Following its success in developing the world's first passive read/write RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag with on-chip antenna, the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) has once again broken new grounds in its development of RFID solutions with the demonstration of a silicon chip that enables low cost UHF (Ultra High Frequency) RFID reader/writer modules.

IME is amongst the world's leaders in RFID solutions and now offers an advanced multi-standard reader chip based on RF CMOS (Radio Frequency Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) technology. It has also demonstrated a working module with commercially available UHF RFID tags together with a local industry partner SmartID. IME's reader IC chip has several attractive features making it suitable for world-wide adoption as it is useable for multiple RFID standards and is compatible with the requirements of different countries.

In recent years, RFID systems are gaining popularity and are being used in numerous applications. Examples include the use of RFID in supply chain management to help monitor and control inventory supplies, identification process in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that the products are authentic and tracking the movement of items such as books in the library or apparels in a retail outlet.

In these cases, fixed portal readers are used to check incoming boxes with RFID tags and take stock of purchased items at checkout counters. Handheld readers are used to take inventory of RFID tagged items in the store room and display shelves.

Despite its popularity, RFID systems are not yet as widely adopted due to its high costs. At present, the conventional reader modules cost a few thousand dollars, are about 6 x 6 inches in size, weigh 1-2 kilograms, consume about 10 watts of power and are built using discrete components.

To address these issues, researchers at IME have integrated all the discrete components required for the radio frequency section of the reader module onto a single piece of silicon. This has resulted in the development of a highly integrated 0.18um RF CMOS reader IC (Integrated Circuit) that is able to bring down the costs of each RFID reader module to below US$100. The bulky conventional reader module is also reduced to a small, name card size module weighing less than 100 grams and consuming less than a watt of power. This reader IC is programmable from 860-960 MHz band, which allows coverage in Asia, Europe and the United States.  A patent has been filed for this RF CMOS reader.

"As Singapore shapes the RFID industry, Exploit Technologies is a key driver in fostering its adoption as the National RFID Centre opens a window for A*STAR's researchers and industry partners to trial and deploy the technology," said Mr Boon Swan Foo, Executive Chairman, Exploit Technologies, the strategic marketing and commercialisation arm of A*STAR. "Exploit Technologies is instrumental in fostering and funding the application development of IME's RF CMOS chip through its S$10 million RFID Proof-of-Concept (POC) initiative. The National RFID Centre will help to further accelerate the adoption of the RF CMOS chip by identifying potential commercial partners to trial and apply the technology."

Said Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME, "Singapore has placed strong emphasis on RFID technology and has been a leading adopter of it. IME has been playing a vital role to apply its technological knowledge in bringing out innovative and low cost RFID solutions - first we did it with the tags with external and internal antennas and now we have delivered the highly integrated and low cost reader IC to complete our offerings."

Together with its industry partner SmartID Technology Pte Ltd, IME has demonstrated a module with commercially available UHF RFID tags. IME's chip is also being sampled to selected customers. SmartID is a leading player in providing UHF RFID reader solutions with deployments in logistics supply chain management and intelligent access control.

Commented Mr Dan Lee, Business Development Director of SmartID Technology Pte Ltd, "The initial evaluation of the IME UHF reader chip yielded excellent results and we are very pleased with its performance. With the highly integrated circuitry and small chip size, we believe the UHF reader pricing will hit mass market adoption level in the year 2007. This silicon chip will help in the proliferation of RFID technology by reducing the total solution costs."

With the adoption of an ISO standard in UHF RFID in June 2006, the market is poised for an accelerated growth. According to market research, the UHF reader ICs market is expected to grow from 5 million units in 2007 to 13 million units in 2009, with UHF reader revenue increasing from US$600 million to US$1 billion, exhibiting a CAGR of 130%. www.ime.a-star.edu.sg