AN12810

How to use the NanoVNA for the NFC reader antenna design
Rev. 1.0 — 21 April 2020 Application note
605210 COMPANY PUBLIC

Document information
Information Content
Keywords NFC, NFC antenna design, NFC antenna tuning, NanoVNA, NanoVNA Saver
Abstract This document describes the use of the NanoVNA for the NFC reader
antenna design.
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AN12810
How to use the NanoVNA for the NFC reader antenna design

Revision history
Rev Date Description
1.0 20200421 Initial version

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How to use the NanoVNA for the NFC reader antenna design

1 Introduction
Instead of using a high end impedance analyzer or vector network analyzer (VNA), there
are cheaper solutions available, which can be used instead. The high end VNA (like
for example, the ZVL, see [1]) allows for an easy and accurate measurement of NFC
antennas. They are flexible and powerful tools.
However, even with a simple tool like the NanoVNA (see [2] and Figure 1) a very
accurate measurement for the NFC antenna tuning can be done.

1. Example measurement setup

Figure 1. NanoVNA

This document describes the NanoVNA, its limitations, and how to use available PC SW
to extend the measurement features of the NanoVNA for the NFC antenna design.

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2 NanoVNA
The NanoVNA is easy to use. It provides touch display and a wheel / button as shown in
Figure 2 to control the measurement and display settings.
The USB-C connector can be used to load the battery and to connect the NanoVNA to
the PC (see [3]).

1. Select Wheel, On/Off switch, USB connector

Figure 2. Control I/O of the NanoVNA

For the NFC antenna tuning, only the S11 measurement is required and described. The
S11 measurement is used to determine the antenna loop inductance (which is required
to start the tuning process), and it is used to measure the tuning itself. All reference
measurements use the smith chart.
The NanoVNA can be set in such a way that it simply shows the smith chart. The marker,
which should be set to 13.56 MHz allows to easily read the required data. For a proper
reading and documentation, the use of a PC tool is recommended, for example, the
NanoVNA Saver (see [3]).

2.1 Preparation
The proper S11 measurement requires a proper connection and a proper calibration.
The low measurement frequency range from 10 MHz to 20 MHz allows the use of a very
simple but effective calibration.

2.1.1 Standard single pin row header

It is recommended to use a simple standard single pin row header for all measurements,
as shown in Figure 3.

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1. The 2-pin female header is connected via thin wires to Tx1 and Tx2 to protect the SMD pads.
Figure 3. Standard pin row header for all connection

The NXP NFC reader evaluation boards are prepared to cut off the antenna from the
tuning circuitry and to cut off the tuning circuitry from the main board. On each side of the
cutting line, there is the option to solder a standard single pin row header to reconnect
the parts again.
With this simple preparation, antennas with or without tuning circuitry can be easily
exchanged without soldering.
Normally it is a good solution to keep the tuning circuitry connected to the antenna loop.
The major part of the EMC filter and the Rx-path connection is assembled on the main
board. This part normally does not need to be changed at all. So all tuning can be done
on the tuning part, which can be kept connected to the antenna.
With this concept, different antennas with different tunings can easily be connected to the
main board without the requirement to solder anything.
The measurement cable can be prepared with a male 2-pin row header, which allows a
simple access to all measurement points:
• The antenna loop can provide a female 2-pin row header, which allows the antenna
loop inductance measurement.
• The Tx1 and Tx2 pins or preferably the related L0 pads can be connected to a female
2-pin row header via thin wires, as shown in Figure 3. These short wires have an
impact on the measurement, since they add some nH to the measurement. However,
this impact can be kept minor, as long as the wires are very short.

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2.1.2 Calibration
The S11 measurement requires a proper calibration. Some VNA tools offer a calibration
and a correction. The calibration is done at the measurement port, while the correction
adds some (mechanical or electrical) cable length.
For the NFC frequency range, the measurement can be simplified. A simple full 1-Port
calibration (Open, Short, and Load) with a self-made calibration kit is recommended, as
shown in Figure 4.

1. This typically works accurately enough for frequency <100 MHz.

Figure 4. Self-made calibration kit

Using the standard pin row header, as described in Section 2.1.1, the calibration kit is a
simple female pin row, where the short provides a short, the open provides “nothing” and
the load is done with standard SMD resistor. The photograph in Figure 4 shows two 100
Ω resistors in parallel instead to achieve the 50 Ω load.
This calibration is accurate in the given frequency range, since it calibrates the
measurement port in that plane, where the measurement takes place.

2.2 Stand-alone operation

The NanoVNA can be used stand-alone, as shown in Fig 5. The display is small but
accurate enough to see the smith chart plot. And the marker info reads the relevant
impedance data.

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1. S11 showing a tuned NFC antenna.

Figure 5. Stand-alone operation

2.3 Known limitations

Obviously the number of measurement points is limited to 101. This limitation requires to
either use a small sweep range (i.e. only 5 MHz) around the center frequency of 13.56
MHz. Such a small sweep range is recommended to be used in the stand-alone mode to
get a proper result.
Or the PC SW allows to measure a wider sweep range in segments of 101 measurement
points each. The NanoVNA Saver allows such an automatic scan in n segments, which
makes it very easy to measure a full sweep from 10 MHz to 20 MHz in, e.g., 7 segments.
That gives a very accurate measurement with e.g. 707 measurement in total. The
segments are added into one plot automatically.
The display size and the related resolution are limited, too. However, the display is very
clear and good enough to read and judge the results. And then the data can be retrieved
via USB to any other platform. So in case of the use of NanoVNA Saver, there is no
limitation in resolution anymore.

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3 NanoVNA Saver
There are several open source SW tools available to drive and read the NanoVNA. Here
in this document the NanoVNA Saver has been chosen (see [3]).

3.1 Driver
There is no driver installation required in MS WIN10. The NanoVNA automatically
connects as “USB Serial Device”, as shown in Fig 6.

1. No driver installation is required in WIN10.

Figure 6. Standard USB driver for WIN10

3.2 NanoVNA Saver installation

The NanoVNA Saver can be downloaded from [3]. It is licensed under version 3 of the
GNU General Public License, and comes without any warranty.
The Fig 7 shows a measurement result with a sweep from 10 MHz to 20 MHz with 707
measurement points, plotted in the smith chart.
There is no installation required, the SW simply can be started after download. It takes
a few seconds, when started, before the full screen shows up. The SW is available for
Microsoft Windows, Linux and MacOS.

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1. Smith Chart Plot in “Dark mode”

Figure 7. Screenshot of the NanoVNA Saver

It makes sense to set the marker to 13.56 MHz.

The screenshot shows a sweep based on 7 segment, resulting in 707 measurement
points, from 10 MHz to 20 MHz.

3.3 Recommended settings

Here some recommended settings are listed. These settings work fine especially for the
NFC antenna tuning.

3.3.1 General settings and info

The Fig 8 shows the general settings, as they can be set in the main window, and all the
info that is shown besides the smith chart.

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1. This is part of the main window.

Figure 8. General settings and info

Normally a single marker is sufficient.

3.3.2 Sweep settings

The Fig 9 shows the Sweep settings.

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1. The NFC band had been defined and set before in the Display settings.
Figure 9. Sweep settings

The single sweep is good enough and faster than the averaging. It is recommended to
increase the number of measurement points with multiple segments rather than enable
the averaging.
The “NFC” band had been defined and set before in the Display settings. It defines the
Start frequency of 10 MHz and the Stop frequency of 20 MHz. Any other band with any
other name can be defined there.
A Sweep name can be entered, which then is shown in the top of the smith chart.
Note: In the stand-alone operation, a smaller sweep range makes sense. In the stand-
alone operation only a “single segment” with 101 measurement points is used, so it
makes sense to reduce the sweep range to e.g. +/- 2.5 MHz around the 13.56 MHz.

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3.3.3 Display settings

The Fig 10 shows the Display settings.

1. These settings are not default.

Figure 10. Display Settings

In the Display settings colors and the look & feel can be defined. It is recommended to
disable all traces except the first one, which should be set to “S11 smith chart”.
In the sub menu <Manage bands> the available frequency bands can be edited. In this
menu, it might make sense to define the “NFC” band.

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3.3.4 Marker settings

The Fig 11 shows the most relevant data settings for the marker(s) for the NFC antenna
design.

1. A useful selection of data for NFC antenna tuning.

Figure 11. Marker settings

For every marker, the NanoVNA Saver shows some related data, if needed. For the NFC
antenna tuning, the selected data is useful.

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4 NFC antenna design with NanoVNA

The NFC antenna design is done in the same way as described in the related
application notes (see [4], [5], [6], and [7]). The following sections show a comparison of
measurement results between a reference measurement, done with a ZVL from Rohde &
Schwarz (refer to [1]) and the NanoVNA.

4.1 Measuring the antenna loop

Before measuring anything, it is required to calibrate the setup and check the calibration.
The easiest way to perform a 1-Port calibration with the NanoVNA is to use the
Calibration assistant of the NanoVNA Saver. It is required to make all relevant settings
upfront:
1. Set the measurement start and stop frequency, for example, from 10 MHz to 20 MHz.
2. Set the number of segments to get a proper resolution, for example, 7.
3. Set a marker to 13.56 MHz.
Figure 12 shows the calibration of a short: the smith chart indicates the uncalibrated
measurement, using the calibration short.

1. The calibration with Short was done, and the next calibration step is requested.
Figure 12. Calibration with Short

Figure 13 shows the calibration of an open: the smith chart indicates the uncalibrated
measurement, using the calibration open.

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1. The calibration with Open was done, and the next calibration step is requested.
Figure 13. Calibration with Open

Figure 14 shows the calibration of a load: the smith chart indicates the uncalibrated
measurement, using the calibration load.

1. The calibration with Open was done, and the calibration is completed.
Figure 14. Calibration with Load

The 1-Port calibration is done now, and it can be applied. Afterwards the calibration
should be checked, measuring the Open, Short and Load again: now they must return a
single dot in the related position of the smith chart, as shown in Figure 15, Figure 16, and
Figure 17.

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Figure 15. Measuring the short

Figure 16. Measuring the open

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Figure 17. Measuring the load

Now the measurement can start. Figure 18 and Figure 19 show the same measurement
with NanoVNA and with ZVL.

1. Lant = 1.15µH + j 2Ω
Figure 18. Measurement of the antenna loop with NanoVNA

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1. Lant = 1.16µH + j1.1Ω

Figure 19. Measurement of antenna loop with ZVL

In both measurements, the inductance and series resistance can be directly read from
the marker.

4.2 Measuring the tuning impedance

The same comparison is done with the complete antenna tuning circuitry, as derived in
[7].
The Fig 20 shows the antenna tuning circuit with the simulation result in Fig 21.
The Fig 22 shows the S11 measurement result measured with the NanoVNA, the Fig
23 the same measured with the ZVL. The results both are good, i.e. the NanoVNA
demonstrates a good enough performance for the NFC antenna tuning.

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Figure 20. Antenna tuning circuit in RFSIM99

Figure 21. Smith chart of simulation result in RFSIM99

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Figure 22. Measurement with NanoVNA

Figure 23. Measurement with ZVL

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5 References
[1] R&S®ZVL Vector Network Analyzers: www.rohde-schwarz.com
[2] NanoVNA: https://nanovna.com/
[3] NanoVNA Saver: https://github.com/mihtjel/nanovna-saver
[4] AN11019 CLRC663, MFRC630, MFRC631, SLRC610 Antenna Design Guide:
https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/application-note/AN11019.pdf
[5] AN11740 PN5180 Antenna design guide: https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/application-
note/AN11740.pdf
[6] AN11706 PN7462 family Antenna design guide: https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/
application-note/AN11706.pdf
[7] PN5190 antenna design guide: will be available at www.nxp.com

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6 Legal information
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Figures
Fig. 1. NanoVNA ...........................................................3 Fig. 13. Calibration with Open ......................................15
Fig. 2. Control I/O of the NanoVNA ..............................4 Fig. 14. Calibration with Load ...................................... 15
Fig. 3. Standard pin row header for all connection ....... 5 Fig. 15. Measuring the short ........................................ 16
Fig. 4. Self-made calibration kit ....................................6 Fig. 16. Measuring the open ........................................ 16
Fig. 5. Stand-alone operation ....................................... 7 Fig. 17. Measuring the load ......................................... 17
Fig. 6. Standard USB driver for WIN10 ........................ 8 Fig. 18. Measurement of the antenna loop with
Fig. 7. Screenshot of the NanoVNA Saver ...................9 NanoVNA .........................................................17
Fig. 8. General settings and info ................................ 10 Fig. 19. Measurement of antenna loop with ZVL ..........18
Fig. 9. Sweep settings ................................................11 Fig. 20. Antenna tuning circuit in RFSIM99 ..................19
Fig. 10. Display Settings .............................................. 12 Fig. 21. Smith chart of simulation result in RFSIM99 ....19
Fig. 11. Marker settings ................................................13 Fig. 22. Measurement with NanoVNA .......................... 20
Fig. 12. Calibration with Short ...................................... 14 Fig. 23. Measurement with ZVL ................................... 20

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Contents
1 Introduction ......................................................... 3
2 NanoVNA ..............................................................4
2.1 Preparation ........................................................ 4
2.1.1 Standard single pin row header .........................4
2.1.2 Calibration ..........................................................6
2.2 Stand-alone operation ....................................... 6
2.3 Known limitations ...............................................7
3 NanoVNA Saver ...................................................8
3.1 Driver ................................................................. 8
3.2 NanoVNA Saver installation .............................. 8
3.3 Recommended settings ..................................... 9
3.3.1 General settings and info .................................. 9
3.3.2 Sweep settings ................................................ 10
3.3.3 Display settings ............................................... 12
3.3.4 Marker settings ................................................ 13
4 NFC antenna design with NanoVNA ................14
4.1 Measuring the antenna loop ............................ 14
4.2 Measuring the tuning impedance .....................18
5 References ......................................................... 21
6 Legal information .............................................. 22

Please be aware that important notices concerning this document and the product(s)
described herein, have been included in section 'Legal information'.

© NXP B.V. 2020. All rights reserved.

For more information, please visit: http://www.nxp.com
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Date of release: 21 April 2020
Document identifier: AN12810
Document number: 605210