Nxp B.v.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Romano Hoofman

Youri Victorovitch Ponomarev

Matthias Merz

Remco Henricus Wilhelmus Pijnenburg

Aurelie Humbert

Gilberto Curatola

Roel Daamen

Franciscus Petrus Widdershoven

Marc Andre De Samber

Evelyne Gridelet

Jan Rene Brands

Coenraad Cornelis Tak

Friso Jedema

Coen Tak

Didem Ernur

Marcus Henricus Van Kleef

Remco Henricus Wilhelmus Pijnenbrug

Julien Maurice Marcel Michelon

Fotopoulou Kyriaki

Anton Tombeur

Gerard Reuvers

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to phase-change materials. In accordance with an example embodiment, a phase-change material has a crystalline structure that manifests changes that increase as a function of time. For example, such changes may be implemented for monitoring the time that a perishable item has been exposed to an environment having a temperature that is greater than a threshold temperature. Based on the changes, a characterization is provided, indicative of the exposure of the phase-change material to the environment having the temperature that is greater than the threshold temperature.

Temperature monitoring

A container for containing a perishable substance has a container wall with an inner side and an outer side. The wall has an electrically conductive layer extending between the inner side and the outer side. The inner side faces the space containing the substance. The container comprises electronic circuitry having a sensor for sensing a physical property or condition of the substance, and an antenna for communicating an RF signal to a receiver, external to the container. The RF signal is indicative of the physical property or condition sensed. The sensor is positioned so as to be exposed to the space containing the substance in operational use of the container. The antenna is positioned at the outer side, or between the outer side and the electrically conductive layer, and is electrically isolated from the electrically conductive layer.

Food package with integrated RFID-tag and sensor

A wireless interconnect for an integrated circuit and a method of making the wireless interconnect. The interconnect includes a first antenna and a second antenna arranged over a plurality of electrically conductive interconnects. The interconnect also includes a propagation layer. The first and second antennae are arranged in between the propagation layer and the electrically conductive interconnects.

Wireless interconnect for an integrated circuit

'Click-assembly' methods of assembling a sensor for sensing biologically-active molecules by measuring impedance changes, are disclosed, comprising supporting a bio-sensor on a carrier, the bio-sensor comprising an electronic component having at least one micro-electrode and at least one electrical contact, functionalizing the bio-sensor by physically or chemically coupling a bio-receptor molecule to each of the at least one micro-electrode, and subsequently assembling the bio-sensor with a micro-fluidic unit by means of a clamp which clamps the bio-sensor with the micro-fluidic unit, such that in use a fluid introduced into the micro-fluidic unit is able to contact the bio-receptor and is isolated from the electrical contact. The clamp may be a spring, and the method may avoid a requirement for sealing by chemical or thermal means and thereby avoid damaging the bio-receptor. Sensors which can be assembled according to such methods are also disclosed.

Sensor and a method of assembling a sensor

Consistent with an example embodiment, there is an apparatus comprising a carrier, a laminated battery provided on a major surface of the carrier, and an integrated circuit. The laminated battery includes a bottom electrode layer, an electrolyte layer, and a top electrode layer. The integrated circuit is connected to the bottom electrode layer and the top electrode layer. The integrated circuit is surrounded by the laminated battery on the major surface of the carrier.

Integrated battery and IC

A device is provided that includes a battery layer on a substrate, where a first battery cell is formed in the battery layer. The first battery cell includes a first anode, a first cathode, and a first electrolyte arranged between the first anode and the first cathode, where the first anode, the first cathode, and the first electrolyte are arranged in the battery layer such that perpendicular projections onto the substrate of each of the first anode and the first cathode are non-overlapping. A method of manufacturing such device is also provided. A system is also provide that includes such device for supplying power to an electronic device.

Stacked multi-cell battery concept

A sensor is provided for sensing a value of a physical parameter characteristic of the sensor's environment. The sensor is implemented in semiconductor technology. A behavior of the sensor's electronic circuitry is affected by stress. The stress is induced by a film covering the circuitry or only part thereof. The stress is caused by the film's material, whose dimensions depend on a value of the parameter. This dependence is different from the 5 dependence of the circuitry's substrate on the same parameter.

Sensing environmental parameter through stress induced in IC

Disclosed is a pH sensor comprising a carrier () comprising a plurality of conductive tracks and an exposed conductive area () defining a reference electrode connected to one of said conductive tracks; a sensing device () mounted on the carrier and connected at least one other of said conductive tracks; an encapsulation () covering the carrier, said encapsulation comprising a first cavity () exposing a surface () of the sensing device and a second cavity () exposing the exposed conductive area, said second cavity comprising a reference electrode material () and an ion reservoir material () sharing at least one ion type with said reference electrode material, the reference electrode material being sandwiched between the exposed conductive area and the ion reservoir material. A method of manufacturing such a pH sensor is also disclosed.

pH sensor and manufacturing method

The present invention discloses an integrated circuit (IC) comprising a bond pad (); a substrate stack carrying a first layer () comprising conductive regions (); and an interconnect layer () over the first layer () comprising a dielectric material portion () between the bond pad () and the substrate stack, said portion comprising a plurality of air-filled trenches () defining at least one pillar () of the dielectric material (), at least said air-filled trenches () being capped by a porous capping layer (). The interconnect layer (), which typically is one of the uppermost interconnect layers of the IC, has an improved resilience to pressure exerted on the bond pad (). The present invention further teaches a method for manufacturing such an IC.

Integrated circuit manufacturing method and integrated circuit

A sensor senses a characteristic of an environment, e.g., humidity. The sensor has a substrate with strips of material that is sensitive to corrosion as a result of the characteristic. The strips are configured to respond differently to the characteristic. By means of repeatedly measuring the resistances of the strips, the environment can be monitored in terms of accumulated exposure to the characteristic. The strips are manufactured in a semiconductor technology so as to generate accurate sensors that behave predictably.

Humidity sensor based on progressive corrosion of exposed material

The invention relates to a integrated circuit comprising an electronic circuit integrated on a substrate (), and further comprising protections means for protection of the electronic circuit (). The protection means comprise: i) a first strained encapsulation layer () being provided on a first side of the substrate (), wherein the first strained encapsulation layer () has a strain (S) in a direction parallel to the substrate (), and ii) disabling means () arranged for at least partially disabling the electronic circuit () under control of a strain change in the substrate (). The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing such integrated circuit, and to a system comprising such integrated circuit. Such system is selected from a group comprising: a bank-card, a smart-card, a contact-less card and an RFID. All embodiments of the integrated circuit in accordance with the invention provide essentially an alternative tamper protection to the data stored or present in the electronic circuit therein. A first main group of embodiments concerns an integrated circuit wherein tamper protection is obtained by detecting a strain change during tampering and subsequently disabling the electronic circuit. A second main group of embodiments concerns an integrated circuit wherein tamper protection is obtained by designing a stack of strained encapsulation layers, such that tampering causes releasing of strain and thereby mechanical disintegrate (break, delaminate, etc) of the integrated circuit, and thus disabling the electronic circuit.

Intrusion protection using stress changes

A moisture sensor includes interdigitated first and second electrodes formed in trenches A porous low-k dielectric is provided between the electrodes. The electrodes are of Cu surrounded by a barrier layer to protect the Cu from corrosion. TiN may be used as barrier layer and selectively deposited barrier material such as CoWB, MoWB or NiMoP as barrier layer.

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Geel, Belgium

Romano Hoofman