"Coil on module" package technology for dual interface eIDs, eDrivers' licenses or eHealth cards

Infineon Technologies AG today announced the availability of its "Coil on Module" (CoM) package technology for official documents. The technology simplifies and improves manufacturing of electronic identification cards (eID), electronic drivers' licenses or health insurance cards with both contact-based as well as contactless interface. Holders of these Dual Interface cards are able to use existing infrastructure as well as new and convenient contactless applications at e.g. government offices or at doctor's offices.

For the first time worldwide, Infineon successfully introduced the Dual Interface CoM package technology with a wired card antenna. It can be fully integrated in the card material made of robust polycarbonate which is a prerequisite for producing highly secure official documents with particularly long validity.

Dual Interface cards build a bridge between contact-based card applications primarily used today and the mobile solutions of tomorrow. Therefore, demand for Dual Interface solutions is growing faster in the next years than for purely contactless solutions. According to latest estimates of market research firm IHS (July 2014) the number of Dual Interface cards for government and healthcare will grow between 2013 and 2019 by 22 percent per year compared to an increase of only 14.3 percent for purely contactless cards.

"Our 'Coil on Module' technology has already been well established in the payment market. We now also simplify and improve the production of long-lasting and highly secure official documents," says Stefan Hofschen, Head of the Chip Card & Security Division of Infineon Technologies. "We understand our customers' systems and challenges and contribute to their market success with segment-specific security solutions," he adds.

Like already realized with the award-winning first generation of the CoM technology for Dual Interface payment cards, Infineon uses an RF link rather than the common mechanical-electrical connection between chip module and card antenna. This allows skipping the elaborate process of interconnecting the chip module to the card antenna during card production. But CoM technology also offers many more advantages:

The Dual Interface cards become

more robust as there is no connection between the chip module and the card antenna, which might be damaged through mechanical stress,
more secure, as the chip module is approximately one-fifth slimmer than common modules, so that additional security features (security layers) can be integrated in the card, highly durable thanks to the use of superior materials.

Card producers and State Printing Offices can quickly and cost-efficiently manufacture Dual Interface cards to better serve the increasing demand. They can use existing production lines for contact-based chip cards to produce Dual Interface cards with no further investments, decrease manufacturing costs by simplifying production processes and increasing the yield, implant the chip module in the card up to five times faster than with conventional Dual Interface production methods.

The development of the CoM technology is based on Infineon's comprehensive expertise in the field of chip and antenna design, high-frequency technology as well as chip module development. Consequently both chip and module with integrated antenna are perfectly adjusted and do not require additional tuning by the card manufacturer. The 'CoM' chip module and the card antenna can be integrated immediately in the card. Tests prove moreover that they are resistant to stress for up to ten years.

Provided by Infineon