Smart cardsTechnology & Cybersecurity

The term "smart card" is commonly used to designate plastic security media of the same dimensions as a credit card, containing an integrated electronic circuit capable of storing or processing information. The AFNOR (Association Française de Normalisation) has adopted the term contact microcircuit cards, as the electrical interface of these cards is ensured by galvanic connections. Contactless interface cards, based on radio links, have been gaining ground for several years now, and have enabled the adoption of new form factors such as the electronic passport. Today, they are at the heart of growth with the adoption of contactless payment by a growing number of countries.

The smart card, which may seem to have been a long time in the making, is the cornerstone of IT security. It has now proved its worth in many areas of human activity, as a means of payment, identification on fixed (Internet-type), mobile (GSM or UMTS) or multimedia (pay-TV) networks, and authentication for government services (identity cards, electronic passports). The SIM card, or USIM, the key to accessing cell phone networks, and its Secure Element (SE) equivalent for the Internet of Things (IoT), with its smaller form factor, is probably the most widely used intelligent electronic component in the world (5.6 billion units sold in 2017!). Similarly, the microcomputer bank card, which has been in widespread use in France since 1992, has grown almost exponentially, with widespread use in Europe, Japan, China, as well as in the USA in a contactless version.

Thanks to continuous progress in semiconductor technology, manufacturing technology and the evolution of programming techniques, the smart card has undergone and continues to undergo considerable development. For many applications, the smart card and its variants are particularly well suited to the socio-economic challenges facing our society.

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the technological building blocks developed specifically for smart cards, and their importance in the reliability and physical and logical security of this product. The diversity of skills required to design smart cards, produce the electronic component and the card as a whole, and manufacture several billion cards a year, explains the strength of this industry and the potential it offers for the future.

In electronics and IT, there are a large number of abbreviations and English terms, which are listed as such at the end of the article.