Alien Technology
Encyclopedia
Alien Technology is a manufacturer of RFID technology. The company is headquartered in Morgan Hill, California
, with a RFID tag manufacturing facility in Fargo, North Dakota
, the Alien RFID Solutions Center, in the Dayton, Ohio
area, and sales offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. As of August 2010, Alien employs approximately 235 people. Alien produces (EPC) Class 1 and Class 1 Gen 2 RFID inlays, tags and readers designed for use in manufacturing lines, warehouses, distribution centers, and retail stores.
Due to potential applications in a wide variety of mass-produced electronic devices, the company received funding and technical support from a number of other manufacturers, such as DuPont Displays
and Philips Components
. The company has established relationships with Wal-Mart
, the United States Department of Defense
, The Gillette Company, Hewlett-Packard
, IBM
, Unisys
, VeriSign
, Manhattan Associates, Microsoft
, The Kennedy Group, Nashua Corporation
, NCR Corporation
, Zebra Technologies
, and Paxar.
by Prof. John S. Smith.
, Fargo, North Dakota
, and Dayton, Ohio
.
The main manufacturing plant was located in the NDSU Research and Technology Park on the North Dakota State University
campus and housed the Tag Assembly Line, Tag and Label Testing, Quality Assurance, Nanoblock Assembly, Shipping and Receiving, and Fargo offices. NDSU made a partnership with the company to help NDSU's Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) develop wireless remote RFID micro sensors for Military and Civilian use. The facility closed in June 2009.
, Ohio University Center for Automatic Identification, Wilberforce University
, Wright State University
and the University of Cincinnati
have created partnerships with this site for research into RFID technologies, internships for students, and continuous faculty training.
s (ICs) flow through a liquid solution and are distributed across a flexible film. The surface of the film is shaped micro-embossed receptor holes into which the ICs settle. The shape of the ICs and the corresponding holes are such that the ICs fall into place and self-align, hence the term Fluidic Self Assembly. After the nanoblock ICs have been placed in the substrate web, straps are made using screen printing techniques to create large contact pads of conductive ink with electrical connection to the ICs. When a strap is coupled with an IC it usually resembles a very tiny metallic bow tie. The added strap also allows for easier handling of the very small ICs and the conductive surface area makes connecting the circuits easier and more reliable. Also see; http://rfidsoup.pbwiki.com/Fluidic%20Self%20Assembly These methods vastly increases the amount of ICs that can be processed, increasing through-put and lowering cost.
(HiSAM) is the name given to a specialized type of high volume RFID inlay production machine. The first machine was purchased at a cost of approximately US$1.2 million and delivered to Alien Technology in May 2005. HiSAM machines are also referred to as High Speed Rotary Bonders (HRB). This equipment is made in Japan and was invented and produced by the process automation engineering
company Hallys Corporation. As of October 14, 2006, four HiSAMs were ordered for delivery by Alien Technology. These special machines are used for handling, sorting, and bonding the IC straps with antennas to create finished inlays. The machines are extremely fast and capable of processing and production in very high volume — approximately 10 antennas per second or 600 inlays per minute — at very low cost.
Morgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California, United States. Founded on November 10, 1906, the city was named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Franciscan who built a country retreat home there in 1884...
, with a RFID tag manufacturing facility in Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, the Alien RFID Solutions Center, in the Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
area, and sales offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. As of August 2010, Alien employs approximately 235 people. Alien produces (EPC) Class 1 and Class 1 Gen 2 RFID inlays, tags and readers designed for use in manufacturing lines, warehouses, distribution centers, and retail stores.
Due to potential applications in a wide variety of mass-produced electronic devices, the company received funding and technical support from a number of other manufacturers, such as DuPont Displays
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
and Philips Components
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
. The company has established relationships with Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, The Gillette Company, Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Unisys
Unisys
Unisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...
, VeriSign
VeriSign
Verisign, Inc. is an American company based in Dulles, Virginia that operates a diverse array of network infrastructure, including two of the Internet's thirteen root nameservers, the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains and the .cc and .tv country-code...
, Manhattan Associates, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, The Kennedy Group, Nashua Corporation
Nashua Corporation
The Nashua Corporation is an American company headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire that makes labels, specialty papers, and imaging products and services. On September 15, 2009, it was bought by Cenveo, Inc. As of early 2010, it had four factories in several states.It was formed in 1848 to make...
, NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation is an American technology company specializing in kiosk products for the retail, financial, travel, healthcare, food service, entertainment, gaming and public sector industries. Its main products are self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, check...
, Zebra Technologies
Zebra Technologies
Zebra Technologies is a manufacturer of thermal bar code label and receipt printers, RFID smart label printer/encoders, card and kiosk printers, based in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Zebra has products in 100 countries around the world...
, and Paxar.
History
Alien Technology was founded in 1994, but was conceived on the idea of making low-cost LCD screens. They changed their manufacturing focus to RFID products and services in 2000. From 1994 through 2000, Alien focused on continued development of Fluidic Self Assembly technology (FSA), invented at University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
by Prof. John S. Smith.
2000
- August — Began manufacturing of passive UHF RFID products, including tags and readers using FSA, in Morgan Hill, CaliforniaMorgan Hill, CaliforniaMorgan Hill is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California, United States. Founded on November 10, 1906, the city was named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Franciscan who built a country retreat home there in 1884...
.
2001
- October — Acquired all of the assets of Wave ID, a privately held company specializing in RFID technology development, via a corporate buy-out.
2002
- September — Stav ProdromouStav ProdromouStavro Evangelo "Stav" Prodromou is a Greek American businessman, and the founder and former chief executive officer of Poqet Computer Corporation...
is named the Chief Executive Officer http://www.alientechnology.com/newsevents/2002/press091602.php
2003
- January — Alien won an order from The Gillette Company for 500 million RFID tags. http://www.alientechnology.com/newsevents/2003/press010603.php
- February — North Dakota Senator Byron DorganByron DorganByron Leslie Dorgan is a former United States Senator from North Dakota and is now a senior policy advisor for a Washington, DC law firm. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party. In the Senate, he was Chairman of the Democratic...
issued a statement that Alien Technology would build a manufacturing plant in Fargo, North DakotaFargo, North DakotaFargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
which could employ over 1,000 people with an annual payroll exceeding $50 million http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=190230. - July — Announcement made that the North Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
Research and Technology Park would be the site for the planned expansion of its manufacturing operations in North Dakota.http://www.alientechnology.com/newsevents/2003/press071003.php
2004
- May — A temporary manufacturing facility, in Fargo, North DakotaFargo, North DakotaFargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
was opened to refine the company's manufacturing line.
2005
- January — Alien acquired Quatrotec LLC, a provider of integration services for baggage handling and screening systems used by the air transportation industry.
- May — The first High Speed Strap Attach MachineHigh Speed Strap Attach MachineThe HiSAM acronym for High Speed Strap Attach Machine and is attributable to Alien Technology who created the name given to this specialized type high volume RFID inlay production equipment....
(HiSAM), the center of the company's manufacturing line, was delivered the temporary Fargo Facility. - August — Ground breaking of the main manufacturing plant in Fargo took place 2.
- November — The RFID Solutions Center in Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
opens. - December — A Second HiSAM is ordered.http://www.secinfo.com/d14D5a.v2dPg.17.htm
2006
- January — Ohio State UniversityOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, Ohio University Center for Automatic Identification, Wilberforce UniversityWilberforce UniversityWilberforce University is a private, coed, liberal arts historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans...
, Wright State UniversityWright State UniversityWright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
and the University of CincinnatiUniversity of CincinnatiThe University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
announced partnerships with the RFID Solutions Center in Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. - April — The main manufacturing site in the North Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
Research and Technology Park in Fargo, North Dakota was opened. - June —June 2, Alien seeks declaratory judgment in federal district court in the District of North Dakota to disprove Intermec Patent Infringement.http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2386/ June 15, Alien Technology Corp. gets EPCglobal Certification Mark for its new ultra high frequency (UHF) Generation 2 RFID integrated circuit. June 29. Intermec Sues Alien Over IP.http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2469/1/1/
- August — Alien withdraws its Registration Statement for IPO, citing adverse market conditions for new IPOs was not ideal. 3 The following week, 50 of its 250 employees were laid off to reduce costs. A new HiSAM was delivered by Toray International to Fargo on the 30th.http://www.secinfo.com/d14D5a.v2dPg.17.htm
- November — Venture Beat, an industry magazine, reported that Alien Technology was looking for US$United States dollarThe United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50 million in venture capital to help subsidize the company since it withdrew its Registration Statement for IPO. At the time of the report, Alien had raised $15 million. It is also reported that alien had spent close to US$53 million in 2005. Since its inception Alien Technology had spent over $243 million in financing. http://www.venturebeat.com/wire/2006/11/06/rfid-co-alien-aiming-for-50m-more-to-get-out-of-hole/ Alien releases its own RFID Generation 2 chip design called "Higgs". http://www.alientechnology.com/docs/scan_data_capture_report_111006.pdf
2007
- With the additional financing required after withdrawing their IPO, Alien maintained the 3:1 reverse split on their stock and re-evaluated all shares to $0.32 (at the time of their IPO filing, their internal valuation was $12.10 per share). January 9, 2007 Alien Technology named George W. Everhart their new Chief Executive Officer. There is some speculation they may perhaps also be an acquisition target by a larger RFID player.
Facilities
There are three key facility locations for Alien Technology — Morgan Hill, CaliforniaMorgan Hill, California
Morgan Hill is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California, United States. Founded on November 10, 1906, the city was named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Franciscan who built a country retreat home there in 1884...
, Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, and Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
.
Morgan Hill
The Morgan Hill, California campus is split between two buildings. The first building houses the company's Head Office and the second building houses Advanced Research and Design, NanoBlock Development, and RFID Reader Development and Assembly.Fargo
The Fargo, North Dakota campus was originally split between two buildings as well. The first building was a temporary manufacturing facility opened in 2004. Due to the opening of the main manufacturing plant, the original facility was converted for continued development of their High Speed Strap Attach Machine and storage of finished products. This facility was closed in January 2006.The main manufacturing plant was located in the NDSU Research and Technology Park on the North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
campus and housed the Tag Assembly Line, Tag and Label Testing, Quality Assurance, Nanoblock Assembly, Shipping and Receiving, and Fargo offices. NDSU made a partnership with the company to help NDSU's Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) develop wireless remote RFID micro sensors for Military and Civilian use. The facility closed in June 2009.
Dayton
The RFID Solutions Center in Dayton, Ohio consists of one building. It consists of a simulated warehouse, distribution center and storage environments, classrooms for University educational programs, and the Alien RFID Academy used to train end-users on how to effectively use RFID. A high-speed conveyor, a pallet stretch-wrapper, a forklift and other equipment have been outfitted with RFID readers for testing and training. Ohio State UniversityOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, Ohio University Center for Automatic Identification, Wilberforce University
Wilberforce University
Wilberforce University is a private, coed, liberal arts historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans...
, Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
and the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
have created partnerships with this site for research into RFID technologies, internships for students, and continuous faculty training.
Fluidic Self Assembly and screen printing
In this process, specially shaped "nanoblock" integrated circuitIntegrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s (ICs) flow through a liquid solution and are distributed across a flexible film. The surface of the film is shaped micro-embossed receptor holes into which the ICs settle. The shape of the ICs and the corresponding holes are such that the ICs fall into place and self-align, hence the term Fluidic Self Assembly. After the nanoblock ICs have been placed in the substrate web, straps are made using screen printing techniques to create large contact pads of conductive ink with electrical connection to the ICs. When a strap is coupled with an IC it usually resembles a very tiny metallic bow tie. The added strap also allows for easier handling of the very small ICs and the conductive surface area makes connecting the circuits easier and more reliable. Also see; http://rfidsoup.pbwiki.com/Fluidic%20Self%20Assembly These methods vastly increases the amount of ICs that can be processed, increasing through-put and lowering cost.
High Speed Strap Attach Machine
The High Speed Strap Attach MachineHigh Speed Strap Attach Machine
The HiSAM acronym for High Speed Strap Attach Machine and is attributable to Alien Technology who created the name given to this specialized type high volume RFID inlay production equipment....
(HiSAM) is the name given to a specialized type of high volume RFID inlay production machine. The first machine was purchased at a cost of approximately US$1.2 million and delivered to Alien Technology in May 2005. HiSAM machines are also referred to as High Speed Rotary Bonders (HRB). This equipment is made in Japan and was invented and produced by the process automation engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
company Hallys Corporation. As of October 14, 2006, four HiSAMs were ordered for delivery by Alien Technology. These special machines are used for handling, sorting, and bonding the IC straps with antennas to create finished inlays. The machines are extremely fast and capable of processing and production in very high volume — approximately 10 antennas per second or 600 inlays per minute — at very low cost.
Vulnerabilities
Alien RFID reader devices are prone to a security-bypass vulnerability, because the Alien account has the same default password for all RFID readers. Remote attackers can use this information to authenticate to the device. Successful exploits may allow attackers to gain privileged access to the device or network; other attacks may also be possible. ALR-9900 is vulnerable; other models may also be affected.Competitors
- Avery DennisonAvery DennisonAvery Dennison Corporation is a global manufacturer and distributor of pressure sensitive adhesive materials , office products, and various paper products....
- ImpinjImpinjImpinj, Inc. is a manufacturer of radio-frequency identification technology. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The company was started based on the research done at the California Institute of Technology by Carver Mead and Chris Diorio...
- IntermecIntermecIntermec Inc. is a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of Automated identification and data capture equipment, including barcode scanners, barcode printers, mobile computers and RFID systems....
- PhilipsPhilipsKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
- SAMSys
- ST Microelectronics
- Symbol TechnologiesSymbol TechnologiesSymbol Technologies is a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of mobile data capture and delivery equipment. The company specializes in barcode scanners, mobile computers, RFID systems and Wireless LAN infrastructure. Symbol Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola, and headquartered in...
- Iaito Infotech
- Texas InstrumentsTexas InstrumentsTexas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
- Tyco InternationalTyco InternationalTyco International Ltd. is a highly diversified global manufacturing company incorporated in Switzerland, with United States operational headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey...
- UPM RaflatacUPM (company)UPM-Kymmene Corporation is a Finnish pulp, paper and timber manufacturer. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation and Repola Ltd and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996...
- Wirama
External links
- www.alientechnology.com — Alien Technology