This document discusses printing RFID tags using graphic arts printing technologies. It summarizes different types of RFID tags like inductive, capacitive and printed tags. Capacitive tags are well-suited for printing because they do not require coils and can use printed carbon ink antennas. The document outlines the printing process for capacitive RFID tags and discusses challenges like achieving sufficient mobility with organic materials at low frequencies. It analyzes how printing resolution and materials affect the ability to print electronic components like transistors at micrometer scales.

1. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
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All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Printing RFID Using
Graphic Arts
Printing Technologies
Tim Collins
Motorola Labs,
Schaumburg, IL

2. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
How RFID Works:
Reader powers tag
Tag responds with data
Reader sends data to host
Host
Reader
Tag
Data
All RFID Systems Utilize The Same Method
of Communication
Power & Commands
.

3. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
13 MHz Smart Card
• Antenna typically 3-7
turns of copper
• Discrete or on-board
resonant capacitor
• Rigid construction
• Pre-defined form-factor
UHF 900 MHz/2.4 GHz
• High Q Resonant antenna
• Easily attached to article
• Propagation and Reflection
issues
• Operates at far distance
Types of Tags
frequency is related to distance
• Traditional 125kHz
Inductive RFID
• Antenna typically ~120
turns of copper wire
• Typically use discrete
resonant capacitor
• Rigid construction
• Pre-defined form-factor
Capacitive 125 kHz-13MHz
• No expensive coil
• Flexible Form factor (very
robust, can bend and mutilate)
• Easily attached to article
• Low frequency doesn’t have
reflection issues
• Works with Printed
Semiconductors

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All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Supply Chain as a Function of Frequency
Graphic Arts
Printed Transistors
Fit in well at
Short distance
Applications
“ITEMS”
Operating Frequency
kHz, MHz
Inventory Management
Perishable goods
Merchandising
Shrinkage
Transport
Operating Frequency
kHz, MHz
Manufacture Distribution
Operating Frequency
UHF
Operating Frequency
UHF
Retail
Store

5. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Inductive Coupled RFID Tags
(Multiple frequencies, absorption, cost)
• To achieve useful read range, a resonant LC tank circuit is required for inductive RFID tags.
• High circulating current flows in the LC tank circuit, and ITANK >> IIC.
• To avoid short range, resistive losses in the LC tank circuit (& its interconnections) must be low.
• Many turns of wire are required in the coil at low frequencies.
• Packaging cost of inductive RFID tags is high, limiting feasibility for low cost tagging applications.
RIC
CRESONANT
ITANK
IIC
COIL
INDUCTIVE/UHF TAG
IEXC
EXCITER
COIL
Near/Far
FIELD
READER

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MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Capactively Coupled RFID Tags
(Wide bandwidth)
ELECTRIC FIELD
READER
RIC
IIC
Electrostatic TAG
CAIR1
CAIR2
Exciter
Voltage
• Electrostatic RFID systems operate on the principle of capacitive coupling.
• Electrostatic tags do not contain coils or capacitors – only the tag antennae and the IC.
• No resonant circuit - only IC current flows in the tag; which is low. Low current permits
the use of more resistive materials in the antenna & interconnections.
• Packaging costs are significantly reduced in comparison with inductive RFID tags.

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MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Tech Inductive UHF Active SemiActive Capacitive
Antenna Metallic Metallic Metallic Metallic Carbon
Read Distance (typ.) <1 meter <3 meter 1-100 meters 1-20 <1 meter
Bend/fold/mutilate NO NO NO NO YES
Unique Antenna for YES YES YES YES NO1
Each product type
Shelf installation HARD HARD HARD HARD EASY2
Shelf Read Coverage Null Zones Null Zones N/A N/A Uniform
Custom Shelf antenna YES3 YES3 YES YES NO
1) antenna placement may be important, but antenna geometry can be constant
2) low-cost printed antennas possible
3) coupling/nulls strongly depend on materials/sizes
RFID Technology Differences

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All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Capacitive Tags Are Based On Printed Carbon
Ink Antenna
Tag
Ink application:
flexo, screened, pad
or sprayed
ink
IC chip
ink
Printed
IC

9. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Printed Electronics - Today
• Printed circuitry
– Screen
– Stencil
• Printed solder interconnects
– Screen
– Stencil
– Micro-dispensing
– Jetting
• Microelectronics
encapsulation and flux
dispensing
– Micro-dispensing
– Jetting
Printed Flex Circuitry
Solder Interconnects
Encapsulation and Fluxing

10. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Printed Electronics - Tomorrow
75 µm pixels PLED ©CDT
Konarka's flexible solar cell
Printed battery by
Power Paper
Photo courtesy E Ink
• Printed energy sources (Konarka,
PowerPaper, Thin Battery
Technology)
– Screen
– Flexo
– Litho
• Printed displays (Cambridge Display
Technology, eInk/Toppan, Gyricon,
DuPont/Sarnoff)
– Screen
– Inkjet
– Laser induced forward transfer
• Printed lighting (GE)
– Screen
• Printed RFID antenna
– Screen
– Flexo
– Litho

11. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Printing Resolution:
Printed Transistors Occur Below 20um
PRINTING
MICRO-
ELECTRONICS
Features
20 μm
10 μm
500 nm
100 nm
Imaging
Technology
Applications
Macro-
Optics
Laser
UV
E-UV
Graphic Art Printing
(printing for labels)
Microelectronics
(printing for electronics)

12. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Mobility can be low for 125 kHz Tags
Material
Amorphous Silicon
Inorganic-organic
Organic (Small Molecule)
Organic (Polymer)
Mobility
1 to 10 cm2/V·s
5 cm2/V·s
0.61 cm2/V·s
0.1 cm2/V·s
)(
2 2
0 thgs VV
L
f −=
π
μ
Length=10 μm

13. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Printed Transistor Structure
Flexible Substrate
• Plastic
• Paper
G
Conductors
• PTF conductors
• Conductive polymers
• Organo-metallics
• Nanoparticle inks
Dielectrics
• PTF dielectrics
• Polymer
• Oxides
S D
Actives
• Organics
• Inorganics
Active
Substrate
Dielectric
Conductor

14. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Printing Resolution
Printing resolution is
affected by
• Ink rheology – ink flow and
wetting on the substrates
• Ink particle size – random
shorting channel, channel edge
definition
• Plate/screen resolution
• System control and hardware
capability
• Process optimization

15. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Materials and Equipment
for Printing Electronics
Materials Electrical Properties Printing Technologies
PTF Conductors
Sheet resistance
mΩ/sq
PTF Dielectrics Dielectric Const
Conductive Polymers
Conductivity
S/cm
Dielectric Polymers Dielectric Const
Organic Actives
Mobility
cm2/V.s
Flexography
Lithography
Gravure
Screen Printing
Micro-dispensing
Jetting
Spin-coating
Printing technology vs. Printable materials

16. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Printed 125 kHz Tag4-step Printing Process
3
1
2
4
Disruptive Design and Fabrication Process
GS D
Active Layer
Substrate
Dielectric
Electrodes Printing Station Replaces Wafer Fab
Processing technology and end-products are environmentally friendly

17. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
Moving from Research to Supply Chain
Readiness
2500 ft roll
18” Diameter
Functional circuitry demonstrated at manufacturing speeds of 300ft/min on a
6 inch web platform and 7000sheets/hr on a 24 inch X 36 inch sheet-fed platform.

18. Motorola Confidential Proprietary
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.
All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2005
Copyright© 2005 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved
iNEMI can help….
• Standards
– Tags (ISO, EPCglobal)
– Device, circuit, and architecture standards
IEEE P1620, IEEE P1620.1, P1620.X
– Printing related standards
Design rules and file format
In-line testing platforms and quality control
systems
Printing platform
Reliability