LiDAR chipization is the general trend
Latest update time：2022-01-04 19:29
Reads：
Source: The content is compiled from embedded by Semiconductor Industry Observer (ID: icbank), thank you.
VoyantPhotonics has developed a complete field-deployable LiDAR system using patented on-chip digital beam steering, optical signal processing and laser control.
A researcher at Columbia University in New York hopes its expertise in silicon photonics and early work delivering lidar on a chip will pave the way for mass adoption of 3D sensing in the same way that CMOS image sensors accelerated the development of digital photography.
Voyant Photonics, which just announced $15.4 million in Series A funding, says it has demonstrated a complete field-deployable lidar system using its patented on-chip digital beam steering, optical signal processing, and laser control technologies. The company says its mission is to make lidar a ubiquitous technology that enables machine perception for every application.
LiDAR is a key technology that enables 3D vision in many industries, including transportation, robotics, industrial automation and consumer electronics. Voyant said its LiDAR system contains thousands of optical components manufactured on a single semiconductor chip, enabling its customers to integrate an efficient, exponentially scalable LiDAR system that has been impossible to achieve until now. It is now offering development kits to select customers.
System block diagram using Voyant chip
According to Voyant Photonics, LiDAR systems are typically manufactured using discrete mechanical and optical components, resulting in bulky and expensive solutions. Voyant said its solution radically reduces the size and manufacturing complexity of LiDAR by combining thousands of optical and electronic components onto a single chip using commercially available and scalable semiconductor manufacturing processes, which enables LiDAR systems to be mass-produced like other computer chips.
After years of working on lidar chips at Columbia University's Lipson Nanophotonics Group, co-founders Chris Phare and Steven Miller decided to commercialize their technology and launched Voyant Photonics. The idea was to apply silicon photonics, the same technology that makes fiber optics cheap for high-performance data centers, to optical data communications. "When you make a lidar system on a chip, the manufacturing cost remains the same no matter how many components you use," Phare says. "We'll be selling lidar systems for a few hundred dollars very soon, and in the long term, at scale for less than $100."
“When we began our mission to make lidar a ubiquitous machine perception technology, many people said silicon photonics wasn’t ready to leave the lab,” Miller said. “Our successful first milestone proves that we can build a complete lidar solution to meet industry needs using silicon photonics and deploy it everywhere.”
“Now that we can build lidar systems on semiconductor chips, we can make them better and cheaper with each development cycle, just like Moore’s Law for computer chips,” Phare added. “While the excellent performance of our first lidar chips surprised even us, this is just the beginning. Just like computer chips and camera sensors, each design iteration will get better.”
Recently appointed CEO Peter Stern said: “Our team has accomplished a lot and we are now delivering the first lidar system powered by an integrated photonic chip. Our diverse customers in robotics, AGVs (autonomous guided vehicles), industrial automation and security all have one thing in common – they are all building solutions that require understanding the world around them. This is what our lidar systems provide.”
*Disclaimer: This article is originally written by the author. The content of the article is the author's personal opinion. Semiconductor Industry Observer reprints it only to convey a different point of view. It does not mean that Semiconductor Industry Observer agrees or supports this point of view. If you have any objections, please contact Semiconductor Industry Observer.
Today is the 2906th content shared by "Semiconductor Industry Observer" for you, welcome to follow.
Semiconductor Industry Observation
"
The first vertical media in semiconductor industry
"
Real-time professional original depth
Scan the QR code
, reply to the keywords below, and read more
Wafers｜ICs｜Equipment
｜Automotive Chips｜Storage｜TSMC｜AI｜Packaging
Reply
Submit your article
and read "How to become a member of "Semiconductor Industry Observer""
Reply
Search
and you can easily find other articles that interest you!
京公网安备 11010802033920号