Government ID, Smart Cards, Identification and Authentication

Atmel introduces new microcontrollers

Monday, November 9, 2009

Atmel Corporation announced a new family of secure microcontrollers targeting the highest security level for smart objects and systems. The new AT90SO family offers a range of interfaces to bring security to various applications including USB e-tokens, femtocells, smart meters, secure data storage, telehealth and gaming platforms.

Built around Atmel’s secureAVR microcontroller technology, this new AT90SO family provides a higher level of security, performance and lower power consumption than current offerings in the market.


The AT90SO128, Atmel’s first member of this new family, is built around the secureAVR 8-/16-bit rapid, low-power RISC architecture with 288 KB of ROM, 128 KB of EEPROM and 12 KB of RAM. These features make the secure system-on-chip (SoC) compatible with the most demanding firmware developments.

Additionally, all the standard cryptography algorithms (AES, DES/TDES, RSA, ECC) are supported by embedded dedicated accelerators which are compatible with Common Criteria EAL4+ and FIPS 140-2 certifications–International computer security certifications. This product comes in a variety of interface and peripherals including ISO7816, hi-speed SPI, full-speed USB 2.0, I2C compatible and GPIOs. With the secured real-time clock, all applications are stamped with a reliable time stamping to ensure a reliable time and date indication. [end] 

Atmel Corp. announced availability of an AVR microcontroller (MSU) with an RFID reader block and 16kBytes of in-system self-programmable flash.

The Atmel ATA5505 is one of the industry’s first MCU that features full low-frequency (LF) RFID reader functionality within a single package, unlike others where the MCU and RFID reader are located in two different packages. This translates into customers being able to develop and manufacture small, low-cost reference PCBs for various reader types.

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Infineon Technologies has released the first samples of its 65 nanometer embedded flash (eFlash) microcontrollers for chip card and security applications.

Co-developed by TSMC, the microcontroller features a 65 nm footprint that provides greater efficiency over former IC technologies, according to Infineon. The partners have also announced the development of new 300 mm wafers as a more efficient alternative to 200 mm models.

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Atmel Corp. extended its RFID family with the launch of a low-frequency (LF) one-time programmable (OTP) transponder IC optimized for animal identification systems for pets, wildlife or livestock.

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Collis announced the launch of a complete terminal test suite for the U.S. and Canadian markets, the Collis Merchant Test Suite.

The software modules comprising the Collis Merchant Test Suite – Collis Brand Test Tool and Collis Card Simulator – are combined to offer an all-in-one EMV contact and contactless solution for merchants, processors and acquirers that are involved in the development, testing and deployment of acceptance devices.

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HID Global unveiled the latest addition to its portfolio of RFID tags, with the announcement of the IronTag 176 ultra-high frequency (UHF) transponder.

This durable tag is suited for tracking a variety of metal parts and equipment. Originally designed for tracking aircraft parts during assembly and maintenance, the IronTag endures the harsh conditions of manufacturing and processing as well as vehicle and equipment operation.

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In an effort to increase the security of the current EMV chip and PIN, SmartMetric has created an EMV card enhanced with biometrics.

The SmartMetric Chip & Biometric EMV Card incorporates fingerprints to activate the card. It’s designed to increase the security of standard EMV chip and PIN cards, which SmartMetric claims are still vulnerable to fraud attacks, even though they are safer than a magnetic stripe card.

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