Towards a Single-Chip, Implantable RFID System: Is a Single-Cell Radio Possible?

This paper presents an overview of progress towards single-chip RFID solutions. To date heterogeneous integration has been appropriate for non-biological systems. However, for in-vivo sensors and even drug delivery systems, a small form factor is required. The paper discusses fundamental limits on the size of the form factor, the effect of the antenna, and proposes a unified single-chip RFID solution appropriate for a broad range of biomedical in-vivo device applications, both current and future. Fundamental issues regarding the possibility of single cell RF radios to interface with biological function are discussed.