JP7554397B2 - IC chip-equipped article and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an article with an IC chip and a method for manufacturing the same.

Conventionally, non-contact RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags equipped with IC chips have been used on products and the like for the purpose of managing and identifying product information. Information about the product and the like is written to the IC chip of the RFID tag, and when managing or selling the product and the like, the information on this IC chip can be wirelessly read and used with a reader/writer. Such RFID tags bring great benefits such as improving the convenience and safety of product management and eliminating human error.

There are two types of RFID tags: active tags, which have a built-in battery and can emit radio waves by themselves, and passive tags, which receive power wirelessly and activate their IC chip. In recent years, passive tags, which are simple in structure and can be produced at low cost, have begun to be widely adopted. A known type of passive tag has a linear antenna that receives power and a loop-shaped conductor that matches impedance with the IC to transmit power efficiently (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-71869 A

In conventional RFID tags, the linear antenna and the loop conductor for impedance matching are often formed by etching, which tends to increase production costs. In contrast, it is also possible to form the linear antenna or both the linear antenna and the loop conductor by printing using conductive ink. However, conductive ink requires a certain amount of resin to be mixed in order to maintain the coating film, and there is a problem that the sheet resistance of the coating film is higher than that of metal films formed by vacuum processes such as those used in etching methods. When a high-resistance conductive ink is used, the resistance of the loop conductor increases, and there is a risk of insufficient impedance matching. In order to reduce the resistance of the loop conductor, it is possible to consider a method of increasing the width of the loop conductor in a planar view, but in high-frequency circuits such as RFID tags, electrons selectively pass through paths with shorter distances, and sufficient effect cannot be obtained.

The present disclosure provides an article with an IC chip and a manufacturing method thereof that can reduce the resistance of a loop-shaped conductor for impedance matching.

The article with an IC chip according to this embodiment includes a first substrate, an antenna on the first substrate, a loop-shaped conductor connected or capacitively coupled to the antenna, and an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor, and the loop-shaped conductor includes a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna.

The article with an IC chip according to this embodiment includes a first substrate, an antenna on the first substrate, a loop-shaped conductor connected or capacitively coupled to the antenna, and an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor, and the thickness of the loop-shaped conductor is greater than the thickness of the antenna.

In the IC chip-equipped article according to this embodiment, the antenna may be composed of a first printed layer, and the loop-shaped conductor may include the first printed layer and a second printed layer located above or below the first printed layer.

In the IC chip-equipped article according to this embodiment, the antenna and the loop-shaped conductor may be made of the same material.

In the present embodiment, the article with an IC chip is composed of an electrode pair to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and a substrate with an antenna, and the electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled may have a second substrate and the IC chip, and the substrate with an antenna may have the first substrate, the antenna, and the loop-shaped conductor.

In the article with an IC chip according to this embodiment, the electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled may be located on the opposite side of the first substrate from the loop conductor and the antenna.

In the present embodiment, the product with an IC chip is composed of a loop-shaped conductor to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and a substrate with an antenna, and the loop-shaped conductor to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled may have a third substrate, the loop-shaped conductor, and the IC chip, and the substrate with an antenna may have the first substrate and the antenna.

In the article with an IC chip according to this embodiment, the loop-shaped conductor to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled may be located on the opposite side of the antenna relative to the first substrate.

In the present embodiment, the product with an IC chip is composed of an electrode pair to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, a loop-shaped conductor to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and a substrate with an antenna, and the electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled may have a fourth substrate and the IC chip, the loop-shaped conductor to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled may have a fifth substrate and the loop-shaped conductor, and the substrate with an antenna may have the first substrate and the antenna.

In the article with an IC chip according to this embodiment, the electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor may be located on the opposite side of the antenna relative to the first substrate.

In the article with an IC chip according to this embodiment, the loop conductor and the IC chip may be located on the opposite side of the first substrate from the antenna.

In the article with an IC chip according to this embodiment, the electrode pair to which the loop conductor and the IC chip are connected or capacitively coupled may be located on the opposite side of the antenna relative to the first substrate.

In this embodiment, the IC chip-equipped item may be an RFID tag.

In this embodiment, the IC chip-equipped product may be a packaging material.

The method for manufacturing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment includes the steps of preparing a first substrate, forming an antenna on the first substrate, connecting or capacitively coupling a loop conductor to the antenna, and connecting or capacitively coupling an IC chip to the loop conductor, the loop conductor including a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna.

The manufacturing method of an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment includes the steps of preparing a first substrate, forming an antenna on the first substrate, connecting or capacitively coupling a loop-shaped conductor to the antenna, and connecting or capacitively coupling an IC chip to the loop-shaped conductor, and the thickness of the loop-shaped conductor is greater than the thickness of the antenna.

In the method for manufacturing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment, the antenna may be formed by printing.

In the method for manufacturing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment, the antenna and the loop-shaped conductor may each be formed by printing.

According to this embodiment, the resistance value of the loop-shaped conductor can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a first embodiment. 2(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the first embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line IIA-IIA in FIG. 1 and line IIB-IIB in FIG. 1, respectively). FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an article with an IC chip according to a modified example. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an article with an IC chip according to a modified example. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an article equipped with an IC chip, which is an RFID tag. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an IC chip-equipped product, which is a packaging material. 7(a) to (d) are cross-sectional views showing a method for manufacturing an article with an IC chip according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to the second embodiment. 9(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the second embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line IXA-IXA and line IXB-IXB in FIG. 8, respectively). FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a third embodiment. 11(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the third embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along lines XIA-XIA and XIB-XIB in FIG. 10, respectively). FIG. 12 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a fourth embodiment. 13(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the fourth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along lines XIIIA-XIIIA and XIIIB-XIIIB in FIG. 12, respectively). FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a modification of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a fifth embodiment. 16(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the fifth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along lines XVIA-XVIA and XVIB-XVIB in FIG. 15, respectively). FIG. 17 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a sixth embodiment. 18(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to a sixth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XVIIIA-XVIIIA and line XVIIIB-XVIIIB in FIG. 17, respectively). FIG. 19 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a seventh embodiment. 20(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the seventh embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XXA-XXA and line XXB-XXB in FIG. 19, respectively). FIG. 21 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to an eighth embodiment. 22(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the eighth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XXIIA-XXIIA and line XXIIB-XXIIB in FIG. 21, respectively). FIG. 23 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a ninth embodiment. 24(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the ninth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XXIVA-XXIVA and line XXIVB-XXIVB in FIG. 23, respectively). FIG. 25 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a tenth embodiment. 26(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the tenth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along lines XXVIA-XXVIA and XXVIB-XXVIB in FIG. 25, respectively). FIG. 27 is a plan view showing a modification of the tenth embodiment. FIG. 28 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to an eleventh embodiment. 29(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the eleventh embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XXIXA-XXIXA and line XXIXB-XXIXB in FIG. 28, respectively). FIG. 30 is a plan view showing a modification of the eleventh embodiment. FIG. 31 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a twelfth embodiment. 32(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the twelfth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XXXIIA-XXXIIA and line XXXIIB-XXXIIB in FIG. 31, respectively). FIG. 33 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a thirteenth embodiment. 34(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the thirteenth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XXXIVA-XXXIVA and line XXXIVB-XXXIVB in FIG. 33, respectively). FIG. 35 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a fourteenth embodiment. 36(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the fourteenth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XXXVIA-XXXVIA and line XXXVIB-XXXVIB in FIG. 35, respectively). FIG. 37 is a plan view showing an article with an IC chip according to a fifteenth embodiment. 38(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views showing an article with an IC chip according to the fifteenth embodiment (cross-sectional views taken along line XXXVIIIA-XXXVIIIA and line XXXVIIIB-XXXVIIIB in FIG. 37, respectively).

The following describes one embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings. Each of the figures shown below is a schematic illustration. Therefore, the size and shape of each part are appropriately exaggerated to facilitate understanding. In addition, appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the technical concept. In each of the figures shown below, the same parts are given the same reference numerals, and some detailed explanations may be omitted. In addition, the numerical values such as dimensions of each member and the names of materials described in this specification are examples of an embodiment, and are not limited to these, and can be selected and used as appropriate. In this specification, terms that specify shapes or geometric conditions, such as parallel, orthogonal, and perpendicular, are intended to include substantially the same state in addition to their strict meanings.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Items with IC chips]
First, the configuration of an IC chip-equipped product according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the IC chip-equipped product according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the IC chip-equipped product according to the present embodiment.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, an article 30 with an IC chip according to this embodiment includes a first substrate (substrate for article) 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, a loop-shaped conductor 20 connected to the pair of antennas 42, and an IC chip 12 connected to the loop-shaped conductor 20. This article 30 with an IC chip performs non-contact wireless communication with a reader/writer (not shown).

The first substrate 41 serves as a support for supporting the IC chip-equipped article 30. The first substrate 41 may be a resin sheet (film) or a paper substrate. Examples of the resin sheet include polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, terephthalic acid-cyclohexanedimethanol-ethylene glycol copolymer, polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyimide, polyphenylene sulfide, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, polystyrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyacrylic acid ester, polymethacrylic acid ester, and polyurethane. Examples of the paper substrate include fine paper, coated paper, craft paper, glassine paper, synthetic paper, latex, and melamine-impregnated paper. The thickness T1 of the first substrate 41 may be, for example, 5 μm or more and 3 mm or less.

The antennas 42 are layered on the first substrate 41. Each antenna 42 has an inner end 43 provided on the inside, on the side of the loop-shaped conductor 20, and an antenna wiring section 44 connected to the outside of the inner end 43 and bent in a zigzag pattern in a plan view. The antennas 42 can have various planar shapes, and may be bent meandering shapes, patch shapes, or other shapes.

The loop conductor 20 is laminated on the first substrate 41. The loop conductor 20 is directly connected to or capacitively coupled to a pair of antennas 42. The loop conductor 20 is an element for adjusting the resonant frequency of the antenna 42 to a predetermined frequency when connected to an IC chip 12 having a capacitance between the input terminals. Specifically, the loop conductor 20 is configured as a long and thin loop, and is formed in a ring shape except for a portion covered by the IC chip 12. In this case, the loop conductor 20 has a quadrangle shape in a plan view except for the cut-out portion (gap portion 24). One side of the quadrangle constituting the loop conductor 20 is parallel to the first direction DL, and the other side of the quadrangle is parallel to the second direction DS.

The loop conductor 20 also has a pair of first direction portions 21 extending along the first direction DL and a pair of second direction portions 22 extending along the second direction DS. The pair of first direction portions 21 are arranged parallel to each other, and the pair of second direction portions 22 are arranged parallel to each other. The first direction portions 21 and the second direction portions 22 are arranged so as to be perpendicular to each other. Of the pair of first direction portions 21, one of the first direction portions 21 located on the IC chip 12 side is interrupted at the center, and a pair of connecting portions 23 are formed in this first direction portion 21. A gap portion 24 is formed between the pair of connecting portions 23, and the pair of connecting portions 23 face each other via the gap portion 24. The pair of connecting portions 23 are each electrically connected to the IC chip 12.

The IC chip 12 is stacked on the loop conductor 20. The IC chip 12 is directly connected to the loop conductor 20 or is capacitively coupled to it. The IC chip 12 has a data storage area (memory) and can be a normal one equipped with input/output functions, control functions, signal modulation, and demodulation. This IC chip 12 receives power and signals obtained from the antenna 42 and writes and reads data from the memory. The IC chip 12 may have an interface for wireless communication, a memory for storing data used to manage the IC chip-equipped item 30, etc. The IC chip 12 is electrically connected to a pair of connection parts 23 of the loop conductor 20 via a connection layer not shown. For example, an anisotropic conductive film (ACP or ACF) may be used as this connection layer. The anisotropic conductive film has a structure in which resin particles coated with a conductor such as nickel, silver, or gold, or conductor particles such as nickel, silver, or gold are dispersed in a polymer, and by placing the anisotropic conductive film between the loop conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 and applying pressure while heating, these metals electrically connect the loop conductor 20 and the IC chip 12.

In this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are both made of a conductive material. In this case, the loop conductor 20 can be considered as a thin film having a substantially uniform thickness, so the loop conductor 20 may be configured to have a lower sheet resistance than the antenna 42. Specifically, the loop conductor 20 may include a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42, and as a result, the loop conductor 20 may have a lower sheet resistance than the antenna 42.

Specifically, the sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20 may be 5Ω/□ or less. The sheet resistance of the antenna 42 may be 50Ω/□ or less. Desirably, the sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20 is 1Ω/□ or less, and the sheet resistance of the antenna 42 is 10Ω/□ or less, and more preferably, the sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20 is 0.3Ω/□ or less. The sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20 may be 1/10 or less, and desirably 1/20 or less, of the sheet resistance of the antenna 42. The sheet resistance can be measured, for example, by forming a uniform film having an area of at least 150 mm×150 mm of the same material and thickness as that used in this embodiment using the same method, and using a low resistivity meter and a four-terminal probe manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Analytical Co., Ltd.

In this case, the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be a printed layer formed by a method of printing conductive ink. The conductive ink may be, for example, a conductive ink containing aluminum powder, copper powder, silver powder, gold powder, or particles whose surface is coated with a different metal or chemically modified. In this way, when the loop-shaped conductor 20 is formed by a printed layer of conductive ink containing, for example, metal powder, the production cost can be reduced compared to the case where the loop-shaped conductor 20 is formed by, for example, etching. Alternatively, the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be formed by, for example, a method of chemically etching a metal foil. For example, aluminum or copper can be used as the metal foil. The metal foil can be formed on the first substrate 41 by plating, vapor deposition, dry lamination, adhesion using an adhesive, or the like.

Each antenna 42 may be a printed layer formed by, for example, printing conductive ink. The conductive ink may be, for example, a conductive ink containing particles such as carbon, aluminum powder, copper powder, silver powder, gold powder, or particles whose surface is coated with a different metal or chemically modified. In this way, when each antenna 42 is formed by, for example, a printed layer of conductive ink containing carbon, the production cost can be reduced compared to when the antenna 42 is formed by, for example, etching, or when it is formed from a conductive ink containing metal powder such as aluminum powder, copper powder, or silver powder. Furthermore, when both the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are formed by a method of printing conductive ink, for example, a multi-color printer may be used to print the ink for the loop conductor 20 and the ink for the antenna 42, respectively. In this case, the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 can be formed inexpensively. The ink composition, the ratio of metal to resin, the film thickness, the printing method, etc. may be different between the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42.

2(a) and (b), the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be the same as the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. The thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 can be adjusted as appropriate according to the required sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20, and the appropriate thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 can be determined by the material, printing method, etc. As an example, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 may be, for example, 0.04 μm or more and 50 μm or less. The thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 and the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 refer to the maximum thicknesses of the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 when measured in the normal direction of the main surfaces of the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42, respectively.

In addition, both the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are printed layers formed by a method of printing conductive ink, and the loop conductor 20 may be formed thicker than the antenna 42. As the conductive ink, for example, conductive ink containing particles such as aluminum powder, copper powder, silver powder, or carbon particles can be used. In this way, when the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are formed by a printed layer of conductive ink, the production cost can be reduced compared to the case where the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are formed by, for example, etching. In this case, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be made thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 by printing the loop conductor 20 thicker than the antenna 42. The thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be, for example, 1.5 times or more and 3 times or less than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. Furthermore, when both the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are formed by a method of printing conductive ink, for example, a multi-color printing machine may be used. That is, conductive ink for the loop conductor 20 and conductive ink for the antenna 42 may be used to print so that the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 is greater than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. In this case, the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 can be made thin, so the antenna 42 can be made inexpensively. Furthermore, the conductive ink for the antenna 42 can have a high resin concentration, which improves the coating strength and improves the abrasion resistance and bending resistance of the antenna 42.

Figures 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views showing modified examples of an article 30 with an IC chip, corresponding to Figure 2(a). As shown in Figure 3, a pair of antennas 42 may be connected to each other by a connecting portion 42a, and the loop conductor 20 may be disposed on this connecting portion 42a. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4, a portion of the loop conductor 20 may be disposed so as to overlap a portion of each antenna 42.

In this embodiment, (i) the loop conductor 20 includes a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42, and (ii) the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 is the same as the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. However, this is not limited to the above, and for example, (i) the loop conductor 20 includes a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42, and (ii) the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 or thinner than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the overall thickness T4 of the IC chip-equipped article 30 may be 200 μm or more and 3600 μm or less.

As shown in FIG. 5, the item 30 with an IC chip may be, for example, an RFID tag 35. Such an RFID tag 35 is an item that is independently transferable. When used for product management, for example, the RFID tag 35 may be attached to the product using an adhesive layer (not shown) formed on the first substrate 41.

As shown in FIG. 6, the IC chip-equipped article 30 may be, for example, a packaging material 36. A printed layer (not shown) may be formed on this packaging material 36. Such a packaging material 36 may include a container having a storage section for storing contents. In this case, the first substrate 41 constitutes the main substrate of the container. Alternatively, the packaging material 36 may be attached to a container having a storage section. In this case, the first substrate 41 constitutes a substrate separate from the main substrate of the container.

When the IC chip-equipped article 30 is a packaging material 36, the packaging material 36 may be a soft packaging material, a paper container, a resin molded product, or the like. Examples of soft packaging materials include pouches, pillows, shrink labels, in-mold label containers, and lid materials. Examples of paper containers include general paper containers such as boxes, paper containers, paper cups, paper trays or backing sheets, and the like. Examples of resin molded products include blister containers, vacuum-formed containers, deep-draw containers, injection-molded containers, blow-molded containers, and plastic bottles. Note that FIG. 6 shows a case in which the packaging material 36 is a paper container.

When the IC chip-equipped article 30 is a packaging material 36, the antenna 42 may be located on the outer surface side of the container (opposite side of the storage section). In this case, the IC chip 12, the loop-shaped conductor 20, and the antenna 42 may each be located on the outer surface side of the first substrate 41. Alternatively, the antenna 42 may be located on the inner surface side of the container (side of the storage section). In this case, the IC chip 12 and the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be located on the inner surface side of the container (side of the storage section), or on the outer surface side of the container (opposite side of the storage section).

In addition, if the IC chip-equipped item 30 is a packaging material 36, a normal printing layer for the packaging material 36 may be formed to cover the antenna 42.

[Method of manufacturing an article with an IC chip]
Next, a method for manufacturing the IC chip-equipped product 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 7(a), a first substrate 41 made of a resin sheet (film), a paper substrate, or the like is prepared.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7(b), an antenna 42 having a predetermined pattern is formed on the first substrate 41. Each antenna 42 may be formed, for example, by printing a conductive ink. As the conductive ink, for example, a conductive ink containing particles such as carbon may be used. When printing the conductive ink, a gravure printing method, a screen printing method, or an inkjet method may be used.

7(c), a loop-shaped conductor 20 having a predetermined pattern is formed on the first substrate 41. The loop-shaped conductor 20 is connected to the antenna 42. The loop-shaped conductor 20 may be formed, for example, by printing a conductive ink. The conductive ink may be, for example, a conductive ink containing particles such as aluminum powder, copper powder, or silver powder. When printing the conductive ink, a gravure printing method, a screen printing method, or an inkjet method may be used. Alternatively, the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be formed, for example, by chemically etching a metal foil or punching a metal foil. At this time, the loop-shaped conductor 20 includes a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness T2 of the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be the same as the thickness T5 of the antenna 42, or may be different from the thickness T5 of the antenna 42.

When the conductive ink is formed by printing, the antenna 42 and the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be formed using the same printing machine. Also, a normal printing layer (e.g., a printing layer for the packaging material 36) may be formed together with the antenna 42 and the loop-shaped conductor 20 using the same printing machine that applies the conductive ink.

In addition, the above is not limiting, and the antenna 42 may be formed at the same time as the loop-shaped conductor 20. Alternatively, the antenna 42 may be formed after the loop-shaped conductor 20 is formed.

After that, as shown in FIG. 7(d), the IC chip 12 is mounted on the loop conductor 20 via a connection layer (not shown). For example, an anisotropic conductive film may be used as the connection layer. In this case, the loop conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 can be electrically connected by placing the anisotropic conductive film between the loop conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 and applying pressure while heating. In this way, an article with an IC chip 30 is obtained, which includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, the loop conductor 20 coupled to the antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, and the IC chip 12 on the loop conductor 20.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 contains a material with a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. This allows the sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20, which is required to have a lower resistance than the antenna 42, to be lower than that of the antenna 42. By lowering the sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20 in this manner, it is possible to prevent the resonance of the loop conductor 20 from becoming insufficient, and to extend the propagation distance of wireless communication using the article 30 with an IC chip.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the antenna 42 and the loop-shaped conductor 20 are each printed layers. This allows the antenna 42 and the loop-shaped conductor 20 to be formed at low cost. Furthermore, particularly when formed by printing, even if the sheet resistance of the antenna 42 meets the required value, the sheet resistance of the loop-shaped conductor 20 is likely to be higher than the required value. In contrast, in this embodiment, the loop-shaped conductor 20 contains a material with a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. This allows the sheet resistance of the loop-shaped conductor 20 to be reduced.

Also, according to this embodiment, the antenna 42 may contain carbon. This allows the antenna 42 to be manufactured inexpensively. Also, according to this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 may contain silver. This allows the loop conductor 20 to have low resistance. In this case, the antenna 42, which does not necessarily need to have low resistance, can be manufactured from an inexpensive conductive ink containing carbon, and the loop conductor 20, which is required to have low resistance, can be manufactured from a low-resistance conductive ink containing silver. This allows the sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20 to be reduced without significantly increasing production costs.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figures 8 and 9 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The second embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9 is different in that the loop-shaped conductor 20 is composed of a first printed layer 32 and a second printed layer 33, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7 described above. In Figures 8 and 9, the same parts as those shown in Figures 1 to 7 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the article 30 with an IC chip includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, a loop-shaped conductor 20 disposed on the first substrate 41 and directly connected to the pair of antennas 42, and an IC chip 12 connected to the loop-shaped conductor 20.

In this embodiment, the antenna 42 is composed of a single first printed layer 32, and the loop-shaped conductor 20 is composed of the first printed layer 32 and the second printed layer 33 located above the first printed layer 32. As a result, the thickness T2 of the loop-shaped conductor 20 is thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. In this case, the first printed layer 32 may be formed by printing a conductive ink containing particles such as carbon. The second printed layer 33 may also be made of a material having a lower volume resistivity than the first printed layer 32, and the first printed layer 32 and the second printed layer 33 may be made of the same material. The second printed layer 33 may be printed and formed so as to be superimposed on the first printed layer 32 using, for example, a multi-color printer, or may be formed by printing a conductive ink containing metal powder such as aluminum powder, copper powder, or silver powder on the first printed layer 32. In this way, since the loop-shaped conductor 20 is composed of the first printed layer 32 and the second printed layer 33, the loop-shaped conductor 20 and the antenna 42 can be formed inexpensively, and the loop-shaped conductor 20 can have a lower resistance than the antenna 42. Although not shown, the loop-shaped conductor 20 may include three or more printed layers, and the antenna 42 may include two or more printed layers. Also, the second printed layer 33 may be located below the first printed layer 32.

Third Embodiment
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Figures 10 and 11 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The third embodiment shown in Figures 10 and 11 differs in that the thickness T2 of the loop-shaped conductor 20 is greater than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7 described above. In Figures 10 and 11, the same parts as those shown in Figures 1 to 7 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the IC chip-equipped article 30 includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, a loop-shaped conductor 20 disposed on the first substrate 41 and directly connected to the pair of antennas 42, and an IC chip 12 connected to the loop-shaped conductor 20.

In this embodiment, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 is thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. The thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 can be adjusted as appropriate according to the required sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20, and the appropriate thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 can be determined by the material, printing method, etc. As an example, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 may be, for example, 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less. In this case, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be, for example, 1.5 times or more and 3 times or less than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42.

The loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are both printed layers formed by a method of printing conductive ink, and the loop conductor 20 may be printed thicker than the antenna 42. For example, conductive ink containing particles such as aluminum powder, copper powder, silver powder, or carbon can be used as the conductive ink. In this way, when the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are formed by a printed layer of conductive ink, the production cost can be reduced compared to when the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are formed by, for example, etching. In this case, the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are made of the same material, and the loop conductor 20 may be printed thicker than the antenna 42 by applying multiple layers. Furthermore, when the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are both formed by a method of printing conductive ink, for example, a multi-color printer may be used. That is, the conductive ink for the loop conductor 20 and the conductive ink for the antenna 42 may be printed so that the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 is thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. In this case, the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 can be made thin, so the antenna 42 can be manufactured inexpensively.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12 to Fig. 14. Fig. 12 to Fig. 14 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The fourth embodiment shown in Fig. 12 to Fig. 14 is different in that an article with an IC chip 30 is composed of an electrode pair 60 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and a substrate with an antenna 40, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 7 described above. In Fig. 12 to Fig. 14, the same parts as those shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 7 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the article 30 with an IC chip according to this embodiment includes a substrate 40 with an antenna, and an electrode pair 60 connected to the substrate 40 with an antenna and to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled. The electrode pair 60 connected to or capacitively coupled with the IC chip and the substrate 40 with an antenna are constructed separately from each other, and the article 30 with an IC chip is constructed by adhering them together.

The electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a second substrate 61, a connection terminal 62 on the second substrate 61, and an IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 62. The electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is integrated with the substrate 40 with an antenna to form an article 30 with an IC chip that performs non-contact wireless communication with a reader/writer (not shown).

The second substrate 61 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. The second substrate 61 supports the IC chip 12, and may be a resin sheet (film) or a paper substrate. The resin sheet and paper substrate may be, for example, the same as those used for the first substrate 41 described above.

The connection terminal 62 is formed on the second substrate 61 and may be made of a metal foil conductive layer such as copper. The IC chip 12 is attached to the connection terminal 62. The IC chip 12 is capacitively coupled to the loop conductor 20 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 via the connection terminal 62.

The antenna-equipped substrate 40 has a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, and a loop-shaped conductor 20 disposed on the first substrate 41 and directly connected to the pair of antennas 42. In this embodiment, the loop-shaped conductor 20 may contain a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness of the loop-shaped conductor 20 may also be greater than the thickness of the antenna 42.

The antenna-equipped substrate 40 and the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are fabricated separately from each other, and then connected via an adhesive layer 63. The adhesive layer 63 may be, for example, a urethane adhesive, an acrylic adhesive, a styrene-butadiene copolymer adhesive, a vinyl chloride adhesive, an epoxy adhesive, or a hot melt adhesive.

According to this embodiment, the antenna-equipped substrate 40 and the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are constructed separately from each other, and the article with an IC chip 30 is produced by bonding them together. As a result, when mounting the IC chip 12 on the antenna 42, high positional accuracy is not required between the IC chip 12 and the antenna 42, and the article with an IC chip 30 can be easily manufactured.

As shown in FIG. 14, it is preferable that the portion 62a of the connection terminal 62 that overlaps with the loop-shaped conductor 20 is thicker than the other portions of the connection terminal 62. Similarly, it is preferable that the portion of the loop-shaped conductor 20 that overlaps with the connection terminal 62 (connection portion 23) is thicker than the other portions of the loop-shaped conductor 20. This makes it possible to increase the capacitive coupling between the connection terminal 62 and the connection portion 23.

Fifth embodiment
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15 and Fig. 16. Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The fifth embodiment shown in Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 differs in that the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the loop-shaped conductor 20, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fourth embodiment shown in Figs. 12 to 14 described above. In Fig. 15 and Fig. 16, the same parts as those shown in Figs. 12 to 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the IC chip-equipped product 30 includes an antenna-equipped substrate 40 and an electrode pair 60 connected to the antenna-equipped substrate 40 and to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled. The antenna-equipped substrate 40 includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, and a loop-shaped conductor 20 disposed on the first substrate 41 and directly connected to the pair of antennas 42. The electrode pair 60 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a second substrate 61, a connection terminal 62 on the second substrate 61, and an IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 62. The IC chip 12 is capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor 20 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 via the connection terminal 62.

In this embodiment, the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the first substrate 41 to the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42. That is, the first substrate 41 is interposed between the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop conductor 20. In this case, the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is joined to the first substrate 41 by an adhesive layer 63 with the IC chip 12 facing the first substrate 41. In this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 may contain a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness of the loop conductor 20 may also be greater than the thickness of the antenna 42.

Sixth embodiment
Next, a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17 and Fig. 18. Fig. 17 and Fig. 18 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The sixth embodiment shown in Fig. 17 and Fig. 18 is different in that the loop-shaped conductor 20 is composed of a first printed layer 32 and a second printed layer 33, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fourth embodiment shown in Figs. 12 to 14 described above. In Fig. 17 and Fig. 18, the same parts as those shown in Figs. 12 to 14 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 17 and 18, the IC chip-equipped product 30 includes an antenna-equipped substrate 40 and an electrode pair 60 to which an IC chip connected to the antenna-equipped substrate 40 is connected or capacitively coupled. The antenna-equipped substrate 40 includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, and a loop-shaped conductor 20 disposed on the first substrate 41 and directly connected to the pair of antennas 42. The electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a second substrate 61, a connection terminal 62 on the second substrate 61, and an IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 62. The IC chip 12 is capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor 20 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 via the connection terminal 62.

In this embodiment, the antenna 42 is composed of a single first printed layer 32, and the loop conductor 20 includes the first printed layer 32 and the second printed layer 33 located above the first printed layer 32. As a result, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 is thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. In this case, the first printed layer 32 may be formed by printing a conductive ink containing particles such as carbon. The second printed layer 33 may also be made of a material having a lower volume resistivity than the first printed layer 32. In this way, the loop conductor 20 is composed of the first printed layer 32 and the second printed layer 33, so that the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 can be formed inexpensively, and the loop conductor 20 can have a lower resistance than the antenna 42. In FIG. 18, the planar shape of the adhesive layer 63 is smaller than the planar shape of the second substrate 61, but this is not limited thereto, and the planar shape of the adhesive layer 63 may be the same as the planar shape of the second substrate 61. The second printed layer 33 may also be located below the first printed layer 32.

Seventh embodiment
Next, a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 19 and 20. Figures 19 and 20 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The seventh embodiment shown in Figures 19 and 20 differs in that the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the loop-shaped conductor 20, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the sixth embodiment shown in Figures 17 and 18 described above. In Figures 19 and 20, the same parts as those shown in Figures 17 and 18 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 19 and 20, the IC chip-equipped product 30 includes an antenna-equipped substrate 40 and an electrode pair 60 connected to the antenna-equipped substrate 40 and to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled. The antenna-equipped substrate 40 includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, and a loop-shaped conductor 20 disposed on the first substrate 41 and directly connected to the pair of antennas 42. The electrode pair 60 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a second substrate 61, a connection terminal 62 on the second substrate 61, and an IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 62. The IC chip 12 is capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor 20 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 via the connection terminal 62.

In this embodiment, the antenna 42 is composed of a single first printed layer 32, and the loop conductor 20 includes the first printed layer 32 and the second printed layer 33 located above the first printed layer 32. The electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 with respect to the first substrate 41. That is, the first substrate 41 is interposed between the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop conductor 20. In this case, the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is bonded to the first substrate 41 by the adhesive layer 63 with the IC chip 12 facing the first substrate 41 side. In this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 may include a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness of the loop conductor 20 may be thicker than the thickness of the antenna 42. The second printed layer 33 may be located below the first printed layer 32.

Eighth embodiment
Next, an eighth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 21 and Fig. 22. Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The eighth embodiment shown in Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 is different in that the thickness T2 of the loop-shaped conductor 20 is thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42, and other configurations are substantially the same as the fourth embodiment shown in Figs. 12 to 14 described above. In Fig. 21 and Fig. 22, the same parts as those shown in Figs. 12 to 14 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

21 and 22, the IC chip-equipped article 30 includes an antenna-equipped substrate 40 and an electrode pair 60 connected to the antenna-equipped substrate 40 and having an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled thereto. The antenna-equipped substrate 40 includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, and a loop-shaped conductor 20 disposed on the first substrate 41 and directly connected to the pair of antennas 42. The electrode pair 60 connected or capacitively coupled to the IC chip includes a second substrate 61, a connection terminal 62 on the second substrate 61, and an IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 62. The IC chip 12 is capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor 20 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 via the connection terminal 62.

In this embodiment, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 is thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. The thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 can be adjusted appropriately according to the required sheet resistance of the loop conductor 20, and the appropriate thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 can be determined by the material, printing method, etc. As an example, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 may be, for example, 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less. In this case, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 may be, for example, 1.5 times or more and 3 times or less than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. The loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are both printed layers formed by a method of printing conductive ink, and the loop conductor 20 may be formed thicker by printing than the antenna 42. For example, in this case, the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are made of the same material, and the loop conductor 20 may be made thicker than the antenna 42 by overcoating, etc. In this case, the thickness T5 of the antenna 42 can be made thin, so the antenna 42 can be made inexpensively.

Ninth embodiment
Next, a ninth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 23 and Fig. 24. Fig. 23 and Fig. 24 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The ninth embodiment shown in Fig. 23 and Fig. 24 is different in that the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the loop-shaped conductor 20, and other configurations are substantially the same as the eighth embodiment shown in Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 described above. In Fig. 23 and Fig. 24, the same parts as those shown in Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

23 and 24, the IC chip-equipped article 30 includes an antenna-equipped substrate 40 and an electrode pair 60 connected to the antenna-equipped substrate 40 and having an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled thereto. The antenna-equipped substrate 40 includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, and a loop-shaped conductor 20 disposed on the first substrate 41 and directly connected to the pair of antennas 42. The electrode pair 60 connected or capacitively coupled to the IC chip includes a second substrate 61, a connection terminal 62 on the second substrate 61, and an IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 62. The IC chip 12 is capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor 20 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 via the connection terminal 62.

In this embodiment, the thickness T2 of the loop conductor 20 is thicker than the thickness T5 of the antenna 42. The electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 with respect to the first substrate 41. That is, the first substrate 41 is interposed between the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop conductor 20. In this case, the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is joined to the first substrate 41 by the adhesive layer 63 with the IC chip 12 facing the first substrate 41 side. In this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 are both printed layers formed by printing conductive ink, and the loop conductor 20 may be formed thicker by printing than the antenna 42. For example, in this case, the loop conductor 20 and the antenna 42 may be made of the same material, and the loop conductor 20 may be made thicker than the antenna 42 by applying multiple layers.

Tenth embodiment
Next, a tenth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 25 to 27. Figs. 25 to 27 are diagrams showing an IC chip-equipped product according to this embodiment. The tenth embodiment shown in Figs. 25 to 27 differs in that an IC chip-equipped product 30 is composed of a loop-shaped conductor 10 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and a substrate 50 with an antenna, and the loop-shaped conductor 10 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes both a loop-shaped conductor 20 and an IC chip 12, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 7 described above. In Figs. 25 to 27, the same parts as those shown in Figs. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 25 and 26, the article with an IC chip 30 according to this embodiment includes a substrate with an antenna 50 and a loop-shaped conductor 10 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, which is connected to the substrate with an antenna 50. The loop-shaped conductor 10 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the substrate with an antenna 50 are constructed separately from each other, and the article with an IC chip 30 is constructed by adhering them together.

The loop-shaped conductor 10 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled has a third substrate 11, a loop-shaped conductor 20 on the third substrate 11, and an IC chip 12 connected to the loop-shaped conductor 20. The loop-shaped conductor 10 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is integrated with an antenna-equipped substrate 50 to form an article 30 with an IC chip that performs non-contact wireless communication with a reader/writer (not shown).

The third substrate 11 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. The third substrate 11 supports the loop-shaped conductor 20 and the IC chip 12, and may be a resin sheet (film) or a paper substrate. The resin sheet and paper substrate may be, for example, the same as those used for the first substrate 41 described above.

The loop-shaped conductor 20 is layered on the third substrate 11. The IC chip 12 is layered on the loop-shaped conductor 20.

The antenna-equipped substrate 50 has a first substrate 41 and a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41. The pair of antennas 42 are coupled (capacitively coupled) to the loop-shaped conductor 20 via an adhesive layer 31. In this embodiment, the loop-shaped conductor 20 may contain a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness of the loop-shaped conductor 20 may also be greater than the thickness of the antenna 42.

The antenna-equipped substrate 50 and the loop-shaped conductor 10 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are fabricated separately from each other, and then connected via an adhesive layer 31. The adhesive layer 31 may be, for example, a urethane adhesive, an acrylic adhesive, a styrene-butadiene copolymer adhesive, a vinyl chloride adhesive, an epoxy adhesive, or a hot melt adhesive.

According to this embodiment, the antenna-equipped substrate 50 and the loop-shaped conductor 10 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are constructed separately from each other, and the article with an IC chip 30 is produced by bonding them together. As a result, when mounting the IC chip 12 on the antenna 42, high positional accuracy is not required between the IC chip 12 and the antenna 42, and the article with an IC chip 30 can be easily manufactured.

As shown in FIG. 27, a protrusion 26 that protrudes outward in the planar direction may be provided on the portion of the loop conductor 20 that overlaps with the inner end 43 of the antenna 42. This increases the capacitive coupling between the protrusion 26 of the loop conductor 20 and the inner end 43 of the antenna 42.

Eleventh embodiment
Next, an eleventh embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 28 to 30. Figures 28 to 30 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The eleventh embodiment shown in Figures 28 to 30 differs in that the loop-shaped conductor 10 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the antenna 42, and other configurations are substantially the same as the tenth embodiment shown in Figures 25 to 27 described above. In Figures 28 to 30, the same parts as those shown in Figures 25 to 27 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 28 and 29, an article 30 with an IC chip includes a substrate 50 with an antenna, and a loop-shaped conductor 10 connected to the substrate 50 with an antenna and having an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled thereto. The substrate 50 with an antenna includes a first substrate 41 and a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41. The loop-shaped conductor 10 connected or capacitively coupled to the IC chip includes a third substrate 11, a loop-shaped conductor 20 on the third substrate 11, and an IC chip 12 connected to the loop-shaped conductor 20.

In this embodiment, the loop conductor 10 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the antenna 42 with respect to the first substrate 41. That is, the first substrate 41 is interposed between the loop conductor 10 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the antenna 42. In this case, the loop conductor 10 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is joined to the first substrate 41 by the adhesive layer 31 with the IC chip 12 facing the first substrate 41 side. In this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 may contain a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness of the loop conductor 20 may also be greater than the thickness of the antenna 42.

As shown in FIG. 30, a protrusion 26 that protrudes outward in the planar direction may be provided on the portion of the loop conductor 20 that overlaps with the inner end 43 of the antenna 42. This increases the capacitive coupling between the protrusion 26 of the loop conductor 20 and the inner end 43 of the antenna 42.

Twelfth embodiment
Next, a twelfth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 31 and Fig. 32. Fig. 31 and Fig. 32 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The twelfth embodiment shown in Fig. 31 and Fig. 32 differs in that an article with an IC chip 30 is composed of an antenna-equipped substrate 50, an electrode pair 70 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and a loop-shaped conductor 80 to which an IC chip having a loop-shaped conductor 20 is connected or capacitively coupled, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 7 described above. In Figs. 31 and 32, the same parts as those shown in Figs. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

31 and 32, the IC chip-equipped product 30 according to this embodiment includes an antenna-equipped substrate 50, an electrode pair 70 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and which is joined to the antenna-equipped substrate 50, and a loop-shaped conductor 80 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and which is joined to the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled. The antenna-equipped substrate 50, the electrode pair 70 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are configured separately from one another, and the IC chip-equipped product 30 is configured by adhering these together. That is, the electrode pair 70 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are integrated with the antenna-equipped substrate 50 to configure the IC chip-equipped product 30 that performs non-contact wireless communication with a reader/writer not shown.

The electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled has a fourth substrate 71, a connection terminal 72 on the fourth substrate 71, and the IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 72. The fourth substrate 71 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. The fourth substrate 71 supports the IC chip 12, and may be a resin sheet (film) or a paper substrate. The resin sheet and paper substrate may be the same as those used for the first substrate 41 described above. The connection terminal 72 is formed on the fourth substrate 71, and may be made of a metal foil conductive layer such as copper. The IC chip 12 is attached to the connection terminal 72.

The loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled has a fifth substrate 81 and a loop-shaped conductor 20 on the fifth substrate 81. The fifth substrate 81 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. The fifth substrate 81 supports the loop-shaped conductor 20, and may be a resin sheet (film) or a paper substrate. The resin sheet and paper substrate may be, for example, the same as those used for the first substrate 41 described above. The loop-shaped conductor 20 is laminated on the fifth substrate 81. The IC chip 12 of the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor 20 via the connection terminal 72.

The antenna-equipped substrate 50 has a first substrate 41 and a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41. The pair of antennas 42 are coupled (capacitively coupled) to the loop-shaped conductor 20 via an adhesive layer 73. In this embodiment, the loop-shaped conductor 20 may contain a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness of the loop-shaped conductor 20 may also be greater than the thickness of the antenna 42.

The electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are fabricated separately from each other and then connected via an adhesive layer 83. The substrate 50 with the antenna is also connected via an adhesive layer 73 to the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled. The adhesive layers 73 and 83 can be, for example, a urethane adhesive, an acrylic adhesive, a styrene butadiene copolymer adhesive, a vinyl chloride adhesive, an epoxy adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, or other adhesive.

According to this embodiment, the antenna-equipped substrate 50, the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are constructed as separate entities, and the article with an IC chip 30 is produced by bonding these together. As a result, when mounting the IC chip 12 on the antenna 42, high positional accuracy is not required between the IC chip 12 and the antenna 42, and the article with an IC chip 30 can be easily manufactured.

In this embodiment, a protrusion 26 that protrudes outward in the planar direction may also be provided on the loop conductor 20 at the portion that overlaps with the inner end 43 of the antenna 42 (see Figures 27 and 30).

Thirteenth embodiment
Next, a thirteenth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 33 and Fig. 34. Fig. 33 and Fig. 34 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The thirteenth embodiment shown in Fig. 33 and Fig. 34 is different in that the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are located on the opposite side of the antenna 42, and the other configurations are substantially the same as those of the twelfth embodiment shown in Fig. 31 and Fig. 32 described above. In Fig. 33 and Fig. 34, the same parts as those shown in Fig. 31 and Fig. 32 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 33 and 34, the IC chip-equipped product 30 includes an antenna-equipped substrate 50, an electrode pair 70 to which an IC chip bonded to the antenna-equipped substrate 50 is connected or capacitively coupled, and a loop-shaped conductor 80 to which an IC chip bonded to the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is connected or capacitively coupled. The antenna-equipped substrate 50 has a first substrate 41 and a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41. The electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled has a fourth substrate 71, a connection terminal 72 on the fourth substrate 71, and an IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 72. The loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled has a fifth substrate 81 and a loop-shaped conductor 20 on the fifth substrate 81.

In this embodiment, the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are located on the opposite side of the antenna 42 with respect to the first substrate 41. That is, the first substrate 41 is interposed between the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the antenna 42. In this case, the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are connected via an adhesive layer 83. Also, the substrate 50 with the antenna, the electrode pair 70 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor 80 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are connected via an adhesive layer 73. In this embodiment, the loop-shaped conductor 20 may include a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. Also, the thickness of the loop-shaped conductor 20 may be thicker than the thickness of the antenna 42.

Fourteenth embodiment
Next, a fourteenth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 35 and 36. Figures 35 and 36 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The fourteenth embodiment shown in Figures 35 and 36 differs in that the loop-shaped conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 are located on the opposite side of the antenna 42, and other configurations are substantially the same as the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7 described above. In Figures 35 and 36, the same parts as those shown in Figures 1 to 7 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 35 and 36, the article 30 with an IC chip includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, a loop-shaped conductor 20 arranged on the first substrate 41, and an IC chip 12 connected to the loop-shaped conductor 20.

In this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 are located on the opposite side of the antenna 42 with respect to the first substrate 41. That is, the first substrate 41 is interposed between the loop conductor 20 and the IC chip 12 and the antenna 42. In this case, the pair of antennas 42 are capacitively coupled to the loop conductor 20. Note that the pair of antennas 42 are connected to each other, but this is not limited thereto, and the pair of antennas 42 may be separated from each other. In this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 may include a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness of the loop conductor 20 may also be thicker than the thickness of the antenna 42.

Fifteenth embodiment
Next, a fifteenth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 37 and Fig. 38. Fig. 37 and Fig. 38 are diagrams showing an article with an IC chip according to this embodiment. The fifteenth embodiment shown in Fig. 37 and Fig. 38 is different in that the electrode pair 60 and the loop conductor 20 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are located on the opposite side of the antenna 42, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fourth embodiment shown in Figs. 12 to 14 described above. In Fig. 37 and Fig. 38, the same parts as those shown in Figs. 12 to 14 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 37 and 38, the IC chip-equipped product 30 includes an antenna-equipped substrate 40 and an electrode pair 60 connected to the antenna-equipped substrate 40 and to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled. The antenna-equipped substrate 40 includes a first substrate 41, a pair of antennas 42 on the first substrate 41, and a loop-shaped conductor 20 arranged on the first substrate 41. The electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a second substrate 61, a connection terminal 62 on the second substrate 61, and an IC chip 12 on the connection terminal 62. The IC chip 12 is capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor 20 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40 via the connection terminal 62. The pair of antennas 42 are also capacitively coupled to the loop-shaped conductor 20 of the antenna-equipped substrate 40.

In this embodiment, the electrode pair 60 and the loop conductor 20 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled are located on the opposite side of the antenna 42 with respect to the first substrate 41. That is, the first substrate 41 is interposed between the electrode pair 60 and the loop conductor 20 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and the antenna 42. In this case, the electrode pair 60 to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is joined to the first substrate 41 and the loop conductor 20 by the adhesive layer 63 with the IC chip 12 facing the first substrate 41 side. In this embodiment, the loop conductor 20 may contain a material having a lower volume resistivity than the material of the antenna 42. The thickness of the loop conductor 20 may also be greater than the thickness of the antenna 42.

The components disclosed in each of the above embodiments and modifications may be combined as needed. Alternatively, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in each of the above embodiments and modifications.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 IC chip 20 Loop-shaped conductor 30 Product with IC chip 41 First substrate 42 Antenna 43 Inner end 44 Antenna wiring section

Claims (8)

A first substrate;
an antenna on the first substrate;
a loop-shaped conductor connected or capacitively coupled to the antenna;
an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled to the loop conductor;
the loop conductor includes a material having a volume resistivity lower than that of a material of the antenna;
The device is composed of an electrode pair connected or capacitively coupled to an IC chip and a substrate with an antenna,
The electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a second substrate and the IC chip,
the antenna-equipped substrate includes the first substrate, the antenna, and the loop-shaped conductor,
An article with an IC chip , wherein the electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite side of the first substrate from the loop conductor and the antenna . 2. An article with an IC chip as described in claim 1 , wherein the antenna is composed of a first printed layer, and the loop-shaped conductor includes the first printed layer and a second printed layer located above or below the first printed layer. A first substrate;
an antenna on the first substrate;
a loop-shaped conductor connected or capacitively coupled to the antenna;
an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled to the loop conductor;
the loop conductor includes a material having a volume resistivity lower than that of a material of the antenna;
The antenna is composed of a loop-shaped conductor connected or capacitively coupled to an IC chip and a substrate having an antenna;
the loop-shaped conductor to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a third substrate, the loop-shaped conductor, and the IC chip;
The substrate with an antenna includes the first substrate and the antenna,
An article with an IC chip, wherein the loop-shaped conductor to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite surface of the first substrate from the antenna. A first substrate;
an antenna on the first substrate;
a loop-shaped conductor connected or capacitively coupled to the antenna;
an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled to the loop conductor;
the loop conductor includes a material having a volume resistivity lower than that of a material of the antenna;
The antenna is composed of an electrode pair to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, a loop-shaped conductor to which an IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled, and a substrate with an antenna;
The electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a fourth substrate and the IC chip,
the loop-shaped conductor to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a fifth substrate and the loop-shaped conductor;
The substrate with an antenna includes the first substrate and the antenna,
An article with an IC chip, wherein the electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled and the loop-shaped conductor are located on the opposite surface of the first substrate from the antenna. A first substrate;
an antenna on the first substrate;
a loop-shaped conductor connected or capacitively coupled to the antenna;
an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled to the loop conductor;
the loop conductor includes a material having a volume resistivity lower than that of a material of the antenna;
The loop conductor and the IC chip are located on the opposite surface of the first substrate from the antenna. A first substrate;
an antenna on the first substrate;
a loop-shaped conductor connected or capacitively coupled to the antenna;
an IC chip connected or capacitively coupled to the loop conductor;
the loop conductor includes a material having a volume resistivity lower than that of a material of the antenna;
The device is composed of an electrode pair connected or capacitively coupled to an IC chip and a substrate with an antenna,
The electrode pair to which the IC chip is connected or capacitively coupled includes a second substrate and the IC chip,
the antenna-equipped substrate includes the first substrate, the antenna, and the loop-shaped conductor,
An article with an IC chip, wherein the electrode pair to which the loop conductor and the IC chip are connected or capacitively coupled is located on the opposite surface of the first substrate from the antenna. The article with an IC chip according to claim 1 , which is an RFID tag. The article with an IC chip according to claim 1 , which is a packaging material.

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