UHF reader loop antenna for near-field RFID applications

A novel reader loop-type antenna for ultra-high-frequency (UHF) near-field radio frequency identification (RFID) applications is presented. This antenna, printed on a 0.8 mm-thick FR4 substrate with a diameter of 16 cm, is composed of four curved strips and four pairs of coupled stubs, and achieves a wide impedance bandwidth from 840 to 1300 MHz. The proposed structure can make large currents along the loop so that a strong and uniform magnetic field distribution is excited in the region around the antenna. Measurements show that the antenna operating with a commercial reader demonstrates good performance of tag identification with inductive coupling for near-field RFID applications.     

A novel circularly polarized reader antenna design for UHF RFID applications

Wireless Networks - In this article, a novel ultra-high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID) reader antenna is proposed and experimentally investigated. The proposed RFID antenna...     

一款便携式移动应用的低成本超高频无源射频识别读写器收发机芯片设计

A low cost integrated transceiver for mobile UHF passive RFID reader applications is implemented in a 0.18μm CMOS process. The transceiver contains an OOK modulator and a power amplifier in the transmitter chain, an IQ direct-down converter, variable-gain amplifiers, channel-select filters and a 10-bit ADC in the receiver chain. The measured output PldB power of the transmitter is 17.6 dBm and the measured receiver sensitivity is -70 dBm. The on-chip integer N synthesizer achieves a frequency resolution of 200 kHz with a phase noise of -104 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz frequency offset and -120.83 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset. The transmitter, the receiver and the frequency synthesizer consume 201.34, 25.3 and 54 mW, respectively. The chip has a die area of 4 × 2.5 mm^2 including pads.     

A low cost integrated transceiver for mobile UHF passive RFID reader applications

2.5 mm2 including pads.     

A broadband circularly polarized antenna of square-ring patch for UHF RFID reader applications

A circularly polarized, broad bandwidth, square-ring patch antenna for radio-frequency identification (RFID) is proposed. The antenna has a dimension of 100 × 100 × 22.9 mm³. By using a Wilkinson power divider and a patch-antenna structure, a measured 3-dB axial-ratio bandwidth of approximately 140 MHz (16.47%), an impedance bandwidth of 136 MHz (15.81%), and a measured peak gain of approximately 6.8 dBic are being achieved. The operating band of the proposed antenna is suitable for China (840–846 MHz), Europe (865–868 MHz) and the United States (902–928 MHz) ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID applications.     

Array‐based reader anti‐collision scheme for highly efficient RFID network applications

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology for identifying objects by radio signal. The reader collision problem is caused by the interrogation zones overlap of multiple readers, and leading to incorrect and unreliable data. This study proposes an array‐based reader anti‐collision scheme (ARCS) for solving the reader‐to‐tag interference problem. This mechanism uses array and grouping techniques to schedule the active readers to reduce the read cycle (RC) time. The ‘RC’ and ‘collision ratio (CR)’ measures serve as performance indexes in the proposed scheme. From ‘RC’ comparison, the ARCS mechanism has the maximum improvement of 55 per cent as compared with the existing mechanisms. Furthermore, take ‘CR’ index, ARCS has the maximum improvement of 42 per cent as compared to the others. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rectangular spiral coil analysis for inductively coupled RFID systems based on Partial Element Equivalent Circuit method

In order to achieve maximum power efficiency with inductively coupled RFID tags, the impedances of the spiral coil and the integrated circuit must be matched to each other. In this paper, we present a numeric approximation of the impedance of a rectangular spiral coil by means of a coupled electromagnetic and circuit analysis called Partial Element Equivalent Circuit method and verify our simulation with measurement results. We include the effective permittivity in our 3D capacitance extraction method and fit the simulated impedance to a simple RLC equivalent circuit model which is also used by our measurement device and compare the resulting element values. Our Matlab-based simulator shows good agreement over the frequency band of interest and allows for optimization for various design goals.     

Internal linear inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sources for large area FPD etch process applications

A large area (830 mm×1020 mm) inductively coupled plasma source with a six internal straight antennas was developed for large area FPD (Flat Panel Display) etch process applications and the effects of magnetic fields employing permanent magnets on the plasma characteristics were investigated. Using six straight antennas connected in series into plasma and though the induction of strong electric field into the plasma by the antennas, high-density plasma on the order of 10¹¹ cm⁻³ could be obtained by applying above 1500 W power to the antennas. By employing the magnetic fields perpendicular to the antenna currents using permanent magnets, improved plasma characteristics such as increase of the ion density and decrease of both electron temperature and plasma potential could be achieved in addition to the stability of the plasma possibly due to the reduction of the electron loss. However, the application of the magnetic field decreased the plasma uniformity slightly even though the uniformity within 10% could be maintained in the 800 mm processing area.     

Patch antennas with switchable slots (PASS) in wireless communications: concepts, designs, and applications

This feature article describes, in a comprehensive and unified fashion, the authors' work on the development of novel kinds of reconfigurable microstrip antennas: patch antennas with switchable slots (PASS). PASS are versatile for wireless communication systems, and their structure is very simple. This article introduces the operational mechanism of PASS, as well as their frequency-ratio control and input impedance tuning. Various PASS designs are presented to demonstrate the capability of PASS in wireless communication. These designs demonstrate the functions of dual-frequency operation, dual-band circular-polarization performance, and circular-polarization diversity with only one layer and a single feed. A practical PASS application for future Mars rover missions is also highlighted: a compact, dual-band, circularly polarized antenna for the UHF band was designed, fabricated, and measured, based on the PASS concept.     

Space-time convolutional codes over GF(p) for two transmit antennas

We present new space-time trellis codes for two transmit antennas and p-PSK modulations, where p=3. 5. 7.11. 13.17, satisfying the rank and the determinant or the trace criteria. The system utilizes a rate 1/2 convolutional encoder over GF(p), p a prime. Some encoder properties are presented that simplify the code search.     

A SYNCHRONIZATION ALGORITHM FOR HF （HIGH FREQUENCY） BROADBAND OFDM SYSTEM

In this letter, a kind of associated synchronization algorithm which is suitable for HF （High Frequency） broadband OFDM （Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing） system is presented based on describing and constructing the GMW （Gorden, Mills and Welch） sequence. The algorithm is based on the Schmidl and Minn＇s symbol timing principle, the constructed GMW sequence is transmitted and disposed, and the synchronization is adjudicated using the correlation of GMW sequence. The simulation result indicates that this algorithm has high performance synchronization ability under the low SNR （Signal to Noise Ratio） at two different kinds of channel models.     

Polymer-ceramic nanocomposite capacitors for system-on-package (SOP) applications

This work focuses on optimizing the dispersion of nanosized ceramic particles for achieving higher dielectric constant, thereby higher capacitance density in polymer/ceramic nanocomposites. It has been observed that high solids loading leads to entrapment of porosity in the microstructure which lowers the effective dielectric constant of the films. The amount of solvent in the suspension and the speed at which spin coating was performed were found to impact the dielectric constant of high filler content nanocomposites. The interplay between the rheological properties of the suspension and processing parameters such as solvent content and coating speeds and its impact on the dielectric properties of the film are discussed. Porosity of thin film composites was measured for the first time to study the impact of these processing parameters. Powders of different particle sizes were mixed to obtain bimodal particle size distribution in order to increase the packing density of the composite. Packing density was improved by modifying the dispersion methodology. A nanocomposite with dielectric constant as high as 135 was obtained for the first time in the low-cost printed wiring board compatible epoxy system. A capacitance densities of /spl sim/35 nF/cm/sup 2/ on a nominal 3.5 micrometer films was achieved on PWB substrates with high yield. The manufacturability of these formulated nanocomposites and their applications as decoupling capacitors have been tested using a large area (300 mm /spl times/ 300 mm) system-on-package (SOP) chip-to-chip communication test vehicle.     

Photosensitive poly(dimethylsiloxane) materials for microfluidic applications

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is used as a thermally crosslinked material in microfluidics and Bio-MEMS. Recently photo-patternable materials show increasing interest, as the demand for easy alignment arises for multilayered structures. We present a photopatterning process for PDMS in microfluidics, for two main uses: (a) as a thin (approximately 10 μm) structural layer, and (b) as a very thin (approximately 1 μm) hard mask for oxygen plasma etching of microfluidic polymeric substrates down to several tens of microns. We study the deep-UV and I-line photocrosslinking properties of siloxane copolymers containing vinyl-methyl-siloxane groups as polymerizable units. These materials are sensitive to DUV and can be sensitized to 300–400 nm using free radical initiators. We prove that even thermally curable PDMS (Sylgard 184, base) can become photosensitive in DUV, although its practical use is limited to very thin films, due to its small molecular weight.     

Smart antennas based on spatial multiplexing of local elements (SMILE) for mutual coupling reduction

A new method for reducing mutual coupling in a smart antenna array using patch antenna elements is proposed. In a recently introduced smart antenna architecture, the spatial multiplexing of local elements (SMILE) scheme, the newly proposed array feed network affects mutual coupling. It is demonstrated that proper design of the feed network may reduce mutual coupling significantly, yielding nearly ideal radiation characteristics. Numerical solutions are used to study and optimize the currents on the surface of a four-element C-band patch antenna array and feed network. Radiation patterns of the same array with different feed networks are also computed. Results show a reduction in sidelobe level of several decibels, increased accuracy in beam pointing during scan, and improved depth and placement.     

Genetic algorithms and method of moments (GA/MOM) for the design ofintegrated antennas

This paper introduces a novel technique for efficiently combining genetic algorithms (GAs) with method of moments (MoM) for integrated antenna design and explores a two example applications of the GA/MoM approach. Integral to efficient GA/MoM integration is the use of direct Z-matrix manipulation (DMM). In DMM a “mother” structure is selected and its corresponding impedance or Z-matrix is filled only once prior to beginning the GA optimization process. The GA optimizer then optimizes the design by creating substructures of the mother structure as represented by the corresponding subsets of the original mother Z-matrix. Application of DMM with GA/MoM significantly reduces the total optimization time by eliminating multiple Z-matrix fill operations. DMM also facilitates the use of matrix partitioning and presolving to further reduce the optimization time in many practical cases. The design of a broad-band patch antenna with greater than 20% bandwidth and a dual-band patch antenna are presented as examples of the utility of GA/MoM with DMM. Measured results for the dual-band antenna are compared to numerical results. Excellent agreement between numerical and measured results is observed     

Direct tunneling RAM (DT-RAM) for high-density memory applications

A new approach to reducing the tunnel oxide thickness in floating gate memories is introduced for RAM applications. Experimental measurements and two-dimensional (2-D) device simulations are used to investigate the operating principles of a direct tunneling RAM (DT-RAM) cell. DT-RAM targets memory applications in which manufacturability, scalability, low-power, high-density, and long retention times are important considerations.     

Inverse dual converter (IDC) for high-power DC-DC applications

A family of DC-DC converters suitable for high-power applications is introduced. The inverse dual converter (IDC) is capable of continuous voltage step-up or step-down control over a wide range of and without the need of a transformer. Experimental verification of the analysis is given for the simple single-phase IDC. Some of the more sophisticated members of the IDC family are described, and their characteristics and possible application, are mentioned     

Multiple-route current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of GaAs-InGaAsmetal-insulator-semiconductor-like (MIS) structure for multiple-valuedlogic applications

A new GaAs-In_xGa_1-xAs metal-insulator-semiconductor-like (MIS) device with the interesting dual-route and multiple-negative-differential-resistance (MNDR) current-voltage (I-V) characteristics has been fabricated and demonstrated. These performances are caused by the successive barrier lowering and potential redistribution effect. A novel multiple-route I-V characteristic is obtained in the studied device at low temperature (-130°C). This performance is different from the previously reported NDR switching device and has not yet been found in other devices. The interesting property of the studied structure provides a promising candidate for switching device applications     

RFID储能天线的仿真与调试方法

分析了射频识别（RFID）储能天线的工作原理,用史密斯圆图软件对阻抗匹配电路进行了设计和仿真,并结合实践经验对天线的调试方法作了总结。