Alien Technology Unveils Hot Trio of Leading RFID Technologies for Improved Performance and Low Cost

Alien Technology announced a trio of new high-performance, best-in-class technologies led by the low-cost Higgs4 Integrated Circuit (IC).

The Higgs 4 IC boasts the industry’s highest sensitivity rating and enables best-in-class read accuracy and rates, optimized user memory, advanced security features and a sleek design targeted at cost-sensitive applications. The Higgs 4 IC provides up to a 20 percent sensitivity improvement over competitive products and a new industry-leading price point for rapidly expanding mature and emerging markets.

Complementing the Higgs 4 IC are Alien’s innovative mobile handheld reader that delivers true mobility with industry-leading receive sensitivity, and four new inlay antennas that deliver exceptional range, reliability and price/performance for a broad range of RFID applications.

With its improved performance and smaller footprint, Alien’s new Higgs 4 IC is projected to become the flagship product for Alien’s RFID family and will begin sampling in June. The new IC is targeted at converters, packaging suppliers, service bureaus, inlay manufacturers and end-user customers that need exceptional value with no compromises. With unique tag identification and extended memory capabilities, the Higgs 4 IC enhances RFID applications that include item-level tracking of apparel, electronics, sporting goods, luxury items, pharmaceutical drugs, spirits and tobacco.

“Based on benchmark testing, the Alien Higgs 4 IC builds on the heritage of Alien’s industry-leading Higgs 3 IC that currently powers Alien’s Squiggle portfolio of technologies,” said Peter Green, CEO of Alien Technology. “With this new smaller, lower-cost IC, Alien meets customer demand by staying ahead of the competition in performance and sensitivity for passive RFID tags.”

Next, Alien’s new ALH-900x family of mobile handheld readers delivers best-in-class receive sensitivity, enhanced interference rejection and a compact ergonomic footprint with high read rates for demanding retail, supply chain, manufacturing and other asset-management applications.

Additionally, the Squiggle member of Alien’s inlay family continues to provide exceptional range, reliability and price for a broad range of traditional and innovative RFID applications. The newest additions to the family include the Squiglette (ALN-9630), H (ALN-9627), Squig (ALN-9610) and SIT (ALN-9613), which all deliver outstanding EPC Gen2 performance and reliability in narrower, compact form factors that make them ideal for item-level applications.

Key features of the new Alien Higgs 4 IC include:

Authentication: The Higgs 4 IC has a 64-bit Unique Tag ID (UTID) that is programmed at the factory and can’t be altered. This security feature allows the manufacturer to ensure the authenticity of any product it sells — particularly important for products that are subject to counterfeiting, diversion and tax or duty fraud. Higgs 4 IC also has Alien’s Dynamic authentication features to defeat production at unauthorized silicon foundries or counterfeiting of the chip itself.

Memory: Higgs 4 IC delivers memory flexibility that goes beyond EPC Gen 2 standards for 96- and 128-bit records. Higgs 4 IC also offers block-level, data-access passwords, enabling accelerated block programming commands. The new IC has 128 bits of user memory that allows it to support legacy part-numbering structures, service records and chain of custody requirements such as e-pedigree. The user memory can be subdivided into blocks and assigned read and write passwords, allowing the IC to contain both public and private data.

Sensitivity: Providing another best-in-class feature, the Higgs 4 IC improves upon the industry-leading, interference-rejection performance of the Higgs 3 IC. These improvements result in higher read rates, optimal performance in noisy Radio Frequency environments, smaller tags and greater read range.

Following June samples, general availability for the Alien Higgs 4 IC is scheduled for late September. Like the Higgs 3 IC that has been shipping since September 2008, the Higgs 4 will be available in several packaging options, including inlays and flip chip wafers.

“The introduction of the Higgs 4 IC is a powerful advance for Alien and the industry. We’ll continue to offer both the Higgs 3 IC — with its 800 bits for those applications requiring larger memory and the Higgs 4 with its lower cost and enhanced sensitivity. Each will be available in a single package that gives customers the flexibility to choose among their desired features,” said Steve Smith, CTO and founder of Alien Technology.