Marin, Switzerland - EM Microelectronic, the semiconductor company of the Swatch Group and a world-leading supplier of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) products and services, introduced the EM4126 EPC Gen2 RFID integrated circuit, intended for use in RFID tags for jewelry, cosmetics and other small and/or high value products.
The EM4126 has already been evaluated for use in small item-level tags for such items as jewelry and watches, where its high sensitivity allows for longer read ranges, even with a significantly smaller antenna/tag. EM4126 achieves a typical read sensitivity of -19 dBm at the chip level, which translates into a typical -21 dBm sensitivity at the tag level for a dipole-like antenna with 2 dBi gain (25us TARI, 250 kHz BLF).
The EM4126 also contains more memory than competitive item-level tags. Its 224 bits of non-volatile memory (16-bit PC Word and 208-bit UII/EPC Code) enable support of ISO or EPC data structures and allow for SGTIN 198 encoding as an enhanced alternative to SGTIN-96. SGTIN-198 encoding uses alphanumeric serialization represented as a string of up to 20 7-bit characters allowing for more flexibility and human-readable codes. The encoded string is left-justified and unused characters are zero filled.
“The EM4126 is an excellent example of EM’s desire to bring high performance and more convenience to the retail RFID market,” commented Michel Willemin, CEO of EM Microelectronic. “By enabling the use of alphanumeric encoding in a compact, long read-range jewelry or luxury item tag, EM brings value to and simplifies the lives of both the retailer and of the luxury goods manufacturer. A smaller, more readable tag enhances the merchandising of such items.”
Availability and Packaging
The EM4126 is available in bumped die form on 6 mil sawn wafers. More information about the circuit and development tools is available at http://www.emmicroelectronic.com/products.asp?IdProduct=305
For samples and details, contact [email protected]