STTR Phase II: Flexible and Extended Range Radio Frequency Identification Tags

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第二阶段项目的重点是开发一个商业上可行的生产多功能无源射频识别（RFID）标签的过程。 现有的无源标签技术有许多限制，阻碍了它们的广泛使用。最显著的限制包括最小的操作范围、高的单位成本以及使得标签难以粘附到弯曲或不规则形状的表面的刚性形式。 该项目旨在通过利用两种创新技术来克服这些限制。 第一种技术是一种新型的场效应晶体管（FET），它是由高纯度和富质子的单壁碳纳米管（SWCNT）溶液制成的。这些创新的FET提供了工作频率和载流能力的改进，从而扩展了RFID范围。第二项创新是一种高速、高精度和具有超细尺寸能力的系统，用于在室温或接近室温的条件下将电子元件和天线沉积到柔性基板上。该项目旨在生产和评估基于碳纳米管的RFID标签原型，以满足RFID市场的增值需求。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是开发低成本，灵活和扩展范围的RFID标签。 这些标签将为行业和美国政府提供可靠和经济的方法来管理和跟踪供应链库存，将允许智能卡的使用扩展，并将使动物和海洋生物的识别和跟踪成为保护濒危物种的关键因素。 该项目的成果还将改善应用，如无源射频识别（RFID）标签，柔性电子，红外不可见天线，嵌入式红外传感，成像和通信。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project focuses on developing a commercially viable process for producing a versatile passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. Existing passive tag technologies have many limitations that hinder their widespread use. The most significant limitations include minimal operating range, high unit costs, and a rigid form that makes the tag difficult to adhere to curved or irregularly shaped surfaces. This project aims to overcome these limitations by utilizing two innovative technologies. The first technology is a new type of field-effect transistor (FET) that is fabricated from high-purity and semiconducting-enriched single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) solutions. These innovative FETs provide improvements in operating frequency and current-carrying capacity which enable an extended RFID range. The second innovation is a high-speed, highly accurate, and ultrafine-dimension-capable system for depositing electrical components and antennas onto flexible substrates at or near room temperature. This project aims to culminate in the production and evaluation of prototype carbon nanotube-based RFID tags that meet the value-added needs of the RFID marketplace.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be the development of low-cost, flexible, and extended-range RFID tags. These tags will provide industry and the U.S. Government with a reliable and economic methodology for managing and tracking supply chain inventory, will allow an expansion in the use of smart cards, and will enable the identifying and tracking of animals and marine life, a critical element in protecting endangered species. The results of the project will also improve applications such as passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, flexible electronics, IR-invisible antennas, and embedded IR sensing, imaging, and communications.