"With today's heightened security concerns there is a huge unmet need for a reliable, low-cost, error-proof biometric sensor for many kinds of electronic information devices," said Joe Montalbo, vice president, Custom Solutions Group, National Semiconductor. " National and Validity will build and deliver a world-class security product that is so robust and adaptable that it can be built into a wide variety of devices."

"The investment, manufacturing and technology partnership with National Semiconductor will allow Validity to bring a high-volume product to market within a year," said Fred Benkley, President and CEO of Validity. "The Validator fingerprint sensor solves all of the static discharge and wear problems by removing the need for direct finger-to-silicon contact. Validity will lead the fingerprint sensor market by delivering a product that meets the reliability and cost demands of the consumer world."

The Validator consists of an integrated hardware and software solution. It measures finger pressure, speed and position, and creates an image of a fingerprint. The user's finger never touches silicon so there are no wear or static discharge issues. Security is dramatically enhanced due to a unique swipe-sensor design that leaves no latent fingerprints on the device. The Validator is also OEM-friendly and highly customizable due to its bendable construction and built-in reprogrammable FLASH memory.

The heart of the system is a National 16-bit microprocessor and analog processing unit that has 288 scanning channels. It generates a high-quality 12.5 mm-wide image at resolutions up to 500 dots per inch (dpi). Users swipe their finger across the sensor, which accepts only good-quality scans. The Validator uses industry-standard USB, SPI and LPC ports. It also features software drivers for embedded OS and Windows-based machines.

National Semiconductor will manufacture chips for the Validator solution at its state-of-the-art wafer manufacturing facility in South Portland, Maine. The chips will be built using National's 0.25-micron complementary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) process. The companies expect to ship samples to customers late in 2003 or early 2004.

About the Biometric Security Market

Biometric security devices are built around the fact that each individual has unique features. Biometric security solutions currently on the market include face, voice, eye, signature, hand and finger scan products. According to the International Biometric Group (IBG), a leading industry analyst firm, the worldwide market for biometric security products will reach more than $1 billion in 2003, with fingerprint scan technologies accounting for nearly 49 percent of this total. The market is expected to grow by more than 40 percent in 2004.

About Validity

Headquartered in Boston, MA, Validity offers the New Generation of fingerprint sensor, the Validator to the biometrics market. Along with their long history of analog and digital hardware expertise, Validity offers a full range of driver and biometrics software support to their OEM customer base.

About National Semiconductor

National Semiconductor is the premier analog company driving the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company is focused on the fast-growing markets for wireless handsets, displays, information infrastructure and information appliances. With headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., National reported sales of $1.5 billion for its most recent fiscal year and has about 10,000 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.