EEEK...RFID just got smaller

[spinbaby]

Hitachi shows off powder-sized smart tag

TOKYO - Tiny computer chips used for tracking food, tickets and other items are getting even smaller. Hitachi Ltd., a Japanese electronics maker, recently showed off radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips that are just 0.002 inches by 0.002 inches and look like bits of powder. They're thin enough to be embedded in a piece of paper, company spokesman Masayuki Takeuchi said Thursday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070222/ap_on_hi_te/japan_powder_chip;_ylt=AptZoLQxM4uo9nkLP_QbkXsDW7oF

[mmonk]

1. That's so wrong on many levels.

[Edweird]

2. Big brother in a big way.

[baldguy]

3. OMG!

In this photo released by Hitachi, Ltd., new radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips are placed next to a human hair (that's running horizontally) for comparison in Tokyo, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. Smart tags, or computer chips used for tracking items by relaying information wirelessly, are getting so tiny lately, the latest, billed as the world's smallest, is as invisible as a speck of dust. RFID chips looks like powder, measuring just 0.05 millimeters (0.002 inches) by 0.05 millimeters (0.002 inches), and are thin enough to be embedded in pieces of paper, company spokesman said Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007.(AP Photo/Hitachi, Ltd., HO)

In the food you eat, in the air you breath, in the clothes you wear, in the things you buy.....

[John Q. Citizen]

10. Every breath you take,

And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Ill be watching you

[Tesha]

4. You understand that, generally speaking, the smaller they get...

You understand that, generally speaking, the smaller they get,
the closer you have to be to them to read the data. For chips
this size, we're probably talking about essentially "contact"
reading.

This stuff isn't magic. And folks won't be able to read your
collection of RFID chips from feet away.

Tesha

[Mind_your_head]

7. Well, I guess that's 'okay' then.....

and I'm sure that the technologies will never get any better. :sarcasm:

[Tesha]

11. Physics is physics.

> Well, I guess that's 'okay' then.....
> and I'm sure that the technologies will never get any better.

It ain't a question of "technology", it's a question of
physics.

That itty-bitty chip simply can't accept or re-radiate
enough radio power to be detectable more than an infini-
tesimal distance away.

Think of it in these terms: no matter how technically
sophisticated gnats get, you will *NEVER* be able to
hear their farts from five feet away in a hurricane.

Tesha

[Mind_your_head]

13. Hey, nice 'straw man' argument you got there!

"Think of it in these terms: no matter how technically
sophisticated gnats get, you will *NEVER* be able to
hear their farts from five feet away in a hurricane."

A person using a Straw Man against a position will intentionally make a ridiculous caricature, one that only the most ignorant might believe.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lilyth/strawman.html

Who could have EVER guessed, for instance, that the use of physics would have computers evolve from huge room-sized behemoths using vacuum tubes, down to smaller transistor units, then down to integrated circuits, and now microprocessors for shear power and miniaturization??? The PHYSICS didn't change, the technologies did.

[Tesha]

14. Magical thinking...

> Who could have EVER guessed, for instance, that the
> use of physics would have computers evolve from huge
> room-sized behemoths using vacuum tubes, down to smaller
> transistor units, then down to integrated circuits, and
> now microprocessors for shear power and miniaturization???
> The PHYSICS didn't change, the technologies did.

And you accuse *ME* of a strawman argument?

There was nothing in the physics that said that computational
devices had to be bigger than some minimum size (well, until
we get down to the level of single electons) so there was
nothing saying that computers had to be room-sized.

The situation is different with radio waves. Radio waves of
a certain size need certain sized antennas if you're going
to send radio waves of a certain power level any distance
at all. The chips we're discussing are far smaller than that
minimum size and that's why they only work over what are
essentially "contact" distances.

If you believe otherwise, it's magical thinking on your
part. But it wouldn't be the first time when a DUer has
believed in magic over science. Any post that touches
any scientific topic is often full of people who spew
magical thinking over reality.

Tesha

[Mind_your_head]

16. Yes, gnats farting in hurricanes is "pretty out there" in strawman land

My computer example is true and accurate, and not 'magical thinking'.

I would suspect, that just like computers, the next generation of 'tagging' would not use RADIO signals (the "R" in RFID), but rather some other method of communication. (Just as you can only get vacuum tubes only so small, hence, they went to transistors, etc.) I can't even guess what that might be for tagging, but I feel quite confident, unfortunately, that there are currently some 'great minds' working on this 'problem' already.

[Tesha]

20. Actually, my example was very carefully chosen.

> Yes, gnats farting in hurricanes is "pretty out there"
> in strawman land

Actually, my example was very carefully chosen. The reason
you cannot hear a gnat fart is that their anuses are very,
very small and so do not emit much acoustic energy in bands
to which your ears are sensitive. Add in the background roar
of a hurricane, and there's no way that you'll ever hear the
anal-auditory emissions of a gnat.

The situation is much the same with these RFID chips. Compared
to the wavelength of a 2.4 GHz radio wave, these chips are
very small. Because of this, they can not efficiently
receive or transmit radio power at this frequency. Beyond
that, the 2.4 GHz band is a very noisy place, filled with
the roar of WiFi and Bluetooth wireless devices, cordless
phones, microwave ovens, wireless TV transmitters, and a
host of other things.

Tesha

[Tesha]

22. As I said: "Magic"

> would not use RADIO signals (the "R" in RFID), but
> rather some other method of communication.

Okay, name it. The electromagnetic spectrum is pretty
well understod, right from DC up to Gamma Rays and,
right now and for at least a little while, there's
no practical technology electromagnetic technology
that we can exploit to better the range of RFID dust.

The other three forces in the universe (the Strong
Nuclear Force, the Weak Nuclear Force, and Gravity)
don't appear to be at all productive for communications
for the next few years either.

As I implied: perhaps we'll just use magic, ehh? PFTID:
Pheonix Feather Transmission ID. Owlgrams. Whatever.

Tesha

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. And a hundred and ten years ago, physics proved that man would never fly.

Technology has been breaking unbreakable barriers at an ever accelerating pace over the past hundred years. As Arthur Clarke said, the scientist who says something is impossible is probably wrong - and the scientist who says something is possible is probably right.

[Tesha]

21. No, physics never did this. Some unimaginative humans did this. (NT)

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. And who knows what some imaginative humans have not yet

looked at?

Or do you think we've learned all there is to know about physics?

[Tesha]

24. I'm willing to bet that we understand Electromagnetic Fields well enough

I'm willing to bet that we understand Electromagnetic
Fields well enough to make usable predictions about
what's possible and what's not.

When chips process gamma rays, of course, then my
comments will no longer apply.

Tesha

[RaleighNCDUer]

25. Granted, and that's my point.

To misquote Rummy, there are things we do not know that we do not know.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. I understand, and...

the hysteria over this is misplaced.

Maybe some day we'll all be walking around with ID chips embedded, but it's science fiction for now.

This thing requires a multigigahertz frequency to activate it and send something back. To put it in perspective, cordless phones, with their three relatively large batteries in that pack, have a limited range and these things will obviously have much less-- with a range in millimeters. Cellphones working in lower frequencies have more range, but they connect with those huge antenna arrays and still use a lot of power.

And, while hacking would be difficult, it shouldn't be too hard to set up some sort of interference should someone want to.

So, for the intended uses of more reliable scanning, counterfeiting prevention and such, it looks like the Luddites should just let it go. It's some fascinating technology.

[WinkyDink]

18. Good luck with that element's not being addressed.

[Mind_your_head]

5. Fast Track to the "Surveillance Society"

<snip>
Invisible tracking brings to mind science-fiction-inspired uses, or even abuses, such as unknowingly getting sprinkled with smart-tag powder for Big Brother-like monitoring.

"We are not imagining such uses," Takeuchi said, adding that the latest chip is so new — and so miniature — Hitachi is still studying its possible uses.
<snip>
--------------

I wondering if in this new surveillance society that we are headed for, Will wealth be able to buy one privacy? Will privacy become a luxury? Perhaps it won't be available to anyone at 'any price', especially with emerging technologies such as this one cited in the article.

[Tesha]

6. Here's a press release from 2003 re: an earlier generation of chips

http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/030902.html



Tokyo, September 2, 2003-Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) today announced that it has developed a new version of its RFID µ-Chip embedding an antenna. When using Hitachi's original µ-Chip, one of the world's smallest RFID ICs measuring only 0.4mm X 0.4mm, an external antenna must be attached to the chip to allow external devices to read the 128-bit ID number stored in its ROM (Read-Only-Memory). This newly developed version, however, features an internal antenna, enabling chips to employ the energy of incoming electrical waves to wirelessly transmit its ID number to a reader. The 0.4mm X 0.4mm chip can thus operate entirely on its own, making it possible to use µ-Chip as RFID IC tags without the need to attach external devices. This breakthrough opens the door to using µ-Chips as RFID IC tags in extremely minute and precise applications that had been impractical until now. For example, the new µ-Chip can be easily embedded in bank notes, gift certificates, documents and whole paper media etc.

The µ-Chip, announced by Hitachi in July 2001, is one of the world's smallest IC chips at 0.4mm X 0.4mm. The chip data is recorded in read-only memory during the semiconductor production process, and therefore cannot be rewritten, thus guaranteeing its authenticity. Applications of the µ-Chip include a system for managing the SCM materials on sites, and entrance tickets for Expo 2005 Aichi Japan which opens on March 25, 2005.

The primary features of this revolutionary µ-Chip are as follows.
(1) A RFID IC chip measuring only 0.4mm X 0.4mm with built-in antenna
Despite its extremely small size, this µ-Chip has a built-in antenna to permit contactless communications (at very close proximity) with other devices without using an external antenna.
(2) No need for special manufacturing equipment
The antenna is formed using bump-metalization technology (used to create the electrical contacts of an IC), a process already widely used by semiconductor manufacturers, thus eliminating any need for specialized equipment.
(3) Complete compatibility with conventional µ-Chip
With ID numbers and support systems that are fully compatible with those of existing µ-Chip, the new chip is fully compatible with all systems that use current µ-Chip technology.

Hitachi plans to develop numerous markets for this chip that take full advantage of its outstanding features. Embedding the chip in securities, identification and other valuable documents such as vouchers offers a highly sophisticated means of preventing counterfeiting. Another high-potential application is agricultural products, where the chips can help ensure the safety of food by providing traceability of ingredients. Additionally, the chips can be embedded in business forms to automate logistics systems and many other business processes.

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 340,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2002 (ended March 31, 2003) consolidated sales totaled 8,191.7 billion yen ($68.3 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.hitachi.com.

[Tesha]

8. Here's the current press release...

http://hitachi.com/New/cnews/060206.html



World's smallest and thinnest 0.15 x 0.15 mm, 7.5µm thick RFID IC chip
- Enhanced productivity enabled by 1/4 surface area, 1/8th thickness -
chip


Tokyo, 6th February 2006 --- Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT / TSE:6501) today announced it has developed and verified operation of a 0.15 x 0.15 millimeter (mm), 7.5 micrometer (µm)*1 thick contactless IC chip, the smallest and thinnest in the world, to date. The chip is a smaller version of the 0.4 x 0.4 mm "µ-Chip"*2 currently being marketed by Hitachi, maintaining the same level of functionality. The distance between each circuit element was reduced by using SOI technology,*3 which has an insulating layer in the substrate, instead of the Si (silicon) only substrate currently being used. Compared to the 0.3 x 0.3 mm, 60µm thick IC chip*4(henceforth 0.3mm IC chip) announced by Hitachi in February 2003, surface area is reduced to a quarter of the original size. Developments in thin chip fabrication technology have also enabled the chip to be reduced to one-eighth the thickness of the 0.3mm IC chip, at the same time. This significant decrease in size, increases the number of chips which can be fabricated on a single wafer, thus increasing productivity by more than four times. Compared to the current product which was used at the 2005 World Exposition held in Aichi, Japan, productivity is increased by about 10 times. This technology is expected to open the way to new applications for contactless IC chips.

The µ-Chip is one of the world's smallest contactless IC chips which uses an external antenna to receive radio waves (2.45 GHz microwaves), and transforms it to energy to wirelessly transmit a 128 bit (1038) unique ID number. As the data is written during the fabrication process using ROM (Read-Only-Memory), it is impossible to rewrite the data and thus provides a high level of authenticity. The admission ticket system for the 2005 World Exposition, which had approximately 22,050,000 visitors, employed the µ-Chip, has a performance record of no incidence of confirmed forgery and 0.001% incidence of ticket recognition error. By taking advantage of the merits of compactness, high authenticity and contactless communication, and combining it with Internet technology, the µ-Chip may be utilized in a broad range of applications such as security, transportation, amusement, traceability and logistics.

Hitachi has been working on technology such as increasing communication distance and decreasing antenna size, whilst maintaining those merits, to enable a broader range of applications for the µ-Chip. The enhanced compactness and thinness of this new chip has further broadened the range of possible applications, including securities like gift certificates and a large variety of certificates. Further, as with the 0.3mm IC chip, the new chip has a double-surface electrode, and therefore despite its even smaller size, connection with the external antenna can be easily achieved, and high productivity maintained.

Features of the IC chip developed
(1) World's smallest size achieved through application of SOI technology
In the past, to prevent malfunction as a result of interference from neighboring devices, a wide device separation region was necessary around high frequency devices. Using SOI process, each device was surrounded by insulator, thus even when the devices were located in close proximity, interference between devices could be prevented and thus higher integration achieved on an even smaller area.

(2) Thin chip achieved through application of SOI technology
This was achieved by complete removal of the silicon layer on the reverse side of the SOI substrate on which the circuit is fabricated.

These results will be presented at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC 2006), being held from 5th - 9th February 2006, in San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

Notes
*1) 1µm = 1 micrometer; one thousandth of a millimeter (10-3 mm)
*2) "µ-Chip" and the µ-Chip Logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hitachi, Ltd. in Japan and in other countries.
*3) Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI): A new fabrication process technology receiving much attention as a method for increasing transistor performance efficiency. In the conventional fabrication process, a transistor is formed directly upon the silicon substrate. In the SOI process, an insulation layer and a monocrystalline silicon layer (referred to as silicon on insulator) is formed upon the base silicon substrate, and the transistor is formed on this SOI substrate. Parasitic capacitance and leakage current are significantly reduced compared to the conventional process, and therefore transistor performance is increased.
*4) The 0.3 x 0.3 mm, 60 µm thick double-surface electrode IC chip was presented at ISSCC 2003. It is different from the IC chip currently in mass production.


About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 347,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2004 (ended March 31, 2005) consolidated sales totaled 9,027.0 billion yen ($84.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com

[earth mom]

9. How are the people of this country "free" if they are spied on at every turn?!

Of course, this crap isn't reported by the corporate media whores and most of the public has NO clue. Every single day, they chip away at us and our rights-the bastards! :grr:

[kiahzero]

15. Here, have a hat.

:tinfoilhat:

:eyes:

[WinkyDink]

19. Yeah, but the foil is RFID'ed.

[earth mom]

27. Do yourself a favor and educate yourself and read 1984.

:eyes:

[MazeRat7]

26. There are several sites with information about RFID "Jammers" for the truly parinoid...

I know there are do-it-yourself "tag readers" for the technically minded.

The point is like any new technology... its going to be abused, mis-used, sometimes useful, definitely tampered with, and certainly made to do things the implementers never intended.

Thats the nature of the beast.

MZr7