A metalized circuit suitable for application as a radio frequency antenna
is produced by forming an antenna coil pattern on a flexible substrate.
The antenna coil pattern is formed using a conductive ink which is
patterned on the substrate. The conductive ink is cured and an
electrical-short layer is formed across the coils of the conductive ink
pattern. An insulating layer is formed over top of the electrical-short
layer, a metal layer electroplated on top of the conductive layer, and
then the electrical-short layer is removed. The use of the
electrical-short layer during the electroplating allows for the voltage
at the different points on the conductive ink layer to be relatively
similar, so that a uniform electroplate layer is formed on top of the
conductive ink layer. This results in a better quality radio frequency
antenna at a reduced cost.