News: Optoelectronics
16 January 2020
ON Semiconductor signs LiDAR collaboration MOU with SOS LAB
On 7 January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2020) in Las Vegas, ON Semiconductor of Phoenix, AZ, USA signed a collaboration memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SOS LAB of Gwangju, South Korea - a light detection & ranging (LiDAR) startup for self-driving cars - to use their respective technologies jointly to accelerate the development and commercialization of LiDAR systems focused on the automotive and smart factory markets.
SOS LAB provides high-power vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) light sources and Metalens optical technology while ON Semiconductor offers high-resolution single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays used for sensing single photons, making the combination suitable for a solid-state LiDAR time-of-flight application.
ON Semiconductor is a provider of intelligent sensing solutions for automotive and autonomous perception, with technology targeting all sensing methods including image sensors, radar and LiDAR. SOS LAB Co Ltd is currently focusing on developing small-scale, accurate and affordable LiDAR sensors for self-driving cars, autonomous things, hyper automation, AI security, and other related industries.
Attending CES for the third consecutive year, SOS LAB launched two types of LiDAR system: a front long-range LiDAR (SL) using hybrid scanning technology and a side-by-side solid-state type LiDAR (ML) using VCSEL and Metalens technology. SOS LAB says it can hence provide a LiDAR solution that can measure front, rear and full range for autonomous vehicles/ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems).
“We expect to develop (solid-state)-type LiDARs more quickly and plan to mass produce LiDARs for vehicles with built-in headlamps and bumpers within 2-3 years,” says SOS LAB’s CEO JiSeong Jeong.
