Gemplus

Pierre Garnier

Philippe Martin

Damien Laroche

Isabelle Desoutter

The invention concerns a method of making contactless smart cards. To facilitate the fixing of an integrated circuit chip in a contactless smart card, and in particular the chip connection with the antenna incorporated in the card, the method consists in soldering on the chip contact pads a gold wire with at least one end projecting above the chip. The wire is preferably soldered while the chip is still part of a semiconductor wafer. The wire can be soldered between two contact pads on a common chip; it can also be soldered between two contact pads of two adjacent chips on the wafer and then sawed during dicing. When the chip is incorporated in the card, it is pressed against the antenna so that the soldered wire is in contact with the coiled or printed antenna feeder end.

Method for making a contactless card with antenna connected with soldered wires

An electronic chip device includes an interface support film having a support film and at least one flat conductive interface placed on the support film, as well as a microcircuit connected to the interface. The interface support film possesses such properties that it can be creased or folded on itself without deterioration. The support film possesses a thickness of less than 75 &mgr;m, the best results being obtained with a thickness of between 10 &mgr;m and 30 &mgr;m. Preferably the support film is selected from among polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene teraphtalate (PET). In one embodiment, the device includes a compensation film placed on the support film. The compensation film has a recess containing the microcircuit and its connections. The recess can contain a material to encapsulate the microcircuit and its connections.

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La Seyne sur Mer, France

Pierre Garnier