Osram is making smartphones even smarter: Infrared technology enables mobile devices to be unlocked for the first time by scanning the iris of the user. Iris scanning is being used in the ARROWS NX F-04G smartphone from Fujitsu Limited, which is being marketed by the Japanese telecommunications company NTT DOCOMO Inc. This smartphone, which is currently only available in Japan, is the first in the world with this extremely secure functionality for consumers. Infrared light emitting diodes (IREDs) from Osram Opto Semiconductors are used as the light source. These IREDs are the only ones capable of the high power needed for iris scanning from a compact package. “We are delighted that once more an innovation from our company has made its way into an everyday application and has set new standards for the entire industry”, said Bodo Ischebeck, Vice President Infrared Components at Osram Opto Semiconductors.

The high output and compact dimensions of the Oslux SFH 4780S makes it ideal for iris scanning. (Osram/LEDinside)

Secure methods for unlocking cell phones and tablet computers are gaining in importance because these devices are being used more and more for sensitive applications such as online banking and online shopping. Manufacturers are therefore turning more and more to biometric identification. In addition to fingerprint scans, many manufacturers are now considering iris scanning. This new biometric unlocking method involves illuminating the eye with infrared light. The camera on the smartphone simultaneously takes a picture of the iris in which characteristic features are then identified.

The Oslux SFH 4780S light emitting diode from Osram’s subsidiary Opto Semiconductors currently offers the best size to performance ratio and for the first time opens up compact and reliable iris scanning for mobile devices. It is only 2.4 millimeters high and achieves a typical radiant intensity of 2900 milliwatts per steradiant – a combination that at present only this infrared LED can provide.

The Oslux SFH 4780S has a wavelength of 810 nanometers (nm). This enables the iris scanner to identify iris patterns for all eye colors – brown, blue, green and gray – with a high degree of reliability. The light source is also extremely efficient so does not involve an unnecessary drain on mobile device batteries. For developing the IRED Osram Opto Semiconductors was recently presented with the 2015 Kaiser Friedrich Research Award.