Japan Display Develops Transparent Fingerprint Sensor

Fingerprint sensors hidden behind a touchscreen are heading to new smartphones thanks to Synaptics starting to mass produce its in-display sensors. But Japan Display (JDI) believes it has a better solution. Rather than hiding the fingerprint sensor behind a display, why not instead make it transparent and embed it directly in the glass?

That's exactly what JDI managed to do and incorporated it into the company's Pixel Eyes displays. JDI already builds capacitive touch sensors directly into LCD panels. This new approach to fingerprint reading takes that a step further by increasing the sensitivity of the touch sensor to the point where it can detect the recesses and ridges of a fingerprint. So what you effectively end up with is a transparent touchscreen so sensitive it can take a fingerprint reading.

The first version of this Pixel Eyes display transparent fingerprint sensor measures 8-by-8mm and is 160-by-160 pixels, so 508dpi. Although it's already functional, JDI won't start shipping it commercially until March 2019. It's sure to be very popular when it does appear as it means smartphones can incorporate a completely hidden fingerprint sensor without taking up any extra space inside the casing. JDI also intends to offer larger versions of the sensor.

As the sensor forms part of the glass it has many uses beyond smartphones. JDI sees it being used in home security systems and even integrated into credit cards as an extra form of security without adding bulk. It also means there's very little that can go wrong beyond the glass being cracked, making it extremely durable, especially on a device such as a smartphone or tablet. We could even see them integrated into our monitors.