AN2972

Application note
How to design an antenna for dynamic NFC tags

Introduction
The dynamic NFC (near field communication) tag devices manufactured by ST feature an
EEPROM that can be accessed either through a low-power I2C interface or an RF
contactless interface operating at 13.56 MHz. Both short-range (ISO/IEC 14443 Type A)
and long-range (ISO/IEC 15693) standards are supported.

Figure 1. Dynamic NFC tags

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Dynamic NFC tag can be used in many applications, with the requirement that the
processor features an I2C interface.
This application note intends to:
• explain the basic principle of passive RFID
• describe the basics of a 13.56 MHz inductive antenna design
• provide guidelines for a successful integration, from design to production.
Table 1 lists the products concerned by this application note.

Table 1. Applicable products

Type Applicable products

Dynamic NFC tags ST25DV-I2C, ST25DV-PWM, M24LR and M24SR series Dynamics NFC Tags

March 2019 AN2972 Rev 9 1/26

www.st.com 1
Contents AN2972

Contents

1 Operating mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2 Basic principles and equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.1 Passive RFID technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.2 Simplified equivalent inlay circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Basic equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4 Optimum antenna tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3 How to design the antenna on a PCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3.1 Inductance of a circular antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
3.2 Inductance of a spiral antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
3.3 Inductance of a square antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.4 eDesignSuite antenna design tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.5 PCB layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.5.1 Length of the connections between dynamic NFC tag chip
and antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.5.2 Ground, power, and signal layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.5.3 Metal surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

4 How to check the NFC/RFID dynamic NFC tag

antenna tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.1 Antenna tuning measurements with a network analyzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.2 Antenna measurements with standard laboratory tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

5 From design to production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

6 Revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

2/26 AN2972 Rev 9

AN2972 List of tables

List of tables

Table 1. Applicable products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Table 2. K1 and K2 values according to layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Table 3. Frequency compensation examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 4. Document revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

AN2972 Rev 9 3/26

3
List of figures AN2972

List of figures

Figure 1. Dynamic NFC tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Figure 2. Dynamic NFC tag operating mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 3. Dynamic NFC tag chip power mechanism in RF mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure 4. Power transfer versus reader/dynamic NFC tag orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 5. Communication from the reader to the tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 6. Communication from tag to the reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 7. Equivalent circuit of the dynamic NFC tag chip and its antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 8. Equivalent circuit of the dynamic NFC tag chip mounted on a loop antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 9. Tuning the dynamic NFC tag antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 10. Spiral antenna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 11. Square antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 12. Antenna user interface screen design module of eDesignsuite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 13. Correct PCB layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 14. Bad implementation - Example 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure 15. Bad implementation - Example 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 16. Not recommended implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 17. Acceptable implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 18. Effect of metal surfaces on the antenna frequency tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Figure 19. Measurement equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 20. Example of the resonant frequency response of a prototype antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Figure 21. ISO standard loop antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Figure 22. Setting up the standard laboratory equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Figure 23. Example of a frequency response measurement of a prototype antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Figure 24. Application examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 25. Detuning effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Figure 26. Impact of housing/packaging material on RF communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4/26 AN2972 Rev 9

AN2972 Operating mode

1 Operating mode

The integration of dynamic NFC tag in an application is a straightforward task: on the I2C
side, the device must be connected to a master I2C interface (like any serial I2C EEPROM
device), on the RF side, the dynamic NFC tag chip needs to be connected to an external
antenna to operate.

Figure 2. Dynamic NFC tag operating mode

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The design of an antenna for dynamic NFC tag is based on the placement of a loop on the
application PCB. Its impedance matches the device internal tuning capacitance value
(Ctuning) to create a circuit resonating at 13.56 MHz. The basic equation of the tuning
frequency is:
1
f tuning = --------------------------------------------------------------------
2Π × L antenna × C tuning

AN2972 Rev 9 5/26

25
Basic principles and equations AN2972

2 Basic principles and equations

Definitions

Tag : the dynamic NFC tag chip mounted on the PCB and connected to its antenna.
Reader : an electronic device able to communicate with tags in RF mode.

2.1 Passive RFID technology

The ISO 15693 and ISO 14443 RF protocols used by dynamic NFC tag devices
manufactured by ST are based on passive RFID technology, operating in the high frequency
(HF) range, at 13.56 MHz.

Power transfer
When the dynamic NFC tag chip operates in RF mode, it is powered by the reader. No
battery is required to access it in RF mode, neither in read nor in write mode. The dynamic
NFC tag chip draws all the power it needs to operate from the magnetic field generated by
the reader through its loop antenna.
The reader - tag system is similar to a voltage transformer, where the reader acts as the
primary winding, and the tag as the secondary winding.
Reader and tag are magnetically and mutually coupled to each other.
The energy transfer from the reader to the dynamic NFC tag chip depends on:
• how well the tag antenna is tuned, close to the reader's carrier frequency (13.56 MHz)
• the distance between the reader and the tag antenna board
• the dimensions of the reader antenna and of the tag antenna board
• the reader power
• the tag antenna orientation related to the reader antenna.

Figure 3. Dynamic NFC tag chip power mechanism in RF mode

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6/26 AN2972 Rev 9

AN2972 Basic principles and equations

When the dynamic NFC tag is placed in the RFID reader’s electromagnetic field, the amount
of energy powering the device is directly related to the orientation of the dynamic NFC tag
antenna and to the RFID reader antenna. Indeed, this energy depends on how the
electromagnetic field lines generated by the reader flow through the dynamic NFC tag
antenna (see Figure 4).
This directly impacts the read range, more in detail:
• the best configuration is obtained when the antennas are parallel and face each other
• the read range drops to zero when the antennas are perpendicular to each other
• any other orientation is possible and will result in different read ranges.

Figure 4. Power transfer versus reader/dynamic NFC tag orientation

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Data transfer
When placed in a reader’s magnetic field able to power it, the dynamic NFC tag chip
built-in circuitry demodulates the information coming from the reader (see Figure 5).

AN2972 Rev 9 7/26

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Basic principles and equations AN2972

Figure 5. Communication from the reader to the tag

   
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At the end of the request, the reader keeps the magnetic field non modulated to power the
tag, and allows it to generate an answer. To send its response back to the reader, the
dynamic NFC tag chip backscatters the data to the reader by internally modulating its input
impedance. Tag chip input impedance variation modulates the signal across the reader
antenna due to the mutual coupling between reader and tag antennas. The reader
demodulates this signal and decodes the tag answer.

Figure 6. Communication from tag to the reader

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All this is part of the standard protocol and is taken into account by the dynamic NFC tag
chip embedded circuitry and by the RFID reader’s electronics.

2.2 Simplified equivalent inlay circuit

Figure 7 shows the equivalent electrical circuits of the dynamic NFC tag and its antenna.
• Dynamic NFC tag chip is symbolized by a resistor Rchip representing its current
consumption, in parallel with a capacitor Ctun representing its internal tuning
capacitance and internal parasitics.
• Measuring a loop antenna impedance evidences a self-resonant frequency. The
corresponding equivalent model involves an inductance in parallel to a capacitance.
Cant represents the overall stray capacitance of the loop antenna (including the

8/26 AN2972 Rev 9

AN2972 Basic principles and equations

assembly), Rant the resistive loss of the antenna and Lant the self-inductance of the
loop antenna.

Figure 7. Equivalent circuit of the dynamic NFC tag chip and its antenna

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Cant, Rant and Lant are constants but the resulting impedance (their parallel combination) is
frequency dependent. At self-resonance frequency, the imaginary part of the antenna
impedance Zant is null and Zant is purely resistive. Below the self-resonance frequency, the
imaginary part of the antenna impedance is positive and the antenna behavior is inductive.
The equivalent inductance of the antenna is defined LA as LA = XA / ω for frequencies below
the self resonant frequencies (Zant = RA+ jXA).
At low frequencies, where the impact of stray capacitance Cant is negligible, LA= Lant
(self-inductance). However, at 13.56 MHz the impact of stray capacitance cannot be
neglected and LA > Lant.

2.3 Basic equations

Resonant frequency

Figure 8. Equivalent circuit of the dynamic NFC tag chip mounted on a loop antenna

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Figure 8 shows the equivalent circuit of an dynamic NFC tag chip mounted on a loop
antenna in the presence of a sinusoidal magnetic field. VOC represents the open circuit
voltage delivered by the antenna, which depends on the magnetic field strength, the
antenna size and the number of turns.

AN2972 Rev 9 9/26

25
Basic principles and equations AN2972

The tag antenna impedance is Zant = RA + jLAω, where LA is the antenna inductance.
The dynamic NFC tag chip impedance is given by ZS = RS + j x 1 / CSω, where RS
represents the power consumption of the chip, and CS represents the serial equivalent
tuning capacitance, both converted in serial model.
The resonant frequency of the equivalent RLC circuit is given by the condition LACSω2 = 1,
where (ω = 2 π f, f in Hz).

2.4 Optimum antenna tuning

The total impedance of the RLC circuit is Ztot = Zant + ZS.
At resonant frequency LACSω2 = 1, the total impedance is reduced to Ztot = RA + RS (the
total impedance of the antenna is minimal, the current inside the antenna and the voltage
delivered to the dynamic NFC tag chip are maximum), and the maximum energy is provided
to the device.
Figure 9 shows three examples of dynamic NFC tag antenna tuning.
Tag #2 is the best tuned for this application configuration.

Figure 9. Tuning the dynamic NFC tag antenna

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AN2972 How to design the antenna on a PCB

3 How to design the antenna on a PCB

A 13.56 MHz antenna can be designed with different shapes, depending on the application
requirements. As explained previously, the major parameter is the equivalent inductance LA
of the antenna at 13.56 MHz.
The stray capacitance is difficult to approximate, but for typical NFC/RFID products is in the
range of few pF.
For some antenna shapes, Section 3.1, Section 3.2, and Section 3.3 give useful formulas to
calculate the self-inductance Lant, even if the stray capacitance of the antenna is not
estimated.
Section 3.4 presents a calculation tool called Antenna Design, which is a part of the
eDesignsuite, to calculate equivalent inductance of rectangular antennas taking into
account an approximation of the stray capacitance.

3.1 Inductance of a circular antenna

r
× r × ln ⎛⎝ ----⎞⎠ , where:
1.9
L ant = μ0 × N
r0

• r is the radius, in millimeters

• r0 is the wire diameter, in millimeters
• N is the number of turns
• µ0 = 4 π · 10–7 H / m
• L is measured in Henry

3.2 Inductance of a spiral antenna

2 a2
L ant = 31.33 × μ0 × N × -----------------------, where (see Figure 10):
8a + 11c

• a = (rin + rout) / 2 (the average radius, in meters)

• c = rout - rin is the thickness of the winding, in meters
• µ0 = 4 π · 10–7 H / m
• L is measured in Henry
• N is the number of turns

AN2972 Rev 9 11/26

25
How to design the antenna on a PCB AN2972

Figure 10. Spiral antenna

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3.3 Inductance of a square antenna

2 d
L ant = K1 × μ0 × N × ---------------------------- , where:
1 + K2 ⋅ p

• d = (dout + din) / 2 in millimeters, where: dout = outer diameter

din = inner diameter
• p = (dout – din) / (dout + din) in millimeters
• K1 and K2 depend on the layout (refer to Table 2 for values)

Figure 11. Square antennas

Table 2. K1 and K2 values according to layout

Layout K1 K2

Square 2.34 2.75

Hexagonal 2.33 3.82
Octagonal 2.25 3.55

3.4 eDesignSuite antenna design tool

To easily develop the customer antenna, ST provides an antenna design tool, part of
eDesignsuite, available from the NFC product web page on www.st.com, to compute
rectangular antennas at 13.56 MHz.
After entering some parameters related to the PCB material and antenna dimensions, the
tool estimates the antenna equivalent inductance by calculating the self-inductance and
estimating the stray capacitance of the antenna.

12/26 AN2972 Rev 9

AN2972 How to design the antenna on a PCB

Figure 12. Antenna user interface screen design module of eDesignsuite

Figure 11 shows an example of antenna computation, the following parameters have to be

defined:
• Antenna geometry parameters
– Turns: number of complete turns (four segments per turn)
– Antenna length, in mm
– Antenna width, in mm
– Number of layers (1 by default)
• Conductor parameters (copper is used by default)
– Width of tracks, in mm
– Spacing between turns, in mm
– Thickness of the conductor, in µm
• Substrate parameters
– Thickness, in mm
– Dielectric permittivity
Once the antenna equivalent inductance has been calculated, a prototype can be produced.
The antenna design is validated measuring the antenna impedance (using an impedance
analyzer, a network analyzer or an LCR meter) or measuring the tuning frequency of the tag
using a contactless method (see Section 4).

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How to design the antenna on a PCB AN2972

3.5 PCB layout

3.5.1 Length of the connections between dynamic NFC tag chip

and antenna
The dynamic NFC tag chip must be laid out as close as possible to the antenna (a few
millimeters). Any additional wire/trace changes the antenna characteristics and tuning.

3.5.2 Ground, power, and signal layers

The layout of an inductive antenna on a PCB requires special attention:
• no copper planes above or below the antenna
• no copper planes surrounding the antenna.
Figure 13 shows what can be considered the optimal layout: the dynamic NFC tag chip is
close to antenna, the ground plane is far from it.

Figure 13. Correct PCB layout

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The energy transfer and the communication between the reader and the dynamic NFC tag
are suitable because no copper planes overlap the antenna.

Bad design examples

Figure 14 and Figure 15 show examples of incorrect design. In both cases, the
electromagnetic flux cannot flow through the antenna, consequently there is no energy
transfer between the reader and the dynamic NFC tag antenna.

Figure 14. Bad implementation - Example 1

14/26 AN2972 Rev 9

AN2972 How to design the antenna on a PCB

Figure 15. Bad implementation - Example 2

Figure 16 shows an example of a not recommended implementation. The electromagnetic

flux is greatly attenuated by the short-circuited loop surrounding the dynamic NFC tag
antenna.

Figure 16. Not recommended implementation

Figure 17 shows an acceptable implementation, here the antenna and the ground plane do
not overlap.

Figure 17. Acceptable implementation

AN2972 Rev 9 15/26

25
How to design the antenna on a PCB AN2972

It is recommended to allocate a dedicated area of the PCB layout to the antenna only, with
no surrounding ground layer, as shown in Figure 13.

3.5.3 Metal surfaces

When the antenna is placed close to a conductive surface, its self-inductance decreases. As
a consequence, the tuning frequency of the NFC/RFID tag increases, as shown in
Figure 18.

Figure 18. Effect of metal surfaces on the antenna frequency tuning

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In addition to the tuning frequency drift, the tag quality factor decreases.
When an antenna designed to work in free space has to operate close to a metal surface,
the frequency tuning drift must be compensated to get 13.56 MHz tuning frequency in the
environment.
This can be achieved designing a new antenna with a larger equivalent inductance or
adding an external tuning capacitance to the existing antenna.
Table 3 shows an example of tuning frequency drift compensation using an external cap.

Table 3. Frequency compensation examples

ANT1-M24LR16E with 74 pF
Features ANT1-M24LR16E
in parallel to the antenna

Antenna size 45 mm x 75 mm 45 mm x 75 mm
Frequency tuning in the air 13.7 MHz 7.5 MHz
Frequency tuning close to the
25 MHz 14 MHz
metal surface (1)
Read range in the open air (1) 7.5 cm 0.5 cm
Read range close to the metal
No detection 2.5 cm
surface(1)(2)
This antenna is tuned to operate This antenna is tuned to operate
Status
in the open air close to metal
1. The measurement has been done with the CR95HF RF transceiver board from M24LR-Discovery kit.
2. The measurement has been done on an antenna stuck on the full metal table.

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AN2972 How to design the antenna on a PCB

Antenna redesign results in an increased number of turns: this is possible only when
sufficient space is available on PCB, and requires time for the new development steps.
When antenna redesign is not possible, an external capacitance has to be used.

AN2972 Rev 9 17/26

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How to check the NFC/RFID dynamic NFC tag antenna tuning AN2972

4 How to check the NFC/RFID dynamic NFC tag

antenna tuning

Different parameters can impact the tuning frequency of the NFC/RFID tag:
• antenna equivalent inductance computation precision
• length of the connexion between the device and its antenna in application
• antenna environment (metal surface, ferromagnetic materials close to the antenna).
It is then needed to check the resonant frequency of the NFC/RFID tag by measurement in
the final application conditions.

4.1 Antenna tuning measurements with a network analyzer

The tuning frequency of the dynamic NFC tag antenna can be measured using a network
analyzer with a loop probe.
The RF electromagnetic field is generated by connecting a loop probe to the output of the
network analyzer set in reflection mode (S11 measurement).
Loop probe can come from the market, or be a self-made single turn loop made with a
coaxial connector and a copper wire twisted at the end. Building the loop probe like this
makes it possible to adjust the size of the loop to the size of the tag antenna for a better
coupling during the measurement.

Figure 19. Measurement equipment

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This equipment setup will directly display the system’s resonant frequency.

Experiments
The following list of parameters shows an example of instrument setup for measurement:
• start frequency: 5 MHz
• end frequency: 20 MHz
• output power: - 10 dBm
• measurement: reflection or S11
• format: log magnitude.
Place the antenna within the field generated the loop probe connected to the network
analyzer. During the measurement, loop probe and tag antenna are magnetically and
mutually coupled. In presence of the tag, the mutual coupling causes a change in the loop
probe impedance.

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AN2972 How to check the NFC/RFID dynamic NFC tag antenna tuning

At resonant frequency of the tag, loop probe impedance resistance reaches the maximum
while the reactance returns to the self-resonance value; the loop probe impedance is nearly
50 Ω, evidenced by a minimum on the S11 curve.

Figure 20. Example of the resonant frequency response of a prototype antenna

12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15

13.56 MHz
S11 Log
magnitude
(dB)

Frequency (MHz) Resonant frequency (13.56 MHz)

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4.2 Antenna measurements with standard laboratory tools

The antenna resonant frequency can also be measured with standard laboratory equipment
like a signal generator, an oscilloscope and two standard loop antennas.

Experiment setup
Connect the first ISO 10373-7 standard loop antenna (see Figure 21) to the signal
generator, to generate an RF electromagnetic field.
Connect the second ISO 10373-7 standard loop antenna to the oscilloscope (see Figure 22)
by using either a standard oscilloscope probe (1 MΩ or 10 MΩ input impedance) or a 50 Ω
BNC cable (oscilloscope input set to 50 Ω in this case).
Note: The ISO 10373-7 standard antennas can be replaced by self-made single turn loop
antennas, whose size can be matched to the tested tag.

Figure 21. ISO standard loop antenna

ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 outline

72 mm × 42 mm coil connections
1 turn

i15819

AN2972 Rev 9 19/26

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How to check the NFC/RFID dynamic NFC tag antenna tuning AN2972

Figure 22. Setting up the standard laboratory equipment

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Experiments
Place the tag in front of the loop antenna connected to the signal generator.
When a magnetic field is present, a current flows into the tag antenna, this current
generates a magnetic field, which is captured by the second loop antenna connected to the
oscilloscope. At the tag resonant frequency, the current flowing into the tag antenna, the
magnetic field generated by the tag antenna and the voltage amplitude displayed by the
oscilloscope are at their maximums.
Set the signal generator to output a sine wave with a peak-to-peak amplitude in the range of
200 mV. Starting from 5 MHz, increase the signal generator frequency until you reach the
maximum amplitude of the signal measured with the oscilloscope, then the signal generator
frequency corresponds to the resonant frequency of the tag.
Figure 23 provides the frequency response curve of the prototype antenna, which is based
on measurement of the received signal amplitude at different frequencies.

Figure 23. Example of a frequency response measurement of a prototype antenna

Resonant frequency = 13.56 MHz

Voltage on
the second
ISO 10373-7
antenna

12 12.5 13 13.5 14 14.5 15

Frequency (MHz) ai17300

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AN2972 From design to production

5 From design to production

Designers must expect some differences between the theoretical and the real performance
of the antenna on the PCB in the end application. Here are a few considerations.

System level validation

Take great care when validating the antenna tuning for the various application use cases,
programming traceability information on the manufacturing line, performing inventory of
several end-products in the warehouse and reading data (end user).
Different reader profiles result in distinct performance levels on a given dynamic NFC tag
board.

Figure 24. Application examples

ai17184

Considerations on the actual system tuning frequency

Even though all readers transmit at 13.56 MHz, the optimal tuning frequency of the
M24LRxx or ST25DVxx antenna is not necessarily 13.56 MHz.
Some mutual mechanisms such as detuning/coupling between the reader antenna and the
tag antenna may lead to an dynamic NFC tag chip antenna with an optimum tuning
frequency different from 13.56 MHz.
A good example is ST’s reference antenna (Gerber files available from www.st.com), whose
tuning frequency is 13.74 MHz(a) to provide the best performance with the FEIG
ELECTRONIC MR101 reader.

a. Using the method described in Section 3.5.3: Metal surfaces.

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From design to production AN2972

The read range varies, depending on whether the dynamic NFC tag board is read alone or
stacked with others (detuning effect). Figure 25 illustrates the detuning effect.

Figure 25. Detuning effect

The vicinity of another dynamic NFC tag board may change the inductance dynamics. The
boards may couple with each other, leading to a resultant antenna resonant frequency
different from the individual one.
These are just examples of what may induce a difference between theory and real use
cases. They are meant to emphasize the need for real life validation of antenna designs.

PCB manufacturing process validation

The PCB fabrication parameters (such as the copper or epoxy layer thickness) have an
impact on the antenna inductance. Variations happen if the parameters of the PCB
fabrication process change or in case of a change of PCB supplier.

Product packaging/housing considerations

The read range of the dual interface dynamic NFC tag board can be greatly affected by the
housing of the final product.
The most obvious case is when a metallic housing is used. The product packaging then
behaves as a Faraday cage, preventing the reader energy and signal from attaining the dual
interface EEPROM device.
The housing also influences the PCB antenna’s tuning frequency, for this reason, it is
always recommended to measure the RF performance of the application in the final product
configuration.

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AN2972 From design to production

Figure 26. Impact of housing/packaging material on RF communication

Nonconductive housing: Conductive housing:

Dual interface EEPROM RF communication OK no RF communication

ai17301

Process flow
• Design:
– Start from the dual interface EEPROM’s internal tuning frequency (Ctuning).
Hint: check the device datasheet.
– Calculate the theoretical Lantenna value based on Ctuning and ftuning.
Hint: use the simplified models in this application note or other more sophisticated
models developed in the RF literature.
– Define the antenna dimensions.
– Compute the theoretical antenna design and layout.
• Prototyping
– Define an antenna matrix with different values centered around the targeted
Lantenna value.
Hint: select 6 to 10 antennas with inductances that vary around Lantenna by steps
of 5 %.
– Fabrication of the antennas and dynamic NFC tag chip mounting.
For each prototype:
– Measure the antenna tuning frequency.
– Measure the read range with all types of selected RFID readers.
– Measure the read range in configurations close to the actual product usage.
• Industrialization
– Characterize the tuning frequency dispersion on a significant number of samples.
– Measure the read range of the lowest and highest tuning frequency boards with
various readers and in the various configurations.
– Validate that the selected target Lantenna value is appropriate versus the process
variation.
• Production
– Process monitoring

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Revision history AN2972

6 Revision history

Table 4. Document revision history

Date Revision Changes

26-May-2009 1 Initial release.

Modified:
– Introduction
– Section 2.1: Passive RFID technology
06-Aug-2009 2 – Section 2.2: Simplified equivalent inlay circuit
– Section 2.4: Optimum antenna tuning
– Section 3.3: Inductance of a square antenna
Added: Section 5: From design to production
Corrected equation allowing to compute the tuning frequency on
18-Aug-2009 3
cover page.
Figure 3: Dynamic NFC tag chip power mechanism in RF mode,
Figure 5: Communication from the reader to the tag and Figure 6:
Communication from tag to the reader modified.
Section 3.5: PCB layout added.
Section 4.1: Antenna tuning measurements with a network analyzer
04-Sep-2009 4 and Section 4.2: Antenna measurements with standard laboratory
tools modified.
Considerations on the actual system tuning frequency added. PCB
manufacturing process validation modified.
Product packaging/housing considerations and Process flow added.
Small text changes.
Document classification level changed to public.
11-Feb-2010 5 Power transfer updated in Section 2.1: Passive RFID technology.
Section 2.4 title modified.
M24LR64-R replaced by M24LRxx-R and M24LRxxE-R on the cover
page, then by M24LRxx (see Note:).
Moved former third and fourth paragraphs on the cover page to
21-Dec-2012 6 Section 1: Operating mode.
Added Table 1: Applicable products.
Added Section 3.5.3: Metal surfaces.

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AN2972 Revision history

Table 4. Document revision history (continued)

Date Revision Changes

Updated:
– Introduction
– Section 1: Operating mode
– Section 2: Basic principles and equations
– Section 3: How to design the antenna on a PCB
– Section 4: How to check the NFC/RFID dynamic NFC tag antenna
tuning
– Figure 1: Dynamic NFC tags
– Figure 3: Dynamic NFC tag chip power mechanism in RF mode
– Figure 4: Power transfer versus reader/dynamic NFC tag
orientation
– Figure 5: Communication from the reader to the tag
– Figure 6: Communication from tag to the reader
17-Jan-2017 7
– Figure 7: Equivalent circuit of the dynamic NFC tag chip and its
antenna
– Figure 8: Equivalent circuit of the dynamic NFC tag chip mounted
on a loop antenna
– Figure 11: Square antennas
– Figure 13: Correct PCB layout
– Figure 14: Bad implementation - Example 1
– Figure 15: Bad implementation - Example 2
– Figure 16: Not recommended implementation
– Figure 17: Acceptable implementation
– Figure 22: Setting up the standard laboratory equipment
– Table 1: Applicable products
– Table 3: Frequency compensation examples
24-Jul-2018 8 Updated Table 1: Applicable products.
Updated Section 3.2: Inductance of a spiral antenna.
04-Mar-2019 9 Updated Figure 10: Spiral antenna.
Minor text edits across the whole document.

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 AN2972

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