Towards a Smart Wireless Integrated Module (SWIM) on flexible organic substrates using inkjet printing technology for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have potential military, industrial, biomedical, environmental, and residential applications. However, implementing sensor networks and realizing their potential faces various challenges. Sensors nodes should be small in size, ultra-low-power, and WSNs should be comprised of large quantities of sensor nodes [1][2]. These challenges emphasize the need for low-cost and eco-friendly substrates suitable for mass production of wireless sensor nodes. Organic substrates is one of the leading solutions to realize ultra-low cost and eco-friendly sensor networks [3]. This paper presents the first IEEE 802.14.4 and ZigBee complaint wireless sensor node on organic substrates. The wireless node is a System-on-Package (SoP) solution operating at 2.4GHz with a printed Planar Inverted-F Antenna (PIFA) on organic substrates using inkjet printing technology. A prototype is realized on FR-4 substrate and used to compare traditional manufacturing techniques with an inkjet-printing solution on paper, which is promising in the large scale manufacturing of ultra-low-cost eco-friendly “green” wireless sensor networks.