Fingerprint sensoris the key device to realize automatic fingerprint collection. Fingerprint sensors are divided into optical fingerprint sensors, semiconductor capacitive sensors, semiconductor thermal sensors, semiconductor pressure-sensitive sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and radio frequency RF sensors according to the sensing principle, that is, the principle and technology of fingerprint imaging. The manufacturing technology of fingerprint sensor is a high-tech with strong comprehensiveness, high technical complexity and difficult manufacturing process.

Because of its complex manufacturing process and many sensing units per unit area, semiconductor fingerprint sensors include high-end IC design technology, large-scale integrated circuit manufacturing technology, IC chip packaging technology, etc., so almost all semiconductor fingerprint sensors are made by countries with developed IC technology or regions, such as the United States, Europe, Taiwan and other places designed and manufactured. More than 10,000 semiconductor sensing units are integrated on the surface of a wafer less than 0.5 square centimeters. It also includes automatic gain circuit and logic control chip, as well as serial, parallel, USB and other interface circuits. The semiconductor fingerprint sensor has high sensitivity and a resolution of 500dpi or above. Its function has broken through the single sensing ability, and with the cooperation of software, it can be used as an omnidirectional navigator. Semiconductor fingerprint sensors are developing towards miniaturization. Before 2004, the 1 square centimeter square was mainly used, and most of them were sliding SWIPE chips. The world's smallest sliding acquisition chip is only 12x5 mm, which is the 1610 recently launched by Authentec. Prisms exist in optical sensors, which are relatively large, generally several times or even 10 times the size of semiconductors, which limits their application in small devices. There is no volume limit when using on large devices such as attendance machines and access control, but when using it on U disks, mobile hard disks, and handheld devices, the volume becomes the biggest obstacle, so optical fingerprint sensors also appear sliding.

Applications of Fingerprint Sensors
The fast-changing fingerprint recognition technology market has penetrated deep into the consumer segment - fingerprint sensor shipments will grow at a CAGR of 18% and are expected to reach a market size of $4.7 billion in 2022.

Following the acquisition of fingerprint sensor company Authentec, Apple released the iPhone 5s in 2013, thus driving the mass adoption of fingerprint sensors. In the years since, fingerprint sensor shipments in the consumer market have shown incredible growth. At first, fingerprint sensors were used for phone unlocking and information protection. Now, however, fingerprint sensors are increasingly being used for security functions such as online identification and mobile payments.

Shipments of fingerprint sensors used in smartphones increased from 23 million in 2013 to 689 million in 2016. It can be seen that from 2013 to 2016, the compound annual growth rate of fingerprint sensor shipments for mobile phone applications was as high as 210%! Growth in this segment is expected to be “rational” between 2016 and 2022, with a CAGR of around 18%.

Fingerprint recognition is becoming a standard feature in every smartphone and adding a lot of practical value. However, the rapid growth in shipments is accompanied by strong cost pressures, which is a realistic portrayal of what has happened to fingerprint sensors in the past three years. The average cost of a fingerprint sensor has dropped from about $5 in 2013 to about $3 in 2016, and low-end fingerprint sensors are even more affordable. Still, cost pressures have not gone away. Current technologies are maturing and threatened by new technologies. New technologies need to gain momentum through "lower costs". For example, 3D ultrasonic fingerprint recognition technology.

Summarized by Easybom.