Contactless Cards Research Articles

Contactless cards vs RFID enabled phones

The original inventors of the smart card more than 30 years ago envisaged it being contactless – or RFID. However, affordable contactless cards took a long time to become available. Dr Peter Harrop of analyst firm IDTechEx, which is currently researching a report called ‘Contactless Cards and Near Field Communication’, tells CTT that in spite of initial pessimism from some critics, the technology has proved itself and volumes of shipments are growing rapidly.

Is Near-Field Communication Close to Success?

Near-field communication (NFC) is a new wireless technology that could unite various standards and proprietary technologies found in the millions of standalone contactless cards. Contactless technology lets users pay for transactions by simply holding cards close to, rather than swiping them through, a reader. NFC is a short-range wireless technology that lets devices communicate when in close proximity. The technology allows for the development of devices, including mobile phones, that can be used like contactless cards. A shorter transmission range and slower data rates distinguish NFC from other short-range wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, radio-frequency identification (RFID), and Wi-Fi. NFC could be used in many ways, including merchandise and service payments, event ticketing, and facility- and computer-access control. The technology could even enter information from a buyer's NFC phone to a suitably equipped PC for e-commerce transactions.

NFC — the intuitive contactless technology becomes reality

Near Field Communication (NFC) is opening-up completely new perspectives for the mobile communication industry. It enables contactless peer-to-peer communication, reading/writing of contactless cards and, when combined with a smart card IC, emulation of a contactless card. NFC has taken major steps towards market acceptance: ISO standards are in place for the interface and communication protocols, many leading companies in the field are promoting it within the NFC Forum, and numerous field trials are being deployed around the world. Different architectures are being considered for NFC and security mobile phone architectures. The first Philips cellular system solution integrating NFC hardware and software illustrates a successful implementation of one of these architectures.

A ticket to ride [near field communications

The communications industry has spawned so many flavours of wireless - each accompanied by its own standard - that many in the sector, never mind consumers, are getting confused. The article examines the chances of success of yet another wireless networking protocol: near field communications (NFC). This very-short-range wireless standard is being talked of as a ubiquitous method of wirelessly accessing digital content and services. The technology operates over distances of a few centimetres, while combining the functions of a contactless reader, a contactless card and peer-to-peer functionality on a single chip. Unlike other wireless technologies, it relies on the device reader to provide power to the NFC chip through inductive RF coupling, thereby reducing the chip's standby power to zero, a major advantage for power-sensitive mobile devices. While compatible with currently deployed contactless card technologies, NFC complies with different standards and operates in the globally compatible and unregulated 13.56 MHz frequency range. Standardisation is a done deal, with bodies, such as the ISO (18092), the ECMA (340) and ETSI, having already ratified NFC. Its enthusiastic proponents foresee a huge potential for NFC.

The secret‐key block cipher MKC1

AbstractThis paper proposes a new secret‐key block cipher algorithm called MKC1. MKC1 is a Feistel‐type block cipher with variable block length, key length, and number of rounds. The merits of this algorithm are that numerous structures can be formed by selecting the encryption functions and that cellular automata, which can ensure an immense number of structures, and power functions over a finite field, which have strong resistance to differential and linear attacks, are used for the encryption functions. These features increase MKC1's resistance to exhaustive key searches and analytical cryptanalysis. In addition, rules that are relatively powerful as encryption functions among the total of 256 rules for one‐dimensional, two‐state, neighborhood‐three cellular automata were found to practically correspond to Class 3 of Wolfram's classification scheme. The results of computer experiments indicate that MKC1 is several times faster than DES. The industrial value of this algorithm was confirmed by implementing it in an automatic electronic ticket system using a contactless IC card. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 86(2): 68–83, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10123

Swiss golfers drive off with contactless cards

Swiss golfers drive off with contactless cards

Chicago rolls out its contactless fare cards

Chicago rolls out its contactless fare cards

Contactless card trials underway in London

Contactless card trials underway in London

ASK ships 2.5 million contactless cards for Capri ticketing system

ASK ships 2.5 million contactless cards for Capri ticketing system

The smartcard as a mobile security device

Modern society would like to replace paper by electronic data carriers and mechanical processes by electronic processes. Smartcards offer one means to this end in the form of a personal mobile security device. Personal data can be stored in a mobile personal environment instead of in a central database, and processor smartcards additionally provide a sort of pocket PC that can perform security functions at a higher level of security than an ordinary PC. Interoperability of different smartcards with different smartcard readers and data terminals is very important; therefore, standards exist for the structure of data objects on the card and for coding the commands sent to the card. Biometric user-authentication is becoming increasingly important for smartcards as an alternative to the previously used PIN or password authentication. Additional convenience for the user can be provided by contactless cards.

Contactless cards

Card issuers are becoming concerned about the lack of compatibility between contactless card technologies. We report on Eurosmart’s new paper on interoperability.

Advanced LSI embedded with FeRAM for contactless IC cards and its manufacturing technology

High performance LSIs embedded with ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) for contactless IC cards are now commercially available. The emphasis is placed on the materials solution with SrBi2(Ta,Nb)2O9 (SBTN) which enables to exploit the potential performance of FeRAMs for composite logic/microcontroller LSIs operating at high speeds and low powers. The leading-edge 0.6-μm and double-level-metal FeRAM technology produces microcontroller-embedded LSIs with 14-kbit or 64-kbit FeRAM. A mature 0.8-μm and single-level-metal process has been built to maximize the die yield. Yields exceeding 90% indicate the excellent process stability. Product qualification data have proven the robust FeRAM technologies.

Development of a memory label system for consumer VCRs

Development of a memory label system for consumer VCRs is described. The memory label is attached to a video cassette, and it carries an index as well as other information related to the contents of programs recorded on the video cassette. Memory labels are based on contactless IC card technology that has been discussed in ISO for a potential standard. By inserting the video cassette in the VCR, the contents of recorded programs can immediately be displayed on the screen. The memory label system offers customers easy operation for their VCRs.

Integrated ferroelectrics as a strategic device

The ferroelectric memory is the most suitable device for memory embedded applications. Its manufacturing process makes it more compatible with the standard CMOS process than the traditional non-volatile memory processes, due to device operation voltage requirements. In addition, it provides clear advantages such as non-volatility, lower power consumption, higher endurance on writing cycles and higher writing speed. The most significant benefits of the embedded ferroelectric memory are shown on contactless smart IC cards and RF-ID cards without battery backup, which will expand the electronic ID market in a variety of applications. A super high integration chip will not be produced without having any redundancy circuit on it. If the ferroelectric memory technology is applied to FPGA (field programmable gate array), however, this problem will be solved. The ferroelectric memory technology will lead to a new semiconductor device architecture, and will take the major place in the coming multi-media era.