Capitalizing on high-performance thermal technology, the AT77C102B FingerChip sensor uses an improved thermal-sensitive layer on top of the silicon. This improvement elevates the maximum temperature that the sensor can withstand, leading to new connection capabilities especially with direct flex report. The AT77C102B is also RoHS-compliant, allowing the complete migration to RoHS for all sensors in the FingerChip product range.

"The FingerChip sensors already provide a very good fit to Physical Access Control or Point-of-Sale application requirements thanks to their high robustness, low power consumption and high resistance to environmental constraints such as dirt, humidity or extreme temperatures," said David Richard, Atmel's Biometrics Marketing Manager. "The AT77C102B improves the image quality output by the sensor. Its full compatibility with its predecessor will make it easy to implement for our current customers while new prospects will appreciate the performance of the sensor."

Atmel's FingerChip product range is a family of high-performance silicon thermal technology of CMOS fingerprint sensors using an Atmel-patented swipe sensor process and is dedicated to embedded applications. FingerChip sensors provide high-quality images despite impairments such as wet, dry or worn- out fingerprints. The AT77C102B's sensor measures 0.4 x 14 mm in area with a resolution of 500 dpi, using Chip-On-Board package assembly to facilitate the ease of integration. Its protective coating ensures excellent reliability, mechanical robustness (more than four million swipes) and a wide range of operating conditions (-40 degrees C to +85 degrees C). The AT77C102B operates with very low power consumption (as low as 5 mA for image acquisition, less than 10 uA in stand-by-mode) which is vital for battery-operated devices and embedded applications. Atmel designed this FingerChip sensor to provide an ultra-small form factor minimal sensing area to meet the demand of Biometric security applications. The AT77C102B also operates well under drastic environmental conditions such as extreme temperatures, high humidity, dirt, oil and water contaminations.

The AT77C102B allows for a reliable authentication method to prevent a device from being used by unauthorized people. Fingerprint authentification ensures protection of buildings, confidential data, and personal information, by granting access only to authorized users. The AT77C102B is well suited for high-level applications such as physical access control, point of sales, USB biometric readers of storage devices, PC add-ons... to name just a few.

The AT77C102B is in production and available with either an elastomer or flex connector.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions. Focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets, Atmel ICs can be found Everywhere You Are(R).

NOTE: Atmel(R), logo and combinations thereof, Everywhere You Are(R) , FingerChip(R) and others, are registered trademarks, or trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.

Information:

Further information on the AT77C102B can be retrieved at: http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/datasheets.asp?family_id=609 .

For further information on Atmel's biometrics, go to http://www.atmel.com/products/Biometrics/ .

    Press Contacts:
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    Phone:  +33 4 76 58 30 25, Email Email Contact
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    Veronique Sablereau, Corporate Communications Manager -- Europe
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    Email:  Email Contact

CONTACT: Sylvie Mattei, Communications Manager of Atmel Grenoble, +33 4 76
58 30 25, or Email Contact, both of Atmel Corporation

Web site: http://www.atmel.com/