 Hello, and welcome to the webinar on NFC type 5 protocol, which operates under the NFC forum ISO 15693 standard. My name is Jim Barlow and I work in NFC RFID marketing for ST microelectronics. Today we'll help you understand RFID further and specific advantages of the NFC type 5 protocol. We will give some background on RFID technology in general and further detail a subset of RFID, which is NFC technology. Then explain more of the features and benefits of the NFC 5 technology. With this as a background, we will highlight specific solutions in the ST portfolio that can help you make use of this latest protocol in your designs followed by a question and answer session. Now we will dive deeper into RFID technology. RFID or radio frequency identification uses electronic waves or radio waves to gather information stored on a tag or transponder attached to an object. RFID technology actually started in the 1940s. A specific example used in World War II was the IFF transponder, which was routinely used by the Allies in Germany in World War II to identify aircraft as friend or foe. RFID is used in many different industries today, including pharmaceuticals, shipping, transit and retail. Now let's look at different types of RFID that you will see and use today. On the left of the chart you will see the LF or low frequency band. The LF RFID systems operate at 125 kHz, although there are some that operate at 134 kHz. This frequency band provides a short read range. Some typical applications for LF RFID include access control and livestock tracking. On the right side of the table you will see UHF, which typically operates between 900 and 915 MHz in most countries, while there is some variance in frequency from region to region. The read range of passive UHF systems can be as long as 12 meters. Although all these frequencies on this chart are all used for RFID, sometimes you may hear someone use the term RFID to specifically refer to UHF solutions. In the center of the chart you will find HF or high frequency, which operates at 13.56 MHz. This is near field communication, known simply as NFC, and is what we will explore further during this webinar. There are multiple standards that are supported here, but most new solutions will either be ISO 1443 or ISO 15693. HF RFID or NFC uses electromagnetic waves to communicate generally between a reader device and a passive tag as on this chart, although two reader devices could communicate with each other in a peer-to-peer fashion. The reader, which in many cases is a cell phone, generates an RF carrier that powers the passive tag much in the same manner that a transformer works. The reader modulates the carrier frequency to provide information to the tag, and also has the capability to write to the tag and update the double E-prom on the NFC tag. Although the tag is passive, it does modulate the reader's field to communicate information back to the reader. NFC in general is meant to be an intentional or close-range information exchange, however a little more range can be achieved with some variations in the system. A reader, especially a cell phone, will only provide a range of a few centimeters. However, with more power output and a larger antenna, a reader could possibly operate up to one meter. On the tag sign, you will find your biggest variation will come from antenna size, orientation to the received RF field, and proper matching. The RF tuning capacitor value of an NFC tag will often have values from 23 picofarads to 99 picofarads. The inductive value of an antenna will be chosen to achieve a resonant frequency approximately at 13.56 MHz. ST offers an antenna design and matching tool on our website to help you with your antenna design. ST offers a broad range of industry-leading tags and readers for NFC solutions. The far left of the chart features a full range of NFC tags that support various protocols and markets. The ST25TA family supports ISO 14443 type A and type 4 communications with a wide range of memory and feature choices. The ST25TB family is mainly used in transportation industry. The ST25TV tag supports ISO 15693 type 5 protocol. You can think of the V as the Roman numeral 5 to remember this family supports type 5. The center of the chart shows our dynamic tag products. A dynamic tag is similar to an NFC tag but also offers a connection to a micro in a system through I2C communication. In addition to the I2C interface, you will find other features such as energy harvesting. Through energy harvesting, the dynamic tag has an output pin that can provide a voltage that can power other components in your design while the NFC field is present. The far right of the chart has ST's reader solutions. On the low end, you will find the full featured ST25R95 which can be used in very low-cost designs that don't require as much power out. The ST25R39 readers are industry leaders that offer high power, output for long read range, but can operate with very low power and have both capacitive and inductive wake-up modes. The ST25R39 family also has unique options such as automatic antenna tuning, abbreviated AAT, which helps improve performance in harsh or varying environments and can reduce overall system design cost. Now we will dive a little deeper into NFC technology. Its specifications, its features and use cases. As mentioned previously, NFC is meant to be a short-range wireless technology that is used for intentional communications such as payment as an Apple Pay or Android Pay. As mentioned before, the main two protocols adopted in most designs are ISO 14443 and ISO 15693 type 5. While both operate at 13.56 MHz, the type 5 protocol offers more range. One of the key benefits of NFC is the zero-power feature of a tag. Because an NFC tag requires no power other than the RF field, a product with an NFC tag integrated in it can be read or written to while the product otherwise has no power. Let's discuss some of the advantages that NFC is bringing to users, especially when compared to UHF RFID. NFC leverages RFID proven technology at a short-range operating distance that is not meant to compete with the long-range of UHF RFID. The short-range along with other features of the protocol helps provide inherent privacy and security. In addition, NFC is supported in almost all new smartphones, including support for type 5 communications. Many automotive manufacturers are moving to NFC for car access, much like you see in numerous hotel room door locks today. NFC, which is a subset of the RFID HF standard at 13.56 MHz, which is a relatively low frequency as compared to other wireless communication protocols. This inherently means it doesn't conflict with other communications, which are at much higher frequencies. In fact, NFC is meant to be complementary with other forms of communication. NFC is often used to tap and pair to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It is an efficient way to provision nodes and other networks during install, even when the node is not yet installed or even powered up. The NFC forum is a non-profit industry association whose membership draws from all parts of the NFC ecosystem. The forum develops specifications and test mechanisms that ensure consistent, reliable transactions worldwide across all modes of NFC. The forum takes a leadership role in the industry to ensure NFC technology can routinely deliver a positive user experience. It should be noted that the NFC forum certification is optional and the NFC forum label can still be put on a product without the word certified. The standards that the NFC forum help administer are the key to consistent and reliable operation worldwide. The NFC specifications are in the upper software layer and reside on top of the RFID ISO standards, which are at the lower layers of the OSI model, closer to the hardware. The Type 2 and Type 4 specification layers operate with ISO 14443, while Type 5 is on top of ISO 15693. NDEF is the NFC data exchange format defined by the NFC forum. NDEF messages provide a standardized method for a reader to communicate with an NFC tag or device. The NDEF message can contain multiple records. In its simplest form, an NDEF message can be a reliable replacement for a QR code and doesn't require a user to open and focus a camera. Automatic tasks can be done, such as opening a web page, reading a business card for contact information and pairing. There are some differences that should be noted between Android and Apple phones. Although Apple has supported NFC since it rolled out Apple Pay, it did not offer support for NDEF messages until iOS 11 and only works with the iPhone 7 and above. The NFC forum defines three basic communication modes. In the first mode, there is a reader or cell phone that interrogates a tag to exchange information by either reading or writing. A second mode is when a reader emulates a card. A good example of this is when you use a cell phone for payment at an NFC-enabled payment terminal, or you skip the front desk at a hotel and use your cell phone as a room door key. The third communication mode is peer-to-peer. An example of this could be exchanging contact information between two phones. It should be noted that most cell phones can operate in all three of these modes. NFC communication offers a variety of solutions in the world today. A reader can scan various tags and detect multiple formats and perform an action based on that format and the contents of a tag. NFC is used widely in payment, product identification, brand protection, asset tracking, parameter setting, and many, many other use cases. Anti-collision techniques allow a reader to read many tags in a field at once, identify a specific tag, and initiate a transaction with just the desired tag. Now let's take some time to explore NFC type 5 technology further. We will compare and contrast it with other NFC specifications, explore some use cases, and highlight some ST solutions available today. NFC type 5 is now the fourth RF technology supported by the NFC forum specifications, joining NFC A, NFC B, and NFC F. Aside supporting additional legacy applications, NFC type 5 technology widens the implementation choices for new products using NFC. NFC type 5 was introduced in 2015 and is supported by all major cell phone manufacturers on the market today. The type 5 technology can support a data range of 26.5 kilobits per second, which is generally fast enough for most applications as most tags have a small amount of data. ST also offers a fast transfer mode with its ST25DV dynamic tag that allows communication directly from a reader to a micro at 53 kilobits per second. The increased range of type 5 technology offers an additional benefit where you can design with a smaller antenna in your tag. This can reduce cost in your design as there is less middle needed to create the antenna to match your tag IC. In addition, the ST25DV tag offers an RF internal capacitor value of 99 picofarad. This requires less inductance, which results in even smaller antenna designs. With a smaller antenna of a type 5 tag, tags are being integrated into many more products. Tags are being designed into space challenged wearables, clothing, product packaging, directly onto items such as wine bottles. The ST25DV tag also offers additional features with the trust 25 digital signature, 64-bit passwords, and a 64-bit unique ID per device that can assist with product authentication and identification. ST offers a wide range of solutions for the NSC type 5 technology that are available on the market today. The ST25DV tag on the left of this chart is an industry leader with features such as the trust 25 digital signature, tamper detect, and a 64-bit unique ID per device. The ST25DV dynamic tag is a leader with 256-bit buffers that maximize communication speed, industry leading energy harvesting, and availability in a tiny 1.5 by 1.7 millimeter wafer level chip scale package. The ST25DV PWM is a unique type 5 tag that offers two independent PWMs that can be controlled without the need of a micro. All the ST NFC readers offer support for NFC type 5 technology with a wide range of features and options to help you bring your product to market faster. ST offers a wide range of type 5 NFC tags that have already been NFC forum certified. This means you can be confident that a tag you design will easily pass certification tests. Below your unique tag with a different antenna will have to be certified for RF performance. You can be assured there will be no issue with digital specifications. Now we will explore how NFC type 5 solutions help bridge the gap between UHF RFID solutions and NFC. As mentioned previously in the webinar, the NFC type 5 specification is implemented in an upper software layer that sits on top of the ISO 15693 standard for hardware and software. This means that an NFC type 5 tag could also be read as an ISO 15693 tag by a 13.56 megahertz reader. The same tag that supports both NFC type 5 and ISO 15693 can be used for multiple use cases. A type 5 tag with a small antenna on a wine bottle could allow a consumer to read a rating on a wine before they buy it, or perhaps take them automatically to a web store to order another case of a bottle they just enjoyed. Also that same tag with a different antenna size could make use of the long range capability of ISO 15693 to track shipments as they move along a conveyor belt or when they are loaded or unloaded on a truck for shipment. From this webinar you can see how NFC type 5 tags can be used in many use cases for smart things that make our lives easier. An NFC type 5 tag could be used for product identification to help you make informed decisions before you buy, and also authenticate the product to ensure you are not buying a lesser quality knockoff. An NFC type 5 tag could also simplify many tasks like wireless pairing or help you log data contactlessly even from devices that are not powered on. NFC type 5 tags also enable an ever-growing smart industry. Cost savings can be achieved with better asset tracking that will eliminate errors and improve efficiency. A type 5 dynamic tag could be used for simplified diagnostics that could be read by a technician on-site, or the app on a phone that transmits data back to a call center that remotely helps a customer correct an issue in real-time. Additional cost savings could be achieved by product personalization by eliminating skews as in-the-box programming could set different parameters to vary product features or performance. Cost savings calls could be improved with on-the-spot firmware upgrades and adjustments of parameters without disassembling a device. Thank you for joining our webinar, and I hope we have answered some of your questions about RFID, NFC, and type 5 solutions. ST is proud to be a member of the NFC Forum and a leader in NFC solutions for tags, dynamic tags, and readers.