Design Win Marks FPC Sensors’ Evolution to Optical Under-Display Biometrics

The mobile biometrics-focused half of Fingerprint Cards has secured another important integration agreement, announcing a design win for its optical under-display fingerprint sensor solution, FPC1632.

In announcing the development, FPC did not name the client in question, instead referring to it as “a major Asian smartphone OEM”. The selection of FPC’s sensor follows testing conducted earlier this year, and Fingerprints expects shipments to start in the fourth quarter.

Commenting on the design win, FPC VP Ted Hansson explained that it represents an important evolutionary development in FPC’s mobile business.

“Since many years, Fingerprints is a well-established world leader in capacitive fingerprint sensors. The design win we are announcing today marks our entry into a new market segment: optical under-display fingerprint sensors,” he explained. “This will open up attractive new growth opportunities for us going forward, and our goal is to capture a significant share of this market.”

Hansson heads the China-based half of Fingerprint Cards after the company’s recent division into two distinct subsidiaries. The corporate change was the result of a strategic review launched by the company’s Board of Directors last year, which ultimately determined that a Swiss subsidiary, dubbed “Fingerprint Cards Switzerland”, would focus on the payments and access control market; while the Shanghai-based “Fingerprint Technology Company” subsidiary would remain focused on the mobile sector that has served FPC so well over the past decade.

FPC’s latest statement about the FPC1632 design win named Hansson as “President Mobile, PC & Access China”, suggesting that there have been further strategic changes to the company’s organization since the divide.

The strategic review that led to this situation was spearheaded by Board Chairman Johan Carlström, who announced his resignation from the role this week due to his conviction on charges of insider trading dating back several years. Carlström has been sentenced to one and a half years in prison, a verdict that he said he would appeal.

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July 1, 2022 – by Alex Perala