News: Optoelectronics
5 January 2022
Hesai and Lumentum partner on LiDAR for automotive applications
Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor manufacturer Hesai Technology of Shanghai, China and Lumentum Holdings Inc of San Jose, CA, USA – which provides vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays for 3D sensing and other applications – have partnered on hybrid solid-state directional LiDAR solutions for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
LiDAR sensors are an essential part of autonomous vehicles (AVs), but conventional LiDAR approaches have been challenged by high costs and poor manufacturability. Incorporating VCSEL array light sources can significantly improve LiDAR cost competitiveness and scalability.
“As the automotive industry transitions from the testing phase for AVs to mass-volume-production phase for ADAS applications, cost and manufacturability are the biggest challenges the industry faces,” says Hesai’s co-founder & CEO Dr David Li. “We are pleased to be collaborating with Lumentum on our hybrid solid-state LiDAR AT128 for ADAS applications, which contains an all-VCSEL-based design to achieve high-affordability, and automotive-grade reliability and consistency requirements,” he adds.
Hesai’s AT128 is a hybrid solid-state directional LiDAR that features a 200m range at 10% reflectivity, high point density (>1.5m points per second), and small form factor. Each AT128 incorporates 128 of Lumentum’s high-power multi-junction VCSEL arrays emitting at 905nm. The multi-junction VCSEL arrays are built on the manufacturing foundation developed over the past several years of high-volume VCSEL array shipments serving the consumer electronics market.
“We are excited to leverage our leading-edge multi-junction VCSEL array capabilities and manufacturing scale in working with Hesai to help enable innovative, cost-effective and high-volume LiDAR solutions,” says Lumentum’s president & CEO Alan Lowe.
Over the past few years, more than a billion Lumentum VCSEL arrays have been deployed in mobile, consumer electronics, industrial and other applications, creating significant manufacturing economies of scale. At the same time, Lumentum’s advances in VCSEL array technology have resulted in what is claimed to be record peak optical power densities and efficiencies, making the firm’s VCSEL arrays suitable for high-performance ADAS and AV applications.
High-volume shipments of the AT128 into multiple existing ADAS OEM design-wins are expected to begin in 2022.
Lumentum launches multi-junction addressable VCSEL arrays for long-range LiDAR
Lumentum launches five-and six-junction 940nm and 905nm VCSEL arrays
