Hitachi Develops World's Smallest RFID Chip

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Quigley_Sharps, Jan 8, 2013.

  1. Quigley_Sharps

    Quigley_Sharps The Badministrator Administrator Founding Member

    Hitachi-smallest-RFID. Hitachi Develops World's Smallest RFID Chip
    Friday, October 26, 2007 - Sarah Gingichashvili

    The Japanese giant Hitachi has developed the world's smallest and thinnest Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip. Measuring only 0.15 x 0.15 millimeters in size and 7.5 micrometers thick, the wireless chip is a smaller version of the previous record holder - Hitachi's 0.4 x 0.4 mm "Micro-Chip". The company used semiconductor miniaturization and electron beam technology to write data on the chip substrates to achieve this decrease in size. The new chips have a wide range of potential applications from military to transportation, logistics and even consumer electronics.

    Hitachi's RFID Chips (Credit: Hitachi Global)

    Nicknamed "Powder" or "Dust", these chips consist of 128-bit ROM (Read Only Memory) that can store a 38-digit number. Hitachi says the distance between each circuit element was reduced using the Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process, where an insulation layer and a monocrystalline silicon layer are formed upon the silicon base substrate, and the transistor is then formed on this SOI substrate. When compared to the conventional process where a transistor is formed directly upon the silicon substrate, this technology significantly reduces parasitic capacitance and current leakage, improving the transistor's performance. The SOI process also prevents the interference between neighboring devices, which often causes product malfunctions. Thanks to an insulator surrounding each device, Hitachi experts say that even when the devices are in close proximity, higher integration is achieved on an even smaller area.
    The µ-Chip uses an external antenna to receive radio waves, which can be transformed and wirelessly transmitted as a unique ID number. The data is written during the fabrication process, using ROM, and is therefore non-rewritable, providing a high level of authenticity. "By taking advantage of the merits of compactness, high authenticity and wireless communication, and combining it with Internet technology, the µ-Chip may be utilized in a broad range of applications such as security, transportation, amusement, traceability and logistics" – said Hitachi engineers who worked on the project.
    Hitachi is continuing to develop technologies that increase communication's distance range and decrease antenna size, whilst preserving high reliability and aiming for improved productivity. The company said that the enhanced compactness and thinness of the new chip has further broadened the range of possible applications, including gift certificates that can be authenticated. The new RFID "powder" can also be incorporated into thin paper, such as currency, creating so-called "bugged" money.
    TFOT looked at several RFID related technologies including HP's Memory Spot Chip, which is some what similar to RFID technology (although there are also some important differences), The RFID Loc8torthat can identify special RFID tags from a distance of up to 183 meters (600 feet), and a new Nanobatterytechnology developed at the Tel Aviv University, which could power semi-active RFID chips in the future.

    Hitachi-smallest-RFID. hitachi-smallest-rfid2_thumb.
  2. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    "big businesses believe that consumers' fears are dwarfed by the benefits"

    Benefits to whom?
  3. gunbunny

    gunbunny Never Trust A Bunny

    And the world is now a better place because of the new RFID chip.

    Thanks, Hitachi.
  4. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Round bale thefts have stopped in this area, thanks to GPS tracking in selected bales.

    I designed a system using the older IDENT Control Available as a 13.56 MHz Identification System | Pepperl+Fuchs way back in the early 90s. IBM had bid an upgrade of some $1.5 million to refit our plant with what my employer thought we needed.

    I came in, using our legacy system, new A-B PLCs and Pepperl-Fuchs Idents for $150.000 installed and running.

    This saved jobs and allowed a product to be sold at the original price, and left a nice spot for a broom closet where the PDP8I computer and interface had been.

    Times change and now that system is outdated, but that's progress.

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