We usually don’t hear  much  about display makers unless it’s Samsung, Sharp, or Sony. However, this time we are not here to talk about any of those, but about AUO  ( AU  Optronics ) , a manufacturer of LCD panels that has just marked a milestone during  SID Display Week  2019 by presenting a screen with an optical fingerprint reader. integrated into the entire panel . This means that it is not necessary to position your finger on a specific part of the screen when unlocking the device, thus breaking with  the  current paradigm. 

The main reason no one has done so far, is the structure of the LCD screens themselves. For v was n , an LCD comprises a back layer screen backlight charge of the whole, this is opaque and fingerprint reader would not  useful  here. To circumvent this problem, AUO has installed a second screen between the backlight layer and the surface itself. 

AUO has combined two LCD panels to make it possible : AUO develops the first fingerprint sensor integrated into the entire screen

Going into detail, the main screen is an ultra-wide LTPS LCD panel (aspect ratio 21: 9), which exhibits a resolution of 2520 x 1080 pixels and the  smallest punch  hole in the industry, leaving a diameter of just as only 4.2 millimeters for the selfie camera  . 

Under this screen, AUO has inserted a second LTPS LCD panel without notch or perforation, and with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. Underneath it lies what AUO defines as the  “industry’s first  full-screen optical fingerprint scanner .” This implies that the sensor is installed directly on the LCD structure, therefore, it is capable of recognizing the user’s fingerprint anywhere on the screen. 

AUO claims that its solution offers a response time of 30 milliseconds, which suggests that the fingerprint reader would be extremely fast when it comes to doing its job. 

Finally, Stefan K.  Persson , CEO of AUO, emphasizes that this is the first full-screen fingerprint reader solution in the world, and that, in addition, the first devices using screens with this technology could appear in the market by the end of 2019.  Of course, once this happens, don’t expect every smartphone manufacturer to go around mentioning that their screen is provided by AU Optronics, as that is something that rarely happens.