wide range of infrared sensing components from Osram faciliate the applications for automotive Lidar and more

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors is a world-famous supplier of infrared sensing components nowadays. With its wide category of products such as Infrared-LEDs (IREDs), Edge-Emitting Lasers (EEL) and VCSELs, Osram provides chips for applications in terms of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) like automotive LiDAR or driver monitoring, biometrics and 3D Sensing for consumer electronics besides industrial automation and many more.

Most of high-end traditional vehicles and new energy vehicles are installed with ADAS. As LiDAR is considered to be the necessary sensor to reach the autonomous vehicle L4 and L5, auto makers have introduced LiDAR to their vehicles in advance to create database and increase accuracy.

Basically, automotive LiDAR products mainly adopt Edge-Emitting Lasers for long-distance sensing and precision. In order to meet requirement of long-distance sensing, OSRAM has successfully developed single-channel (120W) and four-channel (480W) LiDAR laser products now; the precision is expressed by Temperature Shift. LiDAR laser products have been successfully used for design, and it is expected that 2021 will see double growth of sales performance.

It is clearly shown that VCSEL will be used in short-range sensing, including the automotive LiDAR market. Both Edge-Emitting Lasers and VCSEL for automotive LiDAR will pass automotive grade certification to make it more convenient for use. For the product design of LiDAR customers, OSRAM has also launched Laser Bare Die products to solve the problem of limited space.

Until now, edge-emitting lasers have been successfully used in industrial LiDAR. With increasing VCSEL product efficiency and  requirements on optical design or product cost performance, OSRAM has also released 10W VCSEL products for requirement of short-sensing distance, such as industrial LiDAR. As for industrial field, compared with infrared LED products, VCSEL can provide a sensing distance of more than 200 meters, which can be used in the field of unmanned factory monitoring or smart city security surveillance market.

In consideration of transmission speed and sensing distance requirements, LiDARs are also be applied in the drone market. The LiDAR sweeping robot can achieve high-precision positioning with simultaneous positioning and map construction in terms of simultaneous Localization and Mapping. LiDAR technology can respond immediately anywhere through 360-degree scanning, and it has automatic recharging function for automatic going home.