KR20130098164A - Method for manufacturing an antenna component by etching - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing the antenna component 2 by etching, wherein the component includes a substrate 3 and an electrically conductive wiring structure 4 supported by the substrate 3. The electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 is formed by locally removing the electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3 with an etchant. The degree of etching of the antenna component 2 is indicated by an etch indicator 10, the etch indicator 10 being disposed at or near the antenna component 2 to be etched, and It consists of the same electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3 of the antenna component 2 and is exposed by the etchant during etching. In addition, an antenna part 2 or a group 15 of antenna parts 2 with an etching indicator 10 and an etching mask 12 is introduced to produce the antenna part 2 by etching.

Description

Method for manufacturing an antenna component by etching {METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AN ANTENNA COMPONENT BY ETCHING}

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an antenna component by etching, the component having a substrate and an electrically conductive line configuration supported by the substrate, wherein the component is electrically conductive. The wiring arrangement is formed by locally removing the electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate with an etchant.

The present invention also relates to an antenna component and a group of antenna components, wherein the component includes a substrate and an electrically conductive wiring structure supported by the substrate.

The present invention also relates to an etching mask for manufacturing an antenna component by etching, wherein the component has a substrate and an electrically conductive wiring structure supported by the substrate, wherein the electrically conductive wiring structure is formed by the substrate. Formed by locally removing the supported electrically conductive coating with an etchant, the etch mask determines the electrically conductive wiring configuration of the component.

Typically, in the etching of a printed circuit board or other corresponding electronic component or article, the etching process variations are the electrical characteristics of the electrical circuits between similar etched circuits which are etched continuously. ) Can cause significant deviations. This is especially true when etching radio frequency structures such as antenna structures. For example, in the etching of an antenna for a radio frequency identification tag or an RFID tag, the process deformation during etching further changes the frequency behavior in the etching antenna, which further affects the electrical matching of the antenna with other parts of the RFID circuit. may cause cause frequency behavior variation.

1 shows a conventional radio frequency identification tag 1 or an RFID tag 1, which is an example of a product that may include an antenna component having an electrically conductive wiring configuration formed by etching. . The RFID tag 1 comprises an antenna component 2 having a substrate 3 and an antenna 4, the antenna 4 being an electrically conductive wiring configuration of the antenna component 2 and the substrate 3. Supports one or more layers of an electrically conductive coating partially removed during etching of the antenna 4. Thus, the antenna component 2 forms part of the RFID tag 1 and can be used for various kinds of applications. RFID tags may be attached to various kinds of items sold at department stores, for example, to store specific information about the items to which they are attached. The antenna 4 comprises means for transferring information between the RFID tag 1 and a device for reading information stored in the tag 1 or a device for transmitting information to be stored in the tag 1. to provide.

The RFID tag 1 comprises an integrated circuit 5 or chip 5 arranged in relation to the antenna 4 or the electrically conductive wiring arrangement, in order to store specific information about the item to which the RFID tag 1 is attached. It is further provided. The antenna component 2 and the integrated circuit 5 attached to the antenna component 2 are further attached by a pressure sensitive adhesive, ie a sticker 6 or another type of attachment element, for example in a department store. Provide a completed RFID tag 1 ready to be attached to the item being sold. In FIG. 1, the sticker 6 is schematically represented by a box surrounding the antenna component 2. In addition to the basic elements shown in FIG. 1, the RFID tag 1 may also include other layers laminated or attached to the structure.

The antenna 4 may comprise two resonant circuits, namely a radiating element 4 'and a separate impedance matching element 4 ", which together with the integrated circuit 5 They are electromagnetically coupled together to achieve the desired frequency response of the antenna 4. The frequency response of the impedance matching element 4 "is the inductance of the impedance matching element 4" and the impedance matching element (""). 4 ") is affected by the input resistance and input capacitance of the integrated circuit 5. The frequency response of the radiating element 4 'is influenced by the inductance, capacitance and radiating resistance of the radiating element 4'. Basically, the impedances of the antenna 4 and integrated circuit 5 need to be properly matched so that the circuit has the proper performance and frequency response.

Especially for RFID tags operating in the UHF frequency range, the impedance matching element 4 "and the radiating element 4 'are physically connected to each other by the coupling part 4"' but in fact the impedance matching element 4 ". And the radiating element 4 'are coupled to each other through mutual inductance, that is, an impedance matching element 4 "having a specific resonance frequency is inductively coupled to the radiating element 4' having a specific resonance frequency. The coupling distance D between the impedance matching element 4 "and the radiating element 4 ', i.e., the shortest distance between the impedance matching loop 4" and the radiating element 4' Affects the frequency response

It should be noted that the specific antenna structure shown in FIG. 1 is given only as an example. A separate impedance matching loop 4 "as well as a radiating element 4 'is typical for RFID tag antennas designed for the UHF range. For example, for a near-field operating UHF tag (UHF NF), the impedance matching loop 4" The loop structure can act as an antenna without any additional radiating elements.

It is important for the present invention to be described later that it is understood that etch process variations in antenna fabrication can alter the physical dimensions of the antenna 4. Deformation of the physical dimensions of the antenna 4 means that the antenna pattern dimensions deviate slightly from the initial design goals, and the design goals depend on the type and frequency range of the RFID tag under discussion. The etching process modification may be due to, for example, a change in the temperature and composition of the etchant or a change in the time that the etchant affects the electrically conductive coating to be removed by etching. The modification of the physical dimensions of the antenna 4 changes the electrical parameters of the antenna 4, so that the impedance matching with the integrated circuit 5 and the antenna frequency tuning change. This frequency tuning change can be seen as a further change in performance so that the optimum performance of the antenna begins to deteriorate.

A more typical factor of the frequency tuning change is the change in coupling spacing D between the impedance matching element 4 "and the radiating element 4 '. The change in the coupling spacing D is the integrated circuit 5; And further alter the impedance matching and frequency response of the antenna 4. In some antenna designs, the change in coupling spacing D after etching can be increased to ± 10%. ) Can seriously affect the performance of the antenna, and the performance of the antenna begins to deteriorate to such an extent that the frequency response of the antenna is very distorted, for example, as a loss in the reading distance of an RFID tag. Can actually be observed.

US Patent Publication No. 2007/0069037 A1 discloses a noncontact RFID tag having an antenna unit having an antenna and an impedance matching wiring as a radiating element. The impedance matching wiring portion has several mounting positions for the integrated circuit module, so that the frequency characteristics of the antenna unit are different when the integrated circuit module is mounted at different mounting positions. With this kind of solution, a single antenna unit configuration can be used as the basic antenna unit for RFID tag manufacturing, and the final frequency response of the antenna unit is selected by mounting the integrated circuit module at a specific mounting location of the antenna unit. . This makes it possible to manufacture various kinds of RFIDs having various frequency bands based only on one kind of antenna unit, when the allowable frequency bands for the RFID tags vary in various countries. The RFID tag according to US Patent Publication No. 2007/0069037 further has specific marker positions formed at corresponding mounting positions of the integrated circuit module, for example, so that the country targeted by the manufactured RFID tag can be easily determined at once. .

With the solution disclosed in US Patent Publication No. 2007/0069037, RFID tags with various frequency response characteristics can be manufactured using only one kind of antenna unit configuration. However, the RFID tags disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0069037 still have a change or modification in the coupling spacing between the actual radiating element and the impedance matching wiring portion, and the change or modifications are the etching process in the manufacture of the antenna. Comes from the transformation. It should also be noted that the mounting locations are designed to cause larger changes in the RFID tag operating frequency that correspond to frequency requirements in various geographic regions. These changes are larger than those caused by any etch deformation discussed with respect to the present invention.

US Patent Publication No. 2007/0069037

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a solution in which the influence of variations or variations resulting from the etching process variant can be considered for further use of the antenna component having an etched electrically conductive wiring arrangement which provides the antenna of the antenna components. It is. The present invention is intended to help to eliminate the effects of etch strain on the electrical performance of end products, such as in RFID tags.

The method according to the invention indicates the degree of etching of the antenna component by means of an etching indicator, the etching indicator being located at or near the antenna component to be etched and by the substrate of the antenna component. It is composed of the same electrically conductive coating supported and is exposed by the etchant during etching.

The antenna component or group of antenna components includes at least one etching indicator at or near the antenna component at at least several manufacturing stages of the at least one antenna component, wherein the etching indicator is And provide information on the degree of etching of at least one antenna component and consist of the same electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate.

In the etching mask according to the present invention, the etching mask comprises a barrier material in at least one main area corresponding to the electrically conductive wiring structure to be maintained during etching, wherein the etching mask comprises: Further comprising a barrier material in at least one sub-area for forming an etch indicator composed of the same electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate, wherein the etch indicator further comprises the extent of etching of the antenna component. of etching).

A method of manufacturing an antenna component by etching, wherein the component includes a substrate and an electrically conductive wiring configuration supported by the substrate, wherein the electrically conductive wiring configuration of the component is electrically conductive supported by the substrate. The coating is formed by topical removal with an etchant. The etching indicator indicates the degree of etching of the antenna component, which is composed of the same electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate of the component and positioned at the antenna component to be etched or near the antenna component to be etched. It is exposed to etching liquid.

The etch indicator can be used to indicate the extent of the effect of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating, the effect of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating providing information as to the extent to which the electrically conductive wiring configuration is etched during the etching process. By inspecting the etch indicator, the electrically conductive wiring configuration of the antenna component may be over etched (over-etched), underetched (under-etched), or precisely corresponding to the designed target wiring scheme. It is possible to determine if it is etched. By doing so, the usefulness of the antenna component in the electromagnetic sense of further manufacturing steps can be determined before any integrated circuit or other similar component is attached to the etched antenna component. This is an important factor in reducing the manufacturing cost.

According to one embodiment, the etching indicator has a plurality of parallel lines having different widths with respect to each other, so that the etching indicator has a simple form or shape.

According to one embodiment, the antenna component is configured to form part of an RFID tag or an RFID tag having an integrated circuit, so that the electrically conductive wiring configuration forms at least part of the antenna of the RFID tag. The antenna may have one or more elements, such as a radiating element and an impedance matching element. When the part to be manufactured forms part of the RFID tag, the electrically conductive wiring configuration of the part forms at least part of the antenna of the RFID tag, and the etch indicator is an actual etched antenna with respect to the design target antenna. It can be used to indicate the frequency tuning characteristics of the pattern, indicating the usefulness of the antenna component in further manufacturing steps of the RFID tag.

According to another embodiment, an impedance matching element of the antenna or the antenna for the RFID tag has a plurality of possible attachment points for attaching the integrated circuit, and the specific attachment point of the integrated circuit. Is determined by inspecting the etch indicator. By examining the etch indicator, it is possible to determine the frequency tuning characteristics of the actual etched antenna pattern with respect to the design target antenna, so that an appropriate point of attachment to the antenna, or the integrated circuit at the impedance matching element of the antenna, can be determined. By selecting, it is possible to compensate for a change resulting from a change in the frequency tuning characteristic of the antenna and a change in the etching processor ("over" or "under" etching), so that the execution despite the process deformation during etching of the antenna pattern. Possible RFID tags can be provided.

According to another embodiment, the antenna or antenna conductor structure may be changed after etching of the antenna or antenna conductor structure based on the degree of etching indicated by the etch indicator. The antenna conductor structure is changed locally, for example by removing conductive material from the antenna structure by laser tuning or die cutting and / or adding conductive material to the antenna structure, thereby affecting the radiofrequency behavior of the etched antenna. Can have The antenna conductor structure may also be altered by adding a separate, possibly laminated, tuning structure to the antenna component to affect the radiofrequency behavior of the etched antenna. In this way, the information provided by the etch indicator may also be used to modify the antenna conductor structure after etching in addition to or in place of the selection of an appropriate point of attachment for the integrated circuit in the antenna component. have.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings with respect to the present invention will be described in more detail by the preferred embodiment.
1 shows a schematic top view of a radio frequency identification tag of the prior art.
2 shows a schematic top view of an antenna component having an electrically conductive wiring configuration and an etch indicator.
3 shows a schematic top view of the details of the antenna component according to FIG. 2.
4 shows a schematic top view of an etching indicator.
5 shows a schematic top view of a second etching indicator.
6 shows a schematic top view of an etch mask that can be used for the manufacture of the antenna component according to FIG. 2.
Fig. 7 schematically shows a group of antenna parts with one etch indicator for each group of parts.

2 is a top view of the antenna component 2 having the electrically conductive wiring configuration on the substrate 3. The antenna component 2 of FIG. 2 forms part of the basic radio frequency identification tag, and only the integrated circuit 5 and the sticker 6 are missing in comparison with the completed radio frequency identification tag or RFID tag. The electrically conductive wiring arrangement of the component 2 according to FIG. 2 forms an antenna 4 for an RFID tag. The antenna 4 according to FIG. 2 has a radiating element 4 ', an impedance matching element 4 "and a coupling element 4"'. The antenna may for example be designed for the UHF frequency range.

The impedance matching element 4 "shown in FIG. 2 further includes a plurality of attachment points for attaching the integrated circuit 5 in relation to the impedance matching element 4". The impedance matching element 4 "shown in Fig. 2 is more clearly shown in Fig. 3. The impedance matching element 4" according to Figs. 2 and 3 is integrated with respect to the impedance matching element 4 ". In order to attach the circuit 5, there are five attachment points, that is, attachment points 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d and 7e. The attachment points 7a-7e have the same electrical conductivity as the antenna 4. A coating is formed during the etching of the antenna 4, and the electrically conductive coating is supported by the substrate 3. The attachment point configuration is such that one protrusion 8 is provided at the attachment points 7a-7e. On both sides, two projections 8 are provided. The projection 8 is perpendicular to the wiring configuration of the impedance matching element 4 ", and in the embodiment of Figs. 8) faces the inner side of the loop structure of the impedance matching element 4 "but may also be oriented naturally in the opposite direction. C. Both protrusions 8 have five side protrusions 9, the side protrusions 9 being in physical relationship with the corresponding protrusions 8 and perpendicular to the protrusions 8, the side The protrusions 9 point towards other protrusions that are not in physical relationship, and the side protrusions 9 connected to the opposing protrusions 8 face each other but are integrated at specific attachment points 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d or 7e. It does not have any straight physical relationship with each other prior to attaching the circuit 5. Each attachment point 7a to 7e forms various physical loop lengths of the impedance matching element 4 ", so that each attachment point 7a to 7e) provides various frequency tuning characteristics for the impedance matching element 4 "after the integrated circuit is attached to the specific attachment points 7a to 7e.

Since the attachment point and the connection area can be designed in several ways, the design shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 should be understood only as an example. In addition, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the attachment points 7a to 7e are arranged in relation to the impedance matching element 4 ", but the attachment points 7a to 7e are for example according to the antenna structure. It should be noted that it may be arranged in relation to the other part of the antenna 4.

The antenna component 2 according to FIG. 2 further comprises an etch indicator 10, which is shown in more detail in FIG. 4. The etch indicator 10 or etch indicator pattern 10 according to FIG. 4 has five parallel lines 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d and 11e of different widths, so that these five parallel lines 11a to 11e. 11e) forms a pattern having five portions, that is, wirings 11a to 11e, having different dimensions, i.e., the same characteristic of line width. The etch indicator 10 is used to indicate the degree of etching of the component 2 or to indicate the degree of influence of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3 of the component 2. . The wirings 11a to 11e consist of an electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3 so that the etch indicator 10 will be formed during the etching of the electrically conductive wiring configuration of the component 2. In FIG. 4, the etching indicator 10 shows the basic shape or shape before the etching liquid has any influence on the etching indicator 10. In FIG. 2, the etching indicator 10 is the antenna. During the etching of (4), the etching liquid shows a form or shape in which the wirings 11c to 11e are removed from the etching indicator 10.

During the etching of the antenna 4, the antenna component 2 with the substrate 3 comprises the antenna 4 configuration, ie the radiating element 4 ′, the impedance matching element 4 ″ and the coupling. In order to form the element 4 "'and also in the case of the embodiment according to FIG. 2, in order to form the protrusion 8 and the side protrusion 9 for providing the attachment points 7a to 7e, Exposed. During etching, the etchant removes the electrically conductive coating from the substrate 3 of the antenna component 2 with respect to other portions of the substrate 3 that are not protected by the etching mask used. The etch mask has barrier material against other portions of the substrate 3 where the designed electrically conductive wiring configuration is required to be maintained. Since the basic principle of the etching process itself is generally known to those skilled in the art, further details will be omitted herein. .

However, as noted above, variations in the etching process in the manufacture of antennas for RFID tags can change the physical dimensions of the antenna 4. Deformation of the physical dimensions of the antenna 4 caused by over or under etching may cause an offset from the initial design goal with respect to the antenna pattern dimensions. The etching process deformation may be caused, for example, by a change in the temperature and composition of the etchant, or by a time in which the etchant affects the electrically conductive coating to be etched away. Deformation of the physical dimensions of the antenna changes the electrical parameters of the antenna 4, thereby changing the antenna frequency tuning characteristics. This frequency tuning change can also appear as a change in performance so that the optimum performance of the antenna begins to deteriorate.

By using the above-described etching indicator 10, this frequency tuning change can be estimated. These estimates may be based on theoretical calculations or simulations, or a range of overetching and underetching experiments may be performed to determine an empirical etching experiment where their influence on the frequency characteristics of the antenna is subsequently measured. Can be based.

During the etching process, the etchant is transferred from the portion forming the electrically conductive wiring configuration corresponding to the antenna 4 and the etch indicator 10 as well as to other portions of the electrically conductive coating to be removed to obtain the designed target antenna. Remove the conductive coating. In this way, the etchant also removes material from the wirings 11a to 11e during etching. This can be schematically illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 2, assuming that FIG. 2 represents the antenna component 2 after the etching process has been completed, the wirings 11c-11e of the etching indicator 10 are described above. It is completely extinguished during the etching of the antenna 4. However, for the sake of clarity, the wirings 11c to 11e which disappeared during etching are shown by broken lines in FIG. 2. If any of the wirings 11a to 11e have not completely disappeared during the etching, the number of wirings of the etching indicator 10 lost during the etching, or the amount or dimension of the etching indicator material that has disappeared during the etching is as described below. Similarly, information on the frequency tuning change of the antenna 4 is provided.

In FIG. 2, by inspecting the remaining etching indicator 10, it can be seen that only the wirings 11a and 11b remain and the wirings 11c to 11e have been removed during etching. The middle wiring 11c forms a reference portion of the etching indicator 10 to form a reference portion of the etching indicator 10 and the wirings 11c and 11e having a smaller width than the middle wiring 11c having a specific width, that is, smaller than the reference portion. When all of this is extinguished, this is determined to mean that the electrically conductive wiring configuration corresponding to the antenna 4 is etched to an extent corresponding to the effect of the desired degree of etching liquid, that is, to the design goal of the antenna 4. This means that the physical dimensions of the antenna and thereby the frequency tuning characteristics of the antenna 4 shown in FIG. 2 completely correspond to the physical dimensions and frequency tuning characteristics of the designed target antenna 4, and the antenna 4 according to FIG. 2. This means that there is no change in frequency tuning at. This may in turn result in, for example, the integrated circuit 5 being attached to the attachment point 7c of the impedance matching element 4 ", which is in this example the target frequency at which the etched antenna 4 is designed. In the case of having a tuning characteristic or a designed target operating frequency, it means that it corresponds to the loop length of the impedance matching element 4 "for the impedance matching element 4".

However, for example, if only the wiring 11e is extinguished during etching, inspection of the etching indicator 10 indicates that the influence of the etching solution on the electrically conductive coating is too low. This means that the physical dimension of the antenna 4 is too large compared to the physical dimension of the designed target antenna 4, which means that the frequency tuning characteristic of the actual etched antenna 4 is the designed target antenna 4. This means that there is a change in the frequency tuning characteristic that does not correspond to the frequency tuning characteristic. However, this change in the frequency tuning characteristic can now be compensated by attaching the integrated circuit 5 to the attachment point 7e of the impedance matching element 4 ", for example, in this example, the attachment point 7e. ) Is such that if the etched antenna 4 has a larger physical dimension than the designed target antenna, resulting in inaccurate frequency tuning relative to the designed target antenna without any compensation, the impedance matching element 4 Corresponds to the loop length of the impedance matching element 4 "

However, if, for example, all the wirings 11a to 11e disappear during the etching, inspection of the etching indicator 10 indicates that the influence of the etching solution on the electrically conductive coating is too strong. This means that the physical dimension of the antenna 4 is too small compared to the physical dimension of the designed target antenna 4, which means that the frequency tuning characteristic of the actual etched antenna 4 is that of the designed target antenna 4. It does not correspond to the frequency tuning characteristics. However, this change in the frequency tuning characteristic can now be compensated by attaching the integrated circuit 5 to the attachment point 7a of the impedance matching element 4 ", for example in the present example. ), If the etched antenna 4 has a smaller physical dimension than that of the designed target antenna, resulting in a frequency tuning characteristic that deviates from the operating frequency of the designed target antenna without any compensation, Corresponds to the loop length of the impedance matching element 4 "for the impedance matching element 4".

After the etching process and after the etchant on the top of the substrate 3 of the component 2 is poured down, the extent of the effect of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating can be determined by inspecting the etching indicator 10 and the The influence of the etchant on the antenna provides information about the antenna pattern 4 for the RFID tag 1, and the degree to which the electrically conductive wiring arrangement in the present example is etched during the etching process. Compared to the basic shape or shape of the etch indicator shown as an example of FIG. 4, the change in the etch indicator 10 indicates how well the actual etched antenna pattern corresponds to the designed target antenna. Based on the inspection of these changes in the etching indicator 10, the change in the dimensions of the antenna pattern and the change in the frequency tuning characteristics of the antenna 4 can be determined. For example, if the etch indicator 10 indicates that the influence of the etchant is so low that the designed target antenna configuration is not achieved, as described above, this is the frequency between the actual antenna 4 and the designed target antenna 4. It causes a difference in tuning characteristics. However, this change in the frequency tuning characteristic is compensated by attaching the integrated circuit 5 to the attachment point 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d or 7e corresponding to the change in the frequency tuning characteristic of the antenna 4. Can be. The attachment of the integrated circuit 5 to the other attachment points 7a to 7e at the impedance matching loop 4 "of the antenna 4 provides different frequency tuning characteristics for the antenna 4. In this way, by using the indicator 10, it becomes possible to determine the influence of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating and the degree of possible variation in the frequency tuning characteristics relative to the designed target antenna 4 thereby. By selecting an appropriate attachment point for the integrated circuit 5, it is possible to compensate for the frequency tuning change in the antenna resulting from the etching process to be close to the designed target value or to a perfect target value, thereby enabling a viable RFID tag. Thus, a modification in the etching process is achieved by, for example, inserting the integrated circuit 5 at an appropriate point of attachment of the impedance matching element 4 ". Can be modified later in the RFID tag manufacturing process. This also means that, despite variations in the etching process, an RFID tag antenna component 2 with a low quality antenna 4 in terms of frequency tuning characteristics can also be used in RFID tag manufacturing. . This reduces manufacturing costs by reducing or completely preventing the appearance of defective antenna strips due to the etching process deformation. Inspection of the etch indicator 10 may be provided using, for example, camera technology and image recognition technology.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the etch indicator 10 is disposed in an area defined by the radiating element 4 ′ of the antenna 4, but the etch indicator 10 is the etch indicator after the etch process. The remaining portion of 10 may be placed at any suitable position of the component 2 in a position that does not interfere with the operation of the antenna 4.

In this example, the etch indicator 10 has been used for an antenna 4 having an impedance matching element 4 "having several different attachment points 7a to 7e for the integrated circuit 5. The etch indicator 10 may also be used in an antenna pattern having only one possible point of attachment to the integrated circuit 5. In this case, inspection of the etch indicator 10 may be optional on the antenna 4. Prior to attaching the integrated circuit of the antenna, it can be used to indicate the frequency tuning characteristics of the etched antenna 4. In this way, by attaching the integrated circuit 5 and the sticker 6 to the antenna component 2 Before completing the structure of the RFID tag, it is possible to treat all defective antenna parts as defective in terms of frequency tuning characteristics.

Note that although the size of the etching indicator 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to 7 is not large, the size of the etching indicator 10 is greatly exaggerated for the purpose of illustration only. In practice, the etch indicator dimensions are smaller than in the figures so that they can be more sensitive to over or under etch situations of the antenna. In fact, the etch indicator 10 is designed and dimensioned accordingly, such as depending on the shape and dimensions of the impedance matching element 4 "in the UHF antenna, so as to be sensitive to indicating the etching state of such antenna components. In addition, the attachment points 7a to 7e for the integrated circuit can also be designed to have an appropriate tuning range to compensate for typical etch strain The design of the etch indicator 10 can be applied to a typical etch strain. It is aimed at optimizing the sensitivity, and the design of the attachment points 7a to 7e aims at accurately compensating the influence and tuning range of this deformation when the integrated circuit is attached at the appropriate attachment point.

Also, since the antenna structure shown here is merely an example, the actual antenna design may omit a separate radiating element and may be based only on loop shaped elements similar to the impedance matching element 4 ", or radiating The galvanic coupling part 4 "'between the element 4' and the impedance matching element 4" may be omitted and may instead be based on inductive / capacitive coupling. The examples included in the figures are intended to highlight only certain typical areas of the antenna structure that are sensitive to etch deformation.

In addition to the use of an etch indicator to select any point of attachment of the RFID tag 1 to the integrated circuit 5, or any other means affecting the tuning of the RFID tag after the antenna etching phase. Alternatively, or instead, the conditions or conditions of the etch indicator can also be used to control the duration of the etch process, such as the etch process or the composition of the etchant. Such control may be adjusted by the operator of the etching process using visual inspection of the etching indicator, or may be adjusted to automatically use machine vision or similar techniques.

Further, in addition to or instead of selecting an appropriate point of attachment for the integrated circuit, other methods may be provided based on the etch indicator after etching of the antenna structure. These are possible stacked tuning structures, such as by removing conductive material and / or adding conductive material, or separating, for example by laser tuning or die cutting, to affect the radiofrequency behavior of the etched antenna. Adding to (2) includes, but is not limited to, locally changing the antenna conductor structure after etching. Such additional tuning structure, which may have a loop shape, for example, may be selected from a range of sizes, for example, may be attached to a range of areas, or may be inductively or capacitively coupled with the etched antenna structure. have.

In this example, the etch indicator 10 has been used in the manufacture of RFID tags. However, a similar kind of etch indicator 10 can be used in the manufacture of any other electrical antenna component having an electrically conductive wiring configuration to show the effect of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating, so that for the designed target antenna component, The electrically conductive wiring configuration of the antenna component, that is, the electrical characteristics of the antenna or part of the antenna is determined. In this way it is possible, for example, to determine whether the part is capable of being used as part of an electrical installation before any integrated circuit is set in the part.

5 is a top view of the second etching indicator 10 or the second etching indicator pattern 10. The etching indicator 10 according to FIG. 5 also comprises a number of pattern portions, i.e., wirings 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d and 11e, which are arranged in successive lines with respect to each other. . In Fig. 5, the ends of the wirings 11a to 11e are arranged to contact each other, but the wirings 11a to 11e may also be arranged to have a small gap between the ends of the wirings. Similarly, as described above, during the etching process, the disappearance of the wiring 11c indicates that the electrically conductive wiring configuration has achieved the designed target configuration or dimension, and the wiring 11c is in the middle of the etching indicator pattern 10. It is possible to set the forming of the reference portion of.

If the etch indicator 10 has a plurality of parallel or continuous lines having different widths with respect to each other, the etch indicator 10 can be realized or detected very easily. The etch indicator shape and size can be designed to be particularly easy to understand using machine vision or other automated analysis methods. Such automated analysis results can also be adjusted to control integrated circuit positioning with respect to fabrication wiring, or any other measures based on the analysis results.

4 and 5 show two other embodiments of the etch indicator 10, but other types of embodiments of the etch indicator 10 are of course possible. Other possible geometries may include, for example, concentric rings, rectangles or other shapes.

FIG. 6 shows a top view of an etching mask 12 which can be used for the manufacture of the antenna component 2 according to FIG. 2. The etch mask is used to locally control the removal and maintenance of the electrically conductive coating using an etchant. Upon initiating etching of the antenna 4 in the component 2, the etching mask 12 according to FIG. 6 is arranged on top of the substrate 3 with an electrically conductive coating. The etching mask 12 includes an etching mask material or a barrier material in the first main region 13, the second main region 13 ′, and the third main region 13 ″ of the etching mask 12. The shape of the first main region 13 corresponds to the shape of the radiating element 4 'of the antenna 4 to be maintained during etching, and the shape of the second main region 13' is maintained during the etching. Corresponding to the shape of the impedance matching element 4 "of the antenna 4 to be formed, the shape of the third main region 13" being the coupling element 4 "of the antenna 4 to be held during etching. Corresponds to the shape of '). The etching mask further includes a barrier material in the subregion 14 located within the region defined by the first main region 13. The sub-regions 14 are barriers of five wires having different widths with respect to each other, in order to form wires of electrically conductive coatings corresponding to the wires 11a to 11e of the etching indicator 10 shown in FIG. With material.

Typically, the etch mask 12 is arranged on the top surface of the electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3 such that in a first step the entire substrate is coated with a mask material or a resist material. Thereafter, depending on whether a positive or negative photosensitive mask material is used, the mask pattern is exposed to the mask material, and then the exposed portion or the non-exposed portion of the mask material is removed by the etching solution. In etching of the antenna, a negative photosensitive mask material is typically used. In addition, other types of methods generally known to those skilled in the art can be used to arrange the etching mask 12 on the top surface of the substrate 3, such as the use of other types of etchant resistive protective materials, such as paint. useful. However, the above-described method based on photolithography is most used to etch fine patterns or wiring configurations.

After the etching mask 12 according to FIG. 6 is arranged on the top surface of the component 2 comprising the substrate 3 with the electrically conductive coating, an etching solution is applied to the component 2. The etchant removes the electrically conductive coating on the coating portion that is not protected by the barrier material, such that the electrically conductive coating comprises a first main region 13, a second main region 13 ′ of the etch mask 12, and Remains in the third main region 13 "and the second subregion 14. Therefore, at some etching points of the component 2, the component 2 is at least somewhat to said designed target antenna pattern 4 Similarly, at several etching points, the component 2 also has no wirings 11a to 11e at all, depending on the influence of the etchant on the etch indicator 10. Or at least partially have at least some wires 11a to 11e or all wires 11a to 11e completely.The other part of the electrically conductive coating is removed from the component 2 by an etchant. .

The reason why at least some of the wirings 11a to 11e can be at least partially removed during the etching process, despite the protective layer of the barrier material, is that the etching liquid also removes the electrically conductive coating sideways under the protective barrier material. Comes from. Therefore, the dimension of the barrier material in the etching mask is selected in consideration of the lateral movement of the etching liquid under the barrier material so that the dimension of the electrically conductive wiring configuration after etching corresponds as much as possible to the designed target dimension of the antenna 4.

FIG. 2 shows a single antenna part 2 having an etch indicator 10 intended to show the effect of the etchant only on that particular part 2. FIG. 7 is a top view of three groups 15 of antenna components 2, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 each having three antenna components 2 neighboring each other. However, several groups of parts, such as countless groups of parts, in which one group of parts has any substantial number of parts neighboring each other, may cause parts 2 of each group 15 to run for a certain time. It may be arranged to form an elongated banded structure 16 that is continuously advanced in the etching process to be exposed to the influence of the etchant in the etching machine. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, only one etch indicator 10 is arranged for each group 15, the etch indicator 10 being at the end 17 of the band, ie the antenna component 2. Is placed in the vicinity of. In this embodiment, this single etch indicator 10 is used to show the influence of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating in each of the above-mentioned parts 2 belonging to the same specific group 15. In Fig. 7, the components 2 are shown in the form they have after the etching process, i.e. with the antenna pattern 4, but for the sake of clarity, the etching indicators 10 are in their originally designed form or shape. Represented by Again, the etch indicators are not shown on their exact scale compared to the antenna component, but are enlarged for clarity.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 7, the single etch indicator 10, which is intended to show the influence of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating of each of the parts 2 belonging to the same particular group 15, also has a band structure 16. It may also be arranged in one antenna component 2 of the group 15 instead of the end 17 of. However, each component 2 of the group 15 is intended to have one etching indicator 10 or to show the effect of etching solution on the component 2 of the several successive groups 15. It is also possible that only one etch indicator 10 is present.

As the technology evolves, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the inventive concept may be implemented in a variety of ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (26)

A method of manufacturing an antenna component (2) by etching, the component having a substrate (3) and an electrically conductive wiring arrangement (4) supported by the substrate (3), wherein the electrically conductive wiring in the method The configuration 4 is formed by locally removing the electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3 with an etchant,
The etching degree of the antenna component 2 is indicated by an etching indicator 10, which is located at or near the antenna component 2 to be etched. And an identical electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate (3) of the antenna component (2), wherein the antenna component (2) is exposed by etching liquid during etching. The method of claim 1,
The degree of the influence of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3 is indicated by the etching indicator 10, and the degree of the influence of the etchant on the conductive conductive coating is determined by the antenna component 2. A method for manufacturing an antenna component (2) by etching, characterized in that it provides information about the degree of etching of the electrically conductive wiring arrangement (4). 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The etching indicator (10) is provided with a plurality of pattern portions, said portions having the same characteristics of various dimensions with respect to each other. The method of claim 3,
A method of manufacturing an antenna component (2) by etching, characterized in that the degree of etching of the electrically conductive wiring arrangement (4) of the antenna component (2) is represented by the number of pattern portions which are lost during etching. The method according to claim 3 or 4,
The pattern part is a method of manufacturing an antenna component (2) by etching, characterized in that a plurality of parallel or continuous lines (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e) having different widths with respect to each other. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The etching indicator 10 has a reference portion 11c of the etching indicator 10 and has an characteristic of disappearing only the reference portion 11c and corresponding characteristics of the reference portion 11c during etching. Disappearance of the pattern portions 11d and 11e indicates that the electrically conductive wiring structure 4 of the antenna component 2 is etched to a degree corresponding to a desired etching degree. (2) A method of manufacturing. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A method of manufacturing an antenna component (2) by etching, characterized in that the etching process is adjusted based on the degree of etching of the etching indicator (10). 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The antenna component 2 is configured to form part of a radio frequency identification tag 1 or an RFID tag 1 having an integrated circuit 5, so that the electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 is an RFID tag 1 A method for manufacturing an antenna component (2) by etching, characterized in that it forms at least part of the antenna (4). 9. The method of claim 8,
The antenna (4) comprises at least a radiating element (4 ') and an impedance matching element (4 "). 10. The method of claim 9,
The impedance matching element 4 "of the antenna 4 comprises a number of possible attachment points 7a, 7b, 7c, for attaching the integrated circuit 5 with respect to the impedance matching element 4". 7d, 7e, characterized in that the specific attachment points 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e to the integrated circuit 5 are determined based on the degree of etching of the etch indicator 10. To produce an antenna component (2). 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
After etching of the antenna 4, based on the etching degree of the etching indicator 10, in order to influence the radio frequency behavior of the antenna 4, a separate tuning structure is added in the antenna component 2 or Or locally modifying the antenna conductor structure by removing or adding a conductive material. As an antenna component 2 or a group 15 of antenna components 2, the component 2 has a substrate 3 and an electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 supported by the substrate 3,
In at least some manufacturing steps of the at least one antenna component 2, there is at least one etching indicator 10 at or near the antenna component 2 and the etching indicator 10. ) Provides for information on the degree of etching of at least one antenna component 2 and is composed of the same electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3, the antenna component 2 or the antenna component 2 (15). The method of claim 12,
The etching indicator 10 is arranged to indicate the degree of the effect of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3, wherein the degree of the effect of the etchant on the electrically conductive coating is determined by the antenna component 2. Characterized in that it provides information about the degree of etching of the electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 of the antenna component 2 or group of antenna components 2. The method according to claim 12 or 13,
The etch indicator (10) is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of pattern parts having the same characteristics of various dimensions with respect to each other, an antenna part (2) or a group of antenna parts (2). 15. The method of claim 14,
The antenna component 2, characterized in that the number of pattern portions which disappeared during the etching of the at least one antenna component 2 is arranged to indicate the degree of etching of the electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 of the at least one antenna component 2. ) Or group 15 of antenna parts 2. 16. The method according to claim 14 or 15,
The antenna part 2 or the group 15 of antenna parts 2, characterized in that the pattern parts are a plurality of parallel or continuous lines 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e having different widths with respect to each other. . 17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16,
The etching indicator 10 includes the reference portion 11c of the etching indicator 10, wherein the etching has characteristics such as disappearance of only the reference portion 11c and corresponding characteristics of the reference portion 11c during etching. The disappearance of the pattern portions 11d and 11e of the indicator 10 is characterized in that the electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 of the at least one antenna component 2 is etched to a degree corresponding to the desired degree of etching. The antenna component 2 or the group 15 of antenna components 2. 18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17,
The antenna component 2 is configured to form part of a radio frequency identification tag 1 or an RFID tag 1 having an integrated circuit 5, so that the electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 is the RFID tag 1 An antenna part 2 or a group 15 of antenna parts 2, characterized in that it is arranged to form an antenna 4. 19. The method of claim 18,
The antenna 4 has at least a radiating element 4 'and an impedance matching element 4 ", the impedance matching element 4" of the antenna 4 being associated with the impedance matching element 4 ". Characterized in that it comprises a plurality of possible attachment points 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e for attaching the integrated circuit 5 to the antenna part 2 or the group 15 of antenna parts 2. . An etching mask 12 for manufacturing the antenna component 2 by etching, the component 2 having a substrate 3 and an electrically conductive wiring structure 4 supported by the substrate 3. And the electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 is formed by locally removing the electrically conductive coating supported by the substrate 3 with an etching solution, and the etching mask 12 is used to electrically Determine the conductive wiring configuration (4),
The etch mask 12 includes a barrier material in at least one main region 13, 13 ′ corresponding to the electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 to be maintained during etching, and the etch mask 12 includes the substrate ( 3 further comprising a barrier material in at least one sub-region 14 for forming an etch indicator 10 composed of the same electrically conductive coating supported by 3), wherein the etch indicator 10 comprises the antenna component 2 Etching mask (12) for manufacturing the antenna component (2) by etching, characterized in that it is arranged to indicate the degree of etching. 21. The method of claim 20,
Said sub-region 14 having a barrier material for forming the etch indicator 10 is disposed in the etch mask 12 at or near the antenna part 2 to be etched. An etching mask 12 for producing an antenna component 2 by etching. 22. The method according to claim 20 or 21,
The subregion 14, which comprises a barrier material for forming the etch indicator 10, comprises a plurality of pattern portions, said portions having the same properties of varying dimensions with respect to each other. Etch mask 12 for manufacturing the antenna component 2. The method of claim 22,
Etching for manufacturing the antenna component 2 by etching, characterized in that the pattern portions correspond to a plurality of parallel or continuous lines 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e having different widths with respect to each other. Mask 12. 24. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 23,
The antenna component 2 is configured to form part of a radio frequency identification tag 1 or an RFID tag 1 having an integrated circuit 5, so that the electrically conductive wiring arrangement 4 comprises an RFID tag 1 The etching mask 12 for manufacturing the antenna component 2 by etching, characterized in that it forms an antenna 4. 25. The method of claim 24,
The antenna 4 has at least a radiating element 4 'and an impedance matching element 4 "so that the etching mask 12 corresponds to the radiating element 4' of the antenna 4. At least a first main region 13 and a second main region 13 ′ of barrier material corresponding to the impedance matching element 4 ″ of the antenna 4. (2) An etching mask 12 for manufacturing. 26. The method of claim 25,
The second main region 13 ′ of the barrier material has a number of possible attachment points 7a, 7b, 7c for attaching the integrated circuit 5 in relation to the impedance matching element 4 ″ of the antenna 4. An etching mask (12) for producing the antenna component (2) by etching, characterized in that it comprises a barrier material for providing 7d, 7e.

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