Highly sensitive passive radio frequency identification based sensor systems

A novel platform for sensor applications based on radio frequency (rf) identification technology, where passive tags are powered by the rf-field of a reader, is presented. The sophisticated energy harvesting system of the tag enables a blanking of the rf-field for a defined period, while supplying the tag electronics with a highly stable voltage and a power of 25 mW for 100 ms. During this time, span measurements can be performed without interferences of the rf-field. The presented tags work without batteries and are designed for impedance measurements on microbiological cell cultures under physiological relevant conditions as well as in harsh environments. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.