RFID Antenna
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| What is a RFID Antenna? |
| RFID tag antenna is made of metal and is used for data exchange between the RFID tag and reader. In passive RFID tags a coiled RFID antenna creates a time varying current by harvesting energy provided by the RFID reader's carrier signal. Most of the passive RFID tags use copper to make antennas. |
| Why is copper used for making RFID tag antenna? |
- Superior electromagnetic performance
- Consistent production quality
- Mechanical Properties: flexibility, metal adhesion and overall durability
- Very sharp line resolution
- Reduced undercut effect
- Cost effective RFID antenna
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| Recent developments on use of Copper for RFID tag antenna |
The United Kingdom-based PCB technology development firm TDAO recently announced a process by which copper antennas can be electrodeposited (plated) precisely onto substrates at extremely high speeds. The technology is reportedly cost-competitive with conductive-ink printing while offering denser, higher-conductivity and, therefore, higher quality copper antennas. The company will have the capacity to produce several billion 13.56-MHz HF antennas per year on its prototype 1-meter-wide line by the end of 2005. The company plans to develop higher-capacity equipment in 2006. The ingenious TDAO process makes use of a very thin (and therefore inexpensive) layer of conductive ink. Too thin for use as an antenna, the ink acts as a target for the electroplated copper, which is deposited from an inexpensive copper sulfate electrolyte. The result: a 100% dense metallic copper antenna that provides all the performance of the etched-foil product but at a fraction of the cost.
A Dutch plating equipment supplier, MECO, offers a similar process, which it claims can reduce the cost of HF antennas by 60% to 75%, and by even more for UHF antennas, which are typically thinner. As with the TDAO process, the final antenna is in the form of fully dense copper.
Qinetiq, another British innovator, offers a somewhat different scheme. In this case, copper is deposited on a thin ink layer by a process known as electroless plating, which is a chemical rather than an electrochemical deposition process. In it, copper plates out only onto areas preprinted with conductive ink. The electroless-plated copper layer is very thin, and a subsequent electroplating step is necessary to bring the antenna to full thickness. The process sounds complex, but MECO claims it produces antennas at about one-half the cost of conventional manufacture. However, the process most important feature might be its ability to "grow" copper between the antenna and printed contacts on the microchip, thereby eliminating a separate assembly operation. |
| RFID solutions at RFID4U |
| Find out all about RFID antenna, RFID tags, RFID readers, RFID implementation through our RFID training courses NOW! RFID4U is the company where you can get RFID training. We provide training both at our facility as well as at client location. Besides we run various online learning programs. For any queries feel free to contact us. |
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