Synaptics Unveils 2nd Generation Under-display Optical Fingerprint Sensor

PC Perspective: Synaptics unveils FS9500 Clear ID family of optical fingerprint sensors for smartphones with OLED displays. Synaptics attaches a fingerprint senor module to the underside of the display and using the OLED display itself as the light source to illuminate the user's fingerprint so that the optimized CMOS image sensor can scan the fingerprint from the reflected light bounced through the gaps in between pixels. The new sensor can work with up to 1.5mm-thick displays.

Synaptics uses "Quantum Matcher" and "PurePrint" machine learning technology to enhance security and adapts to different external lighting environments, including a direct sunlight. The company says that its new fingerprint sensor is able to work faster and in more situations than a 3D facial recognition systems: its fingerprint sensor is able to read a user's fingerprint in 0.7s versus 1.4s for a facial recognition camera. The Clear ID In-Display fingerprint sensor is said to have approximately 99% spoof rejection rate due to the AI-powered PurePrint technology that discerns real fingerprints from fakes.

GlobeNewsWire: Synaptics is said to bring its in-display fingerprint sensors to mass production with one of the top five OEMs.

GlobeNewsWire: Synaptics's previous generation Natural ID FS9100 family of optical-based, under-glass fingerprint authentication solutions have been named a CES 2018 Innovation Awards Honoree. The Natural ID FS9100 family is said to be the industry’s first optical-based fingerprint sensors for smartphones enabling secure authentication through 1mm thick cover glass.

Synaptics is currently sampling its third-generation optical solution for in-display fingerprint authentication to select customers with mass production with a Tier 1 OEM expected in the current calendar year.

Update: Forbes reports that Synaptics' "one of the top 5 smartphone comapnies" is Vivo. Here is Fobres experience with the pre-production unit:

"On Tuesday night, I got the chance to use a pre-production unit from Vivo and test Clear ID in-action...

The Clear ID experience was fast and simple- I pressed the right side button to wake, a fingerprint image illuminated at the bottom of the phone, I touched it, and it let me in. I am expecting Vivo to modify the experience, so I just have to “hold to wake” so I do not even have to use the button."