A Study of the Replacement of Materials in Smart Card

Md. Khalilur Rahma^1,2*, Raphaël Marchand³, Budrun Neher²

¹Department of Functional Advanced Materials and Engineering, Grenoble Institute and Technology, Grenoble, France.
²Department of Physics, Comilla University, Comilla, Bangladesh.
³Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Grenoble Institute and Technology, Grenoble, France.

DOI: 10.4236/msa.2015.69079                

Abstract

Gold, nickel and copper are usually used in connector of the smart card. Since Au is expensive and Ni is an allergenic material, simulated (CES) and bibliographical work is carried out in order to replace the Au and Ni layer in smart card connectors without sacrificing reliability. During the work, mechanical and electrical properties, corrosion resistance, cost, toxicity and process compatibility of the samples have been taken into consideration. Cu alloying with Zn or Sn, Cr and stainless steel were selected for electrodeposition process. Secondly, carbides (WC, TiC, ZrC), Ti, TiN, borides (TiB₂) and silicide (MoSi₂) are considered as a vapour deposited materials and some Cu alloying with Al, N or Mg also considered via ion implantation processes. But, vapour deposition and implantation are high energy processes compared to the electrodeposition process, which is expensive. Therefore, electrodeposited materials such as, Cu alloys (Brass or bronze), Cr and stainless steel could be considered as promising candidate to replace the Au and Ni layer in smart card connectors.

Keywords

Mechanical and Electrical Properties, Corrosion Resistance, Cost, Process Compatibility, CES Study

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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