3070 10 AE2501B Primer

AES2501B Sensor Hardware Integration
Guide
For USB Applications
Primer
3070 Rev 1.0

July 11, 2006
AuthenTec, Inc.
Post Office Box 2719
Melbourne, Florida 32902-2719
321-308-1300
www.authentec.com
3xxx Rev 1.0 (11JUL06)

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Melbourne, Florida 32902-2719
321-308-1300
www.authentec.com
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AES2501B Hardware Integration Guide For USB Applications

Copyright 2006 by AuthenTec, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any
means without prior written permission. Printed in the United States of America.
3070 Rev 1.0 (11JUL06) AuthenTec Confidential 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................................7
1.1 SENSOR DESCRIPTION.........................................................................................................................................7
1.2 SENSOR APPLICATIONS.......................................................................................................................................9
1.3 USB INTERFACE .................................................................................................................................................9
1.4 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE .....................................................................................................................................9
1.5 INTEGRATION PROCESS ....................................................................................................................................10
2 RESOURCES ........................................................................................................................................................12
2.1 REFERENCE DESIGN KIT ...................................................................................................................................12
2.2 MANUFACTURERS INTEGRATION KIT ...............................................................................................................13
2.3 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KITS ......................................................................................................................13
2.3.1 Software Development Kit ...............................................................................................................................13
2.3.2 Preboot Authentication (PBA) Kit ...................................................................................................................14
2.3.3 Using Third-Party Matchers............................................................................................................................15
2.4 INDUSTRIAL AND MECHANICAL DESIGN ..........................................................................................................15
2.5 SIGNAL NAMING CONVENTION.........................................................................................................................15
3 THEORY OF OPERATION .................................................................................................................................16
3.1 SENSOR DATA TYPES .......................................................................................................................................17
3.2 SENSOR OPERATION IN A SYSTEM ...................................................................................................................17
3.2.1 Finger Detect Mode .........................................................................................................................................17
3.2.2 Fingerprint Imaging Mode ..............................................................................................................................18
3.2.3 Scrolling Mode.................................................................................................................................................18
3.3 FAULT DETECTION AND CORRECTION .............................................................................................................18
4 ELECTRICAL DESIGN........................................................................................................................................19
4.1 POWER SUPPLY DESIGN....................................................................................................................................19
4.1.1 Supply Voltages And Currents .........................................................................................................................19
4.1.2 Supply Voltage Noise Requirements ................................................................................................................19
4.1.3 Supply Voltage Rise Time Requirements .........................................................................................................20
4.1.4 Power Control Design .....................................................................................................................................21
4.2 CLOCK CIRCUIT DESIGN ...................................................................................................................................23
4.2.1 Crystal Circuit Design .....................................................................................................................................24
4.2.2 External Clock Circuit Design.........................................................................................................................27
4.3 RESET CIRCUIT DESIGN ....................................................................................................................................29
4.3.1 Reset Timing Considerations ...........................................................................................................................30
4.4 USB INTERFACE DESIGN ..................................................................................................................................31
4.4.1 Interface Voltages ............................................................................................................................................31
4.5 CHARGE PUMP FILTER ......................................................................................................................................31
4.6 FINGER RING CIRCUIT ......................................................................................................................................32
4.6.1 TVS Characteristics and Clamping Voltage ....................................................................................................32
4.6.2 Chassis Ground Connection ............................................................................................................................32
5 PCB LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS ..................................................................................................................33
5.1 DECOUPLING CAPACITORS ...............................................................................................................................33
5.2 CRYSTAL PLACEMENT ......................................................................................................................................34
5.3 ESD DESIGN .....................................................................................................................................................34
5.3.1 TVS Device Selection .......................................................................................................................................35
5.3.2 TVS Characteristics and Clamping Voltage ....................................................................................................35

5.3.3 TVS PCBA Placement......................................................................................................................................35
5.3.4 Casing Crevice ESD ........................................................................................................................................36
5.4 INTERFACE SIGNALS .........................................................................................................................................37
5.5 TEST POINT.......................................................................................................................................................37
6 GROUNDING AND SHIELDING ........................................................................................................................38
7 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN.........................................................................................................................................40
7.1 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................................................40
7.2 FINGER IN CONTACT WITH SURFACE OF SENSOR ...............................................................................................41
7.3 TOP SURFACE OF CASING MATES FLUSH WITH SENSOR WINGS ..........................................................................41
7.4 MATING ALIGNMENT SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE SENSOR ITSELF......................................................................41
7.5 DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS ..................................................................................................................................42
7.5.1 Entry And Exit Angles......................................................................................................................................42
7.5.2 Extent Of Finger Groove .................................................................................................................................45
7.5.3 Design For Biometric Applications .................................................................................................................46
7.5.4 Design For Navigation and Biometric Applications........................................................................................48
7.5.5 Sensor To Housing Clearance .........................................................................................................................49
7.5.6 Sensor Wing Design.........................................................................................................................................50
7.5.7 PCB to Housing Guide for Mating Alignment .................................................................................................51
7.5.8 Gaskets.............................................................................................................................................................52
8 DESIGN CHECKLISTS........................................................................................................................................54
8.1 GENERAL ELECTRICAL DESIGN CHECKLIST .....................................................................................................54
8.2 ESD AND GENERAL PCBA LAYOUT DESIGN CHECKLIST.................................................................................54
8.3 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN CHECKLIST (SENSOR SURFACE TO CASING SURFACE).......................................................55
8.4 MECHANICAL DESIGN CHECKLIST (PCBA MOUNTING & MATING TO CASING).................................................56
8.5 PROTOTYPE OR UNIT FUNCTIONAL VALIDATION CHECKLIST ...........................................................................56
9 REFERENCE DESIGN ........................................................................................................................................57
10 USB MODULE .....................................................................................................................................................58

10.1 PURPOSE OF THE MODULE ...............................................................................................................................59
11 TROUBLESHOOTING SENSOR MODULES.................................................................................................60
11.1 SENSOR ENUMERATION ....................................................................................................................................60
11.1.1 Sensor Not Visible In Device Manager............................................................................................................63
11.1.2 Sensor Is Shown As An Unknown Device ........................................................................................................66
11.1.3 Sensor Is Banged In The Device Manager ..................................................................................................67
11.1.4 Sensor Re-Enumerates Intermittently ..............................................................................................................69
11.2 OTHER SENSOR MODULE PROBLEMS................................................................................................................70
11.2.1 A Fingerprint Image Cannot Be Displayed .....................................................................................................71
11.2.2 Sensor Becomes Uncomfortably Warm............................................................................................................72
11.2.3 Sensor Does Not Wake Up From Suspend.......................................................................................................73
11.3 OTHER DEBUGGING TIPS ..................................................................................................................................73
11.4 HARDWARE DEBUGGING SUMMARY ................................................................................................................74
12 GLOSSARY.........................................................................................................................................................77
13 REVISION HISTORY .........................................................................................................................................79

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1-1 AES2501B Sensor.......................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 1-2 System Block Diagram .................................................................................................................. 10
Figure 2-1 PBA Functional Diagram .............................................................................................................. 14
Figure 3-1 Sensor Imaging Principle.............................................................................................................. 16
Figure 3-2 Stacked Image Slices ................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 4-1 VDD Ripple Measurement............................................................................................................ 20
Figure 4-2 Improper VDD Characteristics...................................................................................................... 21
Figure 4-3 Power Control Design (VDD)........................................................................................................ 22
Figure 4-4 Power Control Design (VDDA) ..................................................................................................... 23
Figure 4-5 Reset Time With Crystal Or Resonator ........................................................................................ 25
Figure 4-6 Measuring Oscillator Start-up Time .............................................................................................. 26
Figure 4-7 External Clock Using SYS_CLK Connection................................................................................ 27
Figure 4-8 Reset Timing Example With Externally-Driven Clock On SYS_CLK Pin ..................................... 28
Figure 4-9 External Clock Specifications ....................................................................................................... 28
Figure 4-10 Reset Circuit ............................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 4-11 Reset Timing And VDD............................................................................................................... 30
Figure 4-12 USB Connections ....................................................................................................................... 31
Figure 4-13 Charge Pump Filter..................................................................................................................... 32
Figure 4-14 Finger Ring Circuit ...................................................................................................................... 33
Figure 5-1 Decoupling Capacitor Placement ................................................................................................. 33
Figure 5-2 Crystal Placement......................................................................................................................... 34
Figure 5-3 SR05 Placement (Ground Plane Not Shown For Clarity)............................................................. 36
Figure 5-4 Extension Of Ground Plane Underneath Sensor Edges .............................................................. 37
Figure 5-5 Test Pad For USB OE# Signal ..................................................................................................... 38
Figure 7-1 Sensor Wings ............................................................................................................................... 41
Figure 7-2 Housing Design Specifications ..................................................................................................... 43
Figure 7-3 Correct Finger Groove Design (Side View) .................................................................................. 43
Figure 7-4 Incorrect Finger Groove Design (Side View) ................................................................................ 44
Figure 7-5 Finger Groove (Side View) ........................................................................................................... 45
Figure 7-6 Finger Groove Extent.................................................................................................................... 46
Figure 7-7 Optimal Finger Groove Design ..................................................................................................... 47
Figure 7-8 Optimal Flush Mating with Casing and Taper to Sensor Wings Design....................................... 47
Figure 7-9 Shortened Finger Groove ............................................................................................................. 48
Figure 7-10 Planar Housing Design With Guide Bumps................................................................................ 49
Figure 7-11 Housing Beveled Around Sensor Wings .................................................................................... 50
Figure 7-12 Housing Bevel (Side View) ......................................................................................................... 50
Figure 7-13 Beveled Wing Areas Combined With Guide Bumps .................................................................. 51
Figure 7-14 Assembly Guides For Sensor Housing....................................................................................... 52
Figure 7-15 Gasket Design ............................................................................................................................ 53
Figure 7-16 Gasket Example ......................................................................................................................... 53
Figure 9-1 USB RDK Block Diagram ............................................................................................................ 57
Figure 11-1 Sensor Enumeration (Device Manager) ..................................................................................... 61
Figure 11-2 Device Driver Properties............................................................................................................. 62
Figure 11-3 Normal Sensor Signals At Plug-In .............................................................................................. 63
Figure 11-4 Normal Sensor Signals Showing Oscillator Start-Up ................................................................. 64
Figure 11-5 Effect Of OVC_DET Continually Switching VDD........................................................................ 65
Figure 11-6 Unknown Device......................................................................................................................... 66
Figure 11-7 Disabling And Enabling The Sensor........................................................................................... 68
Figure 11-8 Marginal VDD Ripple .................................................................................................................. 70
Figure 11-9 Using DotNetDemo To Capture An Image ................................................................................. 71
Figure 11-10 Sensor Drive Ring Signal ......................................................................................................... 72

LIST OF TABLES
Table 2-1 RDK Documentation ...................................................................................................................... 12
Table 2-2 MIK Contents ................................................................................................................................. 13
Table 2-3 SDK Document Contents............................................................................................................... 14
Table 4-1 OVC_DET Specifications............................................................................................................... 22
Table 4-2 Clock Frequency Settings .............................................................................................................. 24
Table 4-3 Crystal/Resonator Specifications................................................................................................... 26
Table 4-4 External Clock Specifications ........................................................................................................ 29
Table 4-5 Interface Voltages .......................................................................................................................... 31
Table 13-1 Revision History ........................................................................................................................... 79

1 Introduction
The AuthenTec AES2501B fingerprint sensor is ideally suited for USB applications like
PCs, laptops, and PC peripherals. This sensor has a unique set of features that make it
the perfect choice for these applications:
Extremely small size

Low power operation
Built-in USB 2.0 compatible full speed interface with full support for suspend and
remote wakeup
Built-in fault detection and recovery for ESD events
The AES2501B is a multi-function device that can provide AuthenTecs Power of Touch
capabilities to any product. These capabilities include greatly enhanced security through
fingerprint authentication, function launch, and motion detection for menu or cursor control
to replace buttons and switches.
The purpose of this primer is to provide the information needed to integrate the AES2501B
into a real product. This manual has been created based on industry leading practical
experience with real applications in the marketplace. It shows both the things to do and the
things to avoid in design and development. In order to avoid costly rework, as well as
to ensure maximum reliability and performance of the sensor, this manual should
be studied in detail before beginning system design. This manual is intended for
hardware integrators and system designers.
1.1 Sensor Description

The AES2501B sensor captures a fingerprint when a finger is swiped along its surface. An
array of 1024 pixel elements under the surface of the sensor images the finger as it passes
across the sensor. The pixels and associated electronics use the patented AuthenTec
TruePrint Technology, which provides the industrys best ability to acquire all fingerprints,
regardless of the condition of the skin. For compatibility with USB interfaces, the sensor
operates with a single supply voltage of 3.0V to 3.6V.

Figure 1-1 AES2501B Sensor
Maximum swipe speed is dependent on the USB bus bandwidth available. USB tree
architecture should be considered carefully when integrating the sensor.
The sensor is provided in a very small Lead-free 48 Ball Grid Array (BGA) Package. A thin
package 13.8mm x 5mm x 1.2mm seated height. The sensor is extremely reliable when
integrated as directed, and provides ESD Immunity to IEC 61000-4-2 Level 4 Criteria B
and abrasion resistance of at least 10 million rubs with no degradation visible to the naked
eye or in function. Temperature performance is compatible with USB device operation, in
the 0C to +70C range.
The AES2501B is only available in a RoHS-compliant, lead-free package.
In addition to biometric capturing fingerprints, the sensor can also be used as a scrolling
device, like the mouse scrolling function. This function can actually reduce system cost by
replacing the buttons and switches normally used for on-screen navigation in peripherals,
tablets or laptops. The AES2501B uses an image-based full scrolling technique. Scrolling
parameters like speed and sensitivity are also programmable to allow for different
parameters in different products.
The sensor fully supports USB suspend and remote wakeup. During suspend mode, the
sensor operates in a low power finger detection mode, so that touching the sensor will
initiate a remote wakeup. In addition, the sensor has several built-in event detection
functions that are triggered by ESD events or other disturbances that may cause the
sensor to malfunction. Once a fault has been detected, the sensor will automatically
recover from the fault by forcing a USB re-enumeration or a sensor master reset.
The sensor also supports Biometric Boot, enabling asset and privacy protection. In BIOS
applications, the sensor may be used to authenticate a user before a PC has booted up
(preboot authentication). Fingerprint templates and code may be stored in the PC System
Flash. The information stored in flash can be associated with an authentication word
supplied by the sensor while being read by the host computer to further increase the
security of the flash data. This mechanism can be used to ensure that the data that is
assumed to be coming from the flash is really coming from this location, and not through
some other mechanism that has been patched into the system to subvert the security.

1.2 Sensor Applications
The AES2501B is perfect for applications like:
Personal Computers
Laptops and tablet PCs
PC peripherals like USB mice and keyboards
1.3 USB Interface

The AES2501B has a built-in USB 2.0 compatible full speed (12MHz) USB interface. The
sensor is a USB device with three endpoints, and is not a host controller or hub. Further
details about the sensors USB descriptors and strings can be found in the document
EntrPad AES2501B Fingerprint Sensor Hardware Specification (document #3063).
1.4 System Architecture

The overall design for a system using the AES2501B sensor is shown in the block diagram
below. The sensor is connected to a host computer through its USB interface, but also is
supported by various peripheral circuits that supply a clock signal, reset, and power to the
sensor.
In operation, the sensor captures multiple slices of the fingerprint as a finger is swiped
over the surface of the sensor. Each slice consists of 1537 bytes of data, and a complete
swipe may contain up to 113 individual slices. The swipe data is held temporarily in a
secure buffer in the RAM of the computer, and then the AuthenTec fingerprint matcher
software processes this data to extract information that can be used to match the
fingerprint. This extracted information is called a template, and is much smaller in size
than the original swipe data. When enrolling a users finger, the extracted template is
stored on the host computers system flash or on the hard disk. When verifying a users
fingerprint, the application presents the information extracted from the new swipe data and
compares it to the stored templates to see if there is a match!

Template
Program Data
Storage
Memory Memory
Memory
(HDD/RAM) (RAM)
(HDD/Flash)
PC
Microprocessor
USB Host
Controller
PC USB Port
AES2501x
USB RDK
Figure 1-2 System Block Diagram
1.5 Integration Process

The process of integrating the AES2501B sensor into a product begins with the sensor-
related hardware design. This design process is started by reviewing the Reference Design
Kit available from AuthenTec.
Casing Design (Industrial Design)
The external housing/casing design is usually the first item initiated by the integrator. This
is due to the long lead times to produce the die for the casing. The casing design involves
the correct mating of the top surfaces of the sensor. Swipe path must be smooth for a good
experience for the end customer. The height of the AuthenTec sensor is reduced by the
process of PCBA reflow. This change in height should not be overlooked during the design
of the casing and mechanical mounting.

SCHEMATIC and BoM
This kit contains schematics and Bill of Materials for the USB interface design for the
sensor.
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Layout
To support the ESD immunity, the PCB layout is critical to passing the EMC-ESD
compliance with the first pass of the PCB.
Application Software
While the hardware design process is underway, development of any application software
required can be started by using a peripheral AuthenTec USB sensor module. This
module will behave the same as the product being designed at the operating system level.
BIOS preboot authentication development can also be performed using the USB module
by using a PC-based BIOS development system. The USB module allows the sensor to
be connected to a PC USB port and tested with the software before the integrated sensor
hardware has been completed.
Driver Certification
AuthenTec supplies the certified driver required by the sensor. AuthenTec provides a DLL
containing the API for all sensor-related functions. So the only software development that is
needed is at the application level or BIOS level.
The last step in the integration process is to test the final product design. Many different
kinds of testing should be performed, including basic electrical and compliance testing, as
well as biometric testing to verify that the casing design provides smooth swiping action
and thus consistent results. Then that the fingerprint matching results meet specification.

2 Resources
AuthenTec has both hardware and software kits and documentation to assist developers in
creating products using the AES2501B sensor. Some of these resources are listed in the
sections below.
2.1 Reference Design Kit

AuthenTec provides a Reference Design Kit (RDK) that includes schematics and Bill of
Materials (BOM) for the sensor interface. Production information is included in this kit as
well, such as PCBA solder reflow guidelines, cleaning procedures, handling procedures
and a manufacturing test program (Checksensor).
Casing integration guidelines are also provided in this primer.
A USB sensor module is also included in this kit. The USB module can be used to begin
software development and hardware checkout before the actual product hardware has
been designed, greatly reducing the time to develop a new product.
DOC. NO. DOCUMENT TITLE PURPOSE

3064 EntrPad AES2501B Fingerprint AES2501B electrical and design
Sensor Product Specification specifications
2158 Handling And Testing Procedures For Guidelines for handling and
The AuthenTec Sensors testing the sensor
2234 How To Clean The AuthenTec Sensor Guidelines for cleaning the
sensor
2248 Reflow Profile For AuthenTec Sensors Guidelines for reflow solder
processing
No number Schematic of Reference Design Schematic for electrical design
No number Bill of Material supporting schematic Parts list
2331 CheckSensor Production Test Verification of sensor in
Program production test
2313 IEC61000-4-2 ESD Test Procedure Support for ESD compliance tests
No number ROHS Declaration Supporting documentation for
RoHS compliance
3070 AES2501B Primer Summary document to support
customer integration
Table 2-1 RDK Documentation

2.2 Manufacturers Integration Kit
AuthenTec provides a Manufacturers Integration Kit (MIK) that includes schematics and Bill
of Materials (BOM) for the sensor interface. Production information is included in this kit as
well, such as PCBA solder reflow guidelines, cleaning procedures, handling procedures
and a manufacturing test program.

3064 EntrPad AES2501B Fingerprint AES2501B electrical and design
Sensor Product Specification specifications
2158 Handling And Testing Procedures For Guidelines for handling and
The AuthenTec Sensors testing the sensor
2234 How To Clean The AuthenTec Sensor Guidelines for cleaning the
sensor
2248 Reflow Profile For AuthenTec Sensors Guidelines for reflow solder
processing
USB Certification USB.ORG compliance test report
2331 CheckSensor Production Test Verification of sensor in
Program production test
no number CE test report EMC compliance capability
2313 IEC61000-4-2 ESD Test Procedure Support for ESD compliance tests
3068 Reliability Qualification Summary Definition of product longevity
no number ROHS Declaration Supporting documentation for
RoHS compliance
3070 AES2501B Primer Summary document to support
customer integration
Table 2-2 MIK Contents
2.3 Software Development Kits

By providing Software Development Kits (SDK), AuthenTec supports any PC or Windows
software development necessary to use the AES2501B in an application.
A preboot authentication (PBA) software kit for BIOS development is also available. This
kit should be used by integrators desiring to use fingerprint authentication to enable and
disable a PCs boot process, for added security.
2.3.1 Software Development Kit
In the Software Development Kit (SDK), AuthenTec provides a Windows driver for the
sensor and a DLL. The DLL contains an Application Programming Interface (API) that can
be used to develop application software using the sensor. Full documentation of the DLL
is also provided in the kit. The API contains functions for high level biometric functions, like
enrolling and verifying fingerprints, as well as for lower level functions that capture

fingerprint images, perform fingerprint matching, manage the encrypted template database,
and so on. The Programmers Reference manual also incorporates an Installers Guide,
which provides information to vendors of application software on how to install the
AuthenTec Windows components (driver and DLL).

2060 AuthenTec Windows Fingerprint Programming Reference Manual
Software Version X.Y for Microsoft for the AuthenTec API in
Windows Windows including installer guide
No number SDK Users Guide Users guide for the SDK
Table 2-3 SDK Document Contents
2.3.2 Preboot Authentication (PBA) Kit
A functional diagram of how preboot authentication works is shown in the figure below. In
this model, fingerprint authentication is used to prevent the PC from booting up if the
enrolled user is not present. As its name implies, preboot authentication occurs prior to the
PC booting up (at the BIOS level), but enrollment of fingerprints and other management
functions are performed at the operating system level for convenience. Fingerprint
templates are stored on either the hard disk drive (HDD) or in system flash memory.
Figure 2-1 PBA Functional Diagram

The PBA kit consists of three components:
1. The standard AuthenTec Windows DLL

2. A loadable binary executable that provides pre-boot sensor control, matching and
user interface functions
3. A BIOS option ROM component that validates, loads and runs the loadable binary
executables.
The option ROM approach allows the PBA software to be implemented without any
changes to the original BIOS. The option ROM component can also be provided in an
entry point invocable form, but in this case some small changes to the original BIOS are
required. The software in this kit is written as generically as possible so that it can be
adapted to any manufacturers BIOS.

3044 PBA Integrators Guide Description of AuthenTec PBA
Software and how to integrate it
into a BIOS
2.3.3 Using Third-Party Matchers
The AuthenTec Windows software is designed to allow third-party matchers to be used.

The AuthenTec API can supply the optimized, stacked image produced by the sensor
control software to any matcher that can work with this type of image.
The AuthenTec Preboot Authentication software is not currently designed to work with
third-party matchers.
2.4 Industrial and Mechanical Design

Information for designing an optimum housing for the sensor when it is used in a product
can be found later in this document.
2.5 Signal Naming Convention

The signal and pin names used in this document are the same as the names that are
referenced in AuthenTecs Reference Design Kit. The symbols * and # used after a
signal name, and the symbol / before a signal name, indicate that the signal is active low.

3 Theory Of Operation
The AES2501B pixel array is composed of 16 rows of 192 pixels (columns). The array is
scanned sequentially by powering up 16 pixels in each column and then converting the
analog values for each pixel to digital values.
During fingerprint imaging, an RF signal is conducted via the Drive Ring on the surface of
the sensor to the users finger. This signal is essential to the imaging process, so the
sensor housing must be designed so that the Drive Ring is not covered up. The Drive Ring
is represented by the Excitation Generator in the figure below. The signal that is generated
by the Excitation Generator is conducted by the living layer of the skin in the finger. The
living layer of the skin is high in saline content, which makes it a much better conductor
than the dead, dry skin that forms the skin surface that we can see. The RF signal injected
into the living layer forms an electric field that varies in strength depending on whether
there is a fingerprint ridge or valley present.
Cross section of
finger skin
Live skin cell layer
Outer dead skin

layer
(dielectric)
surface of the skin
Pixel antennae array

Semiconductor
substrate
Excitation signal
reference plane
Excitation
Generator
Figure 3-1 Sensor Imaging Principle

Each pixel is connected to an RF sense-amplifier that detects the modulated electric field
around the fingertip and amplifies and buffers it. Each pixel output is then converted into a
digital level corresponding to the strength of the local field.
A frame of the fingerprint image is scanned column by column. A column is scanned in

~32s, and an entire frame of 192 columns is scanned in ~6.144ms. The AuthenTec
driver automatically adjusts the sensor to obtain the best image and receives the image
frame by frame. The individual frames are stored in a swipe buffer for further processing
by the AuthenTec matcher software. The image stored in the swipe buffer is a stacked

image like the one in the figure below, and has not been processed to analyze the
individual slices together into a coherent fingerprint.
Figure 3-2 Stacked Image Slices

The stacked image is processed by the AuthenTec software to extract information that can
be used for matching fingerprints. This extracted information is called a template, and is
much smaller in size than the original stacked image.
3.1 Sensor Data Types

In response to commands from a host processor, the sensor returns several fixed types of
data, including such data types as register data and histogram data. The data types are
defined in the Product Specification for the AES2501B, document #3064. The sensor will
always return a complete data transaction in response to a command.
3.2 Sensor Operation In A System

The sensor system has several basic modes of operation in a system:
Finger Detect Mode

Fingerprint Imaging Mode
Scrolling Mode
Remote Wakeup
These modes are explained below.
3.2.1 Finger Detect Mode
Before a fingerprint image can be captured, the sensor must first detect that a finger has
been placed on the sensor. This operation is called the finger detect mode. The device
drivers that support the AES2501B utilize the method of image based finger detection. The
device driver will request the sensor to deliver the array scan data, then process this data
and determine whether a finger has been placed on the sensor.

3.2.2 Fingerprint Imaging Mode
The Fingerprint Imaging Mode is the mode used when the sensor is capturing a fingerprint
image for biometric purposes. When a fingerprint image has been requested, the sensor
first operates in Finger Detect Mode until a finger swipe is started by the user or the
operation times out. If a finger is detected, the sensor switches to Imaging Mode to
capture a stacked image and send it to the host processor. When the finger is removed
from the sensor (or the imaging process times out), imaging mode is ended and
processing of the image begins in software. All of these mode changes are automatically
performed by the AuthenTec driver and DLL, and the system designer need not be
concerned with the details of how this is performed.
3.2.3 Scrolling Mode
When the sensor is used as a scrolling device, the sequence is different. In this case, a
repeating sequence of images is sent by the sensor to the host computer. Software
evaluates this stream of images to determine in which direction the finger is moving, and by
how much. The sensitivity can be adjusted to provide for personalization, at the price of
power consumption, or lower performance with improved power consumption for less
demanding applications.
3.3 Fault Detection And Correction

The AES2501B has several built-in mechanisms for detecting fault conditions and
recovering from them. Usually, these fault conditions occur as a result of an ESD event.
The most important fault detection mechanism inside the sensor is an overcurrent (OVC)
detection circuit that uses an external sense resistor to measure the current in the digital
portion of the sensor. This circuit is used to detect latchup events that occur as a result of
ESD or power supply inversion. If the OVC detection circuit is triggered, the AES2501B
will turn off its own VDD power and then turn it back on, using an external switching device
to control the power rail. This power cycling will clear the latchup condition and cause a
USB re-enumeration. The OVC detection circuit is described more fully in a later section of
this document.
There are also other built-in fault detection mechanisms that may be used if needed.
These mechanisms are enabled and disabled through software. If they are enabled, the
sensor will automatically perform a re-enumeration and a master reset in response to an
error condition. The AuthenTec driver will implement these features if they are required.
As part of each AuthenTec sensor qualification, all compliance tests are run to validate the
recovery of anomalous events.

4 Electrical Design
This section describes the design of the various circuit elements that are needed around
the sensor.
4.1 Power Supply Design

The VDD supply for the sensor must meet certain requirements for the sensor to work
properly and reliably. The following sections address these requirements.
4.1.1 Supply Voltages And Currents
The AES2501B sensor will work with power supply voltages from 3.0V to 3.6V, and the
supply voltage should never exceed 4.3V. Since USB bus power is often 4.5 to 5.5V, this
voltage would need to be regulated down to the sensor nominal operating voltage of 3.3V.
If a voltage regulator is used, it should be specified to supply at least the worst-case
imaging mode current ~70mA.
The worst-case currents occur during imaging mode. During scrolling mode, the sensor
current will be 25mA (typical). The USB specification requires that a low power device
such as the sensor use a power supply current of 100mA or less, which is more than
enough for the sensor.
4.1.2 Supply Voltage Noise Requirements
A critical power supply requirement for the sensor is that peak-to-peak ripple (noise) on the
power supply must not exceed 100mV. The ripple should be carefully checked on the
actual PC board for the product to ensure that this requirement is met. The worst-case
ripple occurs when the USB D+ signal is active. The figure below shows how this
measurement can be performed with an oscilloscope, and is an example of good power
supply ripple.

Figure 4-1 VDD Ripple Measurement
4.1.3 Supply Voltage Rise Time Requirements
The VDD supply for the sensor should be designed to rise monotonically from 0V to the
VDD voltage. VDD characteristics like those shown in the figure below must be avoided.
In this kind of situation, reset is correctly released (exceeds 2/3 * VDD, or 2.2V) after VDD
exceeds 3.0V, but then VDD falls back below 3.0V again, causing reset to have been
released prematurely. This can result in incorrect sensor operation.

Voltage
VDD
3.0V RESET
2/3*VDD
Time
Figure 4-2 Improper VDD Characteristics

VDD should rise to its final value in significantly less time than that taken by the reset to
reach 2/3 * VDD (2.2V for a 3.3V nominal sensor voltage).
4.1.4 Power Control Design
The sensor power must be controlled with hardware so that the sensor can turn its own
power on and off under the control of its overcurrent detection circuit. This power control is
used to recover from latchup events in the sensor caused by Electrostatic Discharges
(ESD). When an electrostatic discharge occurs, it is possible for the sensor, like all other
CMOS integrated circuits, to go into latchup. CMOS circuits inherently contain four-layer
devices that can behave like SCRs. This typically occurs when the VDD power supply is
momentarily biased at a lower voltage than the sensor ground. This power supply
inversion can occur during an ESD event, or due to some other fault in the power supply.
When latchup occurs, the sensor will draw a large amount of current and can also become
uncomfortably warm. The sensor has a built-in overcurrent detection circuit that prevents
this condition from continuing by switching off the power to the sensor momentarily when it
occurs.
Additionally, sensor supply current limiting is required for safety in USB applications. USB
ports in PCs can sometimes supply very large amounts of current into a short circuit. In
some PCs, this current can reach 5A or more. This can result in a dangerous situation if
the sensor becomes physically damaged. To prevent safety problems, the current to the
sensor should be limited to ~250mA. The goal is for the sensor to remain below 60C
temperature. The voltage regulators which are not specifically designed to be a current
limiter are not reliable current limiters and cannot be used for this purpose. Using a
devices which interrupts that power and restores it would be advisable, as opposed to
current foldback.

For the above reasons, it is very important to supply a means for the sensor power to be
turned on and off and to limit the current to the sensor. The block diagram below shows
the method recommended for this. A current-limited P-Channel MOSFET switch is used
on the high side of the sensor (VDD) to control the sensor current. The Analogic
AAT4610A is a current-limited MOSFET whose current limit is set to trip at typical 250mA
by the 40.2Kohm resistor. If the sensor is physically damaged and draws excessive
current, the AAT4610A will prevent this from reaching dangerous levels. The AAT4610A is
turned on and off by the sensor itself by using the signal from pin D9 (OVC_DET). The
sensors built-in overcurrent detection circuit is isolated from the rest of the sensor. The
pad D10 (OVC_VDDA) and D8 (OVC_VDD) supply the power to this isolated circuit.
The 2ohm sense resistor is used to measure the current entering the digital portion of the
sensor. If the voltage drop across the sense resistor exceeds the threshold for a
sufficiently long time, the OVC_DET signal will go high for a set period of time, turning off
power to the sensor. After the time period has elapsed, the OVC_DET signal will go low
again, automatically turning sensor power back on. The specifications for the sensors
OVC_DET circuit are shown in the table below.
PARAMETER MINIMUM TYPICAL MAXIMUM UNITS

Sense resistor threshold voltage 40 70 100 mV
Overcurrent time required to trip 17.1 25.7 51.4 ms
OVC_DET
Time OVC_DET signal is high after 119.4 179.1 358.2 ms
tripping
Table 4-1 OVC_DET Specifications
All parts of this circuit design are critical for proper operation of the sensor and cannot be
omitted. The sense resistor value is critical and is specified as 2 ohms 1%.
D8: OVC_VDD
AAT4610A VDD2
5 In 1
3.3V_REG Out D10: OVC_VDDA
Sense Resistor
4 #On Set 3 2 ohm, 1%
2 39K
D11: OVC_SENSE
AES2501x
B3: VDD
A8: VDD
D9: OVC_DET*
Figure 4-3 Power Control Design (VDD)

The analog power (VDDA) for the sensor is controlled separately, using the circuit shown in
the block diagram below. The analog power supply current is not monitored by the sense
resistor. This current cannot be monitored because it varies widely between imaging mode
and other modes, unlike the digital (VDD) current. However, the sensor uses the P-
channel MOSFET Q1 to control VDDA power, and only turns this power on when the
sensor is capturing a fingerprint image. This prevents analog array latchups from occurring
during ESD events.
The MOSFET Q1 must be selected to have low on-state resistance (Rdson) to avoid
having a large voltage drop while the sensor is imaging. The MOSFET threshold voltage
must also be selected for 3.0V operation, so that the MOSFET will be fully turned on at the
minimum gate voltage of 2.7V.
VDD2 C3: VDDA
C12: VDDA
Q1 AES2501x
C10: VDDA_ON*
Figure 4-4 Power Control Design (VDDA)

The designer should test the sensor power on the actual PC board to ensure that the
following conditions are met:
1. The USB power (regulated down from 5.0V to 3.3V, i.e., 3.3V_REG) turn-on is
monotonic and reaches full VDD within the specified time with respect to reset and
the oscillator turn-on.
2. When the sensor VDD is turned off by the AAT4610A, it falls to a value less than
0.5V within a few milliseconds. If VDD never falls to less than 0.5V, this probably
indicates that one or more sensor inputs is not being turned off when VDD is turned
off. This might happen, for example, if the serial flash connected to the sensor is
supplied with power from 3.3V_REG rather than from VDD2. On the other hand, if
the turn-off time is too long, a resistor with a large value may be placed in parallel
with the sensor in order to bleed off stored charge more quickly.
4.2 Clock Circuit Design

The AES2501B can use either a crystal oscillator or resonator for a clock source, or an
externally driven clock. The following sections discuss the requirements for each of these
options. There are several possible clock frequencies that may be used, and the
frequency selected should be specified by connecting the sensor pins B1, B6 and C5 as
shown in the table below.

CLKSEL2 CLKSEL1 CLKSEL0 CRYSTAL/RESONATOR OR
PIN B1 PIN B6 PIN C5 CLOCK FREQUENCY RANGES
0 0 0 6 MHz
0 0 1 Reserved
0 1 0 12MHz
0 1 1 18MHz
1 0 0 24MHz
1 0 1 Reserved
1 1 0 Reserved
1 1 1 48MHz (PLL Bypass mode, clock only)
Table 4-2 Clock Frequency Settings
In PLL Bypass mode, the sensor must be driven with a 48MHz clock through the
SYS_CLK pin.
4.2.1 Crystal Circuit Design
The sensor is designed to use a one-pin oscillator, which means that a crystal or resonator
is connected to the sensor through the single pin A11 (SYS_CLK). Board capacitance is
critical in this design, because it greatly affects the crystal or resonator start-up time.
Careful analysis of the oscillator start-up time using the actual PC board should be
performed to ensure that the oscillator start-up time requirements are met over the range of
board and capacitor variability.
The schematic below shows the pin connections related to using a crystal or resonator as
the clock source.
A11: SYS_CLK
C R
10pF Y 47K
6/12MHz
AES1610
4.2.1.1 Crystal Oscillator Start-up Time Requirements
When a crystal or resonator is used as the sensor clock, the clock ramp time is dependent
upon the start-up time of the crystal or resonator. The load capacitance on SYS_CLK and

the characteristics of the crystal or resonator will determine this start-up time. The
oscillator start-up time must be 9ms or less, or the digital PLL in the sensor may lock on an
incorrect frequency. Some crystal and resonators may have too long of a start-up time to
be used in this application, so the crystal should not be selected solely based on cost. The
start-up time of the oscillator should be verified on the actual circuit board using a low
capacitance (1pF or less) oscilloscope probe to prevent excessive loading on the
SYS_CLK pin.
AuthenTecs reference design, which includes a capacitor of 10pF, has a worst-case start-
up time of 9ms. RESET* can be released 9.01ms after VDD reaches 3.0V.
VDD (3.3V)
3.0V
SYS_CLK
Clock stable
in < 9ms RESET
Reset at >
9ms
Figure 4-5 Reset Time With Crystal Or Resonator

The oscillator start-up time should be measured on the actual circuit board using a low
capacitance oscilloscope probe. Normal oscilloscope probes may have 10 15pF of
capacitance, which will significantly change the loading on the oscillator and change the
start-up time. An example of a start-up time measurement is shown in the figure below.
The start-up time is measured from when the oscillator pin rises to VDD/2 to when the
oscillation frequency has stabilized at its design value and maximum amplitude.

Start-up Time ~1.5ms
Figure 4-6 Measuring Oscillator Start-up Time
4.2.1.2 Crystal Oscillator Or Resonator Specifications
The crystal or resonator used with the sensor must meet the requirements shown in the
table below. The crystal must be of the series resonant type. Any crystal or resonator that
meets the specifications can be used.
PARAMETER MINIMUM MAXIMUM UNITS

Frequency Freq.(nominal) 0.25% Freq.(nominal) + 0.25% -
Frequency 11.97 12.03 MHz
CLK_SEL=1
CLK_SEL=0
Shunt Capacitance (Co) 1 2 pF
Series Capacitance 2.0 2.5 fF
Inductance 69 78 MH
ESR 25 43 Ohms
Q 130,000 210,000 -
Table 4-3 Crystal/Resonator Specifications

4.2.2 External Clock Circuit Design
It is also possible to drive the sensor clock with an external clock source, although this
arrangement is not commonly used. The connections when using an externally driven
clock are shown in the figure below. The external clock is connected to pin A11
(SYS_CLK) of the sensor. The clock must be a gated clock, and must be turned off when
the OVC_DET signal has turned the sensor power off. This is because the sensor can be
powered up through the SYS_CLK pin, which will prevent any latchup conditions from
being cleared if the clock continues to run with the sensor power turned off.
OVC_DET
B2: SYS_CLK
CLK
6/12MHz
AES1610
Figure 4-7 External Clock Using SYS_CLK Connection

Another very important point to note is that it may be impossible to meet the USB
specification suspend current requirements when using an external clock. Pin B7
from the sensor would need to be used to disable the clock. Without using the pin B7 as
as signal to shutdown the clock, the sensor power supply current would be out of
specification for the suspend mode.
4.2.2.1 Externally-Driven Clock Start-up Time Requirements
The external clock should be held in the low state until VDD reaches at least 3.0V. This
prevents powering up the sensor through the input protection network on the SYS_CLK
pin.
SYS_CLK can be applied any time after VDD reaches 3.0V. If using the internal PLL, time
is required for it to stabilize before operating the sensor. The PLL lock time is 1ms worst
case. The lock time starts from either clock starting or reset being released, whichever
comes last. The external clock should be stable and meet the required drive specifications
within 1.5ms of VDD reaching 3.0V, and reset may then, for example, be released 2.5ms
after power on. The clock may be active or inactive when reset is applied or released. The
0.047F reset capacitor recommended for use with an external clock will release reset
after ~2.5ms.

RESET* should be released at least 10 ns after VDD reaches 3.0V. RESET* can be
released before or after the external clock has started, however the 1ms PLL lock time
must always be observed before starting sensor operations.
The figure below shows an example of the start-up time for an externally driven clock,
when using the SYS_CLK pin. Note that reset could also occur 10ns after VDD reaches
3.0V without affecting sensor operation.
VDD
3.0V
SYS_CLK
Clock stable
in 1.5ms RESET*
Reset at
2.5ms
Figure 4-8 Reset Timing Example With Externally-Driven Clock On SYS_CLK Pin
4.2.2.2 Externally-Driven Clock Specifications And Noise
When an externally driven clock source is used, the figure and table below give the
specifications required for the clock source:
Figure 4-9 External Clock Specifications

PARAMETER MINIMUM MAXIMUM UNITS
Frequency Freq.(nominal) 0.25% Freq.(nominal) + 0.25% -
CLK_SEL[2:0]=010
CLK_SEL[2:0]=000
Jitter 2 ns
Tr - 10% of Tperiod
Tf - 10% of Tperiod
Thigh 45%*[Tperiod] 55%*[Tperiod]
Tlow 45%*[Tperiod] 55%*[Tperiod]
Table 4-4 External Clock Specifications
4.3 Reset Circuit Design

The sensor must be held in reset until the VDD power supply has reached at least 3.0V. In
USB designs, reset is always performed by a capacitor connected to the RESET* pin of
the sensor.
A ceramic capacitor (C) is connected to RESET* (pin A5). This capacitor is connected to
VDD through a 57.1Kohm ( 15%) resistor that is inside the sensor. When a crystal
oscillator is used, the value of the reset capacitor should be 0.22F, assuming that the
crystal start-up time meets the requirements specified above. This value will guarantee that
reset is not released until the oscillator has started up.
When an externally driven clock is used, the value of the reset capacitor should be
0.047F.
The time for reset to be released when using a capacitor can easily be calculated by
multiplying the capacitor value by the value of the reset resistor inside the sensor
(57.1Kohms). For example, the nominal time to release reset for a 0.22F capacitor is:
0.22x10-6 X 57.1x103 = 12.5ms

AES2501x
A5: RESET*
Figure 4-10 Reset Circuit
4.3.1 Reset Timing Considerations
Reset should be designed so that it is released (reaches a voltage of 2/3 * VDD) at least
10ns after VDD reaches 3.0V. However, this timing may be modified depending on what
type of clock or oscillator is used (see sections above on clock design). The minimum
timing should be as shown in the figure below, which could be used in the case of an
external clock. For a crystal oscillator, the timing should be as shown in the section Crystal
Circuit Design.
Voltage
VDD RESET
3.0V
2/3*VDD
Time
>10ns
Figure 4-11 Reset Timing And VDD

4.4 USB Interface Design
The USB interface of the sensor is shown in the block diagram below. The present design
of the AES2501B does not connected the ENUM pin (C9) of the sensor. For example, an
ESD event may upset the sensor and cause the OVC circuit to trigger. Once the OVC
circuit is triggered, the OVC circuit will cycle the power. The sensor power rail drops as
power is cycled. This power cycle pulls the USB D+ line low and back high, which will
cause the USB host controller to re-enumerate the sensor. The 24 ohm resistors in the D+
and D- lines are used to control the rise and fall times of the USB signals. The values of
these resistors may need to be adjusted in some cases in order to maintain the rise and fall
characteristics within the USB specification limits.
C9: ENUM
VDD
1.5K
AES2501x
24
USB D+ B9: DPLUS
24
USB D- B10: DMINUS
Figure 4-12 USB Connections
4.4.1 Interface Voltages
The signals on the USB D+ and D- lines (and other inputs) to the sensor should meet the
VIH and VIL requirements shown in the table below to ensure that logic levels will be
recognized by the sensor.
SYMBOL DESCRIPTION MIN MAX

VIH High Level Input Voltage 70% VDD VDD
VIL Low Level Input Voltage 0 30% VDD
Table 4-5 Interface Voltages
4.5 Charge Pump Filter

The sensor requires an external charge pump filter for the analog PLL to operate correctly.
This filter is connected as shown in the block diagram below. The component values in
this circuit should never be changed

A10: PLL_FILTER
10pF
1K
1000pF
AES2501x
Figure 4-13 Charge Pump Filter
4.6 Finger Ring Circuit

In order to image a fingerprint, the sensor must generate an AC signal on the finger ring
which is on the surface of the sensor. The circuit for this finger ring signal is simple,
including a resistor and an SR05 for ESD protection. The value of the resistor (47ohms)
was selected empirically through extensive ESD testing, and has been found to give the
best ESD protection. This circuit is shown in the figure below.
4.6.1 TVS Characteristics and Clamping Voltage
The capacitance of the TVS, the PSR05 or the SR05, should not be greater than 12pF
line-line or line-ground. The clamping voltage should not be greater than 10VDC when
using 8/20uS disturbance testing and current of 1 ampere.
WARNING: too much capacitance on this node may cause operational issues with
transition to standby on platforms. If there is concern, consult AuthenTec Applications.
4.6.2 Chassis Ground Connection
The grounding of this circuit is extremely important for good ESD protection (see PC
Layout Considerations in a later section of this document).

A12: DRIVE_RING
3.3V PWR IO2

REG
SR05 47ohms
AES2501x
IO1
GND
USB
A4: FDRV
Shield
Figure 4-14 Finger Ring Circuit
5 PCB Layout Considerations

When a PC board is designed using the sensor, there are some precautions that should be
taken in part placement and routing to ensure low EMI generation and good ESD
performance. The sections below describe the best PC board layout practices for the
sensor.
5.1 Decoupling Capacitors

The decoupling capacitors for the sensor should be placed as close to the sensor pins to
which they are connected as possible. Decoupling capacitors should never be placed far
away from the sensor pins. The drawing below illustrates proper placement of a
decoupling capacitor C5 to the power pads of the sensor. C5 is on one side of the board
and the sensor is on the opposite side.
Figure 5-1 Decoupling Capacitor Placement

5.2 Crystal Placement
The crystal or resonator should also be placed as close to the sensor pins as possible.
The routing lines for the crystal should not have right angle bends, in order to reduce EMI
spray. The crystals connecting traces should also be surrounded by ground plane. The
drawing below shows an example of good crystal placement.
Sensor
Pads
Crystal
Figure 5-2 Crystal Placement
5.3 ESD Design

The placement of the ESD protection device (TVS) is very critical. This part must be
placed as close as possible to the sensor pins to which it is connected, and must be
directly connected to the ground plane. It is best to make the ground plane connection with
two or more vias. This device should never have long traces connected to it or a long path

to ground. Since ESD events occur at gigahertz frequencies, even short traces can add
significant inductance to the circuit and cause the device to provide less ESD protection.
5.3.1 TVS Device Selection
If it is desired that a different ESD protection device than the one recommended in the
AuthenTec reference design be used, it is very important that it first be thoroughly tested.
There are many replacement devices that are commonly used, such as Zener diodes,
which do not provide adequate protection for the sensor. Use of this type of device can
result in field reliability failures. Contact AuthenTec for recommendations when
considering alternative devices for ESD protection. Presently only Protek with their PSR05
and Semtech with the SR05 are qualified devices.
5.3.2 TVS Characteristics and Clamping Voltage
The capacitance of the TVS, the PSR05 or the SR05, should not be greater than 12pF
line-line or line-ground. The clamping voltage should not be greater than 10VDC when
using 8/20uS disturbance testing and current of 1 ampere.
WARNING: too much capacitance on this node may cause operational issues with
transition to standby on platforms. If there is concern, consult AuthenTec Applications.
Typical parameters should be similar to the device specifications below.
5.3.3 TVS PCBA Placement
The figure below illustrates good SR05 placement and connection to the ground plane.

Sensor Pads
SR05
Figure 5-3 SR05 Placement (Ground Plane Not Shown For Clarity)
5.3.4 Casing Crevice ESD
When a nonconductive housing is used around the sensor, there may be a gap for ESD
discharges to reach the PCBA surface around the sensor. The PCBA can be constructed
to address this problem. There is an explanation of this implementation below. Another
method to provide immunity to the Casing Crevice ESD is for the backside of the casing to
be sprayed with conductive coating to allow the ESD to conduct to that casing backside
surface. There is no exposed leadframe on the AES2501B. These design methods are
only needed with nonconductive sensor casings, since conductive casings will absorb ESD
discharges around the sides of the sensor.
5.3.4.1 PCBA Sensor Ground Ring
The ground plane of the PC board should be extended under the edge of the sensor on the
surface of the board, as shown in the figure below. Electrostatic discharges can
sometimes jump around the edges of the sensor and could hit the sensor balls underneath
or other traces on the PCBA. The balls are the sensor pins and are only rated to withstand
ESD voltages found in assembly operations, not in field use. This type of discharge can
damage the sensor, if not prevented by the extension of the ground plane underneath the
sensor edge. Note that no ground plane is allowed underneath the sensor within the ball
grid array itself. The minimum spacing between the ground plane and the sensor ball pads
is 6 mils (0.1524mm).
In addition, if PC board traces must be placed on the surface of the board near the sensor,
they should be covered with labeling silkscreen paint to prevent ESD discharges to the

traces. Discharges to the PC board traces can upset the circuitry or damage the sensor,
which can cause an ESD immunity test to fail.
The white boundary is the outline of the sensor. The yellow area is the exposed copper of
the top layer of the PCBA. Notice that the exposed copper goes under the lip of the sensor
edge.
Figure 5-4 Extension Of Ground Plane Underneath Sensor Edges
5.4 Interface signals

The USB D+ and D- signals should be routed to their destinations without right angle
bends to reduce EMI spray. These signals should also be routed with the traces parallel to
each other as much as possible and surrounded by ground plane to further reduce EMI
generation.
5.5 Test Point

In addition to the normal circuitry on the PC board, designers may wish to incorporate test
points for debugging purposes. There are two signals that may be useful in debugging.
One is the USB transceiver output enable (OE#) signal pin (B8). The second is the
SUSPEND output, signal pin (B7), which is active when the sensor is in the SUSPEND
state. It is best to place a test pad for this signal on the opposite side of the board from the

sensor, and located at some distance away from the sensor, to prevent it from being
affected by ESD discharges. An example of the placement of these test pads is shown
below.
Test Pad
(OE#)
Sensor
Pads
Figure 5-5 Test Pad For USB OE# Signal
6 Grounding And Shielding

In order to obtain good results in ESD testing of the sensor, proper grounding and shielding
design is required. When a sensor is integrated inside a product, the USB signal ground
should not be completely relied upon to connect the sensor board to ground. The USB
cable ground signal is not necessarily a direct path to chassis ground, and moreover, it is
often a long, thin and highly inductive line. These characteristics make it a very weak
ground at ESD event frequencies. The best grounding practice is to use a screw or bolt to
directly connect the sensor board to chassis ground. This single design factor can
dramatically improve ESD performance, all other things being equal.
When the sensor is incorporated in a peripheral module, connecting the sensor board to
chassis ground is usually not possible. In this case, one or more ferrite beads should be
added to the USB cable to help suppress EMI transients that are coupled into the USB
cable or shield by ESD events. The AuthenTec USB sensor module in the reference
design kit includes this feature. In addition to improving the sensor module ESD

performance, the ferrite bead also helps to prevent EMI pulses from upsetting the PC USB
port.
The USB specification requires that USB cables have a shield. However, when USB
devices are integrated into a PC or other hardware platform, this requirement is frequently
ignored. This may be due to the difficulty in making flat cables with a shield around them.
In any case, this lack of shielding can have a very deleterious effect on ESD test results.
One indicator of this problem is when ESD discharges to the product housing around the
sensor, or even in locations far away from the sensor, cause the sensor to re-enumerate or
stop working. An unshielded USB cable is essentially a long antenna that can receive the
EMI pulses from ESD events very efficiently. This coupled EMI can upset the USB port
connected to the sensor, or even the CPU. To avoid this kind of problem, be careful to
shield the USB cable, even if it is inside the equipment. The cable shield should be
connected directly to chassis ground if the board ground has not been connected to
chassis ground.

7 Industrial Design
When the AuthenTec AES2501x series sensors are incorporated into a consumer
product, the casing of the product must be designed so that the sensor can be used
easily, comfortably, and reliably. The sensor is designed for a finger to be swiped
across its sensing surface in order to capture a fingerprint, or for a finger to be moved
around on its surface when using it as a navigation device. The housing around the
sensor must be designed so that it does not obstruct the movement of the finger;
otherwise the biometric or navigation performance of the sensor may be
compromised. The False Rejection Rate (FRR) may increase if a finger cannot be
swiped properly across the sensor surface, or the ability to navigate into certain areas
may be obstructed. The success of the biometric and navigation functions can be
greatly enhanced by an appealing, functional and intuitive design.
Consumer electronic devices are designed with several factors in mind, including
aesthetic form, ergonomic function, and product brand identity. Likewise, the
industrial design for the sensor should include all of these factors. This means that
the location of the sensor on the product and the design of the areas around the
sensor must be carefully considered. The fingerprint sensor casing design is as
important as cell phone keypad design or computer touchpad layout in creating a
beautiful and functional product.
This section explains the guidelines for an optimum industrial design for a product
using the sensor. The intended audience for this document includes industrial and
mechanical designers.
7.1 Design Considerations
Care must be taken to ensure proper clearance of the housing/casing around the
sensor to provide good contact between the finger and the sensor surface during the
process of sliding a finger across the sensor. AuthenTec has tested various housing
designs to develop guidelines to achieve the best contact between the finger and the
sensor. The final image quality has many determinants including swipe speed, skin
types, rotation, and twisting of the finger during sliding, ensuring maximum planar
contact between the finger. The key part of all of these factors is that contact with the
sensor is necessary to obtain good quality images.

7.2 Finger in contact with surface of sensor
When deciding on the housing design for the sensor, the most important factor is to
keep the finger surface in direct contact with the sensing array during the entire
"swipe" of the finger. This can be best accomplished by making the sensor housing
leading up to the contact area of the sensor surface planar with the sensor surface.
The active sensor surface should not project above or be recessed below the surface
of the housing. There should also be ample room in the groove that guides the finger
during its swiping action so that the entire top joint of the finger can slide along the
surface of the sensor without difficulty.
7.3 Top surface of casing mates flush with sensor wings
The sensor has areas that contain bond wires at each end (wings, see diagram
below) that protrude above the active sensor area. These areas can present a rough
or sharp feel to the users finger if the housing is not designed to conceal these
edges. The housing should be designed with a smoothly sloping surface that is
planar with the sensor wings on the sides to prevent an uncomfortable sensation
when sliding the finger along the surface of the sensor.
Sensor Wings
(side view)
Figure 7-1 Sensor Wings
7.4 Mating alignment should not rely on the sensor itself
Another important design factor is that the housing should not press down on the
sensor too hard. If too much pressure is applied to the body of the sensor, it is
possible to fracture the sensor package or chip, causing the sensor to fail. For this
reason, it is best if the housing does not cover the sensor package, since this will
prevent pressure from being applied to it. To assist in the assembly process, studs or
guides should be implemented on the bottom of the housing piece that covers the
sensor to ensure that the housing can be installed on top of the sensor without
accidentally applying pressure to the wings. These studs or guides should be
designed to fit into holes or slots on the sensor PC board.
In some applications, it may be necessary to seal the area around the sensor in order
to prevent liquids or dirt from intruding into the housing. A rubber gasket may be used
for this purpose.

In practice, it may be difficult to achieve the ideal housing design due to product form
factor limitations. However, efforts should be made to approach these guidelines as
closely as possible.
To summarize the important design points:
1. The housing design should maximize planar contact between the sensor surface
and finger. The finger groove ideally should have a 0 angle, but should not
exceed a 10 angle. The finger groove should be long enough to accommodate
the entire top joint of the users finger.
2. Sensor surface should not project above housing or be recessed below housing.
3. The top surface of the housing should flow into the top surfaces of the sides of the
sensor, so that no sharp edges can be felt.
4. The housing should not apply excessive pressure to the sensor body. The best
housing design does not cover the sensor body. Studs or guides should be used
to ensure proper assembly. Clearance between the sensor and the housing for
designs that do not have gaskets around the sensor should be a minimum of
0.1mm.
5. A gasket made from a soft material may be used to seal the opening around the
sensor.
7.5 Design Specifications
This section gives detailed specifications for designing the best sensor housing.
7.5.1 Entry And Exit Angles
The angles of the housing that are along the path that a finger slides along the
surface (finger groove) should be designed to be 0 if possible. As a maximum, these
angles should be no more than 10. This is shown in the figure below.

Direction of
Acceptable angle Optimum finger
finger
< 10 degrees groove angle 0
movement
degrees
Sensor
surface
Finger
Groove
Housing planar with Sensor Wing

sensor wings
Housing slightly Housing
beveled here
PC Board
Figure 7-2 Housing Design Specifications
The ends of the finger groove should blend smoothly into the surface of the product
housing, and should never be terminated with a vertical step in the housing.
Correct: Finger groove Sensor Wing

blends with housing
surface
Figure 7-3 Correct Finger Groove Design (Side View)

Incorrect: Finger groove
ends in vertical step
Sensor Wing
Figure 7-4 Incorrect Finger Groove Design (Side View)
The finger groove (or finger sliding area) should be designed to be planar with the top
surface of the sensor. The sensor surface should not project above the finger groove
area of the housing, nor should it be recessed below the finger groove area, as shown
below.

Correct: Finger groove Sensor Wing
planar with sensor surface
Sensor Surface
Incorrect : Finger groove

higher than sensor surface
Incorrect : Finger groove

lower than sensor surface
Figure 7-5 Finger Groove (Side View)
7.5.2 Extent Of Finger Groove
Most housing designs will have a groove (valley) to guide the users finger when
sliding it along the sensor surface. This groove must be made long enough that the
sensor can capture the entire fingertip without obstruction. Ideally, the groove or
available sliding area at the top side of the sensor should be at least as long as the
top joint of a finger, as shown in the figure below.

Finger groove extent = length from
first knuckle to end of finger
Finger Groove
Figure 7-6 Finger Groove Extent
7.5.3 Design For Biometric Applications
For applications in which the sensor is only used as a biometric identification device,
the finger groove can be recessed below the housing surface. The figure below
shows one way to design the finger groove that embodies this principle. This type of
design is best for achieving repeatable finger swiping during authentication. Note that
the finger groove is also long enough to accommodate the top joint of a finger.

Figure 7-7 Optimal Finger Groove Design
Figure 7-8 Optimal Flush Mating with Casing and Taper to Sensor Wings Design

In products with small surface areas, like tablet PCs, the finger groove area can be
shortened by using design as shown in the example below. Note that the ends of the
finger groove blend smoothly with the rest of the housing surface, without any vertical
steps or other obstructions.
Figure 7-9 Shortened Finger Groove
7.5.4 Design For Navigation and Biometric Applications
For applications in which the sensor is used as a navigation device, a design that
allows the finger to move easily in any direction is preferable. One way to do this is to
make the housing around the sensor completely flat and use small bumps to guide
the finger, as shown in the figure below. The small bumps at the four corners of the
sensor provide tactile guidance when sliding the finger.

Figure 7-10 Planar Housing Design With Guide Bumps
7.5.5 Sensor To Housing Clearance
It is very important to avoid applying pressure to the sensor with the product housing
during assembly operations. For this reason, the housing must not be designed to
have too tight a fit to the sensor. A minimum clearance between the sensor and
housing of 0.1mm is recommended for designs that do not use a gasket around the
sensor.

7.5.6 Sensor Wing Design
The housing should be designed so that the sensor wings are not covered up, and the
housing is planar with the tops of the wings. A gently sloping angle from the top of the
wings to the rest of the housing will help to ensure that the housing does not have a
rough feeling when sliding a finger. It is also acceptable to make the top of the
housing flat in this area rather than beveled, but a beveled area improves the feel of
the sensor when sliding a finger. The figure below illustrates the best design for the
wing area.
Housing planar with

top of sensor wing
Housing slightly
beveled here
Figure 7-11 Housing Beveled Around Sensor Wings
Housing
Sensor Surface
Housing beveled Sensor Wing

smoothly around
sensor wings
Figure 7-12 Housing Bevel (Side View)
This beveled design can be combined with guide bumps for added tactile guidance for
navigation, as shown below. This type of design can be used for both biometric
authentication and navigation applications.

Beveled area
around sensor
wings
Guide
Bumps
Figure 7-13 Beveled Wing Areas Combined With Guide Bumps
7.5.7 PCB to Housing Guide for Mating Alignment
In order to further protect the sensor package from pressure, as well as to ensure a
uniform appearance of the sensor when mated to the housing, the part of the housing
that contacts the sensor should be designed to have guides or studs on the bottom.
These guides should fit into holes or grooves in the sensor PC board, as shown in the
figure below. The design tolerance of these guides should be less than 0.1mm. This
tolerance will correspond to the minimal clearance of the sensor to casing.

Sensor Housing
Guide Stud
Sensor
PC Board
Hole
Figure 7-14 Assembly Guides For Sensor Housing
The sensor itself should never be used as a mechanical alignment guide to the
housing opening.
Subassemblies such as the PC board on which the sensor is mounted should not be
used as alignment guides unless the subassembly has construction and alignment
tolerances of less than 0.1mm, so that the housing opening will never touch the
sensor edge during assembly. Perpendicular mating should always be used for
subassemblies containing the sensor. Sensor assemblies that slide horizontally or
that rotate vertically or horizontally into position create the possibility of damaging the
sensor.
7.5.8 Gaskets
In some applications, it may be necessary to use a gasket around the sensor in order
to prevent liquids or dirt from entering the housing or coming into contact with the PC
board. For example, if chemicals or liquids come into contact with the PC board, they
may cause a short circuit. Gaskets can be made from soft rubber or other materials
of this type. The gasket should be designed to be conformal with the sides of the
sensor, including the sensor wing areas. The gasket may extend outward from the
sides of the sensor to provide an area for the housing to seal against the gasket. The
figure below shows how the gasket surrounds the sensor to prevent foreign materials
from entering the housing.

Sensor surface Gasket
Figure 7-15 Gasket Design
An example of an actual gasket design is shown below. Note how the gasket material
follows the contours of the sensor surface and extends outward from the sensor.
Figure 7-16 Gasket Example

8 Design Checklists
The following checklists are provided to assist designers in making sure that all of the basic
requirements for design with the sensor have been met.
8.1 General Electrical Design Checklist

Sensor power supply voltage is regulated in the range 3.0 3.6V
P-Channel current-limited MOSFET or equivalent device used to control sensor
VDD shall have a current trip limit of no greater than 400mA for 60C maximum
thermal limit.
Low RdsON P-Channel MOSFET used to control sensor VDDA, less than -0.2
ohms at 2.7Vgs.
Design for power supply ripple (noise) to be less than 100mV peak-to-peak
while D+ is active (sensor is imaging).
Component substitutions should be the electrical equivalent of the devices they
replace.
8.2 ESD and General PCBA Layout Design Checklist

Components are placed and routed in order of priority for minimized trace
lengths: FRNG, FDRV, clk, A10, DMINUS, DPLUS, VDD3.3, VDDA, all others.
R5 should be placed between U3 and U4, with R5 (47 ohm) across pins 2-3 of
the TVS
TVS device placed as close as possible to sensor pins and connected with a
wide trace to the sensor pins
TVS pin 1 (GND) musts be 0.5mm minimum trace width and connect to chassis
ground or USB shield.
For all non-conductive casing installations - PC Board ground plane ring is
around and extended under the edges of the sensor. All traces must escape
beneath the sensor package outline to allow proper ground plane ring
placement. The ground ring must be 0.15mm beneath the package outline and
extend outward in all directions for 0.35mm minimum. The ground plane ring
must be exposed metal and free of solder mask and silkscreen.

Minimum spacing is 0.127mm for all track to track, track to via, track to pad, via
to via, via to pad and pad to pad spacing.
USB Bus signal line and crystal line routing follows good practices for low noise
emission. The USB and crystal connections should be as short as possible and
have no radius turns greater than 45 degrees. The USB traces should be
treated as 90 ohms differential and proper track to track (differential) spacing
maintained.
All vias should be tented with solder mask, except those in areas containing
exposed, bare metal, and designed to be free of solder mask.
The sensor solder pad sizes and solder mask openings should be as shown in
the reference design.
Thermal reliefs must be used on all pads and all vias which attach to a plane.
No trace should enter a sensor BGA ball pad with a trace width greater than
40% of the diameter of the pad. Larger traces should be necked down prior to
entering the BGA pad.
For sensor boards integrated inside equipment, the sensor board ground is
connected directly to chassis ground with a bolt or screw
For peripheral modules, the USB cable includes a ferrite bead to suppress EMI
transients.
Decoupling capacitors placed as close to sensor pins as possible
USB cable is shielded and shield is connected to chassis ground.
8.3 Industrial Design Checklist (sensor surface to casing surface)

Ensure full swipe finger contact with the surface of the sensor.
Ample room in the finger guide to allow the slide to start from the joint (knuckle),
for a standard finger (0.75 inches).
The top surface of the casing should mate evenly with the top surfaces of the
sides of the sensor. This includes the imaging surface and the wings.
Any sloping into or out of the sensor in the slide path should not exceed 10
degrees of elevation angle.
Side angle (sidewalls of the finger guide) should not exceed 45 degree
elevation angle. If the sensor will be used for navigation, this angle should be
reduced to 10 degrees elevation.
Minimum spacing for the sensor edge to casing edge is 0.1mm.
Sensor height post reflow (after assembly to the PCBA) is 0.86mm nominal at
the imaging surface and 1.18mm high at the sensor wings. This is very
important to note, or else the sensor will sit too low in the casing!

8.4 Mechanical Design Checklist (PCBA mounting & mating to casing)
The sensor must not be the alignment mechanism for mating the PCBA to the
backside of the casing opening. Other alignment methods are required for the
sensor to align with the sensor opening in the casing.
Ensure alignment of the sensor with the rectangular opening BEFORE it gets
inserted into the casing opening. Often this would mean an alignment method
which has a height/depth of less than 2 mm and greater than 1.3mm for the
sensor.
If liquid cleansing is planned around the sensor, design for a casing sealing
method gasket seal or conformal coat of exposed PCBA areas around the
casing opening.
8.5 Prototype or Unit Functional Validation Checklist

Power supply ripple (noise) confirmed on actual board to be less than 100mV
peak-to-peak while D+ is active
Reset timing meets requirements for specific clock or oscillator circuit used in
design.
Reset voltage confirmed to rise to 3.0V
VDD rise time meets design value
VDD rises monotonically to its final value
VDD measured at the sensor falls to less than 0.5V within a few milliseconds
when VDD is turned off
If a crystal or resonator is used, start-up time confirmed to be less than 9ms on
actual board using low capacitance oscilloscope probe

9 Reference Design
AuthenTec provides a Reference Design Kit (RDK) that includes a schematic and Bill of
Materials for the USB interface. The Bill of Materials in this kit specifies readily available
and inexpensive peripheral parts whenever possible. In some cases, finding RoHS
compliant parts may entail longer lead times or greater costs for a product design. The
sensor itself is RoHS compliant and lead-free.
A block diagram of the Reference Design is shown in the figure below. A crystal oscillator
and voltage regulation from 5.0V to 3.3V are provided as part of the design. If the USB
port in the product can supply 3.3V for the sensor VDD, the voltage regulator section of the
circuit can be omitted. The CLKSEL pins in this design are configured for a 12MHz crystal
based operation.
AES2501B
AES
2501B USB RDK
VDD
USB 5.0V
Power
Voltage PWR IN
VDD
Regulator
Control
DPLUS DPLUS
DMINUS DMINUS OVC_DET
CLKSEL2
CLKSEL1
CLKSEL0
SYSCLK CRYSTAL and

passives
RESET*
Figure 9-1 USB RDK Block Diagram

9.1 Reference Design Schematic
The AES2501B reference design schematic has the Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.
The reference schematic is shown below.
Figure 9-2 AES2501A Reference Design Schematic
10 USB Module
The AuthenTec Reference Design Kit includes a USB sensor module. This module
consists of an AES2501B sensor and surrounding components, with an attached USB
cable that can be inserted into a standard USB port on a PC.

10.1 Purpose Of The Module
The USB Module is intended to be used to develop application software for the fingerprint
sensor before the actual production sensor board is available. It can also be used for
preliminary evaluation testing and biometric testing. Since it can be connected directly to a
PCs USB port, there need be no time delay in starting software development or product
concept evaluation.

11 Troubleshooting Sensor Modules
When a new sensor module has been developed for a product, various problems may be
encountered. These problems may be either software or hardware related. To assist in
debugging new modules, the following troubleshooting guidelines should be used. It is
assumed that the module has been plugged into a USB port on a PC.
This section is also intended to support those customers who are in production and need to
identify failed or correct performing units. In order to avoid costly rework, as well as to
ensure maximum reliability and performance of the sensor, this section should be
studied in detail before beginning troubleshooting. This section is intended for
hardware integrator customers, system designers bringing up initial systems, and
manufacturers and end customer systems where needed.
For devices from AuthenTec which appear to be a supplier defect, AuthenTec has the
RMA (Return Materials Authorization) and PFARR ( Product Failure Analysis Review
Request) process to follow. Please contact your local or corporate AuthenTec personnel to
facilitate further action.
11.1 Sensor Enumeration

The most visible indication of a problem with a sensor module is when the sensor module
is not enumerated correctly by the host computer. The host computer USB controller
should enumerate the module upon plug-in. Enumeration can be checked by looking at
the Device Manager in Windows. An example of the sensor enumeration as displayed in
the Device Manager is shown in the figure below. The AuthenTec AES2501x device
should be displayed.

Figure 11-1 Sensor Enumeration (Device Manager)

Figure 11-2 Device Driver Properties
There are at least four possible abnormal enumeration conditions that can occur. Any of
these events may occur during normal operation or in response to an ESD event.
1. The sensor is not visible in the Device Manager at all.

2. The sensor is shown as an unknown device or Fingerprint Sensor.
3. The sensor is banged (shown with an exclamation point) in the Device Manager.
4. The sensor re-enumerates intermittently.

11.1.1 Sensor Not Visible In Device Manager
If the sensor is not visible in the Device Manager, this is usually an indication of a hardware
problem. Often this indicates a fatal problem like no sensor VDD voltage or a
disconnected USB D+ or D- signal line. This problem can also occur if the sensor VDD is
continually being switched on and off by the OVC_DET circuit.
The first step in debugging this problem is to look at the basic sensor VDD, reset,
OVC_DET, USB D+, USB D- and oscillator with an oscilloscope. Connect wires to the
sensor board to monitor these signals and then plug the board into a USB port and monitor
the appearance of these signal at the initial plug-in event and afterwards. The oscillator
signal should always be monitored with a low capacitance oscilloscope probe. Triggering
on the sensor VDD going from low to high will capture the events that occur at plug-in.
Examples of normal signals are shown in the figures below.
Figure 11-3 Normal Sensor Signals At Plug-In

Figure 11-4 Normal Sensor Signals Showing Oscillator Start-Up
If the sensor VDD fails to rise or it is continually switching on and off (as shown in the
following figure), then this is the cause of the sensor failing to enumerate.

Figure 11-5 Effect Of OVC_DET Continually Switching VDD
In the figure above, the OVC_DET circuit is continually triggering, turning VDD on and off.
The sensor VDD is never on for a long enough time to enable enumeration to occur. This
phenomenon can have several causes that should be investigated:
1. The 2ohm current sense resistor (R4) may be a higher resistance value (in the figure
above, a 180ohm sense resistor was used).
2. The 40.2Kohm current limit control resistor (R1) connected to the AAT4610A may not
be 40.2Kohms
3. There may be a short circuit in the circuit board that is causing an excessive amount
of current to be drawn on the sensor VDD line.
4. The sensor itself may be physically damaged so that it is drawing an excessive
amount of VDD current.
Another possible problem is that the oscillator does not start up at all, or starts after 9ms. If
the oscillator does not start up, then the sensor will be unable to communicate. If the
oscillator start-up time is longer than 9ms, the PLL may lock on the wrong frequency for a
short time, causing USB communication to break down. (The PLL will eventually reset to
the correct frequency as long as the oscillator is oscillating at the right frequency.) Another

cause of this problem may be incorrect design of the oscillator circuit, or a defective or
incorrect crystal or resonator.
A third possible problem is due to the sensor RESET* signal never rising, or rising too
soon. If the RESET* signal never rises, then the sensor will always stay in reset and will
not communicate. If the RESET* signal rises too soon, it may release the sensor from
reset before the oscillator has stabilized, resulting in problems with the PLL locking on the
wrong frequency again.
11.1.2 Sensor Is Shown As An Unknown Device
If the sensor is shown as an unknown device (typically seen as a Fingerprint Sensor

under Other devices with a question mark) in the device manager, as shown below, this
may be an indication that the AuthenTec driver has not been installed.
Figure 11-6 Unknown Device

There are other, more subtle problems that might cause this problem. If the sensor is
physically damaged in such a way that the USB enumeration data has been corrupted,
then an unknown device problem might occur. This type of problem should rarely occur,
however.
Likewise, if problems in the oscillator circuit cause the sensor PLL to lock on the wrong
frequency, as described in the previous section, then USB communication may be erratic,
resulting in the operating system being unable to identify the sensor.
11.1.3 Sensor Is Banged In The Device Manager
When the sensor is displayed with an exclamation point in the Device Manager, this
indicates that the driver was able to recognize the USB Vendor Identification Number (VID)
and Product Identification Number (PID) of the sensor, but the register data read from the
sensor was incorrect in some way. For example, the sensor version number read from the
registers may not match the version expected by the driver, or other register data may be
corrupted. This can occur because an obsolete sensor version has been placed on the PC
board, or because of problems with USB communication.
First use the Windows Device Manager to try disabling and re-enabling the sensor to see if
this fixes the problem, as shown in the figures below. Right click on the AuthenTec
AES1600 in the Device Manager and then select either Enable or Disable from the
menu. When the sensor is disabled, a red X will appear on the USB symbol to the right of
the sensor description. If the problem was erratic USB communication, disabling and re-
enabling the sensor may fix it, at least temporarily. For example, it is possible for this
phenomenon to occur during ESD testing due to the ESD event upsetting USB
communication. In some cases, it may be necessary to shut down power to the PC and
then reboot to fix this problem.

Figure 11-7 Disabling And Enabling The Sensor
If the sensor is knocked out by an ESD event, first check to see if the OVC circuit is tripping
and forcing a re-enumeration after ESD events. If the circuit never trips (OVC_DET signal
never goes high), the 2ohm sense resistor may be an incorrect value, or there may be
some other problem with the circuitry around the AAT4610A. Another possible problem is
that the sensor VDD does not fall to less than 0.5V within a few milliseconds after VDD is
turned off by the AAT4610A. If sensor VDD does not fall to less than 0.5V, latchups may
never be cleared and the sensor will be in an improper operating state. A third problem
that might occur is that the AuthenTec driver is unable to deal with a particular error
condition. In this case, contact AuthenTec for assistance in working on the problem.
If the sensor board is integrated inside the PC or other hardware and it is the PC USB port
that is knocked out by an ESD event, then this is usually an indication of insufficient
grounding within the hardware. A common problem is that the sensor board itself is not
grounded to the hardware chassis. Try connecting the sensor board ground directly to the
chassis to see if this solves the problem.
Another problem occurs when the sensor is integrated inside of a PC or other hardware
and the USB cable connecting the sensor board to the USB port is not shielded. ESD
events generate huge EMI pulses that can be received by the USB cable, which behaves
like an antenna if it is not shielded. A good indicator for this type of problem is that the

sensor or USB port becomes banged in the device manager when ESD pulses are
applied to the hardware casing away from the sensor. Try shielding the USB cable with
grounded metal foil to see if this solves the problem.
11.1.4 Sensor Re-Enumerates Intermittently
There are several possible problems that can cause the sensor to re-enumerate
intermittently. First, the 2ohm sense resistor (R4) may be too high of a value, causing the
OVC threshold to be marginally low. If this is the case, the sensor current may
occasionally cross the threshold and cause the OVC circuit to turn off sensor power. This
problem can be discovered by monitoring the OVC_DET and sensor VDD signals over a
long period of time. Triggering the oscilloscope on the OVC_DET signal going high will
capture this type of event.
If the current limit control resistor (R1) of the AAT4610A is the wrong value or
disconnected, this may cause the AAT4610 to intermittently turn off power to the sensor.
If there is a problem with the oscillator circuit or oscillator start-up time being longer than
9ms, it is possible for the sensor PLL to lock on the wrong frequency. The sensor may
draw too much current in this case, and if the oscillator start-up time is longer than the OVC
detection time window (17.1 51.4ms), this may intermittently cause the OVC circuit to
trigger. Monitoring the OVC_DET signal and sensor VDD over a long time will again
capture this type of problem. Verify that the oscillator start-up time is less than 9ms and
that RESET* goes high after the oscillator has stabilized. Also verify that the 47Kohm
resistor in the oscillator circuit is really 47Kohms and is connected to the crystal.
If the sensor is slightly physically damaged on its surface, causing mildly excessive current
to be drawn, then again the OVC circuit may trigger intermittently.
A more subtle problem can occur if the sensor VDD ripple exceeds the specified limit of
100mV peak to peak. Note that the maximum ripple occurs when the USB D+ signal is
active, so the VDD ripple should be measured as shown in the figure below. This figure
shows marginally good VDD ripple. Note that the VDD ripple is close to 100mV peak-to-
peak in this figure, but only when D+ is active. If the ripple exceeds specification, the
sensor may re-enumerate intermittently. Adding decoupling capacitors and improving the
PC board layout can improve this problem.

Figure 11-8 Marginal VDD Ripple
11.2 Other Sensor Module Problems

If the sensor enumerates properly, then many parts of the circuit are working correctly.
However, other problems may occur. The best software tool for examining these problems
is the DotNetDemo program from AuthenTec. This program allows an image of a
fingerprint to be displayed by swiping a finger over the sensor surface, as shown in the
figure below.

Figure 11-9 Using DotNetDemo To Capture An Image
Use the Data Capture option of this program to display these images. There are a few
different problems unrelated to USB enumeration that can occur:
1. A fingerprint image cannot be displayed.

2. The sensor consumes too much power or becomes uncomfortably warm.
3. Sensor does not wake up from suspend when a finger is placed on the sensor.
11.2.1 A Fingerprint Image Cannot Be Displayed
If an image of a fingerprint cannot be displayed, this may be caused by a problem with the
sensor finger ring circuit. There is a 47ohm resistor connected between sensor pins A1
and D1 (the finger ring circuit). If this resistor is missing or disconnected, the sensor finger
ring signal will not be present and the sensor will not be able to image. Test both sides of
this resistor to see if there is an oscillating signal present, as shown in the figure below
(signal labeled DRIVE_RING). If there is no signal on either side of this resistor, try
replacing the sensor to see if it fixes the problem. If the signal is present on one side of the
resistor but not the other, try replacing the resistor.

DRIVE_RING
USB D+
VDDA_ON*
VDDA
Figure 11-10 Sensor Drive Ring Signal

Another problem that can prevent an image from being captured occurs when the sensor
analog VDDA is not present. This may occur if the MOSFET connected to VDDA is
missing or defective, or if there is some wiring problem in the PC board that causes VDDA
to be disconnected. Monitoring VDDA with an oscilloscope, as shown in the figure above,
will show if this is the case. Note that the DRIVE_RING signal is only present when VDDA
is turned on.
If the sensor is physically damaged, this may also prevent an image from being captured.
Replacing the sensor is again a quick way to verify this problem.
11.2.2 Sensor Becomes Uncomfortably Warm
If the sensor becomes abnormally warm during operation, there are several possible
problems to look for:
1. The sensor may have been physically damaged, causing excessive power
consumption that is not triggering the OVC circuit. This may be because the damage

is in the analog part of the circuit, or because the OVC circuit is not working. Check
the OVC_DET signal with an oscilloscope to see if it is switching on and off, and use
a high-resolution voltmeter to check the voltage drop on the 2ohm sense resistor. If
the voltage drop is at or above the OVC threshold (40 100mV) but the OVC circuit
is not triggering, check the components in the OVC circuit. The sensor OVC
monitoring circuit may also fail due to the physical damage, so replacing the sensor is
another option to try. If the voltage drop on the sense resistor is below the OVC
threshold, then the damage is in the analog part of the sensor. Replace the sensor to
see if this fixes the problem.
2. The sensor might have latched up due to an ESD event, and the latchup may not
have been cleared by the OVC circuit. The analysis procedure is similar to when the
sensor is damaged: check to see if the voltage drop on the sense resistor is above
the OVC threshold, and whether the OVC circuit is triggering properly. Try turning off
power to the sensor to see if the problem goes away. If it does not go away, the
most likely problem is that the sensor is physically damaged, and not that an
uncleared latchup event has occurred. If the problem goes away when the sensor
power is turned off for a long time, verify that the sensor VDD falls to less than 0.5V
within a few milliseconds after the power has been turned off by the AAT4610A. If it
does not, this explains why a latchup occurred but could not be cleared.
3. The sensor VDD may be above the specification limit of 3.6V, overstressing the
sensor. Check the VDD value with an oscilloscope to be sure that is continuously
within specification over time.
4. There may be a short circuit or other wiring problem in the PC board causing
improper voltages to be applied to some sensor pins.
11.2.3 Sensor Does Not Wake Up From Suspend
If Remote Wakeup is enabled and the sensor fails to wake up from suspend when a finger
is placed on it, there are at least two possible problems that should be investigated. First, if
the oscillator startup time is longer than 20ms, the sensor will not be operational within the
USB bus resume signaling specification and it will fail to wake up. Sensor VDD and other
signals should also be investigated to be sure that they are behaving normally.
Another cause for failure to wake up is when there is an interaction between the driver and
the specific host platform. If all sensor module problems have been investigated and
eliminated, contact AuthenTec for assistance with the driver.
11.3 Other Debugging Tips

For investigating USB bus problems, the best tool to use is a USB Bus Analyzer. A Bus
Analyzer can record and display all of the packets going to and from the sensor, greatly
facilitating analysis of obscure driver and communication issues. If a Bus Analyzer is not
available, it is also possible to use an oscilloscope to monitor bus traffic. In this case, the
OE# signal from the sensor (default output from the GPO1 pin) can be used to help clarify

the direction of the USB traffic. The OE# signal goes low when the USB transceivers in the
sensor are active, so the low state of this signal indicates that it is the sensor that is
transmitting the signals seen on the bus.
11.4 Hardware Debugging Summary

This section is a summary of all the debugging tips provided above, for convenient
reference.
1. Sensor not visible in Device Manager. Check the following:

Is sensor VDD voltage 3.0 3.6V? If not, repair or replace sensor power supply.
Is VDD being continuously switched on and off by OVC_DET? If it is, check the
following:
o Is 2ohm sense resistor correct value?
o Is 39K resistor connected to AAT4610A correct value?
o Does PC board does have short circuit or wiring error?
o Is sensor scratched or damaged? If so, replace sensor.
Are reset signal voltage and timing correct? If not, replace reset capacitor.
Is Oscillator start-up time less than 9ms and is it the correct frequency? If not,
check the following:
o Does crystal meet specifications?
o Is crystal capacitor is correct value?
o Is VDD ripple less than 100mV peak to peak while D+ is active?
o Are IOSEL pins connected to VDD and ground correctly for crystal
frequency selected?
Are USB D+ and D- signals present and correct?
2. Sensor shown as Unknown Device or Fingerprint Sensor in Device

Manager. Check the following:
Is correct driver installed?
Is sensor scratched or damaged?
Is oscillator start-up time less than 9ms and is it the correct frequency? If not,
o Is crystal capacitor is correct value?
frequency selected?
3. Sensor is Banged in Device Manager. Check the following:

Is sensor version compatible with driver version?
Is USB communication noisy or erratic?

Is Oscillator start-up time less than 9ms and is it the correct frequency? If not,
o Is crystal capacitor correct value?
frequency selected?
Can problem be fixed by disabling and re-enabling the sensor in the Device
manager?
Did problem occur as a result of ESD? If so, check the following:
o Does OVC_DET circuit trigger in response to ESD event-induced latchup?
o Is 2ohm sense resistor correct value?
o Is the circuitry connected to the AAT4610A correct?
o Does sensor VDD fall to less than 0.5V within a few milliseconds when
OVC_DET signal goes high?
o Is the driver responding incorrectly to a particular error condition? (Contact
AuthenTec for assistance.)
o Is the PCs USB port being knocked out by the ESD event?
o For sensors integrated into equipment, is sensor board grounded to the
equipment chassis with a screw or bolt?
o For sensors integrated into equipment, is the USB cable to the sensor
shielded?
o For peripheral devices, does the USB cable have a ferrite bead to
suppress EMI transients?
4. Sensor re-enumerates intermittently. Check the following:

Does OVC_DET signal trigger intermittently? If so, check the following:
o Is 2ohm sense resistor (R4) correct value?
o Is (R1) connected to AAT4610A correct value?
o Is oscillator start-up time less than 9ms and correct frequency?
o Is 47Kohm resistor in oscillator circuit correct value?
o Is sensor scratched or damaged?
o Is VDD ripple less than 100mV peak-to-peak while USB D+ is active?
Is USB communication noisy or erratic?
5. Fingerprint image cannot be displayed using Aware. Check the following:

Is the 47ohm resistor (R5) in the finger drive ring circuit present and the correct
value?
Does the finger ring signal exist during imaging mode?
Does sensor VDDA voltage exist and is it the correct value during imaging mode?
Is the sensor scratched or damaged?
SR05 placed correctly (not rotated) when placed onto the board?

6. Sensor becomes uncomfortably warm. Check the following:
Did sensor become warm after an ESD event? If so, check the following:
o Does OVC_DET signal trigger in response to ESD events? If not, check
the 2ohm sense resistor and the circuitry connected to the AAT4610A.
o Does voltage across sense resistor exceed OVC_DET threshold?
Is 2ohm sense resistor correct value?
Is 40.2Kohm resistor connected to AAT4610A correct value?
Is sensor scratched or damaged?
Does sensor VDD exceed 3.6V?
Does the PC board have a short circuit or wiring error?
7. Sensor does not wake up from Suspend. Check the following:

Is oscillator start-up time less than 9ms? If not, then check the following:
o Is crystal capacitor correct value?
Is there a driver interaction with the specific host platform? (Contact AuthenTec
for assistance.)
8. Sensor does not go into Suspend or takes a long time to go into suspend.
Check the following:
Verify that the TVS on the design is within specification. Too much capacitance
will not allow the sensor to calibrate the finger detect. This may make the sensor
think there is a finger on the sensor and prevent the sensor and the software from
allowing to transition to suspend.
9. Sensor passes Checksensor pixel test portion of program but does not image.
Check the following:
Power down the circuit. Verify the resistance from FRNG to ground. If this is less
than 10k ohm. The sensor has apparently been physically damaged if this
measurement is less than 1K ohm. See Figure 11-10 and the signal labeled
DRIVE-RING. This signal will be highly attenuated by the effective short seen on
the FRNG node.

12 Glossary
ATA/ATE Ability To Acquire / Ability To Enroll. Description of sensor and biometric
system performance.
BIT Built-in Test. A sensor function that outputs a fixed pattern image frame (test
image) for testing purposes. The pattern can be modified by changing a
sensor register value.
Bit A single binary digit, which can take the value of either 1 or 0.
BOM Bill Of Material. List of components required in a design.
BSP Board Support Package. This is a collection of OEM Functions and the
Hardware Interface Layer software. Board Support Package makes it possible
for an OEM Functions and Windows CE operating software to access the
particular Hardware Platform resources. BSP includes the OAL, Kernel and
static Device Drivers.
Byte A group of 8 bits.
Chip Type Fixed value built into one of the sensors registers that uniquely defines the
sensor identity.
CPU Central Processing Unit: e.g. a microcontroller (XScale) on a WinCE platform.
D+ A normally high USB bus signal used for data transfer.
D- A normally low USB bus signal used for data transfer.
DR In synchronous serial protocol, data received by a device.
Drive Ring Metallic ring on the surface of the sensor that is used to inject a small signal
into the users finger
DX In synchronous serial protocol, data transmitted by a device.
EMI Electromagnetic Interference. Unwanted electromagnetic signals radiated by a
circuit or system.
ESD Electrostatic Discharge. An electrical spark caused by static electricity.
FAR False Acceptance Rate. Measurement of the accuracy of a fingerprint matcher
in terms of the frequency of incorrectly matching a fingerprint with the template
of a different person.
Finger Operation performed by sensor and software to determine if a user has placed
Detect his finger on the sensor or not.
Finger Data group output from the sensor during a finger detect operation that can be
Detect used by the software to determine if a finger is present on the sensor or not.
Packet
FRR False Rejection Rate. Measurement of the accuracy of a fingerprint matcher in
terms of the frequency of incorrectly rejecting a fingerprint for not matching a
template that it should match.
Gain Control Software function that adjusts the amplification of the sensor imaging circuitry.
GPIO General Purpose Input / Output (type of interface to the processor).
HIL Hardware Interface Layer.
Hardware See Platform.
Platform
Integration PC board supplied by AuthenTec that includes the sensor and all possible
Board interface options, which can be connected to a system development board in
order to perform software development and integration.
ISR Interrupt Service Routine a function that processes incoming interrupts,
usually preempting other processes that may be running when the interrupt
occurs..

IST Interrupt Service Thread a user mode device driver.
Matcher Software that determines whether a newly-captured fingerprint image is the
same as a fingerprint template stored in a database
Mbps Megabits Per Second: a data transfer rate, in millions of bits per second.
MIPS Millions of Instructions Per Second (processing rate of a microprocessor or
computer)
OAL OEM Adaptation Layer part of the BSP it abstracts the Platform hardware
to the Kernel and Device Drivers.
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer a maker of a portable device with
AuthenTecs sensor on it.
OVC Overcurrent detection (circuit)
Pixel Single element of an imaging array.
Platform Hardware system (CPU, memory, buses, ports, I/O system, storage, timers)
that is a basis for controlling peripherals and executing operating system
software.
PDA Personal Digital Assistant.
PID USB Product Identification number
Power Turning the power to the sensor on and off repetitively.
Cycling
Rdson The on-resistance of a MOSFET
Read Software operation that causes the sensor to return the values of all of its
Registers registers in sequential order, with each value preceded by its register address.
RoHS An EU environmental regulation for the Restriction of certain Hazardous
Substances, notably heavy metals like lead (Pb), in electronic devices.
RDK Reference Design Kit
SCK Serial Data Clock: data is shifted / latched on the rising or falling edge of the
SCK
SCR Silicon Controlled Rectifier. Four layer silicon device that can be switched
between a high and low resistance state.
SDK Software Development Kit. This is AE 4.0 SDK.
Slice A single image frame output from the sensor
Stacked An array of individual image frames captured during a finger swipe and
Image displayed or stored in sequential order
Swipe To slide a finger tip along the surface of the sensor in order to capture an
image
Swipe Buffer Area of RAM reserved for holding all of the image frames (stacked image)
output from the sensor
Software In the scope of this document: Microsoft Windows CE .NET 4.x with all the
Platform necessary OEM functions customize to control the Hardware Platform.
Test Image See BIT.
USB Universal Serial Bus
VDD Power supply to the AES1510 sensor.
VID USB Vendor Identification number
Vth Threshold voltage of a MOSFET. Gate voltage at which a MOSFET begins to
have a low drain-source resistance.
Watchdog A timer that triggers some event after a fixed length of time. Usually the
Timer processor will restart the timer periodically to prevent the event from being
triggered unless a fault condition occurs.

13 Revision History
VERSION DATE PERSON REASON
1.0 10/27/05 RLS Initial Release
Table 13-1 Revision History

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AES2501B Sensor Hardware Integration

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U.S. Government Restricted Rights

AES2501B Hardware Integration Guide For USB Applications

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10 USB MODULE .....................................................................................................................................................58

13 REVISION HISTORY .........................................................................................................................................79

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Extremely small size

1.1 Sensor Description

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The AES2501B is only available in a RoHS-compliant, lead-free package.

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1.3 USB Interface

1.4 System Architecture

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Figure 1-2 System Block Diagram

1.5 Integration Process

Casing Design (Industrial Design)

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Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Layout

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2.1 Reference Design Kit

Casing integration guidelines are also provided in this primer.

DOC. NO. DOCUMENT TITLE PURPOSE

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DOC. NO. DOCUMENT TITLE PURPOSE

2.3 Software Development Kits

2.3.1 Software Development Kit

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DOC. NO. DOCUMENT TITLE PURPOSE

2.3.2 Preboot Authentication (PBA) Kit

Figure 2-1 PBA Functional Diagram

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1. The standard AuthenTec Windows DLL

DOC. NO. DOCUMENT TITLE PURPOSE

2.3.3 Using Third-Party Matchers

The AuthenTec Windows software is designed to allow third-party matchers to be used.

2.4 Industrial and Mechanical Design

2.5 Signal Naming Convention

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Outer dead skin

surface of the skin

Pixel antennae array

Figure 3-1 Sensor Imaging Principle

A frame of the fingerprint image is scanned column by column. A column is scanned in

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Figure 3-2 Stacked Image Slices

3.1 Sensor Data Types

3.2 Sensor Operation In A System

Finger Detect Mode

These modes are explained below.

3.2.1 Finger Detect Mode

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3.2.3 Scrolling Mode

3.3 Fault Detection And Correction

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4.1 Power Supply Design

4.1.1 Supply Voltages And Currents