PARTNER NEWS: STMicroelectronics has introduced a range of dynamic tag chips that support both the NFC Type 5 and the ISO 15693 RFID specifications, enabling them to be read by both standard NFC smartphones and, at a longer range of up to one metre, by RFID readers.

The ST25DV chips are designed to deliver “the best combination of features” of both NFC Type 5 and ISO 15693, says Patrick Sohn, marketing manager for NFC tags and readers at ST, and include native NFC NDEF message support and ISO 15693 long-range RF connectivity. Energy harvesting for zero-power applications is also supported over RF and I2C interfaces, via a 256-byte enabled fast transfer mode.

The chips consume “minimal energy” in all modes (down to one micro-amp in low power mode) and include an I2C interface that enables them to be connected to a host microcontroller located inside equipment such as smart meters, IoT devices and consumer products.

The chips also support data exchange with extended communication range, Sohn says, “enabling ‘in the box programming’ of electronic equipment at the point of production, as well as Fast Transfer Mode operation for software updates in the field with the help of any NFC-enabled mobile device.”

The ST25DV series also features “the market’s highest EEPROM density of 64Kbits with multiple 64-bit passwords to offer enhanced data protection capabilities” and are “compatible with any existing ISO 15693 RFID infrastructure, with no additional investment required”.

Samples of the dynamic NFC/RFID tag chips are available now, with volume production scheduled for May 2017. Prices start at US$0.38 for the 4Kbit ST25DV04K chip in an SO8 or TSSOP8 package for orders of 1,000 pieces.