Wireless Measurement of RFID IC Impedance

Accurate knowledge of the input impedance of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) integrated circuit (IC) at its wake-up power is valuable as it enables the design of a performance-optimized tag for a specific IC. However, since the IC impedance is power dependent, few methods exist to measure it without advanced equipment. We propose and demonstrate a wireless method, based on electromagnetic simulation and threshold power measurement, applicable to fully assembled RFID tags, to determine the mounted IC's input impedance in the absorbing state, including any parasitics arising from the packaging and the antenna-IC connection. The proposed method can be extended to measure the IC's input impedance in the modulating state as well.