WO2024191337A1 - Smartcard comprising fingerprint sensing device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smartcard comprising a fingerprint sensing device laminated between a first card substrate layer and a second card substrate layer, the fingerprint sensing device including electrically conductive pads; a connector module arranged in a cavity of the smartcard, separated from the fingerprint sensing device by the second card substrate layer, the connector module including connecting pads; and wherein the smartcard further comprises electrically conductive structures protruding through the second card substrate layer, and electrically connecting the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensing device and the connecting pads of the connector module.

Description

SMARTCARD COMPRISING FINGERPRINT SENSING DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a smartcard comprising a fingerprint sensing device, and to a manufacturing method thereof.

Background of the Invention

As the development of biometric devices for identity verification, and in particular of fingerprint sensing devices, has led to devices which are made smaller, cheaper and more energy efficient, the range of applications for such devices is increasing. In particular, fingerprint sensor integration in smartcards is increasingly requested by the market to enable biometric identification in cards such as a bank card.

Fingerprint sensor integration in smartcards is technically challenging, and there are severe requirements in respect of robustness and cost. In an effort to reduce cost, while providing a fingerprint enabled smartcard with dual interface functionality, it has been proposed to integrate in the smartcard a double-sided module with a fingerprint sensor on one side and the smartcard contact on the opposite side.

Although this approach provides for cost-savings due to reduced wiring and simplified production, there appears to be room for improvement, in particular concerning robustness.

In view of above-mentioned and other drawbacks of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved smartcard with an integrated fingerprint sensor, in particular such a smartcard with improved robustness.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a smartcard comprising a card body including a plurality of card substrate layers; an antenna for harvesting energy from an electrical field; a fingerprint sensing device laminated between a first card substrate layer and a second card substrate layer of the plurality of card substrate layers, with a first side of the fingerprint sensing device facing the first card substrate layer and a second side of the fingerprint sensing device facing the second card substrate layer, the fingerprint sensing device including: a fingerprint sensor component provided on the first side of the fingerprint sensing device and coupled to the antenna to operate using energy harvested by the antenna, and electrically conductive pads provided on the second side of the fingerprint sensing device; and a connector module arranged in a cavity of the smartcard, separated from the fingerprint sensing device by the second card substrate layer, the connector module including: a contact area arranged on a first side of the connector module, the contact area having at least one contact pad; and connecting pads arranged on a second side of the connector module, wherein the smartcard further comprises electrically conductive structures protruding through the second card substrate layer, and electrically connecting the electrically conductive pads on the second side of the fingerprint sensing device and the connecting pads on the second side of the connector module.

A smartcard can be considered to be any card comprising functionality such as biometric sensing, and smartcards may be used as payment cards, identification cards, access cards and in other applications where a card with built-in functionality is desirable. In the present context, the smartcard comprises a fingerprint sensing device connected to an antenna for power harvesting and/or communication, but this does not exclude that other features are included in the smartcard.

The fingerprint sensing device may advantageously be a module comprising the fingerprint sensor component and auxiliary circuitry, such as a readout circuitry, secure element, or other passive or active components.. The fingerprint sensor component is considered to provide the sensing functionality of the fingerprint sensing device, and may advantageously be a capacitive fingerprint sensor component comprising an array of sensing elements for reading a signal from a finger of a human. The fingerprint sensor component may be connected to the readout circuitry for providing a result of the sensing to an external device. The fingerprint sensor component may, however, be configured for any other suitable fingerprint sensing technology, such as optical, thermal or ultrasonic fingerprint sensing.

The contact area of the connector module may comprise at least one contact pad, which may be a contact plate for providing a reference potential to a finger during image capture and/or be included in an ISO-contact of the type commonly used in payment cards for physically connecting a card to a payment terminal. In the case of providing a reference potential, the user may initiate fingerprint image capture by gripping the card with two fingers on opposite sides of the card, wherein one finger is placed on the contact area of the connector module and one finger is placed on the fingerprint sensor component. The finger in contact with the fingerprint sensor component can be assumed to have substantially the same potential as the finger in contact with the contact area, whereby a reference potential is provided.

The present invention is based upon the realization that a smartcard body comprising a fingerprint sensing device laminated between a first card substrate layer and a second card substrate layer will provide a smartcard with greater mechanical and electrical protection for the electronics in the fingerprint sensing device, while further minimizing the possibility of air pockets forming between the fingerprint sensor component and the first card substrate layer which might interfere with the fingerprint sensing functionality of the fingerprint sensor component.

In addition, the present inventors have realized that the desired dual side configuration can be achieved by forming a cavity in the smartcard, including partly through the second card substrate layer, providing electrically conductive structures protruding through the remaining material of the second card substrate layer to the bottom of the cavity, and arranging a connector module in the cavity. The fingerprint sensing device is then embedded in the smartcard through lamination, and the connector module may be mounted using well-established and reliable techniques for smartcard manufacturing. According to a various embodiment of the invention, the card body may comprise a third card substrate layer between the first card substrate layer and the second card substrate layer, the third card substrate layer having a cut-out accommodating the fingerprint sensing device. To accommodate the fingerprint sensing device in a cut-out of the third card substrate layer allows it to be laminated between the first card substrate layer and the second card substrate layer without generating any protrusions.

According to various embodiments of the invention, the connector module may comprise an antenna coupling structure, the antenna coupling structure being coupled to the antenna and conductively connected to the fingerprint sensor component, via the connector structures.

By having a connector module comprising the antenna coupling structure, the connection between the antenna and the fingerprint sensing device and/or connector module may be established post-lamination, thereby simplifying the assembly process.

Alternatively, or in combination, the fingerprint sensing device may comprise an antenna coupling structure, the antenna coupling structure being coupled to the antenna and conductively connected to the fingerprint sensor component.

The antenna coupling structure may advantageously comprise a first conductor conductively connected to a first terminal of the antenna, and a second conductor conductively connected to a second terminal of the antenna. That the antenna coupling structure is in direct contact, i.e. mechanical and physical contact, with the antenna ensures a good electrical connection and simplifies manufacturing since no additional communication paths are required in the card.

Alternatively, the antenna may comprise a first portion for harvesting energy from an external electrical field, and a second portion for wireless energy transfer within the smartcard; and the antenna coupling structure may comprise an energy transfer portion conductively separated from the second portion of the antenna by a card substrate layer of the plurality of card substrate layers of the card body, to wirelessly receive energy from the antenna.

When forming an electrical connection between the antenna and the antenna coupling structure, conventional techniques such as welding may risk damaging the electronics in the smartcard due to heat and/or handling. In some cases, the antenna may be provided in the form of an antenna film comprising a conductive wire which is laminated together with the plurality of card substrate layers, in which case welding would be especially challenging since the antenna terminals would be encased by a lamination layer. By a wireless energy transfer, there is no need for a direct electrical connection between the antenna coupling structure and the antenna, and the risk of damaging the connection by heat and/or handling during the manufacturing process is thus minimized.

The second portion of the antenna may comprise one of a spiral coil and a capacitor plate; and the energy transfer portion of the antenna coupling structure may comprise one of a spiral coil and a capacitor plate structure arranged opposite the spiral coil or capacitor plate structure of the second portion of the antenna.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a smartcard, comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of card substrate layers; providing an antenna for harvesting energy from an electrical field; providing a fingerprint sensing device including: a fingerprint sensor component provided on a first side of the fingerprint sensing device, and a connecting arrangement comprising electrically conductive pads provided on a second side of the fingerprint sensing device, opposite the first side of the fingerprint sensing device; providing a connector module including: a contact area arranged on a first side of the connector module, the contact area having at least one contact pad configured to be connected to an external object; and connecting pads arranged on a second side of the connector module, one of the connector module and the fingerprint sensing device comprising an antenna coupling structure; coupling the antenna to the antenna coupling structure; arranging the fingerprint sensing device between a first card substrate layer and a second card substrate layer of the plurality of card substrate layers, with a first side of the fingerprint sensing device facing the first card substrate layer and a second side of the fingerprint sensing device facing the second card substrate layer, laminating together the antenna, fingerprint sensing device, and plurality of card substrate layers to thereby form a card body having a first card body side faced by the first side of the fingerprint sensing device and a second card body side faced by the second side of the fingerprint sensing device; forming a cavity in the card body, from the second card body side, the cavity having such a depth that card body material remains between a bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device; forming electrically conductive structures protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device; arranging the connector module in the cavity such that the connecting pads of the connector module face the electrically conductive structures; and forming electrical connections between the connecting pads of the connector module and the electrically conductive structures.

According to embodiments, the connecting arrangement may comprise solder balls arranged on the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensing device; and the electrically conductive structures protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device may be formed by exposing the solder balls when forming the cavity in the card body.

If the solder balls are relatively large, or the fingerprint sensing device is placed near to the surface of the card, the electrically conductive structures may be exposed when the cavity is formed in the card body. By exposing the electrically conductive structures when forming the cavity wherein the connector module is to be arranged, there is no need of introducing an extra manufacturing step of exposing the electrically conductive structures. The connector module may then be connected by an anisotropically conductive film (ACF). According to embodiments of the invention, the connecting arrangement may comprise solder balls arranged on the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensing device; and the electrically conductive structures protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device may be formed by: forming holes in bottom of the cavity to expose the solder balls, and filling the holes with a conductive material, e.g., solder paste or isotropic conductive adhesive (ICA).

If the solder balls are relatively small, or the fingerprint sensing device is buried deep in the card body substrate, the electrically conductive structures may be exposed by forming holes in the bottom of the cavity in which the connector module is to be arranged. An advantage of using smaller solder balls is that the thickness of the dual-sided module may be reduced, thereby producing a thinner smartcard.

The electrically conductive structures protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device may be formed by forming holes in bottom of the cavity to expose the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensing device, and filling the holes with a conductive material.

By this method, the connecting arrangement of the fingerprint sensing device needs only to comprise the electrically conductive pads without any additional solder balls arranged on the electrically conductive pads, which in turn provides greater flexibility when providing such a fingerprint sensing device.

The antenna coupling structure may comprise one of a spiral coil, a capacitor plate, or a first conductor to be connected to a first terminal of the antenna and second conductor to be connected to a second terminal of the antenna.

Coupling the antenna to the antenna coupling structure may further comprise one of: arranging the antenna with at least one spiral coil arranged opposite to the at least one spiral coil of the antenna coupling structure to provide for wireless transmission of energy to the antenna coupling structure; arranging the antenna with at least one capacitor plate structure arranged opposite to the at least one capacitor plate structure of the antenna coupling structure to provide for wireless transmission of energy to the antenna coupling structure; and conductively connecting the first conductor to a first terminal of the antenna and conductively connecting the second conductor to a second terminal of the antenna. Thus, a range of options in connecting the dual-sided module to the antenna is provided.

In summary, the present invention thus relates to a smartcard comprising a fingerprint sensing device laminated between a first card substrate layer and a second card substrate layer, the fingerprint sensing device including electrically conductive pads; a connector module arranged in a cavity of the smartcard, separated from the fingerprint sensing device by the second card substrate layer, the connector module including connecting pads; and wherein the smartcard further comprises electrically conductive structures protruding through the second card substrate layer, and electrically connecting the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensing device and the connecting pads of the connector module.

Brief Description of the Drawings

These and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing an example embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figs. 1A-B schematically illustrate a smartcard according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig 2 schematically illustrates a cross section of a smartcard according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 is flow chart outlining the general steps of a method according to an embodiment of the invention, for manufacturing a smartcard;

Figs. 4A-F schematically illustrate steps of the method in fig 3;

Figs. 5A-B schematically illustrate different fingerprint sensing devices that may be included in the smartcard according to various embodiments of the invention; Figs. 6A-B schematically illustrate different antenna coupling structures of the connector module that may be included in the smartcard according to various embodiments of the invention; and

Figs. 7A-C schematically illustrate a portion of the smartcard according to various embodiments of the invention, before arranging the connector module in the cavity.

Detailed Description of Example Embodiments

In the present detailed description, various embodiments of the fingerprint sensor module according to the present invention are mainly described with reference to a smartcard 100 comprising a fingerprint sensing device 104 and a connector module 106 with a contact area 110 configured to adhere to the ISO/IEC 7816-2 standard. It should be noted that this should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims, which also encompasses, for instance, smartcards in which the connector module has a different contact area having at least one contact pad. For instance, the connector module may comprise a single contact pad, which may be used to provide a voltage reference, as described further above.

Fig. 1A is a schematic illustration of a smartcard 100 comprising a card body 102, a fingerprint sensing device 104, and a connector module 106. On one side of the smartcard 100, a contact area 110 of the connector module 106 is exposed. On the other side of the smartcard 100, a fingerprint sensor component 108 of the fingerprint sensing device 104 is schematically indicated. The fingerprint sensor component 108 is covered by a layer of the card body 102, as will be described in greater detail below.

Referring to fig. 1 B, the contact area 110 may comprise at least a first contact pad 112a configured to connect the smartcard 100 to an external terminal such as a card reader, and a second contact pad 112b configured to provide a potential to a finger in contact with the second contact pad 112b during fingerprint image capture. An electric reference potential provided to a finger in contact with the contact pad 112b can be assumed to control the potential also of other fingers of the user. Thereby, when the user grips the smartcard 100 with two fingers placed on opposite sides of the smartcard 100, the finger arranged on the fingerprint sensor component 108 can be assumed to have substantially the same potential as the finger in contact with the second contact pad 112b, which is the reference potential provided by the fingerprint sensing device 108.

The reference potential provided to the second contact pad 112b may be a ground potential. Moreover, the second contact pad 112b may be permanently connected to ground, or the second contact pad 112b may be connected to control circuitry capable of providing a ground potential or an arbitrarily selected potential to the finger, via the second contact pad 112b. In some applications, it is sufficient that the second contact pad 112b is grounded for high frequency signals, which for example can be achieved by arranging a suitably configured capacitor between the second contact pad 112b and ground. Possible configurations of the control circuitry for providing a reference potential are well known to the skilled person and will not be discussed in further detail herein.

The smartcard 100 further comprises an antenna 202 embedded in the card body 102, as shown in Fig. 2. The antenna may be an RFID (Radiofrequency identification) antenna configured to communicate with a corresponding RFID device and an NFC (Nearfield communication) antenna 202 configured according to existing standards for near field communication. The antenna 202 may harvest energy from radio waves transmitted by an RFID reader and thus enable the fingerprint sensing device 104 to be powered up.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a cross section of the smartcard 100 in figs 1A-B. The fingerprint sensing device 104 and the connector module 106 are arranged substantially opposite to each other, wherein the fingerprint sensing device 104 is sandwiched between a first card substrate layer 204 and a second card substrate layer 206 of the card body 102, and the connector module 106 is arranged with the contact area 110 uncovered by the second card substrate layer 206 of the card body 102. An electrical connection between the fingerprint sensing device 104 and the connector module 106 is established by electrically conductive structures 214 protruding through the second card substrate layer 206. The electrically conductive structures 214 connect the electrically conductive pads 210 of the fingerprint sensing device 104 and the connecting pads 212 of the connector module 104. In various embodiments, the connector structures 214 may be solder balls, conductive material such as solder filling, anisotropically conductive film, or any combination thereof.

As is schematically shown in fig 2, the card body 102 may include, in addition to the first card substrate layer 204 and the second card substrate layer 206 mentioned above, a third card substrate layer 208. Furthermore, one or more of the card substrate layer(s) included in the card body 102 may comprise a plurality of sub-layers, e.g. some layers referred to as core layers or foils and some referred to as overlay layers or foils. Overlay foils are typically thinner and transparent, while the core foils are of a solid color, often white, and thicker. For example, the first card substrate layer 204 and the second card substrate layer 206 may each comprise an outer layer of overlay foil designed to have a glossy or matte finish depending on the aesthetic requirements on the card. The optional third card substrate layer 208 may be comprised of core foil layers which gives the physical structure and weight of the card.

Fig. 3 is flow chart outlining the general steps of a method 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 300 comprises a first step 310 of providing the components of the smart card 100 in accordance with Fig. 2, wherein the first step 310 comprises providing 310 a plurality of card substrate layers, an antenna 202 for harvesting energy from an electrical field, a fingerprint sensing device 102 including a fingerprint sensor component provided on a first side of the fingerprint sensing device and a connecting arrangement 402 comprising electrically conductive pads 210 provided on a second side 416 of the fingerprint sensing device 102 opposite the first side 414 of the fingerprint sensing device, and a connector module including a contact area 110 arranged on a first side 418 of the connector module wherein the contact area 110 has at least one contact pad 112a, 112b configured to be connected to an external object and connecting pads 212 arranged on a second side 420 of the connector module.

Optionally, there may be provided a fingerprint sensing device 104 with a connecting arrangement 402 comprising solder balls 404, as shown in the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 4A. The choice of connecting arrangement 402 will impact step 350 of forming a cavity 602 in the card body and step 360 of forming electrically conductive structures, as will be discussed below. Fig. 5A schematically illustrates a first embodiment where the fingerprint sensing device 102 includes "wings" protruding outside of the fingerprint sensor component 108 to form a T-shaped fingerprint sensing device 104. Fig. 5B illustrates a second embodiment without “wings”.

With reference to Figs. 5A-B and 6A-B, the fingerprint sensing device 102 or connector module 106 may be provided with an antenna coupling structure 502 for receiving energy from the antenna 202. The antenna coupling structure 502 may be arranged to receive energy from the antenna 202 by a wireless energy transfer process, in which case the antenna coupling structure 502 may be provided in the form of a spiral coil 512 or capacitor plate structure 522. The configuration with an antenna coupling structure for wireless energy transfer may be advantageous in implementations wherein the antenna is provided on a core foil layer. In other configurations, the antenna coupling structure 502 may be configured to be directly conductively connected to the antenna 202.

As is schematically shown in Figs. 5A-B the antenna coupling structure 502 may be arranged on the first side 414 of the fingerprint sensing device 104, preferably when the fingerprint sensing device 104 is T-shaped, or may be arranged on the second side 416 of the fingerprint sensing device 104.

Fig. 6A schematically illustrates an embodiment wherein the connector module 106 is provided with a spiral coil 512 and the antenna 202 is provided with a opposite spiral coil 510 in the form of a conductive trace, such as a copper wire, forming a circular pattern around the connector module 106. Fig. 6B schematically illustrates an embodiment wherein the connector module 106 is provided with a capacitor plate structure 522 and the antenna 202 is provided with an opposite capacitor plate structure 520.

At step 320, the antenna 202 is coupled to the antenna coupling structure 502. In one embodiment schematically illustrated in Fig. 4B a first conductor 406 and a second conductor 408 are connected to the wings of the fingerprint sensing device 104, wherein the wings constitute the antenna coupling structure 502. The first and second conductors 406, 408 are conductively connected to a first and second terminal of the antenna (not shown). The physical contact between the antenna coupling structure 502 and the antenna 202 may be established by, direct welding or by other suitable connection methods. In one embodiment, the antenna 202 and fingerprint sensing device 104 may be provided on a second card substrate layer 206 prior to coupling the antenna 202 to the antenna coupling structure 502. In the case of a wireless energy transfer process schematically illustrated in Figs. 6A-B, the spiral coil 510 or capacitor plate structure 520 of the antenna 202 will be arranged to match the frequency of the spiral coil 512 or capacitor plate structure 522 of the antenna coupling structure 502.

At step 330, illustrated in Fig. 4C, the fingerprint sensing device 104 is arranged between the first card layer substrate 204 and a second card layer substrate 206, of the plurality of card substrate layers with a first side 414 of the fingerprint sensing device 104 facing the first card substrate layer 204 and a second side 416 of the fingerprint sensing device 104 facing the second card substrate layer 206. As is illustrated in Fig. 4C, the fingerprint sensing device 104 may be arranged in a cut-out 410 of a third card substrate layer 208. In this example configuration, the first card layer substrate 204, the second card layer substrate 206, and third card layer substrate 208 are stacked together to form the card body 102 of the smartcard 100.

At step 340, with reference to fig 4D, the antenna 202, the fingerprint sensing device 104, and the card substrate layers are laminated together, thereby forming a card body 102 having a first card body side 430 faced by the first side 414 of the fingerprint sensing device 104 and a second card body side 432 faced by the second side 416 of the fingerprint sensing device 104. During lamination, pressure and/or heat may be applied for a certain duration of time to at least partly melt the card substrate layers, resulting in a solid card body 102 surrounding the antenna 202 and fingerprint sensing device 104 by melted plastic material.

At step 350, additionally referring to fig 4E, a cavity 602 is formed in the card body 102, from the second card body side 432, the cavity 602 having such a depth that card body material remains between a bottom of the cavity 602 and the second side 416 of the fingerprint sensing device 104. The cavity 602 is arranged to receive the connector module 106 and may thus have a depth corresponding to the height of the connector module 106 and may be formed by any suitable process, such as milling.

At step 360, electrically conductive structures 214 protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity 602 and the second side 416 of the fingerprint sensing device 104 are formed. In embodiments, the connecting arrangement 402 may comprise relatively high solder balls 404 provided on electrically conductive pads 210. In this embodiment, upper portions of the solder balls 404 are removed as the cavity 602 is formed in step 350, resulting in the formation of the electrically conductive structures 214 when the cavity 602 is formed, that is, the cavity 602 and the electrically conductive structures 214 are formed in the same process. This is schematically illustrated in fig 7A.

In other embodiments, the electrically conductive structures 214 may be formed after the formation of the cavity 602. According to a first example configuration, schematically shown in Fig. 7B, the connecting arrangement 402 may comprise electrically conductive pads 210 and relatively low (compared to those in fig 7A) solder balls 404, and according to a second example configuration, schematically shown in Fig. 7C, the connecting arrangement 402 may comprise electrically conductive pads 210 only. In these embodiments, the electrically conductive structures 214 may be formed by firstly making holes 604 at the bottom of the cavity 602 at the locations of the relatively low solder balls 404/electrically conductive pads 210, and then filled with solder paste or isotropic conductive adhesive (ICA). The holes 604 may be formed by a suitable drilling process, such as laser ablation or mechanical drilling.

At step 370, additionally referring to Fig. 4F, the connector module 106 is arranged in the cavity 602 such that the connecting pads 212 of the connector module 106 face the electrically conductive structures 214, and electrical connections are formed between the connecting pads 212 of the connector module 106 and the electrically conductive pads 210 of the fingerprint sensing device through electrically conductive structures 214. The electrical connection may be formed by applying heat and thereby melting the solder paste and/or curing the isotropic conductive adhesive (ICA) or anisotropically conductive film (ACF).

Claims

1. A smartcard (100) comprising: a card body (102) including a plurality of card substrate layers; an antenna (202) for harvesting energy from an electrical field; a fingerprint sensing device (104) laminated between a first card substrate layer (204) and a second card substrate layer (206) of the plurality of card substrate layers, with a first side of the fingerprint sensing device facing the first card substrate layer and a second side of the fingerprint sensing device facing the second card substrate layer, the fingerprint sensing device including: a fingerprint sensor component (108) provided on the first side (414) of the fingerprint sensing device operating using energy harvested by the antenna, and electrically conductive pads (210) provided on the second side (416) of the fingerprint sensing device; and a connector module (106) arranged in a cavity (602) of the smartcard, separated from the fingerprint sensing device by the second card substrate layer, the connector module including: a contact area (110) arranged on a first side (418) of the connector module, the contact area having at least one contact pad (112a, 112b); and connecting pads (212) arranged on a second side (420) of the connector module, wherein the smartcard further comprises electrically conductive structures (214) protruding through the second card substrate layer, and electrically connecting the electrically conductive pads on the second side of the fingerprint sensing device and the connecting pads on the second side of the connector module.

2. The smartcard according claim 1 , wherein the card body comprises a third card substrate layer (208) between the first card substrate layer and the second card substrate layer, the third card substrate layer having a cutout (410) accommodating the fingerprint sensing device.

3. The smartcard according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrically conductive structures comprise one of: solder balls arranged on the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensor and an anisotropically conductive film connecting the solder balls and the connecting pads of the connector module; solder balls arranged on the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensor and conductive material connecting the solder balls and the connecting pads of the connector module; and a conductive material connecting the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensor and the connecting pads of the connector module.

4. The smartcard according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector module comprises an antenna coupling structure (502), the antenna coupling structure being coupled to the antenna and conductively connected to the fingerprint sensor component, via the connector structures.

5. The smartcard according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fingerprint sensing device comprises an antenna coupling structure, the antenna coupling structure being coupled to the antenna and conductively connected to the fingerprint sensor component.

6. The smartcard according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the antenna coupling structure comprises a first conductor (406) conductively connected to a first terminal of the antenna, and a second conductor (408) conductively connected to a second terminal of the antenna.

7. The smartcard according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: the antenna comprises a first portion for harvesting energy from an electrical field, and a second portion for wireless energy transfer; and the antenna coupling structure comprises an energy transfer portion conductively separated from the second portion of the antenna by a card substrate layer of the plurality of card substrate layers of the card body, to wirelessly receive energy from the antenna.

8. The smartcard according to claim 7, wherein: the second portion of the antenna comprises one of a spiral coil (510) or capacitor plate structure (520); and the energy transfer portion of the antenna coupling structure comprises one of a spiral coil (512) or capacitor plate structure (522) arranged opposite the spiral coil or capacitor plate structure of the second portion of the antenna.

9. A method for manufacturing a smartcard (300), comprising the steps of: providing (310) a plurality of card substrate layers; providing (310) an antenna for harvesting energy from an electrical field; providing (310) a fingerprint sensing device including: a fingerprint sensor component provided on a first side of the fingerprint sensing device, and a connecting arrangement (402) comprising electrically conductive pads provided on a second side of the fingerprint sensing device, opposite the first side of the fingerprint sensing device; providing (310) a connector module including: a contact area arranged on a first side of the connector module, the contact area having at least one contact pad configured to be connected to an external object; and connecting pads arranged on a second side of the connector module, one of the connector module and the fingerprint sensing device comprising an antenna coupling structure; coupling (320) the antenna to the antenna coupling structure; arranging (330) the fingerprint sensing device between a first card substrate layer and a second card substrate layer of the plurality of card substrate layers, with a first side of the fingerprint sensing device facing the first card substrate layer and a second side of the fingerprint sensing device facing the second card substrate layer, laminating (340) together the antenna, fingerprint sensing device, and plurality of card substrate layers to thereby form a card body having a first card body side (430) faced by the first side of the fingerprint sensing device and a second card body side (432) faced by the second side of the fingerprint sensing device; forming (350) a cavity in the card body, from the second card body side, the cavity having such a depth that card body material remains between a bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device; forming (350) electrically conductive structures protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device; arranging (360) the connector module in the cavity such that the connecting pads of the connector module face the electrically conductive structures; and forming (370) electrical connections between the connecting pads of the connector module and the electrically conductive structures.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: the connecting arrangement comprises solder balls (404) arranged on the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensing device; and the electrically conductive structures protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device are formed by exposing the solder balls when forming the cavity in the card body.

11 . The method according to claim 9, wherein: the connecting arrangement comprises solder balls arranged on the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensing device; and the electrically conductive structures protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device are formed by: forming holes (604) in bottom of the cavity to expose the solder balls, and filling the holes with a conductive material.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein: the electrically conductive structures protruding through the card body material that remains between the bottom of the cavity and the second side of the fingerprint sensing device are formed by forming holes in bottom of the cavity to expose the electrically conductive pads of the fingerprint sensing device, and filling the holes with a conductive material.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the antenna coupling structure comprises one of a spiral coil, a capacitor plate, or a first conductor to be connected to a first terminal of the antenna and second conductor to be connected to a second terminal of the antenna.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein coupling the antenna to the antenna coupling structure further comprises one of: arranging the antenna with at least one spiral coil arranged opposite to the at least one spiral coil of the antenna coupling structure to provide for wireless transmission of energy to the antenna coupling structure; arranging the antenna with at least one capacitor plate structure arranged opposite to the at least one capacitor plate structure of the antenna coupling structure to provide for wireless transmission of energy to the antenna coupling structure; and conductively connecting the first conductor to a first terminal of the antenna and conductively connecting the second conductor to a second terminal of the antenna.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein arranging the fingerprint sensing device between a first card substrate layer and a second card substrate layer of the plurality of card substrate layers further comprises arranging the fingerprint sensing device in a cut-out of a third card substrate layer, and arranging the third card substrate layer between the first card substrate layer and second card substrate layer.