LG Innotek Co., South Korean electronic parts maker has developed a fingerprint detection module that integrates a fingerprint recognition sensor into the front cover glass of a smartphone, a step forward from a conventional home-button based fingerprint recognition module as it enables fingerprint detection upon touching the tempered cover glass of a smartphone.

The company on Sunday unveiled its fingerprint detection module that embeds a fingerprint sensor in a 0.3 millimeter-deep slit carved on the back of the cover glass. The company said its module allows fingerprint recognition when a user touches the cover glass of a smartphone, and the sensor hidden underneath the glass would enable a sleeker device design and enhance water- and dust protection. The module also protects the sensor from damage because it is covered by the tempered front glass.

The new module boasts 0.002 percent of false acceptance rate (FAR), meaning that it is almost impossible to falsely recognize someone else’s fingerprint as the user’s.

The company also claimed its glass module with a sensor embedded in a slit on its back is still durable and strong enough to be commercialized. It doesn’t break even when dropping a 130g steel ball from 20 centimeters high on the glass, thanks to the polymer composite the company uses to attach the sensor to the glass.

The company plans to aggressively seek customers for its new fingerprint recognition module on expectations that demand for fingerprint scanning technology would significantly increase. According to global economic and industry research firm IHS Inc., 499 million units of fingerprint recognition module were sold last year and the number is projected to jump three-fold to 1.6 billion by 2020.

By Lee Gi-chang

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