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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

Reinhard Meindl,

Philips Semiconductors

Sophia Antipolis, 2004-05-25

Cutting Edge Chip Technology

for RFID - Applications

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

M A R K E T

1.1Standards

1.2 Distance

1.2 Data storage

1.4 Functionality

2.1Automotiv

2.2 Item Tracking

2.3 Chip cards

2.4NFC

C H I P

3Design

4Silicon

Manufacturing 5Packaging

3.1Air interface

3.2 Analog

3.3 Memory(EEPROM)

3.4Digital

5.1 Special packages(Stick, TPM …)

5.2 Labels

5.3 Card modules

5.4 Standardpackages

RFID Product

The eye of the silicon guy

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

1.4 Functionality

2.4NFC

C H I P

3.1Air interface

5.1 Special packages(Stick, TPM …)

5.4 Standardpackages

3.4Digital

1.1Standards

3Design

4Silicon

Manufacturing 5Packaging

2.1Automotiv

1.2 Distance3.2 Analog

1.2 Data storage 3.3 Memory(EEPROM)

5.3 Card modules2.3 Chip cards

5.2 Labels2.2 Item Tracking

RFID Product

M A R K E T

The eye of the silicon guy

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

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1.1 Standards

Air interface and application standards Interoperability

Regulatory conditions Legal framework

Quality of standards Few standards with consistent specifications are good standards Conflicting standards are bad standards

1. Market requirements

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

1.2 Data storage and distance

64 bit r/o (EPC)

1 MB Flash1 MB Flash

72 KB EE (e-Passport)

256 b – 2 kb EE (Animal ID)

1 kb - EE (Item tracking label)

1 KB – 5 KB - EE (Transport card)

4 KB – 32 KB - EE (Banking, e-Gov card)

M (distance)

0,1

1

10Labels

Cards

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

1.4 Functionality

Transaction speed Data rates Memory Read / Write speed Anticollision speed

Convenience Contact-less Touch´n Go vs. hands-free Insensitivity against dust and dirt No line of sight required

Security Broad range from “none” to “high end security certified” Example: Banking, e-Gov requires CC EAL5+

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

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2. Applications

2.1 RFID transponders for automotive

2.2 RFID labels for item tracking

2.3 Contact-less and dual interface cards

2.4 Near Field Communication

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

3 Chip design

Characteristics TargetsMinimise power consumption of NV memory, analogue and digital circuitsMinimise costs, maximize physical reliability Balance well power consumption with cell size and logical reliabilityAchieve reliable, interoperable and robust system behaviourAchieve security certificates

Maximise operating distanceOptimisation for non-standard RFID packages

Low , lower, lowest power

Low , lower, lowest chip size

Efficient NV - memory

Sophisticated analogue circuitry

Security for chip cards respective

Operating distance for labels

Application specific assembly

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

3.1 Air interface & analog Interoperability

Interface robustness

Power consumption Design methodology Carrier frequency Clock generation Example: Hitag 2 @ 125 kHz: 3-5 uW

Operating distance Differentiate between read and write operations Continuous operating vs. fragmented operation Example: UCODE @ UHF: 8 m

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

3.3 Memory and digital

NV Memory Currently: EEPROM and FLASH 2st generation candidates failed (FRAM) 3rd generation candidates with high potential (MRAM)

Digital Synchronous vs. asynchronous design Hardwired vs. ROM masked microcontroller design Endless security enhancement race

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

4. Silicon manufacturing

01 02 03 04 05 06 07

CMOS

CMOS

CMOS

CMOS + BiCMOS 0.35 µm

0.18 µm

0.14 µm

12”

8”

8”

8”

Waferdiameter

90 nm

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

5. Packaging

5.1 Special packages

5.2 Labels

5.3 Card modules

5.4 Standard packages

Sensor(MEMS)

PhilipsIC

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 RFID and Telecommunication Services25th May 2004

DATA BASE forum

Summary RFID chips are challenging

Robust behavior on the air interface is key Design methodology and silicon manufacturing need to be

tailored to application specific requirements Special packages required

RFID chips are attractive

Fast growing markets High volumes Many application opportunities

Thank you for your attention !