NFC is just a method of communication between two devices at short distance. What makes the NFC antenna design simple or easy? If you know much about antennas, the first question you might ask is what is the operating frequency of NFC. It turns out that these devices operate around 13.56 MHz. The corresponding wavelength is 22 meters long – this means to get a nice half-wave dipole antenna (that radiates well) we would need a device about 11 meters in length.
The global Near Field Communications (NFC) market is growing rapidly. In fact, in 2011 alone, 30 million NFC-equipped handsets shipped worldwide. Championed by mobile phone handset manufactures, the integration of NFC into phones allows for many new, exciting applications. These applications include using a mobile phone to make payments at the cash register and wirelessly transfering paperless receipts to your phone after a purchase. Not limited to phones, NFC technology is being integrated in security access and control systems, used for peer-to-peer file sharing applications, transit transportation payment systems, point of sale terminals and credential storage and exchange (such as electronics business cards).
One of the major challenges of integrating NFC into a product´s system is having confidence the antenna will meet the requirements of the NFC standard required. As an antenna supplier, it is critical to understand these standards. When integrating an antenna, size, shape, and material selection is critical to the design-in process. Pulse offers experience in understanding these requirements and testing to the standards to ensure compliance.
