Open Competition 1 - Electronics and Photonics

Authorizer Sensor

Sponsor: Cross Match Technologies, Inc.

• Project Performance Period: 9/1/2001 - 8/31/2004
• Total project (est.): $2,658,130.00
• Requested ATP funds: $1,982,630.00

Electronic commerce, including the emerging field of wireless e-commerce, will not achieve its full potential without additional safeguards for security and privacy. Specifically, an infrastructure is needed for irrefutably identifying users and authenticating their identities. Cross Match Technologies plans to develop and demonstrate technologies for a low-cost, handheld device that collects electronic biometric signatures and transmit them securely over wireless networks to a third party or station that approves transactions. The company already has a patented optical fingerprint scanner, but it is too large and costly for the envisioned applications. Cross Match will develop low-cost, robust ceramic sensor materials and arrays that image fingerprints and blood vessels in the fingertip at the resolution needed by authentication applications. The project will develop low-cost sensor manufacturing technology, an ultrasound transmitter and receiver using high-frequency pulsed Doppler scanning to characterize blood flow -- a biological signature that ensures a "live" fingerprint -- and application-specific integrated circuits for secure wireless communications. Technical challenges include fabrication of robust, inexpensive sensor elements incorporating electronic interconnects and integration of wireless security protocols into integrated circuit designs. Subcontractors include DII Semiconductor (Sunnyvale, Calif.) to perform design and fabrication tasks; the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.) to conduct biological evaluations of circulatory sensing; TRS Ceramics (State College, Pa.) to construct the sensors; and Speciality Engineering Associates (Sequel, Calif.) and Weidlinger Associates (Los Altos, Calif.) for ceramic modeling. The project would not be pursued without ATP funding because the science is not developed sufficiently to attract private funding. The envisioned device will cost less than $50 and be able to transmit authorization for diverse functions, from financial transactions to physical access and alarm control in homes and ignition control in cars. The technology will help eliminate credit card fraud, now exceeding $700 million annually, as well as unauthorized cell phone use, car thefts, and other costly problems. The user authentication device market is forecast to reach $2.6 billion by 2006. The new technology also could be used in two-dimensional scanners for medical and industrial applications.

For project information:

Donald A. DiFrisco, (561) 622-0075
ddifrisco@crossmatch.net

ATP Project Manager

Carlos Grinspon, (301) 975-4448
carlos.grinspon@nist.gov