AS3956 NFC Sensor Interface Tag IC
NFC to SPI/I²C Interface Tag IC
Features
- Fully compliant to NFC Forum T2T standalone, T4T with ext. microcontroller & ISO 14443A
- Tunneling and extended modes with SPI and I²C for fast data transfer
- 4kbit industrial grade EEPROM memory
- Energy harvesting up to 5mA @ 4.5V
- Available as bare die, thin WL-CSP (0.3mm height), MLPD-10
Benefits
- Standalone NFC passive tag functionality
- High endurance EEPROM memory reaches industrial grade quality
- Allows battery-less designs
- Fast system integration and high speed data transfer
- No external component required
Product parameters
Frequency [MHz] | 13.56 |
---|---|
Protocol | NFC Forum compliance and ISO 14443A compliance and EMVCo |
Supply Voltage [V] | 1.65 to 5.5 |
Temperature Range [°C] | -40 to +125 |
Interface | ISO14443A \ SPI slave interface up to 5 Mbit/s \ I²C slave interface up to 1 Mbit/s |
EEPROM [kbit] | |
EEPROM [kbit] | 4 |
Features | Type 2 Tag \ Type 4 Tag emulation \ Passive wake-up interrupt \ 32-bit password memory protection \ Silent mode \ Energy harvesting 5mA @ 4.5V |
Data Rate [kbit/s] | 106 |
Package | MLPD-10, WL-CSP |

General Description
AS3956 Dynamic NFC Sensor Tag IC meets industrial-grade quality standards and provides very high reliability in mission-critical applications and in end products with a long operating lifetime.
Thanks to a high sensitivity ISO14443A frontend and high integrated resonance capacitor, AS3956 offers standalone NFC passive tag functionality in a small form factor. The AS3956 dynamic tag acts as a contactless bridge between sensors and any NFC reader, such as a smartphone, through a host microcontroller.
Fast system integration and high speed data transfer are guaranteed by the available SPI and I²C interfaces and by optimized protocols (Tunneling mode and Extended mode), allowing bidirectional communication between the device microcontroller and an external NFC compliant device or ISO14443A reader device. AS3956 is able to operate fully powered by the RF field, without any external supply. This, combined with an advanced energy harvesting feature, greatly increases battery life time or even allows battery-less designs.
Not Recommended for New Designs
ams AG is discontinuing production of this device.

This product suits for the following applications:
- Industrial and Internet of Things (IoT) applications exposed to harsh operating conditions and extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to +125°C
- Products requiring an extended operating lifetime, such as HVAC equipment, medical and healthcare devices, wireless sensors for civil infrastructure
- Mission-critical products that require a zero failure rate
- Feature and biometric payment cards

Technical Documents
Type | Description | Language | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Datasheet | Document version 1-11 | English | ||
User Guide | Demokit User Manual | English |
Environmental Documents
Type | Description | Language | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
RoHS Certificate | RoHS Certificate_AS3956 | English |
Notifications
Type | Description | Language | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
EoL Notification | AS252x, AS36xx, AS37xx_AS3956 (issued 2019-Sep) | English | ||
Product Change Notification | PCN37-2018 (AS3956) | English | ||
Product Change Notification | PCN25-2018 (AS3956) | English |
Other Information
Type | Description | Language | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Block Diagram | AS3956 Block Diagram | English | ||
Factsheet | Industrial IoT (2017-10) | English |