1997-04-18 , E/IC-484/340

Smartcards are increasingly being used in hand portable equipment such as GSM phones as well as in fixed equipment applications such as ATM machines, set-top boxes and point-of-sale terminals. To meet the low-voltage low-power requirements of battery powered portable equipment, Philips Semiconductors has introduced a unique smartcard interface IC that operates at supply voltages as low as 3 V and has a typical sleep-mode current consumption of only 70 µA.

The features of  TDA8002 Smartcard Interface IC are based on GSM11.11, EMV (Europay™, Mastercard™, Visa™) and ISO 7816 standards. In addition, it includes supervisory circuits to detect fault conditions, and enhanced ESD protection on its three card I/O pins. "This makes it the most versatile, reliable and secure smartcard interface IC on the market", said Product Marketing Manager Jacques Potier of Philips Semiconductors, Caen, France, where it was developed.

The TDA8002's ISO 7816 compliant activation and de-activation sequences guarantee a smooth and orderly application of power supplies and clock signals to the card. Special circuitry ensures that the levels on the card I/O lines remain below the supply voltage when the card is powered up and powered down, eliminating any possibility of latch-up. Both synchronous and asynchronous data transfers are supported, allowing the TDA8002 to be used with a very wide range of memory cards and smartcards.

An on-chip dc/dc converter, which maintains the card supply at 5 V over the TDA8002's entire 3 V to 6.5 V operating voltage range, allows it to be used in 5 V or 3.3 V systems. Supervisory circuits continuously monitor both the card and system power supplies. If excess current drain, short-circuits or card removals are detected on the card side, or if the system supply voltage falls to an unacceptable level, the TDA8002 automatically initiates a card de-activation sequence and interrupts the system microcontroller. It also generates a system reset during power-up and power-down, with all card contacts guaranteed to be 'glitch-free' during these periods.

To save power when the card is inactive or removed, the TDA8002 has a low-power sleep mode in which its current consumption typically falls to below 70 µA. Even in sleep mode, however, its supervisory circuits, alarm output, card presence detector and interrupt output remain fully functional.

The TDA8002 is available in 28-lead SO or 32-lead LQFP package options, or in naked die form. Versions with two instead of three card I/O lines and 5 V only versions can also be supplied. Production quantities are available now.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world and the third largest supplier of discretes in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by systems labs.