Inkjet-printed antenna-electronics interconnections in passive UHF RFID tags

Abstract

We outline the possibilities of inkjet printing in fabrication of passive UHF RFID tag antennas and antenna-electronics interconnections on paper and polyimide substrates. In our method, the silver nanoparticle tag antenna is deposited directly on top of the IC fixture, in order to simplify the manufacturing process by removing one step, i.e., the IC attachment with conductive glue. Our wireless measurement results confirm that the manufactured RFID tags with the printed antenna-lC interconnections achieve peak read ranges of 8.5–10 meters, which makes them comparable to traditional tags with epoxy-glued ICs.