NXP’s new single-chip NFC solutions provide security, dual-mode tamper status detection, and battery-free sensing for IoT applications.
NXP Semiconductors announced the NTAG 22x DNA family, combining certified security with an innovative tamper status detection mechanism and battery-free sensing to measure a change in ambient conditions, such as moisture, liquid fill level, or pressure. This allows product developers to quickly, easily, and sustainably combine secure authentication with opening status detection or condition monitoring of products to help maintain both a secure supply chain and product integrity.
With the new NTAG 22x DNA family, physical products can be easily authenticated by leveraging the IC’s secure unique NFC (SUN) authentication message feature, allowing manufacturers to cost-effectively combat counterfeits and supply chain fraud. The electronic tamper status detection of the multi-functional NTAG 22x DNA StatusDetect IC devices enables manufacturers or product users to verify a product’s unauthorized opening. In addition, by measuring capacitive changes in an item’s environmental conditions such as moisture, pressure, or fill level, upon a simple tag readout, it’s also possible to ensure product quality remains intact or capture digital sensing data for healthcare, retail, or industrial applications.
Certified Security: The NTAG 22x DNA family is Common Criteria EAL3+ certified and features a powerful, cryptographically secure authentication message that dynamically changes on every NFC phone tap, making the taps unclonable, without requiring a user application.
Dual-Mode Tamper Detection: The NTAG 22x DNA StatusDetect also includes configurable conductive or capacitive tamper detection, with once-open status irreversibly stored and protected in the IC memory without the need for a dedicated app. Whilst the conductive mode is well suited for tamper-evident labels and seals affixed onto a product or its package, the capacitive mode is a good fit for integration of the tag into a physical product, and is also harder to reconstruct fraudulently.
Condition Monitoring: The StatusDetect ICs can also be used as a passive sensing device to detect an environmental change influencing the capacitance value, interpreted with a mobile or cloud-based application. This allows new applications for trusted IoT devices, such as plaster that can detect moisture levels for smart wound care, fill level sensing for smart injectable dosage devices, consumer products refill reminders based on package fill levels, and leak detection.