags: active tags, which have a built-in battery and can emit radio waves by themselves, and passive tags, which receive power wirelessly and activate an IC chip. In recent years, passive tags, which are simple in structure and can be produced at low cost, have begun to be widely adopted. A known passive tag has a linear antenna with multiple open ends that receives power, and a loop-shaped conductor that matches impedance with the IC to transmit power efficiently (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-71869 A

Normally, RFID tags are formed by simultaneously forming a linear antenna and a loop conductor, then mounting an IC chip, and finally processing the tag into a label form so that it can be easily affixed to an object to be managed. On the other hand, it is also possible to form a linear antenna on the object to be managed in advance, and then attach a loop conductor-equipped IC element consisting of a loop conductor and an IC chip to the linear antenna separately. In this way, the surface resistance values of the linear antenna and the loop conductor can be set individually, and various materials can be used to manufacture the linear antenna and the loop conductor. Furthermore, it becomes easier to optimize impedance matching according to the object to be managed, and the sensitivity when reading the IC chip wirelessly can be improved.

During the process of manufacturing IC elements with loop-shaped conductors, the IC elements with loop-shaped conductors are sometimes wound up on rolls, and a lot of stress is generated by tightening the winding, etc. When this happens, it is thought that cracks will occur in the parts of the loop-shaped conductors that are parallel to the feed direction of the roll.

The present disclosure provides an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor and a manufacturing method thereof, as well as an article with an IC chip and a manufacturing method thereof, that can suppress the occurrence of cracks in the loop-shaped conductor.

The IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to this embodiment comprises a first substrate, an IC chip capable of contactless communication, and a loop-shaped conductor that faces each other at a predetermined interval on the first substrate and has multiple connection ends that can be electrically connected to the IC chip, the loop-shaped conductor having a longitudinal portion extending along the longitudinal direction and a transverse portion extending along the transverse direction, and the transverse direction of the loop-shaped conductor is parallel to the feed direction of the first substrate when manufacturing the IC element with a loop-shaped conductor.

The IC element with loop-shaped conductor according to this embodiment comprises a first substrate, an IC chip capable of contactless communication, and a loop-shaped conductor that faces each other at a predetermined distance on the first substrate and has multiple connection ends that can be electrically connected to the IC chip, and the loop-shaped conductor has a longitudinal portion that extends along the longitudinal direction and a transverse portion that extends along the transverse direction, and there are stripes along the transverse direction of the loop-shaped conductor.

In the IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to this embodiment, the line width of the short-side portion of the loop-shaped conductor may be greater than the line width of the long-side portion of the loop-shaped conductor.

In the IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to this embodiment, the line width of the short-side portion of the loop-shaped conductor may be 1.5 to 10 times the line width of the long-side portion of the loop-shaped conductor.

In the IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to this embodiment, the length of the loop-shaped conductor along the longitudinal direction may be at least two times and at most eight times the length of the loop-shaped conductor along the lateral direction.

The article with an IC chip according to this embodiment includes a substrate with an antenna having a second substrate and an antenna on the second substrate, and an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to this embodiment located on the substrate with the antenna.

The item with an IC chip according to this embodiment may be an RFID tag.

The item with an IC chip according to this embodiment may be a packaging material.

The manufacturing method of an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to this embodiment includes the steps of preparing a first substrate, forming a loop-shaped conductor on the first substrate, and mounting an IC chip on the loop-shaped conductor, where the loop-shaped conductor has a longitudinal portion extending along the longitudinal direction and a transverse portion extending along the transverse direction, and the transverse direction of the loop-shaped conductor is parallel to the feed direction of the first substrate when manufacturing the IC element with a loop-shaped conductor.

The method for manufacturing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment includes the steps of preparing a second substrate, forming an antenna on the second substrate, and adhering an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to this embodiment to the antenna and the second substrate.

This embodiment makes it possible to prevent cracks from occurring in the loop-shaped conductor.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to one embodiment (a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1). FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an article with an IC chip according to one embodiment (a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3). FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a modified example. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a modified example. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an article equipped with an IC chip, which is an RFID tag. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an IC chip-equipped product, which is a packaging material. 9(a) to 9(f) are cross-sectional views showing a method for manufacturing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor wound in a roll before being cut. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which the IC elements with loop-shaped conductors are being divided into individual pieces. 12(a) to 12(c) are cross-sectional views showing a method for manufacturing an article with an IC chip according to one embodiment.

The following describes one embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings. Each of the figures shown below is a schematic illustration. Therefore, the size and shape of each part are appropriately exaggerated to facilitate understanding. In addition, appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the technical concept. In each of the figures shown below, the same parts are given the same reference numerals, and some detailed explanations may be omitted. In addition, the numerical values such as dimensions of each member and the names of materials described in this specification are examples of an embodiment, and are not limited to these, and can be selected and used as appropriate. In this specification, terms that specify shapes or geometric conditions, such as parallel, orthogonal, and perpendicular, are intended to include substantially the same state in addition to their strict meanings.

Below, one embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 12.

[IC element with loop-shaped conductor]
First, the configuration of an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a plan view showing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to the present embodiment, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to the present embodiment.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor comprises a first substrate 11, a loop-shaped conductor 20 on the first substrate 11, and an IC chip 12 capable of contactless communication on the loop-shaped conductor 20. The IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor is integrated with a substrate 40 with an antenna, which will be described later, to form an article 30 with an IC chip that performs contactless wireless communication with a reader/writer (not shown). That is, the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor performs contactless wireless communication with the reader/writer via the antenna 42 of the substrate 40 with an antenna, which is configured separately.

When manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor as described below, the first substrate 11 is wound up in a strip-like state onto a roll. Each side of the first substrate 11 extends parallel to the feed direction D1 (the direction in which the roll is wound up) of the first substrate 11 when manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor, and to a width direction D2 perpendicular to the feed direction D1. The length L1 of the first substrate 11 along the feed direction D1 may be 7 mm or more and 25 mm or less, and the length L2 of the first substrate 11 along the width direction D2 may be 15 mm or more and 60 mm or less.

The first substrate 11 supports the loop-shaped conductor 20 and the IC chip 12, and may be a resin sheet (film) or a paper substrate. Examples of resin sheets that may be used include polyethylene terephthalate, terephthalic acid-cyclohexanedimethanol-ethylene glycol copolymer, polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyphenylene sulfide, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, polystyrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyacrylic ester, and polyurethane. Examples of paper substrates that may be used include fine paper, coated paper, kraft paper, glassine paper, synthetic paper, latex, and melamine-impregnated paper.

The loop conductor 20 is layered on the first substrate 11. The loop conductor 20 is an element for efficiently transmitting power by achieving impedance matching at the connection surface with the IC chip 12 when connected to the IC chip 12. Specifically, the loop conductor 20 is configured in a long, thin loop shape, and is formed in a ring shape except for a portion covered by the IC chip 12. In this case, the loop conductor 20 has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The long sides of the rectangle constituting the loop conductor 20 are parallel to the longitudinal direction DL, and the short sides of the rectangle are parallel to the lateral direction DS.

The loop conductor 20 also has a pair of longitudinal portions 21 extending along the longitudinal direction DL and a pair of lateral portions 22 extending along the lateral direction DS. The pair of longitudinal portions 21 are usually arranged parallel to each other, and the pair of lateral portions 22 are arranged parallel to each other. However, this is not limited to the above, and the pair of longitudinal portions 21 may be arranged non-parallel to each other, and the pair of lateral portions 22 may be arranged non-parallel to each other. The length L3 of each longitudinal portion 21 is longer than the length L4 of each lateral portion 22. Furthermore, each longitudinal portion 21 and each lateral portion 22 are usually arranged so as to be perpendicular to each other. However, this is not limited to the above, and the pair of longitudinal portions 21 and the pair of lateral portions 22 may be arranged in a parallelogram shape or a trapezoid shape. Of the pair of longitudinal portions 21, one of the longitudinal portions 21 located on the IC chip 12 side is interrupted at the center, and a pair (multiple) of connection ends 23 are formed on this longitudinal portion 21. The pair of connection ends 23 face each other at a predetermined distance on the first substrate 11. That is, a gap 24 is formed between the pair of connection ends 23, and the pair of connection ends 23 face each other via the gap 24. Each of the pair of connection ends 23 is electrically connected to the IC chip 12.

In this case, the length L3 of the longitudinal portion 21 (length L3 along the longitudinal direction DL of the loop conductor 20) may be 1.5 to 10 times, preferably 4 to 10 times, of the length L4 of the lateral portion 22 (length L4 along the lateral direction DS of the loop conductor 20). By making the length L3 of the longitudinal portion 21 1.5 times or more the length L4 of the lateral portion 22, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cracks in the loop conductor 20 when manufacturing the IC element 10 with the loop conductor. In addition, by making the length L3 of the longitudinal portion 21 10 times or less the length L4 of the lateral portion 22, it is possible to keep the size of the IC element 10 with the loop conductor small and reduce production costs. For example, the length L3 of the longitudinal portion 21 may be 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, and the length L4 of the lateral portion 22 may be 2 mm or more and 20 mm or less. The length L3 of the longitudinal portion 21 is the length of the longitudinal portion 21 measured along the width direction D2. The length L4 of the transverse portion 22 is the length of the transverse portion 22 measured along the feed direction D1.

In addition, the line width W2 of the short side portion 22 of the loop conductor 20 is wider than the line width W1 of the long side portion 21 of the loop conductor 20. By making the line width W2 of the short side portion 22 wider than the line width W1 of the long side portion 21 in this manner, it is possible to increase the strength of the short side portion 22, which is a location where cracks are likely to occur when the first substrate 11 is bent along the feed direction D1 (the winding direction of the roll). This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of cracks in the loop conductor 20 when manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop conductor.

In this case, the line width W2 of the short side portion 22 may be 2 to 8 times the line width W1 of the longitudinal portion 21, and is preferably 4 to 8 times. By making the line width W2 of the short side portion 22 2 or more times the line width W1 of the longitudinal portion 21, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cracks in the loop conductor 20 when manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop conductor. Furthermore, by making the line width W2 of the short side portion 22 8 times or less the line width W1 of the longitudinal portion 21, it is possible to suppress impedance mismatch due to an increase in parasitic capacitance. The line width W2 of the short side portion 22 is the length of the short side portion 22 measured along the width direction D2. Furthermore, the line width W1 of the longitudinal portion 21 is the length of the longitudinal portion 21 measured along the feed direction D1.

In this embodiment, the short direction DS of the loop conductor 20 is parallel to the feed direction D1 of the first substrate 11 when manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop conductor. The long direction DL of the loop conductor 20 is parallel to the width direction D2. As described below, when manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop conductor, the first substrate 11 is wound up in a roll. The feed direction D1 described above is parallel to the winding direction of the roll, and the width direction D2 is parallel to the central axis direction of the roll.

Streaks S may be present on the surface of the loop conductor 20 (the surface opposite to the first substrate 11) due to the feeding of the first substrate 11 when manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop conductor. The streaks S are multiple linear grooves along the short direction DS of the loop conductor 20. These streaks S may be generated by tension generated in the first substrate 11, for example, when the first substrate 11 is wound into a roll. Multiple streaks S are formed on the surface of the loop conductor 20, each extending parallel to the above-mentioned feeding direction D1. The length of the streaks S along the feeding direction D1 may be 100 μm or more, and the depth of the streaks S may be 0.05 μm or more and 1 μm or less. Furthermore, the density of the streaks S may be 1 streaks/mm or more and 50 streaks/mm or less.

The loop-shaped conductor 20 is made of a conductive material. The loop-shaped conductor 20 may be formed, for example, by chemically etching a metal foil. For example, aluminum or copper can be used as the metal foil. The metal foil can be formed on the first substrate 11 by plating, vapor deposition, dry lamination, or bonding with an adhesive.

A pair of pads 25 may be connected to the pair of longitudinal portions 21 of the loop conductor 20 located on the opposite side of the IC chip 12. The pair of pads 25 each extend from the longitudinal portion 21 toward the outside of the loop conductor 20. The pair of pads 25 are provided at positions overlapping a pair of inner ends 43 of the antenna 42 described below. The pair of pads 25 are integrally formed from the same material as the loop conductor 20. Each pad 25 has a rectangular shape in a plan view. As described below, the pads 25 may not be formed on the loop conductor 20, and the longitudinal portions 21 and parts of the antenna 42 may be arranged approximately parallel to each other (see Figures 5 and 6).

The IC chip 12 is stacked on the loop-shaped conductor 20. The IC chip 12 can be a normal one having a data storage area (memory) and input/output functions, control functions, signal modulation, demodulation, and control functions. This IC chip 12 receives power and signals obtained from the antenna 42 and writes and reads data from the memory. The IC chip 12 may have an interface for wireless communication, a memory for storing data used to manage the IC chip-equipped article 30 described later, and the like. The IC chip 12 is electrically connected to a pair of connection ends 23 of the loop-shaped conductor 20 via a connection layer not shown. For example, an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) may be used as this connection layer. The anisotropic conductive film has a structure in which resin particles coated with metals such as nickel, silver, and gold, or conductive particles such as nickel, silver, and gold are dispersed in a polymer, and by placing the anisotropic conductive film between the loop conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 and applying pressure while heating, these metals electrically connect the loop conductor 20 and the IC chip 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the thickness T1 of the first substrate 11 may be 5 μm or more and 200 μm or less. The thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less. The thickness T3 of the IC chip 12 may be 100 μm or more and 500 μm or less. Furthermore, the overall thickness T4 of the IC element 10 with the loop conductor may be 200 μm or more and 750 μm or less.

[Items with IC chips]
Next, the configuration of the product with an IC chip according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the product with an IC chip according to this embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the product with an IC chip according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the IC chip-equipped product 30 includes an antenna-equipped substrate 40 and an IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor on the antenna-equipped substrate 40. This IC chip-equipped product 30 performs non-contact wireless communication with a reader/writer (not shown).

The antenna-equipped substrate 40 has a second substrate (substrate for an article) 41 and a pair of antennas 42 on the second substrate 41. This antenna-equipped substrate 40 does not have an IC chip, and performs non-contact wireless communication with the reader/writer using the IC chip 12 of the IC element 10 with the loop-shaped conductor described above.

The second substrate 41 serves as a support for supporting the IC chip-equipped article 30. The second substrate 41 may be made of the same material as the first substrate 11 described above, or may be made of a different material. Specifically, the second substrate 41 may be made of a resin sheet (film) or a paper substrate. Examples of the resin sheet include polyethylene terephthalate, terephthalic acid-cyclohexanedimethanol-ethylene glycol copolymer, polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyphenylene sulfide, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, polystyrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyacrylic ester, and polyurethane. Examples of the paper substrate include fine paper, coated paper, craft paper, glassine paper, synthetic paper, latex, and melamine-impregnated paper. The thickness T5 of the second substrate 41 may be, for example, 100 μm or more and 2000 μm or less.

The pair of antennas 42 are laminated on the second substrate 41 and are made of a conductive material. Each antenna 42 may be formed, for example, by printing conductive ink. The conductive ink may be, for example, a conductive ink containing particles of copper powder or silver powder. Alternatively, the antenna 42 may be formed, for example, by chemically etching a metal foil or by punching out a metal foil. The metal foil may be, for example, aluminum or copper.

Each antenna 42 has an inner end 43 provided on the inside at a position overlapping with the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor, and an antenna wiring portion 44 connected to the outside of the inner end 43 and bent in a zigzag shape in a plan view. The material of the antenna 42 can be metals such as aluminum, copper, copper alloys, and silver, or alloys or composites thereof, as well as carbon-based materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes, and mixtures thereof. The antenna 42 can have various planar shapes, and in addition to the zigzag shape described above, it can also be a spiral coil shape, a patch shape, or other shapes. If the material of the antenna 42 is a carbon-based material, the volume resistivity is low and the antenna 42 will be thick, but if the material of the antenna 42 is a metal, it will still function even if it is formed thin. Specifically, the thickness T6 of the antenna 42 can be, for example, 0.05 μm or more and 20 μm or less.

The IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor is laminated on the pair of antennas 42. The IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor is adhered to the antenna 42 and the second substrate 41 via an adhesive layer 31. In this case, the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor is arranged so that the IC chip 12 faces the second substrate 41. The adhesive layer 31 may be, for example, an adhesive such as an epoxy adhesive. The thickness T7 of the adhesive layer 31 may be, for example, 1 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and is preferably 5 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

The configuration of the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor is the same as that described using Figures 1 and 2, so a detailed description will be omitted here.

As a modification of this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the pad portion 25 may not be formed on the loop conductor 20, and the longitudinal portion 21 and the portion 42a of the antenna 42 may be arranged substantially parallel to each other. The portion 42a of the antenna 42 may be arranged offset from the longitudinal portion 21 in a planar view (Fig. 5). Alternatively, the portion 42a of the antenna 42 may overlap the longitudinal portion 21 in a planar view (Fig. 6). By arranging the longitudinal portion 21 and the portion 42a of the antenna 42 in a position where they overlap in a planar view, the non-contact communication sensitivity is improved, which is preferable. Also, the antenna 42 may have cut portions with a predetermined interval, or may be connected to each other to have a continuous structure.

As shown in FIG. 7, the item 30 with an IC chip may be, for example, an RFID tag 35. Such an RFID tag 35 is an item that is independently transferable. When used for product management, for example, the RFID tag 35 may be attached to the product using an adhesive layer (not shown) formed on the second substrate 41.

As shown in FIG. 8, the IC chip-equipped article 30 may be, for example, a packaging material 36. A printed layer (not shown) may be formed on this packaging material 36. Such a packaging material 36 may include a container having a storage section for storing contents. In this case, the second substrate 41 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 constitutes the main substrate of the container. Alternatively, the packaging material 36 may be attached to a container having a storage section. In this case, the second substrate 41 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 also constitutes a substrate separate from the main substrate of the container.

When the IC chip-equipped article 30 is a packaging material 36, the packaging material 36 may be a soft packaging material, a paper container, a resin molded product, or the like. Examples of soft packaging materials include pouches, pillows, shrink labels, in-mold label containers, and lid materials. Examples of paper containers include general paper containers such as boxes, paper containers, paper cups, paper trays or backing sheets, and the like. Examples of resin molded products include blister containers, vacuum-formed containers, deep-draw containers, injection-molded containers, blow-molded containers, and plastic bottles. Note that FIG. 8 shows a case in which the packaging material 36 is a paper container.

When the IC chip-equipped article 30 is a packaging material 36, the antenna 42 may be located on the outer surface side of the container (opposite side of the storage section). In this case, the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor and the antenna 42 are each located on the outer surface side of the second substrate 41. Alternatively, the antenna 42 may be located on the inner surface side of the container (side of the storage section). In this case, the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor may be located on the inner surface side of the container (side of the storage section) or on the outer surface side of the container (opposite side of the storage section). In the latter case, the second substrate 41 may be disposed between the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor and the antenna 42.

In addition, if the IC chip-equipped item 30 is a packaging material 36, a normal printing layer for the packaging material 36 may be formed to cover the antenna 42.

[Method of manufacturing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor and an article with an IC chip]
Next, a method for manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor and the article 30 with an IC chip according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIG. 9(a), a first substrate 11 is prepared. This first substrate 11 is before cutting, and has a long and narrow strip shape extending from the back side to the front side of the paper in FIG. 9.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(b), a metal foil 51 is laminated over substantially the entirety of one surface of the first substrate 11. The metal foil 51 may be an elongated metal foil such as aluminum. In this case, the metal foil 51 may be adhered to the first substrate 11 by dry lamination.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(c), a dry film resist 52A is laminated over substantially the entirety of one side of the metal foil 51 (the side opposite the first substrate 11).

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(d), the dry film resist 52A is exposed through a photomask and developed to form a resist layer 52 having the desired openings 53.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(e), the metal foil 51 is etched with an etchant from one side of the metal foil 51 (the side opposite the first substrate 11) using the resist layer 52 as a corrosion-resistant film. The etchant can be selected appropriately depending on the material of the metal foil 51 used. For example, when copper is used as the metal foil 51, etching can be performed using a mixture of phosphoric acid/nitric acid/acetic acid. As a result, the metal foil 51 is processed into a predetermined pattern shape, and the outline of the loop conductor 20 and the pad portion 25 is formed. The resist layer 52 is then removed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9(f), the IC chip 12 is mounted on the loop-shaped conductor 20 via a connection layer (not shown). The connection layer may be, for example, an anisotropic conductive film. In this case, the loop-shaped conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 can be electrically connected by placing the anisotropic conductive film between the loop-shaped conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 and applying pressure while heating.

In this way, as shown in Figure 10, a plurality of loop-shaped conductors 20 and a plurality of IC chips 12 are arranged at intervals from one another along the feed direction D1 on a strip-shaped first substrate 11. The first substrate 11 on which the plurality of loop-shaped conductors 20 are formed is wound along the feed direction D1 of the first substrate 11 to form a roll R. At this time, streaks S caused by the feed of the first substrate 11 are generated on the loop-shaped conductor 20 along the feed direction D1 of the first substrate 11 (see Figure 1).

When the strip-shaped first substrate 11 is wound into a roll R, bending stress is applied to the loop-shaped conductor 20 due to the bending of the first substrate 11. In particular, bending the first substrate 11 applies a large stress to the loop-shaped conductor 20 that is mounted with an IC chip 12 that is hard and difficult to bend. In contrast, in this embodiment, the longitudinal direction DL of the loop-shaped conductor 20 is located in a direction perpendicular to the feed direction D1 of the first substrate 11, and the transverse direction DS of the loop-shaped conductor 20 is located parallel to the feed direction D1 of the first substrate 11. This shortens the portion of the loop-shaped conductor 20 that is along the feed direction D1 of the first substrate 11, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cracks in the loop-shaped conductor 20 due to bending the first substrate 11.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the first substrate 11 is cut between each of the loop-shaped conductors 20 to separate the first substrate 11 into each of the loop-shaped conductors 20. In this way, an IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor is obtained, which includes the first substrate 11, the loop-shaped conductors 20, and the IC chip 12.

Meanwhile, a substrate 40 with an antenna is fabricated separately from the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor.

In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 12(a), a second substrate 41 made of a resin sheet (film), a paper substrate, or the like is prepared.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12(b), an antenna 42 having a predetermined pattern is formed on the second substrate 41. Each antenna 42 may be formed, for example, by printing a conductive ink. As the conductive ink, for example, a conductive ink containing particles such as copper powder or silver powder may be used. When printing the conductive ink, a gravure printing method, a screen printing method, or an inkjet method may be used. Alternatively, the antenna 42 may be formed, for example, by a method of chemically etching a metal foil or a method of punching a metal foil. When forming the conductive ink by printing, a normal printing layer (for example, a printing layer for the packaging material 36) may be formed using the same printing machine as the printing machine that applies the conductive ink.

In this manner, an antenna-equipped substrate 40 is obtained, which has a second substrate 41 and a pair of antennas 42 on the second substrate 41.

After that, as shown in FIG. 12(c), a separately prepared IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor is adhered to the antenna-equipped substrate 40. Specifically, with the IC chip 12 facing the second substrate 41, the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor is adhered to the antenna 42 and the second substrate 41 using the adhesive layer 31. This results in an article with an IC chip 30 comprising the substrate 40 with an antenna and the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor on the substrate 40 with an antenna.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the short-side direction DS of the loop-shaped conductor 20 is positioned parallel to the feed direction D1 of the first substrate 11 when manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of cracks in the loop-shaped conductor 20 even if the loop-shaped conductor 20 is bent when manufacturing the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor. As a result, the yield of the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor can be improved, and the quality of the IC element 10 with a loop-shaped conductor can be improved. Specifically, the length L4 along the longitudinal direction DL of the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be 1.5 to 10 times the length L3 along the short-side direction DS of the loop-shaped conductor 20. This makes it possible to more effectively suppress the occurrence of cracks in the loop-shaped conductor 20.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the line width W2 of the short-side portion 22 of the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be larger than the line width W1 of the long-side portion 21 of the loop-shaped conductor 20. Specifically, the line width W2 of the short-side portion 22 of the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be two or more times and eight or less times the line width W1 of the long-side portion 21 of the loop-shaped conductor 20. This increases the strength of the short-side portion 22 of the loop-shaped conductor 20, and prevents cracks from occurring in the loop-shaped conductor 20 when the loop-shaped conductor 20 is bent in the process of manufacturing the IC element 10 with the loop-shaped conductor.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the IC element 10 with loop-shaped conductor and the substrate 40 with antenna are constructed separately from each other, and the article with IC chip 30 is produced by bonding them together. As a result, high positional accuracy between the IC chip 12 and the antenna 42 is not required compared to when the IC chip 12 is directly mounted on the antenna 42, and the article with IC chip 30 can be easily manufactured. In addition, the material of the antenna 42 and the material of the loop-shaped conductor 20 can be made different. For example, the loop-shaped conductor 20, which is required to have a low resistance value, can be made of a low-resistance material, and the antenna 42, which does not necessarily need to have a low resistance, can be made of a different, less expensive material.

The components disclosed in each of the above embodiments and modifications may be combined as needed. Alternatively, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in each of the above embodiments and modifications.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 IC element with loop-shaped conductor 11 First substrate 12 IC chip 20 Loop-shaped conductor 21 Longitudinal portion 22 Shortitudinal portion 23 Connection end 24 Void portion 25 Pad portion 30 Product with IC chip 31 Adhesive layer 40 Substrate with antenna 41 Second substrate 42 Antenna

Claims (10)

A first substrate;
An IC chip capable of contactless communication;
a loop-shaped conductor on the first base material, the loop-shaped conductor facing each other at a predetermined interval and having a plurality of connection ends that can be electrically connected to the IC chip;
the loop-shaped conductor has a longitudinal portion extending along a longitudinal direction and a lateral portion extending along a lateral direction,
the short side direction of the loop-shaped conductor is located parallel to a feed direction of the first base material when manufacturing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor ,
a pad portion is connected to the longitudinal portion located on the opposite side of the IC chip;
The pad portion extends from the longitudinal portion toward an outside of the loop conductor . A first substrate;
An IC chip capable of contactless communication;
a loop-shaped conductor on the first base material, the loop-shaped conductor facing each other at a predetermined interval and having a plurality of connection ends that can be electrically connected to the IC chip;
the loop-shaped conductor has a longitudinal portion extending along a longitudinal direction and a lateral portion extending along a lateral direction,
An IC element with a loop-shaped conductor, wherein a stripe is present along the short side direction of the loop-shaped conductor. The IC element with loop-shaped conductor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the line width of the short-side portion of the loop-shaped conductor is greater than the line width of the long-side portion of the loop-shaped conductor. 4. The IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to claim 3, wherein the line width of the short-side portion of the loop-shaped conductor is from two to eight times the line width of the long-side portion of the loop-shaped conductor. 5. The IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to claim 1, wherein the length of the loop-shaped conductor along the longitudinal direction is 1.5 to 10 times the length of the loop-shaped conductor along the lateral direction. a substrate having an antenna, the substrate having a second substrate and an antenna on the second substrate;
An article with an IC chip, comprising: an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to claim 1 , the IC element being located on the substrate with an antenna. The article with an IC chip according to claim 6, which is an RFID tag. The article with an IC chip according to claim 6, which is a packaging material. Providing a first substrate;
forming a loop-shaped conductor on the first substrate;
and mounting an IC chip on the loop conductor.
the loop-shaped conductor has a longitudinal portion extending along a longitudinal direction and a lateral portion extending along a lateral direction,
the short side direction of the loop-shaped conductor is located parallel to a feed direction of the first base material when manufacturing an IC element with a loop-shaped conductor ,
a pad portion is connected to the longitudinal portion located on the opposite side of the IC chip;
The pad portion extends from the longitudinal portion toward an outside of the loop conductor . Providing a second substrate;
forming an antenna on the second substrate;
A method for manufacturing an article with an IC chip, comprising: a step of bonding the IC element with a loop-shaped conductor according to claim 1 to the antenna and the second base material.

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