High-speed RFID tag assembly using impulse heating
RFID inlays or straps may be assembled using impulse heating of metal precursors. Metal precursors are applied to and/or included in contacts on an RFID IC and/or terminals on a substrate. During assembly of the tag, the IC is disposed onto the substrate such that the IC contacts physically contact either the substrate terminals or metal precursors that in turn physically contact the substrate terminals. Impulse heating is then used to rapidly apply heat to the metal precursors, processing them into metallic structures that electrically couple the IC contacts to the substrate terminals.
1. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag precursor comprising:
an assembly including an RFID integrated circuit (IC), a nonconductive repassivation layer on a surface of the IC and confined within a perimeter of the surface, and a conductive redistribution layer on the repassivation layer and confined within the perimeter of the surface, in which at least a portion of the redistribution layer is electrically connected to the IC;
a substrate including an antenna; and
a metallic conductor forming an electrical connection between the portion of the redistribution layer and the antenna, wherein:
the metallic conductor is formed by impulse-heating a first metal precursor that includes a reducing substance;
at least one of the redistribution layer and the antenna has an oxide layer;
the impulse heating heats the reducing substance to accelerate the reduction of the oxide layer, thereby forming at least one opening in the oxide layer; and
the metallic conductor forms the electrical connection through the at least one opening.
2. The tag precursor of claim 1 , wherein the first metal precursor includes at least one of solder powder, solder paste, unsintered metal, and a thin metal layer, and includes at least one of tin, palladium, copper, silver, and bismuth.
3. The tag precursor of claim 1 , wherein the first metal precursor is applied on the portion of the redistribution layer as an oxidation barrier during the IC fabrication process.
4. The tag precursor of claim 1 , wherein the impulse heating uses at least one of a laser, an infrared light source, and a thermode.
5. The tag precursor of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is formed by heating a second precursor to process the second precursor into at least a portion of the antenna.
6. The tag precursor of claim 5 , wherein the first metal precursor and the second precursor are the same precursor.
7. The tag precursor of claim 1 , wherein an electrical connection between the portion of the redistribution layer and the IC is at least one of through the repassivation layer and via a side contact.