Texas Instruments' Ultra-thin Chip Module Enables Production of Graphics-rich Contactless Cards

(Product News, 16 May 2008)

Taking its cue from customers and a page out of the fashion magazines where "thin is always in", Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has developed an ultra-thin module for contactless payment applications, which removes another technology barrier for broader proliferation of contactless payment.

About 26 percent thinner than conventional packaged contactless chip offerings, the new ultra-thin module enables card manufacturers to produce an increasing array of colorful and distinctive products with higher yields as a result of causing fewer visual imperfections than thicker chip modules.

Banks are increasingly offering new graphics-rich contactless cards to differentiate their brand and stay "top of wallet" with consumers. Over the next few years, banks will issue more than 50 million opaque contactless cards annually with the expectation that number will double in 2010 (ABI Research). Using TI's new ultra-thin module, card manufacturers can create thinner PVC pre-laminate sheets for the contactless layer. The 280µm module enables the creation of pre-laminates as thin as 345µm. This allows the card manufacturers to print the card's colorful artwork on thicker print stock while maintaining the 680µm to 840µm ISO standard for card thickness. Thicker print stock makes these complex cards more durable and able to survive multiple passes through a printing press during standard card manufacturing processes, translating to higher yields of finished cards.

TI's ultra-thin module operates at extremely low power, delivers a fast transaction speed (typically 120ms) and is developed with a highly sensitive radio frequency chip to enable a successful transaction the first time a customer taps the card to the payment reader. The module and payment application software operate in dynamic Card Verification Code (CVC) transaction authorization mode, which offers issuers the highest level of security available.

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