Flexible plastic fingerprint sensor wins industry award

The device provides dual detection: fingerprinting as well as vein matching. Due to its large-area sensing and high-resolution image quality, the device is highly suited to biometric applications from fingerprint scanners and smartcards to mobile phones, where accuracy and robustness as well as cost-competiveness are key.

Several biometric solution providers have sampled the flexible image sensor, verifying its readiness for deployment in products and compliance with FBI Image Quality Standards (IQS).

“Isorg is very honoured to have received an international award for our groundbreaking high-resolution flexible image sensor technology whilst attending the most important global trade event dedicated to sensor innovations,” said Emmanuel Guerineau, General Manager and CFO at Isorg. “We are delighted to have collaborated with FlexEnable to produce the world’s first printed electronics image sensor that overcomes the limitations of traditional sensors. Biometric solution providers will be able to take advantage of the key differentiating factors that our technology brings, such as customised formats in large and small sizes, and easy integration. We see these opening up new opportunities across multiple applications.”

Isorg is planning to launch high-volume production of the flexible image sensor at its new plant in Limoges, France, in order to support its large-scale commercialisation in the global biometrics market. The global biometrics hardware market is expected to grow from $3.9bn (approximately £2.99bn) in 2016 to $6.2bn (approximately £4.76bn) by 2021, according to the Yole Développement report on ‘Sensors for Biometry and Recognition 2016′.

Central to the 500dpi flexible image sensor is an Organic Photodiode (OPD), a printed structure developed by Isorg that converts light into current – responsible for capturing the fingerprint. Isorg also developed the readout electronics, the forensics quality processing software and the optics to enable seamless integration in products. FlexEnable, a specialist in developing and industrialising flexible organic electronics, developed the Organic TFT backplane technology, an alternative to amorphous silicon. This partnership between the two companies began in Q4 2013.

“We are delighted that the large area flexible fingerprint sensor we developed with Isorg has been recognised with such a prestigious award. Thanks to being thin, light and glass-free, the sensor can be conformed to almost any surface to enable new form factors and use cases not possible with conventional fingerprint sensors,” said Paul Cain, Strategy Director at FlexEnable.

Designed on a large area (3x3.2”; 7.62x8.13cm) plastic substrate, the flexible image sensor is ultra-thin (300µ), therefore remarkably lightweight, compact and highly resistant to shock.

Sensors Expo and Conference, held in San Jose, California, is the largest gathering of engineers and engineering professionals involved in sensors and sensing-related technologies. For over 30 years, it has welcomed more than 6,400 professionals from across the US and over 40 countries to explore today’s sensor technologies and find the solutions to tomorrow’s sensing challenges. The Best of Sensors Expo Awards are announced in conjunction with Sensors Online, a leading resource and authority on sensing, communication and control. The awards are designed to spotlight the advances in both innovations and real-world applications of sensors.