Switch protects card from skimming
01 October 2008
The patented QTC (Quantum Tunneling Composite) technology is used to create a tiny, ultra-thin, pressure-sensitive switch that has to be pressed before the card can be read, ensuring that cards cannot be skimmed or read without the owner’s knowledge or permission.
QTC materials can transform from a virtually perfect insulator to a metal-like conductor, when deformed by
compression, twisting or stretching. In QTC materials, the metal particles do not come into contact but they do get close which allows for quantum tunnelling between the particles. In quantum tunnelling, an electron is seen as a wave rather than a solid particle. When the wave meets a barrier, or non-conductive material, the wave decays exponentially rather than instantly to zero. It may not reach zero before reaching the other side of the barrier, in which case it tunnels through the non-conductive barrier.
The transition from insulator to conductor follows a smooth and repeatable curve, with the resistance
dropping exponentially. Peratech (www.peratech.com) has used this capability to create what it calls a new
class of components for switching and sensing applications.
Contact Details and Archive...
Related Articles...
Most Viewed Articles...
Banner error!System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at IMLGroup.Control_Banner.CreateChildControls()