Press release November 1, 2017
Fingerprints holds its Technology Update in Stockholm today. The presentations will cover its core business, capacitive sensors in smartphones, as well as up-to-date information on new segments and technologies such as Smartcards, IoT (Internet of Things) and Iris. Fingerprints will also give an update on new applications and technologies with a focus on In-Display. The company has reallocated a significant portion of its R&D resources from its conventional semiconductor business to new areas within biometrics. Fingerprints continues to invest in new innovation while at the same time increasing innovation capacity and speed.
Capacitive sensors
In capacitive sensors, Fingerprints is a market leader, in a very competitive commodity market.
In the smartphone market, consisting of some 1.6 billion units (2016), fingerprint sensing is the standard method for biometric identification and authentication. Currently, around 60% of all smartphones sold are equipped with a fingerprint sensor and that number is steadily increasing. Fingerprints is the market leader in this field and its capacitive sensors have set the global standard when it comes to features, security, convenience and quality. Today's sensors can be mounted on the front, on the back or on the side of the smartphone and can be fitted with different surface materials such as paint, ceramics or glass.
Payments - Smartcards
The company's Smartcard offering is attracting considerable and growing interest.
In the card market, where digital and technological disruption is affecting the whole industry, Fingerprints can demonstrate its leading position in biometrics and leverage its strong market position in biometric identification and authentication. As the only player in the market with significant experience of mass volume production of sensors, the company has a strong position, as the market for Smartcards now moves into the next phase where this is required.
Recently the Company launched T-Shape. This is a one-component solution designed for efficient mass production. The advantages of T-shape include ultra-low power consumption and excellent image quality and biometric performance.
Touchless - Iris
Fingerprints is a leading supplier of iris recognition and a prominent advocate of multimodal solutions.
As the use of biometric solutions increases, Fingerprints is working to broaden its offering by using different biometric techniques, and modalities in its solutions. Currently, Fingerprints is the only multimodality solution provider, combining fingerprint with iris, with a best-in-class security.
The acquisition of Delta ID, allowed Fingerprints to expand the number of customers and regions as well as industrials verticals where it is active and present.
Fingerprints has now made its first commercial launch with ActiveIRIS® after the acquisition. In this launch both Fingerprints' touchless biometric solution ActiveIRIS® and the touch sensor FPC1145 are featured.
In-Display
Fingerprints has developed an ultrasonic sensing technology with the objective of enabling fingerprints to be captured anywhere on the display of a smartphone or any device. Fingerprints is expecting to engage with key customers in the first half of 2018 to further develop the technology and to bring it to mass market.
An increasing amount of the company's R&D resources has been reallocated from capacitive sensors in mobiles to other technologies, one of which is In-Display sensing technology. Fingerprints started the development of In-Display fingerprint sensing in late 2016. All technology development projects have challenges, such as achieving cost efficient volume production and a fair price level, but above all they create opportunities. By applying the unique ultrasonic sensing technology that Fingerprints is developing, fingerprint sensing will become even more convenient for the end-user. Fingerprints' objective is to enable users to authenticate themselves by placing their fingers anywhere on the display panel of a smartphone, hence removing the need for a physical button. This is also in contrast with other In-Display sensing technologies where the fingerprint capture can only be done in a small dedicated area of the display.
The new technology brings several distinct advantages such as:
- The complete front side of the device can be used for the display and still incorporate a fingerprint sensing functionality, for superior screen-to-phone ratio.
- The entire surface can be used for fingerprint sensing. There is no need to highlight specific areas of the device, neither visually nor physically.
- A fingerprint can be captured on different surfaces, including glass and metal. The technology works very well under all different cover glass thicknesses. It also works when the finger is wet or when the finger is submerged under water.
- A unique technology which works equally well with LCD panels as well as OLED panels.
"I am very excited about our In-Display technology", says Christian Fredrikson, CEO of Fingerprints and continues: "It is truly innovative and disruptive and allows fingerprint sensing to be done in new ways on many different surfaces. I can see many potential application areas, but our initial focus is of course the use in high-end smartphones."
The validity of the technology has been demonstrated, and will serve as the base for the development of a new generation of fingerprint sensing products in collaboration with existing and new partners in the smartphone value chain. The technology will also co-exist with, and complement, existing technologies such as capacitive sensors and iris-scanning.
Christian Fredrikson, CEO, will be joined on stage at the Technology Update by Vivek Khandelwal, VP of Product and Business Functions and Farzan Ghavanini, Senior Manager Transducer Technology Development.
For further information, please contact:
Press Center, Fingerprint Cards AB +46(0)10-172 00 20 press@fingerprints.com Investor Relations, Fingerprint Cards AB +46(0)10-172 00 10 investrel@fingerprints.com
About Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints) Fingerprint Cards AB, Fingerprints, with its Swedish roots, is the leading global biometrics company, whose mission is to spearhead the development of biometric interaction that facilitates the convenience and integrity of the individual. Its value is proven daily by users in millions of devices, through billions of touches, who are their own key - quite simply, with a human touch. Fingerprints develops biometric systems comprising sensors, algorithms, software and packaging technologies. The success is based on product development at the cutting edge of technology, which results in world-leading products in terms of security, convenience and performance. The current product range consists largely of fingerprint sensors and customers are primarily manufacturers of smartphones and tablets, where the company is market leading. As the use of biometric solutions increases, Fingerprints is working to broaden its offering by using different biometric techniques, or modalities, and to identify other market segments where the solutions can be used, such as smart cards, PCs, automotive and online devices (IoT). The Fingerprints share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (FING B). Most of the more than 500 employees work in Sweden, but the company has offices worldwide, from Shanghai to Silicon Valley.
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