Circuit Unit

The invention relates to a circuit unit comprising a circuit integrated on a substrate and using for its operation coupling elements for energy transfer, data output and, if required, data input.

Today, the majority of circuit units in the form of integrated circuits are realized on one semi-conductor chip (substrate) each. These semi-conductor chips have at their edges metallized terminals by which they can be connected by appropriate welding or soldering methods by wires with the terminals of the housing enclosing them or directly with the surrounding circuit.

There are applications in which the electrical connection between the semiconductor chip and its surroundings is not desirable. For example, it has been proposed (German Offenlegungsschrift No. 26 59 573) to equip identification cards with semiconductor chips to improve their protection against imitation, store an amount of information in the identification card at the same time and possibly change this information in a controlling device in cooperation with transmitters and receivers.

The incorporation of circuit units in identification cards causes problems because the cards are exposed to mechanical stress during use, which may destroy in particular the electrical connections between the circuit unit and the terminals located on the cards. The incorporation of circuit units in identification cards is also complicated by the terminal leads which are sensitive to mechanical stress.

It has therefore been proposed (German Offenlegungsschrift No. 19 45 777) to arrange the coupling elements in charge of data input and output directly on the semiconductor chip without any leads, disposing them in a so-called "identificant", for example in order to identify persons. The data are transferred via bundles of optical fibers which must be placed on the circuit unit congruently to the coupling elements. The energy is transferred capacitively via corresponding metal surfaces applied to the outside of the identificant. The surfaces are connected by leads to the semiconductor chip, thus causing the same difficulties as mentioned above.

The problem of the invention is thus to propose an integrated circuit for the above-mentioned or similar purposes, the coupling elements of which are designed in such a way that they are insensitive to a large extent to mechanical stress.

The problem is solved according to the invention by arranging all coupling elements on the substrate which bears the integrated circuit.

The substrate thus exhibits not only the integrated circuit but also elements of data transformation and energy supply which are directly connected to the substrate. The circuit unit is thus a compact unit which can be inserted in a simple manner, e.g. into any kind of identification element such as an identification card, coin, ring, etc., and ensures extremely troublefree operation due to the absence of leads. Finally, the compact design offers further possibilities of miniaturizing such circuit units, thus allowing for cases of application which were ruled out for the circuit units known up to now.

There are a number of possibilities for how to realize the coupling elements according to the inventive idea. For example, light converters such as photocells may be provided for energy transfer integrated on the substrate which supply the electricity necessary for the circuit when struck by light. The input as well as the output of the data may also take place optically, so that a liquid crystal read-out if used, for example, for data output, and corresponding photosensitive elements such as photodiodes are used for data input. The data can also be read in or out capacitively. The necessary transmitting and receiving electrodes are vaporized directly onto the substrate in the form of conductive coatings.

It is crucial for all embodiments that the coupling elements are in direct contact with the substrate without any leads.

Further advantages and developments of the invention are the subject-matter of sub-claims. In the following, embodiments of the invention shall be described in more detail with reference to the adjoined drawings. These show:

FIGS. 1a, 1b an optically operated circuit unit from the top and in cross-section,

FIG. 2a the circuit unit as in FIG. 1, incorporated in an identification card,

FIG. 2b the identification card as in FIG. 2a in a controlling device,

FIG. 3 an optically operated circuit unit with the possibility of data input,

FIGS. 4a, 4b the optical spectra of the light sources for energy supply and data input for the circuit unit as in FIG. 3,

FIGS. 4c, 4d the attenuation characteristics of the filters for masking the data input area and the energy supply area,

FIG. 5 a capacitively operated circuit unit and

FIG. 6 the circuit unit as in FIG. 5 in a controlling device.

FIGS. 1a and 1b show a circuit unit 15 according to the invention in a schematic and greatly enlarged simple embodiment. This can be a circuit unit, for example, which is supplied with energy by photoelectric transducers and also possesses elements which make it possible to read out certain information during operation. When incorporated in an identification card, the circuit unit can be used, for example, for storing a code word, so that the card may be used as an electronic key for controlling admittance, etc.

As can be seen in FIG. 1b, an integrated circuit 2 produced in the known manner is located on a silicon wafer 1 (substrate). The integrated circuit 2 covers only a small part of wafer 1. In the rest of the surface, photosensitive semiconductors, e.g. photocells 3, are integrated to supply the energy necessary for the operation of the integrated circuit, dependent in the known manner on the radiation power of the incident light. The elements are connected with each other and with the integrated circuit by means of conductive ridges which are vaporized on wafer 1 as is usual is the production of integrated circuits.

The data are read out by so-called "liquid crystal" elements 4, which are often used today as display elements. The liquid crystal element comprises a liquid crystal layer 5 which is enclosed in a frame 8 between two transparent electrodes 6,7. Frame 8 is adapted to the size of silicon wafer 1. As is known, liquid crystal layers have the property of changing their transparency consuming extremely little energy as soon as an electric field is applied to conductive coatings 6,7 on both sides of the layer. Thus the illuminated liquid crystal layer sometimes appears milky to the observer, whereas it is transparent in an excited state and whatever background it has (a darkly colored layer 10 in FIG. 1b) becomes visible. To finish off the circuit unit, the frame 8 bearing the liquid crystal is connected firmly with silicon wafer 1, for example, by means of an appropriate adhesive, and electrodes 6,7 are connected with the corresponding terminals of the integrated circuit 2 by the throughplating method. Frame 8 is transparent in the spectral range relevant for photocells 3, so that masking photocells 3 does not interfere with their functioning. The arrangement of data read-out element 4 and energy supply element 3 is advantageous--especially when liquid crystal elements are used for data read-out--in that when the circuit element is irradiated over a large surface, both the photocells are activated and the liquid crystal read-out is lit up. The operation of the circuit unit is thus possible without any elaborate positioning problems and without much effort (only one lighting unit).

The elements for energy supply and for data read-out, however, do not necessarily have to be arranged only on one side of the silicon wafer.

FIG. 2a shows a circuit unit 15, incorporated in an identification card 16.

As was already mentioned above, the circuit unit in its most simple embodiment is responsible for reading out only one defined piece of information, for example, in the form of an identification number, during one control process. The number is stored in a corresponding, non-transient memory within the circuit unit during its production by the known methods. As shown in FIG. 2b, the identification card is directed during the testing of the identification number under a device 17 comprising, among other things, a light source 18 for illuminating circuit unit 15. Due to this irradiation photocells 3 supply the energy necessary for the operation of the unit. As soon as the circuit is operable, the stored information is read out in the form of light/dark modulations by means of the liquid crystal element 4 shown in FIG. 1b, which is also illuminated by the light source. To evaluate the light/dark modulations the liquid crystal element is reproduced on a photodiode 23 by means of an optical system comprising a diaphragm 20 and two lenses 21,22. The adjustment of the identification card within the controlling device may be carried out by means of appropriate mechanical positioning aids (not shown).

The circuit unit described in FIGS. 1a, 1b is only in a position to read out information which is precisely predetermined, not modifiable and typical for every identification card during the control process. However it may be desirable in a number of cases to feed the circuit unit external data as well, which are processed to output information in the integrated circuit, possibly in combination with the data stored in it, or else to change the storage states in the integrated circuit which affect its future behavior. An embodiment which is also suited for this task consists, for example, in feeding in the data that are externally fed in via the photocells used for supplying the circuit unit with electricity. The circuit unit can have the same external construction as shown in FIGS. 1a, 1b. In this embodiment, the light used for illuminating the photocells is composed of a direct portion and an alternating portion containing the information, so that the photocells irradiated by light modulated in this way supply electrical signals which are modulated accordingly. Inside the integrated circuit, the alternating portion is outputted via known electric filters and is fed to the following electronic circuits in the form of information, possibly after being appropriately amplified. Inside the integrated circuit, the direct portion is fed to the energy supply.

Another possibility of providing the circuit unit with data externally is shown in FIG. 3. The surface of the circuit unit shows in this case an area 26 which is insulated from its surroundings--indicated in the figure by cross-hatching--, in which an additional photodiode is integrated in the silicon substrate. The photodiode converts the light modulated according to the information to be read in, into electrical signals.

In order to attain a simplification in the construction of the integrated circuit, a separation of the light currents for energy supply and data read-in is useful in the last-mentioned embodiment. This can be achieved, for example, by means of optical imaging systems which illuminate areas 3, 26 separately.

A possibility which is easier to realize technically consists in separating the light currents according to their frequency. In the following, only one possibility among many is described for separating light currents according to their frequency. Area 26 is illuminated for data read-in with a spectrum lacking the IR-portion, whereas area 3 for energy supply is illuminated solely with IR light. Supplying the energy area with IR light exploits the property of silicon photocells of being particularly sensitive in this range, so that good performance can be achieved even in the case of photocells with small dimensions. In principle, of course, the area for data read-in may conversely be illuminated with IR light or light of another spectral range as well. The receiver-side separation of the light currents is carried out by appropriate detectors which are sensitive to the particular range of light. When physically equivalent detectors are used, areas 3, 26 are masked by optical filters which are each transparent only for the light in question. This state of affairs is shown schematically in FIGS. 4a-4d. FIGS. 4a and 4b show the spectra for illuminating areas 3 (energy supply) and 26 (data read-in). FIGS. 4c and 4d show the attenuation curves of the filters to be used for areas 3 and 26.

Separation of the light currents according to their frequency is advantageous as compared with separation of the light currents by optical systems in that the identification card can be illuminated over a large surface in the area of the circuit unit relative to the size of the circuit unit. Thus it is not necessary to adjust the cone of light.

In the above embodiments, data read-out was carried out by means of liquid crystal elements which can be applied advantageously due to their very low energy needs. These embodiments, however, require a hybrid construction of the circuit unit due to their combination of different technologies. When the elements necessary for data read-out are also integrated in the silicon wafer, a monolithic construction of the circuit unit is achieved. This can be obtained in principle by using light emitting diodes which can be directly integrated in the substrate for data read-out, although the high energy consumption of these elements may be unfavorable for specific ranges of application.

An advantageous embodiment is shown in FIG. 5. In the case of this circuit unit the data are read in and out capacitively. For this purpose vaporized conductive coatings 30,31 are located on the silicon wafer 1, which are connected with integrated circuit 2 by means of conductive ridges which are also vaporized (not shown in the figure). Photocells 3 are again provided for energy supply, which are integrated directly in the silicon wafer along with integrated circuit 2.

FIG. 6 shows the operation of an identification card provided with the last-mentioned circuit, in a control device. To read the data in or out, a counter electrode 33 is put on the identification card in the area of the circuit unit, which may be considerably larger than the circuit itself. Due to the use of only one counter electrode, which may also have a relatively large surface compared with the identification card, there are no problems with respect to the adjustment of the card within the control device. The electrode which is made of transparent material is provided with a transparent but conductive coating 34 so that the light from light sources 35 can reach the photocells of the circuit without any hindrances.

The control device communicates with the circuit unit of the identification card according to the so-called "multiplex"method. Data read-in and read-out are carried out serially within defined time spans.

After starting up the circuit, i.e. after a defined time span has elapsed after illumination of the photocells, the window for data read-in is first generated, and the corresponding receiving electrode (see FIG. 5, e.g. electrode 30) is made ready for operation. Electrode 33 of the control device acts as a transmitter in this phase. The integrated circuit generates a sequence of equidistant "scanning points" within the input window. If a voltage pulse generated by a data transmitting and receiving unit 36 and directed to the applied electrode appears within two scanning points, the logic of the integrated circuit interprets it, for example, as logic 1; otherwise, i.e. if no pulse appears between two scanning points, as logic 0. The potentials of the data pulses fed to the conductive coating 30 are defined against the coating 31 vaporized on the underside of the silicon wafer and kept capacitively on reference potential by the grounded base plate 40 of the control device.

Read-out of the data takes place according to the principle depicted above for read-in, as soon as the window "data read-out" has been generated after a definite time span.

During this period the applied electrode 33, coupled with conductive coating 30, acts as a receiver. The periods for data read-in and read-out can be defined according to known methods by corresponding control information which the control device transmits to the circuit unit.