Fractal Antenna Systems Releases Captenna; Tiny Tag Antenna for UHF RFID Fits Inside Bottlecap


BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2002--Fractal Antenna Systems announced at the SmartLabels USA 2002 conference the release of Captenna(TM) 900, a compact frequency agile antenna for UHF (862-928 MHz) RFID. Available now in evaluation quantities, the innovative circular antenna is 26 mm in diameter, paper thin, and directly mounts SMT and chip RFID devices. Targeted at fast moving consumer goods such as soft drinks and over-the-counter medications, the Captenna(TM) antenna provides good efficiency, bandwidth and pattern when embedded in a bottlecap. The low-cost fractal antennas can be impedance matched to customer requirements and are offered for sale or licensing to the automated data collection market. 

Antennas are Critical to RFID 

Industry standards initiatives by ICC/EAN GTAG, ISO/IEC JTC1 SC31, and the MIT autoID Center have inspired Fractal Antenna Systems to devise small, efficient, and low-cost antennas that will create new opportunities for RFID systems. Antennas are key to RFID system performance, yet traditional antennas are much too large for convenient use in tags. Captenna(TM) antennas offer the possibility of tagging very small objects and fast moving consumer goods like soft drinks. 

An important consideration is frequency coverage. Global standards for UHF RFID frequencies in the 900 MHz range span about 66 MHz. Captenna(TM) antennas offer tunable multiband or wideband coverage so that a single antenna design can be used by region-specific chips--no matter what the region. 

"Our focus on RFID applications of fractal antennas is continuing to show wonderful results," according to David Moschella, CEO. "With the previous release of our miniature dipole-equivalent tag antenna, the Tagtenna(TM) 900, compact circularly polarized reader antenna, the Readtenna(TM) 900, and now the miniature Captenna(TM) 900 tag antenna, our portfolio of valuable RFID designs is bursting. As companies contemplate tagging everything, a one-size-fits-all solution will be impossible. Fractal Antenna Systems solves this missing link for RFID systems with our ability to optimize tag and reader antennas for size, performance and environment." 

Price and Availability 

Captenna(TM) antennas are available now in evaluation quantities at standard impedance matching of 50 Ohms. Evaluation packs are priced at $995 for ten antennas. Quantity pricing of the antennas is significantly lower, and licensing of the design can also be accomplished when quantities warrant. Customized versions of the antennas can be created with modest non-recurring engineering cost. 

About FAS 

Fractal Antenna Systems, Inc. is a next-generation antenna and electronics company that provides the Fractal Advantage(TM): solutions, products and IP licensing to OEM manufacturers of wireless products. The company was founded in 1995 and now holds 3 U.S. patents as well as several pending patents, including foreign patents pending, on fractal antenna and electronics technology. The firm has seen high growth as fractal antenna technology becomes more widely known as the superior choice in the smaller-cheaper-multi/broadband environment of wireless, telecom, RFID, and other fields.