LG reveals finger print sensor that sits under smartphone display

LG has become the latest smartphone manufacturer to feature a new fingerprint sensor that sits under the display. When users place their finger on the cover glass of the display, the under glass fingerprint sensor module would automatically identify their fingerprint.

Apple was the first to include finger print sensors in its iPhone 5s, with many other manufacturers following suit.

LG Innotek chief Jongseok Park, announced today that the under glass fingerprint sensor module would not only eliminate dedicated buttons, pads, or other elements for fingerprint recognition, but would also help make the smartphone more water resistant by reducing the number of openings. The development could also usher in slimmer devices in future.

According to LG Innotek, it had cut a 0.01-inch (0.3mm) slot on the back of the cover display glass and had installed a fingerprint sensor in it with "supreme precision and combination technology."

LG added that the adherence side of both the glass and the fingerprint sensor was 0.0098-inch (0.25mm) thick and capable of resisting the impact of a 130 gram steel ball dropped from 7.9-inch.

In contrast with the conventional button type fingerprint sensors in the market, LG has incorporated a buttonless fingerprint sensor. The accuracy, or false acceptance rate of the fingerprint sensor module of 0.002 per cent indicated the chances of acceptance of someone else's fingerprint as the right fingerprint.

The sensor module is fixed to the glass with a propriety adhesive, also developed by LG and tested for its strength and durability.

The Korea Times reported that LG was in the process of offering the technology to smartphone manufacturers around the world.

"We are gathering all our capabilities into developing differentiated technologies for our customers," Kim Chang-hwan, LG Innotek's research and development center chief, said in a statement. "LG Innotek will continue to offer innovative products to serve customers in a more convenient and easy ways."