e-ID chip thickness cut in half

03 November 2006

NXP Semiconductors, the new semiconductor company founded by Philips, has come up with a new chip design that is finer than a human hair, or a sheet of paper. The development means that more protective material can be incorporated into the overall package, so aiding the life expectancy of documents, which are expected to circulate for up to 10 years without breaking.

NXP says its SmartMX family can now be manufactured to be only 75 micrometers (0.000075 m) thick, which is 50 percent thinner than the current industry standard for smart card ICs. This enables product designs to deliver enhanced durability to address the latest requirements for electronic identification documents such as ePassports, eVisas and national ID cards.

Due to the space gained by using thinner chips and chip packages within a product, passport printers, inlay manufacturers and smart card manufacturers would have more flexibility to design solutions with a new structural composition. The extra protective material could be added while still maintaining the overall dimensions of the solution.

The new chip also enables the design of further security features such as additional layers for laser engraving. Alternatively, designers can create new applications which are much thinner than was previously possible.

According to Michael Ganzera, manager, eGovernment marketing, NXP Semiconductors: “Based on our market insights, we have made a large investment ensuring that manufacturing infrastructure and solutions are ready to shape the future of eGovernment product and application design. Our new IC and package delivery types allow solutions which address durability requirements and size constraints for today’s ePassports and into the future as ultra-thin electronic documents become a reality.”

The new 75µm wafer will be incorporated into products such as NXP’s new contactless package called MOB6 for ePassports and other contactless electronic identification solutions. At approximately 260 µm thick, the MOB6 is 20% thinner than existing solutions.