HYBRID SENSOR/COMMUNICATION DEVICE, AND METHOD

• US 20090179751A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: Forster, Ian J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,207,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/501
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

A hybrid sensor/communication device includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) communication device coupled to a sensor device that includes organic and/or amorphous semiconductor material. The organic and/or amorphous semiconductor material may be printed atop a substrate of the device, the same substrate upon which antenna elements of the RFID device are located. The organic and/or amorphous semiconductor material may form an organic/amorphous semiconductor material processor that is coupled to sensor pads of the sensor device. An integrated circuit of the RFID device, which may be a part of an interposer or strap, and which may utilize an inorganic crystalline semiconductor material such as crystalline silicon, is coupled to the organic/amorphous semiconductor material processor. The RFID device provides power to the sensor device, and allows communication between the sensor device and external devices outside of the hybrid sensor/communication device.

Claims

1. A hybrid sensor/communication device comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) communication device, wherein the RFID device includes;

an antenna; and

a crystalline inorganic semiconductor integrated circuit coupled to the antenna to facilitate communication to devices external to the hybrid device; and

a sensor device operatively coupled to the crystalline inorganic semiconductor integrated circuit;

wherein the sensor device includes at least one of an organic semiconductor material or an amorphous inorganic semiconductor material.

2. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes the organic semiconductor material.

3. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes the amorphous inorganic semiconductor material.

4. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes a processor that includes the at least one of the organic semiconductor material or the amorphous inorganic semiconductor material.

5. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 4, wherein the sensor device also includes one or more sensor pads that are operatively coupled to the processor.

6. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 5, wherein the processor is operatively coupled to the crystalline inorganic semiconductor integrated circuit.

7. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 5, wherein the one or more sensor pads includes one or more of an enzyme sensor, a chemical sensor, an integrated temperature/time monitor, an optical sensor, a heat sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, and an acoustic sensor.

8. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 1, wherein the crystalline inorganic semiconductor integrated circuit is part of an interposer that includes conductive leads that are coupled to both the crystalline inorganic semiconductor integrated circuit and the antenna.

9. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is metal foil antenna.

10. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 9, wherein the sensor device is formed on one or more metal pieces.

11. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more metal pieces and the metal foil antenna are cut from a single metal foil layer.

12. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 10, further comprising a substrate that is attached to the metal foil antenna and the one or more metal pieces.

13. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the organic semiconductor material or the amorphous inorganic semiconductor material includes a printed material.

14. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 1, wherein the RFID device includes a power supply that provides a high voltage and a low voltage, with one of the voltages used for internal operation of the crystalline inorganic semiconductor integrated circuit, and the other used for operation of the sensor device.

15. The hybrid sensor/communication device of claim 14, wherein the power supply is operatively coupled to the antenna so as to rectify energy received by the antenna to produce the high voltage and the low voltage.

16. A method of making a hybrid sensor/communication device, the method including:

forming a sensor device on a metal layer, wherein the sensor device includes at least one of an organic semiconductor material or an amorphous inorganic semiconductor material;

removing part of the metal layer, to separate an antenna of the metal layer from one or more metal pieces of the metal layer upon which the sensor device is located; and

coupling a crystalline inorganic semiconductor integrated circuit to the antenna, to thereby produce a radio frequency identification (RFID) communication device operatively coupled to the sensor device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the forming the sensor device includes printing the at least one of an organic semiconductor material or an amorphous inorganic semiconductor material on the metal layer.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the removing includes die cutting the metal layer.

19. A method of sensing and communicating, the method comprising:

providing a hybrid sensor/communication device that includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) communication device that has a crystalline inorganic semiconductor integrated circuit, and a sensor device operatively coupled to the semiconductor integrated circuit, wherein the sensor device includes at least one of an organic semiconductor material or an amorphous inorganic semiconductor material;

sensing one or more physical, chemical or biological parameters using the sensor device; and

communicating information regarding the one or more physical, chemical or biological parameters from the RFID device to an external device that is physically separated from the hybrid device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a processor of the sensor device includes the at least one of the organic semiconductor material or the amorphous inorganic semiconductor material.