Configurable ink-jet-printed RFID tag on paper substrate for low cost and green applications

The letter presents the design, fabrication, and measurement of a configurable radio frequency identification (RFID) tag based on time-domain reflections. The tag circuit contains a microstrip line (ML) that propagates radio frequency (RF) signals, and a group of capacitors that introduce impedance discontinuities to encode binary codes. The configurability of the tag circuit is allowed by connecting the nearby-placed capacitors with the ML. Ink-jet printing technology is employed to implement the layout of the proposed tag on paper substrate. To overcome the limitations of printed metallic tracks, a linearly tapering technique is proposed. With this technique, a four-bit configurable passive chipless RFID tag is realized. Both time-domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements and ultrawideband (UWB) characterizations were conducted for the proposed tag, and the results are in good consistence with the simulation ones from the circuit simulator advanced design system (ADS). Owing to its low cost fabrication and environmentally friendly nature, the proposed tag has great potential to be widely employed in low-end RFID applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 53:2781–2786, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26412