NXP achieves quantum leap with infrastructure reader IC CLRC663

The reader infrastructure is at the heart of many identification applications. It delivers the convenience and efficiency of contactless technology to customers and end consumers alike by ensuring security, performance, low power consumption and ultra-fast transactions times on a 24/7 basis. Supporting all 13.56-MHz contactless standards, NXP’s new reader IC is compatible with all established smart card, smart tag and smart label technologies, including NFC Forum Tag Types and MIFARE products. It ensures best-in-class interoperability with the billions of smart cards, electronic documents and NFC-enabled phones based on NXP technology.



The intelligent groundbreaking new low-power card detection feature introduced by NXP greatly improves power efficiency and realizes energy savings for customers, taking into account the growing need to reduce energy consumption. It enables the reader terminal’s microcontroller to go into sleep mode while still polling for cards, thus ensuring energy-efficient operation.



Working intensively with key industry players, NXP designed the CLRC663 to provide a contactless reader IC solution that enables its partners to bring future-proof readers to their markets. “With the new CLRC663 contactless reader IC, NXP is helping us to take our veriCLASS, identiCLASS, pivCLASS and iCLASS SE access control readers to the next level,” said Dr. Selva Selvaratnam, chief technology officer at HID Global. “It combines the necessary standard compliance with roboustness, low power consumption and performance needed for various access applications.“



Edmund Chang, XAC’s founder and CEO agrees: “For a POS-manufacturer, compliance to standards like EMVCo2.01 is a must. By using the CLRC663 we achieve this easily without using any external booster. In addition, POS readers equipped with the CLRC663 will be able to interoperate perfectly with NFC-enabled smartphones, enabling merchants to offer the infrastructure needed to participate in the expected enormous growth of mobile payments.”



“The CLRC663 underlines NXP’s commitment and experience in contactless infrastructure products by supporting the main contactless standards paired with readiness to support NFC peer-to-peer based applications,” said Henri Ardevol, vice president and general manager, secure transactions, NXP Semiconductors. “With the availability of the CLRC663, NXP continues to lead the enhancement of contactless infrastructures, which form a foundation for connected, convenient and secure access to applications.”



The CLRC663 uniquely combines high RF performance with a very small HVQFN33 package, ensuring large and reliable read ranges, as well as energy- and resource-efficient implementations. It is supplied by 5V for POS and AFC implementations, or by 3V for energy-efficient battery-powered operations. Offering a read/write device fully compliant with ISO/IEC 14443 A&B, ISO/IEC 15693, ISO/IEC18000-3 Mode3 and FeliCaTM and supporting NFC initiator mode in peer-to-peer communication, the CLRC663 sets a new standard for high-performance multi-protocol contactless reader ICs.



Key benefits of CLRC663:



Compliance to all 13.56-MHz standards

Supporting higher baud rates up to 848 kbits for high-speed transactions paired with convenient long APDU-handling

NFC-ready due to NFC Forum TagType and peer-to-peer initiator mode support

Maximum performance and stability over large supply voltage range

Supports direct connection to an SAM for security applications

Integrated MIFARE support and ISO/IEC14443 end user licenses

Small footprint with its HVQFN33 package

Designed to easily pass payment and eGovernment certifications

Shorter integration time due to global and qualified design-in support by NXP and its distribution partners



Currently the industry leader in the overall Identification market as well as in infrastructure applications, NXP delivers complete system solutions for customers’ contact and contactless readers which cover a very wide range of applications including POS terminals, physical access, set-top-boxes, laptops and accessories, as well as industrial use. NXP’s strong position with reader technology ensures best-in-class interoperability with NFC-enabled smartphones, banking cards or eGovernment documents equipped with NXP’s smart card ICs and NFC chips.



Visitors to CARTES & IDentification, Paris (Paris, Nov. 15-17, booth 4J 035, Hall 4) will see NXP’s reader technology in many demos showcasing the added value that ID solutions can bring to applications at home, at work, in transit and at leisure. The new CLRC663 is part of the NFC-enabled smart meter demonstrator presented by NXP and Landis+Gyr.