Organic RFID: New Hope for Open Systems and Privacy?
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - RFID Connections
 |
Editor
Recent announcements on advancements in organic RFID, also known as plastic electronics, indicate that these low-cost, flexible tags may be viable products sooner rather than later. And that may be just what's needed to help spur more wide-spread deployment of RFID in open systems -- and help address privacy concerns at the same time.
Background
Organic RFID tags are created by layering conductive and non-conductive materials, such as plastics, in the same way silicon integrated circuits are produced. Instead of being created in expensive clean rooms on discs of ultra-pure silicon, organic RFID tags could be printed using a technology similar to current high-speed, multi-color printing presses. This will provide not only lower cost but should also allow more flex in the tag (depending on the specific "ink" composition).
Current developments are focusing on CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) products. According to Webopedia, one distinctive feature of CMOS technology is that "CMOS semiconductors use both NMOS (negative polarity) and PMOS (positive polarity) circuits. Since only one of the circuit types is on at any given time, CMOS chips require less power than chips using just one type of transistor." This is clearly a benefit when considering energy requirements for RFID tags.
At present, the most fully-developed organic RFID tags are operating at 13.56 MHz (high frequency). There have, to date, been no announcements about tags operating in the UHF range.
Speed has historically been an issue with organic RFID and the tags announced by PolyIC is reported to operate with a clock speed of 196 Hz (as opposed to the conventional tags operating in the MHz range). This does significantly limit read/write speeds.
On the plus side, while tag memory has historically been extremely limited, current generations of organic RFID tags (existing or in development) will support, at a minimum, 96-bit EPCglobal® data and there is a promise of much higher memory in the future. One of the more recent announcements of this type of tag was made by Belgian nanoelectronics research institute IMEC.
And, while speed and memory are still issues, it is significant to note that, as recently as five years ago, some pundits claimed that organic RFID would never be able to achieve acceptable performance anywhere near 13.56 MHz.
Organic RFID degrades over time which means they are not suited for asset tracking and other long-term applications. However, the current PolyIC tag was reported to be functional after 15 months of storage without enclosure.
Potential Open Loop System Benefits
Clearly one of the limitations to the application of RFID in major open loop systems is the requirement for disposable -- or one-time use -- tags. The current use of silicon-based chips that require very expensive technology to create them necessitates a certain base level cost for the chips which will never approach zero.
For many applications, the read/write speed, capabilities and longevity offered by silicon-based RFID is necessary. For other applications, however, it may not be so important -- and that is where lower cost and performance organic RFID may be a benefit.
Without doubt, having organic RFID tags that cost a fraction of what silicon tags cost today would improve ROI calculations and make it economically feasible to tag more goods.
In addition, the flatness and flexibility of organic RFID labels are well-suited to a variety of demand printing technologies where labels may be subjected to bending during handling, printing, stripping or application.
While the potentially limited "shelf life" of organic RFID tags would be a concern for many applications, it would not be an issue for fresh produce or other items that themselves have a limited shelf life. And, it is possible that for some items having the tag "expire" might be useful in determining that the product had passed its own expiration date.
Potential Privacy Benefits
Perhaps a more significant benefit to organic RFID could be the limited lifespan. For many RFID-tagged consumer goods, the RFID tag would be used only for inventory, POS and product returns and, thus, would not need an extended useful life.
For consumers with privacy concerns about perpetually "live" RFID tags in apparel, shoes and accessories, organic RFID tags that simply cease to function after a specified period of time could be an answer.
RFID tags in shoes, items which are often a major concern for privacy advocates, would experience less-than-optimal "storage" conditions and would likely degrade quickly as shoes are worn. Tags on garments that have been washed or dry cleaned (and would therefore not be subject to return except for manufacturer's defect) would also likely degrade very quickly and cease to function.
The lower cost of organic RFID tags would also give companies a good reason for consumers to believe claims that tags would not remain continually active. As it is, consumers are reluctant to believe business (or government) claims that RFID tags can't or won't be read inappropriately and some even distrust in-store deactivation. Many consumers believe corporations only do what is best for the bottom line. Companies that show that the use of organic RFID tags is a cost-saving measure may be able to gain consumer confidence since cost-cutting is a motivation consumers understand and believe.
Conclusion
Organic RFID may never achieve the speed and capabilities of silicon-based RFID and, in its current state of development, is certainly not suitable for many applications. However, as commercial products become more readily available, organic RFID will certainly deserve a much closer look.
-----
Comments on this column? E-mail me: Bert Moore, Editor
Share this Story
Digg 
del.icio.us 
Yahoo 
Reddit 
Facebook 
Google
Related Articles
:
No Related Content Found
or 