Smart card controllers feature Flash memory

The EMTG30 and EMTG56 are novel Flash memory-based smart card ICs designed for use in SIM cards for low-end mobile telephony.

New from EM Microelectronic, the EMTG30 and EMTG56 are novel Flash-memory-based smart card ICs designed for use in SIM cards for low-end mobile telephony.

The EMTG30/56 are compatible with the ISO7816-3 integrated circuit card (smart card) specification.

Memory flexibility is a key advantage of the EMTG30 and EMTG56, which contain 31 and 57Kbyte, respectively, of pure Flash memory.

"The EMTG30/56 are a low-cost, yet highly flexible smart card circuit with a 100% Flash memory architecture for the entry-level mobile telephony market", explains Mougahed Darwish, President of the Management Board of EM Microelectronic.

"The flexibility of using Flash memory opens up a new field of applications, where smart cards can be truly 'smart' - allowing them to be fully reprogrammable in the field, adapting to changing applications, operating systems and user requirements".

"For the manufacturer, it means that one card design can be used for a wide variety of applications, and inventories of cards can be quickly personalised at low cost to meet market demands".

The EMTG30/56 feature a high-performance 8bit market standard 8051 microcontroller core that is implemented in hardware, allowing it to process instructions four times faster per clock cycle than typical microcode-based 8051 core designs.

An internal tamper-proof clock operates at up to 30MHz and provides better security than designs that require an external clock.

Security is also enhanced by the EMTG30/56's built-in analogue, hardware-protected memory partitioning and tamper notification.

Most smart card ICs rely on a combination of ROM and EEPROM.

In such smart cards, the operating system (OS) and main applications are permanently stored once in the ROM where they cannot be modified.

Data, personal information and other applications data are stored in the EEPROM so that they can be modified.

As the ROM portion can only be programmed once, it is typically filled with as many applications as possible, leaving less memory space available for variable user data, program updates and new features.

Unlike these smart cards, the EMTG30 and EMTG56 have a memory architecture that is 100% reprogrammable.

This provides more flexibility for the manufacturer, dealer or end user to reconfigure the operating system and applications.

The EMTG30's Flash memory structure is only one section of 31Kbyte general purpose NVM organised as 248 x 128byte.

For the EMTG56, the GPNVM is organised in 448 x 128byte.

They have a minimum guaranteed endurance of 100,000 cycles.

This memory provides hardware-secured, tamper-proof storage for program memory and security information.

Memory dedicated to application software and user data can be configured at the last minute, so smart card providers can reduce inventory, simplify logistics, reduce costs and accelerate time to market.

The EMTG30/56's flexible memory architecture enables low cost smart cards to interoperate with equipment from different service providers and regional standards, making them ideal for banking and communications in developing countries worldwide.

The 8051 microcontroller core is a proven, robust and widely supported architecture, allowing code re-usability and faster development.

The EMTG30/56 are supported by development tools including a compiler, link editor, code and data download, and emulation platform that is fully integrated with the Keil uVision2 development environment.

The EMTG30/56's Flash memory is implemented using SST SuperFlash technology.

The EMTG30/56 smart card ICs are available and shipping now from EM Microelectronic and its authorised distributors.

They are available as backlapped and distressed 8in wafers down to 180um thickness, as sawn wafers on frame, and in packaged 6-pin module form.

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