Optoelectronics Opto electronics in security has come of age
Biometrics, beyond fingerprinting, will drive the next generation of mobile and office security
W
hen it comes to opto electronics technology in today’s biometrics, a lot of attention has been on its
role in security – particularly its use in access control systems, for instance, in industry or at immigration checks. With increasing numbers of users managing sensitive transactions, such as online banking and shopping, on mobile devices, user authentication is becoming essential. While passwords are universally considered to be the weakest method of authentication, biometric methods for unlocking mobile devices – from fingerprint scanning to facial recognition or iris scan– are quickly growing in mainstream popularity.
Biometrics technology is largely
considered to offer a high degree of security and is extremely user-friendly – but its success relies on the effective application of highly efficient opto electronic components, designed specifically for security applications. Unique human characteristics – including facial features, the pattern of the iris, palm veins or retina blood vessels as well as voice, fingerprints, palm-prints, handwritten signatures and hand geometry – are identified by the security system (e.g. utilising IREDs, camera, etc.), and then compared with previously stored biometrical data of authorised users.
There has been a huge leap in developments in biometric identification technology based on IREDs, spurred on by new possibilities to make buildings, devices and applications safer and more convenient to access. Perfecting the security systems with all components required for such technology is crucial for the safety of all users.
Iris scanners, most commonly used for unlocking secure areas in buildings, are more reliable than fingerprint sensors. Even today, a look on the latest smartphones is enough to get the device ready for operation. The iris of the eye is unique for each person, does not change with age and is not subject to external influences such as injury, and is therefore used for biometric identification. The risk that the wrong person gains access – known as false acceptance – is as low as one in a million. Many previous attempts to provide
reliable iris scanning in mobile devices failed because of restrictions in terms of power consumption, space requirements and costs, meaning only one LED could be used. Scanners also need to be of a high quality, which means achieving a high level of contrast. But trends in miniaturisation and light source wavelengths of 810 nm have ensured that these challenges are being met. 2D facial recognition is another application of biometrical access control
for mobile devices. Like the iris-scan it involves illuminating the user’s face with an infrared light source and capturing the image with an IR camera. The system then compares the image with the images previously stored for the purposes of identification, focusing on characteristic two-dimensional features. Taking facial recognition one step further the first smartphone companies are now integrating 3D sensing into their devices. A recent report anticipates that the value of the global infrared laser projector market for mobile 3D sensing is estimated to reach $1.9 billion in 2020. To help customers and partners to profit
from the benefits the technology offers in various application fields, Osram is complementing its comprehensive portfolio of infrared technology for security applications with VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) solutions through the acquisition of the company Vixar. Bright and uniform illumination of the
user’s face or eyes is particularly important for iris or facial recognition and also for eye-tracking systems. Osram Opto Semiconductors is a technology leader in this field. Based on its long- standing expertise in infrared illumination solutions, the company has been developing a wide product portfolio dedicated to biometric identification.
www.osram.com
Plessey partners with Vuzix to develop next-generation AR Smart Glasses using microLED technology
P
lessey Semiconductors, a leading developer of award-winning optoelectronic technology solutions, announced it is partnering with Vuzix, a pioneer in the development of technologies for Smart Glasses. The two companies are partnering to develop the necessary technologies for a new generation of AR Smart Glasses, based around the combination of Plessey’s microLED light source product family, Quanta-Brite, and Vuzix’ extensive expertise and IP in Smart Glasses and essential optic technologies.
Plessey has successfully demonstrated how its innovative monolithic microLED technology can be used to deliver Smart Glasses technology for a wide range of AR and MR (mixed-reality) applications for use both indoors and out. In addition, Vuzix have already developed an evolving family of Smart Glasses culminating in the Vuzix Blade, the next generation smart display with see-through viewing experience via proprietary waveguide optics. Formed from glass with precision nanostructures, the waveguide is a key component in an AR/MR product, enabling users to see high-resolution computer-generated graphics, images and information superimposed over images from the physical or real world.
In the development of its next- generation product, Vuzix has selected
18 June 2018
Plessey’s microLED-based Quanta-Brite light engine, which delivers extremely high efficiency and an improvement in lumen output compared to other light sources currently available on the market. Quanta-Brite is based on Plessey’s advanced and proprietary gallium-nitride- on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology, with an integrated monolithic array of RGB pixels with advanced first level micro-optical elements to create a bright, largely collimated and highly uniform light source for the illumination of DMD and LCOS display engines. The resulting optical system is up to 50 per cent smaller, lighter, simpler and cheaper than incumbent solutions and the high performance microLED emitters combined with minimal optical system losses result is significantly increased power efficiency. Size, weight and power reduction are key considerations in AR/MR wearables. Quanta-Brite has been designed specifically for the next generation of Vuzix personal display systems. “Plessey’s Quanta-Brite microLED technology can be a major enabler of the future of augmented reality,” said Vuzix president and CEO, Paul Travers. “As well as delivering high-efficiency, low-power and small-size illumination capabilities, the very high level of luminescence of the Quanta-Brite light source can also enable the development of end products with a
Components in Electronics
sleeker form factor, which is a key attribute of our waveguide based Smart Glasses and critical to mass market adoption.” “This development
with Vuzix, a leading actor in the exploration of next-generation augmented reality, is a significant endorsement of Plessey’s GaN-on-silicon microLED approach,” said
Plessey’s monolithic microLED array Quanta-Brite light source
Dr Keith Strickland, chief technology officer at Plessey. “Monolithic microLED technology is fast emerging as the only one that can provide high luminance in a very small form factor with minimal energy consumption, necessary for reducing costs and enabling lightweight battery-powered products for a range of emerging consumer and industrial applications.” According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), headsets and eyewear outfitted for AR and VR applications are set for record sales this year of $1.2 billion in the US market alone. Plessey recently participated at Display
Week 2018, an international trade show and symposium that was held at the Convention Centre in Los Angeles from May 20–25 and organised by the Society for Information Display. At the event, Dr Strickland delivered a paper looking at the
future of microLED displays using next- generation technologies. National award recognition continues to build for Plessey’s ground-breaking MicroLED GaN-on-Silicon display technology. Plessey was recently announced as ‘Tech Company of the Year’ at the National Technology Awards 2018, a prestigious annual awards programme celebrating pioneers of new technology, focusing on innovation. Plessey’s recent win builds upon their hugely successful year in the awards industry in 2017, where Plessey was awarded the highest accolade at the Elektra Awards with ‘Company of the Year’ as well as well as winning the coveted ‘Grand Prix’ award at the British Engineering Excellence Awards (BEEAs).
www.plesseysemiconductors.com www.cieonline.co.uk
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