Fujitsu introduced the latest member of its fingerprint sensor family, the MBF320 Sweep Sensor. It features TrustedCore pre-boot authentication (PBA), fingerprint-matching algorithms and biometric software from Cogent Systems, and a USB 2.0 full-speed interface. The combination of the TrustedCore PBA with the MBF320 fingerprint sensor IC adds an important layer of security to PCs, notebooks, and tablet PCs.
The product was developed by Fujitsu Microelectronics in close collaboration with Phoenix Technologies, which provided its BioTrust ID enrollment application and TrustedCore PBA software development kit. BioTrust ID enrollment and TrustedCore PBA are designed to ensure the security of users, data, and networks prior to the actual machine booting.
Phoenix Technologies' BioTrust ID is an application for enrollment of fingerprints and sharing of credentials from pre-boot to Windows. The application provides Pre-Boot Authentication (PBA) and re-authentication at the BIOS level, and again at the operating-system level. The PBA software development kit includes a Phoenix-compatible, Cogent matching-engine-reference implementation.
Constructed with a hardened surface and a rugged silicon topology for notebooks and handhelds, the MBF320 provides optimal image quality with 500-dpi resolution and 8-bit grayscale in an ultra-thin package. The MBF320 features an operating current of 45 mW and typical standby power consumption of 150 µA in auto finger detect mode. It operates between 3.0 and 3.6 V and features an excellent signal-to-noise ratio that detects a broad range of fingers.
Like the previous members of the Fujitsu series of capacitive fingerprint sensor ICs, the MBF320 provides an Auto-Finger Detection (AFD) circuit along with an 8-bit a-d converter. The compact device measures 16 mm x 6.5 mm x 0.9 mm, and incorporates two interfaces: one USB 2.0 and one 24-MHz Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI).
The MBF320 hardware is combined with sophisticated algorithms that generate unique "minutiae templates" that correspond to specific fingerprint features. A single, rapid fingerprint sweep across the MBF320 sensor captures fingerprint features associated with high-resolution, 500-dpi fingerprint data. The template is then compared against a database of other templates, providing virtually instant identification, with low false acceptance and false rejection rates.
The MBF320 is packaged with a patented "finger-guide" feature in a compact, 43-pin plastic FBGA module, and will be manufactured using Fujitsu's 0.35-micron process technology. Samples are available now for $6 each in quantities of fewer than 1000 pieces.
Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
www.phoenix.com
Fujitsu Microelectronics America
http://us.fujitsu.com/micro/biometricsensors
