3G Fingerprint Sensor

US : Fujitsu Microelectronics introduced its new MBF310 capacitive-based fingerprint Sweep Sensor(TM). With its advanced Auto-Finger Detection (AFD) circuit and on-board FIFO memory, the compact design optimizes power consumption and CPU efficiency, making it ideal for the next generation of mobile phones.

The MBF310 is the newest member of the company's biometric sensor family. Since the release of its MBF300 sensor last year, Fujitsu has been employing capacitive-based sweep technology in its fingerprint sensors. The first Fujitsu biometric Sweep Sensor, the MBF300, won product innovation awards from EDN, Design News and R&D magazines this year.

"The MBF310 is a major step forward in enabling low-cost, power-efficient authentication for next-generation mobile phones and multifunction PDAs," said Doug McArthur, director of FMA's Biometric Sensor Products Group. "The MBF310 has been optimized for easy integration into hand-held systems. The on-board FIFO memory holds the image data until the CPU is available, allowing th eMBF310 to work within the processing constraints of mobile devices. The AFD circuit allows the device to enter a low-power standby mode until a finger is detected to wake the device," he continued. When a finger sweeps across the surface of the MBF310, the image data is captured by the sensor. This data is synchronized with the CPU for efficient processing through the 2Kbyte FIFO memory, enabling frame sweep rates of 20 cm/sec (8 inches/sec).

The MBF310 incorporates 8 image-sensing rows, compared with 32 rows in the previous version, enabling a reduction in the total sensor area of 30 percent, thus lowering costs. The MBF310 is packaged in a compact 42-pin plastic FBGA (Fine-pitch Ball Grid Array) module with an integrated finger-swipe guide that serves as a tactile feature to help locate and align the finger. This patent- pending package also simplifies the sensor mounting and industrial design for mobile devices.

"The MBF310 fingerprint sensor sets a new milestone for size, cost, power and functionality," said Mike Chaudoin, senior strategic marketing manager of FMA's Biometric Sensor Products Group. "The product enables device manufacturers to add the security and convenience of biometrics with little additional cost. New capabilities such as screen navigation, personalized function keys and transaction authorization are additional uses for this technology in a market that measures devices sold by the hundreds of millions," he added.

Pricing and Availability
Samples will be available in August. Pricing is $6 in 1,000-piece
quantities and less for higher quantities.

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