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Atmel Offers a Feature-rich UHF ASK/FSK Receiver/Transmitter Family for Industrial Applications

(Japan ) (Simple Chinese)

    Heilbronn, Germany, December 04, 2007  

    Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today the availability of its feature-rich, competitively priced, UHF ASK/FSK receiver/transmitter family ATA8x0x. Applications include remote controls for consumer and industrial systems, access control, alarm and telemetry systems, energy metering, and home automation as well as active RFID tagging systems.

     The UHF ASK/FSK receiver ICs ATA8201 (313 - 317 MHz) and ATA8202 (433 - 435 MHz) are an ideal option for low-cost industrial RF receiving systems with low power consumption requirements. The ICs include an integrated IF filter, low-phase-noise VCO, PLL, and loop filter, and as such require few external devices and no external filters - adding to their cost-efficiency. Their fully integrated filters provide the best combination of large bandwidth and excellent receiving selectivity, which enables the large transmit and receive distances typically required for industrial applications. These transparent receivers can be operated with a separate microcontroller for bit check and polling modes. Additionally, the ICs' large oscillation margin, enables the use of very low-cost crystals.

     The UHF ASK/FSK PLL transmitter ICs ATA8401 (310 - 350 MHz), ATA8402 (423 - 439 MHz), and ATA8403 (868 - 928 MHz) are designed for low-cost RF transmission systems in industrial and consumer applications with data rates up to 50 kBaud (ASK) and 32 kBaud (FSK) respectively. These transmitters feature an integrated PLL loop filter, ESD protection, a CLK output for clocking the microcontroller, and a single-ended antenna output with a highly efficient power amplifier. Easy-to-design-in solutions are possible due to the superb isolation of the PLL from the power amplifier and the power supply. Only minimum external circuitry is necessary.

     The ATA8x0x series evolved from Atmel's well-known automotive-qualified receiver and transmitter ICs. While functionally identical and fully pin-compatible to those automotive products, the ATA8x0x series is specified at the -40°C to 85°C operating temperature range for cost-sensitive industrial and consumer applications.

     Availability and Pricing
Samples of the ATA8x0x family and development boards are now available. Pricing for the ATA820x receiver ICs starts at US$1.26 and for the ATA840x transceiver ICs at US$0.71 for 10k piece quantities.

     Footnote
          ASK = Amplitude Shift Keying
          CLK = Clock
          ESD = Electronic Static Discharge
          FSK = Frequency Shift Keying
          IF = Intermediate Frequency
          PLL = Phase-locked Loop
          UHF = Ultra High Frequency
          VCO = Voltage-controlled Oscillator

RFID Device With 64-bit Embedded Cryptographic Engine

(Japan ) (Simple Chinese)

    San Jose, CA, December 4, 2007  

The only reliable way to protect against counterfeiters

locking product authenticity in hardware

    Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today CryptoRF®, the world's first 13.56 MHz RFID devices with a 64-bit embedded cryptographic engine, mutual authentication capability, and up to 16 individually configurable zones. These devices prevent product counterfeiting; a problem assessed at over $600 billion in seized fakes in 2007. One of the most reliable ways to protect against counterfeiters is to lock product authenticity in hardware. Atmel's CryptoRF devices create unique "signatures" based on information that is never transmitted or allowed to be accessed in any way.

     CryptoRF product labels and tags are virtually impossible to copy. These devices are ideal for applications that are 1) prone to counterfeiting such as high value consumer items and software, 2) require a permanent record of the chain of ownership such as pharmaceutical tracking, or 3) represent cash transactions like bus passes, loyalty or campus cards.

     Secure Dynamic Mutual Authentication Capability. Conventional RFID tags can be copied using a low cost RFID tag reader, the information is then used to create phony tags for counterfeit products. In contrast, CryptoRF devices have a 64-bit embedded hardware cryptographic engine; with 64 Kbit keys that are completely inaccessible. CryptoRF supports a mutual authentication protocol to establish a trusted link between itself and a host reader. The CryptoRF device and the host reader demonstrate knowledge of respective non-readable secrets stored within them without actually transmitting the secrets. A unique cryptogram is generated for each transaction, so a cryptogram intercepted during a transaction cannot be used to effect a second transaction. The likelihood of a "fake" device creating the appropriate cryptogram is about one in a quintillion. Each CryptoRF device has its own set of authentication keys therefore every device is unique. Fuse bits are blown to permanently lock the security information within the device.

     Chain of Ownership Tracking. A complete history of a product's ownership, distribution, and disposition can be contained on a single device. CryptoRF devices are available with densities from 1-Kbit to 64-Kbits of user memory to accommodate a wide range of information storage. The user memory itself may be divided into as many as 16 separate zones, each of which can be customized to allow different levels of read and write access, including read and write, read-only, one-time-programmable or requires authentication.

     ISO14443-B Standard. Atmel's CryptoRF devices integrate a 13.56 MHz RF interface with a range up to 10 cm.

     Development Tools. Atmel offers a comprehensive range of CryptoRF reference designs, libraries, demonstration kits and application software that simplifies the implementation of CryptoRF into existing products.

     Availability and Pricing
CryptoRF devices are now available. Pricing for the CryptoRF devices starts at US$0.75 in quantities of 25,000 units.

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