The MIFARE MF0ICU1 has been developed by NXP Semiconductors to be used in a
contactless smart ticket or smart card in combination with a Proximity Coupling Devices
(PCD) in accordance with ISO/IEC 14443 A. It is intended for use as single
trip or limited use tickets in public transportation networks, loyalty cards or day passes for
events as a replacement for conventional ticketing solutions such as paper tickets,
magnetic stripe tickets or coins.
As the usage of contactless proximity smart cards becomes more and more common,
transport and event operators are switching to completely contactless solutions. The
introduction of the MIFARE Ultralight for limited use tickets may lead to a reduction of
system installation and maintenance costs. Terminals may be less vulnerable to damage
and mechanical failures caused by ticket jams. MF0ICU1 can easily be integrated into
existing schemes and even standard paper ticket vending equipment can be upgraded.
This solution for low cost tickets can help operators to reduce the circulation of cash within
the system.
The mechanical and electronical specifications of MIFARE Ultralight are tailored to meet
the requirements of paper ticket manufacturers.
1.2 Contactless energy and data transfer
In the MIFARE system, the MF0ICU1 is connected to a coil with a few turns. The
MF0ICU1 fits the TFC.0 (Edmondson) and TFC.1 (ISO) ticket formats as defined in BS
EN753-2.
TFC.1 format tickets are supported by the MF0ICU10 chip which features a 17 pF on-chip
resonance capacitor.
The smaller TFC.0 format tickets are supported by the MF0ICU11 chip which features a
50 pF on-chip resonance capacitor.
1.3 Anticollision
An intelligent anticollision function enables simultaneous multicard operation. The
anticollision algorithm individually selects each card and ensures correct execution of a
transaction with the selected card without interference from another card in the field.
1.3.1 Cascaded Unique IDentification (UID)
The anticollision function is based on an IC individual serial number called Unique
Identification (UID) for each IC. The UID of the MF0ICU1 comprises 7 bytes and supports
ISO/IEC 14443-3 cascade level 2.
1.4 Security
- 7-byte UID in accordance with ISO/IEC 14443-3 for each device
- 32-bit user definable One-Time Programmable (OTP) area
- Field programmable read-only locking function per page
1.5 Delivery options
MF0ICU1 can be delivered in packaged or wafer form. Refer to delivery type description for more information.
