Antenna pattern manufacturing method

Abstract

To enable processing of minute antennas.SOLUTION: A manufacturing method of an antenna pattern includes an adsorption step of adsorbing a metal sheet to a temporary base material under reduced pressure, a cutting step of cutting the metal sheet into a predetermined shape using a laser beam, and a transfer step of transferring the metal sheet cut into a predetermined shape from a temporary base material to a permanent base material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an antenna pattern.

Background Art

[0002] In the fields of product manufacturing, management, distribution, etc., tags on which information about the product is visibly printed and attached to the product, and labels on which information about the product is visibly printed and attached to the product or the like are used. In recent years, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology that transmits and receives information by non-contact communication from an IC chip in which identification information is written has been applied to various fields and is also penetrating in this field.

[0003] On tags, labels, wristbands, etc. (hereinafter referred to as RFID media) in which an IC chip conforming to the RFID specification and an antenna are incorporated, information about the object to be attached, the object to be pasted, or the wearer (hereinafter referred to as the adherend including these) is visibly printed. In addition, various information about the adherend can be stored in the IC chip incorporated in the RFID media.

[0004] Conventionally, in the manufacturing process of an RFID inlay including an IC chip conforming to the RFID specification and an antenna, as a method for forming an antenna on a substrate, a method of die-cutting a metal material disposed on the substrate to form an RFID inlay has been disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In recent years, the application areas of RFID media have diversified, and there has been a growing demand for miniaturization and finer designs for the antennas (antenna patterns) formed on the substrate. Therefore, further improvements were needed in the manufacturing of antenna patterns.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to enable the processing of fine antennas in a method for manufacturing antenna patterns. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing an antenna pattern to be incorporated into an RFID medium comprises: an adsorption step of adsorbing a metal sheet onto a temporary substrate by reduced pressure; a cutting step of cutting the metal sheet into a predetermined shape using a laser beam; and a transfer step of transferring the metal sheet cut into the predetermined shape from the temporary substrate to a permanent substrate, wherein the predetermined shape has a loop shape and / or meander shape formed by lines of a predetermined width, and the temporary substrate is a porous structure having a plurality of through holes, the diameter of the through holes being smaller than the minimum width in the loop shape and / or meander shape. Ku , The temporary substrate is composed of a porous structure and a resin sheet having a porous structure, and the metal sheet is adsorbed to the temporary substrate via the resin sheet. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, an antenna to be incorporated into an RFID medium can be formed by cutting a metal sheet, which has been adsorbed onto a temporary substrate under reduced pressure, into a predetermined shape using a laser beam, and then transferring the cut metal sheet from the temporary substrate to the main substrate. This allows for the processing of fine antennas because the metal sheet adsorbed onto the temporary substrate can be cut with a laser beam. Furthermore, since the cutting of the metal sheet with a laser beam is performed on the temporary substrate, and the metal sheet is transferred to the main substrate after being cut into the predetermined shape, damage to the main substrate by the laser beam can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a plan view of an RFID inlay according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the adsorption process in the antenna pattern manufacturing method according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the cutting process in the manufacturing method of an antenna pattern. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the first step of the transfer process in the method for manufacturing an antenna pattern. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the second step of the transfer process in the method for manufacturing an antenna pattern. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of arranging anisotropic conductive material in the manufacturing process of RFID inlays. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of joining IC chips in the manufacturing process of RFID inlays. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of a suction mechanism applied to a method for manufacturing an antenna pattern. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] [Antenna patterns and RFID inlays] Prior to describing the method for manufacturing the antenna pattern according to this embodiment, we will describe the antenna and RFID inlay manufactured using the method for manufacturing the antenna pattern.

[0012] In this embodiment, the RFID medium is a medium into which an RFID inlay compatible with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, which transmits and receives information via contactless communication, is incorporated.

[0013] In addition, in the present embodiment, an RFID inlay is one in which an antenna and an IC chip are arranged on a base material. Further, an antenna pattern is a form in the stage before mounting the IC chip, in which an antenna having a predetermined shape made of a metal material is formed on the base material.

[0014] FIG. 1 is an external view for explaining an RFID inlay 1 manufactured using the method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1.

[0015] The RFID inlay 1 includes a base material 10, an antenna 11 formed as a predetermined pattern on one surface of the base material 10, and an IC chip 12 connected to the antenna 11.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the antenna 11 and the IC chip 12 are connected by an anisotropic conductive material 13 that cures by ultraviolet rays. The antenna 11 is attached to the base material 10 by an adhesive layer A. The X direction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is referred to as the "label width direction".

[0017] As a material applicable as the base material 10, a paper base material such as cardboard, high-quality paper, medium-quality paper, or coated paper formed with a coating layer on these can be used.

[0018] In the present embodiment, in addition to the above paper base material, a single-layer resin sheet made of a single resin such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene naphthalate, or a multilayer resin sheet formed by laminating a plurality of these single-layer sheets can be used. The material and thickness of the base material 10 can be appropriately selected within the above range according to the application.

[0019] The antenna 11 is formed on the base material 10 across the X direction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The antenna 11 can be formed by a conductive sheet containing a conductive material. As the conductive sheet, a metal foil can be used, and in particular, aluminum or copper can be used.

[0020] The thickness of the metal foil on which the antenna 11 can be formed can be set considering the thickness of the RFID inlay 1 and the manufacturing cost. From the viewpoint of reducing manufacturing costs, it is preferable to use aluminum foil as an example. In the antenna pattern manufacturing method described later, the metal foil is prepared as a metal sheet M.

[0021] The antenna 11 comprises a loop portion 21 formed by a line of a predetermined width, an IC chip connection portion 22 on which the IC chip 12 is mounted, meanders 23 and 24 extending symmetrically from the loop portion 21 in the width direction (X direction) of the label, and capacitor hats 25 and 26 connected to the ends of the meanders 23 and 24.

[0022] In this embodiment, the antenna 11 is, for example, a UHF band RFID antenna designed to have an antenna length and antenna line width corresponding to the UHF band (300MHz to 3GHz, particularly 860MHz to 960MHz).

[0023] In addition, the antenna 11 may be designed in a pattern that corresponds to specific frequency bands such as microwave (1 to 30 GHz, especially around 2.4 GHz) and HF band (3 MHz to 30 MHz, especially around 13.56 MHz), depending on the specifications of the RFID.

[0024] As an adhesive capable of forming adhesive layer A, for example, a laminate adhesive layer consisting of acrylic, urethane, silicone, or rubber-based adhesives or bonding agents can be applied.

[0025] The IC chip 12 is a semiconductor package designed to communicate with a reader (not shown) or a printer equipped with a reader.

[0026] The IC chip 12 is electrically and mechanically connected to an IC chip connection section 22 provided in a part of the loop section 21 of the antenna 11 by an anisotropic conductive material 13 that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light.

[0027] By applying predetermined processing to the RFID inlay 1 having the above configuration, RFID media such as labels, tags, wristbands, tickets, and cards can be formed.

[0028] [Method for manufacturing antenna patterns] The method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the adsorption step in the antenna pattern manufacturing method according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the metal sheet cutting step and the metal sheet removal step in the antenna pattern manufacturing method. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the first step of the transfer step in the antenna pattern manufacturing method, and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the second step of the transfer step.

[0030] The method for manufacturing the antenna pattern comprises an adsorption step (Figure 3) in which a metal sheet M is adsorbed onto a porous structure chuck 31 serving as a temporary substrate by reduced pressure; a cutting step in which the metal sheet M is cut into a predetermined shape using a laser beam; a removal step (Figure 4) in which unnecessary parts of the metal sheet M are removed; and a transfer step (Figures 5 and 6) in which the metal sheet M cut into the predetermined shape is transferred from the porous structure chuck 31 to a substrate 10 serving as the main substrate.

[0031] In the adsorption process shown in Figure 3, the metal sheet M is adsorbed onto the porous structure chuck 31 and held in place by the porous structure chuck 31.

[0032] The metal sheet M forms the antenna 11. As mentioned above, any conductive sheet will suffice, and in this embodiment, aluminum foil can be used.

[0033] The porous structure chuck 31 is connected to a decompression device (not shown) and constitutes a suction mechanism together with the decompression device. The porous structure chuck 31 is formed from a porous structure body having a plurality of through-holes so as to be able to adsorb the metal sheet M. A suction force is generated in the porous structure chuck 31 by the decompression device, and the metal sheet M can be suction-held.

[0034] As an example of a material having a porous structure, a porous body is applicable. As the porous body, a porous ceramic material such as alumina is applicable. The material of the porous structure is preferably a nanoporous material having a pore diameter on the order of nanometers, and particularly preferably one having a nanoanisotropic porous structure.

[0035] Also, the surface of the porous structure chuck 31 is formed smoothly so as to be able to adsorb the metal sheet M.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, the pore diameter D of the porous structure chuck 31 is set to be smaller than the width of the antenna 11. In the present embodiment, the pore diameter D of the porous structure chuck 31 is set to be smaller than the minimum width (the width of the thinnest part) W of the antenna 11. That is, D < W. In the present embodiment, it is smaller than the minimum width W in the IC chip connection portion 22 and the meanders 23, 24 of the antenna 11.

[0037] Also, the density of the holes in the porous structure chuck 31 is desirably such that a plurality of holes exist within the minimum width of the antenna 11. ​​​​​​​

[0040] In the removal process for removing the unnecessary portion of the metal sheet M, the unnecessary portion of the metal sheet M that no longer constitutes the shape of the antenna due to cutting is lifted from the edge and physically peeled off from the porous structure chuck 31, thereby removing the unnecessary portion of the metal sheet M.

[0041] After the removal process, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the metal sheet M cut into the shape of the antenna 11 is transferred from the porous chuck 31 to the substrate. In this embodiment, the substrate corresponds to the substrate 10 shown in Figure 1.

[0042] In the transfer process, the substrate 10 on which the adhesive layer A is placed is positioned with the adhesive layer A facing the metal sheet M cut into the shape of the antenna 11, and the adhesive layer A is brought into contact with the antenna 11 which is adsorbed by the porous structure chuck 31. The metal sheet M is then pressed against the porous structure chuck 31 using a rubber roller or the like.

[0043] As a result, as shown in Figure 6, the antenna 11 adheres to the adhesive layer A, and the antenna 11 can be transferred from the porous chuck 31 to the substrate 10.

[0044] In this embodiment, the adsorption of the metal sheet M by the porous chuck 31 is performed even during the cutting process and continues until the transfer of the metal sheet M, which has been cut into a predetermined shape, to the base material 10 is completed.

[0045] In the transfer process, after the substrate 10 on which the adhesive layer A is placed is joined to the antenna 11, the suction force generated on the porous structure chuck 31 from the depressurization device may be turned off. Alternatively, the adhesive force of the adhesive layer A may be set to be stronger than the suction force of the metal sheet M to the porous structure chuck 31. In other words, the adhesive force may be set to be stronger than the force required to peel the metal sheet M from the porous structure chuck.

[0046] In this embodiment, the adhesive layer A is arranged over the entire surface of the base material 10 facing the metal sheet M. Alternatively, the adhesive layer A may be formed on the base material 10 in a pattern corresponding to the shape of the antenna 11.

[0047] From the viewpoint of ease of handling during manufacturing, it is preferable to set the adhesive strength of adhesive layer A to a so-called weak adhesive state. If the adhesive strength is insufficient, an adhesive that can be improved by applying heat, pressure, etc., should be used.

[0048] The porous chuck 31 is preferably made of a material to which the adhesive layer A does not easily adhere. Alternatively, the surface of the porous chuck 31 is preferably pre-treated to make it difficult for the adhesive layer A to adhere.

[0049] Through the above steps, an antenna 11 of a predetermined shape can be formed on the substrate 10.

[0050] Next, an RFID inlay can be fabricated by mounting an IC chip 12 onto an antenna pattern on a substrate 10, on which an antenna 11 has been formed.

[0051] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of arranging the anisotropic conductive material 13 in the RFID inlay manufacturing process. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of joining the IC chip 12 in the RFID inlay manufacturing process.

[0052] As shown in Figure 7, an anisotropic conductive material 13 is placed on the IC chip connection portion 22 of the antenna 11 formed on the substrate 10.

[0053] Next, as shown in Figure 8, the IC chip 12 is joined via the anisotropic conductive material 13 placed on the IC chip connection portion 22. Through these steps, the RFID inlay 1 can be formed.

[0054] In the RFID inlay 1 manufactured as described above, for example, an RFID label can be formed by laminating an adhesive layer for attachment to an object on the surface of the substrate 10 on which the antenna 11 is formed, and laminating a surface substrate having a printing surface on the opposite side of the surface of the substrate 10 on which the antenna 11 is formed.

[0055] Furthermore, an RFID tag can be formed for use attached to an article by, for example, covering the surface of the substrate 10 on which the antenna 11 is formed with another surface substrate, or by sealing both sides of the RFID inlay 1 with an outer substrate. The layer structure of the RFID label and RFID tag is not limited to the above-described configuration.

[0056] In addition to these, the RFID inlay 1 can be processed into forms such as cards and wristbands.

[0057] [effect] According to the method for manufacturing the antenna pattern applied to the RFID inlay 1 of this embodiment, the metal sheet M can be held by adsorption to the porous chuck 31, which serves as a temporary substrate, by reduced pressure. This allows for stable cutting of the metal sheet M using laser light during the cutting process. Furthermore, it prevents misalignment of the antenna 11 when transferring it to the substrate 10 during the transfer process.

[0058] Furthermore, by using a UV laser, a processing accuracy of approximately 20-30 μm can be achieved. Therefore, it is possible to accurately process fine shapes such as meanders 23 and 24.

[0059] In this embodiment, after cutting the metal sheet M into the shape of the antenna 11 using the porous structure chuck 31, any unnecessary portions of the metal sheet M are removed, and the surface of the base material 10 on which the adhesive layer A is formed is brought into contact with the cut antenna 11 which is adsorbed to the porous structure chuck 31, thereby transferring the antenna 11 from the porous structure chuck 31 to the base material 10 (transfer process).

[0060] Typically, when cutting a metal sheet into an antenna pattern using a laser beam, one method involves first attaching the metal sheet to a substrate using an adhesive layer, and then cutting it into the desired antenna pattern using a laser beam. However, in this method, the laser beam, which has sufficient strength to cut the metal sheet, can partially melt or disappear the adhesive layer placed between the metal sheet and the substrate, or damage the substrate, making it difficult to maintain good quality in the RFID inlay after cutting.

[0061] In contrast, according to the antenna pattern manufacturing method of this embodiment, since the antenna 11, which has been cut into a predetermined shape by laser light, is transferred to the substrate 10, there is no problem of damage to the substrate by laser light or melting or disappearance of the adhesive layer, and it becomes possible to process fine antenna patterns.

[0062] [Differentiation] Next, we will describe a modified example of the suction mechanism applied to the method for manufacturing an antenna pattern. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the suction mechanism applied to the method for manufacturing an antenna pattern.

[0063] In the modified example shown in Figure 9, the temporary base material consists of a porous chuck 31 and a porous resin sheet 32. That is, in this modified example, the metal sheet M is adsorbed onto the porous chuck 31 via the resin sheet 32.

[0064] The resin sheet 32 ​​is, for example, made by forming a porous polymer material into a sheet. The pore size formed in the resin sheet 32 ​​can be smaller than the line width of the antenna 11. As an example of the resin sheet 32, polytetrafluoroethylene with an average pore size of about 0.2 μm is preferred.

[0065] By providing the resin sheet 32, the porous chuck 31 is covered with the resin sheet 32, thus preventing damage to the porous chuck 31 from the laser beam during the laser cutting process. Even if the damage from the laser beam exceeds an acceptable level, the resin sheet 32 ​​can be replaced at a lower cost than the porous chuck 31.

[0066] Furthermore, if a resin sheet 32 ​​is provided, the suction hole diameter can be adjusted using the resin sheet 32, eliminating the need to strictly set the hole diameter of the porous chuck 31 to be smaller than the line width of the antenna 11. This improves the design flexibility of the suction mechanism.

[0067] [Other embodiments] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments only represent a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0068] In the RFID inlay 1, for example, a heat-sensitive color-developing layer may be formed on the opposite side of the substrate 10 from the side on which the antenna 11 is formed. The heat-sensitive color-developing layer comprises, in order from the substrate 10 side, an undercoat layer, a heat-sensitive layer, an overcoat layer, etc., forming a printable surface that can be printed by a printer equipped with a so-called direct thermal print head. As a result, the RFID inlay 1 can be used as a label with a printable surface.

[0069] In Figure 4, an adhesive layer A may be formed on the metal sheet M before cutting it with a laser beam. In this case, during the cutting process, the adhesive forming the adhesive layer A disappears due to the laser beam, and the metal sheet M can be cut.

[0070] In this embodiment, a UV laser is used as an example of the laser light, but any general-purpose processing laser suitable for cutting metal sheets M, such as near-infrared lasers, green lasers, or fiber lasers, can be applied to the cutting process.

[0071] The adhesive layer A may be made of a material whose adhesive properties can be enhanced by heating, such as a hot melt agent. In this case, although the antenna 11 is in a state of temporary adhesion when it is transferred to the substrate 10 during the transfer process, the adhesive strength can be increased by heating the antenna 11 after the transfer process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 RFID Inlay 10 Base material 11 Antennas 12 IC chips 13 Anisotropic conductive materials 21 Loop section 22 IC chip connection section 23,24 Meanda 25,26 Capacitor Hat 31. Porous Chuck 32 Resin Sheets A Adhesive layer L Laser light source M Metal Sheet

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern incorporated into an RFID medium, An adsorption process in which a metal sheet is adsorbed onto a temporary substrate by reduced pressure, A cutting step of cutting the metal sheet into a predetermined shape using a laser beam, The system includes a transfer step of transferring the metal sheet, which has been cut into the predetermined shape, from the temporary substrate to the permanent substrate, The predetermined shape has a loop shape and / or meander shape formed by lines of a predetermined width. The temporary base material is a porous structure having a plurality of through holes, wherein the diameter of the through holes is smaller than the minimum width in the loop shape and / or the meander shape. The temporary base material is composed of a porous structure and a resin sheet having a porous structure. The metal sheet is adsorbed onto the temporary substrate via the resin sheet. A method for manufacturing antenna patterns.

2. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to claim 1, An adhesive layer is disposed on the aforementioned substrate, In the transfer step, the metal sheet cut to a predetermined shape is attached to the adhesive layer and transferred from the temporary substrate to the main substrate. A method for manufacturing antenna patterns.

3. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned temporary base material is formed from a porous material. A method for manufacturing antenna patterns.

4. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to claim 3, The aforementioned temporary substrate is formed from a porous ceramic material. A method for manufacturing antenna patterns.

5. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to claim 3, The temporary substrate is formed from a porous polymer material. A method for manufacturing antenna patterns.

6. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The aforementioned metal sheet is made of copper or aluminum. A method for manufacturing antenna patterns.

7. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The aforementioned substrate is paper or a resin sheet. A method for manufacturing antenna patterns.

8. A method for manufacturing an antenna pattern according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The density of through-holes in the temporary substrate is the density of multiple holes within the minimum width of the metal sheet cut to the predetermined shape. A method for manufacturing antenna patterns.

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