1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic circuit device requiring thinness, such as an integrated circuit (IC) card, an IC-Tag, or a memory card, and a method and apparatus for manufacturing the electronic circuit device.
2. Background Art
Recently, performance of mobile devices such as portable phones has been increased, and IC cards and memory cards used in them have been thinned and capacity thereof have been increased. Additionally, non-contact IC-Tags attract attention for automatically recognizing article prices or the like.
An IC card, for example, is formed to be thin by inserting a semiconductor integrated circuit element (hereinafter called IC) into an opening of a substrate and adhering a flat-plate-like cover onto the substrate. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H11-175682 discloses the following IC card and a method of manufacturing it.
Next, spacer 4 having opening 411 in a part corresponding to a mounting part of IC 3 in a sheet made of thermoplastic resin, namely a hot melt adhesive, is stacked on substrate 2. Flat-plate-like cover 5 having thermoplastic resin layer 511 made of the same kind of resin as the thermoplastic resin of spacer 4 on its one surface is stacked on spacer 4 so that thermoplastic resin layer 511 faces spacer 4.
Then, substrate 2 and cover 5 are heated and pressed, thereby thermally press-bonding substrate 2 and spacer 4 together and spacer 4 and thermoplastic resin layer 511 together.
The thermoplastic resin of spacer 4 and thermoplastic resin layer 511 of cover 5 are thus unified to form unified resin layer 6 shown in
In the manufacturing method of the IC card discussed above, the joining member such as the isotropic conductive film or silver paste used for electrically connecting the projection electrodes of the IC to the wiring pattern is hard and less flexible. When the IC card is bent in a manufacturing process or during handling, a crack sometimes occurs in the joining member to cause a conduction failure. The spacer requires an opening, and the spacer must be positioned with high precision and adhered.
The present invention provides an electronic circuit device having high connection reliability between a terminal section of the wiring pattern and an electronic component and high mass productivity, and provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing the electronic circuit device.
An electronic circuit device of the present invention has the following elements:
A manufacturing method of the electronic circuit device of the present invention has the following steps of:
A manufacturing apparatus of the electronic circuit device of the present invention has the following elements:
Since the electronic component is adhered to the substrate and the cover through a single thermoplastic resin layer in this structure, even when an external force such as a folding force is exerted to the electronic circuit device, the connection between the projection electrode of the electronic component and the terminal section of the wiring pattern is kept strong and conductive reliability can be improved. The structure as the electronic circuit device is simple, so that the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing yield can be also improved.
Non-contact IC-Tags as electronic circuit devices in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings. The IC-Tags have a built-in coil for an antenna and IC, and perform communication with an external apparatus via the coil for the antenna.
First Exemplary Enbodiment
As shown in
IC 13 is sandwiched between substrate 12 and flat-plate-like cover 14 facing substrate 12, and all of them are adhered and fixed through resin layer 15 made of thermoplastic resin. The periphery of IC 13 except electric connection parts between projection electrodes 131 and terminal sections 111 is provided with resin layer 15, and IC 13 is tightly adhered and fixed to substrate 12 and cover 14 through resin layer 15.
Since the whole periphery of IC 13 is surrounded by resin layer 15 made of the same thermoplastic resin and adhered and fixed to substrate 12 and cover 14, IC-Tag 10 of the present embodiment has high adhesion stability. As a result, the connection between projection electrodes 131 of IC 13 and terminal sections 111 of wiring patterns 11 is kept tight, and also connection failure hardly occurs even when an external force such as a folding force is exerted to IC-Tag 10. In other words, even when the external force such as the folding force is exerted to the electronic circuit device, an electronic component is adhered to the substrate and cover through a single thermoplastic resin layer. The connection between the projection electrodes of the electronic component and the terminal sections of the wiring pattern is kept tight, and conductive reliability can be improved. The number of used members is small, the structure is simple, and the electronic component is adhered and fixed to the substrate and cover, so that connection failure hardly occurs even when temperature of a using environment of IC-Tag 10 varies and reliability as the electronic circuit device can be improved. The structure of the electronic circuit device is simple as discussed below, so that the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing yield can be also improved.
Disposing reinforcing plate 16 allows prevention of breakage of IC 13 or the electric connection part even when a folding force or a pressing force is exerted to IC-Tag 50. By adhering and fixing reinforcing plate 16 to cover 14 or IC 13, positional displacement from IC 13 can be prevented.
In other words, the electronic circuit device in the deformed example further has the reinforcing plate between the cover and the surface of the electronic component facing the cover. This reinforcing plate may be adhered or fixed to the cover, the electronic component, or both of them.
In this structure, the reinforcing plate can suppress an external force during folding or pressing the electronic circuit device from affecting not only the electronic component body but also the electric connection parts between the projecting electrodes and the wiring patterns. As a result, the reliability of the electronic circuit device can be improved.
Main construction materials of IC-Tags 10 and 50 as the electronic circuit devices of the present embodiment are described hereinafter.
Substrate 12 is preferably formed, in a sheet shape, of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate, polyimide, or glass epoxy resin, but is not limited to this. Wiring pattern 11 is formed on substrate 12. The material of wiring patterns 11 is preferably aluminum, but is not limited to this. For example, a single metal film made of copper, gold, or silver, an alloy film of them, or a printing conductor film of silver paste conductor or the like can be employed. The terminals of wiring patterns 11 define terminal sections 111 for connection.
Resin layer 15 is made of resin having thermo plasticity and adhesiveness, such as polyester, ethylene vinyl alcohol, or styrene-butadiene elastomer.
Cover 14 is preferably made of insulating material such as PET or polyethylene naphthalate, but may be a metal plate such as a thin stainless steel plate. When the metal plate is used for cover 14, parts of substrate 12 on which wiring patterns 11 constituting an antenna are formed are required to have no conductor layer.
For substrate 12 and cover 14, material of which heat-resistant temperature is higher than a softening temperature of resin layer 15 must be employed.
As IC 13, a bare chip having projection electrodes 131 such as stud bumps or plating bumps is often employed, but a chip size package (CSP) or the like having projection electrodes 131 on one surface may be employed.
Connection structure between terminal sections 111 of wiring patterns 11 on substrate 12 and projection electrodes 131 of IC 13 is described hereinafter.
IC-Tags 10 and 50 as the electronic circuit devices of the present embodiment have the structure discussed above. Information from an external apparatus is received as radio by wiring patterns 11 including a coil for an antenna and processed by IC 13, thereby performing data communications with the external apparatus.
This structure allows realization of the electronic circuit devices having a function of transmitting or receiving information from the external apparatus by radio via an antenna. For example, a non-contact IC card or IC-Tag for transmitting or receiving data recorded in the IC using radio power via an antenna can be realized.
The above description takes IC-Tags 10 and 50 as an example. In each of them, wiring patterns 11 formed on substrate 12 correspond to the coil for an antenna, and the electronic component corresponds to the bare-chip-type IC 13. However, the present invention is not limited to the IC-Tags. The present invention is instantly estimated to be applied to an IC card, but the present invention can be also applied to an electronic circuit device where a plurality of ICs provide a function of transmitting or receiving information in a non-contact manner.
Thanks to this structure, electronic circuit device 60 can transmit or receive information from the external apparatus via external connection terminals 19. Electronic circuit device 60 transmits or receives information in a contact manner, so that power supply to electronic component 20 can be easy and further complicated electronic circuit device 60 can be realized.
In other words, an electronic circuit device for communicating information to an external apparatus in a contact manner via an external connection terminal, for example a memory card, can be easily realized.
In the present embodiment, various electronic circuit devices can be provided as discussed above. The electronic circuit devices include, for example, a simple electronic circuit device using only one bare-chip-type or package-type IC having a projection electrode, and a complicated electronic circuit device using a plurality of ICs including a memory element.
A method and apparatus for manufacturing the electronic circuit device of the present embodiment are hereinafter described using a manufacturing case of IC-Tag 10 as an example.
In the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method, at least cover 14 is made of flexible material, substrate 12, thermoplastic resin layer 21, and cover 14 are supplied to the manufacturing apparatus in a continuous long sheet state, and many IC-Tags 10 are produced continuously by process. The manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the present invention are not limited to this. For example, the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method where an electronic circuit device is manufactured using a certain-shaped substrate and a cover in a batch method with a pressing jig, a heating jig, and a cooling jig.
In process A by the manufacturing apparatus, as shown in
In process B, as shown in
IC 13 can obtain sufficient adhesive strength by burying projection electrodes 131 into thermoplastic resin layer 21 or by burying projection electrodes 131 and part of IC 13 body into thermoplastic resin layer 21, so that IC 13 can be temporarily fixed in a stable state hardly causing displacement. The temporary fixing may be performed by pressing IC 13 to bury projection electrodes 131 at normal temperatures especially without heating thermoplastic resin layer 21.
In process C, as shown in
IC 13 is adhered to both substrate sheet 121 and sheet 141 for the cover through resin layer 151 while projection electrodes 131 and terminal sections 111 are electrically interconnected, thereby producing IC-Tag 10.
The pair of pressurizing rollers 36 are formed of a plurality of sets of rollers (three sets of rollers in the present embodiment) 361, 362 and 363 having different pressing force or roller interval. Rollers 361, 362 and 363 are arranged so that pressing force sequentially increases or roller interval sequentially decreases. When substrate sheet 31 having the chip and resin sheet 33 for the cover that grapple IC 13 are made to pass sequentially between the plurality of sets of rollers 361, 362 and 363, the pressing force is exerted gradually. Therefore, displacement of IC 13 hardly occurs during pressing, and flowing of thermoplastic resin layers 21 and 32 is smoothened. As a result, projection electrodes 131 of IC 13 and terminal sections 111 of wiring patterns 11 can be connected certainly. Pressurizing rollers 36 may have a structure also capable of performing heating. Especially when rollers 361 and 362 additionally have a heating mechanism, resin layer 151 can be simultaneously heated and pressurized by rollers 361 and 362. This is efficient.
In the method discussed above, the connection between the terminal sections of the wiring patterns and the projection electrodes of the IC and adhesion of the substrate to the cover can be performed only by previously temporarily fixing the electronic component, disposing the cover, and pressing them. Therefore, the mass and continuous production of the electronic circuit devices is allowed, and the cost of the electronic circuit devices can be reduced.
In the pressing process, the electronic component is pressed by a predetermined dimension via the cover, and the projection electrodes of the electronic component are contacted with the terminal sections of the wiring patterns to provide electric connection. This pressing process can be performed rapidly and with high mass productivity. The pressing means is formed of a plurality of sets of rollers having different pressing force or roller interval, so that displacement of the electronic component hardly occurs during the pressing, and mass productivity can be improved.
In the structure of the electronic circuit devices, the projection electrodes of the electronic component are electrically connected to the terminal sections of the wiring patterns, the electronic component is adhered to the substrate, and the substrate is adhered to the cover through thermoplastic resin. Thanks to this structure, a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a large number of electronic circuit devices at high mass productivity can be realized.
In process D, as shown in
The temperatures of heating/pressurizing rollers 23 and pressurizing rollers 36 are set lower than heat resistant temperatures of materials used for substrate sheet 121 and sheet 141 for the cover and higher than softening temperatures of thermoplastic resin layers 21 and 32. Temperatures of respective rollers 361, 362 and 363 of pressurizing rollers 36 may be varied in response to a manufacturing condition.
Then, in a state where a plurality of IC-Tags 10 are formed, characteristic inspection is performed if necessary and IC-Tags 10 are then cut, thereby providing separated IC-Tags 10. The characteristic inspection may be performed in a separated state.
IC-Tag 10 that has been determined to be defective can be easily replaced by a non-defective IC by heating resin layer 15 and removing cover 14.
In the method and apparatus for manufacturing the electronic circuit device of the present embodiment, the electric connection process of projection electrodes 131 of IC 13 to terminal sections 111 by pressing and the solidifying process of resin layer 151 are performed independently. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an apparatus structure shown in
Thanks to this structure, the adhesion of resin sheet 33 onto substrate sheet 31, the electric connection between projection electrodes 131 of IC 13 and terminal sections 111, and the adhesion and fixing by solidifying resin layer 151 can be continuously performed. As a result, productivity of the electronic circuit devices can be greatly improved. In this structure, cooling can be performed just after the pressurizing state, so that degree of selection freedom of thermoplastic resin can be increased.
The manufacturing apparatus may employ not only the structure where the above processes are continuously performed but also a continuous production structure including the above processes, the adhering process of thermoplastic resin layers 21 onto substrate sheet 121, and the mounting process of IC 13.
In these structures, the pressing means and the adhering and fixing means are continuously formed through the rollers. Adhering and fixing can thus performed before the electric connection part between projection electrodes and the terminal sections interconnected in the pressing process varies, so that the manufacturing apparatus of the electronic circuit devices having high connection reliability can be realized. Since the heating means is disposed on the inlet side of the plurality of sets of rollers and the cooling means is disposed on the outlet side, the manufacturing apparatus of the electronic circuit devices having continuity and high mass productivity can be realized.
When IC-Tag 50 as an electronic circuit device having reinforcing plate 16 shown in
In
Since the reinforcing plate is adhered onto the electronic component and the electronic component is adhered and fixed to both the substrate and the cover through the resin layer, the electronic circuit devices having high reliability can be manufactured.
Then, in a state where a plurality of IC-Tags 50 are formed, characteristic inspection is performed if necessary and IC-Tags 10 are then cut, thereby providing separated IC-Tags 50. The characteristic inspection may be performed in a separated state.
In the method and apparatus for manufacturing the electronic circuit device of the present embodiment, the periphery of the electronic component is adhered and fixed to the substrate and the cover through the resin layer made of the same thermoplastic resin, so that reliability of the adhesion is improved. When the electronic component is temporarily fixed to the terminal section, also, the adhesion is effectively used to allow certain fixing. Displacement or the like hardly occurs in the pressing process, and the manufacturing yield is also improved.
In the method and apparatus for manufacturing the electronic circuit device of the present embodiment, for forming a thermoplastic resin layer on a substrate sheet, a method of adhering a thermoplastic resin layer formed on a sheet for conveyance to the substrate sheet is used; however the present invention is not limited to this. The thermoplastic resin layer may be formed on the substrate sheet by coating or printing, and may be thinner than the electronic component. The thickness may be set more than an enough value to allow temporary fixing and set so that the sum of the thickness of this thermoplastic resin layer and the thickness of a thermoplastic resin layer formed on the sheet for the cover is substantially equal to or slightly more than that of the electronic component.
In the method and apparatus for manufacturing the electronic circuit device of the present embodiment, the electronic component is temporarily fixed by softening the thermoplastic resin with the heating unit or the conveying table having the heater; however the electronic component may be temporarily fixed at normal temperatures.
In the method and apparatus for manufacturing the electronic circuit device of the present embodiment, the resin layer made of thermoplastic resin is solidified by the cooling unit; however, the present invention is not limited to this. The resin layer may be cooled by being pressed by a cooled roller.
Second Exemplary Enbodiment
This structure allows further decrease. of thickness of the electronic circuit device. Even when the electronic circuit device is folded or even when dimension variation difference between the electronic component and the cover is generated by temperature variation, breakage can be prevented by sliding between the electronic component and the cover.
Since IC 13 tightly contacts with cover 47 in IC-Tag 70 of the present embodiment, thickness of IC-Tag 70 can be further decreased and failure of electric connection hardly occurs even when folding is performed or temperature varies.
In other words, adhering and fixing the reinforcing plate to the cover or the electronic component allow a reinforcing effect to be further certainly obtained. Since the electronic component tightly contacts with the reinforcing plate, stress due to thermal expansion coefficient difference between the electronic component and the reinforcing plate does not act on the electronic component even when a metal plate having a large thermal expansion coefficient is used as the reinforcing plate. Therefore, the degree of selection freedom of the reinforcing plate increases.
IC-Tags 70 and 80 of the second embodiment may have the structure illustrated in the deformed example of the first embodiment in
IC-Tags 70 and 80 of the second embodiment can manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method shown in the first embodiment. A sheet for a cover having no thermoplastic resin layer is overlapped on a substrate sheet having a chip differently from the first embodiment. In IC-Tags 70 and 80, the IC is pressed by heating and softening thermoplastic resin with the heating/pressurizing rollers while the reinforcing plate tightly contacts with the IC, so that displacement can be decreased. When the reinforcing plate is previously adhered to the cover in IC-Tag 80, the manufacturing can be facilitated.
IC-Tags having a bare-chip-type IC are described as electronic circuit devices in the first and second embodiments; however, the present invention is not limited to these. The present invention can be applied to a contact-type IC card or a non-contact-type IC card. The present invention can be also applied to an electronic circuit device such as a memory card having a function of communicating information to an external apparatus in a contact method or a non-contact method. The electronic circuit device may have not only a bare-chip structure but also a mold-type IC having projection electrodes on one surface, such as a chip-size-package (CSP), and a chip component as a receiving component. The electronic circuit device may have a plurality of ICs or chip components.
In the electronic circuit device of the present invention, the projection electrodes of the electronic component are electrically connected to the terminal sections of the wiring patterns, and the electronic component is adhered to the substrate and the substrate is adhered to the cover through thermoplastic resin. Therefore, even when an external force such as a folding force is exerted, connection reliability between the electronic component and the terminal sections of the wiring patterns is high, and mass productivity is high. The apparatus and method for manufacturing the electronic circuit device allow mass production at a low cost, and are useful in an electronic circuit device field where an IC card or an IC-Tag are required to be small, light, and thin.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2003-352019 | Oct 2003 | JP | national |