RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID) INTEGRATED CIRCUIT (IC) AND MATCHING NETWORK/ANTENNA EMBEDDED IN SURFACE MOUNT DEVICES (SMD)

• US 20120146768A1
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: MANZI, Giuliano, WIEDNIG, Gerald
• Granted Patent: US 10,381,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor

Abstract

A matching network is integrated into a multilayer surface mount device containing an RFID integrated circuit to provide both an antenna and a matching network for the RFID integrated circuit in the ultra high frequency regime. The surface mount device may be mounted on a printed circuit board to provide RF and RFID functionality to the printed circuit board.

Claims

1. An SMD component comprising:

an RFID integrated circuit integrated into and electrically coupled to a multilayer surface mount structure having a plurality of traces that are distributed over the multilayer surface mount device to form a multilayer inductive coil for the RFID integrated circuit.

2. The SMD component of claim 1 wherein the multilayer inductive coil is adapted for UHF frequencies.

3. The SMD component of claim 1 wherein the multilayer inductive coil forms a matching network for the RFID integrated circuit.

4. The SMD component of claim 1 wherein the plurality of traces comprise copper.

5. The SMD component of claim 1 mounted on a printed circuit board wherein the multilayer inductive coil is electrically coupled to a pair of traces on the printed circuit board to form a dipole antenna for the RFID integrated circuit.

6. The SMD component of claim 1 where the SMD component is mounted on a printed circuit board and the multilayer inductive coil is electrically coupled to a ground plane of the printed circuit board.

7. The SMD component of claim 1 where the SMD component is mounted on a printed circuit board and the RFID integrated circuit is electrically coupled to one of an I2C bus, a data bus and a battery.

8. The SMD component of claim 1 wherein the multilayer surface mount structure comprises two dielectric layers.

9. The SMD component of claim 1 wherein the SMD component is adapted to receive power from an interrogator.

10. The SMD component of claim 1 wherein the plurality of traces are electrically coupled together using metallized vias.

16. A system to track a product throughout its lifecycle comprising:

an interrogator; and

an SMD component as claimed in claim 1 mounted on a printed circuit board that is part of the product such that the RFID integrated circuit can be interrogated by the interrogator to provide information about the product.

11. A method for making an SMD component comprising:

providing an RFID integrated circuit;

integrating and electrically coupling the RFID integrated circuit into a multilayered surface mount structure;

forming a plurality of traces that are distributed over the multilayered surface mount structure; and

forming a multilayer inductive coil for the RFID integrated circuit from the plurality of traces.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the SMD component is mounted on a printed circuit board and the RFID integrated circuit is electrically coupled to a ground plane of the printed circuit board.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the multilayer inductive coil is adapted for UHF frequencies.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the multilayer inductive coil is adapted to provide an impedance matching network for the RFID integrated circuit.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the SMD component is mounted on a printed circuit board and the RFID integrated circuit is electrically coupled to one of an I2C bus, a data bus and a battery.