TRANSFERRING ANTENNA STRUCTURES TO RFID COMPONENTS
Forming antenna structures having turns of wire, foil or conductive material on a an antenna substrate or in a layer of adhesive layer on a carrier substrate, transferring the antenna structures individually or many at once to corresponding transponder sites on an inlay substrate and connecting the aligned termination ends of the antenna structures to terminal areas of RFID chip modules at the transponder sites. Transferring may be performed by various means such as laminating (heat and pressure), or heating the antenna structures directly or indirectly. The antenna substrate may be in web format or sheet format. Automated manufacturing procedures are disclosed. Kits having components for manufacturing inlay substrates, inlays and secure documents are disclosed. Various features of an inlay substrate and chip module are disclosed.
1 . Method of making an RFID inlay comprising an inlay substrate having a plurality of transponder sites comprising chip modules, characterized by:
forming a plurality of antenna structures at a plurality of antenna sites on an antenna substrate; and
transferring the antenna structures to selected ones of the transponder sites.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after transferring, removing the antenna substrate.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming the antenna structures in an adhesive layer on the antenna substrate.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transferring the antenna structures by means of physical contact such as by laminating or heating the antenna structures.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transferring the antenna structures by means of non-physical contact (contactless transfer) such as by infrared, laser light or microwave radiation.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the antenna substrate and the inlay substrate is coated with adhesive.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the antenna substrate and the inlay substrate is heated or cooled
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the antenna structure on the antenna substrate is be laser etched to form the appropriate number of turns and then transferred to an adhesive-coated inlay substrate.
9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
preparing a transponder site with a wide trench for receiving at least a portion of the antenna structure being transferred thereto.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the antenna structure comprises an insulated wire, and further comprising:
prior to transferring, removing insulation from at least a portion of the terminal ends of the antenna structures.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the antenna structures are formed at least in part by:
forming channels in the antenna substrate; and
filling the channels with a conductive material.
12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
connecting terminal ends of the antenna structures to corresponding terminal areas of the chip modules.
13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transferring the antenna structures one-by-one or many at once to the transponder sites.
14 . A kit for RFID inlays comprising at least one of the following components:
an antenna component comprising an antenna substrate and a plurality of antenna structures formed on the antenna substrate;
a wire component comprising an insulated wire having areas where insulation has been removed, said areas spaced a distance apart corresponding to a desired length of an antenna for the RFID inlay;
an inlay substrate component comprising an inlay substrate prepared with a recess for receiving a chip module and at least one of:
channels for receiving an antenna wire,
a wide trench for receiving at least a portion of an antenna structure,
an antenna wire with squiggles at its ends for receiving terminal areas of a chip module,
trenches extending to near or into the recess,
notches in sides of the recess for receiving pins,
bumps extending from sides of the recess for stabilizing a chip module from moving when it is in the recess,
slots disposed adjacent the recess for holding a chip module in the recess,
perforations disposed around the recess.
15 . The kit of claim 14 , further comprising at least one of the following components:
a chip module component;
a glue component; and
a cover material component.
16 . The kit of claim 14 , wherein:
the antenna component is supplied in web format.
17 . The kit of claim 10 , wherein:
the antenna substrate comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), paper, Teflon and polyurethane.
18 . The kit of claim 14 , wherein:
the inlay substrate component comprises a synthetic material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC) and Teslin™.
19 . The kit of claim 14 , further comprising:
passivation applied to the wire component, at least at the areas where insulation has been removed.
20 . The kit of claim 14 , further comprising:
forming a smooth adhesive coating on the cover material by starting with a transfer substrate such as Teflon™, coating it with an adhesive layer, transferring the smooth side of the adhesive layer to the cover material and then later reactivating the adhesive layer through the application of heat and pressure.
21 . Method of making an RFID inlay comprising an inlay substrate having a plurality of transponder sites comprising chip modules, characterized by:
forming a plurality of antenna structures at a plurality of antenna sites on an antenna substrate; and
transferring the antenna structures to selected ones of the transponder sites.
22 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
after transferring, removing the antenna substrate.
23 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
during transferring, bonding termination ends of the antenna structures to terminal areas of the chip modules.
24 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
before transferring, joining the chip module to the antenna structure on the inlay substrate.
25 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
preparing the inlay substrate with a layer of adhesive;
transferring the antenna structure(s) into the layer of adhesive.
26 . An inlay substrate comprising:
a first layer of fleece on a supporting layer of silicon (release liner);
a second layer of fleece paper made up of several thinner layers, provided with index holes and openings or windows to accommodate the size and thickness of a leadframe or carrier layer;
adhesive attaching the first and second layers to each other;
a third layer of fleece which may comprise several layers of thinner material and may be prepared with index holes and openings or windows to accommodate the dimensions of the mold mass of a chip module; and
a fourth layer of fleece on a supporting layer of silicon (release liner).
27 . A method of mounting a wire to an inlay substrate for a transponder comprising a substrate, a chip module and an antenna wire disposed on the substrate, said chip module comprising two terminals, the method comprising:
preparing an area of the substrate with a pattern of ditches, separated by bridges, thereby removing material at some locations where an antenna wire will be scribed into the substrate; and
scribing the antenna wire into the substrate in a pattern following the pattern of ditches.
28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the bridges collapse when scribing the antenna wire into the pattern of ditches.
29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the collapsed bridges form pinch points for holding the wire.