Patent Application
20050001214
The invention relates to a micro- or nano-electronic component comprising a power source in the form of thin films deposited on a substrate and means for protecting the power source against the ambient atmosphere.
Power sources in the form of thin films deposited on a substrate comprise elements which react with the ambient atmosphere, and are able to cause rapid deterioration of the power source. The metallic lithium constituting the negative electrode of a micro-battery for example oxidizes quickly in contact with air, in particular in the presence of humidity. It is therefore indispensable to protect these power sources from the ambient air by an efficient protection compatible with their use in micro-electronics.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,004 describes a lithium battery in the form of thin films protected from the outside atmosphere by at least one additional layer. The protective layers are deposited in the form of thin films directly on the lithium electrode of the battery so as to totally cover the exposed parts of this electrode. The materials used to form these protective layers are metal, ceramic, a ceramic-metal combination, a parylene-metal combination, a parylene-ceramic combination or a parylene-ceramic-metal combination. This type of coating provides chemical protection of the battery but does not provide protection against an intrusion of mechanical type.
The object of the invention is to improve the security of a micro- or nano-electronic component comprising a power source formed on a substrate.
According to the invention, this objective is achieved by a component according to the appended claims, and more particularly by the fact that the protection means comprise a sealed cavity wherein the unprotected power source is arranged, any penetration of the ambient atmosphere into the sealed cavity causing destruction of the power source, by oxidation, thereby making the component inoperative.
The cavity can be in a vacuum or filled with an inert gas.
According to a development of the invention, the component comprises a pressure sensor arranged inside the cavity and detecting a pressure variation inside the cavity to make the component inoperative when the pressure variation exceeds a predetermined threshold.
According to another development, the cavity is filled with a filling material consisting of silicone resin, thermosetting resin, polymer, fusible glass or a metal chosen from indium, tin, lead or alloys thereof.
The power source can be formed by a micro-battery or a micro-supercapacitance.
Other advantages and features will become more clearly apparent from the following description of particular embodiments of the invention given as non-restrictive examples only and represented in the accompanying drawings, in which:
The substrate 2, made of any suitable known material, can notably be a silicon, glass, plastic substrate, etc. The integrated circuit 1 is also made in known manner, by any type of technology used for fabrication of integrated semi-conductors.
The power source can be formed by a micro-battery the thickness whereof is comprised between 7 μm and 30 μm (preferably about 15 μm), for example a lithium micro-battery formed by conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques. Such a micro-battery, in the form of thin films, is notably described in documents WO-A-98/48467 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,004.
The operating principle of a micro-battery is based, in known manner, on insertion and de-insertion of an alkaline metal ion or a proton in a positive electrode of the micro-battery, preferably a lithium ion Li+originating from a metallic lithium electrode. The micro-battery is formed by a stack of layers obtained by CVD or PVD, respectively constituting two current collectors 4a and 4b, a positive electrode 5, an electrolyte 6, and a negative electrode 7.
Connecting pads 8a and 8b of the integrated circuit 1, equipping the top part of the integrated circuit, pass through the intermediate insulating layer 3 to come into contact with the current collectors 4a and 4b constituting the connecting pads of the micro-battery. The electrical connections between the integrated circuit and the micro-battery are thus achieved by the metallic contact between the associated layers forming the connecting pads. The power source formed by the micro-battery can thus supply at least a part of the elements of the integrated circuit 1 whereon it is formed.
The elements of the micro-battery 1 can be made of various materials:
Depending on the materials used, the operating voltage of a micro-battery is comprised between 2V and 4V, with a surface capacity of about 100 μAh/cm2. Recharging of a micro-battery only requires a few minutes charging.
It may be indispensable to protect the component, and more particularly the power source, from the ambient environment. Certain elements comprised in the composition of a micro-power source are in fact sensitive to the atmospheric conditions. The metallic lithium constituting the negative electrode of the micro-batteries, in particular, oxidizes quickly in contact with air, in particular in the presence of humidity.
The type of coating described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,004 to protect a lithium battery achieved in the form of thin films from the outside atmosphere provides chemical protection of the battery, but does not provide protection of the component against an intrusion of mechanical type.
According to the invention, the component comprises a sealed cavity 9 wherein the parts of the component to be protected, i.e. at least the power source, are arranged. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the power source and integrated circuit 1 are completely housed in the cavity 9. The integrated circuit and power source can be arranged separately or in the form of an assembly in the cavity 9, but are preferably fabricated directly in the cavity, the bottom whereof acts as substrate.
In a first embodiment, represented in
Assembling can be performed by any suitable means enabling tightness of the cavity 9 to be achieved, in particular by sticking or by anodic bonding (“Anodic bonding below 180° C. for packaging and assembling of MEMS using lithium”, Shuichi Shoji, D.E.C.E., Waseda University, 3-4-1, ohkubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169, 1997, IEEE). Sticking can be achieved by means of a polymer or epoxy glue or a photosensitive resin deposited beforehand on at least one of the surfaces to be assembled. According to another assembling alternative, sticking can be achieved by means of a fusible material such as fusible glass deposited in the form of a bead or a thin layer or a eutectic metal (indium or lead-tin alloy, for example) whose melting temperature is lower than that of lithium.
Assembling the cover 10 on the substrate 2 or on the intermediate insulating layer 3 is preferably performed in a vacuum or in an inert gas (argon or nitrogen, for example) so that the power source is in a sealed cavity having a neutral or protective atmosphere. In case of intrusion or attempted intrusion, the inert gas which may be contained in the cavity escapes and the ambient atmosphere enters the cavity 9 and comes directly into contact with the parts to be protected. As the power source is constituted by very reactive materials such as lithium which reacts to the humidity of air, any attempted intrusion into the component resulting in these materials coming into contact with the atmosphere causes immediate destruction of the power source and consequently makes the component inoperative, which enhances the security against an unauthorized user attempting to access the integrated circuit. Integrating a power source on the same substrate as an integrated circuit which it at least partly supplies essentially has the object of securing the integrated circuit. In the case of a smart card for example, the power source can be used to store sensitive information such as a confidential code in a memory. Destruction of the power source in the event of an intrusion deletes this information making the card tamper-proof and subsequent use thereof impossible.
In a second embodiment, represented in
In another embodiment, represented in
The power source must supply sufficient power to perform a limited number of operations during the lifetime of the component while having as small dimensions as possible, compatible with the dimensions of integrated circuits, in particular with their thickness (a few tens to a few hundreds of microns).
A micro-supercapacitance can constitute another suitable power source. Such a supercapacitance is achieved in the form of thin films with the same type of technology as micro-batteries. As represented in
The elements of the micro-supercapacitance can be made of different materials. The electrodes 14 and 16 can have a base formed by carbon or metal oxides such as RuO2, IrO2, TaO2 or MnO2. The electrolyte 15 can be a vitreous electrolyte of the same type as that of the micro-batteries. The micro-supercapacitance can have a surface capacity of about 10 μAh/cm2 and full charge thereof can be achieved in less than one second.
A particular embodiment of a micro-supercapacitance able to be used in a component according to the invention is represented in
Securing of the component can be further enhanced when the cavity 9 is not filled with a filling material, by fitting a pressure sensor inside the cavity 9. The pressure sensor detects any pressure variation inside the cavity and makes the component inoperative when the pressure variation exceeds a predetermined threshold. The internal pressure of the cavity, whether it be lower (vacuum) or higher than atmospheric pressure, is liable to vary with time according to the quality of assembly (leakage, etc.). Its evolution with time cannot be foreseen and cannot be measured from outside. The internal pressure of the cavity thus constitutes a tamper-proof code. Such a protection makes an intrusion performed in a controlled and inert atmosphere ineffective.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the pressure sensor is supplied by the power source and managed by the integrated circuit 1. The integrated circuit 1 periodically reads the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor and detects, by differential comparison, any leak of the cavity or any ill-intentioned intrusion. When the pressure variation exceeds the predetermined threshold, the integrated circuit 1 renders the component inoperative, for example by discharging the power source via an electronic switch formed by a transistor. The frequency of measurement of the pressure in the cavity is adjusted so as to make any intrusion into the component impossible, while limiting the power consumption.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/13569 | Oct 2001 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FR02/03589 | 10/21/2002 | WO |
