Thin Profile Battery Bonding Method, Method Of Conductively Interconnecting Electronic Components, Battery Powerable Apparatus, Radio Frequency Communication Device, And Electric Circuit
A curable adhesive composition is provided which comprises an epoxy terminated silane. A thin profile battery and a substrate to which the thin profile battery is to be conductively connected are also provided. The curable adhesive composition is interposed between the thin profile battery and the substrate. It is cured into an electrically conductive bond electrically interconnecting the battery and the substrate. In another aspect, the invention includes a method of conductively interconnecting electronic components using a curable adhesive composition which comprises an epoxy terminated silane. The invention in another aspect includes interposing a curable epoxy composition between first and second electrically conductive components to be electrically interconnected. At least one of the components comprises a metal surface with which the curable epoxy is to electrically connect. The epoxy is cured into an electrically conductive bond electrically interconnecting the first and second components. The epoxy has an effective metal surface wetting concentration of silane to form a cured electrical interconnection having a resistance through said metal surface of less than or equal to about 0.3 ohm-cm2. In another aspect, a battery powerable apparatus includes a conductive adhesive mass comprising an epoxy terminated silane between a battery and substrate. A radio frequency communication device is one example. In another aspect, the invention includes an electric circuit comprising first and second electric components electrically connected with one another through a conductive adhesive mass comprising an epoxy terminated silane.
This invention relates to thin profile battery bonding methods, to methods of conductively interconnecting electronic components, to battery powerable apparatus, to radio frequency communication devices, and to electric circuits.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThin profile batteries comprise batteries that have thickness dimensions which are less than a maximum linear dimension of its anode or cathode. One type of thin profile battery is a button type battery. Such batteries, because of their compact size, permit electronic devices to be built which are very small or compact.
One mechanism by which thin profile batteries are electrically connected with other circuits or components is with electrically conductive adhesive, such as epoxy. Yet in some applications, a suitably conductive bond or interconnection is not created in spite of the highly conductive nature of the conductive epoxy, the outer battery surface, and the substrate surface to which the battery is being connected. This invention arose out of concerns associated with providing improved conductive adhesive interconnections between thin profile batteries and conductive nodes formed on substrate surfaces. The invention has other applicability as will be appreciated by the artisan. with the invention only being limited by the accompanying claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the Doctrine of Equivalents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention in one aspect includes a thin profile battery bonding method. In one implementation, a curable adhesive composition is provided which comprises an epoxy terminated silane. A thin profile battery and a substrate to which the thin profile battery is to be conductively connected are also provided, The curable adhesive composition is interposed between the thin profile battery and the substrate. It is cured into an electrically conductive bond electrically interconnecting the battery and the substrate.
The invention in another aspect includes a method of conductively interconnecting electronic components. In one implementation, a curable adhesive composition comprising an epoxy terminated silane is provided. First and second electronic components to be conductively connected with one another are provided. The curable adhesive composition is interposed between the first and second electronic components. The adhesive is cured into an electrically conductive bond electrically interconnecting the first and second components.
The invention in still another aspect includes interposing a curable epoxy composition between first and second electrically conductive components to be electrically interconnected. At least one of the components comprises a metal surface with which the curable epoxy is to electrically connect. The epoxy is cured into an electrically conductive bond electrically interconnecting the first and second components. The epoxy has an effective metal surface wetting concentration of silane to form a cured electrical interconnection having a contact resistance through said metal surface of less than or equal to about 0.3 ohm-cm2.
The invention in a further aspect includes a battery powerable apparatus. In one implementation, such includes a substrate having a surface comprising at least one node location. A thin profile battery is mounted over the substrate and node location. A conductive adhesive mass electrically interconnects the thin profile battery with the node location, with the conductive adhesive mass comprising an epoxy terminated silane.
The invention in still a further aspect includes a radio frequency communication device. In one implementation, such includes a substrate having conductive paths including an antenna. At least one integrated circuit chip is mounted to the substrate and in electrical connection with a first portion of the substrate conductive paths. A thin profile battery is conductively bonded with a second portion of the substrate conductive paths by a conductive adhesive mass, with the conductive adhesive mass comprising an epoxy terminated silane.
The invention in still another aspect includes an electric circuit comprising first and second electric components electrically connected with one another through a conductive adhesive mass comprising an epoxy terminated silane.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the following accompanying drawings.
This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the constitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote the progress of science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).
Referring to
Referring to
One example 3-glycidoxyproplytrimethoxysilane is available from Dow Corning Corporation of Midland, Mich., as Z-6040™, Silane. An example resin and hardener system for a conductive epoxy is available from Creative Materials, Inc., of Tyngsboro, Mass., as Part Nos. CMI 116-37A™ and CMIB-187, respectively. In a preferred example, from 0.5 to 2.0 weight parts of Z-6040 silane is combined with 100 weight parts of the CMI 116-37A™ silver epoxy resin. A preferred concentration of the Z-6040™ is 1 weight part with 100 weight parts of epoxy resin. Such a solution is thoroughly mixed and to combined with, for example, 3 weight parts of the CMIB-187™ hardener, with the resultant mixture being further suitably mixed to form composition 26.
The composition is applied to one or both of battery 10 or substrate 22, and provided as shown in
It is perceived that the prior art conductive bonding without the epoxy-terminated silane results from poor wetting characteristics of the conductive epoxy with the metal outer surface of the button-type battery, which typically comprises a nickel-clad stainless steel. The epoxy-terminated silane significantly improves the wetting characteristics relative to the metal surfaces, such as nickel-clad stainless steel, in a conductive epoxy system in a manner which is not understood to have been reported or known in the prior art. Accordingly in accordance with another aspect of the invention, a thin-profile battery bonding method interposes epoxy between a battery and substrate with at least one of such having a metal surface to which the curable epoxy is to electrically connect. The epoxy has an effective metal surface wetting concentration of silane to form a cured electrical interconnection having a contact resistance through said metal surface of less than or equal to about 0.30 ohm-cm2. More preferred, the epoxy has an effective metal surface wetting concentration of silane to form a cured electrical interconnection have a contact resistance through said metal surface of less than or equal to about 0.16 ohm-cm2. Most preferred, such concentration provides a contact resistance of less than or equal to about 0.032 ohm-cm2.
The curable adhesive composition is then cured into an electrically conductive bond which electrically interconnects the battery and substrate as shown in
Although the invention was reduced to practice utilizing formation of a conductive interconnection between a metal battery terminal and a printed thick film on a substrate, the invention has applicability in methods and constructions of producing an electric circuit comprising other first and second electric components which electrically connect with one another through a conductive adhesive mass comprising, in a preferred embodiment, an epoxy-terminated silane.
An exemplary single integrated circuit chip is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/705,043, which names James O'Toole, John R. Tuttle, Mark E. Tuttle, Tyler Lowery, Kevin Devereaux, George Pax, Brian Higgins, Shu-Sun Yu, David Ovard, and Robert Rotzoll as inventors, which was filed on Aug. 29, 1996, and is assigned to the assignee of this patent application. The entire assembly 50 preferably is encapsulated in and comprises an insulative epoxy encapsulant material. Example constructions and methods for providing the same are described in a) U.S. patent application entitled “Battery Mounting Apparatuses, Electronic Devices, And Methods Of Forming Electrical Connections”, which names Ross S. Dando, Rickie C. Lake, and Krishna Kumar as inventors, and was filed on ______, and b) U.S. patent application entitled “Battery Mounting And Testing Apparatuses, Methods Of Forming Battery Mounting And Testing Apparatuses, Battery-Powered Test-Configured Electronic Devices, And Methods Of Forming Battery-Powered Test-Configured Electronic a Devices”, which names Scott T. Trosper as inventor, and which was filed on ______, both of which are assigned to the assignee of this patent application. Each of the above three referenced patent applications is fully incorporated herein by reference. Although this disclosure shows a single battery 10 mounted to substrate 22 for clarity and ease of description, multiple button type batteries stacked in series are preferably utilized as is collectively disclosed in the incorporated disclosures.
In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described, since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.
Claims
1-50. (canceled)
51. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising:
- an antenna;
- circuitry electrically coupled to the antenna; and
- a battery electrically coupled to the circuitry, the battery having a thickness less than a maximum linear dimension of a cathode and an anode of the battery, wherein the battery is electrically coupled to the circuitry at least in part by a conductive adhesive comprising an epoxy terminated silane.
52. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the circuitry includes at least one integrated circuit.
53. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the battery comprises a thin-profile battery.
54. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the antenna, circuitry, and battery are mounted on a flexible substrate.
55. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the epoxy terminated silane comprises a glycidoxy methoxy silane.
56. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the epoxy terminated silane comprises a glycidoxyproplytrimethoxysilane.
57. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the epoxy terminated silane is present in the conductive adhesive at less than or equal to about 2% by weight.
58. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the epoxy terminated silane is present in the conductive adhesive at less than or equal to about 1% by weight.
59. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the battery comprises an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received.
60. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the battery is a button type battery having a terminal comprising an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received.
61. The RFID tag of claim 51, wherein the battery is a button type battery having a terminal comprising an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received, and further comprising a substrate comprising conductive printed ink over which the conductive adhesive is received.
62. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising:
- a flexible substrate;
- circuitry on the flexible substrate;
- an antenna on the flexible substrate and electrically coupled to the circuitry; and
- a power source electrically coupled to the circuitry at least in part by a conductive adhesive comprising an epoxy terminated silane, the power source having a thickness less than a maximum linear dimension of an anode or a cathode of the power source.
63. The RFID tag of claim 62, wherein the circuitry includes an integrated circuit.
64. The RFID tag of claim 62, wherein the epoxy terminated silane comprises a glycidoxy methoxy silane.
65. The RFID tag of claim 62, wherein the epoxy terminated silane comprises a glycidoxyproplytrimethoxysilane.
66. The RFID tag of claim 62, wherein the epoxy terminated silane is present in the conductive adhesive at less than or equal to about 2% by weight.
67. The RFID tag of claim 62, wherein the epoxy terminated silane is present in the conductive adhesive at less than or equal to about 1% by weight.
68. The RFID tag of claim 62, wherein the power source comprises a thin profile battery.
69. The RFID tag of claim 68, wherein the thin profile battery comprises an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received.
70. The RFID tag of claim 68, wherein the thin profile battery is a button type battery having a terminal comprising an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received.
71. The RFID tag of claim 68, wherein the thin profile battery is a button type battery having a terminal comprising an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received, and the flexible substrate comprises conductive printed ink over which the conductive adhesive is received.
72. A method of forming a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having circuitry and an antenna thereon;
- electrically coupling a power source to the circuitry, the power source having a thickness less than a maximum linear dimension of an anode or a cathode of the power source, wherein the electrically coupling is performed at least in part by affixing the power source to the substrate with a conductive adhesive comprising an epoxy terminated silane.
73. The method of claim 72, wherein the circuitry includes an integrated circuit.
74. The method of claim 72, wherein the substrate is a flexible substrate.
75. The method of claim 72, wherein the epoxy terminated silane comprises a glycidoxy methoxy silane.
76. The method of claim 72, wherein the epoxy terminated silane comprises a glycidoxyproplytrimethoxysilane.
77. The method of claim 72, wherein the epoxy terminated silane is present in the conductive adhesive at less than or equal to about 2% by weight.
78. The method of claim 72, wherein the epoxy terminated silane is present in the conductive adhesive at less than or equal to about 1% by weight.
79. The method of claim 72, wherein the power source comprises a thin profile battery.
80. The method of claim 79, wherein the thin profile battery comprises an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received.
81. The method of claim 79, wherein the thin profile battery is a button type battery having a terminal comprising an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received.
82. The method of claim 79, wherein the thin profile battery is a button type battery having a terminal comprising an outer nickel clad stainless steel surface over which the conductive adhesive is received, and the substrate comprises conductive printed ink over which the conductive adhesive is received.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 13, 2007
Publication Date: Nov 27, 2008
Inventor: Rickie C. Lake (Eagle, ID)
Application Number: 11/854,984
International Classification: G08B 13/14 (20060101); C09J 163/00 (20060101);