ST targets mobiles with NFC chip
Looking to move Near Field Communications into the mobile phone arena, STMicroelectronics has unveiled a secure SoC solution implemented in its 0.13µm embedded non volatile eeprom technology.
The ST21NFCA is said to integrate all the necessary hardware and software for a complete NFC system.
Developed to be used in mobile devices, or within the PC environment, the chip offers a complete hardware capability for contactless communication at 13.56MHz. It also integrates Host Controller Interface functions, in addition to i2c and spi interfaces.
Designed around ST’s ST21 smart card microcontroller, the chip has 36kbyte of eeprom, 112kbyte of user rom and 4kbyte of ram. In addition, the chip includes an integrated rf analogue front end and embedded firmware.
Marie-France Florentin, ST’s Smartcard ICs business director, said: “ST is delivering a fully integrated and flexible SoC that will enable the world’s leading mobile phone makers to integrate NFC technology into their products with an extremely fast time to market.”
