Surface shape recognition apparatus

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the present invention to improve the reliability of a surface shape recognition apparatus for recognizing a small surface shape such as a three-dimensional pattern on a finger skin surface using a capacitive sensor.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a surface shape recognition apparatus comprising a plurality of sensor electrodes formed on an interlevel insulator on a substrate and insulated from each other, a passivation film formed on the interlevel insulator to cover an upper surface and side surface of each of the sensor electrodes, the passivation film being formed from a dielectric material, a capacitance detection circuit for, when a target recognition object comes into contact with a surface of the passivation film, detecting an electrostatic capacitance formed between the sensor electrode and a surface of the target recognition object opposing the sensor electrode, and static electricity avoiding means for passing static electricity on the surface of the passivation film.