Design and measurements of antennas for RFID, made by conductive ink on plastics

Embedded communication systems are composed of digital, analogue and RF parts with specific characteristics for each one. Antennas are fundamental elements in communication systems. The objective of our work is the design of low-cost integrated antennas in the ISM band, and more specifically for RFID applications. This implies material selection. Plastics and conductive ink seem to be good candidates as the antenna's substrate and radiating patch, respectively. However, the dielectric and conductive properties of these low-cost materials are quasi-unknown in the ISM band. This communication addresses the experimental determination and the use of these parameters.