把RFID晶片紡成紗線將顛覆成衣業發展 | RFID chips, antennas are woven into a yarn

把RFID晶片紡成紗線將顛覆成衣業發展

成衣標籤使用RFID技術已經普及了十年以上，但如果是把電子零件織進衣服的纖維裡，而且還能丟進洗衣機洗。一家總部位於法國格勒諾布爾（Grenoble）的新創公司Primo1D正在開發此項技術。

成立於2013年8月的Primo1D是由法國原子能委員會（French Atomic Energy Commission, CEA）旗下的微電子研究機構CEA-Leti獨立的公司；這家新創公司已經有效地將“可穿戴設備”的概念推向新的高度。

現在的智慧服裝類可穿戴設備，通常是將電子零件包在一起，能放進衣物中的特製插槽（口袋）、也可移除；Primo1D所開發的電子元件，則是讓RFID晶片直接鏈結兩條一組的導線（扮演天線的功能），並紡成紗；因此，在這種E-Thread纖維中，就有不需要電源的被動式RFID標籤，能適用任何一種標準UHF RFID讀取器。

Primo1D執行長Emmanuel Arene接受EE Times美國版編輯訪問時表示，他預估該公司能在2016年產生第一筆營收；其E-Thread技術的初步應用，將會是醫療機構與旅館/酒店使用的床單與各種紡織品，這類織品需要專業的清洗程式及庫存管理。

而Primo1D並非一家晶片公司，其創新技術基本上是開發微電子封裝的特殊製程；該公司的RFID晶片供應商是美國業者Impinj。「我們向Impinj採購8吋晶圓等級的晶片，然後在晶圓片上添加一些製程步驟，因此能讓封裝後的晶片更耐用」，Arene解釋，其製程技術最早是在CEA- Leti的無塵室所開發。

據瞭解，Primo1D的E-Thread技術本身、製程及部分應用，總共取得了20項專利；Primo1D有該技術的獨家使用權，而專利所有權人則屬於CEA-Leti。目前Primo1D已經與一些紡織業者合作。

Arene補充指出，一旦RFID晶片與天線能與紡織紗線（包括棉、聚酯纖維、毛，或是塑膠）整合，紡織業者就能以標準紡織設備，將它織成各種成衣、床單、奢侈品，或是工業用產品；而盡可能獲得紡織產業對該技術的應用，將是此新技術拓展市場的關鍵。

【相關文章】
》VERSAPERM公司開發了新的測試儀器來測量織物滲透性 | Versaperm develops multi-gas meter for quicker testing of fabrics
》Google著手開發高科技「觸碰型布料」| Google developing smart fabrics
》石墨烯(Graphene)的提出顛覆了穿戴式科技的遊戲規則 | Shaping The Future Of Wearables: New Technique Embeds Flexible Graphene Electrodes Into Clothes

【新聞來源：台灣紡拓會】

---

RFID chips, antennas are woven into a yarn

GRENOBLE, France — The tagging of garments via RFID-based labels has been commonplace for more than a decade. But what if electronic components could be threaded into the very fabric of clothes and even survive the washing machine?

Enter Primo1D, an E-Thread company based in Grenoble.

Primo1D, founded in August, 2013, is a spinoff of the CEA-Leti, a microelectronics research institute under the umbrella of the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). The startup has effectively pushed the concept of “wearables” to new extremes.

Instead of wearable devices typically housed in an external electronics package that can be inserted into (or removed from) a slot in clothing, Primo1D developed a microelectronic package that allows an RFID chip to be directly connected to a set of two conductive wires ( which function as antennas) and woven into a yarn. Within the E-Thread is a passive RFID tag that requires no power supply and can be read by any standard UHF RFID reader.

Emmanuel Arene, Primo1D CEO, told EE Times that he expects his company to generate its first revenue in 2016. The initial applications of E-Thread technology will be in linens and textile products used by hospitals and hotels, which need to be professionally laundered and whose inventories need to be managed.

Technology

Primo1D isn’t a chip company. Primo1D’s innovation lies in the development of a special technique and process applied to microelectronic packaging. The supplier of RFID chips for Primo1D is Impinj.  “We buy 8-inch wafer-level chips from Impinj. Then we add process steps on wafers so that we can make these packages durable,” explained Arene. That process technology was originally developed in a clean room by CEA-Leti.

Primo 1D's E-Thread solution is protected by 20 patents covering the assembly itself, the manufacturing process and some fields of application. Primo 1D has the exclusive right to use the technology, while CEA-Leti owns and manages the patents.

Original Article: EETimes