NXP Announces 200 μm Contactless Module for ID Documents

NXP Semiconductors has announced a new contactless chip module aimed at passport and ID card applications. Called the MOB10, the solution is 200 μm thick, which NXP Semiconductors says is equivalent to about four strands of human hair.

The solution supports polycarbonate material, and NXP says it’s designed for compatibility with existing production processors, which should help to bring it to market embedded in new ID document solutions. The MOB10 is compatible with ISO/IEC 14443 and ICAO 9303 standards.

In a statement announcing the solution, NXP Secure Identification Business Line General Manager Sebastien Clamagirand said his company is “experiencing increased demand for slimmer solutions that can meet the future embedding requirements needed to produce thinner, and more cost-effective identity documents.” Clamagirand went on to assert that the MOB10 offers a uniquely impactful solution as it is “the world’s thinnest contactless chip module.”

The thin contactless chip module’s announcement comes amid growing excitement about biometric passports and identity cards, and given NXP’s partnership with biometric algorithm software specialist Precise Biometrics earlier this year, that could point toward integrations into such biometric solutions in MOB10’s future.