Infineon 3D sensor offers high resolution with small lens for smartphone biometrics

Infineon Technologies has unveiled the fourth generation of its REAL3 image sensor at Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, to meet demand from consumer mobile device OEMs for higher resolutions with small lenses.

The IRS2771C 3D time-of-flight chip is built for secure user authentication to unlock the device and confirm payments with face or hand biometrics, among a wide range of use cases. The sensor is only 4.6 x 5 mm, and features a 150k (448 x 336) pixel output, which is close to the HVGA standard resolution, and four times higher than most time-of-flight solutions currently on the market, according to the announcement. Infineon says the pixel array is highly sensitive to 940 nm infrared light, and effective for outdoor performance with the company’s patented Suppression of Background Illumination (SBI) circuitry. The sensor’s high level of integration also enables manufacturers to reduce the overall bill of materials and the camera module size, with high performance and low power consumption.

“Its robustness against ambient light and its energy efficiency make this imager unparalleled in the market,” says Philipp von Schierstaedt, Vice President responsible for Infineon’s RF & Sensors business. “With the new image sensor generation, Infineon can further extend its leading position. Every device manufacturer can increase the value of their devices with the new REAL3 chip, while customizing the design and speeding up time to market.”

Infineon says it provides customers with comprehensive offerings including tooling and software through its longstanding partnership with pmdtechnologies, which also recently resulted in a end-to-end 3D facial recognition solution for smartphone makers in collaboration with IDEMIA.

Article Topics

authentication  |  biometrics  |  Infineon  |  mobile device  |  sensors