Scientists produce all-printed RFID tag

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1 October 2008 News

The idea of RFID tags that are cheap enough to become as ubiquitous as barcodes has been a long-held vision. To achieve this requires RFID tags that cost only a few cents each. While current RFID tags based on silicon are capable of meeting the required technical performance, they fail to meet the challenging cost target. Lowering the cost of RFID tags requires a new approach.

One of the most promising alternatives to silicon is organic semiconductors – carbon-based materials that can be used to make transistors and rectifying diodes, two important components for an operational RFID transponder. Key research institutions and start-ups across the world have, over the past few years, raced to push the performance of materials and device architectures to the point where they have successfully demonstrated organic RF tags and organic RFID tags operating at 13,56 MHz. These demonstrations have been made from individually printed components such as capacitors, diodes and transistors that are then connected together, or else use photolithography to pattern the transistors and diodes. None have been truly printed on a single substrate.

At the Organic Semiconductor Conference (OSC-08) held in Frankfurt, Professor Cho from Sunchon University in Korea, presented for the first time an all-printed 13,56 MHz 1-bit RFID tag. This is seen as an important step towards achieving truly low cost RFID tags that are manufactured by the kilometre. Using only a gravure printer, a pad printer and an ink-jet printer, the researchers were able to fabricate a complete operational tag including antenna, rectifier and ring-oscillator.

For the printable rectifier, the researchers invented a new Schottky diode based on silver, zinc oxide and aluminium-silicon alloy inks. For the printable transistors, used for the ring oscillators, the researchers used single-walled carbon-nanotubes, which are also a member of the organic semiconductor family.

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Scientists produce all-printed RFID tag

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