When Osram opened its $440 million Malaysian LED chip factory late last year, it touted a belief that LEDs will serve many purposes in a digitally connected world, not just illumination. Backing up that outlook, it today introduced an upgraded infrared (IR) LED for facial recognition to unlock computers and phones.

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Two-dimensional facial recognition is one of several biometric technologies, along with iris scans, fingerprints, and others, that protect gadgets from unauthorized access. The technology compares an image with previously stored data on features such as the width of the mouth, the length of the nasal ridge, and the distance between eyes.

The new Synios P2720 uses a slightly longer wavelength at 940 nm than the 850-nm version it replaces. The increase reduces red glow in the image, Osram claimed.

“Up to now, the sensitivity of IR cameras was only good if the light source had a wavelength of 850 nm,” Osram’s Opto Semiconductors group said. “The cameras have been further developed to give them greater sensitivity in longer wavelength ranges so 940-nm light sources can now be used — which in turn improves the overall performance of the system.”
Infrared is invisible electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than red light, which has the longest wavelength of visible light. Infrared ranges from 700 nm all the way to a millimeter.