Room-Temperature Selective-Metallization Processes Applied to 3-D-Printed and Flexible Materials for Wireless Sensing

This article describes sensors and radio frequency (RF) components manufactured by applying selective-metallization processes (metal foil tape, liquid metal filling, electro and electroless plating, and surface embossing) to 3-D-printed and flexible dielectric substrates. All these technologies can...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the IEEE 2024-08, Vol.112 (8), p.1065-1090
Main Authors: Palazzi, Valentina, Alimenti, Federico, Pierantozzi, Leonardo, Ribeca, Matteo, Balocchi, Leonardo, Valentini, Luca, Bittolo Bon, Silvia, Mezzanotte, Paolo, Tentzeris, Manos M., Roselli, Luca
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3-D printing
additive manufacturing
backscatter radio
bioplastics
cardboard
Copper
copper foil tape
Dielectrics
embossed-surface patterning
eutectic alloy
fused deposition modeling (FDM)
harmonic radar
harmonic transponder
Internet of Things
liquid metal
metal foil tape
Metals
Radar tracking
Radio frequency
room-temperature metallization
Sensors
stereolithography (SLA)
Substrates
Surface treatment
Temperature sensors
thermoplastics
Three-dimensional displays
Transponders
Wireless communication
wireless sensing
Wireless sensor networks
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Summary:This article describes sensors and radio frequency (RF) components manufactured by applying selective-metallization processes (metal foil tape, liquid metal filling, electro and electroless plating, and surface embossing) to 3-D-printed and flexible dielectric substrates. All these technologies can be implemented at room temperature, thus enabling the adoption of unconventional materials and biopolymers with low glass transition temperatures. In this article, we also describe how the above technologies are used to manufacture wireless transponders for tracking and sensing applications. Several examples of RF components are reported, including antennas, beamforming networks, Doppler radars, and wireless passive transponders based on backscatter radio. Innovative circuit design approaches (such as the via-less approach) are presented and their impact on circuit manufacturing and recyclability is discussed.
ISSN:0018-9219
1558-2256
DOI:10.1109/JPROC.2024.3481315