Abstract: A system for protecting integrated circuits on smart cards is described. The circuit (103) is placed in a cavity (102) in a ceramic package (101). Standard contacts (104) are deposited on the side of the package opposite to the cavity opening and connected to the chip (103) via feed-through conductors (106) extending into the cavity (102) and connected therein to wires (105) which are welded to the chip (103). The cavity (102) is either sealed by a lead (108) or filled with a protective material (208). Smart cards with a lifetime of over ten years may thus be obtained.

Abstract: The invention relates to a gaseous phase chemical treatment reactor for wafers. The aim of the invention is to produce a reactor in which only the face of the wafer to be treated is in fact treated. This aim is achieved with the aid of a reactor comprising at least one treatment chamber (19) located within a main chamber (9) and connected by one of its ends to means (17) for injecting a treatment gas onto a wafer (1) and by its other end to a means (15) for securing said wafer, in that the latter is gripped between a heating susceptor or base (13) and the retaining means (15) in such a way as to seal said treatment chamber (19) and maintain within the latter a pressure below that of the main chamber (9). The invention more particularly relates to reactors for depositing tungsten on silicon wafers.