Inkjet-Printed Paper/Polymer-Based RFID and Wireless Sensor Nodes: The Final Step to Bridge Cognitive Intelligence, Nanotechnology and RF? Manos M. Tentzeris, Amin Rida, Anya Traille, Hoseon Lee, Vasilis Lakafosis and Rushi Vyas School of ECE, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332-250, USA Abstract In this talk, inkjet-printed flexible antennas, RF electronics and sensors fabricated on paper and other polymer (e.g.LCP)substrates are introduced as a system-level solution for ultra-low-cost mass production of UHF Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags and Wireless Sensor Nodes (WSN) in an approach that could be easily extended to other microwave and wireless applications. The talk will cover examples from UHF up to the millimeter-wave frequency ranges. A compact inkjet-printed UHF "passive-RFID" antenna using the classic T-match approach and designed to match IC's complex impedance, is presented as a the first demonstrating prototype for this technology. Then, Prof. Tentzeris will briefly touch up the state-of-the-art area of fully-integrated wireless sensor modules on paper or flexible LCP and show the first ever 2D sensor integration with an RFID tag module on paper, as well as numerous 3D multilayer paper-based and LCP-based RF/microwave structures, that could potentially set the foundation for the truly convergent wireless sensor ad-hoc networks of the future with enhanced cognitive intelligence, anti-counterfeiting capabilities and "rugged" packaging. We will discuss issues concerning the power sources of "near-perpetual" RF modules, including flexible minaturized batteries as well as power-scavenging approaches involving thermal, EM, vibration and solar energy forms. The final step of the presentation will involve examples from wearable (e.g. biomonitoring) antennas and RF modules, as well as the first examples of the integration of inkjet-printed nanotechnology-based (e.g.CNT) sensors on paper and organic substrates. It has to be noted that the talk will review and present challenges for inkjet-printed organic active and nonlinear devices as well as future directions in the area of environmentally-friendly ("green") RF electronics and "smart-skin' conformal sensors 1.Introduction RFID is an emerging and disruptive compact wireless technology for the identification of objects, and is considered as an eminent candidate for the realization of completely ubiquitous ad-hoc wireless networks. This technology has several benefits over the conventional ways of identification, such as faster data transfer, higher read range, the ability of RFID tags to be embedded within objects, the ability to read large amount of tags simultaneously and no requirements of line of sight [1]. Already, a large list of applications is currently utilizing RFIDs including supply chain and logistics, pharmaceutical e-pedigree, access control, parcel and document tracking, real-time location systems, automatic payment, vehicle identification and livestock tracking. Compared with the lower-frequency (LF/HF) tags already suffering from limited read range (1-2 feet), UHF RFID tags see the widest use due to their higher read range (over 20 feet) and higher data transfer rate. The major challenges that currently hinder RFID practical implementation are: (1) cost, that has to be extremely low, especially for the RFID tags, in order to allow for mass-production amounts, (2) reliability, especially concerning tags/reader hardware and middleware, (3) regulatory situation, meaning that tags have to abide to a certain global regulatory set of requirements, such as Gen2 protocols defined by the EPC Global regulatory unit and (4) environmentally-friendly conformal materials, that could allow for the implementation of “green” and “rugged” RFID solutions. Recently, there have been research efforts reporting deployment of RFIDs and sensors on glass, flexible and polymer substrates, mostly utilizing screen-printing metallization mechanisms, but still the cost and the complexity of these modules is far from that required for a large-scale implementation of this technology, especially for sensing and cognitive intelligence applications. 2.PAPER: The cheapest substrate + INKJET PRINTING: The cheapest fabrication The first “green” ultra-low-cost organic substrate examined, on which the RFID tag circuitry and antenna were printed, is paper. There are many aspects of paper that make it an excellent candidate for an extremely low-cost substrate for RFID and other RF applications. First of all, the high demand and the mass production of paper make it the cheapest and most available material ever made. From a manufacturing point of view, paper is well suited for reel-to- 978-1-4244-5118-0/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE