Smartcard MCU aims for applications growth

STMicroelectronics has added a new contactless smartcard microcontroller with 2Kbyte of EEPROM to its successful ST19 family of field-proven secure MCUs.

STMicroelectronics has added a new contactless smartcard microcontroller with 2Kbyte of EEPROM to its successful ST19 family of field-proven secure MCUs.

ST claims to be the world's leading supplier of smart-card ICs to the financial sector, and this new device will trigger further growth in the number and the capability of smart-card applications in the transport, financial, and related industries.

As the number of mass-transit authorities adopting contactless technology for their ticketing solutions continues to increase, and as banks consider making the move to contactless cards, ST confirms its commitment to its customers with this announcement of the latest in its long line of contactless chips.

The ST19WR02 will benefit operators, card issuers and card embedders alike.

Transport operators switching to contactless technology must make a considerable long-term investment.

Payment-card infrastructure suppliers now face similar levels of investment as the technology's convenience begins to appeal to both merchants and card holders.

When choosing the technology for either a payment or transport system, an operator needs to be sure that their supplier will match their commitment by supplying and continuing to supply advanced dedicated chips with a roadmap for ongoing improvements, ensuring a proper return on their investments and continuity.

ST's advanced ST19WR02 chip is the latest in a long line of field-proven products.

The new chip will allow application developers to build solutions to match the requirements of payment-card and transport operators.

Finance applications will benefit from the ICs fast contactless interface for "wave, pay and go" convenience, while maintaining the highest levels of security.

Contactless payment cards based on the ST19WR02 will enable banks to penetrate the cash-based retail environment, such as local stores, petrol stations, fast food restaurants, and cinemas, where speed and convenience are important.

Transport operators will appreciate the increased processing power and memory compared to current mass transit card technology, with the possibility to introduce solutions for flexible fare structures, loyalty schemes, and intermodal transport offers that will attract new customers while improving services for the existing users.

The proven security record of the ST19 family will be attractive to both the payment industry and transport operators in the fight against fraud.

The high-speed ISO14443 contactless interface of the ST19WR02 will allow card embedders to rapidly test and personalise their products, while reducing transaction times for users and increasing customer satisfaction.

The ease of use, by embedders' application development teams, of the on-chip security features and cryptographic hardware coupled with availability of advanced development tools and backward compatibility with previous products will allow the rapid deployment of new applications.

As a global, independent organisation, and one of the world's largest semiconductor companies, ST's multiple fabrication sites and advanced product portfolio have made it the preferred contactless technology partner for many operators and card embedders.

Since the production of the world's first contactless microprocessor in 1997, ST has successively added to its product range, maintaining backward compatibility yet constantly improving product features.

The new chip is built using 0.18-micron technology.

In addition to 2Kbyte of EEPROM it includes 64Kbyte of ROM and 1Kbyte of user RAM.

A hardware DES cryptographic processor, with library support for symmetrical algorithms, is complemented by a broad collection of high level memory and anti-intrusion security features.

It is supplied in micromodule or wafer form.

US pricing for the product is approximately $1.20, depending on quantity and final packaging.

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