Human interface builder Synaptics Corp. is hoping to steal a march on mobile security system designers with the launch of what it says is the world’s first fingerprint sensor that comes built into smartphone displays.

The company said its display sensor technology works by scanning user’s fingerprints directly through the glass display of smartphones, doing away with the need for a physical fingerprint scanner. With the technology, smartphone users can simply touch the screen to unlock their device.

Synaptics says its Clear ID in-display fingerprint technology is superior to alternative smartphone security features such as 3D facial recognition because it can be used in any situation. For example, users can unlock their phone while it’s lying flat on a table or being held in a car dock, without needing to move or tilt the device so it can actually “see” their face.

Synaptics is offering the new technology as part of its wider SentryPoint technology platform, which comes with additional security features including its Quantum Matcher system for adaptive fingerprint template matching, and its PurePrint technology that ensures that an actual finger is being used instead of some kind of spoof.

The fingerprint technology only works with so-called Infinity displays, which is the fancy name used to describe the new bezel-free, curved displays seen on Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Synaptics said it built its sensors because Infinity displays are rapidly becoming the norm for modern smartphones, and that the placement of physical sensor buttons on the rear of devices is unnatural and that consumers prefer something that’s front-facing.

“Consumers prefer fingerprint authentication on the front of the phone, and with the industry quickly shifting to bezel-free OLED infinity displays, the natural placement of the fingerprint sensor is in the display itself,” said Kevin Barber, senior vice president and general manager of Synaptics’ mobile division.

Synaptics said it’s now mass-producing the technology with an unnamed “top five OEM” so we can expect to see it become a feature of some higher-end smartphones from next year.

In addition to the new sensors, Synaptics said it’s adding two new options its portfolio of display driver integrated circuits, which are the hardware circuits used to support its OLED displays. The new R66455 and R66451 ClearView DDICs are designed to support the advanced features of Infinity displays, such as processing for rounded corners and notch cut-outs for cameras and other sensors that might be built into the displays.

The company said it will begin producing its new OLED DDICs in the first half of 2018.

Images: Synaptics