TI's untra-thin chip module enables production of high-quality graphics-rich branded contactless cards

Banks are increasingly offering new graphics-rich contactless cards to differentiate their brand and stay “top of wallet” with consumers. Over the next few years, banks will issue more than 50 million opaque contactless cards annually with the expectation that number will double in 2010 (ABI Research). Using the new TI ultra-thin module, the industry’s thinnest contactless payment chip, card manufacturers can create thinner PVC pre-laminate sheets for the contactless layer. The 280um (11mil) ultra-thin module enables the creation of pre-laminates as thin as 345um (13.6 mil). This allows the card manufacturers to print the card’s colorful artwork on thicker print stock while maintaining the 680-840um (26.8-33.1 mil) ISO standard for card thickness. Thicker print stock makes these complex cards more durable and able to survive multiple passes through a printing press during standard card manufacturing processes, translating to higher yields of finished cards.

“With the new ultra-thin design of our contactless payment module, card manufacturers can achieve higher production yields, while keeping bank customer satisfaction high and giving them the flexibility to bring to market a new range of exciting new card products” said Trevor Pavey, manager of contactless payment at Texas Instruments.

“The new ultra thin module developed by Texas Instruments will allow printing on much thicker core stocks. This development supports the use of more complicated artwork on contactless cards, thus enabling intricate designs rivaling the best art seen on conventional cards today,” said Jean Francois Durand, Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations for Oberthur Technologies of America Corp. “These powerful designs are extremely important to promoting card and brand recognition in the banking card industry.” TI’s ultra-thin module operates at extremely low power, delivers a fast transaction speed (typically 120 milliseconds) and is developed with a highly sensitive radio frequency chip (see www.ti.com/waveandgo) to enable a successful transaction the first time a customer taps the card to the payment reader. The module and payment application software operate in dynamic Card Verification Code (CVC) transaction authorization mode which offers issuers the highest level of security available.

“The use of the TI ultra-thin contactless payment module integrates TI’s radio frequency performance into a thin new design that enables our banking customers to create unique contactless cards with high-quality, bold new graphics that keep their products ‘top of wallet’ with consumers,” said Matt Smoczynski, VP of Marketing of Perfect Plastic Printing. “We are really excited about the flexibility this ultra-thin packaging brings to our contactless product offering.”