Alien introduces integrated circuit with extended memory

Alien introduces integrated circuit with extended memory

Alien Technology, a supplier of UHF products and services, has introduced its new H3 (Higgs) Integrated Circuit (IC). With 512 bits of user memory and advanced security features, the H3 complements Alien’s existing H2 product. The new IC is targeted at converters and end customers requiring unique tag identification and extended memory capabilities required to fully address RFID applications such as airline baggage; pharmaceutical drugs; secure access; e-passports; and tracking of high-value assets and items such as electronics, or wines and spirits.


‘Based on benchmark testing, the Alien Higgs-3 IC provides a 50 percent sensitivity improvement over competitive products, and a 25 percent improvement above and beyond our industry-leading Higgs-2 IC, which currently powers Alien’s Squiggle portfolio of EPC Gen 2 inlays and tags,’ said Steve Smith, CTO and founder of Alien Technology.


Key features of the new Alien H3 IC include:


Authentication
The H3 has a 64-bit Unique Tag ID (UTID), which is programmed at the factory and cannot be altered. This allows the manufacturer to ensure the authenticity of any product it sells. This is particularly important to vendors of high value branded products subject to counterfeiting and diversion, pharmaceuticals held to increasingly stringent e-pedigree requirements, and merchants dealing with return fraud.


Memory
H3 also brings a new level of memory flexibility to RFID chips with expanded user memory, block level data access passwords, an extensible EPC number, and accelerated programming commands. The IC has 512-bits of user memory, which allows it to support legacy part numbering structures, service records, and chain of custody requirements such as e-pedigree. The user memory can also be sub-divided into blocks and assigned read and write passwords, allowing the IC to contain both public and private data. The IC also supports EPC numbers up to 496-bits in length, which allows for the use of alternate part number encoding standards as well as proprietary schemes.


Sensitivity
In addition to being more sensitive than the H2 (the IC that powers Alien’s Squiggle tags), the H3 builds upon the interference rejection performance of the H2. These improvements result in higher read rates, better performance in noisy radio frequency environments, smaller tags, and greater read range.


Interoperability
Designed in compliance with the latest EPC v1.2 specification, the H3 supports the mandatory and optional EPC Gen 2 commands, including the item-level commands, and works with all EPC Gen 2 compliant readers. Alien RFID integrated circuits are designed to integrate with either UHF Near Field or Far Field antennas, and accommodate global UHF tags for spectrum bands inclusive of 840MHz to 960MHz.


The Alien H3 IC is currently being sampled with partners and customers, with general availability scheduled for late July. Like the H2 IC, which has been shipping since December 2006, the H3 will be available in several packaging options, including Straps and Flip Chip.


‘With the introduction of its new H3 chip, Alien once again raises the bar for performance and security features,’ said Michael Liard, research director for RFID and contactless technologies and markets at ABI Research. ‘We view the availability of Alien H2 chip and the introduction of the H3 as positive developments for Alien and the industry.’