The circuit exhibits 112 Mb/s data-rate, a dramatic improvement over traditional Radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems.

The communication system merges two radio techniques: impulse Ultra-Wide Band (UWB), used for data transfer, and narrow-band Ultra high frequency (UHF) signal, used for synchronization and remote powering.

The same circuit is able to manage physical layer communication at both ends of the communication link, i.e. the same front-end can be used either in the memory tag or in the reader. Moreover, the circuit may power itself from the narrow-band signal and provide power for an external non-volatile memory device. The circuit also includes a battery-powered mode to increase the reading distance.

CEA-Leti and NRC will deliver a presentation on the circuit at the 2010 Symposium on Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) Technology and Circuits. The 2010 VLSI Symposium will be held on June 15-18, 2010 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

About Nokia Research Center
Nokia Research Center (NRC) is chartered with exploring new frontiers for mobility, solving scientific challenges to transform the converging Internet and communications industries. Founded in 1986, NRC is Nokia's corporate research unit and as part of Corporate Development, drives Nokia's position as a technology thought leader. Further information on Nokia Research Center, its research focus areas and its geographical locations can be found at: http://research.nokia.com.