Abstract: Contact smart card has a smart card contact pad and an IC chip. The smart card contact pad has a circuit substrate with a plurality of via holes there through, a card-reader contact element on a first side of the circuit substrate, and a plurality of chip connection elements on a second side of the circuit substrate. Each chip connection element is associated with a via hole through the circuit substrate. The card-reader contact element has an electrically conductive surface. The plurality of chip connection elements define a chip engagement region on the second side of the circuit substrate. The IC chip is mounted on the chip engagement region and electrically connected to the card-reader contact element through the via holes.

Abstract: A contact smart card has a smart card contact pad and an IC chip. The smart card contact pad includes a circuit substrate, a card-reader contact element on a first side of the circuit substrate, and a connection element on a second side of the circuit substrate. The card-reader contact element has a noble metal electrically conductive surface, and the connection element has a chip terminal connection surface which is not a noble metal. The IC chip is preferably flip-chip mounted at the second side of the circuit substrate and electrically connected to the chip terminal connection surface. Furthermore, the chip terminal connection surface is preferably an organometallic electrically conductive corrosion protection layer.

Abstract: A contact smart card has a smart card contact pad and an IC chip. The smart card contact pad includes a circuit substrate, a card-reader contact element on a first side of the circuit substrate, and a connection element on a second side of the circuit substrate. The card-reader contact element has a noble metal electrically conductive surface, and the connection element has a chip terminal connection surface which is not a noble metal. The IC chip is preferably flip-chip mounted at the second side of the circuit substrate and electrically connected to the chip terminal connection surface. Furthermore, the chip terminal connection surface is preferably an organometallic electrically conductive corrosion protection layer.

Abstract: A contact smart card has a smart card contact pad and an IC chip. The smart card contact pad includes a circuit substrate, a card-reader contact element on a first side of the circuit substrate, and a connection element on a second side of the circuit substrate. The card-reader contact element has a noble metal electrically conductive surface, and the connection element has a chip terminal connection surface which is not a noble metal. The IC chip is preferably flip-chip mounted at the second side of the circuit substrate and electrically connected to the chip terminal connection surface. Furthermore, the chip terminal connection surface is preferably an organometallic electrically conductive corrosion protection layer.

Abstract: A contact smart card has a smart card contact pad and an IC chip. The smart card contact pad includes a circuit substrate, a card-reader contact element on a first side of the circuit substrate, and a connection element on a second side of the circuit substrate. The card-reader contact element has a noble metal electrically conductive surface, and the connection element has a chip terminal connection surface which is not a noble metal. The IC chip is preferably flip-chip mounted at the second side of the circuit substrate and electrically connected to the chip terminal connection surface. Furthermore, the chip terminal connection surface is preferably an organometallic electrically conductive corrosion protection layer.

Abstract: A novel process is provided for the high speed fabrication of flexible printed circuit boards in continuous roll form and at a cost which is substantially less than the cost of existing fabrication processes. A web of substrate material is supplied from a roll and one or both surfaces are sputter coated with a tie-coat of Monel or chrome and a copper seed layer. The tie-coat is typically of a thickness of about 50-300 angstroms, and the copper seed layer has a thickness of about 200-4000 angstroms. Plated through holes are provided for double sided printed circuit boards, the holes being provided by laser or other suitable drilling equipment in an intended pattern on the substrate. A plating mask is provided with a negative image to allow subsequent selective electrodeposition of copper onto the unmasked areas of the substrate surfaces. The web is then passed through a continuous copper plating cell which provides a plate-up of copper on the unmasked areas of the seed layer.

Abstract: A flat multi-conductor cable and a method for manufacturing such a cable to maintain consistent spacing between adjacent conductors. A dielectric film is laminated to both sides of a plurality of conductors, such as flat copper conductors. The film is heated to cause the film to flow around and adhere to the conductors. A jacket is extruded around the dielectric film to form a jacketed multi-conductor cable. A conductive shield may be applied over the dielectric film prior to the extrusion of the cable jacket. The conductive shield may be conductively coupled to one or more of the conductors by dimpling the shield over the respective conductors or by a laser ablation technique.

Abstract: In a rigid/flex circuit board and fabricating process, patterns of electrical traces are formed by etching conductive layers on outer surfaces of a flexible multi-layer circuit structure. A protective barrier material is deposited on the etched traces using an "electroless" process, such as immersion of the flexible circuit board in an aqueous solution containing ionic tin. The protective barrier material adheres to and encapsulates the copper traces. An outer circuit structure including a bondfilm of epoxy-impregnated fiberglass ("prepreg" bondfilm) and a copper foil layer is laminated onto the flexible circuit structure. The prepreg bondfilm has a window area removed by routing or an equivalent process prior to being laminated to the flexible structure. The window area defines a flex area of the rigid/flex circuit board that will be relatively flexible.