Lumentum introduced new high-power and high-efficiency five and six junction vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays for advanced consumer, automotive LiDAR, and other 3D sensing applications.
Lumentum's multi-junction VCSEL arrays emit at 940 nm and 905 nm and are manufactured on the same production lines as current high-volume VCSEL array products serving the consumer electronics market. The company said these new VCSEL arrays enable much lower power dissipation, very high slope efficiencies, and record-breaking optical peak powers compared with existing devices. Optical powers exceeding 2 W per individual VCSEL emitter have resulted in over 800 W of peak power from a compact one square millimeter sized VCSEL array. The peak optical power, low thermal dissipation, and small die size of these new multi-junction VCSELs arrays are important to extending their use to high performance all-solid-state medium and long-range LiDAR.
"Automotive, consumer, and industrial customers increasingly need higher performance VCSEL arrays to drive increased functionality and adoption of LiDAR and 3D sensing enabled products," said Dr. André Wong, Vice President of 3D Sensing Product Line Management. "Our latest multi-junction VCSEL arrays continue our long history of pioneering innovative optical solutions in close collaboration with customers. These new products leverage the well proven high-volume, 6-inch wafer supply that we established more than four years ago."
In addition to these new high-power VCSEL array illuminators, Lumentum also offers a wide variety of optical solutions for 3D sensing, automotive, and LiDAR applications. These include VCSEL solutions for vehicle in-cabin monitoring, high-performance Gallium Arsenide and Indium Phosphide edge-emitting laser chips for 3D sensing and LiDAR, and 1550 nm narrow-linewidth DBR diode lasers for long-range frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) coherent LiDAR.