PYCSEL project brings new active thermal biometric fingerprint sensor to EAB event

Aug 1, 2019, 3:20 pm EDT | Chris Burt

The PYCSEL project, an EU Horizon 2020-funded project to develop a new kind of thermal fingerprint sensor, will both make a presentation and demonstrate its technology to the biometrics community at the EAB Research Projects Conference from September 16 to 18, 2019.

PYCSEL (Pyrolectric Conformable Sensor matrix for Large area applications in security and safety) has developed a small area sensor as an initial step to achieving a large area one, which was previously demonstrated as part of a competition at the LOPEC conference and trade fair. At the event, the OE-A (Organic and Printed Electronics Association) held a competition for future applications with organic and printed electronics, at which PYCSEL received an award as the Brest Publicly-funded Project Demonstrator.

The PYCSEL sensor combines printed pyroelectric PVDF-based layers above and IGZO-TFT active matrix on a flexible plastic foil, according to the announcement. The sensor is active, with ridges touching the pixels and pumping heat, which creates a temperature difference with valleys which are not touching the sensor, and leverages TOLAE (thin, organic and large area electronics) technology. The demonstration sensor is a one-finger sensor, with 256×256 pixels at 500 ppi. Its first images were created with the OE-A demonstration, and PYCSEL consortium biometrics experts are testing its performance.

The consortium says the new sensor is not bulky and provides high resolution at a low cost, making it suitable for applications such as smart cards and automotive implementations such as on steering wheels or gears. The project’s final objective is a 4-finger slap sensor with 1500×1600 pixels, and an active area of 75×80 mm2.

The PYCSEL consortium is made up of stakeholders from around the biometrics ecosystem, including electronic partners, systems designers, and biometrics industry leaders including Idemia and Universidad Carlos III Madrid.