Prototypes & Products: FC8x8 & FC2x17

Reminder: this is an unofficial website about the FingerChip. See the Atmel website for official info. Products & prototypes presented here may have been discontinued, so sorry about the broken links.

The beginning

The oldest prototype of the FingerChip was in fact an uncooled infrared CCD camera from Thomson-CSF TCS. It showed the feasibility of the project. 128x128 pixels, 300dpi.

All further chip are CMOS chips, 500dpi.

FC8X8

Two CMOS prototypes were designed: a regular square chip FC8x8 and the first sweep chip FC2x17.

FCDEMO1

The square chip (160x160 pixels) got a brief life, because it quickly appeared that the cost will be too expensive on the long run. FCDEMO1 was the demonstration kit using this chip (design ID3 semiconductors)

FC2X17

The very first sweep sensor was a 40x350 pixels chip, using a Chip-On-Board (COB) package with pins.

FCDEMO2

FCDEMO2 was the demonstration unit for the sweep sensor FC2x17. It was designed with the help of ID3 semiconductors & GMP Design. A LED ramp was blinking to encourage people to sweep his/her finger, as it was the very first sweep fingerprint sensor.
The first public appearance occurred at the CTST (CardTech/SecureTech) May '97 in Orlando, demonstrated with the Cogent software.


Image 2 & 3 copyright Electronique, Betty.

Links to cited product manufacturers