RFID Backscattering in Long-Range Scenarios

This paper presents a 5.8-GHz RFID tag that, by exploiting the quantum tunneling effect, significantly increases the range of backscatter radio links. We present an electronically simple Tunneling RFID Tag characterized by return gains as high as 35 dB with link sensitivity as low as -81 dBm. Without relevant increase in power consumption, the tunneling tag enables a host of new wireless sensors and Internet of Things applications that require both the long range of conventional wireless links and the low power consumption of semi-passive RFID devices. Selected measurements demonstrate a reader-to-tag separation distance 10 times higher than the maximum range of ideal semi-passive tags. Moreover, the collected experimental results allowed to outline a mathematical model demonstrating how the long-range RFID tag prototype can achieve distances unusual for this technology.