InvenSense announces new ultrasonic fingerprint touch sensor

InvenSense announced it has released for OEM review its ultrasonic fingerprint imaging solution UltraPrint, which is expected to enable the deployment of ultrasonic fingerprint solutions under glass.

UltraPrint, set for production in 2017, is manufactured on InvenSense’s proprietary CMOS-MEMS Platform (ICMP).

InvenSense ships an average of over 12 million motion or audio sensor SOCs each week to leading global mobile and IoT OEMs.

The addition of aluminum nitride-based piezoelectric capacity to InvenSense’s platform will enable manufacturers to mass produce piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (pMUT) and transducer arrays.

Each transducer element can be individually controlled through direct wafer-level interconnect to the CMOS ASIC.

This advancement in acoustic imaging technology will allow manufacturers to seamlessly integrate — on a platform that can handle exceptionally high volumes — detailed fingerprint images from the epidermal to dermal layers.

The technology enables fingerprints to be scanned directly through glass or metal, even when the user’s skin contains oils, lotion, perspiration or other moisture, as well as other common contaminants that can affect legacy capacitive solutions.

These critical factors greatly improve live finger authentication and protect the fingerprint sensor against spoofing, which ultimately increases the level of security.

“Our proprietary UltraPrint technology is expected to enable, for the first time, deployment of ultrasonic fingerprint solutions under glass, as well as a myriad of other surfaces,” said Fari Assaderaghi, vice president of advanced technology at InvenSense. “This flexibility in sensor placement without cutting a hole in display glass, aluminum, steel or plastic case material is highly valued by mobile and other OEMs. Our innovative team is excited to work with equally motivated partners to quickly bring this new technology to market.”

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint sensors  |  InvenSense  |  spoof detection  |  touch sensor