HC Security Network News on Apple's fingerprint sensor supplier AuthenTec's acquisition of the US, opened the first of its kind in the field of smart phones fingerprint on a large scale.
The hot sale of Huawei Mate7 mobile phone officially detonated the popularity of fingerprint recognition in mid-to-high-end smartphones. Its accurate and fast recognition experience made Sweden's FingerprintCardsAB (FPC) company a hit.
Source analysis between sensor and fingerprint recognition
FPC, which became the darling of the non-Apple mobile phone camp, has won more than 70% of the Chinese mobile phone market. In 2015, its turnover surged by 1142% and its gross profit margin was as high as 46%.
It can be said that the smart phone market of Blowout has opened the “big voyage era†of fingerprint recognition. Then, who can participate in the global market competition, who can be proud of the rivers and lakes?
The sensor is a fingerprint identification product
Data entry
A sensor is a window for information collection. If you compare a complete fingerprint identification product or solution to a person, the sensor is like a human eye. But the cost of these eyes is extremely high, and the cost of sensors in smartphone fingerprinting solutions is as high as 80%.
“Fingerprint sensor is the core technology in the whole fingerprint scheme, and it is responsible for the accurate collection of fingerprint images to support the processing of algorithm chips.†Liu Jun, Chairman of Bellsek BIOSEC (Shanghai Tuzheng Information Technology Co., Ltd.) told China Electronics Newspaper reporter.
“A complete fingerprint identification product or solution contains three essential elements: fingerprint sensor, fingerprint algorithm processing chip and fingerprint algorithm software.†Wang Jingyang, deputy general manager of Datang Telecom's Datang Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., accepted the China Electronics News "The reporter said in an interview.
The fingerprint sensor is responsible for the acquisition of the fingerprint image. The fingerprint algorithm is responsible for the extraction and comparison of the fingerprint feature data, and the fingerprint algorithm processing chip is responsible for providing a safe and reliable operating environment and storage environment for the fingerprint algorithm software, and is responsible for managing and configuring the fingerprint sensor. .
Fingerprint sensor, as the data entry of fingerprint identification product, provides fingerprint image data for the whole process of fingerprint identification, which is one of the key factors affecting fingerprint recognition performance. The specific scheme of fingerprint identification has different combinations according to industry characteristics, but the proportion of fingerprint recognition sensors in BOM (bill of materials) costs generally exceeds 60% to 80%.
Under normal circumstances, mobile phone companies directly purchase fingerprint identification modules from suppliers. Many domestic suppliers use foreign sensors with domestic chips to make modules. The middle involves the profit of agents, factories and other links. The overall cost is high, and the sensor cost accounts for 70% to 80%.
Semiconductor fingerprint sensor
Mainstream of the market
Before the outbreak of the smartphone application market, fingerprint identification was mainly used in the market for attendance, access control, locks, etc., and the types of sensors used were completely different now.
The technology of fingerprint recognition sensors has evolved over several generations. At present, there are three kinds of optical sensors, semiconductor sensors and ultrasonic sensors. Optical fingerprint sensor is the earliest commercial fingerprint recognition sensor, widely used in the market of access control, box locks, etc., with low cost but large volume.
Semiconductor fingerprint sensors have made explosive growth in the past two years, especially in the field of smart phones, which basically occupy the entire market. Ultrasonic fingerprint sensors are currently in the early stages of verification, and performance and stability require market testing.
Although the traditional application market such as locks and safes still has a large demand for optical fingerprint sensors, from the perspective of the overall fingerprint identification market, there is no doubt that semiconductor fingerprint sensors have become the absolute mainstream of the fingerprint identification market.
In 2015, China's fingerprint identification market sold more than 70 million sensors, of which more than 60 million were used on mobile phones. It is expected that the number of fingerprint recognition sensors used in China's smart phone market will double in 2016, surpassing 120 million, while the fingerprint recognition sensors used in other fields are still around 10 million.
From the perspective of the global market, this trend will continue. Between 2015 and 2021, the fingerprint recognition sensor market for smartphones will continue to maintain a CAGR of 40% and reach 2 billion annual shipments by 2021.
Fingerprint sensor market
Who is up and down?
From Huawei Mate7 to OPPOR7Plus, Meizu MX5, Great God Note3, ZTE ARON, Cool Front Feng Pro... In the Chinese market alone, in 2015, 40 mobile phones using FPC fingerprint recognition sensors were produced, 33 of which were in the second half. From the revenue of more than 70 million yuan in 2013 to 2.28 billion yuan in 2015, the gross profit margin of nearly 50%, FPC's crazy growth can not be disgusting.
In addition to AuthenTec, which only supplies Apple, Acquires Synopsys of Validity, China's corporate Huiding Technology, which has undergone patent litigation with Xinsi, and has settled in the list of Samsung suppliers. Technology is currently the main supplier of the fingerprint identification market. According to incomplete statistics, by the second half of 2015, the number of global smartphone fingerprinting providers has surged to more than 40.
The presence of a large number of companies has brought about diversified solutions, accelerating the pace of technological advancement and cost reduction, and the price war has followed. In 2014, the price of fingerprint identification module has been maintained at a high level of more than 10 US dollars. In 2015, the price was cut directly to half US$5. After the Spring Festival in 2016, some manufacturers reported an ultra-low price of around US$3.
"As far as the Chinese market is concerned, FPC and Validity have occupied more than 80% of the market because of their early start, of which FPC accounts for more than 70% of the market. But since 2015, fingerprint sensor manufacturers in mainland China and Taiwan have been catching up. After breaking through the technical bottlenecks and capacity problems, relying on the advantages of low cost, it has been recognized by the market and achieved rapid development." Wang Jingyang said.
In terms of technological development, although mainland Chinese enterprises have a late start disadvantage, they are constantly trying new technical solutions and constantly breaking through technological bottlenecks. Relatively speaking, due to closer proximity to manufacturers and markets, mainland China's enterprises and industry chains are more closely integrated, and there is greater flexibility in technology development.
In order to improve the competitiveness of the profit space that is constantly compressed by the price war, in addition to the technical improvement of product performance and stability, domestic enterprises should also pay attention to product differentiation competition and make product highlights.
With the increasing application of fingerprint recognition, the security of fingerprint recognition has become a hot topic. Datang Microelectronics innovatively applies the financial security level of chip security technology to fingerprint identification chips, providing a secure and reliable operating environment and storage environment for fingerprint payment and fingerprint industry security applications.
At the same time, for the high power consumption point of smart phone fingerprint recognition, Datang Microelectronics is developing an integrated chip for fingerprint algorithm curing, which can solve the power consumption and cost problems in a breakthrough way. At present, Datang Microelectronics' fingerprint identification chip has been successfully commercialized in industry security products such as fingerprint scanner, fingerprint shield and fingerprint key.
"Since the sensor technology point of view, the gap between domestic and foreign is gradually narrowing, and the manufacturing process is produced in mainland China, there is no substantial difference." Liu Jun stressed to reporters.
The FPC sensor is manufactured by SMIC. Due to the economies of scale of the semiconductor manufacturing industry, FPCs with large shipments are clearly more bargaining power than later. In order to improve competitiveness, Liu Jun suggested that domestic enterprises actively innovate, based on the advantages of price and service, actively carry out IP layout, on the one hand to improve customer service level, on the other hand to make differentiated products.
"Our core advantage is the technology homology of the sensor algorithm algorithm chip security system." Liu Jun said, "We have accumulated nearly 20 years in the fingerprint industry. Currently, we not only have our own optical and semiconductor sensors, but also apply to different semiconductor sensors. The fingerprint algorithm and algorithm chip can provide cost-effective fingerprint module products for consumer electronics and other industries."
"Although the industry will continue to maintain rapid growth, but without core technology and design capabilities, relying on purchased sensors and chips, the module factory that is solely engaged in processing will face increasingly fierce competition." An industry source pointed out that "in fact, Such companies have always been working for FPCs, and it is difficult to have much profit margins."
FPC expects its revenue to reach 5.5 billion to 6.7 billion in 2016, achieving an increase of 141% to 193%.
Editor in charge: Tian Wenjie
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