Sonavation, the pioneer in ultrasound biometric technology, today announces its breakthrough capability of ultrasound biometric fingerprint imaging through OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays that are being designed for the next generation of smartphones, tablets, wearables and devices.

This visionary breakthrough is an industry first and critically important as OLED displays are quickly gaining widespread adoption. According to the OLED Association, shipments of smartphones with OLED are expected to grow to 461MM in 2019, which is almost double 2015 shipments. This is highlighted by Apple’s recent announcement of switching from LCD to OLED displays for their future smart devices.

This technology will allow smart device manufacturers to effectively increase the usable size of their displays by 10-20 percent by eliminating the need for a separate inactive area on the device to accommodate a fingerprint sensor. This is especially important as it is estimated that by 2020, all smart devices will utilize biometric technology, with fingerprint recognition being the primary method. Sonavation’s 3D biometric ultrasound technology will be the only fingerprint authentication solution capable of this level of complex imaging through the full stack display.

“Our team at Sonavation has engineered a module that wouldn’t have been thought possible and far exceeds the capabilities of anything incorporated into mobile devices today,” said Karl Weintz, CEO of Sonavation. “This moonshot project is sure to have a substantial bearing on the mobile device industry, as it is set to change and improve industrial design of smart devices by expanding the active screen display, while making them both physically and digitally more secure.”

This ground-breaking technological advancement extends Sonavation’s SonicTouch portfolio and provides manufacturers flexibility in design while delivering the highest level of biometric security and a more dynamic user experience.