Smart Card Hardware

To build your own smart card you can either work with a full-service smart card manufacturer who has the know-how and equipment to take your software and return finished cards. Or you can work directly with a chip manufacturer to produce smart card chips or modules which contain your software and then work with an embedder to put your module into a card.

Smart card manufacturers include

Dai Nippon, Gemplus, Gieseke & Devrient, Intercard, Landis & Gyr, Oberthur, Orga, Exponcard, I'M Technologies, Samsung, SchlumbergerSema, Solomon and Tianjin, Worldtronix.

Chip manufacturers include: Advanced Logic, Atmel, Dallas Semiconductor, Hitachi, Infineon, Inside Technologies, Microchip, NEC, Philips, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, Toshiba and Xicor.

Embedders include Micromodular Data Solutions, Integrated Card Technology, ACG, and NBS.

Of course if you're really into doing it yourself and the folks downstairs don't mind a little noise, you can make your own smart cards: Muehlbauer (http://www.muehlbauer.de), Meinen, Ziegel & Co. (http://www.meinen-ziegel.com).

STMicroelectronics publishes a nice set of data sheets on their chips. Look under Smartcard ICs on http://www.st.com.

Good articles on the various physical attacks that are mounted on smart cards can be found at the following two sites:

• http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/Research/Security/tamper
• http://www.cryptography.com/dpa/technical/index.html