Chip card with a dual communication interface

(54) Title: CHIP CARD WITH INTERFACE FROM (57) Summary:

DUAL COMMUNICATION (30) Unionist Priority: 29/03/2007 fr 0702299 (73) Owner (s): Smart Packaging Solutions (SPS) (72) Inventor (s): Philippe Patrice (74) Attorney (s): Di Blasi, Parente, Vaz and Dias & Al (86) International Order: pct FR2008000435 of 28/03/2008 (87) International Publication: wo 2008 / i42245de 27/11/2008

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Invention Patent Descriptive Report for: CHIP CARD WITH DUAL COMMUNICATION INTERFACE.

The invention relates to a chip card with double contact and non-contact communication interface, said card comprises a microelectronic module card and a card body provided with a cavity that can receive the microelectronic module, said microelectronic module being formed by a substrate, the first face of the same having a terminal block of electrical contacts and a second face of it having a first microelectronic chip electrically connected to the terminal block of electrical contacts and a second chip electrically connected to the terminals of an antenna, the coils of which are arranged on the second face of the substrate of the electronic module.

Chip cards, with mixed operation that are able to communicate in both contact and non-contact mode, with a chip card reader already exist in the state of the art. Most of these known chip cards have a microelectronic module provided with contacts, the said module consisting of one side, a chip, the mode of operation of which is only with the contact, and, on the other hand, an electronic set located on the body of card and that consists of a chip, the operation mode that is contactless only, said contactless chip being connected to an antenna also arranged on the card.

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This type of card is more commonly known as a hybrid card, and on such a card, the software applications that run on the contact chip are generally different from those that run on the contactless chip, with the difference of the so-called interface cards. combined or dual communication, where the contact communication interface and the contactless communication interface both have access to a single and same chip.

Among all dual communication interface cards, the hybrid type cards known in the prior art comprise, on the one hand, an electronic contact module, which has a first chip intended for the contact operation mode, which is connected to a connection terminal block with contacts that allow a contact chip card reader to be positioned in relation to similar contacts. Said known hybrid cards comprise, on the one hand, a plastic card, known as a cover, which in turn, carries an antenna connected to a second microelectronic chip intended for non-contact operation mode by radio frequency communication with a contactless chip card reader.

In the aforementioned first type of known hybrid cards, the structure of the non-contact layer, therefore, co-exists with the structure of the microelectronic contact module, the two being incorporated superimposed on the thickness of the chip card body.

This structure generally acquires a good set with the contactless communication interface, given the large size of the antenna, but this imposes a series of problems to produce the card in its entirety.

In fact, said hybrid cards of the first type are generally manufactured according to the following steps:

- manufacture of a cover consisting of layers of plastic materials inside which is a chip connected to an antenna. Said antennas can be manufactured with known methods through inlaid copper wires, or printing conductive ink or conditioning copper coils from the antenna on the internal material of the card body.

manufacture of the electronic micromodule, consisting of the chip connected to the terminal block of electrical contacts.

- machining in the cavity card body, allowing the electronic module to be accommodated.

- connection of the electronic micromodule.

Said methods for the manufacture of said type of cards currently represent a number of problems, including the need to manufacture the bodies of the cards, the two sides of which are printed and which may also include physical security mechanisms, such as UV inks called, which are sensitive to ultraviolet rays, especially in the case of cards dedicated to identity control applications. Given the delicate printing steps, the methods for making cardboard bodies produce very low production efficiency.

In addition, printing is performed on pre-assembled cards that already make up all the electronic components on board, that is, the electronic contact module and the cover carrying the non-contact chip and the antenna, a card printing failure as well. results in the loss of the two chips, which are the most expensive components of the card. Therefore, it can be seen that the cost of hybrid cards manufactured according to the said method is relatively high, given the relatively low efficiency of the printing steps.

In addition to the dangers related to the printing of the card body, the methodologies used to produce these card bodies are based on the application of high pressures and high temperatures, which makes the chip non-contact and its antenna fragile and is susceptible significantly reduce the life of the card. This constitutes a major obstacle for identity cards, the required service life, which is between 5 and 10 years.

The result of the aforementioned is that the first type of hybrid cards cannot be guaranteed for a very long period of use (more than 5 years for example), which limits the applications available for that type of card.

To mitigate these manufacturing problems, a second type of hybrid card has been thought of, in which the non-contact chip is integrated directly into the microelectronics module that is supplied with contacts and that carries the dedicated chip for the contact operation. For that, the referred module must be equipped with a radio frequency communication interface destined to be connected to the terminals of an antenna that is produced in the body of the card.

Thus, hybrid cards that comply with the said second known type include:

an electronic module consisting of two chips, the contact connection terminal block, and two contacts located on the back face, connected to the non-contact chip and which allow the next to be connected to the antenna;

- a plastic card, comprising an antenna; and

- an electrically conductive material allowing the connection between the electronic module and the antenna.

This structure alone generally also acquires a good variety due to the large size of the antenna, but it poses another series of production problems, related to the existence of the mechanical and electrical connection between the antenna and the module, whose production again induces loss of reliability or reductions in manufacturing efficiency.

In fact, said hybrid cards of the second type described above are generally manufactured according to the following steps:

- manufacture of the cardboard body including an antenna.

Said antennas can be manufactured with known methods of applying encrusted copper wires, or printing conductive ink or conditioning copper on the internal material of the card body.

manufacture of the electronic micromodule, consisting of two chips, and formed by connection points for the antenna, on the opposite side to the one that carries the electrical contacts of the micromodule.

- machining in the cavity card body, allowing the electronic module to be accommodated, by exposing the antenna connection bands located inside the card body.

- connection of the electronic micromodule, establishing the electrical connection between it and the exposed antenna connection bands. Said connection can be obtained by known methods, such as the distribution of conductive glue that will be polymerized, the use of adhesive or conductive glue anisotropically (in thickness), or the use of a polymer spring deposited on the module (in the form compressible and projecting conductive screw).

Said methods for the manufacture of said second type of hybrid cards currently represent the following problems:

need to manufacture the specific card bodies, including an antenna and therefore inducing complex manufacturing methods, which reduces manufacturing efficiency, as explained above.

- the need to machine the card body to expose antenna intervals, which also reduces manufacturing efficiency.

- use of a method to connect the electronic module to the specific card that allows the electrical interconnection of the module and the antenna.

Finally, these methods are very slow compared to the methods generally used for normal cards which are contact operation chip cards, and induce additional losses in manufacturing efficiency.

In addition, the interconnection methods between the module and the antenna used in said second type of hybrid card greatly limit the reliability of the final card. In fact, the thermal and mechanical stresses applied to the card during its use result in a break in the connection between the module and the antenna, or a significant increase in the connection resistance, resulting in a loss of performance of the card during use.

An objective of the invention is, therefore, to propose a hybrid model, electronic chip card with a double contact and non-contact communication interface, which does not have the above mentioned drawbacks.

Another objective of the invention is to propose a chip card having a high reliability and great longevity, around five to ten years.

For this purpose, the invention provides a dual contact and non-contact communication interface, comprising a microelectronic module and a cardboard body provided with a cavity that can receive the microelectronic module, said microelectronic module being formed by a substrate, a first face of the same having an electrical contact terminal block and a second face of the same having a first microelectronic chip electrically connected to said electrical contact terminal block and a second chip electrically connected to the terminals of an antenna, the coils of which are arranged on the second side of the substrate of the electronic module, characterized by the fact that the card body comprises a device for the concentration and / or amplification of electromagnetic waves, which can channel the electromagnetic flow received from a contactless chip card reader to the antenna coils of the microelectronic module. This structure will allow the performance of the final card to be improved, and the production efficiency must be increased. In fact, it should be noted that, in this configuration, there is no electrical interconnection between the electronic module and the said amplification device, which allows all the advantages related to the reliability of the methods used to connect the module to be retained for contact cards. In addition, by means of said structure and method, a good module (tested as such) is inserted into a good card, without the module connection step, well controlled, in itself, capable of substantially compromising the efficiency of manufacturing, which, therefore, has a gain of about 1.015% in relation to the methods already known, with a similar gain with respect to the cost of production. Whereas in the method according to the prior art, if the module connection test proves to be poor, two good chips will have been lost during the manufacturing step.

Preferably, said electromagnetic wave concentration and / or amplification device is a circuit of the type (R, L, C), which can resonate with the antenna arranged on the module, which allows the electromagnetic flow that passes through the antenna of the module to be increased in mutual inductance, as it is known by itself. Consequently, this also allows, all things being equal, the communication interval of the hybrid card to be increased when it is operating in non-contact mode.

In a very simple alternative embodiment of the RLC circuit, said device for concentrating and / or amplifying electromagnetic waves consists of a metal plate arranged on the body of the card below the cavity that receives the microelectronic module. A person skilled in the art will have no difficulty in dimensioning said metal sheet according to the required performance.

According to another alternative modality, the device for the concentration and / or amplification of electromagnetic waves consists of an antenna comprising at least one coil arranged in the body of the card below the cavity intended to receive the microelectronic module.

Advantageously, the module's antenna coils are located on the periphery of the module, and the electrical contacts of the terminal block are located within the area defined by the antenna coils. Thus, the electromagnetic flow captured by the module's antenna coils is maximum, which favorably influences the communication range without contact with the reader. In this modality, the electrical contacts of the contact terminal block are preferably organized in order to comply with the ISO 7816-2 standard.

However, the reverse embodiment of the invention is possible, the electrical contacts of the terminal block are therefore located on the periphery of the module, and the coils of the module's antenna are located within the area defined by the contacts.

Advantageously, the module's antenna coils are located on the same side of the substrate as the microelectronic chip and the electrical contacts of the terminal block are located on the opposite side of the substrate.

Other features and advantages of the invention will arise from reading the detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a first type of hybrid card according to the prior art.

Figure 1B shows a cross-sectional view of another hybrid card configuration according to the prior art.

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figures 3 and 4 according to the invention.

As indicated above, figure IA shows an electronic card with a double contact and non-contact communication interface, according to the prior art. A module 7 can be clearly seen, including a first chip 3, which is connected to an electrical contact terminal block 4 to provide operation in contact mode with a contact reader. Module 7 also includes a second chip 5 connected to an antenna 6 located on a card body, the assembly formed by the second chip 5 and antenna 6 are intended to provide radio frequency communication with the contactless chip card reader. , not shown. Therefore, there are two distinct and separate sets distributed on the chip card, that is, a set with the contact operation disposed in the microelectronic module 7, and a set with the non-contact operation disposed on the card body, with the disadvantages mentioned above to the manufacturing method level.

Reference is now made to Figure 1B, which shows another dual communication interface card solution, according to the prior art.

In said figure, a module 8 is found comprising a first chip 9 connected to the electrical contact terminal block 4 and a second chip 10 connected to the contact strips 12 dedicated to be connected to an antenna 14 located on a card body.

The electrical connection between the antenna 14 and the contact strips 12 is produced by means of pins 16 made of an electrically conductive material. As explained above, the manufacture of said card comprises a negatively affected efficiency, especially due to the fragility of the connection 16.

Reference is now made to figures 2 and 3. In these figures, an electronic module 11 is shown according to the invention, in top view (figure 2), that is, a view from the side of the contacts, and a bottom view (figure 3), that is, seen here from the side of the substrate without carrying the electrical contacts.

To solve the problems of electromagnetic interference between the contacts and the antenna, as previously described, the antenna coils 13 are connected to the periphery of the module, in an area where they are located, neither below nor above the electrical contacts.

17, but substantially outside the area defined by the contacts. The wells or tracks 17 that make it possible to electrically connect the contacts of the chip 9 to the respective contacts 4 of the terminal block of the module 11 are also shown. The places reserved for the connection of the two chips are denoted 19.20 in figure 3.

Said module structure has the advantage of minimizing or even eliminating the electromagnetic shielding effects of the contacts in relation to the antenna coils 13.

Reference is made to figure 4, which shows in cross section AA of figure 2, the structure of the chip card according to the invention. Module 11 was shown in this figure with its substrate 15, carrying the first chip dedicated to the contact operation, and that, therefore, connected to the terminal block of electrical connections 4. Module 11 also has the second chip 10, which it is connected to the module's antenna and, consequently, dedicated to non-contact operation.

The two chips are placed in a drop of coating resin 25. Antenna 13 is located on the periphery of module 11, next to the chips and coating resin 25 and extends around chips 9 and 10.

The card according to the invention also includes a card body 22 equipped with a device for concentration or amplification 18 of electromagnetic waves, in particular, of the type R, L, C circuit, which can channel the electromagnetic flow to the antenna coils of that module. Concentration device 18 is located over all or part of the card body. Said device 18, which may consist, inter alia, of a simple metal plate, has characteristics R, L, C that can channel the electromagnetic field from a contactless reader and received by the chip card, to the antenna of module 13, as well as to substantially improve the quality of the operation and the chip card range in non-contact mode.

In its simplest embodiment, the device 18 for the concentration and / or amplification of electromagnetic waves consists of a metal plate disposed in the body of the card 22 below the cavity 23 that receives the microelectronic module 11.

In another advantageous embodiment, the device 18 for the concentration and / or amplification of electromagnetic waves consists of an antenna consisting of at least one coil arranged in the body of the card 22 below the cavity 23 that receives the microelectronic module 11.

The electrical contacts 4 of the terminal block are located on one side of the substrate 15 of the module, and the antenna coils 13 of the microelectronic module are located on the opposite face of the substrate.

Preferably, the antenna coils of the microelectronic module 13 are located on the periphery of the module

11, and the electrical contacts 4 of the terminal block are substantially located within the area defined by the module's antenna coils. In this way, the electrical contacts 4 do not disturb the electromagnetic flow destined for the antenna 13.

To manufacture the concentration or amplification device 18 in the card body 22, one of the techniques already known, by itself, is used, for example, the insertion of a metal sheet in the shape of a ring, or the insertion of an antenna spiral, to the body card, in the position shown in figure 4. Depending on the material compatibility of the card body, an antenna 18 can also be obtained by depositing a metallic layer on an internal face of the card body or by encrusting the card body, followed by an attack step to set the antenna coils 18.

When the chip card is assembled according to the invention, the module 11 is connected in front of a cavity 23 arranged in the body of the card 22. The cavity 23 is provided with a surface coated with an adhesive 26. The module

11, after having been tested to establish its correct functioning, accompanies in the cavity, as shown, the coils of the antenna 13 of the modules that come into contact with the adhesive 26. Next is a step to press on the top face of the module 11, to ensure good connection quality of module 11 in cavity 23.

Finally, the invention proposes a specific project that allows the best functioning of the module designed to allow the electromagnetic flow that passes through the antenna 13 of the module without being disturbed by the contact plating, which allow the antenna to react to that flow, in order to provide sufficient power for the radio frequency communication of the chip. This flow is reinforced by means of the concentration and / or amplification device 18, which allows the magnetic flow received by the antenna 13 of the module to be optimized, while contributing to the simplicity of their manufacture, for the production of a chip card. hybrid with a long service life.

In fact, it is essential to emphasize that, by means of the invention, the electronic module does not require any electrical connection with the card body, and standard insertion methods for contact cards can be used, which results in a gain in the production rate and an increase in manufacturing efficiency and reliability. This makes it possible to apply this technology to very severe or very long terrain applications, such as the application of identity cards or electronic passports for which government offices in general, require a guarantee of good resistance and good operation for ten years.

Through a single insertion of an optimized hybrid module in a card body, it is sufficient to have a passive component R, L, C allowing the performance of the card in non-contact mode to be substantially improved, a hybrid card is obtained with lower costs and better production efficiency compared to known hybrid cards.