Multi resolution touch panel with built-in fingerprint sensing support

In today's technology driven world, it is essential to build secure systems with low faulty behavior. Authentication is one of the primary means to gain access to secure systems. Users need to be authenticated in order to gain access to the services and sensitive information contained within the system. Due to the surge in the number of touch based smart devices, there arises a need for a compatible authentication system. Historically, fingerprints have served in its fullest capacity to establish the uniqueness of an individual's identity. It can be detected using capacitive sensing techniques. In this paper we present a novel unified device using transparent electronics for both fingerprint scan and multi-touch interaction. We discuss a high resolution transparent touch sensitive device and a read out circuit that drives the capacitive sensor array for touch interactions at low resolutions and for fingerprint sensing at higher resolutions. Using circuit simulation and custom Verilog-A model for transparent thin-film transistors, we verified that our design can sense fingerprints in 8.25 ms and detect touches in 0.6ms with an efficient power consumption of 1 mW. The results show that such a device can be realized and can serve as a very efficient means of user authentication. Furthermore, from the usability aspect, the proposed device is essential as it provides user transparent and non intrusive authentication.