Capability Assessment of Inkjet Printing for Reliable RFID Applications

Abstract

In this paper, inkjet-printed silver traces and interconnections produced with the print-on-slope technique were used in an radio-frequency identification (RFID) structure operating in the ultra-high-frequency range. Underfill material was used to attach silicon RFID chips onto flexible, 125- ${\mu }\text{m}$ -thick polymer substrates. The cured underfill was also used as a sloped surface for printing interconnection traces from the chip to the plastic substrate’s radiators. Inkjet printing was performed in one phase, producing both the interconnections to the chip and the radiators. This enables the use of a single-phase continuous roll-to-roll compatible process instead of the commonly used two-phase stop-and-go process. To further investigate the behavior of the printed low-temperature nanoparticle ink and its compatibility with different substrate materials, basic conductive traces were printed onto the substrates. Thereafter, the structures were exposed to thermal/humidity tests at 85 °C temperature/85% relative humidity (“85/85”) for up to a 2000-h period. To gain an understanding of the response of the structures under stress, the samples were intermittently characterized by using a read range measurement device, followed by the removal of failed samples from the test. The samples were characterized also by optical imaging and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The bulk conductive traces were characterized electrically by measuring their resistances during test breaks. The results point out that although some challenges are still to overcome, inkjet printing is a feasible way of producing conductive traces for RFID structures, and that the print-on-slope technique is utilizable also in practical applications as a cost-effective method with adequate reliability for producing interconnections between chip and substrate.