 Hello, everyone, and thank you for being here. My name is John Tran, and I am application engineer supporting STRFID and NFC product lines. During the next 40 minutes or so, I'm going to talk about NFC tags. What are they? The significance of NFC forum certified tags and Apple iOS 11 NFC reader support. What is an RFID or NFC tag? Well, an RFID tag can be created in various ways. A silicon die or package device is bonded or sorted to a copper or aluminum antenna. The whole assembly rests on a non-conducting substrate, like plastic, ceramic, or printed circuit board material. We call this assembly an inlay. As ST is a semiconductor manufacturer, we provide silicon die either in bare or packaged form. We have several partners that design and manufacture inlays. An adhesive-backed inlays are a simple way to add RF identification to your product. You can also lay out the antenna on your PCB and use package devices instead of... Our SD25T and SD25D family comes in tiny DFN packages as well. Let's take a close look at STRFID tag portfolio. We will start with standard tags. Our SD25TA family supports NFC type 4 tags, which follows ISO 14443A protocol. With memory sizes that range from 512-bit to 64K-bit, these tags come in their formatted. Then we have the SD25TV, which supports NFC type 5 tags and follows ISO 15693 protocol. SD25TB follows ISO 14443B, and it does not adhere to NFC forum specifications. So with this extensive tag portfolio, what can we do with it? A lot of us love branded merchandises. T-shirts, hats, jackets, purses, workout clothes. The list goes on. What if we can connect the merchandise to the Internet so that we can find out more about its genuine origins? Once connected, we can even discover if there are some surprises embedded inside this merchandise. Free music, discount coupons, just like the good old cereal box. We can put SD tags with trusted signature behind these logos, and with a simple tap, connect the merchandise to the Internet. Temporal detecting tags, like the SD25TV, can be used to replace the pesky plastic seal. Instead, tap on the bottle cap with your NFC-enabled phone, and you can immediately relays information such as day code, type of medicine, along with physical integrity information. The NFC tag can also be served as a reminder that you have or have not taken the medicine for those forgetful minds. With the static NFC tag, we can do so many things, but we want to do more. So we created the NFC dynamic tag. Dynamic tag bridged the wire and wireless world. It mimics the function of a dual ported memory. Imagine adding wire interface to your RFID tag and wireless interface to your standard EE prompt. That is the purpose of a dynamic tag. Dynamic means the tag memory is no longer static, and the content can be changed via a connected microcontroller. So the wire interface is typically an interface like an I2C bus. Within ST NFC dynamic tag portfolio, we offered the M24 SR product family supporting ISO 14443A. For devices supporting ISO 15693, we introduced the M24LR product family quite a few years ago. And recently, we deliver the SD25DV, which comes with 256-byte buffer, sensitive field detection, and better energy harvesting capability. Now you may have wondered why the ISO 15693 is so ideal for NFC dynamic tag. Well, the truth is that ISO 15693 tags offer longer range than ISO 14443A tags. As a result, we can add very sensitive field detection, and more energy is left over to power all the components outside the tag itself. This is microcontroller and sensors. This is why ISO 15693 has a lot more benefit over ISO 14443A tags. Let's take a detailed look at the SD25DV hardware. We have added more features versus the M24LR product family. The 256-byte buffer is also referenced in the datasheet as the mailbox. It starts with the RF reader putting the 256-byte message in the mailbox. Once done, the MCU will detect an interrupt and proceed to get the message. The addition of dynamic register allows the NFC reader to pull the condition when the MCU completes the retrieval of the message so that it can proceed with the next message. With this capability, data can be passing through the SD25DV at full speed of ISO 15693, which is around 53 kbps. In addition, the energy harvesting capability is improved over the M24LR product. With SD25DV dynamic tag energy harvesting capability, we can build smart tag systems. We start with low-power microcontroller like the SDM32L031, powered by the regulated power coming from the SD25DV when an RF field is nearby. The microcontroller can read and write the EEPROM memory of the SD25DV. From here, you can add sensors of your own interest to the smart tag system, humidity, temperature, pressure, or accelerometer, and any other sensors that you need. The NFC smart sensor tag can find itself in something like a bonsai pot. For example, integrate it into the pot itself. At the tap of the phone, power is delivered wirelessly to the circuitry where critical data such as humidity, temperatures can be interpreted and solutions suggested to the owner. The tag can remain in place for the life of the bonsai, which that could mean a long time. So in this application, you really don't need battery, and the circuit is powered by the magnetic field generated by the NFC transceiver on the phone. As much as we want everything to be connected to the Internet, which facilitates firmware updates and numerous other things. Let's take an example such as the toaster oven. A simple device like this cannot have access to the Internet because it's just not an expensive product. So what if the toaster oven keeps burning toast due to a firmware bug, and its owner would wish it could be upgraded with new capability like cooking pizza, or the owner might be curious about what is the warranty information, and what should they only do in the case of a faulty condition. Using SE25DV Dynamic Tag, we now can do that. We can connect the unconnected toaster oven, placing its antenna behind the LCD screen, and with a tap of a phone, we can update the firmware of the toaster oven. In this case, we can actually send 50K bytes in 20 seconds, and we can also get store warranty information. And the store operation data can be relayed to the cloud, and we can diagnose its faulty condition. That is the beauty of the NFC Dynamic Tag. Another thing that we could use, something like Smart Labels, which is consisting of a NFC Tag, Dynamic Tag, Long-Wage Sensors, is adding it to packages. With a battery, we can actually log the information as the package travels from one location to its delivery point. Important information such as shock, temperatures, humidity, and even pressure can determine if the product has been damaged during its transit. The consumer can use NFC-enabled phones to read the information and determine if the product is fit for use or it should be returned. As NFC tags proliferate, we owe it to the NFC forum for creating the NFC data exchange format. The NFC forum is a collection of companies that manufacture products that use NFC chips or manufacturers of NFC chips such as ST Microelectronics. The NFC forum specifications cover all supporting protocols such as ISO 14443AB and ISO 15693. Upon those protocols, NFC forums create methods of data exchanges and data formats themselves within an in-depth message. One or more in-depth records can be found. Each in-depth record can represent URL, text, SMS, telephone number, and geolocation. For example, if you have a NFC tag that embeds the URL of your company, the link will ultimately open as soon as you touch the tag. This is a typical operation of a native operation of Android phone. Same convenience for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi pairing. A simple touch will pair your devices or gain access to an internet router. An NFC device can come in three different modes. Reader card emulation and peer-to-peer. Some NFC devices like a typical Android phone can offer all three modes. In reader mode, the NFC device reads or writes the memory of the tag. In card emulation mode, the NFC device like a smartphone mimics a tag. This is used for mobile payment where the phone becomes a payment card. In peer-to-peer mode, two NFC devices can communicate to each other. They do it by taking turns being initiator and target. As NFC is becoming more prevalent, there is a strong need for certification to ensure compatibility and maximize user experience. So starting this year, 2017, the NFC forum starts a process of certifying NFC tags. Launched last month, September. The new certification program now expands to reader devices and tags. The already existing universal devices certification program was mostly applicable to Android-based phones, which were for a long time the only consumer gadget that can support all three modes of NFC. NFC transceivers that were used in those phones also needed to be certified as well. Going forward, it seems that all tags in lay manufacturers, readers and device manufacturers will need to get NFC forum certification. One might wonder why certification is necessary for tags. The answer might come down to the simplicity and ease in manufacturing of tags. These days, tags can be printed out on special machines versus the old days when the antenna had to be laser cut and meticulously bonded to the die. While this will undoubtedly cut costs, there will be some emphasis on quality as well. The certification process offers the peace of mind where product adoption can be costly. If poor quality tags are used. So here's the top four reasons for certification. First, interability. As part of the process, the tag in question will have to work with a large number of NFC phones and readers. Imagine the headaches that your customer might have when they find that the tags they bought were not working with a particular phone. The second reason is quality assurance. As a result of testing and certification, quality can be insured. The third reason is product differentiation. There are a large number of customers that only buy certified products and that can really give the tag manufacturers an edge against the ones that are not. And finally, useful metrics. Data resulted from certification processes will create levels of metrics which can eventually improve the NFC technology going forward. If you plan to certify your product, it is necessary that you become a member of the NFC4. You should plan to be knowledgeable in certification policy and device requirements. Then search around for accredited labs that will perform the task, pay the certification fees and submit all documentation and result data online to the NFC forum. The final step is very exciting. And here you can finally add the certification mark to your product as well as promoting it across all your marketing and sales collateral. If you look at our tag portfolio again, you notice that we have NFC Forum Certified, SD25TV and SD25TA. Again, the SD25TB, it does not adhere to NFC forum specifications and so there is no need to go through the certification process. On the dynamic tag portfolio, absolutely we have certified the SD25TV. The M24SR is ISO 14443A which is different from the SD25TV in terms of protocol. So we are in a process of getting this product certified. The M24LR is more or less a legacy product. It's being superseded by the SD25TV. So we do not plan to certify or NFC certify the M24LR. If you have a chance to browse the NFC Forum Certified product page, you will find SD NFC products that have been through the test. Products such as SD25TA, SD25TV and SD25TV can be seen as shown here. As a result, we are proud to circulate the press release regarding the SD25TV, TA and DV, stamps of NFC forum approval. In June of this year, Apple announced the arrival of iOS 11. iOS 11 brought many new features to the iPhone and iPad. And surprisingly, NFC reader mode was one of those features. While writing to the tag is still not available, the ability to read tag content certainly adds capability that has been long-desired. Using core NFC, you can read NFC tags type 125 that contain NDEF data. Notice that the iPhone 7 and 7 pluses also support NDEF tags reading as long as it is upgraded to iOS 11. An iOS application is needed and NFC is not native as in Android. What does that mean? For example, without running an app, Android phone with NFC will immediately open the URL inside the tag that contains a UI and that message. Similarly, a Bluetooth pairing process, a Wi-Fi pairing process, are done natively and automatically via Android. With iOS 11, you need to run an actual app. To get started with your NFC tag reading application using iOS 11, you can go to the link at the bottom of this slide to download the IPA file. Once you are completing the download of the IPA file, open iTunes, drag and drop the file into the app section of the library. Connect the iPhone to the PC, select your device, and then install. You will notice that there will be a notification saying that the developer is not trusted. So cancel the notification, go to settings and under profile and device management, click on trust ST Michael electronic Inc. Then click trust. After this process, you can use the ST25 iOS app. Since iOS 11 only allows reading tag, the entire app is focusing on parsing and deaf information, such as URI link, SMS email, V card, and access to phone call. Bluetooth pairing and access to geo location. Let's start with URL and deaf record. This record is probably heavily used simply because there's so much more information about a particular thing or subject on the Internet. The store URL can quickly connect the user to an informative link or a web application. Using the ST25-DV Discovery board, we can set it to store an URL and deaf record. Once tapped, it will direct you to a location on www.st.com that contains all information regarding ST25 NFC products. From here, you can find out all about ST low cost as well as high performance NFC transceivers. Of course, this is the same link you will use to get information on ST tags and dynamic tags. Tags and deaf record is quite useful, especially when it comes to labeling an object. A tag affixed to a tree can contain a text message that describes its species, age, and so on. With the ST25-DV Discovery board, store a text message and it can be read using the iOS app. You can also use any tag that has been written with a text and deaf record, like the ST25 Cloud board. Today, we text more than we email, so we can use NFC to automate a text message as well. You get into your car and ready to head home, so you tap on a tag and a message sent to your loved one. It's not that you are lazy, it is just safer than doing it while you are driving and less time is wasted typing into that tiny keyboard. You can use the ST25-DV Discovery board to store a default and deaf SMS message. Once you have tapped the board with your phone, a SMS message will be ready to be sent. Okay, email and deaf record. Some do question the usefulness of this type of and deaf record, but it's actually quite useful. For example, you come to a pie store and you need them to send you nutritional information on Apple Pie. You get to a kiosk and click on nutritional value in Apple Pie. Tap on the NFC logo with your phone and a completed email message is created regarding your request and all you have to do is click send on your phone. You can replicate the kiosk with the ST25-DV Discovery board where it formulates a default email and deaf record. You tap with your iPhone 7 and the app will let you send the email. The card and deaf record contains actual contact information, your name, physical address, home phone, office phone, mobile phone, email address, you know, the typical stuff you put on your business card. Let's save a few trees by just carrying one or two of these NFC tags. The people you meet can just tap on the card and your information goes into their phone contact list. Using the ST25-DV Discovery Kit or board, you can store a V card and deaf record. Once you tap with the phone, the iOS app will store the business card information into your contact list. Okay, phone and deaf record. Sometimes dialing a phone number can be a pain. I still remember about those yellow pages and we used to be so depending on it. Pizza delivery guys should have a tag stored with their phone numbers. On the card it says something like, for fast and tasty pizza, tap with your phone. Then all I can do is click on to dial the pizza guy. It's not that I'm lazy, it just make the process more accurate and quick. Using the ST25-DV Discovery Board, you can store an NF phone call message. Using the phone and the iOS app, you can make the call. Be aware that the default record is a French ST office number, so don't actually dial and recharge with long distance. For a typical iPhone user, it is desirable that Bluetooth pairing can be done simpler. It should be tapping on something like a Bluetooth speaker and another tap to connect. I cannot recall how many times I get frustrated with a rental car when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity. Car should fully exploit the idea of tap and pair, particularly for the sake of safety. Using the ST25-DV Discovery Kit that has a solder on Bluetooth module, you can use the iOS app to pair with it. Once connected, the app will report the RSSI signal strength and also the battery level. If you need to find out more information regarding the Bluetooth module, please contact your cell representative or you can find it on www.st.com. Geocaching is such a fun game. It is so much more tangible and the creators actually spend time and energy in setting it versus simply drag and drop some digital object onto Google Maps. You know what I'm saying. A tag with GPS coordinate and other information can enhance the geocaching experience. Geolocation and the record can also be used to supplement information of a place like restaurant or bar that are not located on a street. You can use the ST25-DV Discovery Kit to store a geolocation. Tap with the phone and the app will take you to the location described in the record. So if we look at ST25 tags and D tags, portfolio versus Apple iOS 11 support, you can actually have ST25-DV and TV that are NDef-compatible up to 8K bits. When I say NDef-compatible, it means that if I store an in-depth message, the iOS application can see the message up to 8K bits information. For the M24LR 16K bits and 64K bits, because of the old addressing and non-standard addressing in ISO 15693, these two products are not interoperable with iOS 11. But you can use ST25-DV 16K bits and 64K bits, and those two parts are interoperable. What does that mean? It means that you can use the app to read the content, not necessarily in an in-depth message, but you can read the content. Store in different ways, like it's like a memory device basically. Thank you, and I hope that this webinar has been informative to you. In the growing world of IoT, the NFC-enabled phones and wearables will allow us to connect to billions of unconnected things. And you can do that using ST NFC-form certified tags, like ST25TA, ST25-DV, and ST25-DV. If you own an iPhone 7, 8, or 10, please download the app and try it on our tags. Thanks again, and have a great day.