ORICLA · Towards Electronic Product Coding with RFID tags based on hybrid organic-oxide complementary thin-film technology

ORICLA will be the world's benchmark for RFID performance with Organic and Large Area Electronics, OLAE. RFID is an important technology e.g. in logistics, to transmit an identification code by radio waves (at high frequency (HF) or ultra-high frequency (UHF) between a transponder and a reader. The Electronic Product Code (EPC) protocol has been developed for use in high volume RFID logistic applications. EPC tags are widely used today on pallet level, and will later be used for packages and ultimately on item level. Such tags could also capture and transmit information on the environment (e.g. temperature) of the object of which they carry the identification. Thus, they will enable the vision of creating smart objects.OLAE technologies have key assets to capture large markets in this business: they allow to strongly reduce cost compared to Si chips, and simultaneously offer true mechanical flexibility, required for integration of tags onto items. Today OLAE RFID tags are limited in performance. The ORICLA partners will realize new OLAE chip technologies, based on complementary logic with organic and oxide semiconductors and on self-aligned imprint lithography as upscaleable patterning technology that can provide suitable dimensions. This unique combination will lead to demonstration of OLAE chips and tags with EPC-like performance, in particular showing:(i) bi-directional communication (i.e. the tag can understand and talk to the reader);(ii) EPC-compatible bit rates of 25 kbit/s;(iii) the first UHF (867 MHz) OLAE tags.The partners of the project are uniquely placed to realize these ambitious challenges. POLYIC is the first company, which demonstrated RFID tags produced by roll to roll printing. EVONIK develops unique oxide semiconductor materials. IMEC and TNO recently made the OLAE chip with the largest memory (128 bits) and a rectifier working at ultrahigh frequency.