Optical recognition of phase-encrypted biometrics

An optical security system using phase encryption of biometric identification data is demonstrated. For this effort, fingerprints are used as the biometric signature. Two types of phase masks are fabricated: photopolymer film and polyimide film. The masks containing the phase-encrypted fingerprints are tested using a joint transform optical correlator. The results of the tests demonstrate that the encryption methods are successful, as the target fingerprint is recognized and the test print is rejected.