Trumpf To Bring New Vcsel Solutions Designed For Advanced 3d Sensing Applications

Increasing demand for VCSELs in smartphones and consumer electronics, new VCSEL solutions for high-quality proximity sensing, laser autofocus, and sensing beneath OLED displays, and a new generation of single-mode and multimode VCSELs operating at 940 nm has been released.

FREMONT CA: Sensors can help improve the world by enhancing diagnostics in medical applications; improving the performance of energy sources such as fuel cells, batteries, and solar power; enhancing people's health, safety, and security; sensors for exploring space and the known university; and enhancing environmental monitoring. TRUMPF Photonic Components, a market leader in VCSEL and photodiode solutions, announces the addition of new advanced VCSEL solutions for 3D sensing in consumer and industrial applications. The latest generation of 940 nm VCSEL arrays enables significant advancements in various functionalities while maintaining a high level of reliability, such as a long product lifetime over a wide temperature range. As a result, the new VCSEL generation achieves superior performance in sophisticated optical applications such as proximity detection, laser autofocus, and sensing beneath OLED displays. TRUMPF also discusses the trend toward all-screen displays in high-end consumer electronics and the difficulty faced by system designers in integrating advanced optical sensor technologies beneath the displays. Additionally, based on initial client feedback, the new generation is the optimal light source for advanced industrial and automotive time-of-flight applications.

"We stand for highest technology standards and fast product development. It was back in 2015 when the first TRUMPF VCSEL, and the first VCSEL at all, was put into a smartphone for proximity sensing. Our innovation leadership is substantiated by over 1,6 billion VCSELs shipped out since then to enable 3D sensing and illumination in smartphones," states Ralph Gudde, VP Marketing and Sales at TRUMPF Photonic Components.

Enhancements to the sensing and lighting systems

The novel single-mode 940 nm VCSEL array features twelve quadratic emission zones that combine to generate an output power of 18 mW to improve the quality of proximity detection and laser autofocus applications. The fully symmetrical and Gaussian-shaped beam profile simplifies the design of optical applications greatly. Even when run at nanosecond pulse rates, the device's performance remains single-mode, and the robust architecture ensures consistent output power performance over time.

TRUMPF will soon launch a second new device, a multimode VCSEL with variable polarization. Stable and improved linear polarization enhances the quality and resolution of illumination in demanding 3D illumination applications such as optical sensing via an OLED display. This innovative multimode 940 nm VCSEL features two emission zones with an optical power output of 8 mW. TRUMPF invented the patented technique for high-volume VCSELs with stable polarization. A surface grating etched directly onto the GaAs secures the polarization. Due to the enhanced grating design, the new polarized VCSELs reach nearly 100 percent efficiency compared to conventional non-polarized VCSELs.

“With our expanded portfolio of single- and multimode, high power and polarization controlled VCSEL products, we are well-positioned to serve the demanding 3D sensing and illumination applications not only in smartphones, but also in VR and AR as well as industrial and automotive applications,” Gudde concludes.