World’s First Stand-Alone NFC microSD Card Certified for Visa and MasterCard Mobile Payments Uses AS3922 from ams
February 11 2014 - 2:00AM
Business Wire
DeviceFidelity CredenSE NFC microSD with integrated NFC
antenna leverages ams Active Boost technology to achieve
global certification
ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading provider of high performance analog
ICs and sensors, today announced that US-based DeviceFidelity, Inc.
is using unique ams RF technology in its latest CredenSE 2.10 Near
Field Communication (NFC) microSD card to enable secure, certified
NFC transmissions between any mobile phone and contactless payment
terminals from Visa and MasterCard.
DeviceFidelity CredenSE 2.10 is the world’s first NFC microSD
card to successfully achieve global payment certifications from
both Visa and MasterCard without requiring external booster antenna
or device specific attachments. Using the AS3922 from ams, an
integrated NFC front end with Active Boost technology, CredenSE
achieves a typical read range of 4cm in a mobile phone’s microSD
slot.
The mobile phone is a notoriously difficult environment for RF
and variations between phone models make it difficult to
consistently achieve good performance. The stringent requirements
for read range compatibility with payment terminals for payment
applications cannot be met in small form factors such as SIM or
microSD cards with a traditional passive NFC card emulation front
end and simple planar antenna.
Earlier SIM and microSD designs therefore used an additional
component such as an external booster antenna or external
attachment to amplify RF communication between tag and reader. The
use of such external antennas makes mass deployment impractical
since it raises bill-of-materials while also increasing the
complexity of handling distribution and support for a variety of
different handset models.
The DeviceFidelity CredenSE 2.10 is the first commercially
produced NFC microSD card that meets EMV standards using only an
ultra-small antenna embedded in the card, making distribution and
compatibility with hundreds of phone models possible with one
easy-to-deploy microSD card.
This means that it can be used to transform any mobile device
with a microSD card slot into a contactless payment device without
any need for device specific external antenna or attachments.
DeviceFidelity has been granted global patents for the design and
functionality of such an NFC microSD with built-in antenna and
active front end.
The certified solution has been achieved primarily through the
use of the Active Boost capability in the AS3922, working in
conjunction with a DeviceFidelity-designed 3D miniature antenna,
which actively transmits in response to a point-of-sale reader, in
contrast to the passive load modulation normally supported by NFC
tags.
Active Boost allows for robust tag-to-reader communication at a
coupling factor 100 times higher than is possible with conventional
passive tag designs. The AS3922 also offers unique Antenna Auto
Tuning and Q factor adjustment, which are critical to microSD, SIM
and µSIM applications. The IC includes an ACLB interface for
communication with the contactless interface of any Dual Interface
Secure Element, and DCLB and NFC-WI interfaces for digital
communication.
Use of the AS3922 with a 3D antenna also provides for smooth
operation with any payment terminal by eliminating the need for the
user to hold the phone in any orientation.
In addition to successful performance with Visa and MasterCard
payment terminals, DeviceFidelity’s CredenSE microSD also provides
an option for service providers to deploy mass transit and physical
access applications.
“The CredenSE 2.10 NFC microSD packs DeviceFidelity intellectual
property, years of innovation and expertise, to offer a high
performance plug-and-play NFC card emulation solution that is easy
to distribute by any service providers in a device- and
network-agnostic fashion. This technology breakthrough is made
possible by the AS3922’s ability to realize reliable NFC
transmissions on most phones while meeting the size constraints of
a tiny antenna,” said Tuan Dao, EVP of Technology at
DeviceFidelity.
“DeviceFidelity is leading the way in the enablement of NFC
microSD payments on mobile phones globally, so ams is delighted
that it selected the AS3922, which offers superior RF performance
in the space-constrained microSD form factor,” said Mark Dickson,
Senior Product Marketing Manager of ams.
Price & Availability
The AS3922 NFC tag front end is in volume production now. Please
contact your local sales office for more details. For further
information please visit www.ams.com/NFC/AS3922 .
Download Press Picture or Block Diagram of this IC at
http://www.ams.com/eng/Press/Press-Releases/AS3922
ams AGPatricia MoosburgerMedia Relationsphone: +43 (0) 3136 500
31235press@ams.comwww.ams.com
American Shared Hospital... (AMEX:AMS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
American Shared Hospital... (AMEX:AMS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024