STMicroelectronics' shutter CMOS sensor technology is expected to be a competitive technology for the development of new smartphones as it is applied to a facial recognition system that is invisibly integrated into the back of the smartphone display.

ST announced on the 27th that it has jointly developed a smartphone facial authentication system that is invisible from the outside with trinamiX and Visionox, leading suppliers of biometric solutions.

The product features a translucent OLED display that allows Visionox to mount the facial authentication module out of sight behind the screen, and ST adds a high-performance global-shutter CMOS sensor with enhanced near-infrared (NIR) sensitivity.

Here, the sophisticated algorithm of TrinamiX was combined to produce an ultra-small product measuring 13x8x4.4mm. It consists of a complete system implementation including a camera module based on ST’s global shutter image sensor that provides enhanced near-infrared sensitivity despite its small size, and flood and dot illumination.

This configuration is price competitive and allows for immediate series integration, eliminating the need for custom design from scratch.

The product was unveiled at the TrinamiX and ST booths at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.

“ST’s global shutter image sensor, with its best-in-class pixels and advanced performance, is the perfect fit for trinamiX’s secure face-authentication system, enabling the creation of ultra-small modules that can be easily integrated into smartphones,” said David Maucotel, General Manager, Personal Electronics, Industrial and Mass-Market Products, ST’s Imaging Subgroup. “Developed together with our partners, this new solution again demonstrates ST’s world-class in-house design and manufacturing capabilities, and establishes ST as the leader in facial authentication technology for personal electronics and beyond.”