In partnership with SAG, combining the strengths of leading NFC tag and transceiver manufacturers

STMicroelectronics (hereinafter ST) and Securitag Assembly Group (SAG), a leading supplier of RFID transponders, announced a compact NFC ferrite tag incorporating ST's ST25 NFC tag IC for IoT (Internet of Things) data transmission applications.

This small, lightweight, and thin NFC ferrite tag is a metal pad that can be directly soldered onto a PCB surface, enabling surface mounting during the manufacturing process. It features anti-metallic interference properties, allowing it to operate even on metal surfaces. This makes it an attractive feature for IoT data transmission applications in consumer electronics, wearable devices, and smart healthcare products. This compact NFC ferrite tag is perfectly suited for the smaller, lighter, and thinner designs required for wearable products where miniaturization is critical.

This NFC ferrite tag features an embedded antenna despite its small size (4.9x3.0x2.5mm) and provides excellent RF performance based on the strengths of ST's state-of-the-art ST25TA02K NFC Forum Type 4 tag IC, which has built-in NDEF (NFC Data Exchange Format) message support.

Accordingly, NDEF data can be executed directly on an Android NFC phone without dedicated application software. In addition, ST25TA02K is equipped with NDEF support, a 128-bit password, and a 20-bit counter to protect read/write access to 2K-bit EEPROM memory.

According to IHS Technology (market forecast in June 2015 that NFC-enabled handset shipments would reach three-quarters of the 1 billion units shipped in 2015), 2.2 billion NFC-enabled smartphones are projected to be shipped by 2020. The growth of NFC is expected to be driven by new IoT and wireless applications in the fields of smart homes, smart healthcare/medical, smart cities, and smart factories. By combining ST’s global capabilities and semiconductor leadership with SAG’s specialized RFID tag manufacturing expertise, both companies are focusing on accelerating innovation and new product development to enhance the competitiveness of their customers’ end products.