JPS622706Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a memory card containing an integrated circuit used as a credit card, an identification card, a computer program card, a packing card, etc.

In this type of memory card, the integrated circuit is held inside so as not to be exposed to the surface to prevent damage, while external input/output terminals are provided on the surface of the card to operate identification devices and work equipment in the outside world. , and are electrically connected to the input/output terminals of the integrated circuit.

However, in conventional memory cards, the shape of this external terminal is selected for manufacturing reasons, and the surface of the card contains various information about the individual, the name of the issuer, the issuer's identification mark, and the name of the card. Color-coded or single-color patterns are printed to identify the type or publisher, and external terminals must be placed in the margins so as not to overlap these printed areas. Therefore, there are restrictions on the arrangement of the printed portions, the area of the printed portions is not sufficient, and it is difficult to arrange the printed portions in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

This invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional method by forming letters and figures on the surface of a conductor for identification purposes and making them also serve as output terminals. To provide a memory card which can take up a sufficient area and can be arranged in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing.

Here, the characters and figures for the purpose of identification are:
External terminals are actively molded and exposed for the purpose of giving at least external identification to the memory card, such as company emblems, trademarks, symbol marks, etc.

This invention has an integrated circuit built into the card,
A memory card having an external terminal formed of a conductor on at least one side of the card, the external terminal being formed of at least a plurality of independent terminals, and forming characters or figures for identification purposes. This is a memory card that is characterized by:

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the figure, units 4 and 5 on which identification symbols 2 and 3 such as letters and figures are printed are fitted into a part of a substrate 1 as shown in FIG. Each of the identification symbols 2 and 3 is formed by printing with conductive ink containing metal, a conductive film made of metal foil, or adhering a conductive film by vapor deposition, etc. Section 2a, 2b, 2
c, etc., and is divided into 3a, 3b, 3c, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the unit 4 has an integrated circuit 8 mounted thereon by face bonding input/output terminals 7d to conductive paths 6a, 6b, 6c, etc. printed on the back side. Conductive paths 6a, 6b,
6c etc. are through holes 9 made by electroless plating.
A, 9b, 9c, 9d form small sections 2a on the surface,
2b, 2c, and 2d. 10 is a unit substrate, 11 and 12 are resin layers, 11 is for protecting the integrated circuit 8, and 12 is for filling and also serves as an adhesive.

Similarly, an integrated circuit is mounted on the back side of the unit 5, and input/output terminals of the integrated circuit are connected to small sections 3a, 3b, and 3c on the front side.

Since this embodiment is constructed as described above, the identification symbols 2 and 3 such as characters and figures printed on the surface directly function as external terminals. Therefore, the printing part and the external terminal part are shared, and a sufficient area for printing can be obtained, and the arrangement can be freely selected, and the shape and arrangement that are aesthetically pleasing can be selected.

Any arbitrary symbol can be used as the identification symbol, such as the publisher's name, abbreviation, trademark, symbol mark, personal identification information symbol, or characters. As the material, a metal or a material containing metal is attached to the unit substrate 10 by vapor deposition, plating, printing, or the like. If copper is used as the metal, a copper-colored identification symbol can be obtained. It can also be colored in any other desired color. Since the positions of the through holes may be irregular, identification symbols of arbitrary shapes can be used.

Electrical connections between the conductive paths 6a, 6b, . . . on the back side of the unit 4 and the identification symbols 2a, 2b, . Good too.

In FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the area inside the circular periphery 23 of the carrier film 22, which is the substrate material, is the area of the final substrate 13. That is, a hole 14 is provided in an annular shape around the substrate 13, and the substrate 13 is held by the outer carrier film 22 by the holding portion 15.
Supported by A plurality of front surface electrodes 16 as identification symbols and a back surface electrode 17 as a conductive path are provided on the front and back surfaces of the substrate 13. The front electrode 16 and the back electrode 17 are continuously provided by pasting a metal film such as copper, transferring, metal vapor deposition, plating, etc., and then forming groove-shaped gaps by etching, mechanical removal, etc. to form a plurality of them. form an electrode. The outer sides of both the front electrode 16 and the back electrode 17 reach the periphery of the substrate 13, and one front electrode 16 and one back electrode 17 face each hole 14. The electrode portion 18 at the center of the back surface is a portion on which an IC is placed.

The front electrode 16 or the back electrode 17 is formed in the hole 14.
This can be done before or after the installation.

In this state, the outer peripheral surface 19 of the peripheral edge 23 of the substrate 13
is insulated.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Electrical connection is made across the outer circumferential surface 19 (FIG. 6) of FIG. 5). After that, a thick layer is applied by electrolytic plating and further protected by gold plating.

Next, the substrate 13 is separated from the holding part 15, and the IC 8 is attached to the electrode part 18 as shown in FIG.
Wire bonding is performed using gold wire 21. After that, the resin layer 1 is applied as a protective layer by plastic.
1 and loaded into the recess of the card 1 as shown in FIG.

Since this embodiment is configured as described above,
The surface electrode 16, which serves as an external terminal, has no holes such as through holes, is flat, and has a good appearance, and the cross-sectional area of the connecting portion 20 ensures sufficient current capacity by selecting the width and thickness. Since there are no holes that would allow chemicals to enter, and there are no marks, it is not easy to distinguish whether the card is an external terminal or not, thereby preventing the card from being tampered with. It also looks good as an identification symbol.

With this invention, the identification symbol can also be used as an external terminal, increasing the printable area without taking up space due to the external terminal, and making it possible to print a display that is aesthetically pleasing, resulting in extremely great practical effects. be able to.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line - Fig. 3 is a rear view of the unit, Figs. 5
The figure shows the top view and back view of the IC board, and Figure 6 shows the 4th
The cross-sectional view taken along the line 7, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8 are cross-sectional views showing the manufacturing process. 1... Board, 2... Identification symbol, 3... Identification symbol, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d... Small section, 3a,
3b, 3c, 3d... Small section, 4, 5... Unit, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d... Conductive path, 7d...
...Input/output terminal, 8...Integrated circuit, 9a, 9b, 9
c, 9d...Through hole, 10...Unit board, 11, 12...Resin layer, 13...Substrate, 14
... Hole, 15 ... Holding part, 16 ... Surface electrode, 1
7... Back electrode, 18... Electrode part, 19... Outer circumferential surface, 20... Connection part, 21... Gold wire, 22... Carrier film, 23... Periphery.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A memory card having an integrated circuit built into the card and having an external terminal formed of a conductor on at least one side of the card,
A memory card characterized in that the external terminal is formed of at least a plurality of independent terminals and forms characters or figures for the purpose of identification. 2. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the external terminal does not have a through hole.