NXP enhances NFC Tag IC portfolio

 

NXP Semiconductors announced the launch of the NTAG203
NFC Forum-compliant Type 2 tag, the newest family of integrated circuits to
enhance the deployment of NFC tags for OEMs, inlay customers and end users.

 

As customer interest in NFC continues to grow, NXP has
responded with the NTAG2 family of NFC tag solutions to effectively deploy NFC
in emerging use cases. Applications such as smart posters, social media,
service discovery, and electronic enhancement of printed media can all leverage
the simplicity of a tap of the NTAG203-based tag to seamlessly retrieve data.

 

As demonstrated by NXP’s support of NFC in Android and
Windows 8, NFC radios in mobile devices such as phones or tablets will open up
new possibilities for the same devices to connect the physical with the virtual
world.

 

The ability to convert static data such as a URL into
digital bits stored in an NFC tag will allow the mobile device to quickly
retrieve the data and make it not only more useful to the consumer, but also to
the merchant who can secure better analytics of the data through higher
redemption rates.

 

Existing contactless solutions such as NXP MIFARE smart
cards have proven the convenience of a simple tap, paving the way for consumer
acceptance of new NFC applications.

 

“Together with our customers, we analyzed market
demand as well as new use cases, to enhance our portfolio of NFC tag ICs. The
result is the NTAG203, an NFC tag IC that can enhance the performance of existing
tags, or enable the design of smaller tags without compromising
performance,” said Chris Feige, general manager, tags and labels product
line, Identification business, NXP Semiconductors.

 

“The new product family of NFC tag ICs complements
NXP’s RFID product portfolio,” said Michael Liard, research director,
AutoID & Smart Cards at ABI Research. “It will enable NXP’s customers
and partners to develop NFC tag solutions and capitalize on expected NFC market
growth,” Feige added.

 

The focus of the NTAG family is to facilitate easy reuse
of existing inlays and tag designs already in production to ensure quick and
cost-effective deployment, while minimizing the number of product types customers
need to stock.

 

The enhancement leverages existing MIFARE-based tags
shipped in the highest volumes worldwide. A specific focus was to optimize the
NTAG RF performance to tune for either longer read range with existing antenna
designs, or facilitate smaller tags with read range equivalent to existing
solutions.

 

Now tags as small as 12 mm in diameter can be used with
respectable performance from an NFC-enabled mobile device. The results of
initial RF tests show a 20-25 percent increase in performance compared to
equivalent sized tags, which in turn allows the mobile device to read the tag
with more ease.

 

The NTAG203 is launched as an NFC Forum Type 2 Tag, with
144 bytes of memory, and optimized RF performance. The NTAG2 family is
available now in sample quantities through selected NXP partners including
Avery Dennison, Identive NFC, Mikron, Smartrac, and UPM RFID.

 

There are multiple standard-sized tags, as well as the
ability to have custom versions created. On request, NXP’s partners can also
facilitate the printing and programming of the tags for customers and end
users.

 

NFC is a market-proven technology co-invented by NXP in
2002. In 2004, NXP co-founded the NFC Forum to lead the collaboration with all
industry stakeholders and help standardize the technology.

 

NFC technology evolved from a combination of contactless
identification (RFID) and interconnection technologies. Ranked as the No. 1
contactless IC vendor by ABI Research for three years in a row, NXP is the
global leader in NFC solutions, field proven in over 150 NFC trials and
landmark commercial deployments worldwide.

 

With over 4.5 billion RFID-based chips sold to date, NXP
is also the world leader in the design and manufacturing of ICs used in smart
labels, tags and the corresponding reader components. NXP has been in the RFID
business since 1988 and has developed the most comprehensive IC portfolio
(UCODE, NFC, ICODE and HITAG) covering all relevant RFID frequency bands.

 

NXP Semiconductors recently announced that Skyworth
Digital Technology selected
the NXP TDA18250 silicon tuner solution for its cable-TV set-top-box designs.

 

Worldwide, low-power silicon tuners such as the TDA18250
are replacing traditional can-type tuners in the TV market. Silicon TV tuners
are now used in the majority of cable STBs and modems in Europe, North America,
Korea and Japan.

 

By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]