™
Higgs-EC
With Sentinel™ Memory

High Sensitivity EPCglobal Gen 2 RFID Tag IC

Higgs-EC is a ground-breaking next generation single chip EPCglobal Gen 2 UHF RFID Tag IC thatprovides a huge leap in RFID capabilities and data quality especially in the highest volume applications that demand both best in industry performance and best in industry reliability.
Applications•••

FeatureRetail Item Level Tagging
Supply Chain Management
Vehicle Tracking•••

Product Authentication
Asset Inventory and Tracking
Baggage Handling and Tracking

Description

Benefit

A unique and robust error correcting
memory architecture. This architecture
detects and fixes single bit errors anddetects and flags dual bit errors.

The most robust memory in the RFID
industry. Immune to single bit errors (cosmicrays, chip damage etc). Provides customers
reassurance the stored data is protected anddata loss/corruption minimized.

Best in class read sensitivity-22.5 dBm

Best in class write sensitivity-19 dBm

Allows smaller tags to be designed or larger
read & write distances to be realized.

Best in class memory reliability

200,000 write cycles, two times thatof competitors

More robust memory for high-write
applications

96 and 128b EPC

Support EPC size up to 128b for
flexibility.

Additional 32b allows storing of larger
identifying information.

128b user memory

User memory for storage of additional
application data.

Enables Higgs-EC to be used in applications
where more memory is required unlike many
competitive IC’s.

Sentinel™
Memory™

™

Features:

Product Overview:›› Designed to meet EPCglobal Gen2 (VHiggs-EC offers a new approach to RFID. Higgs-EC leverages from the successful andproven Higgs family from Alien Technology® and now adds the industry’s most robust
memory architecture. As RFID tag volumes grow, even the small percentage of bit errors inherent to semiconductors becomes problematic. Higgs-EC provides a leapfrog
in RFID technology by providing self-correcting memory.

1.2.0) and ISO/IEC 18000-6C›› Worldwide operation in the RFID UHF
bands (840-960 MHz)›› 512-Bits of NVM/RAM Memory• Up to 128-EPC Bits (nominally 96 bits)• 128 User Bits
• 80 Bit Unique TID• 32 Bit Access and 32 bit Kill Passwords›› Pre-Programmed with a unique, unalterable 64-bit serial number›› User Memory can be Block PermaLocked as well as read password protected in 32 Bit Blocks›› Low power operation for both read andprogram›› QuickWrite™ / BlastWrite™- High-speed
chip & mass programming›› Dynamic Authentication™ - anti-cloning/anti-counterfeit technology›› Exceptional operating range, up to 13m
with appropriate antenna.
Draft - Subject to Change

Memory in Higgs-EC is protected by the “Sentinel” architecture that guards memory
by both detecting single bit corruption regardless of cause and then fixing the error.
As far as the tag user is concerned, the error never happened. Additionally Sentinel
detects two bits in error and notifies the reader if this ever happens.
Higgs-EC also provides class-leading read and write sensitivity enabling smaller
tags to be designed or tags to be used across longer distances from the RFID reader
antenna. Both read and write sensitivities are enhanced benefiting both types of applications.
Higgs-EC is fully backwards compatible with Alien’s other Higgs ICs. For example,
Alien’s mass-encoding capabilities (QuickWrite™ and BlastWrite™) and Aliens anticloning technology (Dynamic Authentication™) are supported.

Higgs-EC With Sentinel Memory
High Sensitivity EPCglobal Class 1 Gen 2 RFID Tag IC
Operating Conditions & Electrical Characteristics
SymbolParameter
Operating Conditions
TA
Operating Temperaturefin
Operating Frequency
Electrical Characteristics
SRSensitivity during Read

Conditions / Capability

Typ-50840
With 2dBi directivity ofdipole
With 2dBi directivity ofdipole

Sw

Sensitivity during Write

ISRPCPInterference Signal Suppression
Equivalent input parallel resistance At -22.5 dBm input power
Equivalent input parallelAt -22.5 dBm input power
Capacitance
Data Retention
Programming Cycles at 25°C

DretPcycl

MinMaxUnits+85
960°C
MHz-22.5dBm-19dBm-4
2,5000.85

dBOhmspF

50200,000Years
CyclesPhysical Die Characteristics
Dimensionxyz

Description
Horizontal die length
Vertical die height
Die thickness

Size490479150 ±10Units
μmμmμmDescription
User
Device Configuration
Unique Tag ID Unalterable
XTID*/TID EPC/TMD/TMDID/TMN
EPC #EPC-PC
EPC-CRCRES-Access Pwd, EPC optional
RES-Kill Pwd

MemoryNVM
ROM-NVM
NVMROMNVM
NVM
RAM
NVM
NVM

Bits

Memory Map
BankUser
TID

EPC

Reserved

Address
00h – 7Fh
80h – FFh
30h – 7Fh00h – 2Fh
20h – 9Fh
10h – 1Fh00h – 0Fh
20h – 3Fh00h – 1Fh

128
128
80
48*
128
16163232Higgs-EC follows the XTID TID format which manifests in an additional word between the manufacturer code and the UTID words versus
Higgs-3 and Higgs-4. To read the same UTID word in Higgs-EC as in Higgs-4, shift the read loacation by one word. All other memory banks areidentical to Higgs-4 (e.g. Reserved, EPC and User memory are the same as Higgs-4).
*Ordering Information
PartModel Number

Description

Higgs™ EC IC

ALC-380-IC

Bumped, Tested, Ground & Sawn IC’s. Provided on 8 Inch Wafer, UV Tape
Mounted (SEMI/JIS Standard Metal Film Frame)

Draft - Subject to Change

Higgs-EC With Sentinel Memory
High Sensitivity EPCglobal Class 1 Gen 2 RFID Tag IC
Wafer and Die Size and Orientation

Wafer TopDie Top

479 μm

GND

RF490 μm

Die Bottom

Wafer Bottom

April 25, 2016
Copyright© 2016 Alien Technology LLC. All rights reserved.
Alien, Alien Technology, the Alien Technology logo, Higgs, Sentinel, Dynamic Authentication, QuickWrite, BlockWrite, Squiggle, and the Squiggle logo are trademarks or registeredtrademarks of Alien Technology LLC in the U.S. and other countries.
HANDLING PRECAUTIONS Observe standard handling practices to minimize ESD.
DISCLAIMER Application recommendations are guidelines only - actual results may vary and should be confirmed. This is a general purpose product not designed or intended for any
specific application.
This product is covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents: 7967204, 7931063, 7868766, 7737825, 7716208, 7716160, 7688206, 7671720, 7659822, 7619531, 7615479, 7598867, 7580378, 7576656, 7562083, 7561221, 7559486, 7559131, 7554451, 7551141,7542301, 7542008, 7522055, 7500610, 7489248, 7453705, 7452748, 7425467, 7417306, 7411503, 7385284, 7377445, 7364084, 7353598, 7342490, 7324061, 7321159, 7301458, 7295114, 7288432, 7265675, 7262686, 7193504, 7173528, 7172910, 7172789, 7141176,7113250, 7101502, 7080444, 7070851, 7068224, 7046328, 6998644, 6988667, 6985361, 6980184, 6970219, 6952157, 6942155, 6933848. Other patents pending.
This product is licensed under patents of Round Rock Research, LLC, for use solely with UHF RFID Readers (such as Alien reader products) that are licensed under an agreement with Round Rock Research, LLC.

Draft - Subject to Change

Alien Technology
845 Embedded Way.
San Jose, CA 95138
www.alientechnology.com