STMicroelectronics Introduces Chipset That Simplifies Design of Contactless Smartcard Readers

Business Wire, Feb 28, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech

GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2001

STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) today introduced a chipset that provides a complete solution for low-cost contactless smartcard readers.

Suitable for a wide range of contactless smartcard applications such as access control, ticketing systems, E-purse and ID cards, the ST16-19RFRDCS910 chipset comprises an Analog Front-End, a Coder/Decoder/Frame Formatter, and an optional ST92163 high performance 8/16-bit microcontroller. The chipset is compatible with both the ST16 and ST19 families of smartcard microcontrollers.

The Analog Front-End contains the RF circuitry required to communicate between the card and the reader. It is fully based upon the ISO 14443-2 type B standard, which uses a 13.56MHz carrier wave to provide both power to the smartcard and data communication between the card and the reader. Amplitude modulation (10% Amplitude Shift Keying) of the carrier wave is used to transmit data from the reader to the smartcard, while load modulation is used for the return data path. Fast data transfer rates of up to 424Kbit/s are supported in either direction.

The Xilinx FPGA-based Frame Processor chip provides ASK coding, BPSK decoding and frame formatting functions, with programmable data rates between the card and the reader of 106, 212 and 424 Kbits/s. It provides an 8-bit parallel interface for the ST92163 MCU and a programmable serial communications interface with speeds from 4800 to 115 Kbits/s.

Completing the chipset, the ST92163 is a member of ST's highly successful ST9 family of 8/16-bit microcontrollers specifically optimized for this application. Like other ST9 microcontrollers, the ST92163 is based on a proven core with a register-based architecture that is particularly suited to real-time control applications. The 256-byte register file includes 224 general-purpose registers that can be freely used as accumulators, address pointers or registers. With a 25 MHz internal clock frequency, the core processor can execute 8-bit instructions in just 160ns and 16-bit instructions in 240ns, while the large register file supports the use of multiple workspaces, with rapid context switching to optimize real-time performance. The ST92163's peripherals include a full-speed USB interface, a serial interface up to 315 Kbits/s and support for up to 64 Kbytes (soon up to 4 Mbytes) of external Flash memory holding user software and library routines.

The chipset is supported by a full set of development software, including an ST9 - FPGA interface library, an anti-collision library, communication DLL for Windows 95 and Windows 98, and USB and RS232 communication libraries for connection to PCs.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics (formerly SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics) is a global independent semiconductor company, whose shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on the ParisBourse and on the Milan Stock Exchange. The Company designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) and discrete devices used in a wide variety of microelectronic applications, including telecommunications systems, computer systems, consumer products, automotive products and industrial automation and control systems. In 2000, the Company's net revenues were $7,813.2 million and net earnings were $1,452.1 million. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.