Amin Rida

RFID Tag and RF Structures on a Paper Substrate Using Inkjet-Printing Technology

In this paper, inkjet-printed UHF and microwave circuits fabricated on paper substrates are investigated for the first time as an approach that aims for a system-level solution for fast and ultra-low-cost mass production. First, the RF characteristics of the paper substrate are studied by using the microstrip ring resonator in order to characterize the relative permittivity (epsivr) and loss tangent (tan delta) of the substrate at the UHF band for the first time reported. A UHF RFID tag module is then developed with the inkjet-printing technology, proving this approach could function as an enabling technology for much simpler and faster fabrication on/in paper. Simulation and well-agreed measurement results, which show very good agreement, verify a good performance of the tag module. In addition, the possibility of multilayer RF structures on a paper substrate is explored, and a multilayer patch resonator bandpass filter demonstrates the feasibility of ultra-low-cost 3-D paper-on-paper RF/wireless structures.

Progress Towards the First Wireless Sensor Networks Consisting of Inkjet-Printed, Paper-Based RFID-Enabled Sensor Tags

This paper discusses the evolution towards the first integrated radio-frequency identification (RFID)-enabled wireless sensor network infrastructure using ultra-high frequency/radio frequency (UHF/RF) RFID-enabled sensor nodes and inkjet-printed electronics technologies on flexible and paper substrates for the first time ever. The first sections highlight the unique capabilities of inkjet printed electronics as well as the benefits of using paper as the ultra-low-cost, conformal and environmentally friendly substrate for the mass-scale ubiquitous implementation of the first RFID-enabled wireless sensing applications. Various inkjet-printed antenna configurations are presented for enhanced-range compact RFID-enabled sensing platforms in “rugged” environments up to 7 GHz, followed by the discussion of their 2-D integration with integrated circuit (IC) and sensors on paper. This integration is extended to a power-scavenging “smart-shoe” batteryless integrated RFID module on paper that could be used for autonomous wearable sensing applications with enhanced range. The paper concludes discussing the details for establishing for the first time an asynchronous wireless link between the aforementioned RFID-tags and a widely used commercial wireless sensor network (WSN) mote using a simplified protocol; a paramount step that could potentially create ubiquitous ultra-low-cost sensor networks and large-scale RFID implementations eliminating the need of expensive RFID reader infrastructure and linking RFIDs to the mature level of WSNs.

Inkjet Printing of Ultrawideband (UWB) Antennas on Paper-Based Substrates

For the first time, we demonstrate the feasibility of realizing ultrawideband antennas through ink-jetting of conductive inks on commercially available paper sheets. The characterization of the conductive ink as well as of the electrical properties of the paper substrate are reported for frequencies up to 10 GHz. This letter is one step further toward the development of low-cost, environment-friendly conformal printed antennas/electronics for ad hoc wireless sensor networks operating in rugged environments.

Paper-Based RFID-Enabled Wireless Platforms for Sensing Applications

In this paper, the feasibility of inkjet printing of circuit and microwave structures on paper-based substrates is investigated for the first time in the implementation of a complete low-cost wireless platform for sensors. First, the system-level design of the module including the amplifier characterization were carried out to ensure optimum performance of the sensor modules in the UHF bands used in RF identification communication. These results were then used to design two different antenna structures, which are printed on paper along with their respective circuit layouts using inket-printing technology. Different techniques were investigated for the assembly of circuit components on the silver printed layouts. Finally, wireless link measurements on the assembled prototypes verified the good performance on the wireless and sensing sides.

Monopole Antenna With Inkjet-Printed EBG Array on Paper Substrate for Wearable Applications

In this letter, a novel electromagnetic band-gap structure (EBG) with single-ring resonators is inkjet-printed on the commercially available photo paper using conductive nano-silver ink. The printed EBG array is placed above a copper sheet, forming an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) reflector at the designed frequency range (2.4 ~ 2.5 GHz). A microstrip monopole antenna is backed with the designed AMC reflector and is tested in free space and in contact with a human phantom. The antenna gain of a conventional microstrip monopole on human phantom is as low as -9 dBi. The gain of the proposed AMC backed monopole, measured on a human phantom is 0.95 dBi. The measurements demonstrate superior performance of the proposed monopole with EBG array compared to a conventional microstrip monopole antenna when they are considered for wearable applications.

RFID Passive Gas Sensor Integrating Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotube (CNT) composites are sensitive to the presence of gases due to their high surface-to-volume ratio and hollow structure that are well suited for gas molecule absorption and storage. Such sensing capability is here integrated with UHF RF identification (RFID) technology to achieve passive and low-cost sensors, remotely readable. CNT film (buckypaper) is used as a localized variable resistive load integrated into a tag antenna, which becomes able to transduce the presence of hazardous gas in the environment, ammonia in this case, into a change of its electromagnetic features. The dynamic range and the hysteresis of the radio sensor are investigated by simulations, equivalent circuits, and articulated experimentations within a true RFID link, providing the proof of concept and some guidelines for tag design.

Integration of sensors and RFID's on ultra-low-cost paper-based substrates for wireless sensor networks applications

In this paper, an overview of novel integration approaches for improved performance UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and embedded sensors and batteries is presented. Organic substrates, such as paper, that have been very rarely used in UHF and RF applications in the past and could potentially utilize inkjet printing techniques, are also thoroughly investigated for the realization of ultra- low-cost RFID/Sensor tags for frequencies ranging from 13.56 MHz up to 950 MHz for the first time ever. The proposed technology could potentially revolutionize wearable and conformal wireless sensor networks (WSN).

Wearable RFID-enabled sensor nodes for biomedical applications

A wearable RFID-enabled sensor node for continuous biomedical monitoring is investigated in this paper. Dielectric characterization of fabric substrates, inkjet-printing of conductive nano-particle silver ink, design of RFID antennas and integration of sensor active and passive devices were discussed in this paper. Preliminary experiments show that the RFID-enabled sensor node could be effective for biomedical applications.

Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP): The ultimate solution for low-cost RF flexible electronics and antennas

In this paper, solutions for developing low cost electronics for antenna transceivers that take advantage of the stable electrical properties of the organic substrate liquid crystal polymer (LCP) has been presented. Three important ingredients in RF wireless transceivers namely embedded passives, a dual band filter and a RFid antenna have been designed and fabricated on LCP. Test results of all 3 of the structures show good agreement between the simulated and measured results over their respective bandwidths, demonstrating stable performance of the LCP substrate.

Design, Development and Integration of Novel Antennas for Miniaturized UHF RFID Tags

An overview of design requirements and novel approaches for improved performance UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) tags is presented. Two matching techniques, an inductively coupled structure and a serial stub structure are discussed. Different miniaturized antenna topologies are proposed, focusing on low-profile, high efficiency and high directivity in very compact (less than 3 in times 3 in) configurations.