STMicroelectronics announces new NFC devices for contactless payments

STMicroelectronics has announced availability of its latest-generation NFC devices for contactless payments and data exchange. The new devices include the ST21NFCD NFC controller featuring the market-proven booster technology ST has recently acquired, and two new members in the ST54 System-in-Package (SiP) family that integrate the Company’s latest Secure Element technology.

The ST21NFCD chip features active load modulation for faster, smoother transactions over longer distances, delivering better user experiences in mobiles, wearables, or IoT devices. It supports card emulation, reader/writer and peer-to-peer communication modes, and contains eFlash to permit full firmware update. It supports the NFC Forum’s NCI 2.0 specification, which simplifies software development for interacting with NFC tags and supports batching and autonomous exchanges to minimize communication overheads. The IC also meets NFC Forum type 1-5 tag specifications, ISO/IEC 18092 NFC Interface and Protocol (NFCIP), and payment standards including EMVCo latest revisions. It is pre-certified in accordance with the Global Certification Forum (GCF) and PTCRB1 for integration in mobile devices, and can enable handsets to read MIFARE ClassicTM encrypted tags.

Built-in power management and battery-voltage monitoring minimize any impact on runtime in a host-system such as a smartphone. The extremely high RF sensitivity, which allows the use of miniaturized antennas; the option to use an external clock source instead of a crystal; and the high output power of the chip that makes the DC/DC booster optional, each help save bill of materials and board footprint.