RFID TAG WITH INTEGRATED ANTENNA

• US 20150053770A1
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments Deutschland Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Preikszat, Dirk, Beierke, Stefan, Asche, Norbert
• Granted Patent: US 10,909,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07754 the connection being galvanic
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07775 the antenna being on-chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• 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

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. In one embodiment, an RFID tag includes an integrated circuit die. The integrated circuit die includes circuitry configured to store information and transmit the stored information responsive to reception of a radio frequency (RF) signal. The integrated circuit die also includes an antenna coupled to the circuitry. The antenna is configured to transmit and receive RFID signals. Further, the antenna and the interconnects of the circuitry are formed of a same metal, and fabricated using a same semiconductor process.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, comprising:

an integrated circuit die, comprising;

circuitry configured to;

store information; and

transmit the stored information responsive to reception of a radio frequency signal; and

an antenna coupled to the circuitry, and configured to transmit and receive RFID signals;

wherein the antenna and interconnects of the circuitry are formed of a same metal, and are fabricated using a same semiconductor process.

2. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is disposed on a first layer of the die and the antenna is disposed on a second layer of the die;

and wherein the antenna occupies an area of the second layer no larger than an area of the first layer occupied by the circuitry.

3. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the metal is aluminum.

4. The RFID tag of claim 3, wherein the aluminum of the antenna is approximately 4 micrometers or more in thickness.

5. The RFID tag of claim 2, wherein the antenna comprises at least 50 loops.

6. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the antenna has an inductance of at least 3 microhenries.

7. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the antenna is tuned to operate in an RF range centered about 13 megahertz.

8. The tag of claim 1, wherein the die is approximately one square millimeter or less in area.

9. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is attached to an item, and is configured to provide tracking of the item based on RF signals transmitted via the antenna.

10. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, comprising:

a substrate;

circuitry disposed on a first layer of the substrate, the circuitry configured to send identification information of the RFID tag upon reception of a radio frequency signal from a reader; and

an antenna coupled to the circuitry, wherein the antenna is disposed on a second layer of the substrate and is configured to transmit and receive RFID signals;

wherein each of the antenna and the circuitry comprise at least one layer of a conductive material that is plated onto the substrate using a same fabrication process.

11. The RFID tag of claim 10, wherein the antenna occupies an area of the second layer no greater than an area of the first layer occupied by the circuitry.

12. The RFID tag of claim 10, wherein the conductive material is aluminum.

13. The RFID tag of claim 12, wherein the aluminum of the antenna is at least approximately 4 micrometers thick.

14. The RFID tag of claim 10, wherein the antenna comprises at least 50 loops.

15. The RFID tag of claim 10, wherein the antenna has an inductance of at least 3 microhenries.

16. The RFID tag of claim 10, wherein the antenna is tuned to operate in an RF range centered about 13 megahertz.

17. The RFID tag of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag is attached to an item, and is configured to provide tracking of the item based on RF signals transmitted via the antenna.

18. A radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna, comprising:

an antenna loop array configured to be disposed on a first side of an integrated circuit die, wherein the antenna loop array is formed of at least one layer of aluminum that is at least approximately 4 micrometers thick;

wherein the antenna loop array is configured to wirelessly communicate with a RFID tag reader via a band centered about 13 megahertz.

19. The RFID antenna of claim 18, wherein the antenna loop array has an inductance of at least 3 microhenries.

20. The RFID antenna of claim 18, wherein each loop of the antenna loop array is rectangular, circular, multi-sided, or combinations thereof.