STMicroelectronics' new NFC reader chip and full suite of modular development tools accelerate unconnected product design

     ST has launched an innovative application development kit for contactless Near Field communication (NFC) technology. This development kit includes ST's new ST25R200 read-write chip, which makes it easier to innovate NFC technology applications. St's new generation NFC transceiver chip, the ST25R200, integrates advanced design to ensure strong and pure wireless connection signals, low power consumption and power control features to ensure signal connection quality and assist power management to improve energy efficiency.

     The STEVAL-25R200SA Reader evaluation kit includes a small, direct-powered ST25R200 motherboard and multiple antennas to allow users to experiment with single-antenna, dual-antenna and flexible antenna systems, as well as a 50-ohm antenna interface and programmable labels.

     This modular kit helps you quickly build proof-of-concept models that demonstrate the performance of convenient NFC technology in device pairing, setup, or product validation brand protection applications. The motherboard and antenna of the kit are NFC certified and are suitable for a variety of industrial, consumer and health products, such as medical equipment, power tools, home appliances, game consoles, personal health instruments.

     Patrick Sohn, Manager of ST's NFC Label and Reader Business unit, said: "The ST25R200 is designed for developers with less experience in NFC technology development to simplify the application design process. The chip offers a high price/performance ratio, expands the design safety margin, and the STEVAL-25R200SA evaluation kit provides many off-the-shelf antenna configurations."

     The ST25R200 NFC reader is equipped with ST's noise suppression receiver (NSR), which ensures that the receiver has strong anti-interference capability, even if the chip is near the noise source, for example, an LCD panel in the same device, receiving performance is not affected. The receiving circuit is also equipped with an advanced analog front end (AFE), standard NFC-A/B (ISO 14443A/B) data framing module, and NFC-V (ISO 15693) data framing module.

     The reader also includes an upgraded Low Power Card Detection (LPCD) feature that simplifies the system wake-up process and ensures a smooth and seamless user experience. The 1.2W transmitter features dynamic power output (DPO) control to adjust the field strength and overshoot/undershoot protection voltage, ensuring a stable signal connection throughout the data exchange process.

     The reader's supply voltage and peripheral I/O voltage range is 2.7V to 5.5V, and its operating temperature range is -40°C to 85°C. Multiple operating modes assist power management functions to further improve chip energy efficiency, reducing current to as little as 1µA and extending battery powered device life. In reset mode, the chip consumes only 0.1µA of current.