Chip Encapsulation

To protect smart card chips, adhesives are used as encapsulant. This prevents breakage of the sensitive wire contacts and the chips themselves from scratching, dust and moisture. Being solvent-free and with their high ionic purity, Panacol’s sealing compounds also protect the chip cards from internal corrosion and reduce local voltaic coupling. By reducing material strain, the adhesives boost the chips’ reliability and durability.

For encapsulating smart card chips the frame-and-fill method is often used: With a highly viscous adhesive, a frame or dam is formed, which is then filled with mobile adhesive. The firm frame prevents the liquid adhesive from running off, so that it flows only around the chip and contact wires.

Sealing compound is used both as underfill and as frame-and-fill material for chips.

Many adhesives that are used as encapsulant are UV-curing epoxy resins, which can be cured within just a few seconds with UV light. This makes them suitable for sealing chips in fully automated volume production.
Thermally curing sealing compounds, on the other hand, have the advantage of curing even in dark areas that the UV light cannot reach. Glob tops with black pigmentation, which are used as covers or coatings, can normally only be heat-cured.

In series production, smart card chips are coated by the frame-and-fill method