NFC Antenna

A small, low-profile NFC antenna that is unaffected by surrounding metal. Since the antenna takes up very little space, it is attachable inside the car or on household doorknobs, as well as to compact wearable devices.

Features

01 Small and low-profile design

A coil antenna that is made of fine metal wires wound around a ferrite core.
Our original winding structure achieves a small and low-profile design.

02 Can be set up near metal

Communication is possible even if there are metal cases or components on the back of the PCB surface on which the antenna is set up. It is also possible to set the antenna up near metal.

03 Designed for reflow soldering

Our antenna is designed for reflow soldering, which improves production process efficiency.

NFC antenna comparison chart
SMK's antennas
(Made of metal wire wound around ferrite core) 		Other manufacturers' antennas
(Made of metal wire wound around ferrite core)		 Other manufacturers' antennas (Pattern antennas)
Features By bundling and winding multiple fine metal wires together, the overall performance is equivalent to antennas using a single thick metal wire. As a result, our antennas can be smaller and thinner. Winding a single thick metal wire around a ferrite core makes antennas thicker. Downsizing pattern antennas is difficult due to the space they take up upon formation.
Structure

Multiple fine metal wires are wound around a ferrite core.

A single thick metal wire is wound around a ferrite core.

A pattern antenna is formed on a PCB.
The basis of immunity towards metal influence
SMK's antennas
(Made of metal wire wound around ferrite core) 		Standard pattern antennas
Direction of generated magnetic field

Communication is possible even if there is metal on the back of the PCB surface on which the antenna is mounted.

Communication is not possible if there is metal on the back of the PCB surface on which the antenna is mounted.

Use Cases

Our antennas can be used in a wide variety of applications, owing to their features such as small size, low-profile design, and immunity to surrounding metal.

Smart watches

The antenna embedded in a metal frame enables cashless payment.

Smart locks

The antenna built into a doorknob allows smartphones or cards to be used as keys.

Wearable devices

The antenna built into a compact wearable device, such as wireless earbuds, enables connection to the device you want to pair easily.

Displays

Touch operation of a display is enabled by installing the antenna near or on the back of the display. This is difficult with pattern antennas.

Car doorknobs/pillars

The antenna built into a car doorknob or pillar allows smartphones or cards to be used as car keys.

Motorcycle gauges

The antenna built into a motorcycle gauge allows smartphones or cards to be used as motorcycle keys.

Product Specifications

The antenna's structure consists of multiple fine metal wires wound around a ferrite core.
Type 4 Type 10 Type 18.5
Shape
External dimensions: L×w×H (mm) 4.0×1.72×0.75 10.0×1.72×0.75 18.5×1.72×0.75
Inductance* 1.5μH typ 1.5μH typ 2.2μH typ
DC resistance* 0.8Ω typ 0.3Ω typ 0.3Ω typ
NFC operation mode
  • Card emulation mode
  • P2P communication mode
  • Card emulation mode
  • Reader-writer mode
  • P2P communication mode
  • Card emulation mode
  • Reader-writer mode
  • P2P communication mode
  • *

    at 13.56MHz, 25℃

Three modes of operation
Reader/Writer Mode

Mode that allows smartphones to be used as reading devices

Application examples
  • Poster advertisements (the same use as QR codes)/Sending or extracting settings or logs from data collection devices for thermometers or pedometers/Rewriting electronic price tags
  • Pairing with Bluetooth® devices
Card Emulation Mode

Mode that allows smartphones to be used as tags and embedded devices to be used as readers

Application examples
  • Security locks (combined use of card and smartphone)
  • Electronic payments in stores/Membership or loyalty cards for fitness or other clubs
Peer-to-Peer Mode

Mode that allows smartphones to operate at the same level as embedded devices

Application examples
  • Data exchange between smartphones
  • Data exchange between smartphone and PC
  • Sending Wi-Fi® settings to embedded devices

What does NFC mean?

NFC is an abbreviation for "Near Field Communication". NFC is an international standard for near field communication technology that uses the 13.56 MHz frequency band. It enables communication between NFC-enabled devices when they are brought close together. NFC is enabled in many of the public transport IC cards, credit cards, smartphones, etc., and is widely used in everyday life.

Types of NFC standards

According to the specifications, the NFC standards fall into three types: Type-A, Type-B, and Type-F. SMK's NFC antennas support all types of NFC standards.

Type-A Type-B Type-F
Features NFC standard developed by NXP Semiconductors in the Netherlands NFC standard developed by Motorola in the USA.
Faster processing and better security are achieved with an integrated CPU.		 NFC standard developed by Sony in Japan.
Extremely high processing speed of approximately 0.1 sec is achieved while maintaining excellent security.
Examples of use
  • Cigarette purchase card "taspo", for identification of adults aged 20 and over (in Japan)
  • Public transport IC cards, such as"Oyster Card" (UK) or "Tmoney" (Korea)
  • Identification cards, such as passports, driver's licenses, Basic Resident Register Cards and Individual Number Card (Japan)
  • Public transport IC cards, such as "Navigo" (France)
  • Public transport IC cards, such as "Suica" or "PASMO", and electronic money, such as "Edy", "nanaco", "iD", or "QUICpay" (Japan)
  • Public transport IC cards, such as "Octopus" (Hong Kong)

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