The present invention refers to a pre-package for a flexible printed circuit board for a smartcard. The pre-package comprises a flexible printed circuit board including one or more non-planar circuit portions; a first layer of a first material at least partially covering a first side of the flexible printed circuit board so as to form a planar layer; a second layer of a second material covering a second side of the flexible printed circuit board; and a third layer comprising a hardening material at least partially covering the first side so as to form a planar layer. The third layer has a third hardness value which is higher than the first hardness value and/or than the second hardness value of the first and second dielectric materials, respectively. The pre-package may be advantageously inserted into a smartcard having a suitable window for accommodating the pre-package comprising the electronic components. The present invention also refers to the methods for forming the pre-package and the smartcard comprising it.

An IC module according to the present invention includes a rectangular substrate having long sides extending in a first direction; a connection coil formed in a spiral shape on a first surface of the substrate; an outermost connection terminal portion formed at an outermost end of the connection coil; and an IC chip provided on a portion of the first surface on an inner peripheral side relative to the connection coil, wherein the outermost connection terminal portion includes an outermost through-hole portion penetrating the substrate in a thickness direction of the substrate, and an outermost land portion surrounding the outermost through-hole portion and connecting between the outermost through-hole portion and the connection coil; and as viewed in a second direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the thickness direction, the outermost connection terminal portion is disposed on a first side in the first direction relative to the IC chip.

The present invention is an IC module including: a substrate having a through hole; a contact terminal provided on a first surface of the substrate; an IC chip provided on a second surface of the substrate; a holding portion fixed to the substrate and projecting from the substrate; and a fingerprint sensor fixed to the holding portion, wherein the contact terminal is electrically connected to the IC chip via the through hole, and the fingerprint sensor is electrically connected to the IC chip via the holding portion.

A card having a fingerprint sensor and a manufacturing method of the same are provided. The fingerprint sensor is disposed between a substrate and a protection layer. The protection layer has a first area and a second area thereon. The roughness of the second area is smaller than the roughness of the first area. The second area corresponds to the sensing area of the fingerprint sensor. When the user's finger is wet, the second area may effectively keep the water from remaining on it. Thus, the water does not affect the effect of fingerprint sensing.

A smart IC substrate according to an embodiment includes a substrate including a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a bonding layer disposed on the first surface; a metal layer disposed on the bonding layer; and a plating layer disposed on one surface of the metal layer, and wherein the metal layer includes an aluminum (Al)-copper (Cu) alloy or an aluminum (Al)-copper (Cu)-A alloy.