IC Design Of A Passive RFID Transponder With The Implementation Of Internal Mixed Signal ESD Protection Circuit

This thesis is divided into two parts. In the first part, comprehensive literature studies are performed on the evaluation of RFID designs of transponders, readers, antennas and systems. Lastly, a performance comparison of RFID operating at two popular frequencies; High Frequency (HF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) is given and their pros and cons are analyzed

Magnetically-Actuated Mixing and Merging of Acid-Base Micro-Droplets on Open Surfaces: Preliminary Study

We present the mixing and merging of two reactive droplets on top of an open surface. A mobile droplet (1.0 M HCl solution + iron oxide particles) is magnetically-actuated to merge with a sessile droplet (1.0 M NaOH + phenolphthalein). The heat from the exothermic reaction is detected by a thermocouple. We vary the droplet volume (1, 5 and 10 μL), the magnet speed (1.86, 2.79, 3.72 and 4.65 mm/s) and the iron oxide concentration (0.010, 0.020 and 0.040 g/mL) to study their influences on the mixing time, peak temperature and cooling time. The sampled recording of these processes are provided as supplementary files. We observe the following trends. First, the lower volume of droplet and higher speed of magnet lead to shorter mixing time. Second, the peak temperature increases and cooling time decreases at the increasing speed of magnet. Third, the peak temperature is similar for bigger droplets, and they take longer to cool down. Finally, we also discuss the limitations of this preliminary study and propose improvements. These observations could be used to improve the sensitivity of the open chamber system in measuring the exothermic reaction of biological samples

A multi-standard modulator for high frequency passive RFID transponder

This paper presents the multi-standard modulator working in a high frequency (13.56 MHz) passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) transponder. The design adheres to the ISO 14443 type A and type B (with a data rate of 106 kbps), and ISO 15693 single subcarrier (with data rate of 6.62 kbps and 26.48 kbps). A switching concept is devised to allow the transmission of modulated signal with matched protocol to the interrogator. This simulation work is designed and verified by using TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology with an operating voltage of 1.8 V

Dynamic behaviour of a magnetically actuated floating liquid marble

This paper reports the dynamic behaviour of a magnetically actuated floating liquid marble by analysing the oscillation of the marble. A liquid marble is a liquid droplet coated with hydrophobic powder. Magnetite particles inside the marble make it magnetic. The marble floats on a carrier liquid that contains aqueous glycerol of various concentrations. A permanent magnet located under the carrier liquid drives the floating marble with the initial velocity. Stopping the magnet abruptly causes the marble to oscillate around its final position for a few seconds. The oscillation was recorded and analysed using customised image processing and evaluation software. The damped harmonic motion model was then applied to the data and tested. Subsequently, critical parameters of the system such as the initial displacement, friction correction factor, the apparent frequency and the spring constant were determined and discussed. The simple experimental set-up and convenient theoretical approach allow us to characterise the marble motion under the influence of a magnet with good accuracy