TN0076 Datasheet, PDF (1/6 Pages) STMicroelectronics – Improving PCB traceability with RFID technology

TN0076
Technical note
Improving PCB traceability
with RFID technology
Benefits of the RFID technology
The RFID technology is successfully being used in a variety of applications such as mass
transit ticketing, library asset management, logistics, anti-counterfeiting, e-passport and
contactless banking.
It is also the right solution for improving traceability, supply chain visibility, counterfeiting
prevention, and easing the scanning process.
The key benefits of RFID lie in a non line-of-sight, rewrite capability. Moreover, the RFID
tags do not need any battery to operate, which makes their lifetime and cost attractive.
Most electronics designers who know the technology understand that they can turn their
application into an RFID reader by either using an OEM reader module or a reader IC such
as STMicroelectronics’ CRX14. This gives them the capability of reading RFID tags.
However, few know that they actually can add the RFID tag function to their application by
designing the RFID chip and the antenna directly on the printed-circuit board (PCB). Each
PCB is then identified with a so-called UID, which is a factory-programmed-and-locked
unique identifier that follows the ISO 15963 numbering standard.
RFID tag ICs also come with different user memory sizes, usually EEPROM memory. They
can be used as means of storing and tracking many types of information:
● bill of material
● board revision
● firmware version
● schematics and layout file information
● documentation link
● date code
● manufacturing plant
● manufacturing flow
● key process characteristics
● end product type
● warranty/return information
● repair and upgrade history
● customer information
● anti-tamper information
Thanks to the EEPROM and the RFID technologies, this information can be programmed
and updated throughout the entire manufacturing process and beyond. In this way, you can
keep track of what happens to a PCB from its manufacturing to the end of its life. If the board
is going to be refurbished and upgraded, you will know it.
March 2009
Rev 1
1/6
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