Sensor Tag in Chip-Film Patch Technology

Abstract:
This paper presents a flexible sensor tag using Chip-Film Patch (CFP) technology. It will include a temperature sensor and a strain sensor. Communication and energy supply will be provided via Near Field Communication (NFC). An embedded NFC chip enables communication and provides a supply voltage for a microcontroller through energy harvesting. The microcontroller handles the readings from the sensors and the subsequent data processing. The measurement data is then transferred to the NFC chip and can be retrieved by a read-out device. In previous studies, individual components were assembled using CFP technology and connected to a rigid board with additional rigid components to form an overall system. The aim of this work is to integrate all components on a system foil in a completely flexible way and to substitute all rigid components. To reduce complexity, the processing of the sensor tag is divided into two subsystems: the NFC system and the sensor foil. A manufacturable layout is developed for both systems. After processing, the function of the NFC system was demonstrated by reading and writing data to the tag by using an NFC read-out device. The temperature sensor in the sensor system was characterized in a temperature oven from -30deg C to 80deg C and showed a linear output response. This work paves the way for future realization of stand-alone sensor systems using the CFP technology.