Fingerprint sensors will become the new standard feature in premium smartphones in 2016, adding another layer of transaction security to smart devices in a cyber-based economy. But, the market will continue to experiment with iris scans and other forms of biometric scans. In the hypercompetitive smartphone market, meaningful innovations like touch ID are usually short lived, nonetheless their impact can be significant enough to move a market.
Capacitive fingerprint sensors from Apple, Synaptics and Fingerprint Cards dominated the market in 2015. This year, new ultrasonic sensors — which use ultrasonic waves, or sound, to map the structure of the fingerprint and even the internal structure of the finger — will be introduced, transforming the security level of a host of products.
These ultrasonic sensors have interesting capabilities and potential, including:
- Fingerprint resolution up to and greater than 2400 DPI
- Internal finger scanning of capillaries, etc., making it nearly impossible to spoof using a fingerprint
- Less sensitivity to moisture or dirt on fingers
- Pulse rate monitoring
- Working through glass, plastic and even some metals
- Better security for corporations and governments – especially for notebooks, tablets and smartphones sold directly to these organizations
Manufacturer landscape
Companies and groups currently working on or researching ultrasound technology for fingerprint sensors include InvenSense (via a partnership with Swarm Labs), Qualcomm and Sonavation. A recent patent application from Apple mentions the use of ultrasonic sensing as a way to implement active display scanning, implying that Apple is also assessing this technology.
We believe that Qualcomm will be the first supplier to bring ultrasonic sensors to market, with Sonavation in the coming year and InvenSense to follow next year.
The outlook for ultrasonic sensors
If further commercialized, ultrasound has the potential to be the best of all sensor technologies to date. In practice, its major advantage of increased biometric security may not be very valuable if existing technology is considered secure enough and spoofing doesn’t happen very often. Beyond security, ultrasound’s more robust performance in terms of dirty fingers and functionality through various materials should provide an advantage in any case. Finally, novelty and differentiation can act as a useful boost as this technology enters the market.
Ultrasonic technology could experience an increased market pull if there are high-profile security or privacy cases reported in the media, but we think this is unlikely. As a result, we expect ultrasonic sensors to take a minority market share in 2016.
In the near term, ultrasound will need to compete with capacitive on price to be successful. This may prove difficult due to anticipated higher prices, though pricing will vary by manufacturer.
Longer term, ultrasonic sensors will be an interesting technology to watch.
View this infographic to learn more about the expected growth in fingerprint technologies.
Marwan Boustany is a Senior Analyst, MEMs and Sensors, at IHS Technology
Jamie Fox is a Principal Analyst, LEDs and Lighting, at IHS Technology
Posted on 23 February 2016
