What does an RFID inlay consist of?
Functionally, an inlay consists of an antenna and a microchip. The antenna drives tag performance and governs how well the tag will work in a particular application. Precision-designed to receive and broadcast RF signals, the antenna is made from a conductive material (such as silver, copper or aluminum). The antenna makes contact with an RF reader over a distance determined in large part by the amount of metal and size of the antenna. Contacts attached to the microchip make the circuit between the microchip and antenna. The chip design determines the protocol or class of the tag’s operation. Different microchips have different features that can also affect performance. RFID microchips contain circuitry capable of handling a variety of functions from power conversion to data storage and retrieval.
