CrucialTec, a South Korea-based biometric solution developer, said Friday that it has succeeded in developing the world’s first micro-sized thermometer sensor module that can be built into smartphones.

By adopting an integrated-microelectromechanical system, or i-MEMS, which is a foundational component of semiconductor design, the newly-developed module can measure a person’s body temperature within 0.5 second via a connected application.


The module is also touch-free, meaning the subject does not have to come in direct contact with the sensor to measure temperature, lowering the risks of infection and widening their applicative potential, CrucialTec said.

According to the company, the thermometer module can measure the temperature of humans as well as any object sitting at between -40 to 200 degrees Celsius.

The newly-developed thermometer module is different from existing products in that it places both the temperature measurement sensor and the component that translates that data into digital signals, on a single wafer.

This offers more accuracy compared to existing products, which have placed the two components onto different wafers, and makes it possible for the module to be placed inside smartphones without being affected by the device’s own heat.

CrucialTec said that the thermometer module can be packaged in any shape and form as requested, including smartphone built-in types as well as external accessory types.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)