As cheap as chips: MiFare Ultra Light gets a closer look

If You take public transportation In a lot of THE of the world cities, your ticket will be A NFC map which You analysis has earn to access has THE form Or bus. These cards are disposable, SO never mind technology they to use must be surprisingly cheap. It is A of these which [Ken Shirriff] has turned her microscope on, A Montreal Metro ticket, And her exam of THE MiFare Ultra Light he contains East GOOD value A read.

THE cardboard surface can be bare far Since THE map has reveal A Plastic layer with A foil listening circuit antenna. THE chip himself East A barely noticeable point In A corner. For those WHO as folk measurements, smaller that A grain of salt. On he East A EEPROM has store It is payload data, but maybe THE most interest lies In THE support circuits. As A NFC chip This has A plot of RF circuits, as GOOD as A charge pump has generate THE additional tensions has charge THE EEPROM. In both case THE to use of switched capacitors pieces A part In their construction, In THE RF section has vary THE load on THE drive In order has to transmit data.

He do A calculation on THE cost of each chip, these are sold by THE slice with each slice having around 100000 fleas, And come up with A cost per chip of about nine cents. Really cheap as chips!

If NFC technology interests You, We have taken A deep dive In their antennas In THE past.