Date: 11/11/2009

Contactless-memory IC from ST for re-usable e-tickets in public transportation

ST Micro has introduced the SRi2K, a new 2-Kbit contactless-memory IC enabling contactless tickets to manage access to multiple services.

"Smart ticketing is delivering tremendous value for providers and consumers of many types of services," said Benoit Rodrigues, General Manager of the RFID and EEPROM Division, STMicroelectronics. "The SRi2K RFID chip represents a significant step forward for contactless-card ICs and provides the foundation for coming generations of innovative and imaginative services. Our customers can benefit from a wide range of ISO14443 ICs, now covering 512-bit, 2-Kbit and 4-Kbit memory densities. "

The SRi2K has RFID wireless interface operating at 13.56 MHz. The SRi2K can be used for issuing e-tickets in public transport such as bus, train, and tram, and also for taxi and bicycle hire. The SRi2K is also suitable for access control applications such as, event ticketing, vending machines and entry ticket to public places and parks.

The SRi2K has four times more data storage than ST's successful SRi512 and SRT512 RFID ICs, which are being used in contactless ticketing applications worldwide. The largest and most recently announced of these is the Single Journey Ticket system for the Seoul Metro in South Korea.

The SRi2K meets international standards including ISO 14443-2/3 covering interfaces and data formatting. The security features available include unique 64-bit ID and lockable memory blocks.

The 8-bit anti-collision mechanism feature enables large numbers of contactless tickets to co-exist without interfering. The SRi2K has dual 32-bit decrementing counters to prevent data loss, known as ticket tearing, in the event of power-failure while the ticket is being debited.

The SRi2K has a life of one million erase/rewrite cycles and 40-year data retention.

Availability: Volumes in November 2009,
Package: Bare die for embedding directly in smart tickets, or in unsingulated wafer form
Price: Each $0.15 each for 100K pieces.

Editorial Product Rating: Average