Dual interface IC card and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide a dual interface IC card which suppresses lowering of reliability of non-contact communication by external forces and the like and suppresses an increase in manufacturing load and which allows fine adjustment of the resonance frequency of a communication circuit.SOLUTION: An IC card 1 according to the present invention has a card substrate 2 having a concave portion 9, and an IC module 70 having an IC chip and a coil electrically connected thereto. The card substrate 2 has an antenna 80 having first and second parts of a coated metal wire 83 closely spaced at a first distance and forming a loop shape outside of the region of the concave portion 9, and a capacitance adjusting part forming a loop shape smaller than that of the antenna 80 in the region of the concave portion 9, with both ends of the coated metal wire 83 being extended, and third and fourth parts thereof closely spaced at a second distance, and including both ends of the coated metal wire 83. First electromagnetic coupling is performed between an external device and the antenna 80, and second electromagnetic coupling is performed between the antenna 80 and the coil, allowing for non-contact communication with the external device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a dual interface IC card capable of contact communication and non-contact communication with an external device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an IC card, a contact IC card that inputs and outputs electrical signals through external connection terminals on the card surface, and a non-contact IC card that inputs and outputs electrical signals by electromagnetic induction or the like via an antenna have been used. In addition to these, a contact and non-contact shared IC card, that is, a dual interface IC card that can realize either the function of a contact IC card or the function of a non-contact IC card with a single IC chip provided in the card is also used. Among them, the dual interface IC card can be used as a contact IC card effective in suppressing external leakage of input / output data during financial settlement, and can be used as a highly convenient non-contact IC card for data exchange in a proximity state when entering or leaving a room or for a ticket gate at a station. For this reason, the dual interface IC card is also becoming more popular in the market.

[0003] By the way, as a method for achieving electrical connection between an IC chip built in an IC module and an antenna disposed in the card, the following two methods can be mentioned for a dual interface IC card. The first method is a method of physically connecting a terminal exposed from the IC module and the tip of an antenna partially exposed from the card by cutting or the like with a conductive paste or the like. The second method is a method of arranging a first coupling coil on the IC module side and a second coupling coil connected in series with the antenna in the card so as to face each other, and using electromagnetic coupling between the two coils to achieve electrical connection between the IC chip and the antenna. This is also called the booster method.

[0004] In the first method, when bending a dual-interface IC card, there is a risk that the conductive paste or the like, which is the physical connection point between the IC module and the antenna, may be damaged by internal stress and the IC card may cease to function. On the other hand, in the second method, since there is no physical connection point between the IC module and the antenna, there is no such concern as described above, and there is a possibility of obtaining a highly reliable IC card.

[0005] As the second method described above, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a communication medium including an IC module and a substrate to which the IC module is assembled. In this communication medium, the IC module includes an IC chip having a non-contact communication unit with communication terminals and a coupling coil connected to the communication terminals. The substrate includes a large-diameter coil including an antenna unit that functions as an antenna and a small-diameter coil disposed at a position where electromagnetic coupling with the coupling coil is possible. Here, the large-diameter coil and the small-diameter coil are formed from a continuous coated wire, and a part of the large-diameter coil and at least a part of the small-diameter coil are integrated by joining the coatings of the coated wire between these coils.

[0006] On the other hand, Patent Document 2 describes a non-contact IC card that relates to the first method described above and has a resonance circuit including an antenna coil and a planar capacitor in a card substrate, and the capacitance of the capacitor in the resonance circuit is adjustable. The capacitor has a configuration including a group of branched linear patterns, and the capacitance of the capacitor is adjustable by cutting the linear patterns from the branch portions. Further, it is further described that the capacitor may have a configuration including a group of linear patterns branched from an antenna coil connection terminal facing a recess for mounting the IC module, and the capacitance of the capacitor may be adjustable by cutting the linear patterns from the branch portions when cutting an outer peripheral groove around the recess for mounting the IC module.

[0007] Generally, the communication circuit of a dual-interface IC card has a unique resonance frequency determined by the inductance component and capacitance component of the antenna, and the communication efficiency is maximized by the electromagnetic wave interaction between the external device and the IC card at the same frequency as the resonance frequency. However, the resonance frequency of the communication circuit of this IC card is known to vary from IC card to IC card due to variations in the capacitance component for each IC chip used and the thermal deformation of the antenna, etc. when laminating the card substrate on which the antenna, etc. is arranged by thermal pressing or the like. In order to improve the reliability against external forces, even when the above booster method is adopted, it is preferable that the resonance frequency of the communication circuit of the card can be finely adjusted while suppressing an increase in the process load.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a dual-interface IC card and a manufacturing method thereof capable of suppressing a decrease in the reliability of non-contact communication due to external forces, etc. and suppressing an increase in the manufacturing load, while achieving fine optimization of the resonance frequency of the communication circuit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The first configuration of the dual - interface IC card capable of contact communication and non - contact communication with an external device according to this embodiment includes a card substrate having a recess, and an IC module embedded in the recess and having an IC chip and a coil electrically connected to the IC chip. The card substrate includes a base material, and an antenna formed on the base material. In a state where a first portion and a second portion of a coated metal wire are in proximity to each other over at least a first distance, the antenna is disposed inside the card substrate so as to form a loop shape outside the region of the recess in a plan view of the card substrate. The card substrate further includes a capacitance adjustment portion formed on the base material. Both ends of the coated metal wire forming the antenna are each extended, and in a state where a third portion and a fourth portion of the coated metal wire are in proximity to each other over at least a second distance, the capacitance adjustment portion including both ends of the coated metal wire is disposed inside the card substrate within the region of the recess in a plan view of the card substrate. By the external device and the antenna performing a first electromagnetic coupling, and the antenna and the coil performing a second electromagnetic coupling, non - contact communication with the external device is possible.

[0011] The second configuration of the dual - interface IC card capable of contact communication and non - contact communication with an external device according to this embodiment is a dual - interface IC card capable of contact communication and non - contact communication with an external device, comprising a card substrate provided with a recess, and an IC module embedded in the recess and having an IC chip and a coil electrically connected to the IC chip. The card substrate includes a base material and an antenna formed on the base material. In a plan view of the card substrate, a first part and a second part of a coated metal wire are in a state of being close to each other over at least a first distance, and are arranged inside the card substrate so as to form a loop shape outside the region of the recess. The card substrate further includes a capacitance adjustment part formed on the base material. Both ends of the coated metal wire forming the antenna are each extended, and a third part and a fourth part of the coated metal wire are in a state of being close to each other over at least a second distance, and are arranged inside the card substrate so as to straddle the inside and outside of the region of the recess in a plan view of the card substrate. The capacitance adjustment part includes both ends of the coated metal wire. Non - contact communication with the external device is possible by the external device and the antenna performing a first electromagnetic coupling, and the antenna and the coil performing a second electromagnetic coupling.

[0012] Also, according to another form of this embodiment, the third configuration of the dual - interface IC card is, in the above - mentioned first configuration, the capacitance adjustment part may be arranged inside the card substrate so as to include one or a plurality of bellows regions in which the folded - back structure of the coated metal wire is repeated.

[0013] Also, according to another form of this embodiment, the fourth configuration of the dual - interface IC card is, for any one of the above - mentioned first to third configurations, a disconnection point of the coated metal wire may be formed in the capacitance adjustment part.

[0014] Further, a fifth configuration of the method for manufacturing a dual - interface IC card capable of contact communication and non - contact communication with an external device according to the present embodiment includes a step of preparing an IC module having an IC chip and a coil electrically connected to the IC chip, and a base material; a step of forming, on the base material, an antenna disposed inside the card substrate so as to form a loop shape outside the region of the recess in a plan view after the card substrate is created, with a first portion and a second portion of the coated metal wire being in a state of being close to each other over at least a first distance; and a capacitance adjustment unit disposed inside the card substrate in the region of the recess in a plan view after the card substrate is created, with both ends of the coated metal wire forming the antenna being respectively extended and a third portion and a fourth portion of the coated metal wire being in a state of being close to each other over at least a second distance, the capacitance adjustment unit including both ends of the coated metal wire; a step of laminating the base material on which the antenna and the capacitance adjustment unit are formed and other members to create a card substrate; a step of measuring the frequency characteristics of the communication circuit of the card substrate; a step of calculating a trimming position for the card substrate; a step of forming the recess in the card substrate and further performing trimming on the recess of the card substrate according to the calculated trimming position; and a step of embedding the IC module in the recess of the card substrate.

Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a dual - interface IC card and a method for manufacturing the same in which the resonance frequency of a fine communication circuit can be optimized while suppressing a decrease in the reliability of non - contact communication due to external forces or the like and suppressing an increase in the manufacturing load.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings and the like, an example of a dual interface IC card of the present disclosure will be described. However, the dual interface IC card of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and examples described below.

[0018] Note that the figures shown below are schematic. Therefore, the sizes and shapes of each part are exaggerated as appropriate for ease of understanding. Also, in each figure, the hatching indicating the cross-section of the member is omitted as appropriate. The numerical values such as the dimensions of each member described in this specification and the material names are examples as an embodiment, and are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately selected and used. In this specification, terms specifying shapes and geometric conditions, such as terms like parallel, orthogonal, and perpendicular, include not only the strictly defined meanings but also substantially the same states.

[0019] 1. First Embodiment of the Present Disclosure An example of a typical first embodiment of the dual-interface IC card of the present disclosure will be described. Here, for convenience of explanation, an XYZ coordinate system is set for the IC card 1. The IC card 1 is a dual-interface IC card. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, etc., the Z-axis is taken in the normal direction of the main surface of the IC card 1. And, from the main surface on the side where the external connection terminal 71 of the IC module 70 is not arranged to the main surface on the side where the external connection terminal 71 is arranged, the direction is defined as the +Z direction or the upward direction in the thickness direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the -Z direction or the downward direction in the thickness direction.

[0020] Also, when the IC card 1 is viewed from the +Z direction, a straight line perpendicular to both short sides of the IC card 1 and the Z-axis is taken as the X-axis, and the direction from one short side near the external connection terminal 71 to the other short side is defined as the +X direction or the right direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the -X direction or the left direction. Further, an axis perpendicular to the X-axis and the Z-axis is taken as the Y-axis, and the direction from one long side far from the external connection terminal 71 to the other long side is defined as the +Y direction or the upward direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the -Y direction or the downward direction.

[0021] Here, FIG. 1 is a plan view of the IC card 1 viewed from the +Z direction, and FIG. 2(a) is a plan view showing the configuration of the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 for the card substrate 2 excluding the IC module 70 from the IC card 1 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the IC card 1 of FIG. 1 viewed from the -Y direction side along the A-A line along the X-axis near the IC module 70.

[0022] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the IC module 70. FIG. 4(a) is an enlarged view of the IC module 70 when viewed from the +Z direction of the IC card 1, and FIG. 6(b) is a view of the IC module 70 when viewed from the -Z direction opposite to that of FIG. 4(a). FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic equivalent circuit of the IC card 1.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the IC card 1 has a form of a substantially rectangular thin plate with rounded corners in a plan view from the +Z direction side. Further, on the surface of the IC card 1 on the +Z direction side, an IC module 70 including external connection terminals 71 is arranged slightly to the upper left from the center, that is, closer to the -X direction and closer to the +Y direction than the center. As shown in FIG. 3, the IC module 70 is embedded in a recess 9 formed in the card substrate 2, and the surface of the external connection terminal 71 on the +Z direction side is arranged to be exposed substantially flush with the surface of the card substrate 2 on the +Z direction side. Such a form of the IC card 1 conforms to ISO / IEC 7816, which is an international standard for IC cards.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the card substrate 2 constituting the card body of the IC card 1 is formed by laminating and integrating, in order from the -Z direction side, an oversheet layer 8, a core layer 7, inner layers 6, 5, a core layer 4, and an oversheet layer 3. These layers are also referred to as base materials. Typically, the oversheet layers 3 and 8 are transparent base materials, and the core layers 4, 7 and the inner layers 5, 6 are white base materials, but it is not limited thereto. Further, between the inner layers 6 and 5, a coated metal wire 83 constituting an antenna 80 and a capacitance adjustment unit 82 is arranged to be sandwiched between them.

[0025] The coated metal wire 83 that constitutes the antenna 80 is disposed inside the card substrate 2 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2. The coated metal wire 83 forms a loop shape outside the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2 in a state where the first portion and the second portion of substantially one coated metal wire 83 that seemingly constitutes two coated metal wires 83 are close to each other over a predetermined distance. The first portion and the second portion refer to one and the other of what seemingly are two coated metal wires 83 that are disposed adjacent to each other among the one coated metal wire 83.

[0026] For example, in FIG. 2, the innermost coated metal wire 83 of the loop shape of the antenna 80 is conveniently referred to as the first wire 83a, the coated metal wire 83 adjacent to the outside thereof is conveniently referred to as the second wire 83b, and the coated metal wire 83 further adjacent to the outside thereof is conveniently referred to as the third wire 83c. At this time, the first wire 83a and the second wire 83b are close to each other by a predetermined distance in each section of the left - right direction at the upper end, the up - down direction at the right end, the left - right direction at the lower end, and the up - down direction at the left end of the card substrate 2. Also, the second wire 83b and the third wire 83c are close to each other by a predetermined distance in each section of the left - right direction at the upper end, the up - down direction at the right end, the left - right direction at the lower end, and the up - down direction at the left end of the card substrate 2.

[0027] This loop - shaped portion is the antenna 80. The predetermined distance is also referred to as the first distance. Also, both ends of the seemingly two coated metal wires 83 that form the antenna 80 extend into the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2 and are disposed in the region of the recess 9 in a state of being close to each other over at least a predetermined distance in a plan view of the card substrate 2. Typically, both ends of the seemingly two coated metal wires 83 form a loop shape that is slightly smaller than the antenna 80. This loop - shaped portion is the capacitance adjustment unit 82. At this time, the tips of the two coated metal wires 83 that constitute the capacitance adjustment unit 82 form both ends that are separated from each other.

[0028] The coated metal wire 83 that constitutes the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is disposed inside the card substrate 2. The predetermined distance is also referred to as the second distance. The coated metal wire 83 is disposed within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2 in a state where the third portion and the fourth portion of substantially one coated metal wire 83 that seemingly constitutes two coated metal wires 83 are close to each other over a predetermined distance. The third portion and the fourth portion refer to one and the other of what seemingly are two coated metal wires 83 that are disposed adjacent to each other among one coated metal wire 83.

[0029] For example, in FIG. 2, the outermost coated metal wire 83 of the loop shape of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is expediently referred to as the fourth wire 83d, and the coated metal wire 83 adjacent thereto inside is expediently referred to as the fifth wire 83e. At this time, the fourth wire 83d and the fifth wire 83e are close to each other by a predetermined distance in each section of the vertical direction of the right region of the first recess 91, the horizontal direction of the lower region, the vertical direction of the right region, and the horizontal direction of the upper region.

[0030] In other words, the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 can be formed by sequentially embedding one coated metal wire 83 in one stroke on the inner sheet that is the base material, and both the starting point and the ending point of the embedding of the coated metal wire 83 are the capacitance adjustment unit 82. That is, from the starting point of the coated metal wire 83, a part of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is formed within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2. Next, the end of the coated metal wire 83 is moved outside the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2, and the embedding of the coated metal wire 83 is continued so as to form a loop shape that is one size larger there.

[0031] Thereafter, the end of the coated metal wire 83 is moved again within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2, and the coated metal wire 83 is embedded again at a position close to the coated metal wire 83 that has already been embedded there. Further thereafter, the coated metal wire 83 whose embedding has ended is cut at a position close to the starting point of the coated metal wire 83, and the embedding of the coated metal wire 83 is ended with this as the end point. Here, the antenna 80 is formed such that the first portion of the coated metal wire 83 embedded for the first time and the second portion of the coated metal wire 83 embedded for the second time are in a state of being close to each other over a first distance. Also, the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is formed such that the third portion of the coated metal wire 83 embedded for the first time and the fourth portion of the coated metal wire 83 embedded for the second time are in a state of being close to each other over a second distance.

[0032] The IC card 1 having the above-described configuration enables the external device provided with a loop coil or the like for non-contact communication and the antenna 80 provided in the IC card 1 to perform a first electromagnetic coupling. Also, the antenna 80 and the coil formed in the IC module 70 can perform a second electromagnetic coupling. As a result, the IC chip built in the IC module 70 and the external device can perform non-contact communication via the first and second electromagnetic couplings.

[0033] This point will be described based on the equivalent circuit diagram of FIG. 5. The IC module 70 has a predetermined capacitance C1 and a resistance R1 based on the configuration of the built-in IC chip. The capacitance is also simply referred to as a capacitor. Also, since the IC module 70 includes a coil 77 to be described later, it has a predetermined inductance L1. On the other hand, the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 disposed inside the card substrate 2 are both formed in one stroke of a single coated metal wire 83 having separated starting and ending points, and at first glance, it may seem that the communication circuit including the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is not closed. Also, the antenna 80 of the card substrate 2 has a predetermined inductance L2.

[0034] However, as described above, in the antenna 80, the first portion and the second portion of the coated metal wire 83 that appear to be two wires are in a state of being close to each other over a first distance, and form a loop shape outside the region of the recess 9 in the plan view of the card substrate 2. Further, in the capacitance adjustment unit 82, the third portion and the fourth portion of the coated metal wire 83 that appear to be two wires are in a state of being close to each other over a second distance and are arranged within the region of the recess 9 in the plan view of the card substrate 2. Typically, the coated metal wire 83 forms a loop shape within the region of the recess 9. Although the coated metal wire 83 is thus a single wire as a whole, the two seemingly separate coated metal wires 83 are arranged close to each other over a predetermined distance, and these coated metal wires 83 function as a single capacitive element as a whole. That is, the communication circuit including the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 can be regarded as a closed circuit because the coated metal wire 83 constitutes a single capacitance C2 as a whole.

[0035] Here, if the total capacitances of the respective communication circuits formed by the IC module 70 and the card substrate 2 are C1 and C2, and the resonance frequencies of the respective communication circuits are f1 and f2, they can be calculated as f1 = 1 / (2π×√(L1×C1)) and f2 = 1 / (2π×√(L2×C2)).

[0036] At this time, the capacitance C1 is a characteristic value of the IC chip to be used, that is, the IC module 70 to be used, and varies for each individual IC chip. On the other hand, the capacitance C2 of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 is formed by the two seemingly separate coated metal wires 83 that are arranged close to each other and form the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82. Therefore, the value of C2 can be somewhat changed by appropriately disconnecting a part of the capacitance adjustment unit 82, that is, by trimming.

[0037] For example, when an external device equipped with a predetermined antenna and the antenna 80 of the card substrate 2 perform first electromagnetic coupling, the resonance frequency of the communication circuit of the external device coincides with the above f2, thereby maximizing the communication efficiency. This resonance frequency is arbitrary, but for example, it can be f2 = 13.56 MHz. Also, the antenna 80 simultaneously performs second electromagnetic coupling with the coil 77 of the IC module 70, and as a result, non-contact communication becomes possible between the IC chip of the IC module 70 and the external device.

[0038] Here, although substantially one coated metal wire 83 forms the antenna 80, both ends of the coated metal wire 83 that appears to be two are each extended to form a capacitance adjustment unit 82. The antenna 80 is arranged inside the card substrate 2 so as to form a loop shape outside the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2 with a first part and a second part, which are apparently two coated metal wires 83, being close to each other over a predetermined first distance. Also, in the capacitance adjustment unit 82, a third part and a fourth part, which are apparently two coated metal wires 83 extended from both ends of the antenna 80, are close to each other over a predetermined second distance. In this state, it is arranged inside the card substrate 2 within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2. That is, by disconnecting a predetermined location of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 arranged within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2, the capacitance C2 of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 can be changed, and as a result, the resonance frequency f2 can also be adjusted.

[0039] Furthermore, the disconnection of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 arranged within the region of such a recess 9 can be easily carried out in the same process as or a process continuous with the cutting process (milling process) of the card substrate 2 performed in the normal recess 9 formation process. That is, the frequency characteristics, etc. of the card substrate 2 are measured in advance, the disconnection position of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 for obtaining a desired f2 or C2 is calculated, and additional cutting for the disconnection of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 may be performed simultaneously with or continuously after the formation of the recess 9.

[0040] As described above, in the present disclosure, the IC card 1, which is a so-called booster-type dual interface IC card in which the IC module 70 and the antenna 80 are not physically connected, can be formed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the reliability of non-contact communication due to an external force or the like. Further, by additional cutting or the like of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 in conjunction with the formation of the recess 9, it is possible to optimize the resonance frequency of the fine communication circuit and to suppress an increase in the manufacturing load.

[0041] Details of the configuration of the dual interface IC card 1 and its manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described below.

[0042] (a) Card substrate The card substrate 2 refers to the card body excluding the IC module 70, which constitutes the dual interface IC card 1. As described above, the card substrate 2 typically has a configuration in which the oversheet layer 8, the core layer 7, the inner layers 6 and 5, the core layer 4, and the oversheet layer 3 are laminated in this order from one end on the -Z direction side in the thickness direction.

[0043] Further, between the inner layers 6 and 5, the coated metal wire 83 that constitutes the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between them.

[0044] The card substrate 2 may refer to both the one before the recess 9 is formed and the one after the recess 9 is formed, and may refer to both the one that does not include the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 and the one that includes them. Both the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 are formed by drawing and embedding a single coated metal wire 83 on the inner layer 6 so as to form the antenna 80 portion and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 portion in a so-called single stroke. Both the start point and the end point of the coated metal wire 83 constitute the end portion of the capacitance adjustment unit 82.

[0045] Here, in the present embodiment, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the coated metal wire 83 of the antenna 80 will be described as a single wire without branching or the like wound in a loop shape. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it is assumed that the coated metal wire 83 is appropriately branched and has three or more tips.

[0046] Also, the layer configuration of the card substrate 2 is not limited to that described above, and a three-layer configuration of an oversheet layer, a core layer, and an oversheet layer, or a two-layer configuration of a core layer and a core layer may be used. Alternatively, the layer configuration of the card substrate 2 may be a multilayer configuration of seven or more layers, such as an oversheet layer, a core layer, a second inner layer, a first inner layer, a second inner layer, a core layer, and an oversheet layer. In this case, the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 may be disposed at the interface with other layers of any of the core layer, the first inner layer, and the second inner layer. Further, printing or magnetic stripe embedding may be performed on the surface of the oversheet layer 3 or 8 of the card substrate 2 opposite to the core layer 4 or 7, or printing may be performed on the adjacent surface of the core layer 4 or 7 with the oversheet layer 3 or 8.

[0047] From the viewpoint of conforming to standards such as ISO / IEC 7816, the thickness of the card substrate 2 is preferably 0.76 mm or more and 0.84 mm or less, but it may be outside this range.

[0048] (i) Core layer As the core layers 4 and 7, various white or colored plastic sheets can be widely used, and single films or composite films listed below can be used. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), PET-G (terephthalic acid-cyclohexanedimethanol-ethylene glycol copolymer), polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyimide, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, polystyrene-based, ABS, polyacrylate ester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, etc. The thickness of the core layers 4 and 7 can be appropriately selected in consideration of the overall thickness of the card, and for example, it can be about 0.10 mm or more and 0.38 mm or less.

[0049] (ii) Inner layer The inner layer is a layer composed of the same members as the core layer provided on the center side in the thickness direction than the core layer. The inner layers 5 and 6 can widely use various plastic sheets similar to the core layers 4 and 7. The inner layers 5 and 6 may be composed of the same material as the core layers 4 and 7, or may be composed of different materials from each other. The thickness of the inner layers 5 and 6 can be appropriately selected in consideration of the overall thickness of the card, and for example, it can be about 0.10 mm or more and 0.38 mm or less.

[0050] (iii) Over-sheet layer As the over-sheet layers 3 and 8, usually, materials of the same quality as the core layer and the inner layer are used, but transparent materials with a thickness of about 0.05 mm or more and 0.10 mm or less are often used. From the viewpoint of preventing the generation of curl when integrating the laminate of the inner layer, the core layer, and the over-sheet layer by hot pressing or the like, it is preferable that the thicknesses of the over-sheet layers 3 and 8 are the same, but they do not necessarily have to be the same. Also, this point is common to the aforementioned core layers 4, 7 and inner layers 5, 6.

[0051] The materials of the oversheet layers 3 and 8 may be those having adhesiveness by heat. Even if the oversheet layer itself does not have adhesiveness by heat, the two can be integrated by additionally forming a layer of a known adhesive that generates adhesive force by heat or the like between the core layer and the oversheet layer. Further, when the dual interface IC card 1 is used as a magnetic card, a magnetic stripe may be pre-embedded by thermal transfer or the like on one or both of the oversheet layers 3 and 8 on the main surface side opposite to both or one of the core layers 4 and 7.

[0052] (iv) Antenna sheet In the present embodiment, a coated metal wire 83 forming an antenna 80 and a capacitance adjustment unit 82 is embedded in one surface of the inner layer 6 of the card substrate 2 facing the inner layer 5 side of the inner layer 6. The formation of the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 on the inner layer 6 is performed, for example, as follows. First, a predetermined thermal pressure is applied to the coated metal wire 83 on the surface of the inner layer 6 facing the inner layer 5 before lamination, and the coated metal wire 83, which is a wire covered with an insulating member, is embedded on the surface of the inner layer 6 by a winding machine.

[0053] That is, a predetermined thermal pressure is applied to the coated metal wire 83. Then, starting from the end 84a of the coated metal wire 83 as shown in FIG. 2, one of the two coated metal wires 83 forming the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is drawn. As a result, the coated metal wire 83 is embedded on the inner layer 6 so as to form a loop shape within the region where the recess 9 is planned to be formed in a plan view of the card substrate 2.

[0054] Once the predetermined embedding is completed for one of the coating metal wires 83 that form the capacitance adjustment unit 82, the head of the winding forming machine is moved in the +Y direction, and then while moving the head so as to form the loop shape of the antenna 80, the coating metal wire 83 is drawn and sequentially embedded in the card substrate 2. At this time, the antenna 80 is embedded on the inner layer 6 so as to form a loop shape outside the region where the formation of the recess 9 is planned in the plan view of the card substrate 2, with the first portion and the second portion of two adjacent coating metal wires 83 that appear to be two being in a state of being close to each other over at least a first distance.

[0055] Here, the first distance is preferably 700 mm or more and 1,400 mm or less. Also, regarding the state of being close to each other over the first distance, being close means that when the center - to - center distance between two adjacent coating metal wires 83 that appear to be two is d + L, where d is the diameter of the coating metal wire 83, L is 0.7 mm or less. By the first distance and being close satisfying the above, the coating metal wires 83 that constitute the antenna 80 can cooperate with the capacitance adjustment unit 82 to constitute an appropriate capacitance C2 of the communication circuit. Note that the first distance does not only refer to the case where two adjacent coating metal wires 83 that appear to be two are close to each other by that distance. In the antenna 80, when there are a plurality of fragmented sections where two adjacent coating metal wires 83 that appear to be two are close to each other, the sum of the distances of those sections may be taken as the first distance.

[0056] After that, the coating metal wire 83 for which the formation of the antenna 80 is completed is moved for the formation of the remaining portion of the capacitance adjustment unit 82. That is, the head of the winding forming machine is moved in the -Y direction. Then, with respect to the coating metal wire 83 of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 for which the embedding has already been completed, the coating metal wire 83 is embedded on the inner layer 6 so that the third portion and the fourth portion of two adjacent coating metal wires 83 that appear to be two are in a state of being close to each other over at least a second distance. At this time, the coating metal wire 83 is embedded in a loop shape within the region where the formation of the recess 9 is planned in the plan view of the card substrate 2.

[0057] As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, with the end portion 84a of the coated metal wire 83 as the starting point and the end portion 84b as the ending point, the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is completed, and the formation of the series of antennas 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is completed.

[0058] Here, the second distance is preferably 10 mm or more and 150 mm or less. Further, the proximity regarding the state of being close over the second distance means that when the center-to-center distance between two adjacent coated metal wires 83 is d + L where d is the diameter of the coated metal wire 83, L is 0.3 mm or less. Note that the second distance does not only refer to the case where two seemingly adjacent coated metal wires 83 are close to each other by that distance. In the capacitance adjustment unit 82, when there are a plurality of fragmented sections where two seemingly adjacent coated metal wires 83 are close to each other, the sum of the distances of those sections may be defined as the second distance. By the second distance and the proximity satisfying the above, the coated metal wires 83 constituting the capacitance adjustment unit 82 can cooperate with the antenna 80 to constitute an appropriate capacitance C2 of the communication circuit.

[0059] In this way, an inner layer 6 is obtained in which the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 are formed on the same surface. An intermediate product in which the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 are embedded in the inner layer 6 may be referred to as an antenna sheet 14. The antenna sheet 14 can be circulated in the market as a component for manufacturing the dual interface IC card 1 by itself. Alternatively, there may exist a business form in which a sheet material such as the inner layer 6 is supplied to a processor, and the processor processes this into the antenna sheet 14 and delivers it to the supplier.

[0060] (v) Antenna The antenna 80 formed in the inner layer 6 can perform non-contact communication by electromagnetic coupling with the antenna of an external device, and can also perform electromagnetic coupling with the coil 77 formed in the IC module 70 to enable non-contact communication with the IC module 70. The communication circuit constituted by the IC module 70 and the card substrate 2 may perform proximity communication using, for example, the 13.56 MHz HF frequency band defined by ISO / IEC 18092, ISO / IEC 14443, etc. Or, it may perform communication using other frequency bands, for example, the 920 MHz UHF frequency band, the 125 KHz LF frequency band, or the 2.45 GHz frequency band of microwaves.

[0061] When the dual interface IC card 1, which is an external device, is held near a reader / writer or the like, an electromotive force and current are generated in the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 by the magnetic field, radio waves, etc. formed by the reader / writer. Then, power is supplied to the IC chip 74a through the electromagnetic coupling between the antenna 80 of the card substrate 2 and the coil 77 of the IC module 70. As a result, the IC chip 74a can be driven, enabling non-contact transmission and reception of information with the reader / writer, and reading and rewriting of information to / from the memory.

[0062] The coated metal wire 83 constituting the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is typically formed by a coated wire in which the periphery of a copper wire is coated with an insulating member. In addition to this, copper alloy wires such as Cu-Ni, Cu-Cr, Cu-Zn, Cu-Sn, Cu-Be, or various metal wires and metal alloy wires such as iron, stainless steel, and aluminum can also be selected. By using the coated wire, the dual interface IC card 1 can be manufactured at a lower cost compared to, for example, the copper foil etching method. However, the dual interface IC card 1 of the present disclosure may also use a coated metal wire formed by a copper foil etching method, a punching method of a metal foil, or the like.

[0063] The diameter of the coated metal wire 83 is not particularly limited as long as the characteristics as a non-contact communication circuit can be ensured. For example, it can be 0.03 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less, and preferably 0.05 mm or more and 0.15 mm or less. By setting it within the latter range, the durability against the thermal pressure due to the embedding process and the external force due to the cutting process can be improved, and good communication characteristics can be ensured.

[0064] (vi) Capacitance adjustment part A capacitance adjustment part 82 is formed on the same surface side as the formation surface of the antenna 80 of the inner layer 6. The capacitance adjustment part 82 is formed by the coated metal wire 83 that forms the antenna 80. The capacitance adjustment part 82, together with the antenna 80, is formed by extending both ends of two mutually adjacent coated metal wires 83, which are substantially one but appear to be two, from the antenna 80 formation part.

[0065] Thereby, in the card substrate 2, the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment part 82 constitute a communication circuit for non-contact communication. In this communication circuit, the antenna 80 and the coil 77 of the IC module 70 are electromagnetically coupled, and further, the antenna 80 and the antenna of an external device are electromagnetically coupled, so that the IC chip built in the IC module 70 and the external device can directly perform non-contact communication. The end parts 84a and 84b, which are two end parts 84 of the coated metal wire 83 forming the capacitance adjustment part 82, are arranged to face each other.

[0066] As in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, if there is a coil directly connected to the antenna 80, stronger electromagnetic coupling can be achieved by arranging the coil opposite to the coil 77 of the IC module 70. However, in the present disclosure, the antenna 80 and the coil 77 of the IC module 70 are electromagnetically coupled, and the capacitance adjustment part 82 is provided in a region overlapping the embedding position of the IC module 70, so that trimming can be made easier.

[0067] Here, a method for adjusting the capacitance C2 by trimming the capacitance adjustment unit 82 will be described. FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 and the vicinity of the recess 9 in FIG. 2. FIG. 6(a) is a view showing a state where the capacitance adjustment unit 82 has not been trimmed. At this time, C2 becomes the maximum value in the IC card 1. Let C2 in this case be C20.

[0068] Note that, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the present embodiment includes a fourth wire 83d and a fifth wire 83e, which are two covered metal wires 83 that are close to each other and descend downward along the right side region of the first recess 91 of the recess 9 or a planned portion thereof from above the upper right. Further, these two covered metal wires 83 are arranged to move leftward along the lower side region of the first recess 91, and then are arranged to rise upward along the left side region of the first recess 91. Further, these two covered metal wires 83 are arranged to move rightward along the upper side region of the first recess 91 and are interrupted at the ends 84 of the respective covered metal wires 83.

[0069] As described above, in the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the present embodiment, two covered metal wires 83 that are close to each other are arranged to draw a clockwise loop shape in a region overlapping the first recess 91 with respect to the recess 9 or a planned portion thereof of the card substrate 2. However, as described above, although the two covered metal wires 83 appear to be two, actually, one covered metal wire 83 constitutes the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 in a so-called one-stroke drawing. The capacitance adjustment unit 82 may be arranged such that two covered metal wires 83 that are close to each other draw a counterclockwise loop shape in a region overlapping the first recess 91. Further, the capacitance adjustment unit 82 may be configured not only to enter from above the upper right with respect to the recess 9 or a planned portion thereof, but also to enter the recess 9 or a planned portion thereof from an arbitrary position.

[0070] As described above, the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the present embodiment is arranged such that two covered metal wires 83 that are close to each other form a loop shape in a region that overlaps with the concave portion 9 or its planned portion of the card substrate 2. By doing so, when trimming the capacitance adjustment unit 82 described later, a milling tool or the like can easily disconnect a predetermined portion of the covered metal wire 83 embedded in a relatively shallow region below the first concave portion 91 from above the first concave portion 91.

[0071] In addition, the traces of the cutting process of the milling tool for disconnecting a predetermined portion of the covered metal wire 83 can be concealed by the subsequent embedding process of the IC module 70, and a decrease in the design property of the appearance of the IC card 1 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the processing region of the first concave portion 91 and the trimming region overlap, the movable region of the milling tool can be minimized, the processing time can be shortened, and the creation of the cutting process program becomes easy.

[0072] On the other hand, FIG. 6(b) shows that the covered metal wire 83 is disconnected at a position LC1 near the approximate center in the left-right direction in the upper region of the first concave portion 91 among the capacitance adjustment units 82 in which two covered metal wires 83 that are close to each other are formed in a loop shape in a region that overlaps with the first concave portion 91. Specifically, for the capacitance adjustment unit 82, by forming a trimming hole 20 at the position LC1, both of the two covered metal wires 83 are disconnected at this location. As a result, the capacitance C2 formed by the covered metal wires 83 that are close to each other in the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 decreases by the amount of the covered metal wire 83 on the right side of the trimming hole 20 compared to the case where trimming is not performed. If C2 in this case is C21, then C21 < C20.

[0073] Further, in FIG. 6(c), the coated metal wire 83 is disconnected at a position LC2 near the approximate center in the vertical direction in the left region of the first recess 91 in the capacitance adjustment section 82. Specifically, with respect to the capacitance adjustment section 82, trimming holes 20 are formed at the position LC2, so that the two coated metal wires 83 are both disconnected at this location. As a result, the capacitance C2 decreases by the amount of the coated metal wire 83 above the trimming hole 20 and to the right from the upper end compared to the case where trimming is not performed or the case where trimming is performed at the position LC1. If C2 in this case is C22, then C22 < C21 < C20.

[0074] Furthermore, in FIG. 6(d), the coated metal wire 83 is disconnected at a position LC3 near the approximate center in the horizontal direction in the lower region of the first recess 91 in the capacitance adjustment section 82. Specifically, with respect to the capacitance adjustment section 82, trimming holes 20 are formed at the position LC3, so that the two coated metal wires 83 are both disconnected at this location. As a result, the capacitance C2 decreases by the amount of the coated metal wire 83 to the left of the trimming hole 20, from the left end to the upper end, and to the right from the upper end compared to the case where trimming is not performed or the case where trimming is performed at the positions LC1 and LC2. If C2 in this case is C23, then C23 < C22 < C21 < C20.

[0075] Similarly, in FIG. 6(e), the coated metal wire 83 is disconnected at a position LC4 near the approximate center in the vertical direction in the right region of the first recess 91 in the capacitance adjustment section 82. Specifically, with respect to the capacitance adjustment section 82, trimming holes 20 are formed at the position LC4, so that the two coated metal wires 83 are both disconnected at this location. As a result, the capacitance C2 decreases by the amount of the coated metal wire 83 below the trimming hole 20, from the lower end to the left end, from the left end to the upper end, and to the right from the upper end compared to the case where trimming is not performed or the case where trimming is performed at the positions LC1, LC2, and LC3. If C2 in this case is C24, then C24 < C23 < C22 < C21 < C20.

[0076] In this way, by cutting a predetermined portion of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 with a milling tool or the like to form the trimming hole 20, the coated metal wire 83 forming the capacitance adjustment unit 82 can be disconnected. As a result, the capacitance C2 formed by the coated metal wire 83 forming the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 changes in the decreasing direction. Therefore, by trimming the capacitance adjustment unit 82 at an appropriate position, the resonance frequency f2 of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 can be optimized, and non-contact communication with an external device can be improved. However, the trimming is not limited to disconnecting both of the two adjacent coated metal wires 83 at the same location, and it is also possible to disconnect only one of the two coated metal wires 83.

[0077] Note that the trimming hole 20 can be formed by, for example, a milling tool (cutting edge) used when forming the recess 9 in the card substrate 2. However, the formation of the trimming hole 20 in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and it may be performed by laser processing or punch hole processing.

[0078] In this way, in the present disclosure, the capacitance component of the communication circuit on the card substrate 2 side can be easily adjusted in the same manner as the cutting process with the milling tool for forming the recess 9. Further, the formation process of the trimming hole 20 for capacitance adjustment can be performed overlappingly within the region of the first recess 91. For this reason, it is possible to suppress impairment of the design property as the IC card 1 in terms of appearance as compared with the case where trimming for capacitance adjustment is performed at a location different from the recess 9. Further, since capacitance adjustment can be performed in the same milling process as the manufacturing process of a normal IC card, addition of another processing machine and increase in process load can be suppressed.

[0079] (b) IC module Next, each part of the main components of the IC module 70 will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 4(a) is a view of the external connection terminal 71 side of the IC module 70 as seen from the +Z direction side, similar to FIG. 1. FIG. 4(b) is a view of the IC module 70 as seen from the -Z direction side opposite to FIG. 4(a). Here, most of the mold portion 74b of the IC chip body 74 is omitted for the sake of being able to see through the inside.

[0080] The IC module 70 is embedded in the recess 9 formed in the card substrate 2, and the terminals 73a and 73b of the substrate 72 of the IC module 70 are electrically connected to both ends of the coil 77 respectively, so that the IC chips 74a and the coil 77 can form a communication circuit for non-contact communication. Also, the IC card 1 can perform contact communication with a contact type reader / writer or the like through the external connection terminal 71 provided in the IC module 70.

[0081] The substrate 72 has copper foils pasted on the front and back of a flexible insulating resin film such as a glass epoxy resin or a polyimide resin via an adhesive, and the copper foils pasted on the front and back surfaces of the resin film are left to form a predetermined pattern. Specifically, the photosensitive material is applied so that the external connection terminal 71 is formed on one copper foil surface of the resin film, and the terminals 73a and 73b and the coil 77 are formed on the other copper foil surface. Then, the film plate with a predetermined pattern is placed, exposed, and the non-photosensitive parts are removed by etching. Thus, the substrate 72 with a part of the copper foils with a predetermined pattern remaining on the front and back surfaces of the resin film is formed. Also, a plurality of bonding holes 76, which are through holes for wire bonding to the external connection terminal 71, are provided in the substrate 72 in advance.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the external connection terminal 71 has each section of the external terminal defined by the ISO / IEC 7816-2 standard. These sections and the IC chip 74a are connected by a wire 75 such as a gold wire through the above-mentioned bonding hole 76 provided in the substrate 72 as shown in FIG. 4(b). Also, the terminals 73a and 73b and the IC chip 74a are similarly connected by the wire 75. These bonding holes 76 and wires 75 are covered and protected by the mold part 74b.

[0083] The IC chip body 74 is disposed on the surface of the substrate 72 opposite to the surface on which the external connection terminals 71 are formed. The IC chip body 74 is composed of an IC chip 74a adhered and fixed to the substrate 72 via an adhesive, a bonding wire 75 for connection, and a mold portion 74b which is a sealing resin for protecting these components. The IC chip 74a includes a CPU for controlling both contact communication and non-contact communication operations, and storage devices such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, and flash memory. Further, the IC chip 74a includes various circuits such as an interface circuit and a power generation circuit for decoding input signals and generating output signals for contact communication and non-contact communication. Note that the various circuits may be provided as separate elements from the IC chip 74a.

[0084] The mold portion 74b is provided as a protruding portion that covers the IC chip 74a and the wire 75 in order to protect them from external force loads and environmental loads. As the mold portion 74b, an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin, etc. is used. In this embodiment, the electrical connection between the IC chip 74a and the external connection terminals 71 and the electrical connection between the IC chip 74a and the terminals 73a, 73b are realized by the connection of the wire 75, but it is not limited thereto. The IC module 70 may be manufactured, for example, by a flip chip method in which metal bumps are provided on the pads of the IC chip 74a and mounted in a face-down manner with the circuit surface facing the substrate 72 side.

[0085] (c) Adhesive layer After forming a recess 9 for embedding the IC module 70 in the card substrate 2 by cutting with an end mill or the like, the IC module 70 is embedded and fixed in the recess 9, and the adhesive layer 11 for mechanically connecting them will be described. The adhesive layer 11 is a liquid or tape-like adhesive, and may be applied or pasted in advance on the surface of the substrate 72 of the IC module 70 opposite to the external connection terminals 71, or may be applied or pasted on the bottom surface of the recess 9 of the card substrate 2 after cutting.

[0086] (d) Manufacturing method of the dual interface IC card Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an IC card 1, which is a dual-interface IC card using the above-described card substrate 2 and IC module 70, will be described.

[0087] First, a coating metal wire 83 is embedded in one surface of the inner layer 6 facing the inner layer 5 side to form a predetermined antenna sheet 14. That is, the antenna sheet 14 is formed by the method described in the section (iv) Antenna Sheet.

[0088] Next, as shown in FIG. 3, an oversheet layer 8, a core layer 7, an inner layer 6 which is an antenna sheet 14, an inner layer 5, a core layer 4, and an oversheet layer 3 are stacked in this order from the lower side in the thickness direction. Then, the laminate of large-sized sheets in which the cards are arranged in a multi-sided manner in the vertical and horizontal directions is sandwiched from above and below in the thickness direction by stainless steel plates, and thermocompression is applied to the laminate through the stainless steel plates. At this time, an antenna 80 and a capacitance adjustment unit 82 are formed so as to be sandwiched between the inner layers 6 and 5.

[0089] By going through such a hot press process, a card substrate in the unit of a large-sized sheet in which each layer of the laminate is integrated can be obtained. Also, when any of the oversheet layer, core layer, and inner layer has heat resistance that does not allow heat fusion at a predetermined temperature, an adhesive sheet that allows heat fusion at a predetermined temperature is sandwiched between the layers, or an adhesive is applied. Then, by subjecting these to a hot press process, a card substrate in the unit of an integrated large-sized sheet is obtained.

[0090] On the other hand, separately from the manufacture of the card substrate 2 and the cutting process for forming the recess 9, the adhesion layer 11 may be optionally attached to the IC module 70. As the IC module 70, usually, a module tape in which the IC module 70 is continuously formed in a long tape in a single row or a double row is used. The tape-shaped adhesion layer 11 is pasted onto the surface of the substrate 72 of the module tape opposite to the surface on which the external connection terminals 71 are formed while applying a certain amount of thermocompression. Then, the module tape with the adhesion layer 11 pasted thereon is punched out with a punching machine as a substantially rectangular IC module 70 having rounded corners to obtain the IC module 70 with the adhesion layer 11 pasted thereon.

[0091] Here, it may be any process before or after the attachment of the adhesion layer 11. For example, a measurement antenna of a network analyzer of model E5100A manufactured by Agilent Technology is brought close to the coil 77 of the IC module 70 to perform various measurements. Thereby, the frequency characteristics of the IC module 70, that is, the IC chip 74a can be measured. The network analyzer executes characteristic evaluation tests of various components, gives a calibrated input signal to the device under test, and measures the vector response over frequency together with phase and amplitude information. Furthermore, transmission (transmission coefficient, insertion loss, gain), reflection (reflection coefficient, VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio) return loss), and impedance measurement, as well as S-parameter capture, can be performed. The S-parameter represents the characteristics of a circuit in terms of the degree of reflection and transmission of an alternating current signal regarded as a wave. The degree means the extent to which the wave reflected or passing through the target circuit is attenuated or amplified and transmitted.

[0092] By measuring and analyzing the scope of common general knowledge using such a network analyzer, for example, the capacitance C1, resistance component, resonance frequency f1, etc. of the IC chip 74a incorporated in the IC module 70 can be identified. However, the characteristics of the IC module 70 are guaranteed to a certain extent by the chip manufacturer, etc., and it is not always necessary to measure the frequency characteristics of the IC module 70. Also, if the measured value of the resonance frequency f1 deviates from the value of the desired resonance frequency f2 of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2, the IC module 70 may be judged as good or bad by setting certain criteria.

[0093] Also, in the state of the antenna sheet 14 before the thermal press process, various measurements can be performed by bringing the measurement antenna of the network analyzer close to the communication circuit formed by the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82. Thereby, as the frequency characteristics of the communication circuit formed by the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the card substrate 2, the capacitance C2, resistance component, coil component (inductance), resonance frequency f2, etc. can be identified.

[0094] Note that the measurement of the network analyzer for the communication circuit formed by the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 82 may be performed not only in the state of the antenna sheet 14 but also at the stage where the card substrate 2 of the card size has been processed. In particular, it is preferably performed before or after the formation of the recess 9 of the card substrate 2 immediately before embedding the IC module 70 in the card substrate 2. This is because the frequency characteristics of the communication circuit are determined to a certain extent even in the state of the antenna sheet 14, but are also affected by the subsequent processing steps. The steps that can have an impact include, for example, thermal shrinkage during the lamination of each layer, deviation of the punching position when punching to the card size, the thickness of the printing layer for concealing the magnetic stripe arranged on the surface of the card substrate 2 (the printing layer contains a pigment of metal powder such as aluminum powder), the presence or absence of a hologram including an aluminum vapor deposition layer, etc.

[0095] By measuring the frequency characteristics of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 before or after the formation of the recess 9 of the card substrate 2 reflecting the above influence, the trimming position of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 can be accurately calculated, and the resonance frequency f2 as the IC card 1 can be ensured with higher accuracy.

[0096] Here, the card substrate in the size of a large sheet unit in which the cards are arranged in a multi-sided manner vertically and horizontally obtained as described above is punched out by a punching machine into the card substrate 2 having the card size of ISO / IEC 7816. Further, a recess 9 for embedding the IC module 70 in the card substrate 2 is formed by cutting with an end mill. Thereby, the cut card substrate 2 is obtained. The recess 9 is composed of a first recess 91 having a first depth for accommodating the flat substrate 72 of the IC module 70 and a second recess 92 having a second depth deeper than the first recess 91 for accommodating the convex IC chip body 74.

[0097] Incidentally, simultaneously with the cutting process of the above-described recess 9 or in a process after the cutting process of the recess 9, trimming of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is performed as necessary by the same cutting machine and milling tool as the cutting process of the recess 9. The formation position of the trimming hole 20 at this time can be any position such as the positions LC1, LC2, LC3, LC4, etc. exemplified in FIGS. 6(b) to 6(e) as described above. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6(a), there is also an option not to perform trimming. Here, when the capacitance of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 measured in advance is C2, trimming may be performed at a predetermined position so that f2 becomes a predetermined value according to the above-described calculation formula of the resonance frequency f2.

[0098] Here, regarding to which value C2 should be adjusted according to the measured value of C2 and which position of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 should be trimmed to make C2 a predetermined value, it can be dealt with by measuring the correlation between them in advance. Further, the information on the correlation, calculation formula, etc. may be stored as a table in the control unit, storage unit, etc. of the cutting machine or the like.

[0099] After that, a recess 9 is formed, and an IC module 70 with an adhesive layer 11 attached thereto is embedded in the card substrate 2 for which trimming of the necessary capacitance adjustment unit 82 has been completed. A predetermined heat block is pressed against the external connection terminal 71, and a predetermined thermal pressure is applied toward the card substrate 2 side for a predetermined time.

[0100] As a result, the adhesive layer 11 is thermally melted, and a mechanical connection between the IC module 70 and the card substrate 2 can be achieved. Although the heating conditions for the external connection terminal 71 vary depending on the type and composition thereof in terms of the application time and thermal pressure conditions, as an example, the time can be 0.5 seconds or more and 10.0 seconds or less, the temperature can be 150°C or more and 250°C or less, and the pressure can be 20 MPa or more and 100 MPa or less.

[0101] (e) Regarding the dual interface IC card of the first embodiment Summarizing the above, the IC card 1, which is a dual interface IC card capable of contact communication and non-contact communication with an external device, has the following configuration. That is, it includes a card substrate 2 having a recess 9, and an IC module 70 embedded in the recess 9 and having an IC chip 74a and a coil 77 electrically connected to the IC chip 74a. The card substrate 2 includes an inner layer 6 as a base material, and an antenna 80 and a capacitance adjustment unit 82 formed on the base material.

[0102] The antenna 80 is arranged inside the card substrate 2 so as to form a loop shape outside the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2 in a state where the first portion and the second portion of the coated metal wire 83 that appears to be two are in proximity to each other over at least a first distance. Further, the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is arranged inside the card substrate 2 within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2 in a state where the third portion and the fourth portion of the coated metal wire 83, which are the extended ends of the two coated metal wires 83 that appear to form the antenna 80, are in proximity to each other over at least a second distance. Also, the capacitance adjustment unit 82 includes the separated ends of the two coated metal wires 83.

[0103] In the IC card 1 configured as described above, the external device and the antenna 80 perform a first electromagnetic coupling, and the antenna 80 and the coil 77 perform a second electromagnetic coupling, so that the IC card 1 can perform non-contact communication with the external device.

[0104] The antenna 80 is disposed inside the card substrate 2 so as to form a loop shape outside the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2 in a state where the first portion and the second portion of the coated metal wire 83 are close to each other over at least a first distance. Further, in the capacitance adjustment unit 82, the third portion and the fourth portion of the coated metal wire 83 extending from both ends of the antenna 80 are close to each other over at least a second distance. In this state, it is disposed inside the card substrate 2 within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2. In the present embodiment, the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is disposed inside the card substrate 2 so as to form a loop shape smaller than the antenna 80. That is, by disconnecting a predetermined portion of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 disposed within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2, the capacitance C2 of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 can be changed, and as a result, the resonance frequency f2 can also be adjusted.

[0105] The disconnection of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 disposed within the region of the recess 9 can be easily performed in the same or a continuous process as the cutting process of the card substrate 2 performed in the normal recess 9 forming process. The IC card 1 of the present embodiment can be formed as a so-called booster-type dual interface IC card in which the IC module 70 and the antenna 80 are not physically connected. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the reliability of non-contact communication due to an external force or the like. Further, by additionally cutting the capacitance adjustment unit 82 in conjunction with the formation of the recess 9, it is possible to optimize the resonance frequency of the fine communication circuit and suppress an increase in the manufacturing load.

[0106] 2. Second Embodiment of the Present Disclosure Next, a second embodiment of the dual-interface IC card of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 7 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2 showing a card substrate 2a with the IC module 70 of the IC card according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure removed. The card substrate 2a of the IC card according to the second embodiment has the same configuration of the antenna 80 as that of the first embodiment, but the configuration of the capacitance adjustment unit 82a is different from that of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the first embodiment. That is, the capacitance adjustment unit 82a is formed by extending both ends of the two coated metal wires 83 forming the antenna 80. However, a part of the two coated metal wires 83 constituting the capacitance adjustment unit 82a is arranged not only within the region of the recess 9 but also in a portion protruding outside the region of the recess 9 in a state of being close to each other in a plan view of the card substrate 2. In the present embodiment, a part of the coated metal wire 83 forms a loop shape smaller than the antenna 80 as a portion protruding outside the region of the recess 9. The portion of the coated metal wire 83 protruding outside the region of the recess 9 is not limited to a loop shape and may be a bellows shape or the like.

[0107] For example, in FIG. 7, a part of the two coated metal wires 83 constituting the capacitance adjustment unit 82a protrudes outside the region of the recess 9 to form a first loop portion 82p that is a loop around once and a second loop portion 82q that is also a loop around once. Both are formed in series and finally form both ends 84 of the coated metal wire 83. That is, the capacitance adjustment unit 82a is arranged inside the card substrate 2 such that both ends of the coated metal wire 83 forming the antenna 80 are each extended, and the third part and the fourth part of the coated metal wire 83 are in a state of being close to each other over at least a second distance and straddle within the region of the recess 9 and outside the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2.

[0108] Among the capacitance adjustment unit 82a, the portion within the region of the recess 9 is referred to as a recess arrangement portion 82r. Further, the capacitance adjustment unit 82a includes a first loop portion 82p and a second loop portion 82q that form a loop shape smaller than the antenna 80 outside the region of the recess 9. The capacitance adjustment unit 82a is arranged inside the card substrate 2 and includes both separated ends of the coated metal wire 83. The configuration of the antenna 80 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0109] Specifically, the capacitance adjustment unit 82a is arranged such that two coated metal wires 83 that are close to each other from above the upper right approach the concave portion 9 or its planned portion and descend downward along the right side region of the first concave portion 91 of the concave portion 9. These two coated metal wires 83 descend further below the lower end of the right side region of the first concave portion 91 and outside the region of the concave portion 9, and then are arranged to draw a loop along the right, then upward, and further leftward directions. This loop-shaped portion is the first loop portion 82p. Thereafter, these two coated metal wires 83 are arranged to move leftward along the lower side region of the first concave portion 91.

[0110] These two coated metal wires 83 move further leftward outside the region of the concave portion 9 beyond the left end of the lower side region of the first concave portion 91, and then are arranged to draw a loop along the downward, then rightward, and further upward directions. This loop-shaped portion is the second loop portion 82q. Thereafter, these two coated metal wires 83 are arranged to rise upward along the left side region of the first concave portion 91. Further, these two coated metal wires 83 are arranged to move rightward along the upper side region of the first concave portion 91, and are interrupted at the ends 84 of the respective coated metal wires 83.

[0111] Since the card substrate 2a of the IC card according to the second embodiment has the above-described configuration, in the description of trimming in FIG. 6 and the like in the first embodiment, the change in the capacitance C2 when trimming at the positions LC1 to LC4 can be made larger than in the first embodiment. For example, the capacitances C2 when trimming at the positions LC2, LC3, and LC4 are C22, C23, and C24, respectively. It is considered that the degree of decrease in the second embodiment is larger than the degree of decrease in capacitance from C22 to C23 in the first embodiment. This is because the distance between the two coated metal wires 83 existing between the two positions due to the trimming position changing from LC2 to LC3 is longer in the case of the second embodiment by the amount of the second loop portion 82q.

[0112] The same also applies to the degree of capacitance decrease in the second embodiment with respect to the degree of capacitance decrease from C23 to C24 in the first embodiment. Also in this case, due to the trimming position changing from LC3 to LC4, the distance between the two coated metal wires 83 existing between both positions becomes longer in the case of the second embodiment by the amount of the first loop portion 82p. In the present embodiment, the portion protruding outside the region of the recess 9 is formed in a loop shape smaller than the antenna 80 simply to increase the capacitance change by increasing the distance between the two positions when the trimming position is shifted. Therefore, it goes without saying that the shape of the coated metal wire 83 of the portion protruding outside the region of the recess 9 is not limited to the loop shape and may be arranged in any shape.

[0113] As described above, in the IC card of the present embodiment, a predetermined portion of the capacitance adjustment unit 82a disposed within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2a can be disconnected. Thereby, the change width of the capacitance C2 of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2a can be increased, and as a result, the adjustment range of the resonance frequency f2 can be increased.

[0114] 3. Third Embodiment of the Present Disclosure Next, a third embodiment of the dual interface IC card of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 8 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2 showing a card substrate 2b with the IC module 70 of the IC card according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure removed. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the capacitance adjustment unit 85 in FIG. 8. The card substrate 2b of the IC card according to the third embodiment has the same configuration of the antenna 80 as that of the first embodiment, but the configuration of the capacitance adjustment unit 85 is different from that of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the first embodiment. That is, the capacitance adjustment unit 85 is formed by extending both ends of the two coated metal wires 83 forming the antenna 80. However, the capacitance adjustment unit 85 is disposed inside the card substrate 2b so as to include one or more bellows regions in which the folded-back structure of the two coated metal wires 83 is repeated. In the present embodiment, the capacitance adjustment unit 85 is disposed inside the card substrate 2b so as to form a loop shape as a whole while including one or more bellows regions in which the folded-back structure of the two coated metal wires 83 is repeated.

[0115] Referring to FIG. 9, the outermost coated metal wire 83 of the loop shape of the capacitance adjustment unit 85 is arbitrarily defined as the fourth wire 83d, and the coated metal wire 83 adjacent to its inner side is arbitrarily defined as the fifth wire 83e. The capacitance adjustment unit 85 is arranged such that the fourth wire 83d and the fifth wire 83e, which are two coated metal wires 83 approaching each other from the upper right above the recess 9 or its planned portion, descend along the right side region of the first recess 91 of the recess 9. Here, the two coated metal wires 83 form a fourth partial region 85s, which is a bellows region in which the vertical folding structure is repeated from the right side to the left side, in the right side region of the first recess 91 of the recess 9.

[0116] Furthermore, these two coated metal wires 83 are arranged to move leftward along the lower region from the right region of the first recess 91 which is the end of the fourth partial region 85s. Then, in the lower region of the first recess 91 of the recess 9, a third partial region 85r which is a bellows region where the folding structure in the left - right direction is repeated from the lower side to the upper side is formed. Subsequently, the two coated metal wires 83 are arranged to move upward along the left region from the lower region of the first recess 91 which is the end of the third partial region 85r. Then, in the left region of the first recess 91 of the recess 9, a second partial region 85q which is a bellows region where the folding structure in the up - down direction is repeated from the left side to the right side is formed.

[0117] Finally, the two coated metal wires 83 are arranged to move rightward along the upper region from the left region of the first recess 91 which is the end of the second partial region 85q. Then, in the upper region of the first recess 91 of the recess 9, a first partial region 85p which is a bellows region where the folding structure in the left - right direction is repeated from the upper side to the lower side is formed. And in the first partial region 85p, each coated metal wire 83 is interrupted at end portions 84a and 84b which are end portions 84. Thus, the capacitance adjustment part 85 of the card substrate 2b of the present embodiment includes four bellows regions where the folding structure of the two coated metal wires 83 is repeated. Here, if each bellows region is regarded as two coated metal wires arranged in parallel, it can be said that the coated metal wires 83 are arranged inside the card substrate 2b so as to form a loop shape as a whole.

[0118] Here, the formation of the trimming hole 20 in the present embodiment will be described. First, in the capacitance adjustment part 85 of FIG. 9 where trimming has not been performed, the capacitance C2 becomes the maximum value in the IC card. Let C2 in this case be C200. Also, FIGS. 10(a) to 10(d) are the same plan views as FIG. 9 for explaining the state where the capacitance adjustment part 85 is trimmed at a predetermined position.

[0119] FIG. 10(a) is a view in which the coating metal wire 83 of the first partial region 85p, which is a bellows region, is disconnected at the position LC5 near the approximate center in the left-right direction of the upper region of the first recess 91, among the capacitance adjustment portions 85 formed by arranging two coating metal wires 83 close to each other in the region overlapping with the first recess 91. Specifically, with respect to the capacitance adjustment portion 85, the trimming hole 20 is formed at the position LC5, so that the coating metal wire 83 constituting the first partial region 85p is disconnected at this location. As a result, the capacitance C2 formed by the coating metal wires 83 of the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment portion 85 that are close to each other is reduced by the amount of the coating metal wire 83 on the right side of the trimming hole 20 compared to the case where no trimming is performed. If C2 in this case is C25, then C25 < C200.

[0120] Further, FIG. 10(b) is a view in which the coating metal wire 83 of the second partial region 85q, which is a bellows region, is disconnected at the position LC6 near the approximate center in the up-down direction of the left region of the first recess 91, among the capacitance adjustment portions 85. Specifically, with respect to the capacitance adjustment portion 85, the trimming hole 20 is formed at the position LC6, so that the coating metal wire 83 constituting the second partial region 85q is disconnected at this location. As a result, the capacitance C2 formed by the coating metal wires 83 of the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment portion 85 that are close to each other is reduced by the amount of the coating metal wire 83 on the upper side and from the upper end to the right side of the trimming hole 20 compared to the case where no trimming is performed. If C2 in this case is C26, then C26 < C25 < C200.

[0121] FIG. 10(c) is a diagram in which the covering metal wire 83 of the third partial region 85r, which is a bellows region, is disconnected at the position LC7 near the approximate center in the left-right direction in the lower region of the first recess 91 in the capacitance adjustment unit 85. Specifically, with respect to the capacitance adjustment unit 85, when the trimming hole 20 is formed at the position LC7, the covering metal wire 83 that constitutes the third partial region 85r is disconnected at this location. As a result, the capacitance C2 formed by the covering metal wires 83 of the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 85 that are adjacent to each other is reduced by the amount of the covering metal wires 83 on the left side, from the left end to the upper end, and from the upper end to the right side of the trimming hole 20 as compared with the case where no trimming is performed. If C2 in this case is C27, then C27 < C26 < C25 < C200.

[0122] Furthermore, FIG. 10(d) is a diagram in which the covering metal wire 83 of the fourth partial region 85s, which is a bellows region, is disconnected at the position LC8 near the approximate center in the vertical direction in the right region of the first recess 91 in the capacitance adjustment unit 85. Specifically, with respect to the capacitance adjustment unit 85, when the trimming hole 20 is formed at the position LC8, the covering metal wire 83 that constitutes the fourth partial region 85s is disconnected at this location. As a result, the capacitance C2 formed by the covering metal wires 83 of the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 85 that are adjacent to each other is reduced by the amount of the covering metal wires 83 on the lower side, from the lower end to the left end, from the left end to the upper end, and from the upper end to the right side of the trimming hole 20 as compared with the case where no trimming is performed. If C2 in this case is C28, then C28 < C27 < C26 < C25 < C200.

[0123] Thus, by cutting a predetermined portion of the capacitance adjustment unit 85 with a milling tool or the like to form the trimming hole 20, the coated metal wire 83 forming the capacitance adjustment unit 85 can be disconnected. As a result, the capacitance C2 formed by the coated metal wire 83 forming the antenna 80 and the capacitance adjustment unit 85 changes in the decreasing direction. Moreover, for example, when compared with the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the first embodiment, the trimming positions LC1 and LC5, LC2 and LC6, LC3 and LC7, and LC4 and LC8 are substantially at the same positions in relation to the recess 9. However, for example, the difference in the length of the coated metal wire 83 separated by disconnection at LC5 and LC6 is larger than the difference in the length at LC1 and LC2. This is because the length of the coated metal wire 83 included between both positions is longer in the latter case.

[0124] Thus, in the IC card of the present embodiment, a predetermined portion of the capacitance adjustment unit 85 disposed within the region of the recess 9 in a plan view of the card substrate 2b can be disconnected. Thereby, the change range of the capacitance C2 of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2b can be increased, and as a result, the adjustment range of the resonance frequency f2 can be increased. Moreover, in a plan view of the card substrate 2b, since the entire region of the coated metal wire 83 forming the capacitance adjustment unit 85 overlaps with the first recess 91, the coated metal wire 83 can be disconnected at any location of the capacitance adjustment unit 85, enabling finer adjustment of the capacitance C2.

[0125] In the present embodiment, all of the plurality of coated metal wires 83 forming the bellows are disconnected in the first partial region 85p to the fourth partial region 85s, which are bellows regions, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and only a part of the plurality of coated metal wires 83 forming the bellows may be disconnected. Also, the number of bellows regions does not have to be four, and may be one to three, or five or more may be provided. Further, the first to third embodiments described so far can also be used in combination with all or some of their aspects, and such aspects are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0126] 4. Fourth Embodiment of the Present Disclosure Next, a dual interface IC card manufacturing system according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining the functions of an IC card manufacturing system 10 that manufactures an IC card 1 which is a dual interface IC card according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the process of calculating the trimming position for the IC card 1 and performing trimming thereon.

[0127] The IC card manufacturing system 10 includes at least a control unit 210, an IC module processing unit 230, a card milling unit 250, an antenna sheet measurement unit 280, and an IC module mounting unit 270. The control unit 210 includes an IC module frequency characteristic measurement instruction unit 211 that transmits an instruction signal to the IC module frequency characteristic measurement unit 232 of the IC module processing unit 230 so as to measure the frequency characteristics of the IC module 70. Further, the control unit 210 includes a card substrate frequency characteristic measurement instruction unit 212 that transmits an instruction signal to the card substrate frequency characteristic measurement unit 281 of the antenna sheet measurement unit 280 so as to measure the frequency characteristics of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 in the state of the antenna sheet 14.

[0128] Furthermore, the control unit 210 includes a trimming position calculation unit 213 that calculates the trimming position of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the card substrate 2 based on the data received from the card substrate frequency characteristic measurement unit 281. The trimming position calculation unit 213 also has a function of transmitting the calculated trimming position data to the trimming instruction unit 254 of the card milling unit 250. Note that the IC module frequency characteristic measurement unit 232 of the IC module processing unit 230 is not an essential configuration of the IC card manufacturing system 10. However, when it is determined that the measurement data at the IC module frequency characteristic measurement unit 232 is not preferable in manufacturing the IC card 1, the control unit 210 may determine to reject the IC module 70.

[0129] On the one hand, the IC module processing unit 230 includes an adhesive tape attaching unit 231 that attaches an adhesive tape, which is the adhesive layer 11, to the back side of the substrate 72 of the IC module 70. Further, if necessary, when the IC module processing unit 230 receives an instruction signal from the IC module frequency characteristic measurement unit 232, it may measure the frequency characteristics of the IC module 70 and transmit the result to the control unit 210.

[0130] Note that the frequency characteristics of the IC module 70 may be considered to be substantially equivalent to the frequency characteristics of the built-in IC chip 74a.

[0131] The card milling unit 250 includes an item input unit 251 for determining the shape of the recess 9 etc. determined for each product type, and a milling instruction unit 252 for instructing cutting processing etc. of the recess 9. Further, the card milling unit 250 includes a trimming instruction unit 254 that instructs trimming of a predetermined position with respect to the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the actual card substrate 2 based on the data regarding the trimming position received from the trimming position calculation unit 213 of the control unit 210. The trimming position calculation unit 213 calculates the trimming position in advance based on the frequency characteristic data measured by the card substrate frequency characteristic measurement unit 281 of the card substrate measurement unit 280.

[0132] Also, the IC module mounting unit 270 includes an item input unit 271 for inputting the product type of the IC module 70 to be used, and an IC module individual piece processing unit 272 that punches out individual IC modules 70 from a module tape in which the adhesive layer 11 is pre-stuck according to the product type of the IC module 70.

[0133] Furthermore, the IC module mounting unit 270 includes an IC module transfer unit 273 that conveys and fits individual IC modules 70 into a predetermined position of the card substrate 2 in which the recess 9 is formed. Furthermore, it includes an IC module heating and pressing unit 274 that applies a predetermined thermal pressure for a predetermined time from the surface of the external connection terminal 71 of the IC module 70.

[0134] Also, by applying a predetermined thermal pressure to the IC module 70 for a predetermined time, the adhesive layer 11 is heated and cured, thereby enabling a mechanical connection between the IC module 70 and the card substrate 2. Further, the IC module mounting portion 270 includes an IC card operation check portion 275 that checks the operation of the IC card 1 in which the mechanical connection of the IC module 70 to the card substrate 2 is completed. The IC card operation check portion 275 checks, for example, whether the IC card 1 can output normal reception and return signals with respect to a non-contact communication signal having a predetermined resonance frequency.

[0135] A process of manufacturing the IC card 1 by the IC card manufacturing system 10 having the above configuration will be described. First, an IC module 70 having an IC chip 74a and a plurality of terminals 73a, 73b electrically connected to the IC chip 74a is prepared. Next, a card substrate 2 having a predetermined-shaped antenna 80 and a capacitance adjustment portion 82 disposed therein is prepared.

[0136] Next, the frequency characteristics of the IC module 70 are measured as necessary (step S401 in FIG. 12). That is, the IC module frequency characteristic measurement instruction portion 211 of the control portion 250 transmits an instruction signal to the IC module frequency characteristic measurement portion 232 of the IC module processing portion 230 so as to measure the frequency characteristics of the IC module 70. The measurement of the frequency characteristics of the IC module 70 is performed, for example, by bringing a measurement antenna of a network analyzer of model E5100A manufactured by Agilent Technologies, for example, as described above, close to the coil 77 of the IC module 70. However, this step is to confirm as a precaution whether the IC module 70 can perform non-contact communication with the card substrate 2 at an appropriate resonance frequency.

[0137] Furthermore, the large-sized card substrate in this state is punched into card substrates 2 which are individual card units, and recesses 9 are formed in the card substrates 2. Here, the variety to be milled is specified from the information input to the item input unit 251 of the card milling unit 250. Then, based on the operator's switch input or the like, an instruction signal is output from the milling instruction unit 252 to the milling device to form a recess 9 with a predetermined shape at a predetermined position of the card substrate 2. As a result, a predetermined recess 9 is formed in the card substrate 2.

[0138] Here, for the card substrate 2 before or after the formation of the recess 9, the frequency characteristics of the communication circuit are measured (step S402). The card substrate frequency characteristic measurement instruction unit 212 of the control unit 250 transmits an instruction signal to the card substrate frequency characteristic measurement unit 253 of the card milling unit 250 to measure the frequency characteristics of the circuit of the card substrate 2.

[0139] The measurement of the frequency characteristics of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 is performed as follows. For example, it is performed by bringing the measurement antennas of two probes of a network analyzer of model E5100A manufactured by Agilent Technology into proximity with the communication circuit of the card substrate 2. Note that the measurement of the frequency characteristics of the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 may be performed in the state of the antenna sheet 14 before lamination.

[0140] Subsequently, the trimming position for the capacitance adjustment unit 82 is calculated (step S403). That is, based on the frequency characteristic data of the communication circuit received from the card substrate frequency characteristic measurement unit 253, the trimming position calculation unit 213 calculates the trimming position of the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the card substrate 2. Note that based on the frequency characteristic data of the IC module 70 received from the IC module frequency characteristic measurement unit 232 of the IC module processing unit 230, it may be determined whether each IC module 70 can be used.

[0141] Then, trimming is performed on the capacitance adjustment unit 82 according to the calculated trimming position (step S404). That is, based on the data regarding the trimming position received from the trimming position calculation unit 213, the trimming instruction unit 254 instructs trimming at a predetermined position on the capacitance adjustment unit 82 of the actual card substrate 2. This trimming can be realized by forming trimming holes 20 as cutting holes with a milling tool or the like at positions such as positions LC1, LC2, LC3, LC4, etc. exemplified in the description of FIGS. 8(a) to 8(d) above, and disconnecting the coated metal wire 83 of the capacitance adjustment unit 82. When a disconnection occurs in the coated metal wire 83, the capacitance in the communication circuit of the card substrate 2 is reduced according to the disconnection position.

[0142] Thereafter, the IC module transfer unit 273 of the IC module mounting unit 270 conveys and fits the individual IC modules 70 to a predetermined position on the card substrate 2 in which the recess 9 is formed. Further, the IC module heating and pressing unit 274 applies a predetermined thermal pressure from the surface of the external connection terminals 71 of the IC module 70 for a predetermined time. As a result, the adhesive layer 11 is heated and cured, thereby enabling a mechanical connection between the IC module 70 and the card substrate 2.

[0143] Finally, the IC card operation check unit 275 of the IC module mounting unit 270 checks whether the IC card 1 can output normal reception and return signals with respect to a non-contact communication signal at a predetermined resonance frequency. Only the IC card 1 that passes this check is stored as a good product. Note that the IC card operation check unit 275 may further check the contact communication function of the IC card 1 by bringing probe pins into contact with the external connection terminals 71 of the IC module 70.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0144] 1 IC card 2, 2a, 2b Card substrate 3, 8 Over sheet layer 4, 7 Core layer 5, 6 Inner layer 9 Recess 10 IC card manufacturing system 11 Next layer 14 Antenna sheet 20 Trimming hole 70 IC module 71 External connection terminal 72 Substrate 73a, 73b Terminals 74 IC chip body 74a IC chip 74b Molded part 75 Wire 76 Bonding hole 77 Coil 80 Antenna 82, 82a Capacitance adjustment part 82p First loop part 82q Second loop part 82r Concave part arrangement part 83 Coated metal wire 83a First wire 83b Second wire 83c Third wire 83d Fourth wire 83e Fifth wire 84, 84a, 84b Ends 85 Capacitance adjustment part 85p First partial area 85q Second partial area 85r Third partial area 85s Fourth partial area 91 First recess 92 Second recess 210 Control part 211 IC module frequency characteristic measurement instruction part 212 Card substrate frequency characteristic measurement instruction part 213 Trimming position calculation part 230 IC module processing part 231 Adhesive tape sticking part 232 IC module frequency characteristic measurement part 250 Card milling part 251 Item input part 252 Milling instruction part 254 Trimming instruction part 270 IC module implementation unit 271 Item input unit 272 IC module individual piece processing unit 273 IC module transfer unit 274 IC module heating and pressing unit 275 IC card operation check unit 280 Card substrate measurement unit 281 Card substrate frequency characteristic measurement unit

Claims

1. A dual interface IC card capable of contact communication and non-contact communication with an external device, a card substrate having a recess, an IC module embedded in the recess and having an IC chip and a coil electrically connected to the IC chip, wherein the card substrate includes a base material, an antenna formed on the base material, the antenna being disposed inside the card substrate so as to form a loop shape outside the region of the recess in a plan view of the card substrate, with a first part and a second part of a coated metal wire being in a state of being close to each other over at least a first distance, a capacitance adjustment part formed on the base material, wherein both ends of the coated metal wire forming the antenna are each extended, and a capacitance adjustment part including both ends of the coated metal wire is disposed inside the card substrate within the region of the recess in a plan view of the card substrate, with a third part and a fourth part of the coated metal wire being in a state of being close to each other over at least a second distance, a dual interface IC card capable of non-contact communication with the external device by the external device and the antenna performing a first electromagnetic coupling and the antenna and the coil performing a second electromagnetic coupling.

2. A dual interface IC card capable of contact communication and non-contact communication with an external device, a card substrate having a recess, an IC module embedded in the recess and having an IC chip and a coil electrically connected to the IC chip, wherein the card substrate includes a base material, an antenna formed on the base material, the antenna being disposed inside the card substrate so as to form a loop shape outside the region of the recess in a plan view of the card substrate, with a first part and a second part of a coated metal wire being in a state of being close to each other over at least a first distance, a capacitance adjustment part formed on the base material, wherein both ends of the coated metal wire forming the antenna are each extended, and a capacitance adjustment part including both ends of the coated metal wire is disposed inside the card substrate so as to straddle within and outside the region of the recess in a plan view of the card substrate, with a third part and a fourth part of the coated metal wire being in a state of being close to each other over at least a second distance. A dual-interface IC card capable of non-contact communication with an external device by electromagnetic coupling between the external device and the antenna and by electromagnetic coupling between the antenna and the coil.

3. The dual-interface IC card according to claim 1, wherein the capacitance adjustment unit is disposed inside the card substrate so as to include one or more bellows regions in which the folded-back structure of the coated metal wire is repeated.

4. The dual-interface IC card according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a disconnection portion of the coated metal wire is formed in the capacitance adjustment unit.

5. A method for manufacturing a dual-interface IC card capable of contact communication and non-contact communication with an external device, comprising: preparing an IC chip and an IC module having a coil electrically connected to the IC chip, and a base material; arranging, inside the card substrate, an antenna that forms a loop shape outside a recess region in a plan view after the card substrate is formed, such that a first portion and a second portion of a coated metal wire are in proximity to each other over at least a first distance, on the base material; forming, inside the card substrate which is within the recess region in a plan view after the card substrate is formed, a capacitance adjustment unit disposed on the base material and including both ends of the coated metal wire, with both ends of the coated metal wire forming the antenna being extended respectively and a third portion and a fourth portion of the coated metal wire being in proximity to each other over at least a second distance; laminating the base material on which the antenna and the capacitance adjustment unit are formed and other members to form a card substrate; measuring frequency characteristics of a communication circuit of the card substrate; calculating a trimming position for the card substrate; forming the recess in the card substrate and further performing trimming on the recess of the card substrate according to the calculated trimming position; and embedding the IC module in the recess of the card substrate. A method for manufacturing a dual-interface IC card.

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