Patent ID: 9681996
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: A61F

Claim:
1. A sensor, comprising: a self-supporting substrate; and an electrically conductive trace carried by the substrate and patterned to provide at least a portion of a tuned RF circuit, the RF circuit being characterized by an impedance or resistance and being disposed on only one side of the substrate; wherein the electrically conductive trace has a thickness of less than 1 micron such that the electrically conductive trace is not self-supporting; wherein the substrate is adapted to dissolve, swell, or otherwise degrade when contacted by a target fluid, such that the electrically conductive trace loses its mechanical integrity and the impedance or resistance of the RF circuit changes by at least a factor of 5; wherein the electrically conductive trace has a variable thickness and/or variable width, wherein the electrically conductive trace comprises one or more breakable portions, and wherein the one or more breakable portions are thinner and/or narrower that other portions of the electrically conductive trace; and wherein the electrically conductive trace has a variable thickness, the thickness variation being associated with a structure interface between the conductive trace and the substrate.