Protected rfid antenna

Abstract

Manufacturing antennas for a dual tag by: providing a web structure having a dielectric layer between a first metal layer and a second metal layer; depositing a first resist on the first metal layer to define a radio frequency (RF) coil and a first electrode of an RF capacitor; depositing the first resist on the second metal layer to define a second electrode of the RF capacitor; depositing a second resist on the second metal layer to define connection pads for a near field antenna, wherein one of the first resist and the second resist on the second metal layer defines a far field antenna and the near field antenna; and etching the first and second metal layers to form the RF coil, the electrodes of the RF capacitor, the far field antenna, the near field antenna, and the connection pads.

1 . A method of manufacturing a radio frequency identification (RFID) label, the method comprising:
 providing a web structure comprising a dielectric layer and a metal layer;   depositing a non-removable resist on the metal layer, the deposition of the non-removable resist defining an antenna;   depositing a removable resist on the metal layer, the deposition of the removable resist defining connection pads for connecting an integrated circuit (IC) to the antenna;   etching the metal layer to form the antenna and the connection pads; removing the removable resist from the metal layer to expose the connection pads; and   attaching the IC to the connection pads.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the dielectric layer is a polymer film adhered to the metal layer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the deposition of the non-removable resist and the removable resist is performed by a gravure printer having (a) a first print head configured to depose the non removable resist and (b) a second print head configured to depose the removable resist. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the deposited removable resist overlaps the deposited non-removable resist. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the non-removable resist comprises a vehicle including a first plastic polymer and a solvent, the vehicle, configured to not have a chemical reaction with an alkaline solution. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the plastic polymer does not have a microstructure including an OH base or a COOH base. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the etching of the metal layer comprises applying an acid to the metal layer, the non-removable resist and the removable resist being acid-resistant. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the removable resist is an ink, and the removing of the removable resist is performed by applying an alkaline solution. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the antenna comprises a far field antenna and a near field antenna. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the far field antenna is a dipole antenna, and the near field antenna is a loop antenna. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein each connection pad is directly connected to the loop antenna. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 laminating the metal layer to the dielectric layer using a lamination adhesive; and 
 curing the lamination adhesive. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising, before the attachment of the IC to the connection pads, inspecting the web structure using a camera. 
     
     
         14 . A system for manufacturing an RFID label, the system comprising:
 a printer configured to:
 receive a web structure comprising a dielectric layer and a metal layer; 
 print a non-removable ink resist on the metal layer, the deposition of the non-removable resist defining an antenna; and 
 print a removable ink resist on the metal layer, the deposition of the removable resist defining connection pads for connecting, an IC to the antenna; 
   an etching mechanism configured to:
 etch the metal layer to form the antenna and the connection pads; and 
 remove the removable resist from the metal layer to expose the connection pads; 
   and a chip attach mechanism configured to attach the IC to the connection pads.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the printer is a gravure printer having (a) a first print head configured to print the non-removable ink resist and (b) a second print head configured to print the removable ink resist.