ICs are created on a large semiconductor wafer. One wafer can contain
40,000 ICs.Manufacturing of ICs requires state-of-the-art clean roomfacilities.
The finished ICs are individually tested to ensure reliable functionality in the
field. With advances in semiconductor technology, ICs are becoming
smaller—as small as a grain of sand. The smaller the IC, the lesser the cost and
power required to operate it.Making tag ICs more efficient in power usage and
requiring less power to operate increases the read range of passive tags.
The ICs on each wafer need to be cut and separated and then attached to a tag
antenna. As the size of IC decreases, it requires more precise equipment to connect
it to the antenna, which can increase the cost of assembling the tag.