Adam Humpal

Radio frequency identification (RFID) devices have become ubiquitous in the modern world as a means for fast and secure authentication. A major component of these devices are their antennas, which both transmit and receive signals, and will be the focus of this presentation. The SCALE (self-aligned capillarity lithography for electronics) method of producing printed electronic devices provides a fast and inexpensive process for producing flexible electronic devices, which makes it the perfect candidate for producing RFID antennas. Although the process outlined in this presentation to produce printed antennas is quite involved, the key advantage of the SCALE method is the ability to create printed electronics via the use of roll-to-roll manufacturing. Through the process of experimentation, it has been shown that the SCALE method is capable of manufacturing RFID antennas capable of producing significant electric potentials of around 2-3V with enough power to light a small LED. Despite these promising results, the successful coupling of a SCALE printed antenna and commercial RFID chip in order to transmit and receive signal has yet to be realized.