Authentication Using Metallic Inkjet-Printed Chipless RFID Tags

A high-level (i.e., in terms of security) authentication method is proposed in this communication, where the chipless RFID is extended to the chipless authentication. The proposed method is based on low-cost inkjet-printed square-check-patterned chipless tags, whose design is explicitly optimized keeping the randomness inherent to the inkjet-printing process in view. These optimized chipless tags are very difficult to duplicate, as their unique backscattered EM responses depend on proximate coupling among the possible separated squares that happened naturally due to the randomness of inkjet printing. The performance of the proposed method is analyzed by a low-cost impulse radio (IR) UWB chipless RFID reader as well as by the highly accurate VNA-based chipless RFID reader. The achieved probability of error is comparable to the various fingerprint evaluation campaigns found in the literature.