Laser-Induced Graphene RF Tags for Authentication Applications

With the rapid growth of online transactions, there has been a significant increase in fraud involving pharmaceuticals, textiles, and food, among others. This work proposes the use of non-cloneable authentication tags for product brand protection, in which both the type of substrate used and its geometry are combined, resulting in a unique spectral response. These tags are manufactured in two phases, a first one that forms a laser-induced graphene (LIG) layer, and a second one, based on an electroplating process, which produces traces with variable sheet resistance depending on the manufacturing parameters. This technology can be carried out using a common laser (e.g. CO2 laser) to directly convert various precursors (e.g. polyimide) into graphene materials. A prototype scanner designed to characterize the electromagnetic signature of the tags is presented. Preliminary results obtained with simple resonators and complex images show the feasibility of this technology.