Nanoimprint lithography is increasingly being applied in the consumer electronics sector, effectively addressing the core challenges of consumer electronic devices: Miniaturization, high precision, and low-cost mass production With its unique advantages of high precision, high efficiency, and high reproducibility, it is bringing about a revolutionary transformation in the consumer electronics sector.

1. Facial recognition (structured light/infrared sensing)

The application of nanoimprint lithography in facial recognition is primarily reflected in the fabrication of diffractive optical elements (DOEs). DOEs are optical components that can alter the propagation direction of light and are widely used in 3D sensing systems. DOE structures fabricated via nanoimprint lithography enable high‑precision light manipulation, thereby enhancing both the accuracy and speed of facial recognition. For instance, in law enforcement scenarios, facial recognition systems can rapidly and accurately verify identities, effectively assisting officers in identifying suspects.

Nanoimprint lithography solution:

• Diffractive Optical Element (DOE):
  • In a structured-light module, nano-scale diffractive gratings fabricated via nanoimprinting can split a laser beam into tens of thousands to millions of speckle patterns.
• Infrared filter: Imprint anti-reflective nanostructures to enhance infrared transmittance and reduce ambient light interference.

Technical Advantages:

• It replaces conventional lithography, addressing the challenge of high‑cost mass production for complex DOE patterns.
• Supports various substrates, including glass and polymers, and is compatible with ultra-thin design requirements.

2. 3D sensing (ToF/structured light)

As one of today’s mainstream methods for unlocking smartphones, facial recognition leverages 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors to generate real-time three-dimensional models of the user’s face, ensuring both accuracy and security and providing users with enhanced protection. By capturing detailed depth information, this technology remains unaffected by variations in viewing angle, lighting conditions, or even facial expressions, significantly improving the reliability of facial unlocking. The application of nanoimprint lithography in 3D sensing is also evident in the fabrication of diffractive optical elements (DOEs). DOEs produced via nanoimprint can precisely manipulate light, enabling high‑precision 3D measurement and imaging. At present, the deployment of 3D ToF sensors is still constrained by cost, limiting their use primarily to high‑end smartphones. However, with support from nanoimprint‑based solutions, production costs can be substantially reduced, accelerating the widespread adoption of 3D sensing technologies in smartphones, virtual reality devices, and other applications.

Nanoimprint lithography solution:

3D ToF sensor optical components: In smartphone-based 3D structured-light facial recognition, nanoimprint lithography is employed for mass-producing diffractive optical elements (DOEs) and light‑uniforming films, significantly reducing manufacturing costs and enhancing the consistency of optical performance.

Technical Advantages:

• A single imprinting process can integrate multifunctional structures such as lenses, gratings, and filter layers.
• Supports curved-surface embossing

3. Biometrics (under-display fingerprint/iris recognition)

In addition to facial recognition, iris and fingerprint recognition—both prized for their uniqueness and convenience—are widely employed across numerous domains, including smartphone unlocking, access control systems, and financial payments. Nanoimprint lithography can be used to fabricate high‑precision optical components or sensor arrays; its combination of high accuracy and low cost makes it a powerful enabler in the production of biometric sensors.

Nanoimprint lithography solution:

• Under-display optical fingerprint sensor: Imprint a nano-optical waveguide structure to reduce interference from display pixels on fingerprint signals.
• Iris recognition filter: By imprinting a nanopore array, we achieve directional enhancement of near-infrared light transmission.

Technical Advantages:

• Breaking the limits of conventional etching processes, high‑precision structures are realized on flexible PI substrates.

4. Smartphone camera lens assembly

The camera function is an indispensable part of a smartphone, and… Mobile phone camera module It will affect the imaging capabilities. Nanolithography can, through meta‑lenses, achieve highly efficient light focusing and image formation, enabling smartphone cameras to attain higher… Resolution and improved imaging performance Nanoprinting technology can also enhance the functionality of smartphone cameras by fabricating optical components such as microlens arrays and diffraction gratings.

Nanoimprint lithography is reshaping the design and manufacturing paradigms of consumer‑electronics optical systems: through a “top‑down” manufacturing revolution, it is driving consumer‑electronics optical systems toward… Lightweighting, intelligentization, and cost reduction A new stage.