M AN678

RFID Coil Design

Author: Youbok Lee

REVIEW OF A BASIC THEORY FOR
Microchip Technology Inc. ANTENNA COIL DESIGN
Current and Magnetic Fields
INTRODUCTION Ampere’s law states that current flowing on a conductor
produces a magnetic field around the conductor.
In a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) application, Figure 1 shows the magnetic field produced by a
an antenna coil is needed for two main reasons: current element. The magnetic field produced by the
• To transmit the RF carrier signal to power up the current on a round conductor (wire) with a finite length
tag is given by:
• To receive data signals from the tag
EQUATION 1:
An RF signal can be radiated effectively if the linear
dimension of the antenna is comparable with the µo I 2
wavelength of the operating frequency. In an RFID B φ = --------- ( cos α 2 – cos α 1 ) ( Weber ⁄ m )
4πr
application utilizing the VLF (100 kHz – 500 kHz) band,
the wavelength of the operating frequency is a few where:
kilometers (λ = 2.4 Km for 125 kHz signal). Because of
its long wavelength, a true antenna can never be I = current
formed in a limited space of the device. Alternatively, a r = distance from the center of wire
small loop antenna coil that is resonating at the µo = permeability of free space and given as
frequency of the interest (i.e., 125 kHz) is used. This µo = 4 π x 10-7 (Henry/meter)
type of antenna utilizes near field magnetic induction
coupling between transmitting and receiving antenna In a special case with an infinitely long wire where
coils. α1 = -180° and α2 = 0°, Equation 1 can be rewritten as:

The field produced by the small dipole loop antenna is

EQUATION 2:
not a propagating wave, but rather an attenuating
wave. The field strength falls off with r-3 (where r = dis- µo I 2
tance from the antenna). This near field behavior (r-3) B φ = --------- ( Weber ⁄ m )
2πr
is a main limiting factor of the read range in RFID
applications.
FIGURE 1: CALCULATION OF
When the time-varying magnetic field is passing
through a coil (antenna), it induces a voltage across the MAGNETIC FIELD B AT
coil terminal. This voltage is utilized to activate the LOCATION P DUE TO
passive tag device. The antenna coil must be designed CURRENT I ON A STRAIGHT
to maximize this induced voltage. CONDUCTING WIRE
This application note is written as a reference guide for Ζ
antenna coil designers and application engineers in the
RFID industry. It reviews basic electromagnetics Wire
theories to understand the antenna coils, a procedure α2
for coil design, calculation and measurement of dL
inductance, an antenna-tuning method, and the α R
relationship between read range vs. size of antenna I
coil. α1
P
0 X B (into the page)
r

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 1

AN678
The magnetic field produced by a circular loop antenna FIGURE 2: CALCULATION OF
coil with N-turns as shown in Figure 2 is found by: MAGNETIC FIELD B AT
LOCATION P DUE TO
EQUATION 3: CURRENT I ON THE LOOP
2
µ o INa
B z = --------------------------------
-
2 2 3⁄2
2(a + r )
2 I
µ o INa coil
------------------  ----3
1 2 2 α
= for r >>a
2  
r a R
where:
a = radius of loop r
y P
Equation 3 indicates that the magnetic field produced
by a loop antenna decays with 1/r3 as shown in Bz z
Figure 3. This near-field decaying behavior of the
magnetic field is the main limiting factor in the read
range of the RFID device. The field strength is FIGURE 3: DECAYING OF THE
maximum in the plane of the loop and directly MAGNETIC FIELD B VS.
proportional to the current (I), the number of turns (N), DISTANCE r
and the surface area of the loop.
B
Equation 3 is frequently used to calculate the
ampere-turn requirement for read range. A few
examples that calculate the ampere-turns and the field r-3
intensity necessary to power the tag will be given in the
following sections.

Note: The magnetic field produced by a

loop antenna drops off with r-3.

DS00678B-page 2  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN678
INDUCED VOLTAGE IN ANTENNA The magnetic flux Ψ in Equation 4 is the total magnetic
field B that is passing through the entire surface of the
COIL
antenna coil, and found by:
Faraday’s law states a time-varying magnetic field
through a surface bounded by a closed path induces a EQUATION 5:
voltage around the loop. This fundamental principle
has important consequences for operation of passive ψ = ∫ B· dS
RFID devices.
Figure 4 shows a simple geometry of an RFID where:
application. When the tag and reader antennas are
within a proximity distance, the time-varying magnetic B = magnetic field given in Equation 3
field B that is produced by a reader antenna coil S = surface area of the coil
induces a voltage (called electromotive force or simply • = inner product (cosine angle between
EMF) in the tag antenna coil. The induced voltage in two vectors) of vectors B and surface
the coil causes a flow of current in the coil. This is called area S
Faraday’s law.
The induced voltage on the tag antenna coil is equal to
Note: Both magnetic field B and surface S are
the time rate of change of the magnetic flux Ψ.
vector quantities.
The inner product presentation of two vectors in
EQUATION 4:
Equation 5 suggests that the total magnetic flux ψ that
dΨ is passing through the antenna coil is affected by an ori-
V = – N -------- entation of the antenna coils. The inner product of two
dt
vectors becomes maximized when the two vectors are
where: in the same direction. Therefore, the magnetic flux that
is passing through the tag coil will become maximized
N = number of turns in the antenna coil when the two coils (reader coil and tag coil) are placed
Ψ = magnetic flux through each turn in parallel with respect to each other.
The negative sign shows that the induced voltage acts
in such a way as to oppose the magnetic flux producing
it. This is known as Lenz’s Law and it emphasizes the
fact that the direction of current flow in the circuit is
such that the induced magnetic field produced by the
induced current will oppose the original magnetic field.

FIGURE 4: A BASIC CONFIGURATION OF READER AND TAG ANTENNAS IN AN RFID

APPLICATION

Tag Coil

V = V0sin(ωt)

Tag

B = B0sin(ωt)

Reader Coil

Reader
Electronics Tuning Circuit
I = I0sin(ωt)

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 3

AN678
From Equations 3, 4, and 5, the induced voltage V0 for EXAMPLE 1: B-FIELD REQUIREMENT
an untuned loop antenna is given by:
The strength of the B-field that is needed to turn on
the tag can be calculated from Equation 7:
EQUATION 6:
EQUATION 8:
Vo = 2πfNSB o cos α
Vo
B o = ------------------------------------
2πf o NQS cos α
where:
7 ( 2.4 )
= -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
f = frequency of the arrival signal 2
( 2π ) ( 125 kHz ) ( 100 ) ( 15 ) ( 38.71cm )
N = number of turns of coil in the loop
2
S = area of the loop in square meters (m2) ≈ 1.5 µWb/m
Bo = strength of the arrival signal
where the following parameters are used in the
α = angle of arrival of the signal
above calculation:
tag coil size = 2 x 3 inches =
If the coil is tuned (with capacitor C) to the frequency of
38.71 cm2: (credit
the arrival signal (125 kHz), the output voltage Vo will
card size)
rise substantially. The output voltage found in
Equation 6 is multiplied by the loaded Q (Quality frequency = 125 kHz
Factor) of the tuned circuit, which can be varied from 5 number of turns = 100
to 50 in typical low-frequency RFID applications: Q of antenna coil = 15
AC coil voltage
EQUATION 7:
to turn on the tag = 7V
cos α = 1 (normal direction,
V o = 2πf o NQSB o cos α
α = 0).

where the loaded Q is a measure of the selectivity of

the frequency of the interest. The Q will be defined in
EXAMPLE 2: NUMBER OF TURNS AND
Equations 30, 31, and 37 for general, parallel, and CURRENT (AMPERE-
serial resonant circuit, respectively. TURNS) OF READER COIL
Assuming that the reader should provide a read
FIGURE 5: ORIENTATION DEPENDENCY range of 10 inches (25.4 cm) with a tag given in
OF THE TAG ANTENNA. Example 1, the requirement for the current and
number of turns (Ampere-turns) of a reader coil that
has an 8 cm radius can be calculated from
Line of axis Equation 3:
(Tag)
EQUATION 9:
B-field
2 2 3⁄2
2B z ( a + r )
( NI ) = ------------------------------
2
-
µa

α
–6 2 2 3⁄2
Tag 2 ( 1.5 × 10 ) ( 0.08 + 0.254 )
= -------------------------------------------------------------------------
–7
( 4π × 10 ) ( 0.08 )

= 7.04 ( ampere - turns )

The induced voltage developed across the loop
antenna coil is a function of the angle of the arrival sig-
nal. The induced voltage is maximized when the
antenna coil is placed perpendicular to the direction of
the incoming signal where α = 0.
This is an attainable number. If, however, we wish to
have a read range of 20 inches (50.8 cm), it can be
found that NI increases to 48.5 ampere-turns. At
25.2 inches (64 cm), it exceeds 100 ampere-turns.

DS00678B-page 4  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN678
For a longer read range, it is instructive to consider The optimum radius of loop that requires the minimum
increasing the radius of the coil. For example, by number of ampere-turns for a particular read range can
doubling the radius (16 cm) of the loop, the be found from Equation 3 such as:
ampere-turns requirement for the same read range (10
inches: 25.4 cm) becomes: EQUATION 11:
3
---
EQUATION 10: 2 2 2
(a + r )
NI = K -----------------------
-
–6 2 2 3⁄2 2
2 ( 1.5 × 10 ) ( 0.16 + 0.25 ) a
NI = ----------------------------------------------------------------------
–7 2
( 4π × 10 ) ( 0.16 )
where:
= 2.44 (ampere-turns)
2Bz
K = ---------
µo
At a read range of 20 inches (50.8 cm), the
ampere-turns becomes 13.5 and at 25.2 inches (64
cm), 26.8. Therefore, for a longer read range, By taking derivative with respect to the radius a,
increasing the tag size is often more effective than
increasing the coil current. Figure 6 shows the relation- 2 2 1⁄2 3 2 2 3⁄2
d ( NI ) 3 ⁄ 2 ( a + r ) ( 2a ) – 2a ( a + r )
ship between the read range and the ampere-turns -------------- = K -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
da 4
(IN). a

FIGURE 6: AMPERE-TURNS VS. READ 2 2 2 2 1⁄2

( a – 2r ) ( a + r )
RANGE FOR AN ACCESS = K -----------------------------------------------------
3
-
a
CONTROL CARD (CREDIT
CARD SIZE) The above equation becomes minimized when:

2 2
100
a – 2r = 0
NI for 1.5 µ-Weber/m2

10 The above result shows a relationship between the

read range vs. tag size. The optimum radius is found
a = 50 cm as:
1 a = 20 cm
a = 10 cm
a = 5 cm
0.1 a = 2 cm
a= 2r
0.01 a = sqrt(2)*r
where:
0.001
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 a = radius of coil
r (m)
r = read range

Note: BO = 1.5 µWb/m2 is used. The above result indicates that the optimum radius of
loop for a reader antenna is 1.414 times the read
range r.

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 5

AN678
WIRE TYPES AND OHMIC LOSSES EXAMPLE 3:
The skin depth for a copper wire at 125 kHz can be
Wire Size and DC Resistance
calculated as:
The diameter of electrical wire is expressed as the
American Wire Gauge (AWG) number. The gauge EQUATION 14:
number is inversely proportional to diameter and the
1
diameter is roughly doubled every six wire gauges. The δ = --------------------------------------------------------------------
–7 –7
wire with a smaller diameter has higher DC resistance. πf ( 4π × 10 ) ( 5.8 × 10 )
The DC resistance for a conductor with a uniform
cross-sectional area is found by:
0.06608
= ------------------- ( m)
EQUATION 12: f

l
RDC = ------ (Ω)
σS
= 0.187 ( mm )
where:
l = total length of the wire
The wire resistance increases with frequency, and the
σ = conductivity resistance due to the skin depth is called an AC
S = cross-sectional area resistance. An approximated formula for the ac resis-
tance is given by:
Table 1 shows the diameter for bare and
enamel-coated wires, and DC resistance.
EQUATION 15:
AC Resistance of Wire
1 a
At DC, charge carriers are evenly distributed through Rac ≈ ------------- = ( R DC ) ------ (Ω)
2 σ πδ 2δ
the entire cross section of a wire. As the frequency
increases, the reactance near the center of the wire
where:
increases. This results in higher impedance to the cur-
rent density in the region. Therefore, the charge moves a = coil radius
away from the center of the wire and towards the edge
For copper wire, the loss is approximated by the DC
of the wire. As a result, the current density decreases
resistance of the coil, if the wire radius is greater than
in the center of the wire and increases near the edge of
0.066 ⁄ f cm. At 125 kHz, the critical radius is 0.019
the wire. This is called a skin effect. The depth into the
cm. This is equivalent to #26 gauge wire. Therefore, for
conductor at which the current density falls to 1/e, or
minimal loss, wire gauge numbers of greater than #26
37% of its value along the surface, is known as the skin
should be avoided if coil Q is to be maximized.
depth and is a function of the frequency and the perme-
ability and conductivity of the medium. The skin depth
is given by:

EQUATION 13:
1
δ = -----------------
πfµ σ

where:
f = frequency
µ = permeability of material
σ = conductivity of the material

DS00678B-page 6  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN678
TABLE 1: AWG WIRE CHART

Wire Dia. in Dia. in Cross Wire Dia. in Dia. in Cross

Ohms/ Ohms/
Size Mils Mils Section Size Mils Mils Section
1000 ft. 1000 ft.
(AWG) (bare) (coated) (mils) (AWG) (bare) (coated) (mils)
1 289.3 — 0.126 83690 26 15.9 17.2 41.0 253
2 287.6 — 0.156 66360 27 14.2 15.4 51.4 202
3 229.4 — 0.197 52620 28 12.6 13.8 65.3 159
4 204.3 — 0.249 41740 29 11.3 12.3 81.2 123
5 181.9 — 0.313 33090 30 10.0 11.0 106.0 100
6 162.0 — 0.395 26240 31 8.9 9.9 131 79.2
7 166.3 — 0.498 20820 32 8.0 8.8 162 64.0
8 128.5 131.6 0.628 16510 33 7.1 7.9 206 50.4
9 114.4 116.3 0.793 13090 34 6.3 7.0 261 39.7
10 101.9 106.2 0.999 10380 35 5.6 6.3 331 31.4
11 90.7 93.5 1.26 8230 36 5.0 5.7 415 25.0
12 80.8 83.3 1.59 6530 37 4.5 5.1 512 20.2
13 72.0 74.1 2.00 5180 38 4.0 4.5 648 16.0
14 64.1 66.7 2.52 4110 39 3.5 4.0 847 12.2
15 57.1 59.5 3.18 3260 40 3.1 3.5 1080 9.61
16 50.8 52.9 4.02 2580 41 2.8 3.1 1320 7.84
17 45.3 47.2 5.05 2060 42 2.5 2.8 1660 6.25
18 40.3 42.4 6.39 1620 43 2.2 2.5 2140 4.84
19 35.9 37.9 8.05 1290 44 2.0 2.3 2590 4.00
20 32.0 34.0 10.1 1020 45 1.76 1.9 3350 3.10
21 28.5 30.2 12.8 812 46 1.57 1.7 4210 2.46
22 25.3 28.0 16.2 640 47 1.40 1.6 5290 1.96
23 22.6 24.2 20.3 511 48 1.24 1.4 6750 1.54
24 20.1 21.6 25.7 404 49 1.11 1.3 8420 1.23
25 17.9 19.3 32.4 320 50 0.99 1.1 10600 0.98
-3
Note: 1 mil = 2.54 x 10-3 cm Note: 1 mil = 2.54 x 10 cm

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 7

AN678
INDUCTANCE OF VARIOUS Inductance of a Straight Wire
ANTENNA COILS The inductance of a straight wound wire shown in
Figure 1 is given by:
The electrical current flowing through a conductor
produces a magnetic field. This time-varying magnetic
EQUATION 17:
field is capable of producing a flow of current through
another conductor. This is called inductance. The
L = 0.002l log 2l 3 ( µH )
inductance L depends on the physical characteristics of e ----
- – ---
a 4
the conductor. A coil has more inductance than a
straight wire of the same material, and a coil with more where:
turns has more inductance than a coil with fewer turns.
The inductance L of inductor is defined as the ratio of l and a = length and radius of wire in cm,
the total magnetic flux linkage to the current Ι through respectively.
the inductor: i.e.,
EXAMPLE 4: CALCULATION OF
EQUATION 16: INDUCTANCE FOR A
STRAIGHT WIRE
Nψ (Henry)
L = -------- The inductance of a wire with 10 feet (304.8 cm)
I
long and 2 mm diameter is calculated as follows:
where:
EQUATION 18:
N = number of turns
I = current ( 304.8 )
L = 0.002 ( 304.8 ) ln  2-------------------- 3
- – ---
 0.1  4
Ψ = magnetic flux
= 0.60967 ( 7.965 )
In a typical RFID antenna coil for 125 kHz, the
inductance is often chosen as a few (mH) for a tag and
from a few hundred to a few thousand (µH) for a reader. = 4.855 ( µH )
For a coil antenna with multiple turns, greater
inductance results with closer turns. Therefore, the tag
antenna coil that has to be formed in a limited space Inductance of a Single Layer Coil
often needs a multi-layer winding to reduce the number The inductance of a single layer coil shown in Figure 7
of turns. can be calculated by:
The design of the inductor would seem to be a rela-
tively simple matter. However, it is almost impossible to EQUATION 19:
construct an ideal inductor because:
2
( aN )
a) The coil has a finite conductivity that results in L = -------------------------------- ( µH )
22.9l + 25.4a
losses, and
b) The distributed capacitance exists between where:
turns of a coil and between the conductor and
surrounding objects. a = coil radius (cm)
The actual inductance is always a combination of l = coil length (cm)
resistance, inductance, and capacitance. The apparent N = number of turns
inductance is the effective inductance at any frequency,
i.e., inductive minus the capacitive effect. Various FIGURE 7: A SINGLE LAYER COIL
formulas are available in literatures for the calculation
of inductance for wires and coils[ 1, 2].
l
The parameters in the inductor can be measured. For
example, an HP 4285 Precision LCR Meter can
measure the inductance, resistance, and Q of the coil. a

Note: For best Q of the coil, the length should

be roughly the same as the diameter of
the coil.

DS00678B-page 8  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN678
Inductance of a Circular Loop Antenna Coil EXAMPLE 5: EXAMPLE ON NUMBER OF
with Multilayer TURNS
To form a big inductance coil in a limited space, it is Equation 21 results in N = 200 turns for L = 3.87 mH
more efficient to use multilayer coils. For this reason, a with the following coil geometry:
typical RFID antenna coil is formed in a planar
a = 1 inch (2.54 cm)
multi-turn structure. Figure 8 shows a cross section of
the coil. The inductance of a circular ring antenna coil h = 0.05 cm
is calculated by an empirical formula[2]: b = 0.5 cm
To form a resonant circuit for 125 kHz, it needs a
EQUATION 20: capacitor across the inductor. The resonant capaci-
2
tor can be calculated as:
0.31 ( aN )
L = ---------------------------------- ( µH )
6a + 9h + 10b EQUATION 22:
where: 1 1
C = ------------------
2
- = ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 3 –3
( 2πf ) L ( 4π ) ( 125 × 10 ) ( 3.87 × 10 )
a = average radius of the coil in cm
N = number of turns
b = winding thickness in cm = 419 ( pF )
h = winding height in cm

FIGURE 8: A CIRCULAR LOOP AIR CORE Inductance of a Square Loop Coil with
ANTENNA COIL WITH Multilayer
N-TURNS If N is the number of turns and a is the side of the
square measured to the center of the rectangular cross
section that has length b and depth c as shown in
N-Turn Coil Figure 9, then[2]:
b a
center of coil EQUATION 23:
a
X
L = 0.008aN  2.303log 10  ------------ + 0.2235 ------------ + 0.726 ( µH )
2 a b+c
b   b + c a 

h
The formulas for inductance are widely published and
provide a reasonable approximation for the relationship
The number of turns needed for a certain inductance between inductance and number of turns for a given
value is simply obtained from Equation 20 such that: physical size[1]-[4]. When building prototype coils, it is
wise to exceed the number of calculated turns by about
EQUATION 21: 10%, and then remove turns to achieve resonance. For
production coils, it is best to specify an inductance and
tolerance rather than a specific number of turns.
L µH ( 6a + 9h + 10b )
N = -------------------------------------------------
2
-
( 0.31 )a FIGURE 9: A SQUARE LOOP ANTENNA
COIL WITH MULTILAYER
b
N-Turn Coil

c
a a

(a) Top View (b) Cross Sectional View

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 9

AN678
CONFIGURATION OF ANTENNA
COILS
Tag Antenna Coil
An antenna coil for an RFID tag can be configured in
many different ways, depending on the purpose of the
application and the dimensional constraints. A typical
inductance L for the tag coil is a few (mH) for 125 kHz
devices. Figure 10 shows various configurations of tag
antenna coils. The coil is typically made of a thin wire.
The inductance and the number of turns of the coil can
be calculated by the formulas given in the previous sec-
tion. An Inductance Meter is often used to measure the
inductance of the coil. A typical number of turns of the
coil is in the range of 100 turns for 125 kHz and 3~5
turns for 13.56 MHz devices.
For a longer read range, the antenna coil must be
tuned properly to the frequency of interest (i.e.,
125 kHz). Voltage drop across the coil is maximized by
forming a parallel resonant circuit. The tuning is accom-
plished with a resonant capacitor that is connected in
parallel to the coil as shown in Figure 10. The formula
for the resonant capacitor value is given in
Equation 22.

FIGURE 10: VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS OF TAG ANTENNA COIL

a
N-turn Coil
2a

b
d = 2a
2a

Co Co Co

DS00678B-page 10  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN678
Reader Antenna Coil (125 kHz). The other loop is called a coupling loop
(primary), and it is formed with less than two or three
The inductance for the reader antenna coil is typically
turns of coil. This loop is placed in a very close
in the range of a few hundred to a few thousand
proximity to the main loop, usually (but not necessarily)
micro-Henries (µH) for low frequency applications. The
on the inside edge and not more than a couple of cen-
reader antenna can be made of either a single coil that
timeters away from the main loop. The purpose of this
is typically forming a series resonant circuit or a double
loop is to couple signals induced from the main loop to
loop (transformer) antenna coil that forms a parallel
the reader (or vise versa) at a more reasonable
resonant circuit.
matching impedance.
The series resonant circuit results in minimum
The coupling (primary) loop provides an impedance
impedance at the resonance frequency. Therefore, it
match to the input/output impedance of the reader. The
draws a maximum current at the resonance frequency.
coil is connected to the input/output signal driver in the
On the other hand, the parallel resonant circuit results
reader electronics. The main loop (secondary) must be
in maximum impedance at the resonance frequency.
tuned to resonate at the resonance frequency and is
Therefore, the current becomes minimized at the reso-
not physically connected to the reader electronics.
nance frequency. Since the voltage can be stepped up
by forming a double loop (parallel) coil, the parallel The coupling loop is usually untuned, but in some
resonant circuit is often used for a system where a designs, a tuning capacitor C2 is placed in series with
higher voltage signal is required. the coupling loop. Because there are far fewer turns on
the coupling loop than the main loop, its inductance is
Figure 11 shows an example of the transformer loop
considerably smaller. As a result, the capacitance to
antenna. The main loop (secondary) is formed with
resonate is usually much larger.
several turns of wire on a large frame, with a tuning
capacitor to resonate it to the resonance frequency

FIGURE 11: A TRANSFORMER LOOP ANTENNA FOR READER

Coupling Coil
(primary coil)

C2

To reader electronics

Main Loop
(secondary coil)
C1

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 11

AN678
RESONANCE CIRCUITS, QUALITY Parallel Resonant Circuit
FACTOR Q, AND BANDWIDTH Figure 12 shows a simple parallel resonant circuit. The
total impedance of the circuit is given by:
In RFID applications, the antenna coil is an element of
resonant circuit and the read range of the device is
EQUATION 25:
greatly affected by the performance of the resonant
circuit. jωL
Z ( jω ) = --------------------------------------------- (Ω)
2 ωL
Figures 12 and 13 show typical examples of resonant ( 1 – ω LC ) + j -------
R
circuits formed by an antenna coil and a tuning
capacitor. The resonance frequency (fo) of the circuit is where:
determined by:
ω = angular frequency = 2πf
EQUATION 24: R = load resistor

1 The ohmic resistance r of the coil is ignored. The

f o = ------------------ maximum impedance occurs when the denominator in
2π LC
the above equation minimized such as:
where:
EQUATION 26:
L = inductance of antenna coil
C = tuning capacitance 2
ω LC = 1
The resonant circuit can be formed either series or
parallel. This is called a resonance condition and the resonance
The series resonant circuit has a minimum impedance frequency is given by:
at the resonance frequency. As a result, maximum
current is available in the circuit. This series resonant EQUATION 27:
circuit is typically used for the reader antenna.
On the other hand, the parallel resonant circuit has 1
f o = ------------------
maximum impedance at the resonance frequency. It 2π LC
offers minimum current and maximum voltage at the By applying Equation 26 into Equation 25, the
resonance frequency. This parallel resonant circuit is impedance at the resonance frequency becomes:
used for the tag antenna.
EQUATION 28:

Z = R

FIGURE 12: PARALLEL RESONANT

CIRCUIT

R C L

The R and C in the parallel resonant circuit determine

the bandwidth, B, of the circuit.

EQUATION 29:
1
B = --------------- ( Hz )
2πRC

DS00678B-page 12  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN678
The quality factor, Q, is defined by various ways such Series Resonant Circuit
as:
A simple series resonant circuit is shown in Figure 13.
The expression for the impedance of the circuit is:
EQUATION 30:
EQUATION 33:
Energy Stored in the System per One Cycle
Q = ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Energy Dissipated in the System per One Cycle
Z ( jω ) = r + j ( XL – XC ) (Ω)

fo
= ---- where:
B
r = ohmic resistance of the circuit
where:
fo = resonant frequency EQUATION 34:
B = bandwidth
X L = 2πfo L (Ω)
By applying Equation 27 and Equation 29 into
Equation 30, the loaded Q in the parallel resonant
circuit is:
EQUATION 35:
EQUATION 31: 1
Xc = --------------- (Ω)
2πf o C
C
Q = R ----
L The impedance in Equation 33 becomes minimized
when the reactance component cancelled out each
The Q in parallel resonant circuit is directly proportional
other such that XL = XC. This is called a resonance
to the load resistor R and also to the square root of the
condition. The resonance frequency is same as the
ratio of capacitance and inductance in the circuit.
parallel resonant frequency given in Equation 27.
When this parallel resonant circuit is used for the tag
antenna circuit, the voltage drop across the circuit can FIGURE 13: SERIES RESONANCE
be obtained by combining Equations 7 and 31, CIRCUIT

EQUATION 32: r C
Eo
V o = 2πfo NQSBo cos α

EIN L
= 2πf o N  R ---- SB o cos α
C 125 kHz
L

The above equation indicates that the induced voltage

in the tag coil is inversely proportional to the square
root of the coil inductance, but proportional to the num-
ber of turns and surface area of the coil.
The parallel resonant circuit can be used in the trans- The half power frequency bandwidth is determined by
former loop antenna for a long-range reader as dis- r and L, and given by:
cussed in "Reader Antenna Coil" (Figure 11). The
voltage in the secondary loop is proportional to the turn EQUATION 36:
ratio (n2/n1) of the transformer loop. However, this high
voltage signal can corrupt the receiving signals. For r
this reason, a separate antenna is needed for receiving B = ---------- ( Hz )
2πL
the signal. This receiving antenna circuit should be
tuned to the modulating signal of the tag and detunned
to the carrier signal frequency for maximum read
range.

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 13

AN678
The quality factor, Q, in the series resonant circuit is EXAMPLE 6: CIRCUIT PARAMETERS.
given by:
If the series resistance of the circuit is 15 Ω, then the
L and C values form a 125 kHz resonant circuit with
EQUATION 37: Q = 8 are:
ωL 1
------- = ------------ ; for unloaded circuit EQUATION 40:
fo r ωC r
Q = ---- = X L = Qr s = 120Ω
B 1 L
--- ---- ; for loaded circuit
r C XL 120
L = -------- = --------------------------------- = 153 ( µH )
2πf 2π ( 125 kHz )
The series circuit forms a voltage divider; the voltage
drops in the coil is given by: 1 1
C = ----------------- = ----------------------------------------------- = 10.6 ( nF )
2πfX L 2π ( 125 kHz ) ( 120 )
EQUATION 38:
jX L
V o = -------------------------------V in EXAMPLE 7: CALCULATION OF READ
r + jX L – jX c
RANGE
or Let us consider designing a reader antenna coil with
L = 153 µH, diameter = 10 cm, and winding
EQUATION 39: thickness and height are small compared to the
diameter.
Vo XL XL Q
--------- = ---------------------------------------------- = ----------------------------------------------- = -------------------------------------------- The number of turns for the inductance can be
Vin 2 2 2 2
r + ( X L – Xc )  X L – X c  X L – X c calculated from Equation 21, resulting in 24 turns.
r 1 +  --------------------- 1 +  ---------------------
 r   r 
If the current flow through the coil is 0.5 amperes,
the ampere-turns becomes 12. Therefore, the read
range for this coil will be about 20 cm with a credit
card size tag.

DS00678B-page 14  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.


Q and Bandwidth
Figure 14 shows the approximate frequency bands for
common forms of Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK),
Frequency Shift Keying (FSK), and Phase Shift Keying
(PSK) modulation. For a full recovery of data signal
from the tag, the reader circuit needs a bandwidth that
is at least twice the data rate. Therefore, if the data rate
is 8 kHz for an ASK signal, the bandwidth must be at
least 16 kHz for a full recovery of the information that is
coming from the tag.
The data rate for FSK (÷ 10) signal is 12.5 kHz.
Therefore, a bandwidth of 25 kHz is needed for a full
data recovery.
The Q for this FSK (÷ 10) signal can be obtained from
Equation 30.
EQUATION 41:
fo
125 kHz
Q = ---- = --------------------
B 25 kHz
= 5
For a PSK (÷ 2) signal, the data rate is 62.5 kHz (if the
carrier frequency is 125 kHz) therefore, the reader
circuit needs 125 kHz of bandwidth. The Q in this case
is 1, and consequently the circuit becomes
Q-independent.
AN678
This problem may be solved by separating the
transmitting and receiving coils. The transmitting coil
can be designed with higher Q and the receiving coil
with lower Q.
Limitation on Q
When designing a reader antenna circuit, the
temptation is to design a coil with very high Q. There
are three important limitations to this approach.
a) Very high voltages can cause insulation
breakdown in either the coil or resonant
capacitor.
For example, a 1 ampere of current flow in a 2 mH
coil will produce a voltage drop of 1500 VPP. Such
voltages are easy to obtain but difficult to isolate.
In addition, in the case of single coil reader
designs, recovery of the return signal from the tag
must be accomplished in the presence of these
high voltages.
b) Tuning becomes critical.
To implement a high Q antenna circuit, high volt-
age components with a close tolerance and high
stability would have to be used. Such parts are
generally expensive and difficult to obtain.
c) As the Q of the circuit gets higher, the amplitude
of the return signal relative to the power of the
carrier gets proportionally smaller complicating
its recovery by the reader circuit.

FIGURE 14: Q FACTOR VS. MODULATION SIGNALS

35

30
Q = 30

25

20

15
Q = 14

10
Q=8
Q =5
5
PSK FSK
FSK PSK
÷2 ASK ÷8,10
÷8,10 ÷2
0
50 75 100 125 150 175 200

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 15

AN678
Tuning Method
The circuit must be tuned to the resonance frequency
for a maximum performance (read range) of the device.
Two examples of tuning the circuit are as follows:
• Voltage Measurement Method:
a) Set up a voltage signal source at the
resonance frequency (125 kHz)
b) Connect a voltage signal source across the
resonant circuit.
c) Connect an Oscilloscope across the
resonant circuit.
d) Tune the capacitor or the coil while
observing the signal amplitude on the
Oscilloscope.
e) Stop the tuning at the maximum voltage.
• S-parameter or Impedance Measurement
Method using Network Analyzer:
a) Set up an S-Parameter Test Set (Network
Analyzer) for S11 measurement, and do a
calibration.
b) Measure the S11 for the resonant circuit.
c) Reflection impedance or reflection
admittance can be measured instead of the
S11.
d) Tune the capacitor or the coil until a
maximum null (S11) occurs at the
resonance frequency, fo. For the impedance
measurement, the maximum peak will occur
for the parallel resonant circuit, and
minimum peak for the series resonant
circuit.

FIGURE 15: VOLTAGE VS. FREQUENCY FOR RESONANT CIRCUIT

f
fo

FIGURE 16: FREQUENCY RESPONSES FOR RESONANT CIRCUIT

S11 Z Z

f f f
fo fo fo

(a) (b) (c)

Note 1: (a) S11 Response, (b) Impedance Response for a Parallel Resonant Circuit, and (c)
Impedance Response for a Series Resonant Circuit.
2: In (a), the null at the resonance frequency represents a minimum input reflection at
the resonance frequency. This means the circuit absorbs the signal at the frequency
while other frequencies are reflected back. In (b), the impedance curve has a peak
at the resonance frequency. This is because the parallel resonant circuit has a max-
imum impedance at the resonance frequency. (c) shows a response for the series
resonant circuit. Since the series resonant circuit has a minimum impedance at the
resonance frequency, a minimum peak occurs at the resonance frequency.

DS00678B-page 16  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN678
READ RANGE OF RFID DEVICES With a given operating frequency, the above conditions
(a – c) are related to the antenna configuration and
Read range is defined as a maximum communication tuning circuit. The conditions (d – e) are determined by
distance between the reader and tag. The read range a circuit topology of the reader. The condition (f) is
of typical passive RFID products varies from about called the communication protocol of the device, and
1 inch to 1 meter, depending on system configuration. (g) is related to a firmware program for data interpreta-
The read range of an RFID device is, in general, tion.
affected by the following parameters:
Assuming the device is operating under a given
a) Operating frequency and performance of condition, the read range of the device is largely
antenna coils affected by the performance of the antenna coil. It is
b) Q of antenna and tuning circuit always true that a longer read range is expected with
c) Antenna orientation the larger size of the antenna. Figures 17 and 18 show
typical examples of the read range of various passive
d) Excitation current and voltage
RFID devices.
e) Sensitivity of receiver
f) Coding (or modulation) and decoding (or
demodulation) algorithm
g) Number of data bits and detection
(interpretation) algorithm
h) Condition of operating environment (metallic,
electrical noise), etc.

FIGURE 17: READ RANGE VS. TAG SIZE FOR PROXIMITY APPLICATIONS

0.5" diameter
Tag

ch 1" diameter
1 in
Tag
s
2 inche
Proximity Reader
Antenna 2" diameter
(4" x 3") 3 ~ 4 inches
Tag

4 ~ 5 inch 3.37" x 2.125"

es
(Credit Card Type: ISO Card)

Tag

FIGURE 18: READ RANGE VS. TAG SIZE FOR LONG RANGE APPLICATIONS

0.5" diameter
Tag
s
he
i nc
4 ~5 1" diameter
Tag
he s
8~ 12 inc
Long Range 2" diameter
Reader Antenna 18 ~ 22 inches Tag
(16" x 32")

27 ~ 3
2 inch 3.37" x 2.125"
es
(Credit Card Type: ISO Card)

Tag

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 17

AN678
REFERENCES
1. Frederick W. Grover, Inductance Calculations:
Working Formulas and Tables, Dover
Publications, Inc., New York, NY., 1946.
2. Keith Henry, Editor, Radio Engineering
Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New
York, NY., 1963.
3. V. G. Welsby, The Theory and Design of
Inductance Coils, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.,
1960.
4. James K. Hardy, High Frequency Circuit Design,
Reston Publishing Company, Inc., Reston,
Virginia, 1975.

DS00678B-page 18  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN678
NOTES:

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00678B-page 19

M
WORLDWIDE SALES AND SERVICE
AMERICAS AMERICAS (continued) ASIA/PACIFIC (continued)
Corporate Office Toronto Singapore
Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Singapore Pte Ltd.
2355 West Chandler Blvd. 5925 Airport Road, Suite 200 200 Middle Road
Chandler, AZ 85224-6199 Mississauga, Ontario L4V 1W1, Canada #07-02 Prime Centre
Tel: 602-786-7200 Fax: 602-786-7277 Tel: 905-405-6279 Fax: 905-405-6253 Singapore 188980
Technical Support: 602 786-7627 Tel: 65-334-8870 Fax: 65-334-8850
Web: http://www.microchip.com ASIA/PACIFIC Taiwan, R.O.C
Atlanta Hong Kong Microchip Technology Taiwan
Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Asia Pacific 10F-1C 207
500 Sugar Mill Road, Suite 200B RM 3801B, Tower Two Tung Hua North Road
Atlanta, GA 30350 Metroplaza Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
Tel: 770-640-0034 Fax: 770-640-0307 223 Hing Fong Road Tel: 886-2-2717-7175 Fax: 886-2-2545-0139
Boston Kwai Fong, N.T., Hong Kong
Microchip Technology Inc. Tel: 852-2-401-1200 Fax: 852-2-401-3431 EUROPE
5 Mount Royal Avenue India United Kingdom
Marlborough, MA 01752 Microchip Technology Inc. Arizona Microchip Technology Ltd.
Tel: 508-480-9990 Fax: 508-480-8575 India Liaison Office 505 Eskdale Road
Chicago No. 6, Legacy, Convent Road Winnersh Triangle
Bangalore 560 025, India Wokingham
Microchip Technology Inc.
333 Pierce Road, Suite 180 Tel: 91-80-229-0061 Fax: 91-80-229-0062 Berkshire, England RG41 5TU
Itasca, IL 60143 Japan Tel: 44-1189-21-5858 Fax: 44-1189-21-5835
Tel: 630-285-0071 Fax: 630-285-0075 Microchip Technology Intl. Inc. France
Dallas Benex S-1 6F Arizona Microchip Technology SARL
Microchip Technology Inc. 3-18-20, Shinyokohama Zone Industrielle de la Bonde
14651 Dallas Parkway, Suite 816 Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama-shi 2 Rue du Buisson aux Fraises
Dallas, TX 75240-8809 Kanagawa 222-0033 Japan 91300 Massy, France
Tel: 972-991-7177 Fax: 972-991-8588 Tel: 81-45-471- 6166 Fax: 81-45-471-6122 Tel: 33-1-69-53-63-20 Fax: 33-1-69-30-90-79

Dayton Korea Germany

Microchip Technology Korea Arizona Microchip Technology GmbH
Microchip Technology Inc.
168-1, Youngbo Bldg. 3 Floor Gustav-Heinemann-Ring 125
Two Prestige Place, Suite 150
Samsung-Dong, Kangnam-Ku D-81739 München, Germany
Miamisburg, OH 45342
Seoul, Korea Tel: 49-89-627-144 0 Fax: 49-89-627-144-44
Tel: 937-291-1654 Fax: 937-291-9175
Tel: 82-2-554-7200 Fax: 82-2-558-5934 Italy
Detroit
Shanghai Arizona Microchip Technology SRL
Microchip Technology Inc.
Microchip Technology Centro Direzionale Colleoni
42705 Grand River, Suite 201
RM 406 Shanghai Golden Bridge Bldg. Palazzo Taurus 1 V. Le Colleoni 1
Novi, MI 48375-1727
2077 Yan’an Road West, Hong Qiao District 20041 Agrate Brianza
Tel: 248-374-1888 Fax: 248-374-2874
Shanghai, PRC 200335 Milan, Italy
Los Angeles Tel: 86-21-6275-5700 Fax: 86 21-6275-5060 Tel: 39-39-6899939 Fax: 39-39-6899883
Microchip Technology Inc.
18201 Von Karman, Suite 1090 9/8/98
Irvine, CA 92612
Tel: 714-263-1888 Fax: 714-263-1338
Microchip received ISO 9001 Quality
New York
System certification for its worldwide
Microchip Technology Inc.
headquarters, design, and wafer
150 Motor Parkway, Suite 202
Hauppauge, NY 11788 fabrication facilities in January, 1997.
Tel: 516-273-5305 Fax: 516-273-5335 Our field-programmable PICmicro™ 8-
bit MCUs, Serial EEPROMs, related
San Jose
specialty memory products and devel-
Microchip Technology Inc.
2107 North First Street, Suite 590 opment systems conform to the strin-
San Jose, CA 95131 gent quality standards of the
Tel: 408-436-7950 Fax: 408-436-7955 International Standard Organization
(ISO).

All rights reserved. © 1998 Microchip Technology Incorporated. Printed in the USA. 9/98 Printed on recycled paper.

Information contained in this publication regarding device applications and the like is intended for suggestion only and may be superseded by updates. No representation or war-
ranty is given and no liability is assumed by Microchip Technology Incorporated with respect to the accuracy or use of such information, or infringement of patents or other intellectual
property rights arising from such use or otherwise. Use of Microchip’s products as critical components in life support systems is not authorized except with express written approval
by Microchip. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise, under any intellectual property rights. The Microchip logo and name are registered trademarks of Microchip Tech-
nology Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of t heir respective companies.

DS00678B-page 20  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.


Passive RFID Basics
Author: Pete Sorrells
Microchip Technology Inc.
INTRODUCTION
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems use
radio frequency to identify, locate and track people,
assets, and animals. Passive RFID systems are
composed of three components – an interrogator
(reader), a passive tag, and a host computer. The tag
is composed of an antenna coil and a silicon chip that
includes basic modulation circuitry and non-volatile
memory. The tag is energized by a time-varying
electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) wave that is
transmitted by the reader. This RF signal is called a
carrier signal. When the RF field passes through an
antenna coil, there is an AC voltage generated across
the coil. This voltage is rectified to supply power to the
tag. The information stored in the tag is transmitted
back to the reader. This is often called backscattering.
By detecting the backscattering signal, the information
stored in the tag can be fully identified.
DEFINITIONS
Reader
Usually a microcontroller-based unit with a wound out-
put coil, peak detector hardware, comparators, and
firmware designed to transmit energy to a tag and read
information back from it by detecting the backscatter
modulation.
Tag
An RFID device incorporating a silicon memory chip
(usually with on-board rectification bridge and other RF
front-end devices), a wound or printed input/output coil,
and (at lower frequencies) a tuning capacitor.
Carrier
A Radio Frequency (RF) sine wave generated by the
reader to transmit energy to the tag and retrieve data
from the tag. In these examples the ISO frequencies of
125 kHz and 13.56 MHz are assumed; higher frequen-
cies are used for RFID tagging, but the communication
methods are somewhat different. 2.45 GHz, for
example, uses a true RF link. 125 kHz and 13.56 MHz,
utilize transformer-type electromagnetic coupling.
 1998 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN680
Modulation
Periodic fluctuations in the amplitude of the carrier
used to transmit data back from the tag to the reader.
Systems incorporating passive RFID tags operate in
ways that may seem unusual to anyone who already
understands RF or microwave systems. There is only
one transmitter – the passive tag is not a transmitter or
transponder in the purest definition of the term, yet bidi-
rectional communication is taking place. The RF field
generated by a tag reader (the energy transmitter) has
three purposes:
1. Induce enough power into the tag coil to
energize the tag. Passive tags have no battery
or other power source; they must derive all
power for operation from the reader field.
125 kHz and 13.56 MHz tag designs must
operate over a vast dynamic range of carrier
input, from the very near field (in the range of
200 VPP) to the maximum read distance (in the
range of 5 VPP).
2. Provide a synchronized clock source to the
tag. Many RFID tags divide the carrier fre-
quency down to generate an on-board clock for
state machines, counters, etc., and to derive the
data transmission bit rate for data returned to
the reader. Some tags, however, employ on-
board oscillators for clock generation.
3. Act as a carrier for return data from the tag.
Backscatter modulation requires the reader to
peak-detect the tag's modulation of the reader's
own carrier. See page 2 for additional
information on backscatter modulation.
DS00680B-page 1
AN680
SYSTEM HANDSHAKE BACKSCATTER MODULATION
Typical handshake of a tag and reader is as follows: This terminology refers to the communication method
1. The reader continuously generates an RF used by a passive RFID tag to send data back to the
carrier sine wave, watching always for modula- reader. By repeatedly shunting the tag coil through a
tion to occur. Detected modulation of the field transistor, the tag can cause slight fluctuations in the
would indicate the presence of a tag. reader’s RF carrier amplitude. The RF link behaves
essentially as a transformer; as the secondary winding
2. A tag enters the RF field generated by the
(tag coil) is momentarily shunted, the primary winding
reader. Once the tag has received sufficient
(reader coil) experiences a momentary voltage drop.
energy to operate correctly, it divides down the
The reader must peak-detect this data at about 60 dB
carrier and begins clocking its data to an output
down (about 100 mV riding on a 100V sine wave) as
transistor, which is normally connected across
shown in Figure 1.
the coil inputs.
3. The tag’s output transistor shunts the coil, This amplitude-modulation loading of the reader’s
sequentially corresponding to the data which is transmitted field provides a communication path back
being clocked out of the memory array. to the reader. The data bits can then be encoded or
further modulated in a number of ways.
4. Shunting the coil causes a momentary
fluctuation (dampening) of the carrier wave,
FIGURE 1: AMPLITUDE – MODULATED
which is seen as a slight change in amplitude of
the carrier. BACKSCATTERING SIGNAL
5. The reader peak-detects the amplitude-modu-
lated data and processes the resulting bitstream 100 mV
according to the encoding and data modulation
methods used.

100V

DS00680B-page 2  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.


DATA ENCODING
Data encoding refers to processing or altering the data
bitstream in-between the time it is retrieved from the
RFID chip’s data array and its transmission back to the
reader. The various encoding algorithms affect error
recovery, cost of implementation, bandwidth, synchro-
nization capability, and other aspects of the system
design. Entire textbooks are written on the subject, but
there are several popular methods used in RFID
tagging today:
1. NRZ (Non-Return to Zero) Direct. In this
method no data encoding is done at all; the 1’s
and 0’s are clocked from the data array directly
to the output transistor. A low in the
peak-detected modulation is a ‘0’ and a high is a
‘1’.
AN680
2. Differential Biphase. Several different forms of
differential biphase are used, but in general the
bitstream being clocked out of the data array is
modified so that a transition always occurs on
every clock edge, and 1’s and 0’s are distin-
guished by the transitions within the middle of
the clock period. This method is used to embed
clocking information to help synchronize the
reader to the bitstream; and because it always
has a transition at a clock edge, it inherently
provides some error correction capability. Any
clock edge that does not contain a transition in
the data stream is in error and can be used to
reconstruct the data.
3. Biphase_L (Manchester). This is a variation of
biphase encoding in which there is not always a
transition at the clock edge.

FIGURE 2: VARIOUS DATA CODING WAVEFORMS

SIGNAL WAVEFORM DESCRIPTION

Data Digital Data

1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0

Bit Rate Clock Signal

CLK

Non-Return to Zero – Level

NRZ_L
‘1’ is represented by logic high level.
(Direct) ‘0’ is represented by logic low level.

Biphase – Level (Split Phase)

Biphase_L A level change occurs at middle of
(Manchester) every bit clock period.
‘1’ is represented by a high to low
level change at midclock.
‘0’ is represented by a low to high
level change at midclock.

Differential Differential Biphase – Space

Biphase_S A level change occurs at middle of
every bit clock period.
‘1’ is represented by a change in
level at start of clock.
‘0’ is represented by no change in
level at start of clock.

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00680B-page 3

AN680
DATA MODULATION
Although all the data is transferred to the host by
amplitude-modulating the carrier (backscatter modula-
tion), the actual modulation of 1’s and 0’s is accom-
plished with three additional modulation methods:
1. Direct. In direct modulation, the Amplitude
Modulation of the backscatter approach is the
only modulation used. A high in the envelope is
a ‘1’ and a low is a ‘0’. Direct modulation can pro-
vide a high data rate but low noise immunity.
2. FSK (Frequency Shift Keying). This form of
modulation uses two different frequencies for
data transfer; the most common FSK mode is
Fc/8/10. In other words, a ‘0’ is transmitted as an
amplitude-modulated clock cycle with period
corresponding to the carrier frequency divided
by 8, and a ‘1’ is transmitted as an
amplitude-modulated clock cycle period corre-
sponding to the carrier frequency divided by 10.
The amplitude modulation of the carrier thus
switches from Fc/8 to Fc/10 corresponding to 0's
FIGURE 3: FSK MODULATED SIGNAL, FC/8 = 0, FC/10 = 1
8 cycles = 0 8 cycles = 0
FIGURE 4: PSK MODULATED SIGNAL
Phase
Shift
DS00680B-page 4
and 1's in the bitstream, and the reader has only
to count cycles between the peak-detected
clock edges to decode the data. FSK allows for
a simple reader design, provides very strong
noise immunity, but suffers from a lower data
rate than some other forms of data modulation.
In Figure 3, FSK data modulation is used with
NRZ encoding.
3. PSK (Phase Shift Keying). This method of data
modulation is similar to FSK, except only one
frequency is used, and the shift between 1’s and
0’s is accomplished by shifting the phase of the
backscatter clock by 180 degrees. Two common
types of PSK are:
• Change phase at any ‘0’, or
• Change phase at any data change
(0 to 1 or 1 to 0).
PSK provides fairly good noise immunity, a
moderately simple reader design, and a faster
data rate than FSK. Typical applications utilize a
backscatter clock of Fc/2, as shown in Figure 4.
10 cycles = 1 10 cycles = 1 8 cycles = 0
Phase Phase Phase
Shift Shift Shift
 1998 Microchip Technology Inc.
 AN680
ANTICOLLISION
In many existing applications, a single-read RFID tag is
sufficient and even necessary: animal tagging and
access control are examples. However, in a growing
number of new applications, the simultaneous reading
of several tags in the same RF field is absolutely criti-
cal: library books, airline baggage, garment, and retail
applications are a few.
In order to read multiple tags simultaneously, the tag
and reader must be designed to detect the condition
that more than one tag is active. Otherwise, the tags
will all backscatter the carrier at the same time, and the
amplitude-modulated waveforms shown in Figures 3
and 4 would be garbled. This is referred to as a
collision. No data would be transferred to the reader.
The tag/reader interface is similar to a serial bus, even
though the “bus” travels through the air. In a wired serial
bus application, arbitration is necessary to prevent bus
contention. The RFID interface also requires arbitration
so that only one tag transmits data over the “bus” at one
time.
A number of different methods are in use and in
development today for preventing collisions; most are
patented or patent pending, but all are related to
making sure that only one tag “talks” (backscatters) at
any one time. See the MCRF355/360 Data Sheet
(page 7) and the 13.56 MHz Reader Reference Design
(page 47) chapters for more information regarding the
MCRF355/360 anticollision protocol.

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00680B-page 5

 WORLDWIDE SALES AND SERVICE
AMERICAS AMERICAS (continued) ASIA/PACIFIC (continued)
Corporate Office Toronto Singapore
Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Singapore Pte Ltd.
2355 West Chandler Blvd. 5925 Airport Road, Suite 200 200 Middle Road
Chandler, AZ 85224-6199 Mississauga, Ontario L4V 1W1, Canada #07-02 Prime Centre
Tel: 480-786-7200 Fax: 480-786-7277 Tel: 905-405-6279 Fax: 905-405-6253 Singapore 188980
Technical Support: 480-786-7627 Tel: 65-334-8870 Fax: 65-334-8850
Web: http://www.microchip.com ASIA/PACIFIC Taiwan, R.O.C
Atlanta Hong Kong Microchip Technology Taiwan
Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Asia Pacific 10F-1C 207
500 Sugar Mill Road, Suite 200B Unit 2101, Tower 2 Tung Hua North Road
Atlanta, GA 30350 Metroplaza Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
Tel: 770-640-0034 Fax: 770-640-0307 Kwai Fong, N.T., Hong Kong Tel: 886-2-2717-7175 Fax: 886-2-2545-0139
Boston Tel: 852-2-401-1200 Fax: 852-2-401-3431
Microchip Technology Inc. India
EUROPE
5 Mount Royal Avenue Microchip Technology Inc. United Kingdom
Marlborough, MA 01752 India Liaison Office Arizona Microchip Technology Ltd.
Tel: 508-480-9990 Fax: 508-480-8575 No. 6, Legacy, Convent Road 505 Eskdale Road
Chicago Bangalore 560 025, India Winnersh Triangle
Tel: 91-80-229-0061 Fax: 91-80-229-0062 Wokingham
Microchip Technology Inc.
333 Pierce Road, Suite 180 Japan Berkshire, England RG41 5TU
Itasca, IL 60143 Tel: 44 118 921 5858 Fax: 44-118 921-5835
Microchip Technology Intl. Inc.
Tel: 630-285-0071 Fax: 630-285-0075 Benex S-1 6F France
Dallas 3-18-20, Shinyokohama Arizona Microchip Technology SARL
Microchip Technology Inc. Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama-shi Zone Industrielle de la Bonde
14651 Dallas Parkway, Suite 816 Kanagawa 222-0033 Japan 2 Rue du Buisson aux Fraises
Dallas, TX 75240-8809 Tel: 81-45-471- 6166 Fax: 81-45-471-6122 91300 Massy, France
Tel: 972-991-7177 Fax: 972-991-8588 Korea Tel: 33-1-69-53-63-20 Fax: 33-1-69-30-90-79

Dayton Microchip Technology Korea Germany

Microchip Technology Inc. 168-1, Youngbo Bldg. 3 Floor Arizona Microchip Technology GmbH
Two Prestige Place, Suite 150 Samsung-Dong, Kangnam-Ku Gustav-Heinemann-Ring 125
Seoul, Korea D-81739 München, Germany
Miamisburg, OH 45342
Tel: 937-291-1654 Fax: 937-291-9175 Tel: 82-2-554-7200 Fax: 82-2-558-5934 Tel: 49-89-627-144 0 Fax: 49-89-627-144-44

Detroit Shanghai Italy

Microchip Technology Arizona Microchip Technology SRL
Microchip Technology Inc.
RM 406 Shanghai Golden Bridge Bldg. Centro Direzionale Colleoni
42705 Grand River, Suite 201
2077 Yan’an Road West, Hong Qiao District Palazzo Taurus 1 V. Le Colleoni 1
Novi, MI 48375-1727
Shanghai, PRC 200335 20041 Agrate Brianza
Tel: 248-374-1888 Fax: 248-374-2874
Tel: 86-21-6275-5700 Fax: 86 21-6275-5060 Milan, Italy
Los Angeles Tel: 39-39-6899939 Fax: 39-39-6899883
Microchip Technology Inc.
18201 Von Karman, Suite 1090 03/15/99
Irvine, CA 92612
Tel: 949-263-1888 Fax: 949-263-1338
Microchip received ISO 9001 Quality
New York System certification for its worldwide
Microchip Technology Inc. headquarters, design, and wafer
150 Motor Parkway, Suite 202
fabrication facilities in January, 1997.
Hauppauge, NY 11788
Tel: 516-273-5305 Fax: 516-273-5335 Our field-programmable PICmicro® 8-
bit MCUs, KEELOQ® code hopping
San Jose devices, Serial EEPROMs, related
Microchip Technology Inc.
specialty memory products and devel-
2107 North First Street, Suite 590
San Jose, CA 95131
opment systems conform to the strin-
Tel: 408-436-7950 Fax: 408-436-7955 gent quality standards of the
International Standard Organization
(ISO).

All rights reserved. © 1999 Microchip Technology Incorporated. Printed in the USA. 4/99 Printed on recycled paper.

Information contained in this publication regarding device applications and the like is intended for suggestion only and may be superseded by updates. No representation or warranty
is given and no liability is assumed by Microchip Technology Incorporated with respect to the accuracy or use of such information, or infringement of patents or other intellectual
property rights arising from such use or otherwise. Use of Microchip’s products as critical components in life support systems is not authorized except with express written approval
by Microchip. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise, under any intellectual property rights. The Microchip logo and name are registered trademarks of Microchip Tech-
nology Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

DS00680B-page 6  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.


MCRF 355/360 Applications
Author: Dr. Youbok Lee, Ph.D.
Microchip Technology Inc.
INTRODUCTION
The MCRF355 passive RFID device is designed for low
cost, multiple reading, and various high volume tagging
applications using a frequency band of 13.56 MHz. The
device has a total of 154 memory bits that can be repro-
grammed by a contact programmer. The device oper-
ates with a 70 kHz data rate, and asynchronously with
respect to the reader’s carrier. The device turns on
when the coil voltage reaches 4 VPP and outputs data
with a Manchester format (see Figure 2-3 in the data
sheet). With the given data rate (70 kHz), it takes about
2.2 ms to transmit all 154 bits of the data. After trans-
mitting all data, the device goes into a sleep mode for
100 ms +/- 50%.
The MCRF355 needs only an external parallel LC res-
onant circuit that consists of an antenna coil and a
capacitor for operation. The external LC components
must be connected between antenna A, B, and ground
pads. The circuit formed between Antenna Pad A and
the ground pad must be tuned to the operating fre-
quency of the reader antenna.
MODE OF OPERATION
The device transmits data by tuning and detuning the
resonant frequency of the external circuit. This process
is accomplished by using an internal modulation gate
(CMOS), that has a very low turn-on resistance (2 ~ 4
FIGURE 1: VOLTAGE ENVELOPE IN READER COIL
V
When tag is in uncloaking
microID is a trademark of Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved.
 1999 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN707
ohms) between Drain and Source. This gate turns on
during a logic “High” period of the modulation signal
and off otherwise. When the gate turns on, its low turn-
on resistance shorts the external circuit between
Antenna Pad B and the ground pad. Therefore, the res-
onant frequency of the circuit changes. This is called
detuned or cloaking. Since the detuned tag is out of the
frequency band of the reader, the reader can’t see it.
The modulation gate turns off as the modulation signal
goes to a logic “Low.” This turn-off condition again
tunes the resonant circuit to the frequency of the reader
antenna. Therefore the reader sees the tag again. This
is called tuned or uncloaking.
The tag coil induces maximum voltage during “uncloak-
ing (tuned)” and minimum voltage during cloaking
(detuned). Therefore, the cloaking and uncloaking
events develop an amplitude modulation signal in the
tag coil.
This amplitude modulated signal in the tag coil perturbs
the voltage envelope in the reader coil. The reader coil
has maximum voltage during cloaking (detuned) and
minimum voltage during uncloaking (tuned). By detect-
ing the voltage envelope, the data signal from the tag
can be readily reconstructed.
Once the device transmits all 154 bits of data, it goes
into “sleep mode” for about 100 ms. The tag wakes up
from sleep time (100 ms) and transmits the data pack-
age for 2.2 ms and goes into sleep mode again. The
device repeats the transmitting and sleep cycles as
long as it is energized.
When tag is in cloaking
DS00707A-page 1
AN707
FIGURE 2: (A) UNCLOAKING (TUNED) AND (B) CLOAKING (DETUNED) MODES AND THEIR
RESONANT FREQUENCIES

f 0 = 13.56 MHz

SW = OFF

MCRF355
L1
(a)
C
2Ω f
L2
SW OFF

Coil voltage in tag

SW = ON
MCRF355
L1
(b) f
C
2Ω ′
L2
f 0 = ( 13.56 + ∆f ) MHz
SW ON

f 0 = 13.56 MHz

C1 MCRF355 SW = OFF

L
2Ω (c) f

C2 SW OFF

Coil voltage in tag

C1 MCRF355 SW = ON

(d) f
L
2Ω ′
f 0 = ( 13.56 - ∆f ) MHz
C2 SW ON

DS00707A-page 2  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.


ANTICOLLISION FEATURES
During sleep mode, the device remains in a cloaked
state where the circuit is detuned. Therefore, the
reader can’t see the tag during sleep time. While one
tag is in sleep mode, the reader can receive data from
other tags. This enables the reader to receive clean
data from many tags without any data collision. This
ability to read multiple tags in the same RF field is
AN707
called anticollision. Theoretically, more than 50 tags
can be read in the same RF field. However, it is affected
by distance from the tag to the reader, angular orienta-
tion, movement of the tags, and spacial distribution of
the tags.

FIGURE 3: EXAMPLE OF READING MULTIPLE TAGS

Data Data
Packet Packet
Sleep
Tag 1 t

Tag 2 t

Tag 3 τ

Tag N t

t1 t2 t3 tN
t
Reading data from Tag N

Reading data from Tag 3

Reading data from Tag 2

Reading data from Tag 1

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00707A-page 3

AN707
EXTERNAL CIRCUIT
CONFIGURATION
Since the device transmits data by tuning and detuning
the antenna circuit, caution must be given in the exter-
nal circuit configuration. For a better modulation index,
the differences between the tuned and detuned fre-
quencies must be wide enough (about 3 ~ 6 MHz).
Figure 4 shows various configurations of the external
circuit. The choice of the configuration must be chosen
depending on the form-factor of the tag. For example,
(a) is a better choice for printed circuit tags while, (b) is
a better candidate for coil-wound tags. Both (a) and (b)
relate to the MCRF355.
In configuration (a), the tuned resonance frequency is
determined by a total capacitance and inductance from
Antenna Pad A to VSS. During cloaking, the internal
switch (modulation gate) shorts Antenna Pad B and
VSS. Therefore, the inductance L2 is shorted out. As a
result, the detuned frequency is determined by the total
capacitance and inductance L1. When shorting the
inductance between Antenna Pad B and VSS, the
detuned (cloak) frequency is higher than the tuned
(uncloak) frequency
In configuration (b), the tuned frequency (uncloak) is
determined by the inductance L and the total capaci-
tance between Antenna Pad A and VSS. The circuit
detunes (cloak) when C2 is shorted. This detuned fre-
quency (cloak) is lower than the tuned (uncloak) fre-
quency
The MCRF360 includes a 100 pF internal capacitor.
This device needs only an external inductor for opera-
tion. The explanation on tuning and detuning is the
same as for configuration (a).

FIGURE 4: VARIOUS EXTERNAL CIRCUIT CONFIGURATIONS

MCRF355 1
f tuned = ----------------------
2π L C
T
Ant. Pad A 1
f detuned = ----------------------
2π L C
1
L1 L T = L 1 + L 2 + 2L m
C where:
L2 Ant. Pad B Lm = mutual inductance
Vss = K L1 L2
L1 > L2 K = coupling coefficient of two inductors
0≤K≤1
(a) Two inductors and one capacitor

MCRF355
1
f tuned = ----------------------
Ant. Pad A 2π LC
T
C1
1
f detuned = ----------------------
L 2π LC
1
Ant. Pad B
C2 C1 C2
Vss C T = --------------------
C1 + C2
C1 > C2
(b) Two capacitors and one inductor

MCRF360
1
f tuned = ----------------------
Ant. Pad A 2π L T C

L1
C = 100 pF 1
f detuned = ----------------------
2π L 1 C
L2 Ant. Pad B
L T = L 1 + L 2 + 2L m
Vss
L1 > L2

(c) Two inductors with one internal capacitor

DS00707A-page 4  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN707
PROGRAMMING OF DEVICE
All of the memory bits in the MCRF355/360 are repro-
grammable by a contact programmer or by factory pro-
gramming prior to shipment, known as Serialized Quick
Turn ProgrammingSM (SQTPSM). For more information
about contact programming, see page 69 of the
microID™ 13.56 MHz System Design Guide
(DS21299). For information about SQTP programming,
please see TB032 (DS91032), page 19 of the design
guide.

Serial Quick Turn Programming (SQTP) is a Service Mark of Microchip Technology Inc.

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00707A-page 5

AN707
NOTES:

DS00707A-page 6  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 WORLDWIDE SALES AND SERVICE
AMERICAS AMERICAS (continued) ASIA/PACIFIC (continued)
Corporate Office Toronto Singapore
Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Singapore Pte Ltd.
2355 West Chandler Blvd. 5925 Airport Road, Suite 200 200 Middle Road
Chandler, AZ 85224-6199 Mississauga, Ontario L4V 1W1, Canada #07-02 Prime Centre
Tel: 480-786-7200 Fax: 480-786-7277 Tel: 905-405-6279 Fax: 905-405-6253 Singapore 188980
Technical Support: 480-786-7627 ASIA/PACIFIC Tel: 65-334-8870 Fax: 65-334-8850
Web Address: http://www.microchip.com Taiwan, R.O.C
Hong Kong Microchip Technology Taiwan
Atlanta Microchip Asia Pacific 10F-1C 207
Microchip Technology Inc. Unit 2101, Tower 2 Tung Hua North Road
500 Sugar Mill Road, Suite 200B Metroplaza Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
Atlanta, GA 30350 223 Hing Fong Road Tel: 886-2-2717-7175 Fax: 886-2-2545-0139
Tel: 770-640-0034 Fax: 770-640-0307 Kwai Fong, N.T., Hong Kong
Boston Tel: 852-2-401-1200 Fax: 852-2-401-3431 EUROPE
Microchip Technology Inc. Beijing United Kingdom
5 Mount Royal Avenue Microchip Technology, Beijing Arizona Microchip Technology Ltd.
Marlborough, MA 01752 Unit 915, 6 Chaoyangmen Bei Dajie 505 Eskdale Road
Tel: 508-480-9990 Fax: 508-480-8575 Dong Erhuan Road, Dongcheng District Winnersh Triangle
Chicago New China Hong Kong Manhattan Building Wokingham
Microchip Technology Inc. Beijing 100027 PRC Berkshire, England RG41 5TU
333 Pierce Road, Suite 180 Tel: 86-10-85282100 Fax: 86-10-85282104 Tel: 44 118 921 5858 Fax: 44-118 921-5835
Itasca, IL 60143 India Denmark
Tel: 630-285-0071 Fax: 630-285-0075 Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Denmark ApS
Dallas India Liaison Office Regus Business Centre
Microchip Technology Inc. No. 6, Legacy, Convent Road Lautrup hoj 1-3
4570 Westgrove Drive, Suite 160 Bangalore 560 025, India Ballerup DK-2750 Denmark
Addison, TX 75248 Tel: 91-80-229-0061 Fax: 91-80-229-0062 Tel: 45 4420 9895 Fax: 45 4420 9910
Tel: 972-818-7423 Fax: 972-818-2924 Japan France
Dayton Microchip Technology Intl. Inc. Arizona Microchip Technology SARL
Microchip Technology Inc. Benex S-1 6F Parc d’Activite du Moulin de Massy
Two Prestige Place, Suite 150 3-18-20, Shinyokohama 43 Rue du Saule Trapu
Miamisburg, OH 45342 Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama-shi Batiment A - ler Etage
Tel: 937-291-1654 Fax: 937-291-9175 Kanagawa 222-0033 Japan 91300 Massy, France
Detroit Tel: 81-45-471- 6166 Fax: 81-45-471-6122 Tel: 33-1-69-53-63-20 Fax: 33-1-69-30-90-79
Microchip Technology Inc. Korea Germany
Tri-Atria Office Building Microchip Technology Korea Arizona Microchip Technology GmbH
32255 Northwestern Highway, Suite 190 168-1, Youngbo Bldg. 3 Floor Gustav-Heinemann-Ring 125
Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Samsung-Dong, Kangnam-Ku D-81739 München, Germany
Tel: 248-538-2250 Fax: 248-538-2260 Seoul, Korea Tel: 49-89-627-144 0 Fax: 49-89-627-144-44
Los Angeles Tel: 82-2-554-7200 Fax: 82-2-558-5934 Italy
Microchip Technology Inc. Shanghai Arizona Microchip Technology SRL
18201 Von Karman, Suite 1090 Microchip Technology Centro Direzionale Colleoni
Irvine, CA 92612 RM 406 Shanghai Golden Bridge Bldg. Palazzo Taurus 1 V. Le Colleoni 1
Tel: 949-263-1888 Fax: 949-263-1338 2077 Yan’an Road West, Hong Qiao District 20041 Agrate Brianza
New York Shanghai, PRC 200335 Milan, Italy
Microchip Technology Inc. Tel: 86-21-6275-5700 Fax: 86 21-6275-5060 Tel: 39-039-65791-1 Fax: 39-039-6899883
150 Motor Parkway, Suite 202
11/15/99
Hauppauge, NY 11788
Tel: 631-273-5305 Fax: 631-273-5335
San Jose Microchip received QS-9000 quality system
Microchip Technology Inc. certification for its worldwide headquarters,
2107 North First Street, Suite 590 design and wafer fabrication facilities in
San Jose, CA 95131 Chandler and Tempe, Arizona in July 1999. The
Tel: 408-436-7950 Fax: 408-436-7955 Company’s quality system processes and
procedures are QS-9000 compliant for its
PICmicro® 8-bit MCUs, KEELOQ® code hopping
devices, Serial EEPROMs and microperipheral
products. In addition, Microchip’s quality
system for the design and manufacture of
development systems is ISO 9001 certified.

All rights reserved. © 1999 Microchip Technology Incorporated. Printed in the USA. 11/99 Printed on recycled paper.
Information contained in this publication regarding device applications and the like is intended for suggestion only and may be superseded by updates. No representation or warranty is given and no liability is assumed
by Microchip Technology Incorporated with respect to the accuracy or use of such information, or infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights arising from such use or otherwise. Use of Microchip’s products
as critical components in life support systems is not authorized except with express written approval by Microchip. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise, under any intellectual property rights. The Microchip
logo and name are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN710
Antenna Circuit Design

Author: Dr. Youbok Lee, Ph.D. REVIEW OF A BASIC THEORY FOR

Microchip Technology Inc. RFID ANTENNA DESIGN
Current and Magnetic Fields
INTRODUCTION
Ampere’s law states that current flowing in a conductor
Passive RFID tags utilize an induced antenna coil volt- produces a magnetic field around the conductor. The
age for operation. This induced AC voltage is rectified magnetic field produced by a current element, as
to provide a voltage source for the device. As the DC shown in Figure 1, on a round conductor (wire) with a
voltage reaches a certain level, the device starts oper- finite length is given by:
ating. By providing an energizing RF signal, a reader
can communicate with a remotely located device that EQUATION 1:
has no external power source such as a battery. Since
the energizing and communication between the reader µo I 2
and tag is accomplished through antenna coils, it is Bφ = --------- ( cos α 2 – cos α 1 ) ( Weber ⁄ m )
4πr
important that the device must be equipped with a
proper antenna circuit for successful RFID applica-
tions. where:

An RF signal can be radiated effectively if the linear I = current

dimension of the antenna is comparable with the wave- r = distance from the center of wire
length of the operating frequency. However, the wave- µ0 = permeability of free space and given
length at 13.56 MHz is 22.12 meters. Therefore, it is as 4 π x 10-7 (Henry/meter)
difficult to form a true antenna for most RFID applica-
tions. Alternatively, a small loop antenna circuit that is In a special case with an infinitely long wire where:
resonating at the frequency is used. A current flowing α1 = -180°
into the coil radiates a near-field magnetic field that falls
off with r-3. This type of antenna is called a magnetic α2 = 0°
dipole antenna. Equation 1 can be rewritten as:
For 13.56 MHz passive tag applications, a few micro-
henries of inductance and a few hundred pF of reso- EQUATION 2:
nant capacitor are typically used. The voltage transfer µo I 2
between the reader and tag coils is accomplished Bφ = --------- ( Weber ⁄ m )
2πr
through inductive coupling between the two coils. As in
a typical transformer, where a voltage in the primary
coil transfers to the secondary coil, the voltage in the FIGURE 1: CALCULATION OF
reader antenna coil is transferred to the tag antenna
MAGNETIC FIELD B AT
coil and vice versa. The efficiency of the voltage trans-
fer can be increased significantly with high Q circuits.
LOCATION P DUE TO
CURRENT I ON A STRAIGHT
This section is written for RF coil designers and RFID CONDUCTING WIRE
system engineers. It reviews basic electromagnetic
theories on antenna coils, a procedure for coil design, Ζ
calculation and measurement of inductance, an
Wire
antenna tuning method, and read range in RFID appli-
cations. α2
dL
α R
I
α1
P
0 X B (into the page)
r

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 1

AN710
The magnetic field produced by a circular loop antenna FIGURE 2: CALCULATION OF
is given by: MAGNETIC FIELD B AT
LOCATION P DUE TO
EQUATION 3: CURRENT I ON THE LOOP
2 X
µ o INa
Bz = --------------------------------
-
2 2 3⁄2
2(a + r )
coil I
2
α
µ o INa  1  2 2 a R
= ------------------ ----3 for r >>a
2  
r

y r
where P
Bz z
I = current
V = V o sin ωt
a = radius of loop
r = distance from the center of wire
µ0 = permeability of free space and given
as µo = 4 π x 10-7 (Henry/meter)
FIGURE 3: DECAYING OF THE
The above equation indicates that the magnetic field MAGNETIC FIELD B VS.
strength decays with 1/r3. A graphical demonstration is DISTANCE r
shown in Figure 3. It has maximum amplitude in the
plane of the loop and directly proportional to both the B
current and the number of turns, N.
Equation 3 is often used to calculate the ampere-turn
requirement for read range. A few examples that calcu- r-3

late the ampere-turns and the field intensity necessary

to power the tag will be given in the following sections.

DS00710A-page 2  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.


INDUCED VOLTAGE IN AN ANTENNA
COIL
Faraday’s law states that a time-varying magnetic field
through a surface bounded by a closed path induces a
voltage around the loop.
Figure 4 shows a simple geometry of an RFID applica-
tion. When the tag and reader antennas are in close
proximity, the time-varying magnetic field B that is pro-
duced by a reader antenna coil induces a voltage
(called electromotive force or simply EMF) in the closed
tag antenna coil. The induced voltage in the coil causes
a flow of current on the coil. This is called Faraday’s
law. The induced voltage on the tag antenna coil is
equal to the time rate of change of the magnetic flux Ψ.
EQUATION 4:
dψ
V = – N -------
dt
where:
N = number of turns in the antenna coil
Ψ = magnetic flux through each turn
The negative sign shows that the induced voltage acts
in such a way as to oppose the magnetic flux producing
it. This is known as Lenz’s Law and it emphasizes the
fact that the direction of current flow in the circuit is
such that the induced magnetic field produced by the
induced current will oppose the original magnetic field.
The magnetic flux Ψ in Equation 4 is the total magnetic
field B that is passing through the entire surface of the
antenna coil, and found by:
AN710
EQUATION 5:
ψ = ∫ B· dS
where:
B = magnetic field given in Equation 2
S = surface area of the coil
• = inner product (cosine angle between two
vectors) of vectors B and surface area S
Note: Both magnetic field B and surface S are
vector quantities.
The presentation of inner product of two vectors in
Equation 5 suggests that the total magnetic flux ψ that
is passing through the antenna coil is affected by an
orientation of the antenna coils. The inner product of
two vectors becomes maximized when the cosine
angle between the two are 90 degree, or the two (B field
and the surface of coil) are perpendicular to each other.
The maximum magnetic flux that is passing through the
tag coil is obtained when the two coils (reader coil and
tag coil) are placed in parallel with respect to each
other. This condition results in maximum induced volt-
age in the tag coil and also maximum read range. The
inner product expression in Equation 5 also can be
expressed in terms of a mutual coupling between the
reader and tag coils. The mutual coupling between the
two coils is maximized in the above condition.

FIGURE 4: A BASIC CONFIGURATION OF READER AND TAG ANTENNAS IN RFID

APPLICATIONS

Tag Coil V = V0sin(ωt)

Tag

B = B0sin(ωt)
I = I0sin(ωt)
Reader
Electronics Tuning Circuit Reader Coil

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 3

AN710
Using Equations 3 and 5, Equation 4 can be rewritten In the above equation, the quality factor Q is a measure
as: of the selectivity of the frequency of the interest. The Q
will be defined in Equations 31 through 47.
EQUATION 6:
dΨ 21
FIGURE 5: ORIENTATION DEPENDENCY
V = – N 2 ------------- = – N 2 -----  ∫ B ⋅ dS
d
OF THE TAG ANTENNA
dt dt  
2
d µo i1 N1 a
= – N 2 -----
dt ∫ --------------------------------
2 2 3⁄2
- · dS
2(a + r ) B-field
2 2
µ o N 1 N 2 a ( πb ) di 1
= – ---------------------------------------
- -------
2 2 3⁄2 dt
2(a + r ) a
Tag
di 1
= – M -------
dt

The induced voltage developed across the loop

where:
antenna coil is a function of the angle of the arrival sig-
V = voltage in the tag coil nal. The induced voltage is maximized when the
i1 = current on the reader coil antenna coil is placed in parallel with the incoming sig-
nal where α = 0.
a = radius of the reader coil
b = radius of tag coil EXAMPLE 1: CALCULATION OF B-FIELD
r = distance between the two coils IN A TAG COIL
M = mutual inductance between the tag The MCRF355 device turns on when the antenna
and reader coils, and given by: coil develops 4 VPP across it. This voltage is rectified
and the device starts to operate when it reaches 2.4
EQUATION 7: VDC. The B-field to induce a 4 VPP coil voltage with
2 an ISO standard 7810 card size (85.6 x 54 x 0.76
µ o πN 1 N 2 ( ab )
M = ------------------------------------
- mm) is calculated from the coil voltage equation
2 2 3⁄2
2(a + r ) using Equation 8.

The above equation is equivalent to a voltage transfor- EQUATION 9:

mation in typical transformer applications. The current
flow in the primary coil produces a magnetic flux that V o = 2πfNSQBo cos α = 4
causes a voltage induction at the secondary coil.
and
As shown in Equation 6, the tag coil voltage is largely
dependent on the mutual inductance between the two 4 ⁄ ( 2) –2
B o = ---------------------------------- = 0.0449 ( µwbm )
coils. The mutual inductance is a function of coil geom- 2πfNSQ cos α
etry and the spacing between them. The induced volt-
age in the tag coil decreases with r-3. Therefore, the where the following parameters are used in the
read range also decreases in the same way. above calculation:
From Equations 4 and 5, a generalized expression for Tag coil size = (85.6 x 54) mm2 (ISO card
induced voltage Vo in a tuned loop coil is given by: size) = 0.0046224 m2
Frequency = 13.56 MHz
EQUATION 8:
Number of turns = 4
V 0 = 2πfNSQB o cos α
Q of tag antenna = 40
where: coil
AC coil voltage to = 4 VPP
f = frequency of the arrival signal
turn on the tag
N = number of turns of coil in the loop
cosα = = 1 (normal direction, α = 0).
S = area of the loop in square meters (m2)
Q = quality factor of circuit
Βo = strength of the arrival signal
α = angle of arrival of the signal

DS00710A-page 4  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN710
EXAMPLE 2: NUMBER OF TURNS AND EXAMPLE 3: OPTIMUM COIL DIAMETER
CURRENT (AMPERE- OF THE READER COIL
TURNS) An optimum coil diameter that requires the minimum
Assuming that the reader should provide a read number of ampere-turns for a particular read range
range of 15 inches (38.1 cm) for the tag given in the can be found from Equation 3 such as:
previous example, the current and number of turns
of a reader antenna coil is calculated from EQUATION 11:
Equation 3: 3
---
2 2 2
(a + r )
EQUATION 10: NI = K -----------------------
2
-
a
2 2 3⁄2
2B z ( a + r ) 2B z
( NI ) rms = ------------------------------
- K = ---------
2 where: µo
µa

–6 2 2 3⁄2 By taking derivative with respect to the radius a,

2 ( 0.0449 × 10 ) ( 0.1 + ( 0.38 ) )
= --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
–7 2
-
( 4π × 10 ) ( 0.1 )
2 2 1⁄2 3 2 2 3⁄2
d ( NI ) 3 ⁄ 2 ( a + r ) ( 2a ) – 2a ( a + r )
-------------- = K -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4
-
da a
= 0.43 ( ampere - turns )
2 2 2 2 1⁄2
The above result indicates that it needs a 430 mA ( a – 2r ) ( a + r )
= K -----------------------------------------------------
3
-
for 1 turn coil, and 215 mA for 2-turn coil. a

The above equation becomes minimized when:

2 2
a – 2r = 0

The above result shows a relationship between the

read range vs. optimum coil diameter. The optimum coil
diameter is found as:

EQUATION 12:

a= 2r

where:
a = radius of coil
r = read range.
The result indicates that the optimum loop radius, a, is
1.414 times the demanded read range r.

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 5

AN710
WIRE TYPES AND OHMIC LOSSES EXAMPLE 4:
The skin depth for a copper wire at 13.56 MHz can
Wire Size and DC Resistance
be calculated as:
The diameter of electrical wire is expressed as the
American Wire Gauge (AWG) number. The gauge EQUATION 15:
number is inversely proportional to diameter, and the
1
diameter is roughly doubled every six wire gauges. The δ = --------------------------------------------------------------------
–7 –7
wire with a smaller diameter has a higher DC resis- πf ( 4π × 10 ) ( 5.8 × 10 )
tance. The DC resistance for a conductor with a uni-
form cross-sectional area is found by:

0.0179
EQUATION 13: = ---------------- (m)
f
l
RDC = ------ (Ω)
σS
= 0.187 ( mm )
where:
l = total length of the wire
The wire resistance increases with frequency, and the
σ = conductivity resistance due to the skin depth is called an AC
S = cross-sectional area resistance. An approximated formula for the AC resis-
tance is given by:
Table 1 shows the diameter for bare and
EQUATION 16:
enamel-coated wires, and DC resistance.
1 a
AC Resistance of Wire Rac ≈ ------------- = ( R DC ) ------ (Ω)
2 σ πδ 2δ
At DC, charge carriers are evenly distributed through
the entire cross section of a wire. As the frequency where:
increases, the reactance near the center of the wire
a = coil radius
increases. This results in higher impedance to the cur-
rent density in the region. Therefore, the charge moves
away from the center of the wire and towards the edge
of the wire. As a result, the current density decreases
in the center of the wire and increases near the edge of
the wire. This is called a skin effect. The depth into the
conductor at which the current density falls to 1/e, or
37% of its value along the surface, is known as the skin
depth and is a function of the frequency and the perme-
ability and conductivity of the medium. The skin depth
is given by:

EQUATION 14:
1
δ = -----------------
πfµ σ

where:
f = frequency
µ = permeability of material
σ = conductivity of the material

DS00710A-page 6  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN710
TABLE 1: AWG WIRE CHART

Wire Dia. in Dia. in Cross Wire Dia. in Dia. in Cross

Ohms/ Ohms/
Size Mils Mils Section Size Mils Mils Section
1000 ft. 1000 ft.
(AWG) (bare) (coated) (mils) (AWG) (bare) (coated) (mils)
1 289.3 — 0.126 83690 26 15.9 17.2 41.0 253
2 287.6 — 0.156 66360 27 14.2 15.4 51.4 202
3 229.4 — 0.197 52620 28 12.6 13.8 65.3 159
4 204.3 — 0.249 41740 29 11.3 12.3 81.2 123
5 181.9 — 0.313 33090 30 10.0 11.0 106.0 100
6 162.0 — 0.395 26240 31 8.9 9.9 131 79.2
7 166.3 — 0.498 20820 32 8.0 8.8 162 64.0
8 128.5 131.6 0.628 16510 33 7.1 7.9 206 50.4
9 114.4 116.3 0.793 13090 34 6.3 7.0 261 39.7
10 101.9 106.2 0.999 10380 35 5.6 6.3 331 31.4
11 90.7 93.5 1.26 8230 36 5.0 5.7 415 25.0
12 80.8 83.3 1.59 6530 37 4.5 5.1 512 20.2
13 72.0 74.1 2.00 5180 38 4.0 4.5 648 16.0
14 64.1 66.7 2.52 4110 39 3.5 4.0 847 12.2
15 57.1 59.5 3.18 3260 40 3.1 3.5 1080 9.61
16 50.8 52.9 4.02 2580 41 2.8 3.1 1320 7.84
17 45.3 47.2 5.05 2060 42 2.5 2.8 1660 6.25
18 40.3 42.4 6.39 1620 43 2.2 2.5 2140 4.84
19 35.9 37.9 8.05 1290 44 2.0 2.3 2590 4.00
20 32.0 34.0 10.1 1020 45 1.76 1.9 3350 3.10
21 28.5 30.2 12.8 812 46 1.57 1.7 4210 2.46
22 25.3 28.0 16.2 640 47 1.40 1.6 5290 1.96
23 22.6 24.2 20.3 511 48 1.24 1.4 6750 1.54
24 20.1 21.6 25.7 404 49 1.11 1.3 8420 1.23
25 17.9 19.3 32.4 320 50 0.99 1.1 10600 0.98
-3
Note: 1 mil = 2.54 x 10-3 cm Note: 1 mil = 2.54 x 10 cm

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 7

AN710
INDUCTANCE OF VARIOUS Inductance of a Straight Wound Wire
ANTENNA COILS The inductance of a straight wound wire shown in
Figure 1 is given by:
An electric current element that flows through a con-
ductor produces a magnetic field. This time-varying
EQUATION 18:
magnetic field is capable of producing a flow of current
through another conductor – this is called inductance.
L = 0.002l log 2l 3 ( µH )
The inductance L depends on the physical characteris- e ----
- – ---
a 4
tics of the conductor. A coil has more inductance than
a straight wire of the same material, and a coil with where:
more turns has more inductance than a coil with fewer
turns. The inductance L of inductor is defined as the l and a = length and radius of wire in cm,
ratio of the total magnetic flux linkage to the current Ι respectively.
through the inductor:
EXAMPLE 5: INDUCTANCE
EQUATION 17: CALCULATION FOR A
STRAIGHT WIRE:
Nψ (Henry)
L = -------- The inductance of a wire with 10 feet (304.8cm) long
I
and 2 mm in diameter is calculated as follows:
where:
EQUATION 19:
N = number of turns
I = current ( 304.8 ) 3
L = 0.002 ( 304.8 ) ln  2--------------------
- – ---
 0.1  4
Ψ = the magnetic flux
= 0.60967 ( 7.965 )
For a coil with multiple turns, the inductance is greater
as the spacing between turns becomes smaller. There-
fore, the tag antenna coil that has to be formed in a lim- = 4.855 ( µH )
ited space often needs a multilayer winding to reduce
the number of turns.
Inductance of Thin Film Inductor with a
Rectangular Cross Section
Calculation of Inductance
Inductance of a conductor with rectangular cross sec-
Inductance of the coil can be calculated in many differ-
tion as shown in Figure 6 is calculated as:
ent ways. Some are readily available from refer-
ences[1-4]. It must be remembered that for RF coils the
actual resulting inductance may differ from the calcu- FIGURE 6: A STRAIGHT THIN FILM
lated true result because of distributed capacitance. INDUCTOR
For that reason, inductance calculations are generally
used only for a starting point in the final design.

b l

EQUATION 20:
 a + b
L = 0.002l  ln  ------------ + 0.50049 + ------------ 
2l
( µH )
 a + b 3l 


where:
a = width in cm
b = thickness in cm
l = length of conductor in cm

DS00710A-page 8  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN710
Inductance of a Circular Coil with Single Turn Inductance of N-turn Circular Coil with
The inductance of a circular coil shown in Figure 7 can Multilayer
be calculated by:
FIGURE 8: N-TURN CIRCULAR COIL
WITH SINGLE LAYER
FIGURE 7: A CIRCULAR COIL WITH
SINGLE TURN b N-turns coil

a
a
a Center of coil
d X
X

b
h
EQUATION 21: Figure 8 shows an N-turn inductor of circular coil with
multilayer. Its inductance is calculated by:
L = 0.01257 ( a ) 2.303log 10  --------- – 2
16a
( µH )
 d  EQUATION 23:
2
0.31 ( aN )
L = ---------------------------------- ( µH )
where: 6a + 9h + 10b

a = mean radius of loop in (cm) where:

d = diameter of wire in (cm)
a = average radius of the coil in cm
N = number of turns
Inductance of an N-turn Circular Coil with b = winding thickness in cm
Single Layer h = winding height in cm
The inductance of a circular coil with single layer is cal-
culated as:

EQUATION 22:
2
( aN )
L = -------------------------------- ( µH )
22.9l + 25.4a

where:
N = number of turns
l = length
a = the radius of coil in cm

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 9

AN710
Inductance of Spiral Wound Coil with Single Inductance of N-turn Square Loop Coil with
Layer Multilayer
The inductance of a spiral inductor is calculated by: Inductance of a multilayer square loop coil is calculated
by:
EQUATION 24:
2 EQUATION 25:
( aN )
L = ---------------------- ( µH )
8a + 11b 2 
L = 0.008aN  2.303log  ------------ + 0.2235 ------------ + 0.726 ( µH )
a b+c
10  b + c a
 
FIGURE 9: A SPIRAL COIL
where:
N = number of turns
a = side of square measured to the center
of the rectangular cross section of
winding
b = winding length
c = winding depth as shown in Figure 10.
Note: All dimensions are in cm.
a
FIGURE 10: N-TURN SQUARE LOOP COIL
WITH MULTILAYER
b b

c
a a

(a) Top View

(b) Cross Sectional View

DS00710A-page 10  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN710
Inductance of a Flat Square Coil
Inductance of a flat square coil of rectangular cross
section with N turns is calculated by[4]:

EQUATION 26:

2  a2   2 0.2235 
L = 0.0467aN  log 10  2 ------------ – log 10 ( 2.414a )  + 0.02032aN  0.914 + ---------------- ( t + w ) 
  t + w   a 

where:
L = in µH
a = side length in inches
t = thickness in inches
w = width in inches

FIGURE 11: SQUARE LOOP INDUCTOR

WITH A RECTANGULAR
CROSS SECTION

w a

The formulas for inductance are widely published and

provide a reasonable approximation for the relationship
between inductance and the number of turns for a
given physical size[1–4]. When building prototype coils,
it is wise to exceed the number of calculated turns by
about 10% and then remove turns to achieve a right
value. For production coils, it is best to specify an induc-
tance and tolerance rather than a specific number of
turns.

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 11

AN710
CONFIGURATION OF ANTENNA
CIRCUITS
Reader Antenna Circuits
The inductance for the reader antenna coil for
13.56 MHz is typically in the range of a few microhen-
ries (µH). The antenna can be formed by aircore or fer-
rite core inductors. The antenna can also be formed by
a metallic or conductive trace on PCB board or on flex-
ible substrate.
The reader antenna can be made of either a single coil,
that is typically forming a series or a parallel resonant
circuit, or a double loop (transformer) antenna coil.
Figure 12 shows various configurations of reader
antenna circuit. The coil circuit must be tuned to the
operating frequency to maximize power efficiency. The
tuned LC resonant circuit is the same as the bandpass
filter that passes only a selected frequency. The Q of
the tuned circuit is related to both read range and band-
width of the circuit. More on this subject will be dis-
cussed in the following section.
Choosing the size and type of antenna circuit depends
on the system design topology. The series resonant cir-
cuit results in minimum impedance at the resonance
frequency. Therefore, it draws a maximum current at
FIGURE 12: VARIOUS READER ANTENNA CIRCUITS
L
(a) Series Resonant Circuit
(secondary coil)
C2
C1
To reader electronics
(c) Transformer Loop Antenna
DS00710A-page 12
the resonance frequency. Because of its simple circuit
topology and relatively low cost, this type of antenna
circuit is suitable for proximity reader antenna.
On the other hand, a parallel resonant circuit results in
maximum impedance at the resonance frequency.
Therefore, maximum voltage is available at the reso-
nance frequency. Although it has a minimum resonant
current, it still has a strong circulating current that is
proportional to Q of the circuit. The double loop
antenna coil that is formed by two parallel antenna cir-
cuits can also be used.
The frequency tolerance of the carrier frequency and
output power level from the read antenna is regulated
by government regulations (e.g., FCC in the USA).
FCC limits for 13.56 MHz frequency band are as fol-
lows:
1. Tolerance of the carrier frequency: 13.56 MHz
+/- 0.01% = +/- 1.356 kHz.
2. Frequency bandwidth: +/- 7 kHz.
3. Power level of fundamental frequency: 10 mv/m
at 30 meters from the transmitter.
4. Power level for harmonics: -50.45 dB down from
the fundamental signal.
The transmission circuit including the antenna coil must
be designed to meet the FCC limits.
L
C
(b) Parallel Resonant Circuit
(primary coil)
 1999 Microchip Technology Inc.
 AN710
Tag Antenna Circuits and detuned frequency is
The MCRF355 device communicates data by tuning
and detuning the antenna circuit (see AN707). EQUATION 28:
Figure 13 shows examples of the external circuit 1
f detuned = ---------------------
arrangement. 2π L 1 C
The external circuit must be tuned to the resonant fre-
quency of the reader antenna. In a detuned condition, In this case, fdetuned is higher than f tuned .
a circuit element between the antenna B and VSS pads Figure 13(b) shows another example of the external cir-
is shorted. The frequency difference (delta frequency) cuit arrangement. This configuration controls C2 for
between tuned and detuned frequencies must be tuned and detuned frequencies. The tuned and
adjusted properly for optimum operation. It has been untuned frequencies are
found that maximum modulation index and maximum
read range occur when the tuned and detuned frequen-
EQUATION 29:
cies are separated by 3 to 6 MHz.
The tuned frequency is formed from the circuit ele- 1
f tuned = ----------------------------------------
C1 C2
2π  ------------------- L
ments between the antenna A and VSS pads without
shorting the antenna B pad. The detuned frequency is  C 1 + C 2
found when the antenna B pad is shorted. This detuned
frequency is calculated from the circuit between
and
antenna A and VSS pads excluding the circuit element
between antenna B and VSS pads.
EQUATION 30:
In Figure 13 (a), the tuned resonant frequency is
1
f detuned = ---------------------
EQUATION 27: 2π LC 1
1
fo = ---------------------
2π L T C A typical inductance of the coil is about a few micro-
henry with a few turns. Once the inductance is deter-
where: mined, the resonant capacitance is calculated from the
above equations. For example, if a coil has an induc-
LT = L1 + L2 + 2LM = Total inductance tance of 1.3 µH, then it needs a 106 pF of capacitance
between antenna A and VSS pads to resonate at 13.56 MHz.
L1 = inductance between antenna A and
antenna B pads
L2 = inductance between ant. B and VSS
pads
M = mutual inductance between coil 1 and
coil 2
= k L1 L
2

k = coupling coefficient between the two

coils
C = tuning capacitance

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 13

AN710
CONSIDERATION ON QUALITY results in longer read range. However, the Q is also
related to the bandwidth of the circuit as shown in the
FACTOR Q AND BANDWIDTH OF following equation.
TUNING CIRCUIT
The voltage across the coil is a product of quality factor EQUATION 31:
Q of the circuit and input voltage. Therefore, for a given fo
input voltage signal, the coil voltage is directly propor- Q = ----
tional to the Q of the circuit. In general, a higher Q B

FIGURE 13: VARIOUS EXTERNAL CIRCUIT CONFIGURATIONS

MCRF355 1
f = ----------------------
tuned 2π L C
T
Ant. Pad A 1
f = ----------------------
detuned 2π L 1 C
L1 L = L + L + 2L
T 1 2 m
C where:
Ant. Pad B Lm = mutual inductance
L2
Vss = K L1 L2
L1 > L2 K = coupling coefficient of two inductors
0≤K≤1
(a) Two inductors and one capacitor

MCRF355
1
f tuned = ----------------------
Ant. Pad A 2π LC T
C1 1
f detuned = ----------------------
2π LC
1
L C1 C2
C T = --------------------
Ant. Pad B C +C
1 2
C2
Vss
C1 > C2
(b) Two capacitors and one inductor

MCRF360
1
f tuned = ----------------------
Ant. Pad A 2π L T C

L1 1
f detuned = ----------------------
C = 100 pF 2π L 1 C
L T = L 1 + L 2 + 2L m
Ant. Pad B
L2
Vss
L1 > L2

(c) Two inductors with one internal capacitor

DS00710A-page 14  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.


Bandwidth requirement and limit on circuit Q
for MCRF355
Since the MCRF355 operates with a data rate of
70 kHz, the reader antenna circuit needs a bandwidth
of at least twice of the data rate. Therefore, it needs:
EQUATION 32:
B minimum = 140 kHz
Assuming the circuit is turned at 13.56 MHz, the maxi-
mum attainable Q is obtained from Equations 31
and 32:
EQUATION 33:
fo
Q max = ---- = 96.8
B
In a practical LC resonant circuit, the range of Q for
13.56 MHz band is about 40. However, the Q can be
significantly increased with a ferrite core inductor. The
system designer must consider the above limits for
optimum operation.
 1999 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN710
RESONANT CIRCUITS
Once the frequency and the inductance of the coil are
determined, the resonant capacitance can be calcu-
lated from:
EQUATION 34:
1
C = ---------------------2-
L ( 2πfo )
In practical applications, parasitic (distributed) capaci-
tance is present between turns. The parasitic capaci-
tance in a typical tag antenna coil is a few (pF). This
parasitic capacitance increases with operating fre-
quency of the device.
There are two different resonant circuits: parallel and
series. The parallel resonant circuit has maximum
impedance at the resonance frequency. It has a mini-
mum current and maximum voltage at the resonance
frequency. Although the current in the circuit is mini-
mum at the resonant frequency, there are a circulation
current that is proportional to Q of the circuit. The par-
allel resonant circuit is used in both the tag and the
high-power reader antenna circuit.
On the other hand, the series resonant circuit has a
minimum impedance at the resonance frequency. As a
result, maximum current is available in the circuit.
Because of its simplicity and the availability of the high
current into the antenna element, the series resonant
circuit is often used for a simple proximity reader.
Parallel Resonant Circuit
Figure 14 shows a simple parallel resonant circuit. The
total impedance of the circuit is given by:
EQUATION 35:
jωL
Z ( jω ) = --------------------------------------------- ( Ω )
2 ωL
( 1 – ω LC ) + j -------
R
where ω is an angular frequency given as ω = 2πf .
The maximum impedance occurs when the denomina-
tor in the above equation is minimized. This condition
occurs when:
EQUATION 36:
2
ω LC = 1
This is called a resonance condition, and the reso-
nance frequency is given by:
EQUATION 37:
1
f 0 = ------------------
2π LC
DS00710A-page 15
AN710
By applying Equation 36 into Equation 35, the imped- By applying Equation 37 and Equation 39 into
ance at the resonance frequency becomes: Equation 40, the Q in the parallel resonant circuit is:

EQUATION 38: EQUATION 41:

C
Z = R Q = R ----
L

where R is the load resistance.
FIGURE 14:
The Q in a parallel resonant circuit is proportional to the
load resistance R and also to the ratio of capacitance
PARALLEL RESONANT and inductance in the circuit.
CIRCUIT When this parallel resonant circuit is used for the tag
antenna circuit, the voltage drop across the circuit can
be obtained by combining Equations 8 and 41:

EQUATION 42: .
R C L

V o = 2πf o NQSB o cos α

= 2πf 0 N  R ---- SB 0 cos α

C
The R and C in the parallel resonant circuit determine  L
the bandwidth, B, of the circuit.
The above equation indicates that the induced voltage
EQUATION 39: in the tag coil is inversely proportional to the square
root of the coil inductance, but proportional to the num-
1
B = --------------- ( Hz ) ber of turns and surface area of the coil.
2πRC

The quality factor, Q, is defined by various ways such Series Resonant Circuit
as
A simple series resonant circuit is shown in Figure 15.
The expression for the impedance of the circuit is:
EQUATION 40:
EQUATION 43:
Energy Stored in the System per One Cycle
Q = ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Energy Dissipated in the System per One Cycle
Z ( jω ) = r + j ( XL – XC ) (Ω)

reac tan ce
= --------------------------- where:
resis tan ce
r = a dc ohmic resistance of coil
and capacitor
ωL
= ------- For inductance XL and XC = the reactance of the coil and
r
capacitor, respectively, such
1 that:
= --------- For capacitance
ωcr
EQUATION 44:
f0 X L = 2πfo L (Ω)
= ----
B

EQUATION 45:
where:
1
Xc = --------------- (Ω)
ω = 2πf = angular frequency 2πf o C
fo = resonant frequency
The impedance in Equation 43 becomes minimized
B = bandwidth
when the reactance component cancelled out each
r = ohmic losses other such that X L = X C . This is called a resonance
condition. The resonance frequency is same as the
parallel resonant frequency given in Equation 37.

DS00710A-page 16  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN710
FIGURE 15: SERIES RESONANCE When the circuit is tuned to a resonant frequency such
CIRCUIT as XL = XC, the voltage across the coil becomes:

EQUATION 48:
r C
Eo jXL
V o = -------- Vin
r

EIN L
13.56 MHz = jQVin

The above equation indicates that the coil voltage is a

product of input voltage and Q of the circuit. For exam-
ple, a circuit with Q of 40 can have a coil voltage that is
The half power frequency bandwidth is determined by 40 times higher than input signal. This is because all
r and L, and given by: energy in the input signal spectrum becomes squeezed
into a single frequency band.
EQUATION 46:

r EXAMPLE 6: CIRCUIT PARAMETERS

B = ---------- ( Hz ) If the DC ohmic resistance r is 5 Ω, then the L and C
2πL
values for 13.56 MHz resonant circuit with Q = 40 are:
The quality factor, Q, in the series resonant circuit is
given by: EQUATION 49:
X L = Qr s = 200Ω
f0 ωL 1
Q = ---- = ------- = ----------- XL 200
B r rωC L = -------- = -------------------------------------- = 2.347 ( µH )
2πf 2π ( 13.56MHz )
The series circuit forms a voltage divider, the voltage
drops in the coil is given by: 1 1
C = --------------- = ----------------------------------------------------- = 58.7 (pF)
2πfXL 2π ( 13.56 MHz ) ( 200 )
EQUATION 47:

jX L
Vo = ------------------------------- Vin
r + jX L – jX c

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 17

AN710
TUNING METHOD
The circuit must be tuned to the resonance frequency
for a maximum performance (read range) of the device.
Two examples of tuning the circuit are as follows:
• Voltage Measurement Method:
a) Set up a voltage signal source at the
resonance frequency.
b) Connect a voltage signal source across the
resonant circuit.
c) Connect an Oscilloscope across the
resonant circuit.
d) Tune the capacitor or the coil while
observing the signal amplitude on the
Oscilloscope.
e) Stop the tuning at the maximum voltage.
• S-parameter or Impedance Measurement
Method using Network Analyzer:
a) Set up an S-Parameter Test Set (Network
Analyzer) for S11 measurement, and do a
calibration.
b) Measure the S11 for the resonant circuit.
c) Reflection impedance or reflection
admittance can be measured instead of the
S11.
d) Tune the capacitor or the coil until a
maximum null (S11) occurs at the
resonance frequency, fo. For the impedance
measurement, the maximum peak will occur
for the parallel resonant circuit, and
minimum peak for the series resonant
circuit.

FIGURE 16: VOLTAGE VS. FREQUENCY FOR RESONANT CIRCUIT

f
fo

FIGURE 17: FREQUENCY RESPONSES FOR RESONANT CIRCUIT

S11 Z Z

f f f
fo fo fo

(a) (b) (c)

Note 1: (a) S11 Response, (b) Impedance Response for a Parallel Resonant Circuit, and (c)
Impedance Response for a Series Resonant Circuit.
2: In (a), the null at the resonance frequency represents a minimum input reflection at
the resonance frequency. This means the circuit absorbs the signal at the frequency
while other frequencies are reflected back. In (b), the impedance curve has a peak
at the resonance frequency. This is because the parallel resonant circuit has a max-
imum impedance at the resonance frequency. (c) shows a response for the series
resonant circuit. Since the series resonant circuit has a minimum impedance at the
resonance frequency, a minimum peak occurs at the resonance frequency.

DS00710A-page 18  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN710
READ RANGE OF RFID DEVICES The read range of 13.56 MHz is relatively longer than
that of 125 kHz device. This is because the antenna
Read range is defined as a maximum communication efficiency increases as the frequency increases. With a
distance between the reader and tag. In general, the given operating frequency, the conditions (a – c) are
read range of passive RFID products varies, depending related to the antenna configuration and tuning circuit.
on system configuration and is affected by the following The conditions (d – e) are determined by a circuit topol-
parameters: ogy of reader. The condition (f) is a communication pro-
a) Operating frequency and performance of tocol of the device, and (g) is related to a firmware
antenna coils software program for data detection.
b) Q of antenna and tuning circuit Assuming the device is operating under a given condi-
c) Antenna orientation tion, the read range of the device is largely affected by
the performance of the antenna coil. It is always true
d) Excitation current
that a longer read range is expected with the larger size
e) Sensitivity of receiver of the antenna with a proper antenna design.
f) Coding (or modulation) and decoding (or Figures 18 and 19 show typical examples of the read
demodulation) algorithm range of various passive RFID devices.
g) Number of data bits and detection (interpreta-
tion) algorithm
h) Condition of operating environment (electrical
noise), etc.

FIGURE 18: READ RANGE VS. TAG SIZE FOR TYPICAL PROXIMITY APPLICATIONS*
0.5-inch diameter
Tag
Q tag ≥ 40
s
he
.5 i nc 1-inch diameter
~1
Tag
s
4 inche
3 x 6 inch
Reader Antenna 2-inch diameter
5 ~ 6 inches
Tag

6 ~ 7 inc
hes

Tag
2-inch x 3.5-inch”
(Credit Card Type)

FIGURE 19: READ RANGE VS. TAG SIZE FOR TYPICAL LONG RANGE APPLICATIONS*

0.5-inch diameter
Tag Q tag ≥ 40
s
he
nc
9i
7~ 1-inch diameter
Tag
inches
14 ~ 21
20 x 55 inch 2-inch diameter
Long Range 25 ~ 30 inches Tag
Reader

35 ~ 4
0 inch 2-inch” x 3.5-inch
es
(Credit Card Type)

Tag

Note: Actual results may be shorter or longer than the range shown, depending upon factors discussed above.

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00710A-page 19

AN710
REFERENCES
[1] V. G. Welsby, The Theory and Design of Induc-
tance Coils, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1960.
[2] Frederick W. Grover, Inductance Calculations
Working Formulas and Tables, Dover Publications,
Inc., New York, NY., 1946.
[3] Keith Henry, Editor, Radio Engineering Handbook,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, NY., 1963.
[4] James K. Hardy, High Frequency Circuit Design,
Reston Publishing Company, Inc.Reston, Virginia,
1975.

DS00710A-page 20  1999 Microchip Technology Inc.

 WORLDWIDE SALES AND SERVICE
AMERICAS AMERICAS (continued) ASIA/PACIFIC (continued)
Corporate Office Toronto Singapore
Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Singapore Pte Ltd.
2355 West Chandler Blvd. 5925 Airport Road, Suite 200 200 Middle Road
Chandler, AZ 85224-6199 Mississauga, Ontario L4V 1W1, Canada #07-02 Prime Centre
Tel: 480-786-7200 Fax: 480-786-7277 Tel: 905-405-6279 Fax: 905-405-6253 Singapore 188980
Technical Support: 480-786-7627 ASIA/PACIFIC Tel: 65-334-8870 Fax: 65-334-8850
Web Address: http://www.microchip.com Taiwan, R.O.C
Hong Kong Microchip Technology Taiwan
Atlanta Microchip Asia Pacific 10F-1C 207
Microchip Technology Inc. Unit 2101, Tower 2 Tung Hua North Road
500 Sugar Mill Road, Suite 200B Metroplaza Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
Atlanta, GA 30350 223 Hing Fong Road Tel: 886-2-2717-7175 Fax: 886-2-2545-0139
Tel: 770-640-0034 Fax: 770-640-0307 Kwai Fong, N.T., Hong Kong
Boston Tel: 852-2-401-1200 Fax: 852-2-401-3431 EUROPE
Microchip Technology Inc. Beijing United Kingdom
5 Mount Royal Avenue Microchip Technology, Beijing Arizona Microchip Technology Ltd.
Marlborough, MA 01752 Unit 915, 6 Chaoyangmen Bei Dajie 505 Eskdale Road
Tel: 508-480-9990 Fax: 508-480-8575 Dong Erhuan Road, Dongcheng District Winnersh Triangle
Chicago New China Hong Kong Manhattan Building Wokingham
Microchip Technology Inc. Beijing 100027 PRC Berkshire, England RG41 5TU
333 Pierce Road, Suite 180 Tel: 86-10-85282100 Fax: 86-10-85282104 Tel: 44 118 921 5858 Fax: 44-118 921-5835
Itasca, IL 60143 India Denmark
Tel: 630-285-0071 Fax: 630-285-0075 Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Denmark ApS
Dallas India Liaison Office Regus Business Centre
Microchip Technology Inc. No. 6, Legacy, Convent Road Lautrup hoj 1-3
4570 Westgrove Drive, Suite 160 Bangalore 560 025, India Ballerup DK-2750 Denmark
Addison, TX 75248 Tel: 91-80-229-0061 Fax: 91-80-229-0062 Tel: 45 4420 9895 Fax: 45 4420 9910
Tel: 972-818-7423 Fax: 972-818-2924 Japan France
Dayton Microchip Technology Intl. Inc. Arizona Microchip Technology SARL
Microchip Technology Inc. Benex S-1 6F Parc d’Activite du Moulin de Massy
Two Prestige Place, Suite 150 3-18-20, Shinyokohama 43 Rue du Saule Trapu
Miamisburg, OH 45342 Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama-shi Batiment A - ler Etage
Tel: 937-291-1654 Fax: 937-291-9175 Kanagawa 222-0033 Japan 91300 Massy, France
Detroit Tel: 81-45-471- 6166 Fax: 81-45-471-6122 Tel: 33-1-69-53-63-20 Fax: 33-1-69-30-90-79
Microchip Technology Inc. Korea Germany
Tri-Atria Office Building Microchip Technology Korea Arizona Microchip Technology GmbH
32255 Northwestern Highway, Suite 190 168-1, Youngbo Bldg. 3 Floor Gustav-Heinemann-Ring 125
Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Samsung-Dong, Kangnam-Ku D-81739 München, Germany
Tel: 248-538-2250 Fax: 248-538-2260 Seoul, Korea Tel: 49-89-627-144 0 Fax: 49-89-627-144-44
Los Angeles Tel: 82-2-554-7200 Fax: 82-2-558-5934 Italy
Microchip Technology Inc. Shanghai Arizona Microchip Technology SRL
18201 Von Karman, Suite 1090 Microchip Technology Centro Direzionale Colleoni
Irvine, CA 92612 RM 406 Shanghai Golden Bridge Bldg. Palazzo Taurus 1 V. Le Colleoni 1
Tel: 949-263-1888 Fax: 949-263-1338 2077 Yan’an Road West, Hong Qiao District 20041 Agrate Brianza
New York Shanghai, PRC 200335 Milan, Italy
Microchip Technology Inc. Tel: 86-21-6275-5700 Fax: 86 21-6275-5060 Tel: 39-039-65791-1 Fax: 39-039-6899883
150 Motor Parkway, Suite 202
11/15/99
Hauppauge, NY 11788
Tel: 631-273-5305 Fax: 631-273-5335
San Jose Microchip received QS-9000 quality system
Microchip Technology Inc. certification for its worldwide headquarters,
2107 North First Street, Suite 590 design and wafer fabrication facilities in
San Jose, CA 95131 Chandler and Tempe, Arizona in July 1999. The
Tel: 408-436-7950 Fax: 408-436-7955 Company’s quality system processes and
procedures are QS-9000 compliant for its
PICmicro® 8-bit MCUs, KEELOQ® code hopping
devices, Serial EEPROMs and microperipheral
products. In addition, Microchip’s quality
system for the design and manufacture of
development systems is ISO 9001 certified.

All rights reserved. © 1999 Microchip Technology Incorporated. Printed in the USA. 11/99 Printed on recycled paper.
Information contained in this publication regarding device applications and the like is intended for suggestion only and may be superseded by updates. No representation or warranty is given and no liability is assumed
by Microchip Technology Incorporated with respect to the accuracy or use of such information, or infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights arising from such use or otherwise. Use of Microchip’s products
as critical components in life support systems is not authorized except with express written approval by Microchip. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise, under any intellectual property rights. The Microchip
logo and name are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc.


Optimizing Read-Range of the 13.56 MHz Demonstration Reader
Author: Youbok Lee, Ph.D
Microchip Technology Inc.
INTRODUCTION
The 13.56 MHz Anticollision Reader in the DV103003
microID™ Developer's Kit is designed to demonstrate
basic operation of the MCRF355, but not to show the
limits of its performance. The MCRF355 is a very
advanced, carrier-independent tagging IC with the low-
est power consumption and highest speed in the indus-
try as of this writing. Designing a reader that takes
advantage of the inherent performance of the
MCRF355 involves two primary optimizations:
a) Increasing the speed of the digital processing by
using a high-end PICmicro® microcontroller
(MCU) to sample the data and calculate the
checksums. This will help take advantage of the
2.2 msec data burst time and high-speed anti-
collision capabilities of the MCRF355.
b) Increasing the reader’s carrier field volume and/
or power output in order to provide power to the
tag at longer distance from the reader. This
application note describes one method of
accomplishing this improvement.
Following are the steps to achieve a read-range of 12
inches to 18 inches using a 2-inch x 2-inch sample tag
based on MCRF355, properly tuned to the carrier fre-
quency.
1. Disconnect the power cable and RS-232 cable
from the reader, and remove the six screws from
the back of the case.
2. Make an antenna with the following parameters:
a) Use AWG #18 ~ #20 wire.
b) Make one turn: a rectangular loop with
7.85-inches x 7.75-inches as shown in
Figure 1. This antenna will fit in PAC TEC’s
CF-125 enclosure. The enclosure is avail-
able from PAC TEC or its distributors. This
will result in about 800 nH ~ 1 µH of induc-
tance.
c) This inductance requires 172 pF ~ 138 pF
of capacitance to tune the antenna circuit to
13.56 MHz.
 1998 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN725
3. Connect the new inductor (antenna) and capac-
itor to the demo reader board by following these
steps:
a) Disconnect the C31, C9, and C10 from the
circuit board.
b) Disconnect L3 (printed antenna) from the
circuit. This can be accomplished by cutting
off the metallic trace on the board.
c) Connect the new resonant capacitance
(172 pF ~ 138 pF) at C31, C9, C10.
d) Connect the new antenna at L3. Connect
one side of the antenna to the resonant
capacitor and the other side to ground.
4. Tuning the antenna circuit:
The benefit of this modification will be realized only
if the antenna circuit is tuned precisely to the
13.56 MHz carrier. Here is one method for tuning
the circuit:
a) Connect an oscilloscope across the new
antenna (L3).
b) Observe the voltage while adjusting the
capacitance (C31, C9, C10).
c) Adjust the cap to + and - direction and stop
at the maximum voltage.
d) Bring the voltage to above 200 VPP.
5. Read-Range Measurement:
Reconnect the power and RS-232 cables to the
reader. The reader should now provide between
12 ~ 18 inches of read range. If it does not exhibit
this performance, check the following:
a) Check the antenna voltage again, bringing
it to above 200 VPP.
b) Adjust VR1 in the reader circuit; VR1 is very
sensitive to voltage. Connect a 1 MΩ resis-
tor across C17 permanently. Then, connect
a Digital Volt Meter across the resistor, and
adjust the VR1 between 4.7-volts to
4.87-volts while measuring the read range.
Set the VR1 for maximum range.
DS00725A-page 1
AN725
FIGURE 1: ANTENNA GEOMETRY

7.85-inches

7.75-inches
Wire = AWG #18 ~ #20

PAC TEC CF-125

1.1 Formula for Inductance Calculation

EQUATION 1: RECTANGULAR LOOP

w

 h + h 2 + w 2  w + h 2 + w 2
L rect [ nH ] = ( N ) ( 10.16 ) – 2 ( w + h ) + 2 h + w – h ln  -------------------------------- – w ln  --------------------------------- + h ln  ------- + w ln  ------
2 2 2 2w 2h
 w   h  a a

where:
N = number of turns
w = width of the rectangle (inches)
h = height of the rectangle (inches)
a = wire radius (inches)

EQUATION 2: SQUARE LOOP

w

L square [ nH ] = ( N ) ( 20.32 )w ln  w
----
2
w
 a  – 0.774

where:
N = number of turns
w = length of one side (inches)
a = wire radius (inches)

DS00725A-page 2  1998 Microchip Technology Inc.

 AN725
NOTES:

 1998 Microchip Technology Inc. DS00725A-page 3

 WORLDWIDE SALES AND SERVICE
AMERICAS AMERICAS (continued) ASIA/PACIFIC (continued)
Corporate Office Toronto Singapore
Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Singapore Pte Ltd.
2355 West Chandler Blvd. 5925 Airport Road, Suite 200 200 Middle Road
Chandler, AZ 85224-6199 Mississauga, Ontario L4V 1W1, Canada #07-02 Prime Centre
Tel: 480-786-7200 Fax: 480-786-7277 Tel: 905-405-6279 Fax: 905-405-6253 Singapore 188980
Technical Support: 480-786-7627 ASIA/PACIFIC Tel: 65-334-8870 Fax: 65-334-8850
Web Address: http://www.microchip.com Taiwan, R.O.C
Hong Kong Microchip Technology Taiwan
Atlanta Microchip Asia Pacific 10F-1C 207
Microchip Technology Inc. Unit 2101, Tower 2 Tung Hua North Road
500 Sugar Mill Road, Suite 200B Metroplaza Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
Atlanta, GA 30350 223 Hing Fong Road Tel: 886-2-2717-7175 Fax: 886-2-2545-0139
Tel: 770-640-0034 Fax: 770-640-0307 Kwai Fong, N.T., Hong Kong
Boston Tel: 852-2-401-1200 Fax: 852-2-401-3431 EUROPE
Microchip Technology Inc. Beijing United Kingdom
5 Mount Royal Avenue Microchip Technology, Beijing Arizona Microchip Technology Ltd.
Marlborough, MA 01752 Unit 915, 6 Chaoyangmen Bei Dajie 505 Eskdale Road
Tel: 508-480-9990 Fax: 508-480-8575 Dong Erhuan Road, Dongcheng District Winnersh Triangle
Chicago New China Hong Kong Manhattan Building Wokingham
Microchip Technology Inc. Beijing 100027 PRC Berkshire, England RG41 5TU
333 Pierce Road, Suite 180 Tel: 86-10-85282100 Fax: 86-10-85282104 Tel: 44 118 921 5858 Fax: 44-118 921-5835
Itasca, IL 60143 India Denmark
Tel: 630-285-0071 Fax: 630-285-0075 Microchip Technology Inc. Microchip Technology Denmark ApS
Dallas India Liaison Office Regus Business Centre
Microchip Technology Inc. No. 6, Legacy, Convent Road Lautrup hoj 1-3
4570 Westgrove Drive, Suite 160 Bangalore 560 025, India Ballerup DK-2750 Denmark
Addison, TX 75248 Tel: 91-80-229-0061 Fax: 91-80-229-0062 Tel: 45 4420 9895 Fax: 45 4420 9910
Tel: 972-818-7423 Fax: 972-818-2924 Japan France
Dayton Microchip Technology Intl. Inc. Arizona Microchip Technology SARL
Microchip Technology Inc. Benex S-1 6F Parc d’Activite du Moulin de Massy
Two Prestige Place, Suite 150 3-18-20, Shinyokohama 43 Rue du Saule Trapu
Miamisburg, OH 45342 Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama-shi Batiment A - ler Etage
Tel: 937-291-1654 Fax: 937-291-9175 Kanagawa 222-0033 Japan 91300 Massy, France
Detroit Tel: 81-45-471- 6166 Fax: 81-45-471-6122 Tel: 33-1-69-53-63-20 Fax: 33-1-69-30-90-79
Microchip Technology Inc. Korea Germany
Tri-Atria Office Building Microchip Technology Korea Arizona Microchip Technology GmbH
32255 Northwestern Highway, Suite 190 168-1, Youngbo Bldg. 3 Floor Gustav-Heinemann-Ring 125
Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Samsung-Dong, Kangnam-Ku D-81739 München, Germany
Tel: 248-538-2250 Fax: 248-538-2260 Seoul, Korea Tel: 49-89-627-144 0 Fax: 49-89-627-144-44
Los Angeles Tel: 82-2-554-7200 Fax: 82-2-558-5934 Italy
Microchip Technology Inc. Shanghai Arizona Microchip Technology SRL
18201 Von Karman, Suite 1090 Microchip Technology Centro Direzionale Colleoni
Irvine, CA 92612 RM 406 Shanghai Golden Bridge Bldg. Palazzo Taurus 1 V. Le Colleoni 1
Tel: 949-263-1888 Fax: 949-263-1338 2077 Yan’an Road West, Hong Qiao District 20041 Agrate Brianza
New York Shanghai, PRC 200335 Milan, Italy
Microchip Technology Inc. Tel: 86-21-6275-5700 Fax: 86 21-6275-5060 Tel: 39-039-65791-1 Fax: 39-039-6899883
150 Motor Parkway, Suite 202
11/15/99
Hauppauge, NY 11788
Tel: 631-273-5305 Fax: 631-273-5335
San Jose Microchip received QS-9000 quality system
Microchip Technology Inc. certification for its worldwide headquarters,
2107 North First Street, Suite 590 design and wafer fabrication facilities in
San Jose, CA 95131 Chandler and Tempe, Arizona in July 1999. The
Tel: 408-436-7950 Fax: 408-436-7955 Company’s quality system processes and
procedures are QS-9000 compliant for its
PICmicro® 8-bit MCUs, KEELOQ® code hopping
devices, Serial EEPROMs and microperipheral
products. In addition, Microchip’s quality
system for the design and manufacture of
development systems is ISO 9001 certified.

All rights reserved. © 1999 Microchip Technology Incorporated. Printed in the USA. 11/99 Printed on recycled paper.
Information contained in this publication regarding device applications and the like is intended for suggestion only and may be superseded by updates. No representation or warranty is given and no liability is assumed
by Microchip Technology Incorporated with respect to the accuracy or use of such information, or infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights arising from such use or otherwise. Use of Microchip’s products
as critical components in life support systems is not authorized except with express written approval by Microchip. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise, under any intellectual property rights. The Microchip
logo and name are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. All rights reserved. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

 1999 Microchip Technology Inc.