Fujitsu’s New Fingerprint Sensor IC Features USB 2.0 Compatibility, Pre-boot Authentication from Phoenix Technologies Ltd.

TrustedCore™ PBA Delivers Trusted Computing Platform; Ideal for PCs, Notebooks, Tablets

Sunnyvale, California, August 23, 2006 — Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. (FMA) and Phoenix Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:PTEC) today announced that Fujitsu has introduced the latest member of its fingerprint sensor IC technology, the Fujitsu MBF320 Sweep Sensor™. The new MBF320 features TrustedCore pre-boot authentication (PBA), fingerprint-matching algorithms and biometric software from Cogent Systems (NASDAQ:COGT), and a USB 2.0 full-speed interface. The combination of the TrustedCore PBA with the MBF320 fingerprint sensor IC adds a vital new layer of security to PCs, notebooks and tablet PCs.

The MBF320 with support for TrustedCore PBA was developed by Fujitsu Microelectronics in close collaboration with Phoenix, which provided its BioTrustTM ID enrollment application and TrustedCore PBA Software Development Kit.

The MBF320 with pre-boot authentication is the latest in Fujitsu’s series of low-power, cost-efficient fingerprint verification systems. In 2002, the company launched the MBF300 Sweep Sensor, the first sweep sensor built using the company’s solid-state sensor technology. In 2003, Fujitsu introduced the MBF310 in a much smaller package, which was designed into the JumpDrive™ TouchGuard USB Flash Drive from Lexar Media.

"The added layer of security in the MBF320 Sweep Sensor, provided by pre-boot authentication, represents a significant move forward in the technology,” according to Keith Horn, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Fujitsu Microelectronics America.

“Our BioTrust ID enrollment and TrustedCore PBA are designed to assure the security of users, data and the networks that they may connect to prior to the actual machine booting,” said Kort van Bronkhorst, senior vice president marketing for Phoenix Technologies. “Our work with Fujitsu to integrate these leading-edge security capabilities into its new fingerprint sensor IC adds a critical level of security to notebooks, tablets and desktop PCs, and enables a new level of trust in the security of the machine, the data on the machine and user.”

“We continue to collaborate closely with industry leaders like Fujitsu and Phoenix Technologies to ensure the highest level of secure authentication – an increasingly important factor in today’s networks,” said Ming Hsieh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cogent Systems. “The new fingerprint Sweep Sensor, the MBF320, is the latest effort in this productive and cooperative relationship.”

TrustedCore PBA Delivers Secure Foundation

The MBF320 incorporates Phoenix Technologies’ BioTrust ID, an application for enrollment of fingerprints and sharing of credentials from Pre-Boot to Windows. The application provides Pre-Boot Authentication (PBA) and re-authentication at the BIOS level and again at the operating system level. The PBA Software Development Kit includes a Phoenix-compatible, Cogent matching-engine-reference implementation, enabling the trusted computing platform.

High-Resolution, Low-Power Requirements

Constructed with a hardened surface and a rugged silicon topology for notebooks and handhelds, the MBF320 provides optimal image quality with 500-dpi resolution and 8-bit grayscale in an ultra-thin package. The MBF320 features a low operating current of just 45 mWatts and typical standby power consumption of only 150 micro amps in auto finger detect mode. It operates between 3.0V and 3.6V and features an excellent signal-to-noise ratio that detects a broad range of fingers. Like the previous members of the Fujitsu series of capacitive fingerprint sensor ICs, the MBF320 provides an advanced Auto-Finger Detection (AFD) circuit along with an 8-bit A/D converter. The compact device, which measures just 16mm x 6.5mm x 0.9mm, incorporates two interfaces, one USB 2.0 and one 24MHz Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI).

“The new MBF320 has been developed specifically to provide the trusted computing platform for PC, notebook and tablet PC applications,” said Philip Hopkins, product manager for the Embedded Solutions Business Group at Fujitsu Microelectronics America. “The product delivers reliable performance and is very durable, built to withstand the harsh environments and the wear-and-tear that mobile computers commonly endure.”

The MBF320 combines advanced hardware with sophisticated algorithms that generate unique “minutiae templates” that correspond to specific fingerprint features. A single, rapid fingerprint sweep across the MBF320 sensor captures fingerprint features associated with high-resolution, 500-dpi fingerprint data. The template is then compared against a database of other templates, providing virtually instant identification, with very low false acceptance and false rejection rates.

MBF320’s Small Package is Ideal for Cost-efficient Mass Production

The MBF320 is packaged with a patented “finger-guide” feature in a compact, 43-pin plastic FBGA (Fine-pitch Ball Grid Array) module, and will be manufactured using Fujitsu’s 0.35-micron process technology. The device’s small form factor and compact packaging make it easy to manufacture cost-efficiently in high volumes. Fujitsu’s advanced design capabilities and process technology, coupled with the company’s long experience in fingerprint sensor products, enabled successful first silicon implementations of the device, which is now available in production quantities.

Samples are available now at $6 each for fewer than 1,000 pieces

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