3D SoP integration of a BAN sensor node

Wireless bioelectronics communication systems will greatly improve the quality of life. The successful realization of these systems depends on the integration of small low-power sensor nodes with integrated compact, cost-effective radio and antenna. In this paper we report on the realization of a low-power sensor node smaller than one cubic cm for use in ad-hoc body area networks (BAN). The first 3-D-stack prototype comprises a commercial low-power 8 million instruction per second microcontroller and a 2.4 GHz wireless transceiver, crystals and other necessary passives, as well as a custom-designed matched dipole antenna. The 3D stacked module with integrated antenna was successfully demonstrated with a line-of-sight range up to 50 meter using only 15mW while transmitting at a data rate of 1Mbps.