Infineon has recently completed the acquisition of France Brevets and Verimatrix’s NFC patent portfolio. The NFC patent portfolio consists of nearly 300 patents issued by multiple countries, all related to NFC technologies, including active load modulation (ALM) embedded in integrated circuits (ics), and technologies that enhance the ease of use of NFC for user convenience. Infineon is currently the sole owner of the patent portfolio. The NFC patent portfolio, previously held by France Brevets, is now fully under infineon’s patent management.

The recent acquisition of the NFC patent portfolio will enable Infineon to quickly and easily develop innovative solutions for customers in some of the most challenging environments. Potential applications include the Internet of Things, as well as secure identity authentication and financial transactions through wearable devices such as bracelets, rings, watches and glasses. These patents will be applied to a booming market — ABI Research expects more than 15 billion devices, components/products based on NFC technology to be shipped between 2022 and 2026.

NFC equipment manufacturers often need to design their equipment into a specific geometry using specific materials. Moreover, size and security constraints are stretching the design cycle. For example, integrating NFC functionality into wearables typically requires a small annular antenna and a specific structure, but the size of the antenna is not consistent with the size of traditional passive load modulators. Active load modulation (ALM), a technology covered by the NFC patent portfolio, helps overcome this limitation.