NFC and RFID are changing the way we live our lives. Whether it is accessing information, making contactless payments or so much more, NFC and RFID are part of our everyday world.

As an IC manufacturer with a broad portfolio of semiconductors, microcontrollers, sensors and RFID/NFC tag ICs in markets, STMicroelectronics is actively engaged in the fields of NFC and RFID. The company has had numerous success stories that show how NFC is becoming ubiquitous.

Giuliana Curro, senior marketing and business development manager at STMicroelectronics, observed that NFC and RFID technology are two sides of the same coin, as NFC is built onto high-frequency RFID.

“It is the backbone, and is already trusted by the market,” Curro said. “NFC had been around for more than 15 years and is still in an emerging phase. Contactless payment and ticketing/access control are two of the main segments for NFC where it is well established.”

One recent project for STMicroelectronics was with NP Plastibell. Part of Clayens, a leader in processing polymers, composites and precision metal parts, NP Plastibell is a specialist in pharmaceutical packaging. ST and NP Plastibell collaborated on a pre-filled connected syringe based on the ST25TV NFC tag IC from STMicroelectronics.

“We have a collaborative approach with our customers,” said Curro. “Working together, we can use our joint expertise to bring to reality any idea they might have.”

There are many key advantages to implementing NFC tags on a syringe. Patients can find out when the medications were produced, see if they are still viable, access instructions on the website or You Tube, and learn about ingredients.

“It can also give directions on when to take the medication, or if there is a drug recall,” Curro added. “You can also have it dedicated to end users or medical staff. It can provide instructions on use, storage of the drug, and how to collaborate with the doctor. Once the product is in the market, it taps into the convenience of NFC through its ubiquitous deployment in smart phones makes it a winning choice in multiple industry segments. It has finally been recognized by industry segments.”

Curro said there were unique challenges with the NP Plastibell syringe, such as how to encapsulate the tag. The solution was to have the miniature NFC tag directly over-molded into the syringe by NP Plastibell.

“One challenge was to make sure the syringe could hold the tag without impeding the sy-ringe’s use,” Curro noted. “There were also tests to make sure that the functionality of the encapsulated tag was verified. A common challenge is miniaturizing of the antennas.”

Curro noted that for a similar project in a very different product, STMicroelectronics collaborated with fragrance specialist Paco Rabanne for the perfume industry’s first-ever connected perfume bottle powered by ST’s NFC contactless chip. In this case, the packaging for Phantom fragrance for men featured an embedded ST25TV NFC tag IC in the perfume’s cap, which connects to the online “Phantom Universe.”

“The Paco Rabanne application is an example of a similar path,” said Curro. “Paco Rabanne had the idea of connecting their Phantom brand through digital. Together with partners we brought to the table, we found the right way to encapsulate our tag IC onto their product. I’m sure they had bright ideas from their marketing point to see how the technology could bring a direct contact to their customers.”

“Innovative in the approach and futuristic in the fragrance and bottle appearance, Phantom brings a new dimension to users and a pathway to the digital universe, allowing them to meet their new Wingman,” said Fabien Leclercq, packaging development manager from Paco Rabanne, said in an-nouncing the new technology. “Our own luxury craftmanship, combined with high-tech knowhow and expertise from STMicroelectronics brought our vision to reality.”

So far, feedback from NP Plastibell’s customers is excellent, and there are opportunities to use this NFC technology for other medical applications.

“Once this technology is on the market, we can extend it to other medical products and so bring similar connected value to equipment such as surgical devices, implant  packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, and diagnostic devices,” said Matthieu Besse, R&D manager at NP Plastibell.

“It looks like they are having a lot of demand – they have been getting a lot of requests,” Curro reported. “We are forecasting such a bright future for this technology and we have built the capacity to sustain the growth of NFC technology. Today, this is giving us an edge in current market conditions. We worked on this a long time because we believe in the many capabilities of NFC for healthcare, luxury and beyond, and are ready to work with brands that want to embrace the connected world with us.”