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STMicroelectronics has introduced two new automotive NFC readers in its ST25R portfolio, delivering superior wake-up and detection range for enhanced user experiences. The ST25R500 and ST25R501 meet Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and Wireless Power Consortium requirements for digital key and center console applications for device pairing and engine start and wireless charging NFC card protection.
The new readers combine market-leading 2W peak output power and high receiver sensitivity, ensuring up to 70% greater interaction range than other readers in the market. The ST25R501, housed in a 4mm x 4mm QFN package, occupies 36% less PCB area and is the industry’s most powerful automotive NFC reader with the smallest outline, making it ideal for doorhandle and B-pillar modules. Both chipsets ensure outstanding RF performance, even with space-constrained antenna designs. They are AEC-Q100 qualified, NFC Forum CR13 compliant, and meet the stringent requirements of car and phone OEMs.
In addition to car access and start systems, ST’s ST25R500 and ST25R501 are used in NFC card protection on center-console Qi chargers, phone pairing, and data transfer. While the ST25R501 is optimized for space-constrained applications, the ST25R500 has higher continuous output power and is also suited to applications like keyfob charging. Both ICs support widely used protocols, including NFC-A, NFC-B (ISO14443A/B), and NFC-F (FeliCa™), as well as NFC-A/NFC-F card emulation for Qi charging NFC card protection.
ST demonstrated its new automotive NFC readers at Embedded World 2025, alongside other high-performance devices in the ST25R portfolio that supports creative use of the standardized short-range contactless technology in diverse scenarios. Among them, the latest ST25R300 for consumer and industrial applications provides output power of up to 2.2W that ensures strong connections in noisy environments. With ST25R300 and ST25R500, designers can position the antenna behind an LCD screen or inside machinery, cabinets, or doors.
Rene Wutte, head of automotive NFC reader marketing, STMicroelectronics, said: “The automotive readers we are announcing today are the subject of ongoing design activities with lead customers, covering a vast majority of accounts and including the major players in the automotive market. They simplify engineering challenges, allowing product development teams to focus on creating sleek, slim, and stylish designs that enhance the user experience by providing seamless and enjoyable contactless interactions between vehicle owners and their cars.”
The Marquardt Group, a high-tech company developing electrical and electronic products for automotive and other markets including household appliances, is an early customer for ST’s new devices. Johannes Mattes, globally responsible for access sensors at Marquardt, commented: “OEMs and device makers impose strict requirements on the range performance of automotive NFC equipment. In the past, we have needed to commit a great deal of time to passing those measurement points and there have been significant engineering risks. Using ST’s latest high-power readers in our new doorhandle module for digital access control enabled us to complete the design extremely quickly while also significantly boosting the performance compared to legacy products.”
The new readers benefit from enhanced noise suppression with very high receiver sensitivity, which lets the readers operate in harsh conditions while also simplifying electromagnetic immunity and easing certification. There is also dynamic power output with active waveshaping control on each power level, as well as diagnostics and NFC card protection features, including test outputs for easy non-intrusive debugging.
Dynamic power output automatically adjusts the transmitted power to compensate the detuning effects of different antenna sizes and distances, keeping within NFC Forum limits and ensuring the safety of tags. Active waveshaping helps to simplify compliance with the latest NFC Forum and mandatory CCC Digital Key requirements including monotonicity tests and signal over/undershoot limits. Developers can adjust the signal with simple register settings to meet these conditions, using the GUI available in ST’s software development tools.
Rich software libraries and APIs are available for all ST25R devices, including code for automotive applications including CCC digital key and RF abstraction layer (RFAL) middleware. The ST25R readers are also included in ST’s eDesignsuite tools, like the new PCB Thermal Simulator.
The ST25R500 is in production now, in a 5mm x 5mm QFN package, priced from $2.14 for orders of 10,000 pieces. The ST25R501 will be available in the third quarter of 2025, in an ultra-compact 4mm x 4mm automotive-grade QFN package. Pricing is from $1.93 for orders of 10,000 pieces.
ST’s ST25R NFC reader portfolio lets designers select the most suitable features to meet their needs and budget. The ST25R200 is an entry-level reader optimized for Reader+Tag and consumer applications. The ST25R300 industrial-grade reader with higher RF capability provides robust connectivity for applications such as payments, access control, and NFC charging. The ST25R500/501 automotive-qualified readers target applications such as keyless door-entry and in-car NFC.
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