Printed RF tags and sensors: The confluence of printing and semiconductors

Printed electronics is considered a promising technology for low-cost electronics due to its low cost per unit area, typically offered at the expense of degraded performance. Using a combination of synthetic nanoparticles, organic semiconductors, and novel printing techniques, we demonstrate a range of printed electronic devices including transistors, passive components, and a range of chemical sensors. Based on the performance of these, we postulate promising topologies for printed RF tags and sensors that exploit the advantage of printed electronics, and discuss the remaining technological challenges that remain to be addressed to enable printed electronics to be successfully deployed into a wide range of ubiquitous sensing, authentication, and monitoring applications.