Chip manufacturer ramps capacity for Gen 2 RFID

Reacting to fears of a shortage of second-generation (Gen 2) RFID chips, chip manufacturer Impinj Inc has announced volume production of its Generation 2 (Gen 2) RFID tag chips. It will fulfill orders exceeding 50 million units for its Monza Generation 2 chips in the second half of 2005, and several million Monza chips have already been shipped to customers including Avery Dennison, Hana RFID, IER, KSW Microtec AG, Precisia, RF IDentics, RSI ID Technologies and UPM Rafsec.
First introduced in April 2005, Monza, is claimed the world’s first tag chip compliant with the Gen 2 standard promulgated by EPCglobal Inc., the industry consortium established to promote RFID technology and products worldwide. 
Monza chips which implement all mandatory features and several optional commands of the Gen 2 protocol are claimed to provide many benefits promised by Gen 2, including superior tag throughput and compliance with global spectrum regulations. 
Impinj says it has demonstrated, in several pilots currently underway, that Monza chips ‘establish new benchmarks for range, readability, and high-speed field rewriteability.  Orientation insensitivity is an added benefit when Monza is used in Impinj’s unique dual antenna configuration.’ 
Monza chips are said to exhibit excellent RF impedance and ESD protection characteristics, critical for ensuring superior inlay manufacturability at the highest assembly speeds.
‘We are extremely pleased that customers appreciate the performance advantages that our Monza tag silicon delivers,’ says Dr. William Colleran, Impinj president and CEO.  ‘With volume production now underway and key supply chain partnerships in place, Impinj is well-positioned to support the accelerating Gen 2 adoption.  We expect inlays based on our Monza chips to be available in high volumes as early as September, followed shortly thereafter by converted labels.’
Commented Erik Michielsen, director, RFID & Ubiquitous Networks at ABI Research, ‘It is critical that inlay vendors strengthen sourcing channels for Gen 2 silicon in 3Q05 to ensure Gen 2 product is ready to meet label converter and end user demands in late 2005 and early 2006.’