Reliability Analysis of Screen-printed Tags with Low-power Electronics on Flexible Substrates

The additive manufacturing of RFID smart tags typically involves printing of antennas using electrically conductive materials along with the hybrid integration of the off-the-shelf low-power electronic components. In this case, the conductivity of printed material could significantly influence the reliable working of electronics as the electromagnetic performance of the antenna depends on it. In this research, we demonstrate the effect of conductive materials for printed antenna and show how their reliable operation could be attained by using suitable number of coatings. The printed antenna with its low-power electronics circuit is also compared with the conventional copper etched rigid and flexible tags to show the challenges regarding the electromagnetic performance. The printed tags are further subjected to different bending cycles to investigate their mechanical stability under varying strain conditions.